By Guest Blogger Megan Shoup:

As 2009 and this decade draw to a close, its fun to think about what have been your favorite sports moments this year.  What about this decade? 

This year I think started with an exciting Super Bowl to end last NFL season with the Steelers ending up as the Champions!   But that was just the beginning, as all the major sports had intriguing playoff and championship match ups.  What about 2000 to 2009?  Tons of great Championship memories!  The one that sticks out in my mind the most was that catch by David Tyree in the Giants vs. Patriots Super Bowl.  That catch saved the game, and led to a Giants Super Bowl victory and spoiled the Patriots perfect season.  We also had several exciting Olympic games, with Michael Phelps breaking the Olympic record. 

Fanspeak.com will new a more in depth look back on 2009 and this decade before New Year’s.  But what is your favorite moments from this year?

Tonight’s game was originally supposed to be meaningful NFC East game, but now is barely on the radar of most sports fans. The Redskins completely fell on their face this season and have struggled their way to a 4-9 record. The Giants came out of the gate firing, starting out 5-0. Since then they have gone just 2-6 and are holding on to their playoff hopes by the skin of their teeth. The good news for the Giants is they play the Redskins, who up until a few weeks ago looked like a gimme win for a team like the Giants. The bad news for the Giants is a couple of things have changed for the Redskins in the last few weeks.

First, they realized that scoring more points than your opponent is the recipe for success in the NFL. Their patchwork offensive line has held up fairly well, and opened a few running lanes. Their new play-calling approach is surprisingly working, and creating a more potent attack. Their new offensive approach also seems to be helping the defense (looking up at the scoreboard and seeing a lead must be a nice change), by keeping opposing offenses off the field. Right now the Redskins look like the team we all expected at the beginning of the season.

The second thing that has changed for Washington is the resigning of Vinny Cerrato, who is replaced by Bruce Allen as General Manager. While the move seems insignificant to an outsider, or even something that could negatively impact a team, any Redskin insider knows that this is maybe the best news since the Redskins won the Super Bowl in 1991. Cerrato was reviled by fans (and from the sounds of it, around the league), and responsible for some horrible moves during his tenure for the Redskins. With Cerrato gone, fans can breathe a little easier and have hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. Even if this same reaction isn’t amongst the players, this is bad news for the Giants because fans now have something to cheer about tonight, despite the Skins record (or the temperature).

Anytime the Giants and Redskins meet its always a great game, and given the Redskins recent mini-turnaround I’d expect a pretty close game tonight. In the end, the Giants are the better team and have more to play for. I think they squeak out a 27-24 victory.

Packers at Lions (+11):

The Packers should win this game easily, but the true question will be whether or not they can win by at least 12 points to cover the spread. I know the Lions put up some points last weekend against the Browns, but there are a couple of things to remember; one, that was against the Browns, maybe the most anemic team in the NFL right now, two, Matt Stafford won’t be starting today, leaving the game in the trusted hands of Daunte Culpepper. Another reason why I don’t think the Lions can cover is, if they had so much trouble stopping Brady Quinn and the Browns, what will Aaron Rodgers do to them?  My pick:  I’ll take the Packers to cover the spread.

Raiders at Cowboys (-14):

Dallas should be able to win this game fairly easily. They are always dominate at home and usually play their best game on Thanksgiving. They will look to give their 100,000 faithful something to cheer about today, after nearly blowing the game last week against Washington. I’d expect them to try to get some quick scores, and then rely on their three pronged rushing attack to hold the lead. I know the Raiders were impressive against the Bengals, and Gradkowski breathed new life into the offense, but I don’t see them winning two weeks in a row. The week after surprising the Eagles, the Raiders got beat 38-0 by the Chargers. My pick:  I’ll take the Cowboys at home on Thanksgiving day, and they’ll win by three touchdowns.

Giants at Broncos (+6.5):

The Broncos are in the midst of a four game losing streak and seem to be in complete disarray right now. Their defense can’t stop anyone, and has been completely exposed against the run. The Chargers and Redskins ran all over the Broncos these last two weeks, and those aren’t exactly the best ground units (or offensive lines) in the NFL. This week the Broncos are going against one of the best rushing attacks, so things might get ugly fast in Denver. Bradshaw probably won’t play today, but Brandon Jacobs should be all the Giants need. And if New York does go through the air, I don’t think Denver can get enough pressure on Manning to keep him from torching them. My pick:  I know the Giants squeaked by in overtime last week, and lost their four previous games, but I think they right the ship today against the Broncos, and win by at least 10 points.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you enjoy the games!

