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BSL’s Week 7 Picks

By Brian DeCandia on October 22, 2011 in

Matt Forte looks to keep the Bears rolling over seas this weekend.

Some interesting lines this week in the NFL. The San Diego Chargers favored by two in New York and the Tennessee Titans, yes the Titans, are favored by three over the Houston Texans. It’s a big week for the Oakland Raiders with Carson Palmer possibly taking over the starting role at QB. First career start for Minnesota Vikings’ Christian Ponder, but unfortunately he’s going against the Green Bay Packers’ defense.

Here are the picks…

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Matchup

Pick

Analysis

  SDG -2

  San Diego Chargers @  New York Jets Jets Coming off a win against the Dolphins, the Jets offense looks like it is starting to click. Chargers are coming off a bye and teams this year are under .500 when playing after their bye week. Trap game for the Chargers. Jets win 20-17.

CHI -1

  Chicago Bears @    Tampa Bay Buccaneers  Bears The game is in London and nobody seems to care. LeGarrette Blount is out, Bears win 24-20.
    CAR -2.5  Washington Redskins @  Carolina Panthers Panthers Cam Newton is bound to walk into a victory this year. He has played so well and the Redskins are starting John Beck. Panthers win in a blowout fashion, 31-13.

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NFL Week 7 Power Rankings – A Mad, Mad World for Head Coaches

By Brendan Tyman on October 18, 2011 in

Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz (right) had a few words to say to San Francisco 49ers' Jim Harbaugh (left) over an exuberant handshake.

The sixth week of the NFL season sparked news from head coaches around the league. Jim Harbaugh of the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions’ Jim Schwartz had a heated exchange over a handshake at the end of the 49ers 25-19 win over the host Lions. New Orleans Saints’ tight end Jimmy Graham collided into Sean Payton after Graham was tackled on the sideline. Payton suffered a torn knee ligament and a broken bone. This is just a rough year for anyone named Payton or Peyton. The Dallas Cowboys’ Jason Garrett is receiving criticism for his conservative play-calling when the Cowboys had an opportunity to knock off the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Two Quarterback controversies are swirling in Washington and Minnesota.

The Green Bay Packers still stand atop the Power Rankings, but the Patriots and Baltimore Ravens are proving to be the favorites in the AFC. The 49ers are in the top 5 for the first time this season.

Here are the Power Rankings for Week 7:

Rank

Team

Record

Analysis

1

 Green Bay Packers

6-0

 Another week, another win for the Packers, who have not lost since a 31-27 defeat to the Patriots on December 20, 2010.

2

 New England Patriots

5-1

 Pats enter their bye week after a last-minute drive led by Tom Brady

3

 Baltimore Ravens

4-1

 The Ravens proved to the Texans that they are the mettle in the AFC.

4

 San Francisco 49ers

5-1
The Niners are a feisty team led by first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh.

5

 San Diego Chargers

4-1
The Chargers were able to rest and watch some top teams lose while they move up the power rankings.

6

 Detroit Lions

5-1
The Lions jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but Stafford and the running game struggled. The short week of preparation may have hurt the Lions.

7

 Pittsburgh Steelers

4-2
The Steelers appeared to return to form in the first half when they outgained the Jaguars, 315-68, but in the second half, they produced just 70 yards.

8

 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4-2
Bucs pull into first place in NFC South with victory over the Saints.

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Boston Bruins Remain Optimistic Despite Slow Start

By Ed Bourget on October 17, 2011 in

Rich Peverly has been one of the best players for the Bruins this season

A 2-3 record is not exactly the start that all of the Boston Bruins’ fans were looking for in the first five games, but there is reason to remain positive.  Some important numbers that should be taken into consideration are that the Bruins are 4th in the NHL in Goals Against Average with a 1.80 GAA; they are also tied for 9th in goal differential with a +1, despite their losing record.  The consistency of the trends of the last four years continues: Tight defense, elite goaltending, and a team-based attack.  The three games the B’s lost were each by a single goal, which means that they have remained competitive in every game.  Sometimes the play has been sloppy, but over an 82 game schedule, sloppiness is bound to creep in at times.

