Halloween is here… which means the World Series is wrapping up. The guys discuss what has been an incredible 2017 World Series, especially Game 5, and what has been a great post season in general. They dive in to the Joe Girardi managerial departure and why everyone is moving towards these analytical managers.
The first College Football Ranking is out and there’s a big surprise at the Top. No seriously, it’s not Alabama. PJ educates TM (the D3er) on how the CFP rankings and committee work, then give him homework. Penn State sucks and deserve every bit of hatred spewed their way.
Finally, the guys recap what was the craziest NFL Trade Deadline in recent memory and shit all over Week 8, because it sucked. More discussion about what exactly is the problem with the NFL product this year, and whether its watchable.
Keep an eye out for the Binge Sportscast on a weekly basis through the NFL season!
It seems like way too much has happened in baseball since the last SportsCast, but the guys do their best to recap the ALCS, what went wrong for the Yankees, and whether Joe Girardi will return. A lot of managers have been let go and replaced in the last week… and oh, there’s also this little thing called the WORLD SERIES that started.
College football sucks. Or at least PJ’s team does.
Finally, we recap Week 7 in the NFL which started with possibly the best game of the year (Raiders – Chiefs), how Marshawn Lynch is a lunatic, and everything else that’s transpired over the last week. Including what might be the official end of the Jay Cutler meter. We also once again tackle the question of who’s the best team in the NFL?
Keep an eye out for the Binge Sportscast on a weekly basis through the NFL season!
And here we go. Welcome to Binge Media and welcome back to Binge Sports’ coverage of the NFL Playoffs. We’ve got one game to go for all the marbles. Super Bowl XLIX. It’s the New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks. As usual, I’ll give you a quick breakdown of the teams and how they got here and as always, you’ll have a chance to vote on who you think wins this Sunday. But a special event like this calls for a little extra.
Most of you reading this are probably familiar with a squares board. It’s 100 squares with one team listed on the side and one team listed on the top. As soon as I get 100 of you signed up, I’ll run the numbers 0-9 at random on both sides and draw each name at random for your spot on the board. As you can see below, the board is ready to go. I’m just waiting on you.
All you have to do to enter is put your name in the comments section, or enter your name on the Binge Media facebook pageor @BingeMedia, @BingeSports, or @THElukenorris on Twitter. The first 100 get in so I suggest getting to it quickly as I’m sure the squares will fill up fast. There will be two winners, one at halftime and one at the end of the game. Each winner will receive their very own Binge Media T-shirt. Aren’t we so damn nice?
I suppose you want to talk about the game now. Let’s get to it.
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (14-4, AFC CHAMPIONS)
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (14-4, NFC CHAMPIONS)
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
New England: 1st round bye, def. Baltimore 35-31, def. Indianapolis 45-7
Seattle: 1st round bye, def. Carolina 31-17, def. Green Bay 28-22
WHEN: Sunday, February 1, 2015-6:30 Eastern/5:30 Central/4:30 Mountain/3:30 Pacific
WHERE: University of Phoenix Stadium-Glendale, Arizona
TV: NBC
CURRENT BETTING LINE: Patriots favored by 1
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH: For the same reason everyone else does. For the commercials. Okay, maybe that’s not the entire truth as this should be a very, very good football game. I’ll spare you the X’s and O’s of the game as I know ESPN has that covered on a minute-to-minute basis, I mean, when they’re not talking about the deflation of footballs. Seriously, are you as sick of this story as I am? I refuse to spend one more second talking about it, so that’s my take on Deflate-gate.
It’s the biggest game of the year with some of the game’s biggest stars. Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Rob Gronkowski, and the always entertaining Marshawn Lynch. To be honest with you, I have no rooting interest in this game. I want an entertaining contest, but with that said, the only reason I’d like to see Seattle win is to give Marshawn Lynch a chance at the MVP, just so he has to give the live interview at the end.
I really don’t have a prediction for you as I think this really is going to be a great game. The Seattle defense is absolutely great, giving up an average of only nine points per game over their eight game winning streak. But the Patriots are averaging forty points so far in these playoffs. We should be in for one hell of a football game. But hey, we all said that last year too. What’s your call?