A couple of weeks ago it looked as though the Cowboys season maybe was over, they were 3-2, but their three wins were against the Buccaneers, Panthers and Chiefs (all winless at the time). The Cowboys needed overtime and a great play by Miles Austin to survive the Chiefs, and could have easily been 2-3 then. At that time the Giants were 5-0 and the Eagles were 3-1, and it looked as though the Cowboys chances for the East were slowly slipping away. Now four weeks later, the Cowboys are sitting atop the NFC East at 6-2 after beating the Eagles last night 20-16 in Philadelphia. Last night’s game was a good battle between the NFC East rivals, and really could have gone either way, but in the end the Cowboys came up big when it counted. In addition to the two interceptions of McNabb, the Cowboys defense came up huge on a 4th and 1 play at midfield in the 4th quarter. Five plays later the Dallas offense responded to the opportunity in a big way with a 49 yard touchdown strike to Miles Austin, to put the Cowboys up 20-13. The offense also came up big at the end of the game, when after an Eagles field goal, they got the ball back with 4:27 remaining. Dallas got a pair of crucial first downs, that allowed them to keep the ball out of McNabb’s hands, and run out the clock.

The Eagles have now fallen into 2nd place at 5-3 and are facing two straight road games in San Diego and in Chicago, that they will need to split to stay alive in the division. After losing yesterday to the Chargers, the Giants are now 5-4 and have a much needed bye week. When they get back in two weeks their schedule gets pretty tough, but at least they have most of their tough games at home the rest of the season. The Cowboys  have a real oppurtunity here. They now face the Packers in Green Bay, which looks like a tough game, but the Packers just lost to the Buccaneers yesterday and can’t stop a pass rush. Then they come home and face the Redskins, before their Thanksgiving game against the Raiders. After that their schedule gets pretty tough, but if they can sweep these next three games, then they are pretty well assured a playoff spot and will be vying for a first round bye in the playoffs. Four weeks ago you wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the Cowboys are in control of the East and are looking like one of the powerhouses in the NFC.

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.

Yesterday we saw a couple of upsets in college football with the big one coming in Washington when the hometown Huskies knocked off the 3rd ranked USC Trojans 16-13.  Tonight I think we will see another big upset with the New York Giants going on the road to beat the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are favored by 3 points and the Giants are the defending division champs so on paper its not much of an upset. A Giants victory though would be a stinging blow to the Cowboys faithful since tonight is the unveiling of the new Cowboys Stadium which had a price tag of over $1 billion dollars.

I like the Giants tonight simply because they are a more balanced team than Dallas. The Giants defense is going to give QB Tony Romo and the Cowboys offensive line fits all game. New York’s defensive line spends so much time in the backfield that sometimes its easy to forget they aren’t playing on offense. I see the pressure getting to Romo and forcing a couple costly turnovers tonight. The Giants offense on the other hand isn’t as flashy, but they get the job done. I think Eli Manning can have a big night tonight against the Cowboys secondary. I have a lot of questions about the Cowboys defensive backs, and I think they will be exploited for a couple of big plays.

If the Giants do win tonight and go up 2-0 in the division, I think that will prove that they are the team to beat in the East, and probably in the entire NFC. The Giants always seem to find a way to execute on offense, defense and special teams to come up with the big play to win the game. I think that will hold true tonight, and over 100,000 Cowboy fans will watch in person the G-Men ruin their home opener 24-17.

Eagles at Panthers: This is a battle of two of the best teams from the NFC last year, and two teams with Super Bowl aspirations this season. The Eagles bring in the baggage of the Michael Vick signing (even though he won’t be there) and their host of offensive weapons. The Panthers are looking to overcome the embarrassment of their playoff loss at home to the Cardinals that ended their season prematurely. Philadelphia still has a potent offense, that should only get better with the rookie additions of RB LeSean McCoy and WR Jeremy Maclin. The Eagles may be the favorite team in Vegas right now, but I wouldn’t count the Panthers out of this game just yet. They have a better rushing attack, and Steve Smith always finds a way to make plays no matter who is covering him. The Eagles offensive line could struggle against the Panthers defense led by DE Julius Peppers. If the Panthers can control the line of scrimmage and get an early lead, their running game should be good enough to win the day. Since this isn’t college football one loss isn’t going to kill the loser’s postseason hopes, but this game could comeback to haunt them at the end of the season. Panthers sqeak by at home 24-21.

