2010 NFL Division Predictions- NFC

NFC DIVISIONAL PICKS

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers will be the MVP of the league. (12-4)

2. Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson will be great, but can Brett Favre hold up? (10-6)

3. Chicago Bears: Look for more interceptions from Jay Cutler. (6-10)

4. Detroit Lions: Should be a little better for Detroit but not much. Matt Stafford should make positive strides in his second full season. (4-12)

NFC SOUTH

1. Atlanta Falcons: Michael "the Burner" Turner should be in for a big year. (11-5)

2. New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees will dominate again, but I don't think the defense will force as many turnovers. (10-6)

3. Carolina Panthers: Great combo at tailback but look for Jimmy Clausen to start by week 9. (5-11)

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Cadillac Williams should have a solid year if he can stay healthy, and that's a big if. (3-13)

NFC EAST

1. Dallas Cowboys: The 'Boys never seem to live up to the hype, but I think they could be the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their own stadium. (11-5)

2. New York Giants: The offense line has to play much better than it did last season, and I think it will. (9-7)

3. Philadelphia Eagles: Kevin Kolb should play well, but I think they'll take a step backward defensively. (7-9)

4. Washington Redskins: Too old at running back and too many off the field distractions to compete in the East. (5-11)

NFC WEST

1. San Francisco 49ers: Watch out for Michael Crabtree in his first full season with the Niners. (9-7)

2. Arizona Cardinals: Derek Anderson won't be Kurt Warner but he should play decent, just not well enough to win the division. (8-8)

3. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford will show signs of why he's paid so much, he will also show signs of why he should be sitting on the bench. (5-11)

4. Seattle Seahawks: All NFL players are getting paid, so Pete Carroll has no advantage. Look for Charlie Whitehurst to start mid-way through the year. (4-12)

North: Green Bay Packers

South: Atlanta Falcons

East: Dallas Cowboys

West: San Francisco 49ers

Wildcard: New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings

NFC Championship Game: Green Bay Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys

NFC Champion: Dallas Cowboys

2010 NFL Division Predictions

Jake's Take has returned!!!

Another NFL season is here, which means I have another twenty or so weeks to make a fool of myself... so without further ado, here are my 2010 AFC predictions.

AFC DIVISIONAL PICKS

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens: A strong defense, solid running game and game-manager Joe Flacco now has many offensive weapons. (11-5)

2. Pittsburgh Steelers: The defense should carry the team as usual but will they be 1-3 or 0-4 by the time Big Ben returns? (9-7)

3. Cleveland Browns: Jerome Harrison should have a big year and if Jake Delhomme can limit turnovers they should stay out of the cellar. (7-9)

4. Cincinatti Bengals: The VH1 primetime line-up should self-destruct before the half-way mark in the season. (6-10)

AFC SOUTH

1. Indianapolis Colts: Peyton Manning is still the class of the division but the defense may not be as good as years past. (11-5)

2. Houston Texans: The Matt Schaub to Andre Johnson connection should open up running room for Mission Bay HS product Arian Foster. (10-6)

3. Tennessee Titans: The divisions' best running game and perhaps the divisions' worst passing game. (8-8)

4. Jacksonville Jaguars: It's going to be a long season down in Jacksonville. Hey, at least Jacksonville State beat Ole Miss last weekend. (4-12)

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots: The Justin Bieber look-a-like at QB wants a new contract, so look out NFL defenses. (12-4)

2. New York Jets: Hard Knocks has me believing, Vinnie Chase in his second season at quarterback doesn't. (10-6)

3. Miami Dolphins: Look for Chad Henne to improve a bit this year but a 8-8 finish is about right for the Fins. (8-8)

4. Buffalo Bills: C.J. Spiller will impress this season, Trent Edwards won't. (5-11)

AFC WEST

1. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: The BOLTS still have the best team in the West, but the gap is shrinking quickly. Ryan Mathews should give Philip Rivers a goofy smile all season. (12-4)

2. Oakland Raiders: Jason Campbell is an improvement over JaMarcus Russell, but then again so is Bruce Gradkowski. (9-7)

3. Kansas City Chiefs: KC had a good draft this year, look out for S Eric Berry and WR Dexter McCluster. Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are a nice 1-2 punch at tailback. (9-7)

4. Denver Broncos: If you didn't already Knowshon Moreno, then you know he had a pretty good rookie campaign. Hopefully someone will use the clippers on Kyle Orton's neck beard this time rather than Tim Tebow's head. (6-10)

