Peyton, the Great

Peyton Manning.

Peyton Manning is on a torrid pace

The thirty-seven year old Bronco's Quarterback, is having the season of his life, or really of anyone's life, save Tom Brady in 2007, and that is indisputable. With stats like this (2,179 yards, 22 TDs, 2 Ints, 74.2% Comp, 128.8 QB Rating) through only 6 games, its easy to simply sit back, admire, and praise the unstoppable offensive output that Manning is allowing us the pleasure of watching. But recently, an irked Jim Irsay, the Colts owner, made a comment about how drafting Andrew Luck was about winning his team more than the one Superbowl ring that came from 2006 when Manning was their Quarterback. Irsay begs the question, is he simply jealous of the success Peyton is achieving without the Colts or can Peyton actually be blamed for this lack of ring production?

Tom Brady has three, Ben Roethlisberger has two, and even his own brother, Eli, has two rings. But is Peyton the blame for this lack of production in the playoffs? If you look just at his record, he is 9-11 in the playoffs, with eight out of twelve seasons ending with a one-and-done playoff loss, and of course the 2006 season that ended with his one and only ring. But when you look at Peyton's career stats, (61,666 yards, 458 TD) you would expect immense postseason success especially considering his 50 career regular season, game winning drives (The second most of all time behind Dan Marino, who won all of zero Superbowls). All these incredible, Hall-of-Fame worthy numbers are history before our eyes, especially the other-worldly numbers that he is putting up this year in particular, but maybe Jim Irsay has a point. His point may have been clouded by anger or jealousy, but he does have a point. Quarterbacks in this league can have amazing, historical careers, but the reason Joe Montana is considered better than Dan Marino is because he has four rings.

All I'm really trying to point out is that, unless you are a fan of a team that has a chance to win it all this year, you should root for the Broncos to win it all, because that would be something you can tell your grandkids you got to witness. Peyton, the Great, breaking all the records in the book, on his way to his second Superbowl ring.

Follow Me on Twitter @OptimisticFan

NFL Season Prediction: AFC East

If there was a division that was easier than the others, it would have to be the AFC East, with a decade of Patriot dominance.

AFC East:

Patriots: Even with the losses of Aaron Hernandez, Gronk (for part of the year), and Wes Welker the Patriots offense will be a force this year. After all what would those three players be without the two men behind it all, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. That duo has won Superbowls before and they don't need the most talented weapons because of the nature of Tom Brady. The defense should be mediocre to slightly above mediocre and the offense with new (formerly lackluster, soon to be star) Danny Amendola, will score enough to take the Pats to 11-5 and the AFC East Championship. 

Dolphins: The most improved team in the division is easily the Dolphins. Fans are hopeful that they have finally found the heir-apparent to Dan Marino in Ryan Tannehill, although that is not guaranteed. The loss of Dustin Keller takes the Dolphins from a week by week TE advantage to scrabbling to find a pass-catching option, but other offseason moves have this team set for wins. Mike Wallace, Dion Jordan, Dannell Ellerbe, Phillip Wheller, and Brent Grimes significantly bolster this starting rotation, but as in the case with the Patriots, it all comes down to the man under center. Ryan Tannehill must not hit a sophomore slump in order for the Dolphins to have any form of success and as the Overly Optimistic Fan I am inclined to say he will. 10-6 for the Dolphins and a wild card berth. 

Jets: I suppose it is a surprise to see the Jets not in last place, but although every one loves to rag on the Jets, including myself, they won 6 games last year and are not the worst team in their division going into 2013. They did well to replace a recovering Revis with a cheaper Milliner, and Chris Ivory could be a help at tailback. The theme of the AFC East is the quarterback, and the Jets have not found theirs. Geno Smith is in regression before he's had a chance to start and we all know about Mark Sanchez's strange attractions to butts (sorry cheap shot), and that is what is going to be the reason the Jets lose double digit games again this year. The season will consist of switching quarterbacks and Rex Ryan's seat getting uncomfortably hot, maybe even leading to a firing near the end of the season. All in all the Jets go 5-11 and miss the playoffs for a second straight year. 

