NFL Preview thoughts

The Clarion Content is a dangerous source for predictions. We would almost recommend betting in directly opposition with our thoughts, save for this is what we are indeed thinking. This year we have had time for even less research than we have done in some years past, some sports talk radio, a podcast here or there, Grantland is about the sum total of it. Henceforth, we will only have a sentence or two about most teams, and for some even less.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys
We agree with former Super Bowl winning Cowboys QB Troy Aikman that it is put up or shut up time for this core group of players. Gut instinct feel, this team collapses, they break it up and start over with a high draft pick. Last year's start was indicative, not a fluke.

New York Football Giants
We keep hearing how banged up they are on the defensive side of the ball. Eli Manning threw a ton of interceptions last year. This feels like a down year for the G-Men.

Philadelphia Eagles
They have assembled a defense of stars this year. But the offense looks vulnerable, lucky for them the NFC East looks very mediocre this year. Michael Vick has always been fragile. The Eagles wideouts are small and injury prone. Andy Reid is a horrible game manager and an even worse play caller. The Eagles consistent failure to develop a running game will see them come up short of the ultimate prize. (This must all sound so familiar to Donovan.)

Washington Redskins
Well, they got rid of Albert Haynesworth. But aren't they going with Rex Grossman at quarterback? We have never believed in Mike Shannahan.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers
The Super Bowl champs look great. We like Bill Simmons theory that the NFL lockout actually helped ameliorate the typical Super Bowl hangover. The Packers weren't feted the way most champs are. Did it help keep them hungry?

Detroit Lions
Apparently, it was Matt Millen, not ownership after all. The Lions are poised for a breakout season. Ndamukong Suh looks like he could be the defensive MVP. The only question mark is quarterback Matt Stafford.

Chicago Bears
We do not believe in Jay Cutler, we never have. They still have no number one wideout. We like Coach Lovie Smith. Is the defense aging? .500 at best...

Minnesota Vikings
It is just not going to be a happy career for Donovan McNabb... Maybe, maybe if Adrian Peterson stays healthy all year, their season will be less than disastrous.

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons
They are a chic Super Bowl pick. We like, not love, Matt Ryan. We think Julio Jones will eventually be an asset, but the lockout didn't help him. And what about their cornerbacks? Up to the task? This team takes a step back.

Carolina Panthers
The biggest question facing the Panthers this season is what position Cam Newton will play after the Panthers draft Andrew Luck. Tight-end? The Panthers resigned the stars of their 2-14 team. They still have no #2 wide receiver. We think Duke Blue Devil football wins more games than the Panthers this season. 0-6 in the division seems certain.

New Orleans Saints
Darren Sproles is the perfect Reggie Bush replacement and might even be an upgrade. Drew Brees is a wizard. We will take brains over brawn every day.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Nobody believes in Tampa quarterback Josh Freeman more than Bill Simmons, not his mom, not his coach... There must be a reason. We haven't seen enough to make up our minds on young Mr. Freeman. The Bucs appear to be the classic case of a team that suddenly faces a harder schedule and backs up. They are in a tough division.

NFC Worst

Arizona Cardinals
Kevin Kolb reminds us of the illustrious Scott Mitchell. Did they get worse defensively? This division is so bad that anything is possible.

San Francisco 49ers
If not for Alex Smith we would pick them to run away with this division. Why are they still sticking with Alex Smith? Andy Dalton would lead this team to a division title. Graham Harrell could probably be plucked from the Packers practice squad and lead this team to a division title. (We are assuming 7 and 9 will be enough again to win the West again.)

Seattle Seahawks
When did they give up on Charlie Whitehurst? Tavaris Jackson couldn't hack it in Minnesota with Adrian Peterson and a good o-line. What is he going to do here?

St. Louis Rams
We are not sold on Sam Bradford. Stephen Jackson is a useful asset. Do they have enough other offensive weapons? Says here no.


Division winners: Philadelphia, Green Bay, New Orleans, other
Wild Cards: Tampa Bay and Detroit

Conference Champ: New Orleans


Drew Brees is a winner on and off the field


AFC East

Buffalo Bills
We like quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. They need to find ways to utilize C.J. Spiller. Receiver Steve Johnson has skills too. The Bills are improving in a tough division.

Miami Dolphins
Bad ownership is destabilizing the franchise by undermining the head coach. We don't think Chad Henne is the problem, he might even be okay eventually, but not in this trainwreck of a situation. Brandon Marshall needs the departed Ricky Williams to tutor him in the way of karma.

New England Patriots
Why is everyone so enamoured with Belichek and company signing a bunch of aging defenders? Because the Junior Seau addition worked out so well? If these were the Al Davis led Raiders they would be getting killed for the same additions. Lucky for the New England defense, Tom Brady is on the other side of the ball.

New York Jets
Mark Sanchez is not getting any better. He looks great on a poster, less so on the field. Can the Ryan and the Jets defense carry them to the playoffs again?

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens
The last hurrah or the beginning of the other shoe dropping? We like the offense. This is the year the Anquan Boldin signing pays off. Ray Rice is dominant. Ricky Williams is a good change-up The o-line is pretty solid. Joe Flacco is a winner. Can the defense do its part? Is the window still open? Just maybe.

Cincinnati Bengals
We like quarterback Andy Dalton. And the Bengals won't be as bad as people think, oh they'll be bad all right, just not as bad as people think. Andy Dalton wants no part of the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. (Although, maybe he should, as it would hasten his departure from the black hole that is Bengal land.)

Cleveland Browns
This is a team headed in the right direction. We like what Colt McCoy showed last year. They have some weapons on offense. But, the top of the division is amongst the NFL's elite. So .500 appears to be a best case scenario.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Everyone is talking about the Ravens aging defense, but the Steelers are actually older. In fact, we heard they are going to start the oldest defense of this millennium. James Harrison had two off-season surgeries. Predator Ben Roethlisberger and the offense will likely drag them into the playoffs, and if they do, anything can happen.

AFC South

Houston Texans
It doesn't seem like even Gary Kubiak could screw this up. No Payton Manning? Could he and the Texans get a bigger gift? If they don't win the title this year, he gets fired and they break the thing up.

Indianapolis Colts
The Colts season changed when Payton Manning got injured. Kerry Collins is a joke. The rest of the roster is less than talented. Even stud defensive ends Mathis and Freeney are less valuable on a team that does not have the lead all the time. We are, however, the last sports page in America to believe in Curtis Painter. In Purdue's Joe Tiller we trust, it says here if Painter gets the keys in time, he leads a late charge for a Wild Card berth that comes up just short.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Well, until they shocked us by cutting David Garrard last week, we were predicting the Jags would win the division. We like head coach Jack Del Rio. He has moxie. Maurice Jones-Drew has enough heart for three men. But what other talent is on the roster? On a team now led by a journeyman quarterback? No playoffs for them.

