Peyton Manning Fiasco

For many years the Indianapolis Colts have had so much security. Their head coach Tony Dungy was a football mastermind and their quarterback, Peyton Manning, was considered as one of the best in the league. Just a few short years later, Dungy had already retired, Manning was out the whole season with a neck injury, the team went 2-14 and almost every coach was fired. All of this drama has left fans and especially Peyton Manning in a confused state. Instead of Manning being the face of the franchise, all faces have turned towards college star Andrew Luck as the guy that can bring new life to the city. It is pretty clear the Colts will use their number one pick in this upcoming draft on Luck which will leave Manning basically out of the equation. As a franchise, the Colts have decided to rebuild and a quarterback in his mid 30s coming off multiple neck surgeries definitely doesn't sound great for a team starting from scratch.

So the next big question is where will Peyton Manning end up next season. Rumors have claimed the Dolphins, Redskins, Cardinals, and some other teams are all interested in the veteran. It will be very interesting to see where he ends up and I am sure any team to get him will be extremely lucky to be bringing in a man with so much experience and talent.

Padres Off Season Update

Since last season, the Padres have made some moves to improve the franchise. The biggest acquisition has been power hitter Carlos Quentin. Ever since Adrian Gonzalez left, the Padres have had a hole in the middle of lineup. The Padres are hoping that with the addition of Quentin, their offense that finished near the bottom in every offensive category will improve. Another big name to leave the team was Mat Latos. Just a few years ago, Latos finished the season with 14 wins and a 2.92 ERA. He appeared to be the new face of the franchise but after an injury plagued season last year, the Padres decided to trade him to the Red for Edinson Volquez. Volquez is a very talented pitcher who just as Latos has struggled with injuries in the beginning part of his career. His best season was in 2008 when went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA. The saddest part of the off season was when the Padres lost closer Heith Bell to the Marlins. He quickly made people forget about Trevor Hoffman after he got three consecutive seasons of over 40 saves. Newly acquired closer Huston Street has big shoes to fill, but I think he will do just fine. All in all, the Padres are going to be looking to get in the playoffs for the first time since 2006. With some better hitting, I don't see why they can't, especially in a weaker division.

USA Basketball Olympic Team

The 2012 Summer Olympics are just around the corner and the USA basketball team is already looking to set their lineup for London. Just looking at the twenty players right now Coach K has an option to bring, it is pretty obvious this team that will be formed will be maybe the most talented USA basketball team ever composed. Out of the twenty selected only twelve will make the trip to London to represent the USA. Returning from the team that won gold in Beijing are: Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Back from the FIBA world championship team is Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Tyson Chandler, Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups, Russell Westbrook and Andre Iguodala. Planning on being added to those named above are Blake Griffin and Lamarcus Aldridge.

The USA will need to focus on size for these Olympics as their biggest competition, Spain, has Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol and Serge Ibaka who all tower over 6'10. The team will start training camp July 6th and will make the cuts according to salary issues or skill level. The only players not back from either of the two championship teams are Jason Kidd (retired from international competition), Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Michael Redd, Stephen Curry, and Danny Granger. 

It will be very tough to decide on who will represent the United States in London this summer but either way, expect the USA team taking home to gold in basketball. 

NCAA National Championship

Alabama 21

LSU 0

#1 LSU and #2 Alabama squared off Monday night for the second time this season. Alabama did not know after losing earlier in the season to LSU in overtime, they would get their revenge in the national championship. With the help of losses by Oklahoma State, Boise State and others, Alabama claimed the number two seed in the country and earned to right to rematch their rivals.

Everyone knew heading into this game these were the top two defensive teams in the country. With names like heisman trophy nominee Tyrann Mattieu for LSU and Dre Kirkpatrick for Alabama, you knew points would be hard to come by. In their previous meeting the teams only mustered up a combined 15 points and neither team scored a touchdown. LSU was able to kick a game winning field goal in overtime for a 9-6 win. That was a few months ago and Alabama was ready to attack Monday in hopes of payback against LSU.

