WaxPack Sports Blog

What a great sports weekend, especially for those of us that live in Chicago….

Both the Blackhawks and the Bulls won crucial first round games…the Hawks to go up 3-2 over Calgary, the Bulls to even the series with the defending champ Celtics at 2-2…so far the Bulls have won two overtime games in dramatic fashion…you just can’t call them the baby Bulls anymore…they are growing up very quickly and will go as far as the ‘09 ROY Derrick Rose can take them…if you haven’t been watching, tune in just to see the battle between Rose and Boston’s Rondo, who is averaging a triple double in the series…it is must see playoff action…

The Cubs finally beat the Cardinals in STL, ending a 4 game skid…too early to panic, but they haven’t looked like world beaters so far…the Sox lost by two touchdowns on Sat, but came back strong on Sunday…and then there is the NFL Draft!

The Bears got a strong armed QB out of Vanderbilt with their 1st Round choice…Jay Cutler…although he went through Denver first…and so the actual draft was very quiet for Bears fans as another WR from Oklahoma was picked…hope he turns out better than Mark Bradley…only about 12 weeks to the start of training camp!

So a very exciting weekend in Chicago sports…hope yours was just as fun!

This is the best time of the year if you are a fan of the NFL as the annual Super Bowl Tounament begins…(note to BCS, this is how you determine a champion!)

On Saturday one home team won, the Arizona Cardinals for the first time since 1947, and one lost, the Minnesota Petersons to the Philadelphia Eagles (note to Vikings…only 6 carries for AP in the second half, when you were only down by two for most of the time? What were you thinking?) On Sunday, home teams were again 1-1 as Baltimore crushed the Dolphins (was there really any doubt about this one?) and the Chargers continued their improbable season ending streak by beating the hot, MVP Peyton Manning -led Colts in OT. The games were well played for the most part and very exciting as the league was able to showcase both young (Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, AP, Larry Fitzgerald, Philip Rivers…) and not so young (Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Ray Lewis, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook…) stars. Now it gets good as there are 8 teams left and the matchups are outstanding…

In the AFC…Baltimore is at Tennessee…Joe Flacco is the only rookie QB to start the first 16 games of his career and win his first playoff game…can he continue against the tough Titan defense? Playoff tested Kerry Collins has been here before, facing the Ravens in SB XXX and losing…Chris Collins will have a tough go against the run tough Ravens defense…look for Baltimore to continue its winning ways, 20-17…San Diego is at Pittsburgh in the other AFC semi-final game…even though Philip Rivers and Darren Sproles have been great the past 6 weeks, they haven’t played a defense like this one, led by Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison…Big Ben is well enough to play, Hines Ward will make a big catch, Harrison and Polamau will force turnovers and the SD express will be done for the season…Pitt 24, SD 13

On tot he NFC where the matchps are equally strong…Philly is at the G-Men in their third meeting this year…Philly is on a roll, McNabb playing like his career is on the line, and BWestbrook providing his consistent all around offensive brilliance…the defending champs played like it this season and are hoping the running back tandem of Jacobs and Ward will grind down the Eagles defense that has been one of the top units in the league this season…in the playoffs it is being your best at the right time and it looks like Philly has the chance to do what NY did last season against the ‘Boys in BigD…Philly heads to another championship game and neither of the Manning brothers get to Tampa, Eagles 27, NYG 24…the finale of the weekend is Arizona at Carolina…the Cardinals haven’t traveled well, Carolina has played well all year at home…both QBs, Warner and Delhomme have been to the big game…both teams have good running backs, Hightower/James and Williams/Stewart…but the Panther defense will make the difference here…the sunshine boys will have trouble with travel again, and as much as it would be fun to see Warner throwing to Fitzgerald for another week…Carolina 17, Arizona 10…

The rookies this year were remarkable, enough to make GM’s rethink their strategy as they see teams go from worst to first with young QBs in charge…with new rb’s and receivers making play after play…the top rookies for collectors should be:

Matt Ryan, Falcons
Joe Flacco, Ravens
Chris Johnson, Titans
Matt Forte, Bears
Steve Slaton, Texans
Eddie Royal, Broncos
DeSean Jackson, Eagles
Tim Hightower, Cardinals

Get their cards while they are still reasonable, as a good follow-up sophmore season will make their rookie cards/relics/autos an excellent investment! The divisonal games this weekend should be great…enjoy!