Tennessee Titans
We cannot believe the Titans were dumb enough not to be able to retain either Vince Young or Jeff Fisher. In this mess of a division, keeping just one of them might have been enough to get the team to the playoffs this season. Then again, maybe it is a better to bottom out and get into the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Titans figure to be about that bad.

AFC West

Denver Broncos
May as well play Tim Tebow, it is not like they have anything else going for them. Maybe Tebow inspires divine intervention on their behalf?? Mile High fans haven't seen back to back teams this bad since the early 70's.

Kansas City Chiefs
This is the year when Matt Cassell shows us why Tyler Thigpen and Matt Leinart have played ahead of him. K.C. got an easy schedule and lots of breaks last year. This team is backing up. We think Jamaal Charles is powerful running back, but they do not have enough weapons around him.

Oakland Raiders
We like Jason Campbell. We have believed in his leadership since his Auburn days. We love the way he throws the ball. The Raiders went 6 and 0 in the division last year. Why did they have to fire Coach Tom Cable and subvert it all? Answer: Al Davis.

San Diego Chargers
Phillip Rivers is a winner. Absent Norv Turnerm, we would be picking this team to the Super Bowl. They have a gaudy array of offensive weapons and a lousy division to beat up on. How will they find a way to lose in the playoffs this year? No idea, but we can't wait to find out.

Division winners: New England, Baltimore, Houston, San Diego
Wild Cards: New York Jets and Pittsburgh

Conference Champ: Baltimore Ravens


Ray Rice is a dominant force, with a defense that has one last hurrah left.

The Super Bowl winner?

Says here the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees make it 2 out of 3, beating the Ravens of Baltimore in Ray Lewis's final game.

Rays and Sox

We must beware the powerful Clarion Content jinx. We are noted for our ability to make the diametric opposite of what we predict come true. Thus it is always dangerous for the sports editor to predict things we wish will happen, but in this case we have to put it out there, despite the fact it is both our prediction and our desire.

The Boston Red Sox look awfully vulnerable to being caught by the Tampa Bay Rays in the race for the American League Wild Card. While Boston would appear to have a comfortable 7 and 1/2 game lead over Tampa, just last week they were ahead by 11 and 1/2 games. The Sox are increasingly banged up. Star third baseman, Kevin Youkilis has been dinged up all season and was recently put on the disabled list. Prized free agent outfielder Carl Crawford is barely hitting .250 and has a miserable 39 RBIs. The Sox offense is so meek right now, last night's line-up featured rookie Josh Reddick, he of the career 288 at-bats and 9 lifetime homers, hitting 5th. Line-ups that are that thin are more commonly associated with the Rays, than the Sox or Yanks.

However, it is not just the offense of the Red Sox that looks wobbly. The pitching staff has been battered as well, and that, pitching, is not an area either the Rays or the Yanks are vulnerable. The Rays with their pipeline to Durham have a seemingly endless supply of quality young arms. The Yanks have five solid starters and an extra $180 million dollar man, A.J. Burnett. The Red Sox conversely are trying to get by with forty-five year old knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, free agent flop John Lackey and castoff Eric Bedard holding down the back end of their rotation.

As their limp start showed, the Red Sox have holes. Those failings maybe exposed the possibility of the kind of epic Red Sox stretch collapse that hearkens back to the days of yore.

NBA Draft talent

The Clarion Content can't comment on the Europeans leaguers and other global b-ballers who were drafted by NBA franchises the other night in what Bill Simmons says will be remembered as the "Foreigner Draft."



The Clarion Content does have some strong opinions on the players that got drafted, starting with Kyrie Irving. Word out of Duke is that he is a strong character kid, hope so, because it is very tough to get drafted number one overall by the franchise that lost LeBron when you have played less than twenty college basketball games and don't have the body of NFL defensive end. We think Irving becomes a successful pro, with a reasonable NBA career, never quite an all-star, but a nice blend of some of the skills of say Mo Cheeks and Vinny, "Microwave" Johnson. Good distributor, streaky hot shooter, small defender who has to play the point or is a sixth man, a 3rd guard.

We would rate him a the fourth best NBA career arc coming out of this draft. Number one we like Nolan Smith of Duke and now the Portland Trail Blazers. A leader with guts and heart, Smith is a tenacious battler who will win off the dribble and be able to get his own shot, even against much bigger players. He is unselfish to a fault and this will lead him to even greater heights in the NBA than he reached in college.

Number two we like, Derrick Williams. The guy can score. He can play the three or the four in today's NBA. He is the anti-Michael Beasley, who the Clarion Content warned about before he was drafted, Williams is level-headed and a diligent worker. Unfortunately, he got drafted by a team that is schizophrenic. They have Beasley, are run by Kahn, are dangling their coach Kurt Rambis from a meat hook, haven't integrated Ricky Rubio... etc. We do like Kevin Love.

We agree with the Spurs about Kawhi Leonard, whom we rate as the number three NBA career in this draft. Guys who have little help in college don't look as good as they are because of the focus the other team's defense and coaching put into stopping them individually. This same issue applies to another guy who will definitely have a long NBA career, Jimmer Fredette. Other teams keyed on him constantly, built their defensive game plans around stopping him, and the guy still scored with minimal quality help around him. These kind of guys succeed in the pros. Steph Curry anyone? The difficulty is identifying them.

We rate Leonard above Kyrie Irving, Fredette below. Time will tell how good our eyes was.

Top College Draft Prospects 20111

1) Nolan Smith, Duke
2) Derrick Williams, Arizona
3) Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State
4) Kyrie Irving, Duke


Kawhi Leonard

Eastern conference playoffs

Derrick Rose and the Bulls will have to battle Hansbrough's Pacers for everything they get.

The NBA's Eastern Conference playoff match-ups have begin to come into focus this week. The Boston Celtics have continued to stumble down the stretch in the wake of the Kendrick Perkins trade. Last night it became official, the Miami Heat locked up the number two seed, ahead of the Celtics, in the Eastern Conference. The Chicago Bulls had already sealed up number one last week.

Strangely enough, the Celtics and Heats reversal of positions may help both teams. The Heat are lucky to avoid a match-up with the Knicks and their two high scoring star forwards. The Heat were the only Eastern Conference contender dumb enough that they might get lured into playing the Knicks and Coach Mike D'Antoni's run and gun style. No such thing will happen for the Knickerbockers against the Celtics, whose defensive will should crush the softies Melo and Amare. Rondo will make Billups look every bit of his fifty years old.

Ironically, the Heat will get a better match-up too. The Sixers cannot keep up with the Heat's offense. The Celtics low scoring ways might have allowed Philly to steal a couple of games with hustle and offensive rebounding. The Heat will simply blow Philly out of the gym on offensive talent.