October 6, 2011: Flyers 2 Bruins 1

It was banner-raising night. Enough said.  The pre game celebration was so fantastic and when Brad Marchand lit the lamp nine minutes into the game, the fans had got what they came to see; a championship banner and an early Bruins goal.  After that the Garden and the Bruins fell asleep.  The Flyers scored two goals in the final minute of the first period on tallies by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Ilya Bryzgalov held down the fort between the pipes for Philly and took 2 points out of Boston taking some revenge on the Bruins for sweeping them in the playoffs last season.

October 8, 2011: Bruins 4 Lightning 1

Lightning struck twice for the Bruins in the form of Rich Peverley as his two goals carried the Bruins to their first win of the season.  Tim Thomas played another great game between the pipes and the team based offense chipped in four goals to garner the B’s first two points of the season.  Both teams played to a 0-0 tie through the first period and the fans thought they were in for another game 7 heading into the second period.  That all changed when Peverley poked home a rebound two minutes into the second frame.  The Lightning struck quick as Martin St. Louis tallied to tie the game a few minutes later.  The Bruins took the lead for good at the 4:58 mark when Daniel Paille netted his first of the season.  David Krejci and Peverley added goals in the third to put the game out of reach for Tampa.
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New England Patriots Save the Best for Last, Beat Dallas Cowboys 20-16

By Mike Tyman on October 16, 2011 in

Aaron Hernandez (pictured) caught the winning TD pass versus the Cowboys.

Down 16-13 with 2:30 remaining in the game, Tom Brady and the Patriots offense raced down the field and scored the go ahead touchdown on a Brady pass to Aaron Hernandez. Brady went 9/10 for 80 yards on the final drive and had some spectacular throws under pressure as well.

On a day where the offense struggled mightily (3 turnovers), the defense played an outstanding game by holding an explosive Cowboys’ offense to only 16 points.  Brandon Spikes and Andre Carter repeatedly pressured Tony Romo and also did well stopping the run at times. The defense came up huge with less than 5 minutes remaining when the Cowboys needed first downs, but the Patriots tackled well and forced a punt.

The Patriots turned the ball over four times and were lucky to survive such an inconsistent performance. They are now 3-13 when committing four or more turnovers under Bill Belichick. Basically when you turn the ball over that much, you are not going to win the game the majority of the time.

5 Key Plays and Questionable Decisions:

1) Brady’s touchdown pass to Hernandez with less than a minute remaining.

2) Cowboys’ Coach Jason Garrett’s overly conservative play-calling with the game on the line.

3) Brandon Spikes blowing up running plays on the Cowboy’s final drive.

4) Dez Bryant’s dissappearance in the second half after embarassing Patriots defenders in the first half.

5) The Patriots defense held the Cowboys to 6 points after the Pats’ four turnovers.

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Will the New England Patriots Win Their Third Straight Game?

By Brendan Tyman on October 15, 2011 in

Patrick Chung and his teammates need to limit Jason Witten and the Dallas Cowboys' receivers on Sunday.

The New England Patriots faces another Ryan-coached defense and the Dallas Cowboys explosive offense on Sunday. The Cowboys are 2-2, but they could easily be 4-0 or 0-4 depending on how you look at it.

Rob Ryan is the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys and he will bring his exotic schemes into this matchup. Ryan coached the Cleveland Browns’ defense who confused and harassed the Patriots into a 34-14 victory last season. This year Ryan has more talent. The Cowboys are getting cornerbacks Terrance Newman and Mike Jenkins back healthy to add to a strong front seven.

All four of the Cowboys’ games have been decided by one possession and their two losses are due to Tony Romo’s mistakes at the quarterback position. Romo is their most important player in deciding a game because he is inconsistent. He can look like the league’s best quarterback at times and in critical situations, he has failed on numerous occasions.

In the season opener against the New York Jets, Romo fumbled at the goal line, took two bad penalties, and threw an interception to Darrelle Revis, who had safety help over the top, in the fourth quarter. Romo tossed two pick-six’s to the Detroit Lions when the Lions came back from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Cowboys, 34-31 two weeks ago.

The Cowboys’ two most important players are tight end Jason Witten and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware. Witten is their leading receiver with 27 catches and Romo looks to him often over the middle of the field. Ware has five sacks and is a force in both the running and passing games. Bill Belichick said Ware is the best defensive player the Patriots will see all season and Belichick compared him to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor.