The game started out all Alabama and the Crimson Tide jumped out to a 9-0 lead at half. Going into halftime, the LSU Tigers offense hadn't even crossed midfield yet. The second half was no different as Alabama punched in two more field goals before star running back Trent Richardson scored a 34 yard touchdown that  sealed the deal. As you look back at the stats, it was completely a one sided game. Alabama had 21 firsts downs and 384 total yards compared to LSU's 5 first downs and 92 total yards. Another key stat was that LSU had two costly turnovers and Alabama didn't turn the ball over once.

Alabama's defense definitely was the MVP of this game as they got their revenge after the crushing loss earlier this season. Don't think Alabama won't win it next year either as they have one of the top recruiting class coming to Tuscaloosa next Fall. Overall, this game proved Alabama was easily the best team in the nation and this storied program added yet another championship to their resume.

Under Armor All American Game

The high school kids were on ESPN tonight in the Under Armor All American Game. This is a football game every year that displays some of the best high school football players in the country. The players were split up into white and black teams as white ran away with it 49-16. Many of the stars from the night are committed to Alabama so don't be to shocked to see Alabama ranked high again next year. Here are a couple of pictures.

(above)  Keith Marshall is committed to Georgia and is ranked the #1 running back recruit.

(above) The game is sponsored by Under Armor so the players sported these fancy helmets during the game.

Playoff Time

After seventeen weekends of football, we have finally narrowed down the playing field to twelve teams. Most of the playoff teams had to prove themselves in the final week such as the Giants. After it was all said and done, we were left with some very interesting match ups for next week. Here are the games and my predictions for the first round of the playoffs.

AFC
First round byes: 1. New England Patriots  2. Baltimore Ravens

Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos: Looking at this matchup, it seems very lopsided in favor of the Steelers. The Steelers actually finished tied with the Ravens for the AFC North title but the Steelers lost to the Ravens twice this year so the Ravens had the tie breaker. Instead of having a first round bye, the Steelers will go into Denver as heavy favorites even with a banged up lineup. Their quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still recovering from a sprained ankle and their running back Rashard Mendenhall suffered a knee injury in the last regular season game. The Broncos are coming into the game on a three game losing streak and an absent passing game. The only way I can see the Broncos winning this game is if Tim Tebow has another Tebow miracle but it will be hard versus one of the top defenses in the league. My Prediction: Steelers 23 Broncos 3

Cincinnati Bengals at Houston Texans: After joining the season eight years ago as an expansion team, the Texans have finally made the playoffs for the first time. This is very exciting for the team but they problem is they are heading into the game with their fourth quarterback this season, Jake Delhomme. Their previous three quarterbacks have all gotten season ending injuries so its quite unfortunate for the Texans who believed they would be championship contenders earlier in the year. On the other hand, the Bengals have made the playoffs for only the third time in 22 years. They are led by a rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and his favorite target is rookie wide receiver A.J Green. It will been interesting to see how such a young team can play in the playoffs versus a very beaten up team. My Prediction: Bengals 17 Texans 10

NFC
First Round Byes: 1. Green Bay Packers   2. San Francisco 49ers

Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints: The Saints are actually very unlucky to not have a bye after finishing the season 13-3. Their quarterback Drew Brees had a record breaking year setting the new single season record for passing yards after he surpassed Dan Marino last week. His main target is second year tight end Jimmy Graham who also set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season. Don't underestimate the Lions offense as they have the great duo of Mattew Stafford to Calvin Johnson. This game is going to be extremely high scoring as it will come down to which defense can get more stops. My Prediction: Saints 38 Lions 28

Atlanta Falcons at New York Giants: The New York Giants are coming into the playoffs very hot. They won their last two games of the season versus the Jets and Cowboys which led to them clinching the NFC East. Their defensive line has been incredible as Pierre-Paul, Tuck, and Umenyiora seem to be getting to the quarterback on every play. The Falcons played very good this season as well with the help of rookie wide reciever Julio Jones making big plays down the field. The problem with the Falcons is that they only went 4-4 on the road and this game is in New York. If this game was in Atlanta, I think the Falcons would come out on top but with how good the Giants are playing and the fact they are at home definitely gives the Giants the edge. My Prediction: Giants 24 Falcons 21