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      NFL Week 16 MVP Power Rankings

      January 3, 2010 /

      It’s been two weeks since we last did these rankings, and while not much has changed at the top, the teams our top two guys play for have been very shaky. In fact, Philip Rivers’ Chargers are the only one on a roll heading into the postseason.

      1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—If Jim Caldwell benching his starting quarterback in the third quarter against the Jets proved anything, it’s that Manning is clearly and unequivocally valuable. His numbers (4405 yards, 33 TDs) don’t suck either.

      2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—There is no question that Brees hasn’t been the same since DeMarcus Ware terrorized him two weeks ago in the Superdome. But the MVP race is not based on a few games and Brees still has a league-high 109.6 QB rating, and leads the NFL with 34 touchdown passes.

      3. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans—This guy was racking up yards even before the Titans started winning games this season. And he’s so far ahead of the pack right now, with his sights on 2000 yards and even Eric Dickerson’s record of 2105 yards for a single season. That’s saying something.

      4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—Yes, he has numbers — 4155 yards, 27 TDs to 9 picks, second to Brees in QB rating with 104.5. But here is why Rivers belongs on here—because all he does is win games.

      5. Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings—Let’s not lose sight of the fact that Favre brought his Vikings back from a 17-point deficit in chilly Chicago before losing in OT. His season has been and continues to be bordering on magical.

      Honorable Mention— DeSean Jackson, Eagles; Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Cedric Benson, Bengals; Reggie Wayne, Colts; Jared Allen, Vikings; Vince Young, Titans; Elvis Dumervil, Broncos; Darren Sharper, Saints; Wes Welker, Patriots; Darrelle Revis, Jets; Andre Johnson, Texans; Dallas Clark, Colts; DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys

      NFL

      Cal’s Jahvid Best declares for NFL draft

      January 3, 2010 /

      The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that California running back Jahvid Best has declared that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

      “I feel like I’m ready to play in the NFL, and I feel like I can be successful,” Best said on a conference call. “This is an opportunity I can’t pass up.”

      Best acknowledged he’s not yet 100 percent as he continues to recover from a severe concussion and back injury sustained Nov. 7. He expressed “no doubt” he will be ready to perform for scouts on Pro Day in Berkeley and at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, starting Feb. 24.

      If Best lights up the stopwatch in the 40-yard dash – a likely scenario, given his electrifying speed – he will vault higher in the draft. Best has never run a formal, timed 40-yard dash, but he was the state 100-meter champion during his senior year at Salesian High in Richmond (in 10.31 seconds).

      His speed on the football field has drawn comparisons to Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson and former Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson, now with the Philadelphia Eagles.

      I would have loved to see Best come back for his senior year and challenge for the Heisman next season, but I can’t wait to see how he does in the draft. I’m not ready to pronounce him the next Chris Johnson, but I think he does have a similar skill set.

      It’ll be interesting to see how he does at the combine and where he eventually winds up in the NFL.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      College Football

      Nadal prevails in Abu Dhabi

      January 2, 2010 /

      Rafael Nadal is showing signs of returning to form. In the final of the Capitala exhibition tournament, Nadal defeated Robin Soderling 7-6 (3), 7-5 to kick off the new season and prove he’s tired of the criticism.

      From FOXSports.com:

      Both players held serve throughout the first set before the second-ranked Spaniard won the tiebreaker. Nadal then broke decisively in the sixth game of the second set at Zayed Sports City.

      Soderling ended Nadal’s 31-game unbeaten run on clay at the French Open last year and beat him again at the season-sending ATP Tour World Finals in London.

      Roger Federer defeated David Ferrer of Spain 6-1, 7-5 for third place.

      Nadal said overtaking Federer was not his main focus for 2010.

      “Everybody wants the No. 1 ranking, but, believe me, for me it is not my goal for this year,” the Spaniard said. “To play competitively throughout and win as many tournaments as I can, that is my goal. To be happy playing, to be healthy and to play like I have played over the last two days.”

      Nadal will play in next week’s Qatar Open, the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 and the ABN AMRO starting Feb. 8 in the Netherlands before taking a break. He injured both knees and his abdomen last season, missing Wimbledon among other tournaments.

      While Roger Federer’s dominance last year was exciting, Nadal’s struggles hurt the sport. If he can learn to take care of his knees, Nadal will prolong his career and break plenty of notable records.

      Tennis

      The bowl season has not been kind to the MAC

      January 2, 2010 /

      Outside of Arizona, no team has given a worse effort in a bowl game this season than Northern Illinois, which lost 27-3 to South Florida in the International Bowl on Saturday. And at least the Wildcats had an excuse for being so inept: They were playing Nebraska and the Cornhuskers’ outstanding defense.

      The Huskies racked up just 130 total yards, went 3-for-13 on third downs and turned the ball over twice. They had one decent drive the entire game on offense, which netted a 21-yard field goal.

      With NIU’s loss, the Mid-American Conference is now 0-4 in the International Bowl, which is the only bowl game played outside of the United States. Cincinnati beat Western Michigan in the first International Bowl in 2007, then Rutgers defeated Ball State in 2008 and Connecticut topped Buffalo in 2009.

      The MAC must feel cursed in bowl games. The conference is now 0-4 in bowl games this season, which includes Bowling Green’s heartbreaking loss to Idaho on Wednesday and Temple’s near win over UCLA on Tuesday.

      The MAC’s lone hope for a win this year will come down to next Wednesday when Central Michigan takes on Troy in the GMAC Bowl. Thankfully, the Chippewas are the class of the conference and aren’t likely to turn in the horrendous effort the Huskies did today.

      College Football

      Love ‘Em & Leave ‘Em: Week 17

      January 2, 2010 /

      Most fantasy football leagues held their championship games last week, but there are still a few holdout leagues that schedule their title games for Week 17. To that end, here are a few players that I like, and a few that I don’t.

      The “love ‘em” players are listed in the order that I’d start them this week.

      love-em

      The Steelers need a win, and Ben Roethlisberger has a great matchup against the Dolphins’ 23rd-ranked pass defense (allowing 236 yards, 1.3 TD per game)…The Giants have struggled to stop the pass of late and phoned it in against the Panthers last week, so Brett Favre should have a good game, especially since the Vikings need to win…The Browns have a sketchy pass defense, so David Garrard should have a nice line in a game that the Jags have to win to have a shot at the postseason…Desperate? Josh Freeman has a nice matchup against the Falcons, who are ranked 28th against the pass. Matt Ryan and Co. looked pretty good in Week 16, so the Bucs will likely have to throw to stay in the game.

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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