Surprisingly, the toughest opponent for a Eastern Conference favorite might be the top seeded Chicago Bulls matching up with the eighth seeded Indiana Pacers. As noted in this space, the Pacers have benefited tremendously from a mid-season coaching change. They are playing smashmouth basketball and pounding it into the post with their huge front line. Roy Hibbert is a legitimate NBA center with post moves. Tyler Hansbrough is a never stop grinding, banging, hassling and hustling power forward. Danny Granger, back at his natural small forward position, is silky smooth and a match-up nightmare for most of the league because of his height. It will take Derrick Rose his full arsenal, plus a little bit of offensive help from either Boozer or Gibson, if the young Bulls are to get through the Pacers.

Game Two

This coach is in the title game for a second year in a row...

There was a strange dichotomy in the two NCAA Final Four games played last night. In game one, there were two gritty, mid-major teams that few expected to be there. In game two, there were a couple of storied programs with long but sordid histories. It made for a strange rooting dynamic, in game one we felt sad that one of these gallant underdogs had to lose. In game two, we felt perturbed one of those cheaters was going to win.

Who do you root for one when on one bench is a coach who has had to vacate both of his previous two Final Four appearances and on the other side is a coach who the NCAA has cited for multiple violations, including lack of institutional control? Blech.

The narrative was undermined and we predict the television ratings reflect it.

Evidence mounts

At Madison Square Garden evidence continues to mount that having two no defense playing, All-Star caliber power forwards gets a team a lot more razzle-dazzle than it does wins. The Knicks lost again last night. Melo managed five points in the second half and no field goals in the fourth quarter, while the Celtics rallied from a fifteen point deficit to beat the Knicks.

The Knicks are now under .500, 7 up and 9 down since the Anthony trade. The Nuggets meanwhile are surging. The Knicks lack depth, play no defense, and already there are signs of chemistry issues between the two big guys, Amare and Melo. Amare chastised anonymous teammates early this week for not buying into Coach Mike D'Antoni's system, while Melo bellyached and whined a day or two later that time to mesh may mean that successes are postponed until next season. (when the Knicks could have had 'Melo for nothing but Benjamins and could have kept Ray Felton to spell the geriatric Chauncey Billups).

As things stand, the Knicks will be unlikely to win a game from either the Bulls or the Celtics in a first round playoff series. The Miami Heat, who are even softer inside than the Knicks, are somewhat more vulnerable. If the Knicks could lure the Heat into high scoring battles, playing games in the 110's or 120's they might win one or two from the Heat, then as sphincters tightened in South Beach, they would have a puncher's chance against LeBron and D-Wade.

Baseball playoffs, Round 1

It is the first time in the playoffs for the dominating Doc Halladay...

The Clarion Content was not and is not a fan of the expanded baseball playoffs. It makes no sense to play 162 games and then a five game series. It devalues the regular season, which is baseball's most unique virtue. Why play 162 games to decide the positioning and only give the better squad a one game advantage, in a sport where home field is not nearly as crucial as it is in some of America's other major sports? Why decide the fate of a season that runs from April to October in five days? With 3% worth of the season's games?

Booooooooooo! The expanded playoffs have deflated the pennant races and produced ridiculous, undeserving champions. Yes, 2006 Cardinals, we are talking about you!!!

But enough, ranting, here are our predictions, in brief, for Round 1.

The American League

Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays

Despite a near no hitter by Cliff Lee in Game 1, the Rays squeak out a win, as David Price matches him strike for strike. This leaves the pitching poor Rangers so demoralized that the Rays sweep. It is too bad the Rangers star and former Rays draft pick, Josh Hamilton, could not be 100% for this series. The Rays despite the best record in the A.L. do not sell-out any home games for this series, prompting further calls for them to move to Durham.

The Minnesota Twins vs. The New York Yankees

The Yanks have owned the Twinkies in recent years and we see no reason for that not to continue, despite the Bronx Bombers suspect starting pitching. The Twins absolutely must beat C.C. Sabbathia in Game 1. When they come up short, they will be swept out again. The Yanks will shell the goldbricking Carl Pavano and the soft tossing Twins starters. Again, it is too bad the Twins are not 100% healthy, missing MVP first baseman, Justin Morneau. Minnesota has lost nine straight postseason games and hasn't won a playoff series since 2002.

The National League

Atlanta Braves vs. San Francisco Giants

While we both like and respect the Braves future Hall of Fame skipper, Bobby Cox, he has beat the heck out of the Braves bullpen this season. And with the Giants edge in starting pitching, it will be the key difference in a tense low scoring series. The Giants starters are so good, they have an outside shot at winning the whole thing, even with their pop-gun offense. We will delight at watching two terrific rookies, Giants catcher Buster Posey, and the Braves five tool outfielder Jason Heyward.

Cincinnati Reds vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phils are prohibitive favorites and for good reason. They have the best starting rotation of any team in the postseason. They have three perennial MVP candidates in their infield; Howard, Utley and Rollins. They have won the last two N.L. Pennants and are looking to be the first N.L. team to make back to back to back World Series since the St. Louis Cardinals during WW II. The underrated and under-appreciated Reds manager Dusty Baker has guided his 3rd N.L. squad to the playoffs. The Reds have a nice infield too, led by this year's MVP Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips, but it says here they take no more than one game from the Phillies juggernaut.


P.S. While this round could conceivably produce four sweeps, the League Championship series should be dynamite.

P.P.S. There is no way King Felix should win the A.L. Cy Young!!! Just because the morons who vote screwed him last year in favor of Zack "who cares if I win, my WHIP is so low" Greinke, does not justify making the same mistake twice in a row. In the immortal words of Coach Herm Edwards, "You play to win the game!" Statistically starstruck writers who never played the game simply don't get it. It is the same folks who deified Billy Beane despite his A's squads' inability to win so much as a pennant, let alone a World Series. We love King Felix, but it would be a joke. And if you haters want to keep the Cy Young out of the hands of a Yankee, fine. Vote for Clay Buchholz who is also more deserving the Hernandez.

Thank you. That is all. See you next round.

Baseball contenders not selling tickets

Yesterday saw a highly publicized flap, Tampa Bay Rays stars David Price and Evan Longoria criticized fans of the team for not showing up to big games. The blowback was intense. Although the team is in first place and near clinching a division title, the Rays turnstiles have seen barely more than a trickle.

Tampa-St. Pete is a terrible baseball market. Transplants to Florida have loyalties to their original teams. The stadium is awful. But the real multiplier effect has been the great economic malaise, which has hit the area with a gut punch. While we hope the Rays move to Durham soon, we recognize that this season, the Rays are not alone.