The Cowboys have all the talent in the world, but they cannot make the big plays at the end of contests. This has been their problem for a long time.

Here are the key matchups this week:

1. Patriots’ offensive line versus Cowboys’ front seven.

Ware is the most important player in the Cowboys’ defense, but the Cowboys have  fast, instinctive linebackers. Ware and Anthony Spencer are the outside linebackers. Sean Lee, a second-year linebacker out of Penn State, Bradie James, and Keith Brooking man the interior. Lee is a playmaker and he can cover the middle of the field. He has two interceptions this season. Jay Ratliff is one of the best nose tackles in the league along with Vince Wilfork, Casey Hampton, etc. The Cowboys are tops in the league against the run allowing just 61.8 yards per game. Sebastian Vollmer has been limited on the practice field this week, but he may not play because his back has been a lingering concern and the Patriots have a bye next week.  Brian Waters has been as good as advertised and the tackles, Matt Light and Nate Solder, may need some help from Rob Gronkowski to keep Ware and Spencer out of Brady’s face. This could be the biggest challenge of the season for the Patriots’ offensive line.

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BSL NFL Week 6 Picks

By Brendan Tyman on October 15, 2011 in

The Oakland Raiders will be playing at O. co. Coliseum without the presence of owner Al Davis, who passed away on October 8th.

There are some intriguing games this week. The NFC South has two key divisional contests between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints traveling to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. The New England Patriots take on the Dallas Cowboys in a matchup of two high-powered passing offenses. The upset of the week will be the Minnesota Vikings topping the Chicago Bears.

Here are the picks…

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Matchup

Pick

Analysis

  ATL -3.5

  Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons  Panthers This game has the potential to be a shootout. Matt Ryan will be without Julio Jones and Carolina has played GB and NO close this season. Falcons win 30-27.

BLT -7

  Houston Texans @ Baltimore Ravens Ravens The Ravens are coming off a bye and Houston is missing Andre Johnson and Mario Williams. Matt Schaub could be in trouble. Ravens, 24-7.
    CHI -2.5  Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears  Vikings The Bears have a porous offensive line battling Jared Allen and Kevin Williams. On Monday night, the Bears run defense looked awful. Vikings prevail 21-17.

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How Ben Cherington Can Fix the Red Sox

By Brendan Tyman on October 14, 2011 in

Boston Red Sox new General Manager Ben Cherington (with San Diego Padres GM Jed Hoyer) can work out a deal with his old friend to get rid of John Lackey.

Theo Epstein’s nine-year tenure as the General Manager of the Boston Red Sox came to an end. Epstein has accepted a 5-year deal that nears $20 million to join the Chicago Cubs as their GM and President. The Red Sox just need to work on compensation for Epstein because he still had a year left on his contract with the Red Sox.

There was silence from Red Sox owner, John Henry since the Red Sox completed their 7-20 September collapse and ensuing firing of manager, Terry Francona. Other than a couple of tweets, Henry had fallen on stairs on his yacht. Henry finally spoke in an interview last Friday morning with WEEI’s John Dennis and Gerry Callahan of “The Dennis & Callahan Morning Show.”

Henry replied to a question about Epstein possibly moving on at some point as the GM of the Red Sox. Henry said, “I think there’s a certain shelf life in these jobs. So, Theo is not going to be the general manager forever.” When the Cubs GM position opened in August, there was speculation that Epstein would covet the opportunity to join the Cubs’ organization. He did nothing to quell those rumors.

Assistant GM Ben Cherington has been promoted as the GM of the Red Sox, but his job will not be easy.

Here are the 10 moves Cherington must make in the offseason.

