NFL Conference Championships: Unit Ranks

Tomorrow, the Super Bowl matchup will be decided as the Colts and Jets square off to find the AFC champion, while the NFC Championship will pit the Saints against the Vikings. Here's a look at my ranks of the final four team's individual units

Quarterbacks: 1. Colts 2. Saints 3. Vikings 4. Jets

The fact that Brett Favre is number 3 out of 4 is really a testament how badly you need a superstar quarterback to compete for a championship. Peyton is the sharpest, but Brees and Favre aren't far behind. Sanchez obviously lacks big game experience, which is probably the same reason Brees is not number 1


Running Backs: 1. Vikings 2. Jets 3. Saints 4. Colts

With all due respect to Chris Johnson, I still believe that Adrian Peterson is the best back in the NFL, hence the number 1 spot. Shonn Greene and Thomas Jones provide a really solid 1-2 punch that Colts need to be worried about. The Saints have a found a good mix getting Bush, Bell, and Pierre Thomas the ball, but I don't see Bush having a huge impact. The Colts are unspectacular with Addai and Brown, but steady.


Receivers: 1. Vikings 2. Colts 3. Saints 4. Jets

Two years ago, the Vikings receivers were non-existent. Now, with Rice, Berrian, Harvin, and the unheralded Visanthe Shiancoe, they are a force to be reckoned with. The Colts have managed to get production out of young guys Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, but the best receiver still in the playoffs is Reggie Wayne. The Colts also have the best TE in Dallas Clark. The Saints receivers are quiet, but produce when needed. Despite the addition of Braylen Edwards, the Jets receivers still are lacking.

Offensive Line: 1. Jets 2. Vikings 3. Colts 4. Saints
The left side of Jets offensive line is remarkable with D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Alan Faneca, and you could throw in C Nick Mangold. The Vikings have solid tackles and G Steve Hutchinson but are inexperienced at C. The Colts are solid as always, as are the Saints led by young and unheard of players like Jermon Bushrod and Jahri Evans, who played their college ball at Towson and Bloomsburg, respectively


Defensive Line: 1. Vikings 2. Colts 3. Saints 4. Jets
The Vikings defensive line is number 1 by a mile. The Williams' and redneck Jared Allen are some of the best in the business. The Colts as always are going to be pressuring the quarterback with ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. The Saints will count on Will Smith to get to Brett Favre. As for the Jets, other than DE Shaun Ellis, their D-line is unimpressive

Linebackers: 1. Jets 2. Saints 3. Colts 4. Vikings
The Jets 4 starting linebackers are going to give the Colts running game fits, especially Bart Scott and David Harris. The Saints linebackers aren't outstanding, but have good chemistry after many years together. The Colt's backers aren't Pro-Bowlers, but Gary Brackett is an excellent defender. This is clearly the Vikings biggest hole, as Chad Greenway is their best linebacker

Secondary: 1. Jets 2. Saints 3. Vikings 4. Colts
Revis Island has obviously got a lot of attention lately, but Kerry Rhodes and Lito Sheppard are both pretty good too. The Saints are headlined by Darren Sharper, but young corners Tracy Porter and Malcolm Jenkins are improving and will have to play big roles. The Vikings secondary is a mixture of old and young with Winfield and Madieu Williams next to young guns Cedric Griffin and Tyrell Johnson. The Saints will try to pick on Griffin. As for the Colts, Braylen Edwards could have a big day against the lackluster corners Kelvin Hayden, Jerraud Powers, and Jakub Lacey.

Special Teams: 1. Vikings 2. Jets 3. Saints 4. Colts
Ryan Longwell has been outstanding this year and the Vikings also have the best returner of the bunch. The Jets have Jay Feely and dangerous former QB Brad Smith returning kicks. Reggie Bush could make an impact in special teams, returning punts. The question is whether the Saints trust Garrett Hartley to make a big kick in the clutch. The Colts don't anything really special, other than Adam Vinatieri

My picks: Colts over Jets 21-13
Vikings over Saints 34-27

I'm Back

After a long hiatus, I have decided to take up blogging again. Now that I have plenty of free time to dedicate to blogging about sports, I figured I might as well decide to start putting them back on the internet...

However, I have decided that I am no longer going to focus solely on basketball. In order for me to be able to generate more timely and interesting content, I am going to cover aspects of all of the four main sports....

Enjoy!