The New York Times notes several contenders are playing to 4/5ths empty parks; besides the Rays, the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds have been playing in front of far less than packed houses down the stretch. Overall baseball attendance is down for a third straight season. As America stumbles into what may be a lost decade, attendance may never again reach its previous heights.

Among the clubs with the most notable attendance declines the New York Mets, who cannot draw despite billions of dollars poured into a new stadium. Also seeing major sales decreases Chicago and Los Angeles, where the Cubs and the Dodgers have had disappointing seasons. Part of the more permanent structural adjustment can be seen in cities like Baltimore, Cleveland and Toronto, where attendance has been slipping for several years. Once home to new marquis parks, those stadiums are now more than ten years old and baseball's revenue model assures these lower income teams endless second-tier status. Rather than try to revive their moribund clubs, these franchises (and the Rays) may opt to follow the model pioneered by Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The model, as Deadspin revealed last month, is permanently putrid franchises whose owners see more profit in losing than attempting to win through increased payroll expenditure on player salary.

The Clarion Content has been arguing that sports' comeuppance will be one of the biggest effects of the collapse of the American economy. The tremors are starting. The richest owners and teams will not want to continue subdividing their profits with those who do not even make a serious effort to compete. We would predict that baseball contraction will see four to six less Major League franchises by the end of this decade.

NFL Preview, 2010, the AFC

The AFC is far superior to the NFC this year...

South
Indy over 11
Tennessee over 8.5 (Wild Card)
Houston under 8
Jacksonville under 7

North
Baltimore over 10
Cincinnati over 7.5 (Wild Card)
Pittsburgh under 9
Cleveland over 5.5

West
San Diego over 11
Denver over 7.5
Oakland over 6
Kansas City under 6.5

East
New England over 9.5
Miami over 8.5
NY Jets under 9.5
Buffalo over 5.5

New England over Tennessee in the AFC Title Game

NFL Preview, 2010, the NFC

See you in the NFC Championship Game...


NFC South
Home of the defending champs.

New Orleans Saints over 10.5 wins

They have only the faintest suggestion of a running game. But Drew Brees is damn good, and he has a whole lot of receivers. His number three guy, Robert Meachum caught nine touchdowns!!! The Saints defense pairs well with Brees because they are at their best when they can pin their ears back and rush the passer.

Atlanta Falcons over 9 wins (Wild Card)

We like Michael Turner coming back off injury. We think that the Falcons will get four relatively easy wins out of the Panthers and Bucs. The Clarion Content is not as high on Matt Ryan as a lot of other folks, but we think he can be a steady, if not spectacular contributor.

Carolina Panthers under 7.5

The Panthers season starts and ends with the quarterback. Matt Moore does not inspire any confidence here in Durham simply because he beat up a few teams after the Panthers seasons was over last year. Losing Julius Peppers was addition by subtraction and the Panthers D-line is better than people realize. They still don't have a number two receiver. We like the one, two punch at running back. They have a good coach in John Fox, but he is a lame duck. Ultimately, it comes back to the QB, and there is no way Matt Moore leads them to a .500 record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers under 5.5

This team is going nowhere. Head Coach Raheem Morris is in waaaaaay over his head. Starting Quarterback Josh Freeman looks lost and overwhelmed as well. Cadillac Williams coming off of about six knee surgeries does not inspire confidence. This could be a 2 and 14 season. Enjoy the Rays post-season, Tampa, you fair-weather fans, you!


NFC North
Four high profile quarterbacks.

The Green Bay Packers over 9.5

They are prohibitive favorites in this division. Aaron Rodgers is getting very close to entering the top tier of quarterbacks. There defense has shown flashes, it reminds us of the Saints, opportunistic sacks and turnovers when their offense gets them ahead.

The Minnesota Vikings under 9.5

The Sidney Rice injury hurts them badly. Percy Harvin is a knucklehead who is not prepared to be Favre's number one wide receiver. Luckily they have Adrian Peterson, as well as stout offensive and defensive lines. Unfortunately, they also have the horrifyingly bad Brad Childress. Will Favre be back next year?

The Detroit Lions over 5

They have got a tough defensive line, led by Kyle Vanden Bosch and Ndamukong Suh. Matt Stafford should improve at least slightly. They have some weapons for him, Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson. Javod Best will be decent. They will thrill their fans early and fade toward the end.

The Chicago Bears under 8

Jay Cutler blows and is getting worse. He is approaching the Jeff George depths for least effective big arm quarterback ever. Million dollar arm, ten cent brain, if the cliche fits... Mike Martz, who is a riverboat gambler, is the worst possible offensive coordinator for him, takes lots and lots risks, requires lots and lots of good reads. The Bears cannot count on Matt Forte to dominate. Their defense has aged and gotten very brittle. This is Lovie Smith's last year in Chicago. Could be a 3 and 13 season.


NFC West
Not a good division.

San Francisco 49ers over 8.5

Mike Singletary has worked wonders by the Bay. If they had any kind of quarterback at all, they might be a Super Bowl threat. Unfortunately, Alex Smith could not throw a ball through a plate glass window. Frank Gore is a very solid running back. Patrick Willis is in the conversation for the best defensive player in the league.

Arizona Cardinals over 7.5

They are going to miss Kurt Warner and Carlos Dansby, not mention the toughest wide receiver in the league, Anaquan Boldin. Larry Fitzgerald is much less of a weapon without Warner throwing to him and Boldin helping to draw defenders to the other side of the field. We think Beanie Wells will be much improved, though he starts the year banged up. The bottom of the division is awful, but the Cards won't sneak into the playoffs.

Seattle Seahawks under 7.5

How can the Matt Hasselback era not be over yet? Really? Why trade for Charlie Whitehurst then? No matter, Pete Carrol will likely have growing pains adjusting to the NFL from USC. The offensive line is in disarray. They are bringing back Lions' bust Mike Williams who has been out of football for the last two years. Why? Their defense... we like linebackers Lofa Tatupu and Aaron Curry, but there are nowhere near enough playmakers and ball hawks on this team.

St. Louis Rams under 5

They are definitely in the running for the worst team in the league. Sam Bradford is overrated and has no targets. Seriously, name a Rams wideout. Steven Jackson has got to be getting tired of people beating the heck out of him. The offensive line is a sieve. Defensive end Chris Long is heading towards first round bust status, meaning there is only one above average player on this defense, safety, Oshiomogho Atogwe.


NFC East
Not as a good a division as you might think...Parity doesn't equality quality.

Dallas Cowboys over 9.5

The Cowboys biggest question mark, before the playoffs start, is their offensive line. They have no dominant offensive lineman. This was one of their cornerstones in their Super Bowl era. They do have two solid running backs and an excellent regular season quarterback in Tony Romo. Can they get enough pass rush to cover for their mediocre corners? As a squad, they are just barely better than a declining NFC East. Their coach and QB have a history of early playoff exits.