  1. Package for Theo: Cherington will have to negotiate prospects from the Cubs in the deal for Epstein.
  2. Finding A Manager: He has to interview managerial candidates and find one who will be the perfect fit. Dave Martinez appears to be the manager most people are calling for, but Boston would be his first place as a manager and the fans may not be so kind if the team has trouble brewing from the beginning of the season.
  3. Rebuild the Rotation: The Red Sox’ starting rotation had a 7.08 ERA in September and there were just five quality starts. At Fenway Park, the starting pitchers went 3-7 with a 7.21 ERA. Their ace, Josh Beckett, has been criticized for being out of shape in September and failing to lead the pitching staff down the stretch. Jon Lester also struggled mightily in September and did not help the Red Sox prevent long losing streaks at the end of the season. John Lackey is a complete mess right now and there is talk about how the Red Sox can get out from his contract that has three years remaining. Cherington has to do everything in his power to get rid of Lackey. Lackey has been awful on the field and in the clubhouse. His mound antics have become tiring and he has worn out his welcome in Boston. ESPNBoston’s Gordon Edes wrote about the San Diego Padres being potential suitors for Lackey because their manager, Bud Black, was Lackey’s pitching coach with the Los Angeles Angels from 2002-2006. The Padres signed Jon Garland for about $5 million for this past season. He gave the Padres good results and Lackey is a fly ball pitcher, who could post solid numbers in pitcher-friendly Petco Park. The issue is whether to place Alfredo Aceves or Daniel Bard in the rotation. Do not put either Bard or Aceves in the rotation because it is easier to find a low-cost, end of the rotation starting pitcher than it is to find quality middle relievers. The Red Sox have not had a very strong bullpen since 2008. The Texas Rangers do not have a staff of aces, but they have starting pitchers like Colby Lewis and Matt Harrison, who will provide quality starts in most of their outings because they battle throughout the game. This is ultimately what the Red Sox need in their starting rotation because their fantasy rotation did not work out this season. They have three All-Star caliber pitchers in Beckett, Lester, and Clay Buchholz. Their biggest issue is depth in both the rotation and the ‘pen. They don’t need to get the best pitcher, but a dearth of solid pitchers who are not afraid of the pressure in Boston. Derek Lowe had success and it would be interesting if the Atlanta Braves would swap Lowe for Lackey. The only problem is Lackey still has three years left on his contract and Lowe has just one.
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NFL Week 6 Power Rankings – New England Climbs to #3

By Brendan Tyman on October 11, 2011 in

Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best (seen here escaping a Phildelphia Eagles defender) exploded past the Chicago Bears' defense for 163 yards and a touchdown.

The fifth week of the NFL season separated the haves from the have-nots. On Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles’ comeback against the Buffalo Bills fell short. The New England Patriots outlasted the New York Jets, 30-21. In the final game of the day, the Green Bay Packers struggled early, but dominated the Atlanta Falcons throughout the rest of the contest and they won 25-14. On Monday night, the Lions hosted their first ever Monday Night Football game at Ford Field. The squad did not disappoint their fans. Matthew Stafford threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score to tight end Brandon Pettigrew in defeating the Chicago Bears, 24-13.

In the NFC West, the San Francisco 49ers overran the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers are 4-1 and they could be a contender in the NFC down the road.

There were a couple of surprises on Sunday with the Oakland Raiders overcoming the Houston Texans while dealing with the loss of owner Al Davis and the Seattle Seahawks defeating the New York Giants, 36-25.

Here are the Week 6 Power Rankings:

Rank

Team

Record

Analysis

1

 Green Bay Packers

5-0

 The victory in Atlanta might have been the Packers’ best performance of the season.

2

 Detroit Lions

5-0

 The Lions are 5-0 for the first time since 1956.

3

 New England Patriots

4-1

 The Pats won the Ground-and-Pound battle with the Jets.

4

 New Orleans Saints

4-1
Drew Brees continues to keep the Saints a step ahead of their division rivals despite a leaky defense.

5

 Baltimore Ravens

3-1
Their bye week will help them prepare for the Andre Johnson-less Texans.

6

 Buffalo Bills

4-1
The Bills look like they could be the Patriots’ biggest obstacle in the AFC East in 2011.

7

 San Diego Chargers

4-1
This team is 4-1, but they nearly gave up a 16-point lead in the 4th quarter to an oft-criticized backup quarterback in Tim Tebow.

8

 San Francisco 49ers

4-1
A really impressive performance by Frank Gore and the Niners’ defense in dismantling the Bucs.

