There was shocking news yesterday, that Oklahoma redshirt junior Sam Bradford may need surgery and is likely done for the season. Bradford came into this season with high expectations coming off his brilliant Heisman Trophy campaign where he threw for 4,700 yards and 50 touchdowns. This season has been an absolute disaster for Bradford and the rest of the Sooners. Bradford has played in just three games this season, getting injured in two of them. In that limited time Bradford did not look sharp or resemble the quarterback that led the Sooners to the National Championship game last season. Now part of that is due to the initial injury he suffered in the first game of the season, but another part is that Oklahoma lost most of their offensive line and one of their top receivers. Without them, their offense sputtered and Bradford couldn’t save them. Now, Bradford being down for the year will have a lasting impact on Oklahoma, the NFL and himself.

Going into the season Bradford was the odds on favorite to be the first quarterback taken in the first round, and likely the number one overall pick. Bradford was so far ahead of other quarterbacks, that had he declared for the draft last season, he may have gone ahead of Mark Sanchez and even Matt Stafford. And while there are a number of talented signal callers in college football today, Bradford had a commanding lead on being the leader of the pack (50 touchdowns will do that). Now Bradford stock has taken a huge hit due to injury and ineffectiveness. Now Bradford has zero shot of being the first quarterback taken and could even be falling out of the top 10 or even top 15 range. Now the question is whether or not Bradford will come out and be taken late or roll the dice again and return to Oklahoma. Being a redshirt junior Bradford could decide to come back for his senior year, which will leave the Sooners in an interesting predicament. Don’t get me wrong Oklahoma would love to have Bradford back, but doing so would screw up a plan they long had in place.

Redshirt freshman Landry Jones will retake the reins of the Oklahoma offense for the rest of the season. Jones replaced Bradford earlier in the year and had some mixed results. He struggled with some reads and definitely wasn’t ready to have the Sooners season dumped on his shoulders, but he did show a lot of promise. Overall, I would have said the Sooners have a bright future with Jones at quarterback. Now Jones will have to navigate a tough conference schedule, and if he does well that could create a problem for the Sooners. While you can’t bench Bradford, its hard to shutdown the development of your future after he held his own against the Big 12. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out with Jones and Bradford, but in reality I don’t see the situation getting that far.

The only way I see Bradford returning to school is if his injury will have him out until mid to late summer. If he can’t throw until then, I could see him returning to Oklahoma since his draft stock will have fallen well out of the first round. Outside of that unlikely scenario, Bradford should come out this year and not risk another year (injury) in college. He may no longer be the top QB taken or a top 10 pick, but Bradford can still find a nice home in the NFL, and some team will love to grab him later in the first round. He has too much to lose to risk coming back another season, and plenty of great QB’s were taken outside of the top 10.

After playing two of the best baseball games I’ve ever seen in Games 2 and 3, last night’s Angels looked completely flat. Going into the game it looked as though the Angels might have a small advantage, with the rumor that Mariano Rivera wouldn’t be available and the fact that CC Sabathia was pitching on short rest. If Rivera truly couldn’t go, (or would be to tired to be effective) and with Joba Chamberlain ineffective this postseason, the Yankees would be at a disadvantage at the back end of their bullpen. The only reliable option they had would be Phil Hughes, who was coming off a multiple inning appearance the night before. All the Angels had to do was get to Sabathia early and keep the game close.  Unfortunately they could barely touch him, as Sabathia scattered five hits over 8 innings pitched, and gave up only one extra base hit. By the time Sabathia left the game, he had a commanding 10-1 lead and the game was pretty much over.

Now the Angels backs are against the wall and are facing elimination. This was supposed to be a close series, but is in serious danger of turning into a rout. The Angels had a chance early on in this series to make a statement and potentially upset the Yankees, but now they are all but defeated. In Game 1 the Angels still couldn’t hit Sabathia, but errors and miscues plagued the Angels and took them out of the game early. Then in game two, which was a thrilling 13th inning struggle, the Angels gave away that game on an error at the end as well. The true fact of the matter is, that game should have never reached extra innings given the number of times the Angels left runners in scoring position. Game 2 was the deciding game for the Angels, had they won that, this would have been a completely different series.

The Angels look like a completely different team than the one that won the A.L. West and swept the Red Sox in the first round. Their defense and pitching have been ineffective, their hitting is nonexistent (with the exception of Kendry Morales), and their speed has pretty much been neutralized. The Yankees have done a brilliant job of playing their game and not being sucked in, trying to play the Angels game. They have Los Angeles completely off-balance right now. I could see the Angels winning tomorrow’s game at home, but I can’t see them pulling off an upset in New York.