New York Giants over 8.5 (Wild Card)

They will suffer from the aging of their offensive line and the injury decline of Brandon Jacobs. Ahmad Bradshaw is not strong enough to carry the load. Eli Manning is good and has a passel of talented young receivers. He is much better when he is paired with dominant running game. (Who isn't?) Their defensive line looks great, but their linebackers and corners have some question marks. Everyone is acting like safety Kenny Phillips is 100% back. Will he be? We are waiting to see it on the field. Not a team you want to face in a first round playoff game.

Washington Redskins under 7.5

Hey Philly fans, we still love Donovan McNabb! He is injury prone, but will appreciate playing with Santana Moss. Unfortunately, he has no other wideouts. (Still that's one more than they used to give him in Philly.) How old is Joey Galloway? 40? 50? The Redskins also have a running backs with tons of mileage Clinton Portis and Larry Johnson. The defense is the same story, aging, big name guys. Can they be productive? Does future Hall of Famer London Fletcher have anything left? Can they get anything out of Albert Hanesworth? 7, 8, 9 wins would be a success for start for Shannahan.

Philadelphia Eagles under 8.5

It is all about the quarterback in Philadelphia. Did they make the right call selecting Kevin Kolb over Donovan? We are not sold. The Eagles have had a habit of getting rid of their vets a year or two too early. That said, it was probably time to let Brian Westbrook go after a great career. However, they did not find a replacement that we are impressed with, LeSean McCoy averaged only 4.1 yards a carry while rushing for 650 yards total last season. Blech! Yes, DeSean Jackson has breakaway speed, but the rest of their wideouts are very average. Andy Reid is an awful game manager. The Eagles look vulnerable to a big fall to the Clarion Content. Say about 6 and 10...

We will take the Saints over the Packers in a shootout of an NFC Championship Game.

College Football Consolidation

The BCS was always BS...

Talk of the consolidation of college football's major conferences has been all the rage this week. Today it looks as if it is becoming official, with University of Colorado's announcement that it is joining the PAC-10 and the University of Nebraska announcement that it is bolting the Big 12 for the Big 10. This will very quickly make the Big 12 no mas, as most of the remaining teams will seize the opportunity to make the PAC-10 a sixteen team league.

As wily observers know this is all about the haves and have-nots amongst the college football power players. The expansion of PAC-10 to a sixteen team league will be followed in short order by the Big-10 and SEC expanding to sixteen team leagues. The ACC will also be reluctantly forced to do so to ally with the college football superpowers. This will allow these four conferences to sideline the NCAA, as well as the BCS and have their own college football playoff. It is all about the dead presidents and there is no reason for the college football programs with the juice to split the Division I-A college football revenue pie one-hundred and eleven ways when they can reduce that split to sixty-four.

There is an interesting analysis about how this came about by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports here. However that is looking backward, the Clarion Content is more fascinated by how things will turn out going forward. Our prediction is it will not be long before the Big East is a basketball only league again. Villanova, St. John's and Georgetown will not mind. The question is what happens to the storied and not so storied programs from the current BCS conferences that end up on the outside looking in at the money. Our speculation on the schools that might end up on that list would include Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and UConn. These schools along with the already jilted: Utah, Utah State, Boise State and Fresno States of the world may be made enough to actually get congressional action this time.

Have the college football commissioners warned the university presidents that their radical schemes for the future might bring about anti-trust lawsuits and Department of Justice maneuvering. President Obama signaled way back in the election campaign that he was pro-college football playoff, but by any means necessary?

The Clarion Content is pro-college football playoff too, but it is easy to feel genuine concern that money has distorted the system so badly that these schools are losing track of their education mission to their student bodies and their duty to the college athlete. And maybe this was already so under the corrupt and co-opted NCAA, but will this consolidation make it any better? Quien sabe?

NBA Playoffs, The East

Nobody wants to see these guys in the First Round

This in not a true NBA playoff preview, the seedings haven't even been finalized yet. Instead we will offer you a few quick capsules on each of the playoff bound squads, giving you, a we believe or a we do not believe rating on each team. This rating suggests not so much whether or not we believe this franchise could win the title, but whether or not the franchise can maximize what they have during the playoffs which begin April 17.

The Eastern Conference

1. The Cleveland Cavaliers... We believe, barely. No doubt that LeBron James is for real and we are all witnesses. However, Shaq must come through, despite having hardly played since the acquisition of Antwan Jamison. Mike Brown still has no offense. The Cavs still revert to 1 on 5 too often in crucial situations.

2. The Orlando Magic... We do not believe. Dwight Howard is a dominating banger in the regular season, but has yet to develop the post moves or the shot needed for the playoffs. Vince Carter is a shrinking violet in the big moments who can't play defense worth a lick. Jameer Nelson wants the ball in his hands, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

3. The Boston Celtics... We do not believe. We want to believe. Rondo's skill and sheer force of will is difficult to doubt. Garnett's creaky knees have too many miles. Doc Rivers is indecisive. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels have been wasted space. Rondo, Pierce and Allen can carry this team through a series, maybe two.

4. The Atlanta Hawks... We believe. There is no title shot in Atlanta, but this could be the year the Hawks take out either the Celtics or the Magic. Joe Johnson is clutch. Mike Woodson is a rung above most NBA coaches on the x's and o's. Al Horford, Josh Smith and Marvin Williams might be the most underrated frontcourt in the league. Mike Bibby has been here before and the have the 6th man of the year in Jamal Crawford.

5. The Milwaukee Bucks... We don't believe. They had us believing right up to Andrew Bogut's gruesome injury. Their terrific regular season will end quickly in the playoffs. Rookie Brandon Jennings will be overmatched and shoot a lousy percentage from the field.

6. The Miami Heat... We don't believe. Although D-Wade has been positively sick down the stretch, playing perhaps the best ball of his career, one cannot do it alone in the NBA playoffs. Michael Beasley is an underachieving headcase. Udonis Haslem does yeoman's work, but who else will contribute any help? Jermaine O'Neal's corpse?

7. The Charlotte Bobcats... We believe. The most dangerous opponent to draw in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference bracket. They have a playoff tested coach in Larry Brown. They have the second best defensive team, with lots of long athletic ball hawkers. Steven Jackson and Gerald Wallace play hard every night. The Cavs are grateful they won't slip to the eight slot. The Bobcats won the season series from Cleveland.

8. The Chicago Bulls/Toronto Raptors... We don't believe. Derrick Rose playoff heroics of last year aside, the Bulls do not have enough scoring punch. Joakim Noah has been first team all-hustle, contributing every way he can, but he can't light up the scoreboard. Also, the Bulls are poorly coached. The Raptors have collapsed down the stretch. They never figured out how to use Hideo Turkguluo. Chris Bosh's injury sealed the deal. One of these teams gets swept by the Cavs in exhibition quality games.