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Patriots Silence Jets, 30-21

By Boston Sports Life on October 10, 2011 in

Benjarvus Green-Ellis (42) ran wild versus Calvin Pace (97) and the Jets

Led by another great rushing perfomance by Benjarvus Green-Ellis, the Patriots were able to beat their hated rival, the New York Jets yesterday. Green-Ellis ran for 136 yards and two touchdowns against the suddenly not so good Jets’ defense. Tom Brady also threw for 325 yards and a touchdown, giving him 14 TD’s for the season.The game began with back and forth punts by both teams until the Patriots’ second possession led to a Green-Ellis touchdown to give them a 7-0 lead. The Jets finally answered back after falling behind 10-0 as Shonn Greene chewed up yards and scored to make it 10-7. The Patriots were determined to make the score 17-7 right before halftime, but what should have been a touchdown pass to Aaron Hernandez became a Antonio Cromartie interception (tipped pass).The second half began with a 73 yard pass from Brady to Welker against Darrelle “Revis Island”. The Pats scored plays later with a TD pass to Deion Branch. The Jets kept battling and scored their third touchdown via a Mark Sanchez pass to Santonio Holmes to make it 27-21. The Patriots then had a long drive leading to a field goal (30-21) and put the game away.

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Patriots Look for Revenge Against the New York Jets

By Brendan Tyman on October 9, 2011 in

New England Patriots defensive lineman Shaun Ellis celebrates with Andre Carter after knocking down Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell last week. Ellis is familiar with this week's opponent, the New York Jets.

All of the New England Patriots fans circled October 9, 2011 on their calendars during the spring when the NFL schedules were released. Their Patriots would encounter the rival New York Jets for the first of two meetings this season after the Jets knocked the Patriots out of the postseason in January.

The Jets limp into Gillette Stadium with a two game losing streak and an identity crisis. Despite the NFL becoming passing league during Rex Ryan’s tenure as head coach, the Jets have the ground-and-pound mentality. They rely on their running game and quarterback Mark Sanchez to limit his mistakes in succeeding on offense while their defense dominates the opposing offense. Through four games this season, the running game has struggled. The offensive line has been riddled with injuries, including center Nick Mangold missing the past two games with a right ankle sprain. Right tackle Wayne Hunter has not performed sufficiently after Damien Woody retired in the offseason. Shonn Greene is only averaging 3.1 yards per carry and LaDanian Tomlinson has just 20 carries for 59 yards. As a team, the Jets have attempted 147 passes while running the ball on 92 occasions. The question becomes what type of Jets team will the Patriots defense see on Sunday? Will Sanchez be handing the ball off to his running backs or will they spread the ball looking to take advantage of the Patriots porous pass defense?

The Jets’ defense has not been a consistent threat. Their run defense is ranked 27th, giving up 130.5 yards. Last Sunday when the Jets were inBaltimore facing the Ravens, the Ravens were running on several consecutive plays late in the third quarter. Even though the Jets were down by 17 points, they make a quick stop and put their offense back on the field, they still had a chance to get back in the contest. The Ravens were able to drive into the Jets territory before they punted to pin the Jets’ offense deep on their own side of the field. Despite all of this, the Jets are holding teams to 26% conversions on third downs, which is tops in the league.

Will the Patriots avenge their 28-21 loss in the AFC Divisional Playoffs or will Rex Ryan continue to pound their chests on and off the field?

Here are the four key matchups:

1.Tom Brady vs. Rex Ryan.

There are many key individualistic matchups on Sunday, but this one seems to be critical because Ryan knows how to beat Brady since he has done this three times over the past two seasons. Ryan gave Brady and the Patriots’ offense fits when he was the defensive coordinator of the Ravens. Ryan understands that he has to mix coverages and pressure in order to confuse Brady. Ryan must utilize pre-snap movement to confuse Brady. In the playoff loss, the Jets played more coverage and did not come after Brady. The Patriots’ offensive line were unable to keep the Jets’ defensive line off Brady’s back either. This week Aaron Hernandez is questionable after sitting out the past two games with a sprained medial collateral ligament against San Diegoon Sept. 18th. If Hernandez is healthy and effective running routes, he could provide trouble for the Jets’ defenders. How will the Jets cover Rob Gronkowski? Will the Patriots try to take advantage of the Jets’ run defense with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Stevan Ridley? How will Brady react to the Jets’ pre-snap looks and how will Brady try to attack this Jets’ defense.

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