North: Baltimore Ravens

South: Indianapolis Colts

East: New England Patriots

West: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Wildcard: Houston Texans, New York Jets

AFC Championship Game: CHARGERS vs. Patriots

AFC Champion: CHARGERS

---J

AFC West Draft Grades

Oakland Raiders: B+

Al Davis may no longer be alive because the Raiders used their first round pick on a guy who can actually play football. LB Rolando McClain (ALA) is a beast and will sure up the middle of that defense. DT Lamarr Houston (TEX) should help stuff the run and free up McClain to make plays. As usual, the Raiders reached a little bit and took to offensive lineman who had great Combine workouts but not the best game film. Overall, a good draft plus picking up QB Jason Campbell from Washington for a 4th round pick made this a very successful weekend in Oaktown. However, I was somewhat surprised based on Al Davis' obsession with speed that Commissioner Goodell didn't announce: "With the 8th pick in the 2010 NFL draft, the Oakland Raiders select... Usain Bolt, runner, Jamaica."

Kansas City Chiefs: B

Taking S Eric Berry (TENN) at No.5 overall will immediately make their defense better. He is always around the ball and AFC West QB's will learn that soon enough... most likely the hard way .
RB Dexter McCluster (MISS) is a game breaker who is very versatile. I thought GM Scott Pioli did well getting him in the 2nd round. CB Javier Arenas (ALA) is a big time player as well and he should help out in the secondary. The Chiefs added offensive line help later in the draft which doesn't excite the fans but improves the team dramatically.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS: B-

The BOLTS made a bold move by trading up from No. 28 to No. 12 to draft RB Ryan Mathews (Yes, Mathews with one t) out of Fresno State. I think he is a great pickup and will have a strong NFL career, but I also think we gave up an awful lot to get him. History is on AJ Smith's side, the last 1st round running back he drafted out of the WAC had a pretty good run in SD. As for our other picks I feel like we filled a few major holes with quality players. The literally/figuratively enormous hole left in our defensive line by the releasing of DT Jamal Williams was filled. The selection of Cam Thomas (UNC) made me very happy as I was hoping we would pick up a big inside presence. Early on I thought the trade to get Mathews cost us a chance at a guy like Thomas but luckily it didn't. 3rd round pick MLB Donald Butler (WSH) is a good player and should help add athleticism to our linebacking corp. 3rd rounder Darrell Stuckey from Rock Chalk Jayhawk land (KU) is a physical, hard-hitting safety... I would say that we could definitely use one of those. The 5th round pick of QB Charlie Whitehurst 2.0 aka Jonathan "Straight Outta" Crompton (TENN) will add depth to our clipboard holding and our fake signal calling. He should make an immediate impact bringing Philip Rivers his Gatorade. I thought AJ Smith and Norvell Turner could have picked up some more offensive line depth but all in all I say job well done.

Denver Broncos: C

Head Coach Josh McDaniels replaced the void left by WR Brandon Marshall with WR Demaryius Thomas (GT), a solid pick. Then Denver made the move you knew someone would make but you just weren't sure when. With the 25th pick they selected FB Timothy Richard Tebow (UF)... oh did I say FB I meant QB, I guess. McDaniels pushed in all of his chips into the Tebow pot and is hoping that #15 will be the QB to lead them to the promised land. I don't see it happening. The guy is a great competitor and obviously a physical specimen but the guy played at Florida where he is surrounded by a ton more talent in 95% of the time. Sure he lit it up against that stout Charleston Southern defense but here's the thing about the NFL, everybody is freakin' good (save the Raiders and Lions). Hey Tim, you see that corner over there? 3 time All American... That safety? 9 time Pro Bowler... The linebacker? 2-time defensive player of the year. In the NFL, there are no extreme talent gaps like Tebow had in Gainesville and he'll learn that quickly if he ever gets on the field. Name the last successful NFL QB that played at the University of Florida... and don't you dare say Rex Grossman. Tebow may turn out to be a serviceable NFL QB, but not an elite signal caller and not anytime soon.

AFC West Best Pick: KC No. 5 overall S Eric Berry (TENN)

AFC West Sleeper Pick: DEN No. 87 overall WR Eric Decker (MINN)

Overall, I am happy with what the BOLTS did, but I think the CHARGERS need to beware, because the rest of the AFC West is getting much better. Plus the Raiders are going to cut JaMarcus Russell soon, making them an actual NFL caliber team.