Raise your hands if you would have said the Broncos would have gone 6-0, and in the process beaten the Cowboys, Patriots and Chargers. I don’t think anyone saw this coming, given the controversy that surrounded this team all offseason. From the Cutler fiasco to handling of Brandon Marshall, the only press Denver received was negative. Now the Broncos are one of four remaining undefeated teams in the league and have a huge lead for the AFC West division title. The Broncos are for real, and they are doing it old school with an absolutely killer defense and an efficient offense that doesn’t make mistakes.

Denver’s defense is giving up just 11 points per game, by far the lowest total in the league. And in the second half or overtime, the Broncos defense has allowed just 10 points (or 25 less than the Titans allowed against New England in the 2nd quarter alone on Sunday). The Broncos are tied for the league lead with 21 sacks, with defensive end Elvis Dumervil leading the way with 10. Denver has also forced 12 turnovers so far this season. Unless someone figures out a way to stop Dumervil and the rest of the Denver defense, the Broncos are going to be a team to beat in the AFC.

On offense the Broncos haven’t been spectacular in any category, other than efficiency. They have only turned the ball over three times all season. Which given the 12 takeaways their defense has, gives the Broncos a big turnover advantage. Denver might not have the star players, but they are playing like a team, and when they need a big play or a crucial first down, someone steps up and gets it done. Right now the Broncos are the biggest surprise in the NFL, but its time to stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. I don’t know if I’d punch Denver’s ticket to Miami yet, but I do know that the road to Miami will need to go through Denver.

Vikings and Saints Stay Unbeaten: The Vikings needed a little luck at the end of the game, but they did pull out the 33-31 victory over the Ravens. Minnesota dominated all game but their defense let the Ravens get back in the game. That pass defense showed some major holes down the stretch and will be something Minnesota needs to work on. As good as Favre and Peterson are playing, the Vikings should be playing deep into the playoffs this year. As for the Saints, they absolutely established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC. The dominated every facet of the game from start to finish. They ran on the Giants defense, torched their secondary and stopped their pass rush cold. At the same time they put pressure on Manning, held their receivers at bay, and held the Giants to under 100 yards rushing.

New England Embarasses the Titans (and themselves): Someone should remind Bill Belichick that this isn’t college football and there is no such thing as style points. Also someone should have told the Titans that they had to actually play in the game on Sunday, because no one outside of Chris Johnson decided to show up. The Titans passing attack went a combined 2-14 for -7 yards and 2 interceptions. And their defense was nonexistent, allowing the Patriots over 600 total yards  and 59 points. Look, I understand wanting to give your back up QB some throws to see what you have behind Brady. But come on New England, what were you doing going for it on 4th and 6 from the 31? Sure a field goal was unlikely, but pooch punt it. You are already up 52-0, you really don’t need to add insult to injury in that situation. That to me was just a classless move right there by Belichick, give Fisher and the Titans the respect they deserve.

Jim Zorn One Foot Out of the Door in Washington: After going just 2-3 in a five game stretch against St. Louis, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Kansas City, the Washington Redskins announced that Jim Zorn was being stripped of his play calling duties. In that five game span against some awful defenses, the Redskins managed just 62 points (or just 3 more than the Patriots put up on the Titans in three quarters yesterday). The Redskins defense practically gift wrapped 14 points for the offense against Carolina, making the lackluster performance even more troublesome. While the Skins have had some injuries and ineffectiveness, the play calling has been particularly awful this season. Given the overall talent level on the team and the fact the defense never gave up more than 20 points in any one of those games, the fact that they only managed a 2-3 record during that stretch falls pretty squarely on Zorn’s shoulders. Unless Zorn can beat the Eagles next Monday night, I think he will find his way to the unemployment line during the Redskins bye week.

Boy what a difference a year makes. Last year a Tampa Bay-Carolina game or New England-Tennessee game would have been the games of the week. This year the only things to watch is if Tom Brady can hit an open receiver or if Jake Delhomme adds to his league leading interception total. Luckily for football fans, there are other interesting matchups to watch. Two that stand out today are the Minnesota-Baltimore game, and the New Orleans-New York Giants.

Minnesota vs Baltimore: The Ravens defense hasn’t been its dominate self this year, and has their toughest task to date with the potent Vikings offense. The Ravens offense has picked up some of the slack, but Baltimore is coming off two straight losses. For the Ravens to win this their offense will need to move the ball, and keep the Vikings offense off the field. “The Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson Show” has been better than expected in Minnesota. Favre is playing his best football in years, and it is having an impact throughout the team. The Vikings are one of the best teams in the NFC this year, and today they will show their superioity over one of the AFC’s best with a 31-17 win.