Our annual Baseball Predictions, American League

Those of you, loyal readers, who have seen these predictions over the years know to take them with a boulder of salt. The rest of you have been forewarned. Last year, for instance, we predicted the Yankees would finish 3rd in the A.L. East and out of the playoffs. Nonetheless, we are back and as confident as ever. We are also battling our friends over at the MEP Report in fantasy baseball this year.

American League East

1. The New York Yankees (over 94.5 wins) ---It was either foolhardy or brave not to bring back Matsui or Damon. How will Curtis Granderson hit lefties? Can he hit in a big spot? When will the ageless Mariano Rivera finally start to deteriorate? The Yankees have so much pitching period, that none of these questions will matter until they start playing postseason games.

2. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays (over 89.5 wins) ---Perhaps the most talented squad in baseball outside of the Yanks and the Phils. We figure B.J. Upton has to rebound a little, and he is surrounded by other good hitters. By mid-season they will have to find some at-bats for shortstop phenom Reid Brigniac. The Clarion Content loves the Rays starting pitching, but the bullpen could be their achilles heel.

3. The Boston Red Sox (under 94 wins) ---Who builds around pitching and defense in Fenway Park? We think the Sox outsmarted themselves this offseason. And weren't their some chinks in Papelbon's armor last season? Ortiz is a shadow of himself without Manny, and that puts too much pressure to produce runs on Pedroia and Youkilis.

4. The Baltimore Orioles (under 72.5 wins) ---The youth movement in Baltimore may finally be starting to come together. Add outfielders Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and catcher Matt Weiters to super solid second baseman Brian Roberts and the Orioles have a smattering of an offense. Unfortunately, there is no pitching to go with it.

5. The Toronto Blue Jays (over 71 wins) ---Unless Vernon Wells resurrects himself from the dead the Blue Jays will likely lose 100 games. With Doc Halladay slinging his pitches in Philadelphia, the Jays are so awful they would suck in the N.L. Central, let alone playing in the toughest division in baseball. It would not surprise us if they lost a combined 50 games just to the Yanks, Rays and Sox.

American League Central

1. The Minnesota Twins (over 82 wins) ---We were rock solid on this pick before closer Joe Nathan got hurt. We still like the Twins, their starting pitching is underrated and could be exceptional if they get any kind of contribution out of Francisco Liriano. The offense starts with Mauer and Morneau, but they have various other pesky, clutch contributors, to which they added the O-Dog, the scrappy Orlando Hudson. And doesn't he always play for a winner?

2. The Chicago White Sox (over 82 wins) ---The top of the rotation is powerful. Buehrle and Peavvy are a terrific 1-2 punch. We like the addition of the speedy, always hustling Juan Pierre. We like the gambles on Andruw Jones and Freddy Garcia having comeback seasons. We like Ozzy Guillen (for the fodder, if nothing else). But if the ChiSox are to sniff the playoffs, some of their old guys will have to contribute offensively.

3. The Detroit Tigers (over 81 wins) ---Like the South Siders, we like their starting pitching. Joel Zumaya is back and could really help strengthen the bullpen. The Tigers season is going to come down to what kind of years do Miguel Cabrerra and Magglio Ordonez have. Both have fluctuated between uber-productive and lackadaisically mediocre.

4. The Cleveland Indians (under 73 wins)---A team that once had C.C. Sabbathia and Cliff Lee now has no pitching. Kerry Wood of all people is penciled in as the closer!?! The offense is lacking too. Victor Martinez is playing in Boston. Manny is a distant memory. Who's left? Shin-Soo Choo and a beat-up Grady Sizemore.

5. The Kansas City Royals (under 71 wins)---The Pittsburgh Pirates of the American League, a once proud franchise giving their fans no hope at all, year after year. Greinke was great last year. Unfortunately, on the Royals an ERA in the low 2.00s barely got him double digit wins. Bonus points for any non-Royals loyalist who can name more than one Kansas City Royals starting infielder. Your 2010 Royals, "Putrid here we come..."

American League Central

1. The Texas Rangers (over 83 wins) ---Good starting pitching, good bullpen, and Michael Young, what's not to like? They also have the talented young Nelson Cruz. And perhaps a highly motivated Vladimir Guerrero, now that the Angels kicked him to the curb liked yesterday news.

2. The Seattle Mariners (over 83 wins) ---What a one-two punch in King Felix and Cliff Lee! Ichiro is as talented as ever. Chone Figgins is a terrific addition. We'd be picking the M's to win the division, but there isn't quite offense. Ken Griffey Jr. is pretty old. We also worry the wisdom of adding lockerroom troublemaker Milton Bradley.

3. The Oakland A's (over 78 wins) ---With their young starting pitching, they will hang around all year. Ben Sheets will probably breakdown right when they need him most. The A's also have some young position player talent. We particularly like their young outfield led by Ryan Sweeney and Rajai Davis.

4. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (under 84 wins) ---They lost their ace starting pitcher, Lackey, their leadoff man, Chone Figgins, and their big dog, Vladimir Guerrero. That is a little too much to recover from all in one year. We also think the loss of closer Frankie Rodriguez, now two years old, has got to start to hurt. And we believe the acquisition of Scott Kazmir late late season was overrated, he is soft. the Angels are in for a hard fall from grace.


The Rays grab the Wild Card. And in a shocking upset, the Twins win a five game first round series against the heavily Yanks. They sneak into the World Series as the A.L. representative in their first season in the new ballpark, only to come up short against the fighting Phils who win their second series in three years.

Our annual Baseball Predictions, National League

Those of you, loyal readers, who have seen these predictions over the years know to take them with a boulder of salt. The rest of you have been forewarned. Last year, for instance, we predicted the Yankees would finish 3rd in the A.L. East and out of the playoffs. Nonetheless, we are back and as confident as ever. We are also battling our friends over at the MEP Report in fantasy baseball this year.

National League East

1. Philadelphia Phillies (over 92 wins) ---They may be even better than last year's World Series team with the addition of one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, Roy Halladay. Their offense is top notch.

2. Atlanta Braves (over 86.5 wins) ---Tim Hudson appears fully healthy and ready to return to form. Watch out for rookie phenom Jason Heyward, Manager Bobby Cox, not given to hyperbole, says he has the sweetest swing he has seen since Henry Aaron. Closer Billy Wagner will be a key. Can he return to form?

3. Florida Marlins (over 81 wins) ---Led by shortstop Hanley Ramirez and ace pitcher Josh Johnson the Marlins could make some noise if all of their young talent performs. More likely, they will have some good days and some bad ones. We were surprised when Andrew Miller did not make the starting rotation.