---J

MLB Playoff Calls and Award Predictions

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Here's who I think will be playing in October and no, it's not the PADRES... sorry Friar Faithful...

Playoff Predictions

ALCS: New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins in 6 games.

NLCS: St. Louis Cardinals over the Philadelphia Phillies in 7 games.

World Series Champions: New York Yankees over the St. Louis Cardinals in 6 games.

World Series MVP: OF Curtis Granderson (NYY)

Here are my 2010 MLB Award Predictions aka "The Takies"

NL Cy Young: SP Roy Halladay (PHI)

AL Cy Young: SP CC Sabathia (NYY)

NL Rookie of the Year: 1B Ike Davis (NYM) **former Sun Devil

AL Rookie of the Year: P Brian Matusz (BAL)

NL MVP: 1B Albert Pujols (STL)

AL MVP: 1B Mark Teixiera (NYY)

Exclusive Jake's Take Awards

Best Off Season Pickup: P Roy Halladay (PHI)

Worst Off Season Pickup: OF Milton Bradley (SEA)

Best Uni of the Year: SAN DIEGO PADRES (1984 throwback jerseys--white on white)

Worst Uni of the Year: SAN DIEGO PADRES (2010 away jerseys--"sand on sand")

Where am I right? Where am I wrong?... Let me know...

---J

2010 MLB American League Predictions

The season is a week old... so without further a do, here are the other half of my 2010 predictions.

American League

East

1. New York Yankees: The best lineup with a strong starting rotation and a great closer... and if they begin to struggle they will trade for a stud to take them over the top.

2. Tampa Bay Rays: A ton of young talent, look for huge years out of OF BJ Upton and P David Price.

3. Boston Red Sox: Perhaps the deepest rotation in baseball, but the lineup doesn't scare me anymore. Front runners to win the 2006 AL East.

4. Toronto Blue Jays: OF Vernon Wells should have another solid year. P Shaun Marcum has great stuff.

5. Baltimore Orioles: OF Adam Jones (Morse HS) is one of the best young players in the game. P Brian Matusz (USD) is in his 1st full big legaue season. C Matt Wieters will be an All-Star someday, but I think he's a few years out still.

Central

1. Chicago White Sox: The return of OF Carlos Quentin and a full season with a healthy P Jake Peavy should be enough to win the Central.

P Mark Buerhle already made the defensive play of the year on Opening Day

2. Minnesota Twins: They don't have 1B "Sweet, Sweet" Lou Collins, 2B "Touch 'Em All" Mickey Scales or young Billy "Bill" Haywood as a manger... but they do have C Joe Mauer, 1B Justin Morneau and OF Michael Cuddyer... not too shabby in their own right.

3. Detroit Tigers: P Justin Verlander is a stud, but I don't think they have the offensive firepower to keep up with the White Sox and Twins.

4. Cleveland Indians: OF Grady Sizemore is an all around threat, but they may have the weakest/shallowest rotation in the Central. They need P Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn and the big bat/good hands of OF Pedro Cerrano and the speed of OF Willy Mays Hayes.

5. Kansas City Royals: Cy Young Award winner P Zack Greinke is the man, but the rest of the team is not very good. However, they do have the best alternate unis in the Show.

West

1. Texas Rangers: The addition of OF Vladimir Guerrero to an already powerful lineup consisting of OF Josh Hamilton, OF Nelson Cruz and 3B Michael Young make them my favorite in the West. Keep an eye on Closer turned starting pitcher C.J. Wilson.

2. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: First off, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim name is stupid, as for the team I think the loss of OF Vladimir Guerrero and P John Lackey will prove bigger than management may have thought.

3. Seattle Mariners: A decent lineup with the star obviously being OF Ichiro Suzuki. May have the best starting pitching in the division if P Cliff Lee can get off of the DL and on the bump.

4. Oakland Athletics: I think they will finish in last like their football counterparts in Silver and Black. OF Jack Cust has led the team in HRs for 3 years straight, so management decided to send him to Triple-A. Makes sense right? P Ben Sheets may have a little resurgence if he can stay healthy. Don't worry PADRES fans, 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff will still be stowing nuts in his cheeks instead of driving in runs... he'll just be doing it in a better looking uniform.


Stay tuned for my World Series Predictions soon to be released...


