Super Bowl Time! (Casey)

Well on Sunday Febuary 5th 2012 the annual unofficial holiday known as the Super Bowl will take place in Indianapois Indiana and it will feature the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Now in a previous post I couldn't have been further off for my predicted Super Bowl teams (Saints vs Ravens) but I began thinking about it and this game should be pretty exciting. I know we have already seen this game once before (17-14 Giants in Super Bowl XLII) but these two teams are different and they should put up alot of points.

• First off in there last meeting in 2008 Eli Manning had some late game heroics that ended up helping them win the game. I think this year it may come down to that again but this time Eli is more seasoned and has an amazing group of recivers around him (Victor Cruz, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks, Jake Ballard) and 2 bruising running backs (Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw) to help move the ball up and down on this Patriots D that has played well in the playoffs but statistically during the year has been horrible. The Giants Defense is awesome. The Front 4 with Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Osi Umenyiora, and Chris Canty are in my opinion better than the D-line from there last Super Bowl team. There Linebackers are good but are going to be tested this game as well as there secondary. If the Giants can get pressure on Tom Brady they will be able to control this game but if they don't look out.
• Now for the Patriots. Bill Belichick is an evil genious and when you give him and Tom Brady time they can pick apart the other team and impose there will. Brady threw for over 5000 yard this year and this offense is really good IF Brady is on. During the AFC championship he admited to being off so dont expect that to happen again. The big thing in my mind that the Patriots have over the Giants is the matchup between the TE's and the Linebackers. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are beasts and will line up anywhere on the field.They are so big, strong and fast that Linebackers have a real hard time staying with them so look for Brady to continue to target them. But also because all the focus will be on those two look for "The Sneeky One" Wes Welker to have a big game. The Patriots Offensive line will be tested all day and I would imagine we can look forward to seeing little dink and dunk passes as well as some screens thrown to neutralize the Giants agressive defense.  The Patriots D is somewhat of a mystery. During the regular season they ranked at the botttom of the league in total defense but during the playoffs they have held there opponents to a total of 30 points. Vince Wilfork has been a stud in the middle of the D line and Brandon Spikes and Jerod Mayo have been playing well. But that secondary will have its hands full with the Giants WR's.

So with all that said I will take you back to week 9 where the New York Giants went into Foxboro and beat the Patriots 24-20. This is going to be about the same outcome. Look for the Giants to get pressure in Tom Bradys face and look for the Giants to finally establish a run game and control the clock and keep the ball out of Bradys hands. The 2008 Super Bowl between these 2 was a classic and this one should not disappoint. I have the Giants winning again late 23-20 with a Tynes FG.

We All Have Strange Sports Superstitions! Don't We?(Casey)

There was a video posted on youtube of a woman who was crying hysterically after the Packers lost on Sunday and was yelling at her friend. Why was she yelling you might ask, was her friend a Giants fan? Was her friend a  Bears fan? NO its because (with a little help from a few drinks) her friend told her to put sparkles on her fingernails and to wear her Clay Matthews jersey instead of  Aaron Rodgers Jersey. (http://youtu.be/ZjvXxwvg8mc) Then today at lunch I was watching a recorded Late Night With Jimmy Fallon from last night and he does this think called Late Night Hashtags where he has people tweet in different things from a topic he chooses and last night was called #GAMEDAYSUPERSTITIONS.(http://youtu.be/cRSyZZr44Wo) All I can say is I thought I was superstitious I have nothing on some of these people. Now I do admit I am superstitious, I do my little quarky things before and during alot of games and I'm not afraid to share them. For example one thing I like to do is buy a new hat and or t-shirt before every new BYU football season and wear it or them during the first game, if they win I keep wearing it until they lose then I have to change back into one of my old ones and start over. Another thing that I do is change seats alot and normally end up standing in one place for most of the game, if the place Im sitting does not work I move around. Yeah Im strange I know but in my head it works for the team, i mean forget all the hard work they put into preparing and practicing as long as I have my new hat on and Im standing in the corner of my living room I know they will win. I have been known also to leave a room and if they begin to win I will stay out of the room for a while just to make sure. But enough about me I want to know If Im in the norm here or if Im just crazy (crazier than I already know I am)? Sports fans are you superstitious and If so what are some of the funny/strange to outsiders things you do to help your team win if not only in our minds? Leave a comment below and let me know. Watch that Jimmy Fallon Video and you will realize that nothing you do is TO strange or embarrassing! So If you happen to come over to my house while Im watching a BYU, or Steelers, or even a Jazz game, don't be suprised if I move around alot Im just trying to help the team win!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UTAH JAZZ AFTER THE 1ST 10 GAMES. (TYLER)

So the first TEN games are finished for the Utah Jazz. Lets see they fared....