4. New York Mets (under 81) ---Too many questions. Beltran, how much time will he miss with knee surgery? What about Reyes? Will they get any production out of first base? How about the starting pitching beyond Santana? It could get ugly in Queens.

5. Washington Nationals (under 72)---This could have been under 58 and we would have taken it. The Nats fans appear cursed. Steven Strasburg will be along eventually and Ryan Zimmerman is great. In the meantime, enjoy Ovechkin and the Caps deep playoff run.

National League Central

1. St. Louis Cardinals (over 88)---Lucky for them this division is terrible, because outside of Puljos, we are not so impressed. They overpaid for Matt Halliday. The pitching is aging and not so deep.

2. Chicago Cubs (over 83)---Getting rid of Milton Bradley was addition by subtraction. Can catcher Giovanni Soto bounce back? What about Alphonso Soriano? If not, look for Lou Pinella to blow a gasket and be fired by mid-August.

3. Milwaukee Brewers (over 80.5)---They have young talent offensively in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder. In the bullpen, however, closer Trevor Hoffman and set-up man LaTroy Hawkins are a combined 135 years old.

4. Cincinnati Reds (under 78)---They are getting a lot of pre-season run as a possible surprise breakout team this year, much like the Kansas City Royals were last year. We all know how that worked out. Aroldis Chapman, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez could be a great rotation next year. This year only two of them were there opening day.

5. Houston Astros (under 78)---The days of the Killer B's have disappeared into the rearview mirror. The Astros have aged rapidly building around Roy Oswalt, lumbering left fielder Carlos Lee, and beat up first baseman Lance Berkman. General Manager Ed Wade is proceeding to burn this franchise to the ground, also adding the volatile chemistry of Brett Myers.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates (under 71)---Shooting to break their own record for consecutive losing seasons, seventeen and counting. Forbes assessed them as the least valuable franchise in Major League baseball. They do have some young hitters, in catcher Ryan Doumit and outfielder Andrew McCutchen.

National League West

1. San Francisco Giants (over 83)---So much pitching, maybe just enough offense in a weak division. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Barry Zito, who closed the second half of last year fiery hot, could give the Giants trip aces, and that's a pretty good hand, especially if they could come up with a couple of jacks. Pablo Sandoval and veterans Aaron Rowland and Edgar Renteria are reliable, this year we think that is just enough.

2. Colorado Rockies (over 83)---Just the opposite of the Giants here, plenty of offense not enough pitching. They have a great hitting infield with big pluses over average at position at shortstop with Troy Tulowitzki and catcher with Chris Iannetta. Aging first baseman Todd Helton had a comeback year in 2009.

3. Los Angeles Dodgers (over 84)---Joe Torre can't get away from the turmoil. The Steinbrenner circus settled down a bit after he left, now the McCourt's divorce is tearing the Dodgers apart. They really haven't been the same since Manny's fifty game suspension. There is a lot of talent here, for some reason this does not feel like a year when it is going to come together.

4. Arizona Diamondbacks (under 82)---They were taking a mulligan on this year even before Brandon Webb's injury woes crept back. The Diamondbacks have gaping holes in their rotation even if young Ian Kennedy pitches well.

5. San Diego Padres (under 71)---While Peavy is pitching on the South Side, Padres fans will be enjoying the weather and waiting for football season to start. How about Phillip Rivers? In the meantime, Adrian Gonzalez will hit a few long flies and Pads will struggle to avoid losing 100.


Rockies get the Wild Card.

Phillies win the N.L. Playoffs and head to a 3rd consecutive World Series appearance.

Going to the playoffs, get a Tar Heel!

The NBA contenders and playoff bound teams have been stockpiling University of North Carolina Tar Heels.


Among the fistful of Tar Heels acquired by playoff contenders, Antawn Jamison stands tall.

It started with the Boston Celtics off-season signing of Rasheed Wallace and the Orlando Magic's marquee addition of Vince Carter. It peaked with the deadline deal made by the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers for Antawn Jamison. In between, Jerry Stackhouse joined the Milwaukee Bucks, who are surging through the East, 15 and 2 in their last seventeen. Late blooming center Brendan Haywood was traded the Dallas Mavericks, who have climbed the Western Conference standings from middle of the pack, to neck and neck with the Denver Nuggets for the two seed. One other Tarheel who was not moved this year, but figures to make a big impact for a contender, is Atlanta's Marvin Williams. Williams has been steadily filling out physically and rounding out his game. The Hawks mix of veterans and youth make them a dangerous match-up for anybody.

But which Tarheel does the Clarion Content expect to have the biggest impact came playoff time? Can we count Vince Carter's impending mega-flop? No? Guess we will go with Antwan Jamison then, who appears to fit nicely along side LeBron in Cleveland.

How's your bracket?

If your bracket looks like that of the Clarion Content's sports editor than you are probably already finished in your office pool. Well, a local Durham reader and Duke fan alerted us to a story about a boy who is doing just the opposite. A seventeen year-old student at Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Illinois hit both of the first two rounds of his NCAA Tournament bracket 100% correct. His name is Alex Herrmann. Young Mr. Herrmann is autistic. His bracket is on CBS Sportsline. Experts estimate the odds of picking the first two rounds of the NCAA bracket perfectly at over 13 million to one. ESPN's website is currently hosting 4.78 million 2010 NCAA tournament bracket entries none of which got 100% correct.

Nice work, kid.

Duke worries

The redoubtable Jon Scheyer

The Clarion Content is an unabashed supporter of Duke basketball and Coach Mike Krzyzewski. We root for Duke. At the beginning of the season the Clarion Content thought, like many other Duke supporters and members of the sports media, that Duke was a good team, but by no means one of the very best Duke teams in Coach K's illustrious history.

The Blue Devils proceeded to have a remarkable season, going 28-5 and sharing the ACC regular season title. The Blue Devils look like a lock for at least a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, and possibly even a #1 if they can win the ACC tournament final today. Does this mean that they are better than we and the so-called experts thought at the beginning of the season?

For the Clarion Content, the answer is no. This has been one of Coach K's very best coaching jobs. He has gotten the maximum out of this squad. Nolan Smith has developed wonderfully. Kyle Singler has adjusted to his new role. Brian Zoubek has grown by leaps and bounds. But in our view, the heart and soul of the team has been guard Jon Scheyer. Scheyer has been a stalwart all season, he carried the team through the early stretches of the schedule while Singler was adapting to his new position. Scheyer leads the Duke team in both minutes and scoring.

We wonder, however, as the NCAA tournament is about to begin, is Jon Scheyer wearing down? Our answer is an unqualified yes, and that response is at the core of our thinking that says this team is what we thought it was. We would be very surprised to see Duke get past the Elite 8. We would not be shocked by a loss in the Sweet Sixteen.