Saints vs Giants: Other than Minnesota, there are two other undefeated teams in the NFC, the Saints (4-0) and Giants (5-0). Going into this season, everyone thought the Saints had the second best quarterback in the league in Drew Brees.  But Giants quarterback Eli Manning would have something to say about that, an is chasing his older brother for the top QB spot. Eli has been sensational this year, proving his worth week in, week out. The Giants offense has been spectacular this year, and their passing game is even out producing their powerful running attack. The Giants defense, despite being banged up, has still been a top unit that gets a ton of pressure on the QB. This week they will face the best quarterback they’ve faced all season in Brees. Brees has the Saints playing championship football right now. And unlike years past, their running game is not an afterthought. On defense the Saints have vastly improved, and are showing a toughness that we haven’t seen in years past.  I think Giants win a tough battle on the road and stay undefeated at 31-28.

By Guest Blogger Geoff Nelowet:

(6) USC at (25) Notre Dame

Notre Dame has lost its last seven meetings with Southern Cal, and they have been outscored 284-95. Notre Dame has failed to score a touchdown in their last two meetings. Over the last seven years, this “rivalry” has been a one-way onslaught by the Trojans. Year after year, USC is a serious national title contender, whereas Notre Dame struggles to earn a winning record. This year may be different, though, as the Irish are a much better team than in years past, and they have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Jimmie Clausen. The problem is that USC has one of the best defenses in the country, and they average more sacks per game than any division I program.

Aside from experience at quarterback, USC is a better team than Notre Dame from top to bottom. USC is led by stud freshman Matt Barkley. Barkley has already led the Trojans to a road victory over Ohio State this season, and he looked poised doing it. Barkley gained valuable experience playing in a raucous environment at the Horseshoe, and he did it playing against a top-tier Buckeye team. USC is primed to take down Notre Dame, as they’ve done with ease over the last seven seasons.

The Irish won’t go easily, though, as Clausen should be able to make a few plays. It will be Clausen’s toughest day of the season against a relentless USC defense. Clausen has put up Heisman-caliber numbers this season, but he has yet to go up against a complete defense like USC’s. Clausen’s best weapon, Golden Tate, has yet to go up against a secondary with Taylor Mays roaming the field. 

USC will take care of business in South Bend because they are a more physical team. Jimmie Clausen’s Heisman campaign will end after this game mainly because he does not have the supporting cast to consistently move the ball on the Trojans defense. Barkley will guide the Trojan offense, and they will do enough to win. Final score: USC 27 Notre Dame 20.

(3) Texas vs. (20) Oklahoma

The 5-0 Texas Longhorns will go up against the 3-2 Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl this Saturday. 2008 Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford will be leading the two-loss Sooners, who have much less to play for, against a Texas team that is vying for a national title birth. The Longhorns will be lead by their Heisman hopeful in quarterback Colt McCoy. The Longhorns won last season’s contest in an offensive shootout by the score of 45-35.

The Sooners look to avenge last season’s loss, and with Bradford returning to the starting lineup, they have a decent shot. Oklahoma lost Bradford to injury in the first week of the season, and they suffered losses to Miami and BYU without him. OU was ranked in the top-five in the preseason, and they are a far better team than their record indicates. They were a favorite to play in the national title game before Bradford went down.

With Oklahoma taking two losses, Texas has dethroned Oklahoma as top team in the big 12. After handily winning last season’s meeting, and being undefeated this season, Texas will play with a huge amount of confidence. Texas is also a better all around team than they were a year ago. Their defense is ranked fourth in the nation, when their defense was once a major weak spot.

Oklahoma, though, should not be underestimated. They still have the best quarterback in the country, and maybe the best running game in the country with DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown running the show. The Sooners also have a talented defense that will undoubtedly hold the Longhorns to less than 45 points. This weekend’s match up will be lower scoring affair with both defenses improving from a year ago.

Oklahoma is due to win this game. They have suffered two tough losses this season, and with the addition of Bradford back into the lineup, they will be playing with the confidence they had before he went down. Bradford will lead his team similarly to the way McCoy did his last season, and the Sooners will grind out a tough win at a neutral location. Final score: Oklahoma 30 Texas 21

Everything seems to be lining up as 2009 being the Year of the Yankees. But before the champagne bottles get popped, New York needs to go through LA (possibly twice if they face the Dodgers in the World Series). The Angels already knocked off one AL East powerhouse.  Can they make it two in a row for the second World Series appearance this decade?