---J

2010 MLB National League Predictions

Baseball season is upon us and with that means I'll make my predictions that are sure to be wrong... but as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

So I'm going to take a shot...

Here we go... today I'll do my NL picks.

National League

East

1. Philadelphia Phillies: Already the best team in the NL + The best pitcher in the Bigs = Another division title.
2. Atlanta Braves: Keep an eye on 20-year-old rookie OF Jason Heyward, he's a stud. My NL Wild Card pick.
3. Florida Marlins: P Josh Johnson is really good and SS Hanley Ramirez could challenge Albert Pujols for NL MVP.
4. New York Mets: They're the Mets. Enough said.
5. Washington Nationals: Still the worst team in baseball... fans will be calling for 1st overall pick P Stephen Strasburg very soon.

Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals: 4 words; Pujols, Carpenter, Wainright, first-place.
2. Chicago Cubs: Can Sweet Sweet Lou Pinella take the Cubbies to the top?, I think not. He needs the 1-2 punch of pitchers Chet "the Rocket" Steadman and Henry Roengardner.
3. Cincinnati Reds: OF Jay Bruce is a beast and they have been gathering a lot of young pitching talents over the last few years.
4. Milwaukee Brewers: Not the strongest team, but better than the Buco's and the Astros.
5. Pittsburgh Pirates: OF Garrett Jones is fast becoming a can't miss player... too bad you want to miss the rest of the team.
6. Houston Astros: A team that got real old real quick. P Roy Oswalt has seen his best years in the rear-view mirror.

West

1. Colorado Rockies: Most balanced team in the West, plus pitcher "Where's" Ubaldo Jimenez is figuring out how to pitch consistently.
2. San Francisco Giants: The best pitching staff in the division, can the offense score enough runs to take them to the top?
3. Arizona Diamondbacks: 3B Mark Reynolds is a serious power threat but will he strike out another 200+ times? Also, a cat named Baxter as a mascot for a team named after snakes brings you down a few notches.
4. Los Angeles Dodgers: I don't think their pitching will hold up and without that we may find out that Joe Torre may not be a genius anymore. Maybe this will be the year someone gets him a hat that fits his head.
5. SAN DIEGO PADRES: Not a very good team. Their best player 1B Adrian Gonzalez will likely be gone by June or July. I don't see them scoring many runs with him, let alone without him. At least they have the best weather in the division. Also, they have the worst road uniforms in the history of the sport.

Coming soon: My AL Picks and World Series Predictions.

---J

Final Four Predictions

After another ridiculous weekend of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, I am going to make my picks for the two National Semifinal games. My "Reggie Miller Lookin' Good" bracket only correctly picked one team (West Virginia) to make the Final Four, but with the craziness of this year's tournament, I feel lucky that I got at least one.

Wrap your head around this, according to ESPN.com, of the some 4.7 million brackets submitted to their Tournament Challenge, only 200 brackets correctly picked West Virginia, Duke, Butler, and Michigan State to reach the Final Four.

Perhaps I shouldn't feel so bad...

Without further ado, here are the two teams I will immediately give the kiss of death to...

My Final Four Predictions

(5) Michigan State Spartans vs. (5) Butler Bulldogs:

Winner: Michigan State-- I see Izzo's bunch advancing to their second consecutive championship game after another thrilling OT victory over the home town Bulldogs. Raymar Morgan and Korie Lucious will get a rare second chance at cutting down the nets.

(2) West Virginia Mountaineers vs. (1) Duke Blue Devils:

Winner: Duke-- Coach K's squad has it all; three-point assassins, a strong inside presence, experience, and perhaps most importantly; confidence. I see John Scheyer shooting lights out and Brian Zoubek dominating the paint as the Blue Devils reach their 10th title game.

I think we get to see a classic match up of Hall of Fame coaches next Monday night.

But then again, who knows?

---J

What ASU Needs to Do to Get Invited to the BIG Dance

With selection Sunday only 6 days away, bubble teams across the nation are trying impress the NCAA Tournament committee as much as possible.

The Arizona State Sun Devils are no exception. Herb Sendek's squad needs a strong showing at this week's PAC-10 tournament at the Staples Center if they want to better their case for an At-Large bid to the dance. The Sun Devils finished regular season play with a 22-9 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the PAC-10. Not too shabby considering they lost the 3rd and 31st overall picks in last year's NBA draft. No wonder Herb Sendek was named the PAC-10 Coach of the Year today.