The last week of the NFL season brings lots of drama as the final spots for the super tournament are filled…

Will Chad Pennington return to NY, knock the Jets out of the playoffs and win the division for a Dolphins team that won one game last year?  Will Dallas beat the Eagles and finally make the playoffs after starting the season as the favorite to reach the SB?  Can the Vikings overcome inconsistency and beat a NYG team at home that has nothing to play for? Will the Bears go on the road and beat an improved Texans team, then have help from the Giants?  And what will the blood feud brewing between the Chargers and Broncos give us on Sunday night in a winner take all game in SD?  This is what we love about the NFL, great stories, if not great games, every week…

And rookies have played a huge role on some of the best teams in the NFL this year…
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Well, it is week 12, the playoffs are in sight, the weather is getting colder…here is what we have to work with in today’s’ NFL…the is still an undefeated team..the 10-0…Tennessee Titans? Brett Favre has another team in green headed for the playoffs…the Patriots are tied for second in the AFC East with the Dolphins?  These pre-season playoff contenders are still under .500…Cleveland, Jacksonville, San Diego and Seattle…3 out of 4 teams are tied for 1st in the NFC North, at 5-5…only 4 teams in the NFC are under .500, and 3 of the 4 are in the West…7 teams are under water in the AFC, and 3 of the 7 are in the West…how bad is the west for professional football these days…and Donovan McNabb doesn’t know the overtime rules…what a wild season it has been…on to the rookies…
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In the NFC, the Giants are in control after a big win over the Eagles…and if the Cowboys, currently in the basement of the NFC East, can’t come up win a win at Washington this week, they are in danger of not returning to the playoffs…the dark horse in the NFC may be the Cardinals…Kurt Warner is playing like he did in his MVP days, they can score on anybody, and the MNF win against SF will give them a shot of confidence…In the AFC, the Titans still are undefeated, even with only 20 yds rushing against the Bears…Kerry Collins has shown he can do more than manage the game, he can win it! The NE-NYJ game on Thursday may show who the other power will be in the AFC playoffs…but watch out for the Colts, they are playing better, Peyton Manning is healthy, and that was a huge road win over the Steelers last week…The Ravens should get a gauge of how good they are when they play at the Giants this week…and another Chicago-Green Bay matchup has the division lead on the line…now on to the weeks/years best rookie performers:
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If the playoffs started today…we would all be shocked because it’s only week 10…seriously, there would be some surprises in who wouldn’t be in the winter mix for the Super Bowl in Tampa…no Colts, Jags or Chargers…no Cowboys, Seahawks or Saints…what an amazing year so far…this past week Al Davis decided to improve the Raiders by cutting their best defensive back…this after a game in which they had only 3 first downs in the whole game! Maybe they are saving themselves for the upcoming Arena Football League schedule..
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So far this year there are a few things that are clear…the NFC is better than the AFC…a Manning is the QB of the best team in the conference, and it’s not Peyton…the Patriots are still good, the Chargers and Seahawks are disappointing, and the Lions, Browns and Bengals are still bad…

So far, this years crop of rookies have lived up to the hype…on the offensive (and more collectible) side of the football we have for your consideration:
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With only the Titans undefeated, and no one recalling the memories of the ‘72 Dolphins or ‘07 Patriots, or comparing Kerry Collins to Bob Griese or Tom Brady, the question remains…is there a great team in 2008?  The answer…probably not…the Cowboys are sinking as Jerry Jones may have taken on too much ballast…the Patriots, Chargers, Colts are nothing out of the ordinary…only the Steelers have shown that dominant trait so far in the AFC…and in the NFC, the NY Giants, best team going in the league, will be playing the Steelers on Sunday…and the Monday night game between Indy and Tennessee should be fun…now on to the top rookies:

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans: Took over the rookie rushing lead with a touchdown and 168 yds on 18 carries against KC.