1. @LA LAKERS             L 71-96
2. @DENVER                   L 100-117
3. PHILADELPHIA          W 102-99
4. @SAN ANTONIO       L 89-104
5. NEW ORLEANS          W 94-90
6. MILWAUKEE              W 85-73
7. MEMPHIS                    W 94-85
8. @GOLDEN STATE     W 88-87
9. CLEVELAND               W 113-102
10. LA. LAKERS                L 87-90 (OT)

After looking at the Wins/Losses my assessment of the Jazz is that they are still a young team, trying to learn each other and how to play with each other. You can see early in the year the Jazz were taking licks from the likes of the Lakers, the Nuggets, and the Spurs. However, once the Jazz make it back home they are all but unstoppable. With the only loss at home coming to the Lakers in Overtime. Unfortunately you have to be able to beat the better teams to make it anywhere, the Jazz are playing well against lower tier teams like Cleveland and Milwaukee and have shown they can battle it out with the likes of Golden State and New Orleans. So how are the Jazz going to fare this season... pretty well... i will show you how.

• Youth- The Jazz are one of the youngest teams in the league, and C.J. Miles at 26 years is the longest tenured Jazz-man with 7 years. How will being young help? This season isn't your regular NBA season with only 66 games in a shorter amount of time, making way for back-to-back-to-back series with different teams in different cities. Older teams like the Spurs, Mavericks, and Lakers will wear out later in the season, making way for the younger bodies like the Thunder, Blazers, and Jazz to slide up spots in the playoff race.
• Defense- The main reason i bring this up is because after watching the Jazz vs. Lakers the other night, the Jazz were able to hold the Lakers to 78 points at the end of regulation, which is their lowest scoring total by far this season, the next closest being 90 against Memphis & Denver. Of course that game went into Overtime where the Lakers finished with 90 points. Also the Jazz are second in the NBA in Blocks per game giving them the title of Swat Lake City. An impressive stat considering that the Jazz are playing Jerry Sloan defense without Sloan as Coach.
• Bench Production- The Jazz have a talented and deep bench. The 2nd stringers include Earl Watson, C.J. Miles, Josh Howard, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter. Each of these players have shown that they can come into a game and continue to perform on the court.

The downfall i see to the Jazz hopes this year is the fact that they are 22nd in the NBA (out of 30) in Scoring. (points per game) and it is going to be tough to win big games if you cannot score enough, regardless of how good the defense of the team is. The addition of Josh Howard i think help the Jazz tremendously especially coming off the bench and he will become a difference maker for the Jazz sooner rather than later.

What also hurts the Jazz is the division they are playing in. Second only to the Southeast Division that has Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta,the Northwest Division is one of the toughest divisions in the NBA right now with Oklahoma City, Portland, Denver, and Utah. However the Western Conference is showing weakness with some of it's higher tier teams which could prove very helpful to the Jazz, climbing possibly as high as a 5 seed in the conference. I do think the Jazz will end up topping Denver in the division and finish 3rd behind OKC and Portland. But only time will tell, and i am excited to see what the Jazz can prove in the next 10 games.

My Playoff Predictions and Super Bowl Champs! (Casey)



Its one week into the NFL Playoffs and since my team got beat (In a heartbreaker for me) I think I can be less bias toward the remaining teams and pick a winner. So above is my bracket that I made to show who I think will move on from this weeks games and eventually become this years Super Bowl Champions. I have good reason for each of these games and why I picked them and i will explain every game and some of the reasons I picked who I picked.