In any other season, a 12 win PAC-10 season combined with another 10 non-conference wins would get your foot in the tournament door with no problem. However, with the PAC's down year (currently zero teams ranked in the top 25), there is a chance that the only team partaking in this year's Madness will be the squad climbing the ladder with scissors next Saturday at the Staples Center.

Obviously if the Devils win three straight in LA they will be relaxing come next Sunday as the conference's automatic bid and PAC-10 Tournament Champions. But if they don't win the tourney I think they should still make it as an At-Large bid. I think the Devils' can get in by simply making it to the Championship game. This would mean the Devils would go 2-1 in LA and would finish with a 24-10 overall record, which in my opinion is plenty to receive an invite to the Big Dance. I'm no Bracketologist, nor do I want to be, but 24 wins in a big conference like the PAC-10 is a pretty good resume. Some of these other bubble teams have 17-18 wins this season and even though the PAC-10 is weak this year, it is still 10 times stronger than the Colonial League or the Big West.

If the Devils get to 24-10 and don't get an invite to the tourney it will be a definite snub, but if Derek Glasser and Co. really want ensure back-to-back tournament appearances... they know exactly what they need to do.



---J

Things To Look Out For At... the 2010 NFL Combine

This edition is:

2010 NFL Combine

Look Out For:

1. Guy from a small school who runs a great 40-- It seems like every year at the Combine there is some dude no one has ever heard of out of Southeast Central Middle Kentucky Tech State who runs a 4.3 forty... then can't get off the line in training camp.

2. Analyst embarrassing himself doing the drills -- It is always entertaining to watch, but seeing Rich Eisen "running" a 40 in 10.74 seconds in slacks further cements why he is covering the event and not participating. Look for the hammy pull as well, a Combine staple.

3. Big time lineman who shows up way out of shape -- I never understand this one but it always happens. Some top 10 lineman from Alabama or Oklahoma somehow shows up to pre-NFL athletic testing completely out of shape. He rolls in like 60 pounds heavier than his playing weight and looks like he has been doing 12 oz. curls exclusively as his Pre-combine regimen. The Combine is a pretty well publicized event, so I find it hard to believe that he was unaware that the combine was this week. Maybe mix in a salad or a jog.

4. Player who can dominate the bench press and shuttle... but... -- There is nothing wrong with dominating the tests at the Combine, the only problem is when you dominate the tests... but can't play football. Every year scouts get enamored with some freak dude who throws the ball 80 yards on his knees... or a guy who runs the fastest 40, but can't catch... It seems like the teams who forget that its a football team, not a circus have trouble winning games.

5. Quarterback who is learning to throw a football -- Actually you won't see this because former Florida QB Tim Tebow will not throw at all at the combine. He is "tweaking" his throwing motion and will throw only at his Pro Day in Gainesville. I'm no NFL GM, but if I'm drafting a guy and giving him millions of dollars to play QB, I would like him to know how to throw before the draft. But that's just me.

---J

NCAA Basketball Power Rankings

Here's my top 10 as of today as the Madness approaches...

1.Kansas Jayhawks- This team is loaded. Upcoming home games against Colorado and Oklahoma should be wins #26 and #27 for Bill Self.

2. Kentucky Wildcats- Survived a scare last night in overtime at Mississippi State. Face a tougher test at #17 Vanderbilt Saturday.

3. Syracuse Orangemen - An 11-2 conference record in the Big East is pretty impressive. 24-2 overall ain't too shabby either.

4. Purdue Boilermakers- A win at #8 Ohio State tonight would cement the Boilermakers as a top-5 squad.

5. Villanova Wildcats - A absolute gauntlet upcoming... on the road at #21 Pittsburgh, home against South Florida and back on the road at #3 Syracuse. Rough.

6. Duke Blue Devils- The class of the Atlantic Coast Conference. A Sunday Showdown against Virginia Tech for 1st place in the conference.

7. Michigan State Spartans- G Kalin Lucas is back and his ankle injury appears to be a thing of the past.

8. Ohio State Buckeyes - Difficult week for Thad Matta's bunch. Home against #4 Purdue and at #7 Michigan State. A sweep of the two would be huge for the Columbus crew.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers - Coach Bob Huggins has 4 players averaging more than 10 points per game in Morgantown.

10. New Mexico Lobos - A little love for the Mountain West here. The Lobos are 23-3 overall and 9-2 in a pretty solid MWC this season.

---J