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      2009 NHL Preview: Ottawa Senators

      October 2, 2009 /



      We’ve partnered with On Goal Analysis to bring you a team-by-team preview of the upcoming NHL season. Here is the OGA preview for the Ottawa Senators…

      Team Play: ISSUE – (Hopefully) A lack of distractions… Ahhhh! Refreshing to be over it, eh? It should go without saying the presence of Dany Heatley would have been a HUGE distraction on many levels for this team. We would like to begin this section of Ottawa’s SPR by saying he is no longer here, and short of tobloidists and ambulance chasers who want to know what that ‘thing’ was that caused so much bad blood nobody has really told us about, the Hockey world should move on. And that is precisely what we will do here in breaking down the team…

      A combination of several sources indicates a possible No. 1 line of Alfredsson -Spezza-Michalek from left to right, and Foligno-Fisher-Kovalev on No. 2. The No. 1 trio was tested Friday, 18 September and produced a goal by Michalek from Spezza and Alexandre Picard for The Sens’ first pre-season, even-strength goal. Line No. 2 was clicking against Montreal Saturday night, 19 September with a combined 4 Gs and 6 As by game’s end. It must be noted if the No. 1 and 2 combos stick, a question arises as to where to fit Jonathan Cheechoo. The FoxSports web site’s depth charts indicate Cheechoo is the No.3 RW and Chris Neil comes in on the No. 4 line. It is not showing Shean Donovan who is down the depth charts at best and may be on the outs in a personal worst case scenario. As a bottom line, some wingers are going to have to try another side or be the best ones in their current slot in camp in order to stay on the roster with the big club.

      Click here to read the rest of the preview (which includes the site’s unique Playoff Qualifying Curve and fantasy information) at the On Goal Analysis site.

      NHL

      Bradford officially ruled out against Miami

      October 2, 2009 /

      Oklahoma head coach said Friday that freshman Landry Jones will start at quarterback for the Sooners this Saturday against Miami. Sam Bradford, who suffered a shoulder injury against BYU in the opening week of the season, was making progress throughout the week but Stoops didn’t feel as though Bradford was ready yet.

      From Tulsa World:

      “Sam has made daily progress, but we don’t feel like he’s quite where he needs to be yet,” Stoops said in a press release. “Our team has a lot of confidence in Landry’s ability and we’re looking forward to going into the game with him at quarterback. Our approach will be the same that it has been in the last two games.”

      “No one’s gonna play if they’re not healthy and ready to go,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said on Tuesday. “. . . A guy coming off an injury, if there are throws he can’t make, you either take those throws out or you say, ‘Look, if you can’t make the throws, the guy doesn’t play.'”

      In a Wednesday report by CBS Sportsline columnist Dennis Dodd, Bradford’s father, Kent Bradford, said he didn’t see the harm in his son waiting another two weeks before returning to the starting lineup. That would put Bradford in the center of the storm for the Oct. 17 showdown with No. 2-ranked Texas.

      This is absolutely the right move. If there’s any doubt about whether or not Bradford is ready to play, then he’s not ready to play and I applaud Stoops for not rushing him back onto the field.

      Jones has more than enough weapons around him to succeed and Oklahoma’s defense has been fantastic this year. As long as the young QB doesn’t try to force the action by trying to make things happen in the passing game, he should be fine.

      College Football

      NFL Picks & Predictions: Week 4

      October 2, 2009 /

      Ravens (3-0) at Patriots (2-1), 1:00PM ET
      I still can’t get over the Falcons’ game plan (if you can call it that) to defense Tom Brady and the Patriots last week. Atlanta decided to drop seven defenders into coverage and allow Brady time to find open receivers, read The Great Gatsby cover to cover and figure out a way to help turn around the economy. Brady won’t be afforded that kind of time this week against the Ravens, who will no doubt bring extra defenders and use multiple fronts in efforts to confuse the New England QB. Baltimore isn’t going to allow the Pats to control the game on the ground either, and although the Ravens still have issues in their secondary, I like them pulling off an upset in Foxboro. For anyone who thought the Pats resolved their issues last week in a win over the Falcons, this game should prove otherwise.
      Odds: Patriots –2.
      Prediction: Ravens 31, Patriots 30.