Dolphins at Falcons: This is the only other match up of two 2008 playoff teams in the opening week, and the only one between the two conferences. Both of these teams shocked the NFL by their turnarounds from 2007 to 2008. Many people think the Dolphins are going to come crashing down to earth this season, and that they have no shot on the road in Atlanta. While its true they have a tough opening match up with the Falcons, I wouldn’t diminish their playoff hopes just yet. Miami’s defense got a lot stronger in the off season with a strong draft and some free agent signings. I would expect them to give Matt Ryan and the rest of the Falcons all they can handle. On offense the Dolphins have a great running back in Ronnie Brown and a strong offensive line. It might seem like their passing game is weak, but I think its very underrated. No you shouldn’t mistake QB Chad Pennington for Peyton Manning, but he does win football games. Now this is not to say I think Miami is going to runaway with this game. I think this could be the game of the week, because Atlanta is an extremely good football team. RB Michael Turner, WR Roddy White and Ryan give the Falcons a dynamic trio of stars. Adding Tony Gonzalez to the mix only makes the Falcons offense that much better. The area of concern for Atlanta is their offensive line, and can they hold up against the Dolphins pass rushers. On defense the Falcons have an improving unit that has playoff talent. But they are counting on a number of young players including rookies, that might not be ready for a tough week one match up. In the end I think Miami steals one on the road in week one 24-21.

Redskins at Giants: The battle for the East begins in Week one with two sensational defense’s battling it out. The Redskins added some top talent to their defense this off season and they will get an early test with the Giants offense. DT Albert Haynesworth was brought in to stop the inside running game, and put more pressure on the quarterback, the two biggest weaknesses of the Skins 2008 unit. In a way he was brought in specifically to stop RB Brandon Jacobs running all over the Skins like he did last year. On offense Washington made some minor improvements to the offensive line, but are mainly hoping the unit improves with experience. They are counting on their second year receivers to start making an impact on offense, otherwise it will be the Moss-Cooley-Portis show that has been there in the past. QB Jason Campbell needs to make some plays if Washington has any hope on the road. The Giants feature a tenacious offensive line that opens up plenty of holes for the ground game, and keeps Eli Manning on his feet. The receivers are pretty raw, but have immense potential. Hakeem Nicks needs to be accounted for on every play. He has game breaking ability, even for a rookie. The Giants have one of the few defensive units that have the talent equal to or better than the Redskins defense. New York’s defensive line is talented and extremely deep. They will generate a lot of pressure on their own without additional blitzers. Their linebackers are their weakest component, but that’s only because they are just above-average and not great like the rest of the defense. I think the home field advantage and better quarterback play give the Giants the victory here, 23-17.

NFC East:

1. New York Giants

2. Philadelphia Eagles*

3. Washington Redskins

4. Dallas Cowboys

This could be the league’s toughest division (though the AFC and NFC Souths will have something to say about that), as all four teams are capable of challenging for a playoff spot. Right now the boys in blue seem to be the favorite to win the East. The Giants have one of the toughest defenses in the league led by their dominant front four. They have some questions at linebacker and in the defensive backfield, but they have some young players that might just answer those questions. On offense the Giants have one of the best offensive lines and the league’s best running game. I’d also expect rookie wide receiver Hakeem Nicks to step up early, and become a favorite target of Eli Manning. The Eagles still have one of the leagues better defenses, though they are not as elite as they once were. Donovan McNabb remains one of the best best quarterbacks in the league, and as long as he is behind center the Eagles remain a threat in the East. The Redskins added to a top 5 defense, by spending $100 million dollars on Albert Haynesworth and using their 1st round pick on Brian Orakpo. Washington’s front seven could be the best in the league, and good enough to force the Skins into the playoff picture. On offense Washington has a number of play makers, but questions along the offensive line and at quarterback hold this team back. The Dallas Cowboys could be opening the NFL’s newest and biggest (not to mention most expensive) stadium with a dud. On offense the Cowboys have three talented running backs and tight end Jason Witten, but unless they are going to run the Wishbone or T formation, Dallas could be in trouble. The Cowboys’ lack of a receiving corps is a major problem going into the season. On defense the Cowboys aren’t nearly as good as their NFC East counterparts, and that will likely earn them a spot in the cellar of the division.