The Yankees like the Red Sox before them, are weak where the Angels are strong; speed, defense, and pitching depth. The Angels speed was a problem for the Yankees during the season when they swiped 17 bases on them. Even though speed is generally undervalued in the new Sabermetric world of baseball, the Angels are so good at it, and that gives them a big advantage. What is mainly ignored in the statistical interpretation of speed is the unquantifiable, the mental impact. When you have a fast runner on base, you are in the pitcher’s, catcher’s and every infielder’s head. It is enough where maybe that pitch isn’t perfect, or the reaction time to a hit ball is a split second slower, because they were focused on the runner (not to mention the defensive implications of holding a runner). The Angels defense is one of the best in the league and will take away a number of hits as long as the Angel pitching staff can keep it in the park. The depth of the Angels pitching staff should not be overlooked. The Yankees are set to start Sabathia on short rest for Game 4, while the Angels will throw Scott Kazmir for the first time in the series. This could affect tonight’s match up between Lackey and Sabathia. Will Girardi pull Sabathia earlier if his pitch count is getting up there, knowing that he has to throw him again in a couple days? Possibly, and having Lackey on a longer leash could be in the Angels best interest. Another thing the Angels pitching depth gives them is options. The Yankees lined up their starters as you would expect Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettitte. The Angels on the other hand have the starting depth to switch up their rotation for the best possible matchups. Instead of using their Game 2 starter from the ALDS, Jered Weaver, a notorious fly ball pitcher, in the home run haven of Yankee Stadium, the Angels are throwing Joe Saunders, a lefty. Saunders has given up his share of homeruns this year, but him being a lefty helps neutralize the short porch in right, by turning around Swisher and Texiera, and making Damon pretty ineffective. The Angels put their pitching staff in the best position to win, and wisely went the matchup route against the formidable Yankees.

The Yankees might not have speed, defense, and pitching depth. But they have three things the Angels lack:  power, all-around talent, and Mariano Rivera. Rivera deserves his own category because he is so good that every team wishes they could clone him. They spend millions of dollars on closers to find someone comparable, but never find anyone as lights out as Rivera. He shortens the game better than any pitcher in the baseball. The Yankees have 9 full innings to score runs to win the game, the Angels have 7 1/3. After that point if the Yankees are leading a close game, Rivera is in and you can’t expect to score again. You may hope for a miracle, but that is likely as far as you will go. The Angels aren’t without their own power hitters, but they don’t compare to the Yankees lineup. Top to bottom they can hit the ball, as they had nine hitters with 13 or more homeruns, including seven with 20 or more. There really isn’t a true “weak part” of that lineup, including an entire infield of All-star caliber talent. As for the running game, I’m beginning to wonder if the decision to have Jose Molina as A.J. Burnett’s personal catcher, had less to do with personal chemistry and more to do with slowing down the Angels running game. Molina is much better than Posada at throwing out base stealers, pairing him up with Burnett helps neutralize the biggest weakness in the Yankees rotation. Sabathia and Pettitte are lefties making them harder to run on (especially Pettitte), but Burnett is someone the Angels could run all day on. Now having Molina in there makes it a little harder for Angels base runners. Whether it was an intended strategy or a happy coincidence the Molina-Burnett pairing should help the Yankees in this series. While I’m not a huge fan of the three man rotation in this series, (if it goes 7 games Sabathia will pitch three times) if anyone can pull it off its the Yankees. Sabathia is a work horse and has gone on short rest before. Though it could bite the Yankees, I think they survive and win this series in six.

By Guest Blogger Megan Shoup:

Rankings courtesy of ESPN.  Here is ESPN’s Power Rankings for the NFL after 5 weeks of play and going into week #6…

The interesting thing about the NFL, is its a LONG season.  So where teams sit at week 6, doesn’t mean we can already see the playoff picture.  But after over a quarter of the season, we are starting to see trends.  So which teams might make a big leap and be last season’s San Diego Chargers in 2009?  And which teams are starting strong and going to fizzle to be last season’s Washington Redskins? 

Certainly there could be some possible shifts after this week, with a couple contenders going head to head.  Ravens vs. Vikings, Giants vs. Saints, Bears vs. Falcons, and Broncos vs. Chargers are the marquee games this week.   I personally think the Vikings, Saints, Falcons and Broncos will come out on top in those games and will be the continue to move up in the Power Rankings.