The rich getting richer: The offseason thus far

Only a few weeks following the draft many of the major offseason moves have already fallen into place. Although the 2010 offseason will likely decide the fate of the league for the next decade, their is still a championship to be won next June. The theme of this summer seems to be that the teams that were almost good enough to win it this year are going all out for what could be their last chance. Several trades have solidified what appear to be this year's uber-contenders:

Vince Carter to Magic: Essentially, the Magic have replace Hedo with Vince Carter...not a bad tradeoff. The Eastern Conference champions will have a ridiculous starting 5, one of the most accomplished seen in a long time, and also made a big move in signing Brandon Bass, a undersized but rugged power forward who can give a different look coming off the bench behind Rashard Lewis. They still seem to be lacking some depth, especially after dealing Courtney Lee, but they are without a doubt one of the favorites

Shaquille O'Neal to Cavs: The Cavs are getting what they need, a big body in the post to defend Dwight Howard and rebound with intensity. That was not "the Big Z". Currently, the Cavs are also looking to add a SG, and Anthony Parker is a name being thrown around. They will be back strong next year, but still need more consistent perimeter scoring.

Shawn Marion to Mavs: The Mavs add yet another talented piece in acquiring "The Matrix". The Mavs have never lacked talent though. It will be interesting to see how Josh Howard and Marion play together. Will they have to share time or will one of them be traded. The Mavs have also re-signed Jason Kidd, so they definitely want to win now, but their window is closing fast. However, they did sign a legitimate post player in Marcin Gortat, filling a huge need...but he seems to do a lot of the same things as the now departed Brandon Bass. If their star players (Terry, Kidd, Marion, Howard, Nowitzki) mesh well and play defense, they can be the best team in the West...but that is a big if

Richard Jefferson to Spurs: Although Jefferson's contract is a burden, they knew their big 3 wasn't enough to put them over the top. So the Spurs traded spare parts and Bruce Bowen for a guy who has consistently averaged 15 to 20 points a game for the last 5 years. The addition of Antonio McDyess and rookie DeJuan Blair should help to fill the gaps left by the trade, and barring injury, the Spurs will challenge for the title.

These 4 trades have just made a plateau between teams that were in contention and teams that made the playoffs but never really had a shot (the Jazz, the Hawks, the Sixers....etc.) While it is debatable, if Gilbert Arenas is fully healthy, the Wizards trade for Randy Foye and Mike Miller could be added to that group. You don't give up the 5th pick unless you believe you can win now...

Also, 2 other teams have solidified in their spots in championship contention through free agency...

Ron Artest to Lakers: While this signing leaves Lamar Odom's future somewhat questionable, getting Ron Ron to replace Trevor Ariza is an excellent move. Ron is still a world class defender, and can hit jump shots when needed. The only worry is that he can get a little shot-happy at times, but the Rockets actually needed his offense, so I don't see that being a big problem

Rasheed Wallace to Celtics: I don't really love this move. I guess Rasheed is a good backup to Perkins and Garnett, but he doesn't rebound very much, so I would rather have kept both Leon Powe and Glen Davis...but now one will probably end up leaving. Nonetheless, the Celtics signing a veteran like Sheed shows their commitment to winning now, and means that they make other moves to back up this idea

Other than that here are the other moves not made by the 6 super-contenders:

Houston signs Trevor Ariza: With the potential of Yao being out for all of next season, the Rockets decided to let Artest go and get younger with Ariza. Now, with T-Mac coming off the books after this year, they have put themselves in solid position to nab a big name in the summer of 2010

Detroit signs Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva: Both of these guys are solid starters, but this team can't compete for a title with this roster...they need a dominant big man. They can definitely make the playoffs though. With McDyess leaving for SA, the Pistons still have room for 1 or 2 more players. Trading away Rip Hamilton might be in the works as we speak too

Toronto acquires Hedo Turkoglu: Portland wanted Hedo, but ultimately he choose the more metropolitan city, Toronto. The Raptors still have some cap room to play with, and they need a center, in a big way. With DeMar DeRozan filling a big hole, this team could surprise a few people this year.

Minnesota acquires Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and Oleksiy Pecherov and the 5th draft pick: Everybody knows that with the 5th and 6th picks GM David Kahn selected two pass first PG's, Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio, what seems to be the ultimate bonehead move. Maybe Rubio not playing here for a couple of year was all a part of Kahn's master plan. The idea is that by the time Flynn's rookie contract runs out, Rubio comes back to the US ( while still being only in his younger 20's) and takes over at the PG spot. Or maybe Kahn is just a huge idiot

Washington acquires Mike Miller and Randy Foye: While both of these guys are solid players, where do you fit in an aging shooter (Miller) and an undersized shoot first point guard (Foye) to your core of an eccentric injury prone superstar (Arenas), two potentially solid guards (Nick Young and Jarvaris Crittenton) and a guy who can't feel his face (DeShawn Stevenson). As if things weren't already tough enough in the nation's capital...