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens: Another solid performance with 17 completions in 23 attempts for 232 yds.

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: He has lived up to the hype of the first QB taken in the draft, led the Falcons to a surprising 4-2 record and has an 82% passer rating!

How much can happen to a team in a day? The Cowboys announce that Tony Romo is out with an injured pinky for 4 weeks, the NFL suspends troubled d-back Adam “Pacman” Jones for at least 4 games (any bets it will be for the entire season, an entire career?) for an alcohol-related fight, and then the Pokes trade a first round draft choice plus others for UTexas alum, WR Roy Williams, from the Lions…that is a busy season for some teams…that plus the fact that the Cowboys lost in overtime to the Cardinals on a blocked punt can’t have made Jerry Jones a happy man…

But back to the field…there doesn’t look to be a super team in the league this year…Tennesee is 5-0 but there aren’t many people looking for a challenge to the ‘72 Dolphins or the ‘07 Patriots…so what are we left with…a more dominant NFC (only 4 teams with records under .500) a weaker AFC (8 teams under .500), arguably the best player (Tom Brady) out for the year, Petyon Manning admitting he had 2 surgeries, not 1…5 QB’s with passer ratings over 100, two of them being greybeards Brett Favre and Kurt Warner…no wonder we love the NFL…you just never know what will happen next!

On to the rookies…

Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons) led the his team to a last second win over the Bears…he still leads the rookie QB’s with a 59.8% completion %, an 82.9% QB rating, 5 TDs and 3 ints…

Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) leads rookies in rushing with 459 yds, a 3.6 yd/carry average, and 3 TDs…

Eddie Royal (Denver Broncos) is ahead of the rookie receivers with 30 catches for 321 yds, good for a 10.7 yd/reception average…

Matt Forte (Bears) and Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals) are tied for the lead in rookie scroing with 30 pts…a big part of their teams early season success…

On to week 7…the game to watch?  San Diego at Buffalo!

Here we are in Week 6 and there are teams already needing wins to save the season…if you are in Seattle, Philadelphia, San Diego, Jacksonville or Minnesota, your Super Bowl dreams are a couple of losses away from dissolving…

There are 5 QB’s with passer ratings of !00%, or close to it…Brett Favre, Philip Rivers, Kurt Warner, Tony Romo, and Eli Manning…no big surprises there…but who would have thought that Kyle Orton (87.6) would have a higher rating after 6 weeks than Peyton Manning (79.2), Carson Palmer (69.0), Matt Hasselbeck (57.5) and last years phenom, Derek Anderson (49.9)…

As for the rookies who are continuing to make a name for themselves and who may be worth investing in…

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons: A very impressive road win in Green Bay last week keeps him at the top of the rookie QB performers, although Joe Flacco has been good enough to be named the Raven starter for the remainder of the season…

Matt Forte, RB, Chicago Bears: The Bears are the surprise leaders in the NFC North at 3-2 and the offense has shown signs of life, due to Forte leading rookies in rushing and Kyle Orton showing he can do more than manage a game, he can change it…

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles: Jackson finally got a TD that counted on a punt return against the Redskins…and he has been a consistent weapon for Donovan McNabb, even with the Eagles offense sputtering…maybe they should throw to Jackson in the redzone…beats the tailback lead up the middle…

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans: Along with the steady play of Kerry Collins, Johnson is second among rookies in rushing and has helped the Titans remain undefeated.

Tim Hightower, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Hightower leads rookies in scoring and with Kurt Warner, headlines a hot offense in Arizona…