• Game 1 This was a tough game on here for me to pick from this coming weekend and it is the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints game on Saturday at 2:30. This is a tough one because you are looking at the #1 overall Defense in San Francisco going up against 5000+ yard QB and a very potent offense in the Saints. But In the end I think the Saints are just on such a roll that they will be able to pull this out and beat the 49ers in a close game. I think that the fact that the game will be outdoors will aid the 49ers defense a little but there offense just hasn't shown that it can consistently put up points so if they are going to win they will need to make this a dirty game and just run the ball with Frank Gore and keep the ball out of Drew Brees hands. This one should be interesting I have the Saints 21 the 49ers 17.
• Game 2 Is the other NFC game and it is between the defending champs the Green Bay Packers and the New York Giants on Sunday at 2:30. I picked the Giants because of two things. 1st the Giants are a team that has the capability to run the ball behind Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw which in turn will keep the ball from Aaron Rodgers and that scary good Packers offense. The 2nd reason is the fact that the Packers O-Line is hurt and this Giants Defensive front is one of the best in the NFL. If you stop Justin Tuck you will lose to Jason Pierre-Paul or Osi Umenyiora and visa versa. If the Giants can put pressure on Rodgers much like the Kansas City Chiefs did and if the offense can move the ball and own the clock they will be able to win this game. I have this game in a close one Giants 24, Packers 21!
• Now to the AFC and Game 1 between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos on Saturday at 6. Now Im going to have to use the T word here but bare with me on this. Tebow is a winning QB! The decisions he made agains Pittsburgh were great and he was able to throw the ball all over the field on them. But that was against a broken down Steelers team and now they have to face a well rested and healty Patriots team in Foxborough Massachusets where Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have been waiting and Im sure have come up with a plan to stop Saint Tebow. This Patriots team is just to good and I know that there are some great atheletes on the Broncos Defense but who are they going to stop? You stop the run, Brady kills you with the passing game with Welker, Gronkowski, Hernandez, Branch, even Ochocinco. Now New Englands Defense is horrible but I think the offense will score enough to win the game. Patriots 38, Denver 17!
• Last game of the day will be between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans on Sunday at 11. Houston is just so young and on there backups backups backup QB in JJ Yates but having said that the kid wins games. But he has never faced a Defense like the Ravens and even with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson healty I dont think they will be able to overcome the Ravens Defense. Plus Its time for Joe Flacco to step up and win a playoff game and he has the weapons around him with Ray Rice running the ball and WR like Anquan Boldin (who will play) and Torrey Smith. Ravens 31 Houston 14!
• So that leaves in the NFC Championship Game, The New Orleans Saints Vs The New York Giants. Because the Saints will be the higher seed they will get home field advantage and for that reason alone they will win the game.All the same arguments I just made above apply to both team but I am going to pick the Saints in a slugfest, Saint 27, Giants 21!
• Next is the AFC Championship Game where the Patriots will host the Ravens. This game will be very interesting but I just think that the Ravens Defense will do just enough to slow down the Patriots, kind of follow the Steelers model of getting to Tom Brady, and the Ravens Offense will score enough on this bad Patriots D that they will pull it out and win the game in Foxborough! Ravens 17, Partriots 14!
• So Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis will be between the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens. Again this is going to be a dome game and for some reason Drew Brees can put up crazy numbers in domes. The Ravens will get after him and cause problems but I see Brees slowing the game down, throwing all over the field and outpaceing the Ravens offense. This will be a great game and as much as it hurts (Being a Steelers Fan) I think the Ravens will have a shot at the end but Drew Brees will bring the Saints to the promise land. Saints 21, Ravens 20!

So there you have it my Playoff and Super Bowl predictions. Im sure you all agree with everything I have said and think that I am spot on with all my reasoning, but if you slightly disagree with me and want to let me know what you think will happen and why leave a comment and let me know. Thanks for reading and have fun watching these games!

So Who is the Champion? (Casey)

So when I found out like most of you that the BCS National Championship game was going to be a rematch between LSU and Alabama my first impression was I have already seen this game before. But as time went on things in my head began to change and I began to have a different opinion. Maybe this game would be better, maybe the first game was SO hyped and called the Game Of The Century that both teams came out tennative and they would open things up and show how good they both really were, after all this is the last college football game of the year and we wont see another game till September so get it while you can. Well on all accounts I was wrong and should have waited till September. Now I love to watch Defensive football but this game was offensive. 9 to 0 Alabama at half and not a touchdown scored till 4 minutes into the 4th quarter final score 21-0 Alabama wins. After the game both Alabama and LSU said they deserve the National Title. Both said that through there body of work they have both shown that they are the champs. Well I want to ask the question, Who do you think deserves the title. I know that the people who read this blog are smarter than the idiots that deside this thing now. So Im going to put down the body of work for 4 teams that I have heard people say they deserve the title and I want you to tell me who is the Champion in your mind. (Ranking on this list where from the time the game was played.)