NFC North:

1. Chicago Bears

2. Minnesota Vikings

3. Green Bay Packers

4. Detroit Lions

The NFC North is going back in time about 10 years, when the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all had high powered passing attacks (and the division was known as the NFC Central). Now even the Bears (oh my) are getting into the act, with the addition of strong-armed quarterback Jay Cutler. Chicago could use another receiver or two, but they have the talent on offense to do some damage in the NFC. The Bears defense is dominate like always, and should be enough to overcome the other talented teams in the North. The Vikings added their own gunslinger in Brett Favre this off season. Favre, along with new receiver Percy Harvin, should help balance out the Vikings offense led by stud running back Adrian Peterson. Minnesota features a stingy defense, especially against the run. The Packers defense should be improved this year, but this team will live and die by Aaron Rodgers throwing arm. Green Bay will need some improvements at running back and on the offensive line to really compete for a playoff spot. The good news for Detroit is they can only improve from their 0-16 record last season. While they made some solid moves this off season, I don’t think it will be enough to get them out of the basement in the North. Lions fans can look forward to rookie quarterback Matt Stafford playing pitch and catch with uber receiver Calvin Johnson, as something fun to watch.

NFC South:

1. Atlanta Falcons

2. Carolina Panthers*

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The South is another tough division, but with Matt Ryan having a year of experience the Atlanta Falcons are the team to beat. Atlanta’s defense should be vastly improved, bolstered by a strong defensive draft. The Panthers rely on their ferocious defense to get turnovers and shorten the field, but they aren’t slouches on offense as well. Carolina has a great ground game, to go along with the NFL’s most explosive wideout, Steve Smith. If Jake Delhomme can shake off his implosion in the playoffs last season, the Panthers should be looking for some redemption come January. The Saints have one of the most prolific passing attacks with QB Drew Brees and a stable of quality receivers. Unfortunately until they add a number one tail back or a Top-10 defense they won’t vault ahead of the Falcons and Panthers in the standings. The Buccaneers should be better on offense this year, with additions like Leftwich, Winslow and Ward. I don’t think they are good enough to compete for the division (or the wild card) until they have either a feature back or a top quarterback. On defense Tampa Bay had a lot of turnover, but not for the good. Their defense lacks play makers that made the Buccaneers so fearsome in the past.

NFC West:

1. Arizona Cardinals

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Seattle Seahawks

4. St. Louis Rams

Arizona is hoping that QB Kurt Warner has at least one more year left in the tank, as they hope to forego the runner-up curse that has plagued Super Bowl losers for years. Warner will have plenty of weapons to work with, including three 1,000 yard receivers. The Cardinals running game should improve with rookie “Beanie” Wells getting the majority of carries. Even without rookie WR Michael Crabtree who is still holding out, the 49ers are a team on the rise. They still have questions at quarterback, but other offensive weapons are emerging to go along with RB Frank Gore. Head Coach Mike Singletary brings a lot of fire to his team, that will be best displayed by his new improved defense. Seattle improved their receiving corps this off season, but questions remain at running back and along the offensive line. Also can QB Matt Hasselbeck rebound from 2008 and stay healthy is a question that needs answering. Their defense is improved this year, but big holes remain in their secondary that opponents will be able to exploit. The Rams are another team that is on the rise, but just doesn’t have the talent to compete this year. A strong draft class and some solid free agent signings should improve the Rams on both sides of the ball. While the team is improving, its hard to peg the Rams for more than 5 wins this season.

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Adrian Peterson. Peterson is the best player in the NFL right now. He is the perfect combination of size and speed that can take any play the distance. Runners up: WR Larry Fitzgerald, WR Steve Smith, RB Matt Forte

Defensive Player of the Year: DeMarcus Ware. Ware gets after the quarterback as well as anyone who has ever played the game. What’s even more impressive is his level of production considering a weaker supporting cast than most other top defensive players. Runners up: DT Albert Haynesworth, DE Julius Peppers, LB Patrick Willis

Offensive Rookie of the Year: RB Chris “Beanie” Wells. No other rookie could have a bigger impact than if Wells can provide a ground threat to go along with Arizona’s aerial assault. Wells should have plenty of running room to rush for over 1,200 yards, since safeties will be forced to play off the line against the Cardinals. Runners up: WR Hakeem Nicks, RB LeSean McCoy, OT Jason Smith, WR Percy Harvin

Defensive Rookie of the Year: LB/DE Brian Orakpo. Orakpo will give the Redskins what they have lacked the last couple of years, a dominate pass rusher. He should have plenty of room to work with, since Haynesworth will clog up the middle. Orakpo has the talent to be among the leagues elite pass rushers, and he should show that from day one. Runners up: DT Peria Jerry, LB Clay Matthews, LB James Laurinaitis.