[yop_poll id=”170″]
So there you have it. I’ll announce the poll results soon after the game. As I said, as soon as I get 100 people signed up, I’ll fill up that board and get it up on the website so you know what your numbers are. So get those votes in and get me your name. Good luck.
And don’t forget about the halftime show with Katy Perry. Note to self: put it on mute and pray for another wardrobe malfunction.
Before I get to this weekend’s action in the NFL, I wanted to let you know how you did in the voting for the College Football Playoff National Championship this past Monday night between Oregon and Ohio State. In another exciting college football game that broke tons of records, the Buckeyes were victorious 42-20. In the final poll results, 42% of you voted for Ohio State to win. Admittedly, I was not one that voted that way. I didn’t think that they could keep up, but Urban Meyer had that team ready to play. Believe me, it pains me to say this as a Michigan fan, but that win was impressive. But as a fan of the game and of the Big 10, I couldn’t help but respect it. Congrats to the Ohio State Buckeyes. But still, GO BLUE!!!!
Now let’s get to the pro action.
We’re down to four teams left on the road to Arizona. After an exciting and controversial weekend of action (for some anyway), we’re left with a solid final four in the NFL. But before I go on, let me just get something out of the way. As a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, I’ve been asked all week on my thoughts on how the game ended on Sunday afternoon, obviously referring to the Dez Bryant play. And honestly, it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it? I absolutely love sports and I love the teams that I root for and I always will. But seriously, if you let the outcome of a football game ruin your day or ruin your week, then you’ve got problems. Look at what I wrote above. As someone who roots for Michigan, I just congratulated Ohio State. Does that make me a bad fan? Does it make me a bad fan that I haven’t put up fifty memes about the Dez Bryant catch? No, it just means that I can watch a game, be absolutely caught up in the emotions that sports can bring out, but when that final buzzer sounds, I can let it go. Maybe that’s not for everybody, but hey, it works for me. So with that being said, I can still say that I’m excited for some great football this weekend, even with my team being out of it. I’ve always tried to be fair and impartial as your Binge Sports guy, so let me take another crack at it. We’ll start with the early game in the NFC, but before that, take a look to see how you did in the divisional round.
New England-def. Baltimore 35-31 (81% voted correctly)
(2) GREEN BAY PACKERS (13-4, won NFC North)
@
(1) SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (13-4, won NFC West)
WHEN: Sunday, January 18th, 2015-3:05ET/2:05CT
TV: FOX
Current Line: Seahawks favored by 7
Why You Should Watch: Because this is the game that was expected to happen from the start of the year. Hopefully, we’ll get a better contest than the one we had to start the season. Also played in Seattle, the Seahawks bested the Packers by 20 in Week 1. But there’s been a lot of football between then and now.
Similar to last week, the question of the week will be the status of Aaron Rodgers’ calf injury. He battled through last week to defeat the Dallas Cowboys, but as good as they were, that defense isn’t that of the Seahawks, who’ve been on a tear as of late.
The home field advantage obviously helps Seattle on Sunday, who always rely on “The 12th Man” for that extra edge. Having Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch playing at the level they’ve been playing at doesn’t hurt either. It’s going to be hard to beat that Packers-Cowboys game last week, but if any two teams can do it, it’s these two. Expect a classic if Rodgers can go.
[yop_poll id=”168″]
(4) INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (13-5, won AFC South)
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(1) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-4, won AFC East)
WHEN: Sunday, January 18th, 2015-6:40ET/5:40CT
TV: CBS
Current Line: Patriots favored by 7
Why You Should Watch: Because you either love or hate the Patriots. Like it or not, New England has become one of those franchises, pretty much the Yankees of the NFL. There’s guys like our very own Jack who live and breathe that team, and there’s those that will tune in to watch them lose. The question is whether or not Andrew Luck is ready to grab that brass ring.
Let’s face it. The Patriots are going to do what they’ve always done. Brady and Belichick are in their ninth AFC Championship together and they’ll be ready to go. But Andrew Luck and the Colts just went to Denver and beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Granted, Manning was injured and doesn’t have the best playoff history in the world, but still impressive nonetheless. With Brady and Manning getting older, Luck has been on the fast track to being the elite quarterback in the AFC. A win in Foxboro on Sunday speeds that up even more. It should be fun to watch.