Scheyer, who has been playing 36 minutes plus per game since the beginning of the season, has continued to get those minutes and more over the final ten games of the year. Unfortunately, his scoring has dropped a bit, and worse his shooting percentage has fallen dramatically. This is frequently a sign of fatigue, wear and tear, tired legs, especially in a terrific, high percentage shooter like Scheyer.

Going into today's ACC final against Georgia Tech, Scheyer had averaged about a point per game below his season average over the last ten. But that was misleadingly augmented by an outstanding performance in the first UNC game. Scheyer has actually failed to reach his season average of points per game in five out of the last eight contests. Worse, only twice in the last ten games has Scheyer matched his season long average for field goal percentage. Scheyer's field goal percentage over the last ten games is a troubling 34.6%. In four of his last eight games, Scheyer hasn't hit even 30% of his field goals.

It is an ominous sign for Duke that their best player, their glue guy, is worn out. It is one of the main reasons why the Clarion Content thinks Duke will be long by the time they are playing the Final Four.

Mets omen

Left-handed Braves prospect Jason Heyward is getting rave reviews...

We are going to say no, no this was not a Mets omen, but it is hardly unfair to have the worrisome nagging thought. The Mets played Game One of spring training today, coming off an extraordinarily injury filled year. Pitcher Elmer Dessens took a ball off his right knee and had to leave the game.

NFL Notes and predictions

Could this guy win another Super Bowl?

A few NFL quickies to tide you over, dear readers, until this weekend's NFL playoff games. The first is a trend NFL insiders have noted in the last several weeks. The Carolina Panthers hung on to Coach John Fox, the Bears elected to keep Coach Lovie Smith, ditto for the Houston Texans and Gary Kubiak, apparently the Bucs decided not to drop the over-matched Raheem Morris and it is possible even the Cowboys will let Wade Phillips survive. This trend, to allow the lame duck or all but fired coaches to survive, has surfaced suddenly. The NFL is a copycat league. As Clarion Content fave Petros Papadakis would say, "But why?"

The smart money says it is because of money. Once again, it is all about the benjamins. The owners think it is likely or at least quite possible that there will be an NFL work stoppage in 2011. If the owners of these franchises with lame duck coaches and in some cases staffs too, don't can the old guy and hire someone new, they will not be on the hook for any coaching salaries in a year where there may be no or fewer games. Conversely, fire a coach or a staff with more than one year remaining on their contract(s) and an owner might end up paying two coaches or worse two coaching staffs in a year were there is less or no football. Hmmmm. This is not a good sign for fans rooting against a work stoppage that affects the season.

Our second note is much more positive. We have to give a shout out and kudos to Tennessee Titans running back and East Carolina alum, Chris Johnson. Although his team just missed the playoffs thanks to Coach Jeff Fisher obstinent support of Kerry Collins, Johnson became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. It is an amazing accomplishment. It is even more impressive set in the context of the team's 0-6 start. Johnson surely didn't get any freebie yards running out the clock in those games. Johnson passed a couple of remarkable Hall of Famers in Week 17. He wiped two of the best of the best from the record books, one of the baddest bruisers ever, and one of the fleetest afoot of all-time.

Johnson broke the franchise rushing record set by the immortal Earl Campbell, 1,934 yards. Forget Adrian Peterson's stiff arms, Campbell was a man amongst men, the single best banging, run directly over you running back in NFL history. Johnson also broke the NFL record for yards from scrimmage, Marshall Faulk's season for the ages, 1999, when he had 2,429 yards from scrimmage. Two totally different styles of back, and Johnson surpassed them both.

Remarkable. Congratulations Chris Johnson!

Our quick NFL predictions for this weekend.

The New York Jets at the Cincinnati Bengals

The Jets killed them in Week 17. The Bengals aren't exactly a veteran, playoff tested team. The Clarion Content sees a lot of things leaning the Jets way, but we can't believe a below-average rookie quarterback is going to win on the road. Sorry Sanchito.

Bengals 17-14.

The Philadelphia Eagles at the Dallas Cowboys

Another rematch of a Week 17 game, the Cowboys shocked the Clarion Content by winning that one. Could they end their long playoff win drought? And save Wade Phillips job? Maybe, but we will have to see it to believe it.

Eagles 30-21.

The Baltimore Ravens at the New England Patriots

The Patriots loss of wideout Wes Welker will be very tough to overcome. He represented 30% plus of Tom Brady's total completions this season. The Pats run defense is suspect. Ravens runner Ray Rice is excellent. It sure is awful tough to take Joe Flacco on the road over Tom Brady. But...

Ravens 24-17

The Green Bay Packers at the Arizona Cardinals

This is the toughest game of the weekend to pick. It is another rematch, the Pack crushed last week when the Cardinals turtled and went totally vanilla. It figures to be a shootout. Both teams have a lot of weapons. If Anquan Boldin plays, we like the Cards for sure. Even without him, we like them a little bit.

Cardinals 38-31

We recommend great caution investing real money in these picks.

Colts decision

Benched

Count the Clarion Content in the camp with those who believe the Colts made a mistake by taking their foot off of the proverbial pedal in the third quarter last night. Leading 15-10 the Colts sent Payton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai to the bench. The Jets rallied to win against the third string quarterback, Curtis Painter, and a slew of other back-ups. In the process the Colts lost their undefeated season. They stopped their NFL record 23 game winning streak. They played, in the Clarion Content's opinion, a most dangerous game with their momentum.

Chris Carter was on ESPN radio this morning espousing much the same point of view. The Chargers are rolling. The Patriots looked terrific yesterday and Brady maybe rounding into form at just the right time. Conversely, how much do the Colts play their starters next week, if they pulled them after one drive in the third quarter this week? Their organizational logic would dictate they play them even less. Then as it would play out, the Colts would have a bye-week for the best regular season record in the AFC. Suddenly, they would be playing their first full game of live football in a month in the divisional round of the playoffs. A month of cadillacing and they are supposed to be ready to go against a battle hardened foe immediately? The Clarion Content finds this to be an unwise plan.

We think they evidence is with us, too. Peyton Manning came into the league in 1998. However, he didn't really put it together until 2002. We will give Manning a bye for his first five season as he learned the ropes and went 0-2 in the playoffs. But even since then, the Colts organizational philosophy to take their foot off the pedal late in the regular season has yielded one Super Bowl win in a seven year run with unarguably one of the all-time great quarterbacks. The Colts playoff record over that stretch is a lackluster 7 up and 6 down. They have not won the AFC other than in the Super Bowl winning season. Time will tell of course, but the Clarion Content thinks that the Colts made a mistake sacrificing invaluable momentum by lifting the starters yesterday and losing.