I feel the surprising Broncos and Bengals are the real deal this year.  I think along with them, the rest of the top 10 will stay intact for awhile, with the exception being the Jets.  I still think Mark Sanchez needs some time and don’t know that he’ll be a hero all season. 

Other teams I could see moving down the power rankings over the next few weeks are the Cowboys, Chargers and Packers.  Teams I could see moving up the power rankings are the Titans, Lions and Seahawks.  I’m not saying they’ll make the playoffs, but I think they’ll have more wins in their future.  And for my beloved Redskins, I’d love to put them in the “moving up the rankings” group, but the have to beat the Chiefs first and then their schedule gets tough.  But I’m that crazy Redskins fan that thinks if they’re mathematically in it, there’s still a chance (even with a broken/weak offensive line, a coach who’s about to be fired, and horrible ownership)! 

So that’s what I think going into the NFL’s week #6.  What do you think?  Is your team moving up or down?

Just two weeks in to the hockey season and we have seen some teams play as expected, surprise us, and come out of the gate as major disappointments. Hockey is a long season so not much can be taken out of 5 or 6 games played, but there are some trends to keep an eye on.

Play as Expected: Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and the Chicago Blackhawks

All three of these teams were playoff teams last season, and were Stanley Cup contenders entering the year. A Penguins-Blackhawks matchup was predicted by a number of sources given the all around talent they possess. While the World Champion Pens sit atop the Atlantic division the New York Rangers are right behind them. The Rangers have the best goal differential in the NHL right now, scoring 10 more goals than they have given up.

Surprises: Los Angeles Kings and the Colorado Avalanche

Now the Kings were going to finish better than what they did last season, last in the Pacific division and second to last in the Western Conference, but no one thought they would be turning it around so fast. Given the strong offseason and the young core they had, the playoffs were a possibility, but leading the Pacific seemed like a pipe dream. One reason to think they may begin to fall in the standings is their penalty killing units have been awful so far this season. If their defense overall doesn’t improve they have no shot at winning the division. The Avalanche were the only team worse in the Western Conference last season than the Kings, but so far this season they are off to a 4-1-1 start and leading the Northwest Division. The big difference between them and the Kings is, while the Kings were expected to get better and maybe challenge for the 7th or 8th playoff spot, the Avalanche were once again expected to be cellar dwellers. It will be interesting to watch to see if their resurgence is real or just a hot streak.

Major Disappointments: Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Boston Bruins, Carolina Panthers, and the Anaheim Ducks

All five of these teams were top contenders last season, entered the year with Stanley Cup hopes, and have some of the top players in the league filling out their rosters. So far this year they have all been major busts. None of them have a winning record, and all have shown major defensive issues so far this season. Of these five powerhouses, only the Capitals have a positive goal differential, (but that is only by one goal). If you don’t play defense you can only get so far in the postseason, no matter how good your forwards are. If the season ended today, only the Caps would squeak into the playoffs with the 8th and final spot in the East. These five teams will be ones to watch over the next few months, and they can’t get too far behind in the playoff hunt now. Whether its making a trade, benching a player, or calling up a top prospect something needs to change on these teams to right the ship. In the end, I think at least three of these teams will figure it out and make the postseason. But just making the playoffs for teams that had Stanley Cup expectations isn’t good enough for these teams. And none of these teams are playing at the level needed to get the Cup.

Well at least the Phillies gave us some drama in an otherwise boring first round of the playoffs. For the first time since 2001 neither wild card team advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs. And while all four series had at least one game that was decided in the final innings, the Phillies-Rockies series had three games that went down to the wire. Giving baseball fans something fun to watch, and Philadelphia fans something to give them an ulcer.

The good news for for the Philly faithful, is that their troubled bullpen held firm in the close games down the stretch. Giving up a total of two runs in the 7th-9th innings. And their much beleagured closer Brad Lidge, who was awful during the season, had a very good series, collecting saves in games three and four.

Now if a starter not named Cliff Lee (how brillant is that deadline deal looking now for the Phils) can throw a quality start for Philadelphia, the Dodgers could be in some trouble in the NLCS. Lee has been brillant in the Phillies first and last win against the Rockies. The Phillies lineup is tough, they have a solid bench, and now their bullpen is showing why they won the World Series last season. Now Cole Hamels, AJ Happ, and Pedro Martinez need to step up and follow Lee’s lead. Its unfair to lump Martinez in here since he didn’t pitch in this series, but he’ll be counted on against his original team (bet the Dodgers wish they could have that trade back). Whatever happens it should be an entertaining series to watch, and more exciting than some of the first round snoozers.