[yop_poll id=”169″]
And there you have it. We’re in for another great day of football. It’s high profile teams with high profile players. Who’d you pick? As always, you can comment below or follow and tweet @BingeSports and/or @THElukenorris. Binge Sports will return soon with a Pro Bowl preview. I’m completely kidding…nobody watches the Pro Bowl. But I’ll definitely be back before the Super Bowl. Enjoy.
Let’s finish this up. The start of football that matters is upon us and here is the last in my series of previews. Today, we’ll take a look at the divisions that gave us our two Super Bowl teams from last season, the AFC and NFC West divisions. If you’ve missed the previews of the East, click HERE. If you missed the North, click HERE. If you missed the South, click HERE. So let’s get to the West.
DENVER BRONCOS
LAST SEASON: 13-3, WON THE AFC WEST, LOST THE SUPER BOWL TO THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
2014 PREVIEW:Okay, so the Super Bowl was a little embarrassing, but the Broncos aren’t going away. The offense will be as potent as ever as Peyton Manning and company remain an overall favorite to win the whole thing. Even with Eric Decker heading to New York, the receiver position may be even better. Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker remain and are always consistent, and they’ve added Emmanuel Sanders. Throw in Julius Thomas and we may see yet another record-breaking season from the offense.
Not to be outdone, the defense added defensive end DeMarcus Ware, safety T.J. Ward, and cornerback Aqib Talib. And don’t forget that the Broncos made their run last year without Von Miller. He’ll return to an absolutely loaded defense. The Broncos are the easy favorite to win this division.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
LAST SEASON: 11-5, FINISHED 2ND IN THE AFC WEST, LOST WC ROUND TO THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
2014 PREVIEW: Running back Jamaal Charles has become arguably the best in the league, and he’ll need an outstanding season if the Chiefs want to repeat what they did last year. He’s lost some help up front on the line, but if anybody can make adjustments, it’s head coach Andy Reid. He still has conservative yet effective quarterback Alex Smith, but the receiving core is somewhat limited. Dwayne Bowe has lost a step, A.J. Jenkins is young, and Donnie Avery drops a few too many. Charles will be the workhorse here, but his effectiveness may open a few passing lanes for Smith.
The defense gave out a little towards the end of last season and there’s a little uncertainty that the Chiefs can do what they were doing to open last year. Eric Berry has shown a lot of versatility as he can roam from safety to linebacker, but they lost their best corner in Brandon Flowers and the ability to get to the quarterback may be an issue this year. Most people weren’t expecting 11 wins last year, and I wouldn’t count on a repeat performance.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
LAST SEASON: 4-12, FINISHED LAST IN THE AFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS
2014 PREVIEW: At least the Raiders had draft picks this year. That’s about the only positive thing I can see coming from Oakland this year. After a battle in the preseason with longtime Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, rookie Derek Carr won the starting job. He’s got talent, but his inexperience will show, especially early in the season. But who is he throwing to? At least they’ve got a running game. Or do they? Darren McFadden just can’t seem to stay healthy. They did sign Maurice Jones-Drew and that may help matters a little, especially catching passes out of the backfield, but he’ll have a lot of work to do to get back to his leading rusher in the league form.
They’ve got big names on defense like Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley, and Charles Woodson, but all three are just past their prime. Rookie Khalil Mack may be fun to watch, but in this division, no defense means very few wins. Another 4-12 may be in the works and that may be being nice.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
LAST SEASON: 9-7, FINISHED 3RD IN THE AFC WEST, LOST DIV. ROUND TO THE DENVER BRONCOS
2014 PREVIEW: The Chargers reeled off four straight victories at the end of last season to sneak into the playoffs, and even got a win over the Bengals before falling to Denver. They’ll enter 2014 with some confidence, especially quarterback Philip Rivers, who had a nice comeback season in 2013 to silence a few critics. He’ll need to be at his best to get San Diego into the playoffs again, but has weapons in the always consistent Antonio Gates, along with second year man Keenan Allen, who was thrown to in big spots last year and is looking to become the main target for Rivers.
The defense will get a few players back from injury this season as Dwight Freeney looks to get back to form, as does linebacker Melvin Ingram. San Diego also made a big free agent pickup in acquiring cornerback Brandon Flowers. The Chargers finished at 9-7 last year and an identical record may be in the cards.