      Titans (0-3) at Jaguars (1-2), 1:00PM ET
      The Titans are like that hot ex-girlfriend that dumped you three times but you foolishly keep going back to her hoping she’s changed. I’ve picked Tennessee to win the last two weeks and have been let down both times. Yet, here I am again, waiting to get my stomach kicked in. Jeff Fisher’s team is too good to fall to 0-4 and lose to an average Jacksonville team right? Right?! I think the Titans will play inspired this week, won’t make as many stupid mistakes as they did last Sunday against the Jets and will force David Garrard to beat them through the air by taking away Maurice Jones-Drew. If Tennessee losses this week, I promise not to pick the Titans the rest of the year. (Until she calls me at two in the morning drunk and looking for a place to stay…then I’ve got to let her in, right? Right?!)
      Odds: Jaguars –3.
      Prediction: Titans 20, Jaguars 17.

      Continue reading »

      Free Picks, NFL

      2009 NHL Preview: New York Rangers

      October 2, 2009 /

      We’ve partnered with On Goal Analysis to bring you a team-by-team preview of the upcoming NHL season. (Just scroll down on the OGA website and hit the calendar.) Here is the preview for the New York Rangers…

      Team Play: ISSUE – It’s all about the “G”, baby. Last season, the Rangers’ biggest challenge was finding the back of the net. With just four 20+ goal scorers, led by Markus Naslund with 24 (Nik Antropov (28) doesn’t count, as he scored 21 of his goals in a Maple Leafs’ sweater), New York was one of only two playoff teams with a negative goal differential in the regular season (Columbus being the other). In fact, the Blueshirts’ 210 goals in 08-09 tied them with the Lightning for 25th in the NHL.

      Two of the Rangers’ four “snipers” – Nikolai Zherdev and Markus Naslund – won’t be back. In an effort to not just fill those holes in the lineup, but also to increase scoring, GM Glen Sather rolled the dice over the summer. On 1 July, he signed oft-injured sharpshooter Marian Gaborik. Should Gaby’s groin/hip/whatever hold up (he has yet to play in a preseason game due to a ‘tender groin’), he should be just what the doctor ordered: Gaborik has averaged better than a point per game in each of the last four seasons. On the downside, he’s only played more than 65 games once in those four seasons.

      The day before signing Gaborik, Sather pulled the trigger on a significant trade, sending underachieving pivot Scott Gomez to Montreal for winger Christopher Higgins, a proven 20+ man. On 9 July, Slats signed another 20+ club member, Ales Kotalik. Less than a week later, the Rangers dealt centerman Lauri Korpikoski to Phoenix for speedy winger Enver Lisin, who has been one of the Blueshirts’ best skaters in September, and should join the 20+ club in 09-10. More recently, New York added veteran forward Vinny Prospal, boosting the number of proven or potential 20+ goal scorers on the roster to eight – nine if you count holdout center Brandon Dubinsky. Thus, the New York Rangers enter the 09-10 season with significantly increased firepower for new Coach John Tortorella’s up-tempo “Safe is Death” system. The economy may still be in the toilet, but things are looking up on Broadway.

      Click here to read the rest of the preview (which includes the site’s unique Playoff Qualifying Curve and fantasy information) at the On Goal Analysis site.

      NHL

      Chicago loses bid for 2016 Olympics

      October 2, 2009 /

      Chicago received a first-round knock out on Friday courtesy of the International Olympic Committee, which voted against Chicago’s bid for hosting the 2016 Olympics.

      From the Chicago Tribune:

      Rio de Janeiro and Madrid are now left seeking approval to host the 2016 Summer Games. The host city is to be announced around noon Chicago time.

      To some observers, it appeared that Chicago’s bid had been fast gathering momentum in the last week. Daley and others began to show their confidence as one piece after another fell into place. From First Lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey’s early commitments to travel with them to Copenhagen, to President Barack Obama’s late decision to go, to bad news trickling out about the Rio’s bid, indicators looked to be going Chicago’s way.

      But members of the International Olympic Committee are known for being unpredictable, even impulsive, when they gather to pick a host city.

      And in 2016, it won’t be Chicago.

      The 2016 Summer Games were to be Mayor Richard Daley’s legacy. Now the mayor comes home to face recession-driven budget woes and concerns about violence that plague Chicago, without the ability to change the public dialogue to Olympics talk.

      Daley and his Olympic bid team will now have to decide whether to regroup and try again for the 2020 Games. Conventional wisdom in Chicago cuts against extending the effort, partly because the bid has been so closely tied to Daley. At 67, the mayor’s political plans may not include remaining in office long enough to see through another run at the Games.

      I live in Chicago and most of the talk on sports radio leading up to today was about how the city was the favorite to win the 2016 Olympics. To be knocked out in the first round is no doubt a stunning blow to the city, as well as those who thought Chicago had a choke hold on the games.

      At the very least, people figured that Chicago would make it to the second round, especially with President Obama and Oprah (I thought it was illegal to say no to Oprah?) making the trip to Copenhagen. But apparently not.

      Oh, well.

      The Olympics

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