1. Alabama: Alabama finished the season at 12-1 and 7-1 in the SEC and #1 in the AP poll. There schedule consisted of wins over; Kent State, #23 Penn State, North Texas, #14 Arkansas, #12 Florida, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Mississippi St, Georgia Southern, and #24 Auburn. Of all those teams only Arkansas finished in the AP top 25 at #5. There one loss came to #1 LSU who they in turn beat in the National title game. (Note Alabama did not play in the SEC Title game)
2. LSU: LSU finished the season at 13-1 and 8-0 in the SEC and #2 in the AP poll. There schedule consisted of wins over; #3 Oregon, Northwestern State, #25 Mississippi State, #16 West Virginia, Kentucky, #17 Florida, Tennessee, #20 Auburn, #2 Alabama, Western Kentucky, Ole Miss, #3 Arkansas, and #14 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, of those teams Oregon(#4), Arkansas(#5), West Virginia(#17), and Georgia(#19) finished in the AP Top 25. There only loss game in the BCS title game to eventual #1 Alabama.
3. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys finished the season at 12-1 and 8-1 in the Big 12 and #3 in the AP poll. There season consisted of wins over; Louisiana-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulsa, #8 Texas A&M, Kansas, #22 Texas, Missouri, Baylor, #14 Kansas St, Texas Tech, #10 Oklahoma, and #4 Stanford. They also won the Big 12. Of the teams they beat Stanford(#7), Baylor(#13), Kansas St(#15) and Oklahoma(#16) finished in the AP Top 25. There only loss came to Iowa State.
4. Oregon: Oregon finished the season at 12-2 and 8-1 in the Pac 12 and #4 in the AP poll. There schedule consisted of wins over, Nevada, Missouri St, Arizona, California, #18 Arizona St, Colorado, Washington St, Washington, #4 Stanford, Oregon St, UCLA, and #10 Wisconsin. Of those teams Stanford(#7) and Wisconsin(#10) finished in the AP Top 25. They also won the Pac 12. There 2 losses came to #2 LSU and #6 USC.

So there are the 4 teams that I have heard should be considered National Title contenders even though Alabama has been given the title. Take a look and let me know what you all think. In my mind this is a good thing. It shows that this whole BCS thing is a scam and a should be thrown out. Let me know what you think but In my mind it should be Oklahoma St and LSU for the fact that Alabama didn't win its own conference.

Time for BYU football Return Missionaries/Recruits (Casey)

I was looking around online today and came across an article about BYU future football commits and thought i would share it. The great thing about BYU is that when it comes to recruiting it normally does not take unit the first week of February to figure out who is going to be the future talent of the team. I mean BYU has a way of getting kids to come and play for them due to the church affiliation as well as it past success and wide reach. It is still to early to tell how Independence and BYUTV will help in recruiting top level kids and I know the stereotype around is that BYU atheletes are 1 step slower and smaller than everyone else but when you finish with 10 wins or more as often as they do its hard to argue with the kids they do bring in and there willingness to play for a TEAM. Anyway here is the link to the article I hope you enjoy.  http://desne.ws/yj3uAB


Also here are some links to videos of some of the future Cougars I'm looking forward to seeing!
http://youtu.be/mlVDkL-B9og Marques Johnson 6' 3" 305LB DL
http://youtu.be/mlVDkL-B9og Jamaal Williams 6' 1" 195LB RB
http://youtu.be/p0tJ0JS4D2U Tanner Mangum 6'2" 185LB QB (Going on mission won't be back till 2014)
http://youtu.be/bULP2DjBq6k Taysom Hill 6' 5" 210LB QB (Just got home from Mission ready for spirng)
http://youtu.be/9b8OpydGfkA Butch Pau'u 5' 11" 220 LB (going on a mission) and Jherremya Leuta-Douyere 6' 0" 230LB DE/LB. Both from same High school in Cali.
http://youtu.be/yk_LA9qCGyI Phililp Amone 6' 220 LB LB (#1 in the Video)
http://youtu.be/NUdH5w3Ncm0 Dylan Collie 5' 10" 175LB WR