ARIZONA CARDINALS
LAST SEASON: 10-6, FINISHED 3RD IN THE NFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS
2014 PREVIEW: Last season, the Cardinals were a casualty of the system. They finished with a better record by two games than the North-winning Packers, but didn’t make the playoffs. The chip on their shoulder could play a big part in the 2014 campaign. If Carson Palmer can play to his potential in his twelfth year, the Cardinals could be dangerous on offense. He’s still got Larry Fitzgerald to throw to, and if Michael Floyd can continue to improve, it could open up some running lanes for Andre Ellington, a second year back who averaged 5.5 yards per carry in a limited role last year.
The defense took a big hit when Darnell Dockett went down with an ACL injury and linebacker Daryl Washington was suspended for the year, but they’re still pretty strong. The hope is that Tyrann Mathieu can return from a torn ACL and LCL and be the player everyone thinks he can be. They signed cornerback Antonio Cromartie to play opposite All-Pro Patrick Peterson, who may be the best man-to-man corner in the league. If all goes well for Arizona, they could be a factor this season.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
LAST SEASON: 12-4, FINISHED 2ND IN THE NFC WEST, LOST NFC CHAMP. TO THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
2014 PREVIEW: Can a team that’s reached the NFC Championship three years in a row get better? When your head coach is Jim Harbaugh, you don’t really get a say in the matter. Play well or you’re off the field. The athleticism of quarterback Colin Kaepernick leads an offensive attack that includes the veteran Anquan Boldin and Kaepernick’s favorite target, the dangerous Michael Crabtree. You also can’t forget about tight end Vernon Davis, who still performs at a high level, as does running back Frank Gore, who will be mentoring Carlos Hyde. That’s a ton of players that can burn you.
The defense will have a different look this year as the Niners lost a few players, especially at cornerback. Last year’s freak injury to NaVorro Bowman won’t help matters any, but guys like Ray McDonald and Ahmad Brooks will be looking to pick up the slack. Throw in the immense talent and intelligence of safety Eric Reid, and the defense should still be better than average. Harbaugh won’t settle for anything less than the Super Bowl, and it’s a real possibility.
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
LAST SEASON: 13-3, WON THE NFC WEST, BEAT THE DENVER BRONCOS TO WIN THE SUPER BOWL
2014 PREVIEW: There’s not much I can say about Seattle that you don’t already know. They’re the defending Super Bowl champs. They have the biggest home field advantage in sports. They’re loaded with talent. You know the names: Russell Wilson will only continue to get better. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas have signed long-term deals and are basically the best at what they do at cornerback and free safety, respectively. Percy Harvin will be back healthy and Marshawn Lynch is a beast. Did I miss anything? The Seahawks have a solid chance to repeat.
ST. LOUIS RAMS
LAST SEASON: 7-9, FINISHED LAST IN THE NFC WEST, MISSED PLAYOFFS
2014 PREVIEW: Poor St. Louis. Just when things are starting to turn around under head coach Jeff Fisher, the 2014 season may already be lost. The season-ending injury to quarterback Sam Bradford has changed everything. What’s worse is that his huge salary is hindering the Rams’ ability to go out and get a comparable solution. They recently signed Case Keenum, but the starting job will go to Shaun Hill, but can he effectively get the ball to Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, and Brian Quick? I’m sure the quarterback situation will be a question all season.
If the Rams are going to win games this year, it’s the defense that’s going to do it. The strongest piece comes with the front line, which may be the best in football, anchored by defensive end Robert Quinn, who has become arguably the most feared end in the league. Unfortunately, it may not be enough. The Rams have been moving in the right direction for a few years now, but with yet another injury to the most important position on the field, St. Louis will likely find themselves at the bottom of this division.
Now you’re ready for some football….almost. I’ve previewed all 32 teams, but I haven’t yet given you my picks. Check back with Binge Media Sports as I give you my full season predictions leading all the way to the Super Bowl. Make sure to cast your votes (as soon as we get it fixed) in every division and check back each and every week to pick each and every game of the year. And as always, you can justify your picks in the comments section below or follow me and tell your friends to follow me and tweet @THElukenorris all season long.