2009 Top 10 Free Agents

Well, here we are...one year away from the biggest, most important offseason in the history of the basketball universe. However, there are still free agents this offseason. These guys need a home. This year's crop is strongest at the forward positions, but still even isn't that great there. Good luck finding a decent center in free agency this year. The only guy who graces the top 25 list (see sidebar) is the Big Z, an aging jump shooter who got embarrased in the Eastern Conference Finals. This year's class is lacking of star power, but is full of bargains who can help put a team in title contention. Lets get started...

1. David Lee- Clearly a double-double machine for the Knicks last year. Still improving all aspects of his game. I don't think he will ever be a superstar, but he is an excellent guy in the post to eat up rebounds, and work guys down low. The Knicks have tendered him a qualifying offer, but Detroit and Portland are very interested

2. Steve Nash- Unless something changes, Nash will likely exercise his team option with the Suns. However, if he were to opt out, several teams would be interested, including the Knicks.

3. Ben Gordon- An undersized 2 guard, Ben Gordon may be the streakiest shooter in the League. He wasn't always given ample playing time in Chicago, but he has the propensity to score in bunches. Also, he has shown the ability to come through in crunch time. There aren't many teams looking for a 2 guard, but his possible suitors include Toronto, Detroit, Dallas, and the Bulls will also consider re-signing him. He is the best scorer of this class

4. Lamar Odom- Odom has earned himself a bunch of money and interest through the playoffs this year. He is a lanky SF who can do pretty much whatever he wants to on the court...assuming he wants to. The Lakers will likely resign both him and Trevor Ariza, but if they don't, Lamar may wind up in New Jersey and Toronto, as they both could use a player of his caliber at a wing spot

5. Jason Kidd- Despite his age, 36, Kidd is still an elite point guard. Remarkably, at his age he is still one of the top 5 guys most likely to get a triple double on any given night. He is an excellent rebounder for his size, and still is one of the best passers in the game, period. The Knicks have expressed strong interest so far. Mark Cuban may decide he still wants Kidd as well.

6. Charlie Villanueva- Essentially, this is a bigger, stronger version of Lamar Odom. Both guys run the floor well, are good shooters, and are mainly downgraded because they may not have a burning desire to play the game. The only reason Odom is higher on this list is because he proved himself in the playoffs. Villanueva hasn't had that chance. Cleveland has already expressed interest. Other good fits would be Detroit and Memphis. Milwaukee did not extend a qualifying offer due to insufficient funds

7. Hedo Turkoglu- With Vince Carter entering the Magic's picture, Hedo Turkoglu has chosen to opt out because the Magic will probably not be able to pay him what he desires. The playoffs stoked the fire for his suitors, as everybody was able to see what Hedo brings to the table, a veteran point forward who can knock down clutch shots...however, he is still somewhat of a defensive liability, as seen in the NBA Finals. Detroit and Portland are both interested

8. Ron Artest- Ron Ron has already stated that he would like to resign with the Rockets. Although he can get a little shot-happy at times, he is still an excellent defender, and a guy who can put up 15 points with great consistency. Other teams who might show interest are Portland and Toronto

9. Shawn Marion- Marion might be the most interesting free agent in this class. He has boatloads of talent, but people say he is stuck between positions and can only play in certain systems. I believe Marion is a SF, but people try to put him at the PF, which he does not enjoy. As far as the other criticism, Marion thrives in up-tempo systems like Mike D'Antoni's, but he can be a solid 3rd option on pretty much any team. In most other years, Marion would cost a ton of money, but I think he could be an excellent bargain for a team looking for some rebounding and versatility. The Raptors may resign him, but if the Hawks cannot resign Marvin Williams, they might take a look at Marion

10. Rasheed Wallace- As a fomer Pistons blogger, I know about the game of Rasheed Wallace. As a Pistons fan, I would rather see him leave, even if we only had to pay him 5 to 6 mil a year. Rasheed is one of the most physically gifted players in the league, but he simply chooses not to use these gifts, and ends up on the perimeter, putting up jumpshots. He would be best in the post, but he often avoids banging down low. Nonetheless, he is still a veteran who can provide consistent points and decent rebounding. The Cavaliers are his biggest suitors