Bills: Lastly, a familiar sight in the AFC East cellar. The Bills actually seemed to be significantly improving over the last two years, and even signed Ryan Fitzpatrick to a long term deal hoping he was the one, but alas he was not. With Fitz gone the Bills reached for an athletic but raw and ill-prepared quarterback in EJ Manuel, and lay their hopes in Kevin Kolb, the backup wonder from three years ago. Mario Williams has been disappointing after a big contract, and all is not well in upstate New York. CJ Spiller is the lone bright spot, but unfortunately for the Bills they are running a real NFL team, not a fantasy one. 1200 yards and 6 touchdowns from Spiller won't be enough to carry this team to any better than a 4-12 mark this year, and rebuilding the Bills will continue.

Best Player In Division: For a division that contains one of the best QBs and running backs in the game, I am going to look to the other side of the ball for this award. Cam Wake for the Miami Dolphins may not be super well known but he has been dominating the NFL for three years now and with Dion Jordan running from the other side, Wake is due for 20 sacks this year. He breaks out as the best pass rusher in the game in 2013.

Follow me on Twitter @OptimisticFan

NFL Season Prediction: NFC North

Last year a very competitive, I see no reason for that to change.

NFC North:

Bears: Chicago actually had a better scoring margin than the Packers did in all of 2012, and that is one way to judge future success. The Bears have an extremely strong defense and although Jay Cutler may not be the most popular of Quarterbacks he is effective. Matt Forte, Jay Cutler, and the defense finally put a full season together and the Bears put together a 12-4 record and win the NFC North in 2013.

Lions: Detroit has the offense no question. Stafford slinging the ball to Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew, and now Reggie Bush out of the backfield will put points on the board. The problem is stopping the other team from scoring which is hard, if not harder to do. The Lions made a lot of offseason moves like signing Jason Jones and Glover Quin to solidify the defense and don't forget about Suh and Fairly on the D-Line. Detroit will follow up last years disappointment with a 9-7 record and be in contention for a final playoff spot late in the season.

Packers: You can never count out a team that has a Quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, but he isn't receiving the team effort he needs to succeed in this competitive league. For a quarterback that got sacked the most times out of anyone last year, losing former first round Left Tackle Bryan Bulaga for the season doesn't help, not to mention Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and Charles Woodson. The defense will be a little porous and the Packers won't be the same team they have been, going just 9-7 and missing the playoffs.

Vikings: Adrian Peterson. That pretty much sums up the Vikings team. He had an amazing year last year, and although he will most likely break 1,700 yards again this year, he won't bring the wins the way the MVP did last year. Christian Ponder won't be able to put the ball where it's supposed to be and Matt Cassell will end up taking snaps at some point in the season. The Vikings will also miss Percy Harvin, even with the addition of Greg Jennings, especially his kick return ability. The Vikings are going to end up going just 6-10 and fall well short of the Playoffs this year.

Best Player in the Division: It's hard to choose between Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, and Calvin Johnson as a "best player" so I am going to go with someone completely different. I think Reggie Bush is in a great position to succeed. He isn't the first option of the Lion's offense and he will have plenty chances to catch the ball in open space. I think he gets 2,000 all purpose yards.

Follow me on Twitter: @OptimisticFan

NFL Season Prediction: AFC North

AFC NORTH:


Bengels: Yes, the surprises start early. The Bengels have been to the playoffs the last two years (both as Wildcard) and this is the year they take that leap with third year quarterback Andy Dalton. I believe they go 11-5 and win the division.

Steelers: Big Ben will always keep his team in the playoff race and the return of a (hopefully) healthy Troy Polamalu should be enough to push the team to grab a playoff spot in one of the final weeks of the season at 10-6

Ravens: I don't want to continue on what has been a lot of Ravens hate, but they have lost a lot of talent, not to mention the recent failure of defending Superbowl champs to miss the playoffs. Joe Flacco and Ray Rice are legit and will bring at least a few wins themselves. I see 8-8 and missing the playoffs.

Browns: The Browns really aren't moving in the right direction. Drafting a 28 year old, mediocre-at-best quarterback wasn't their best idea. The defense is suspect and even though Trent Richardson will bring a little excitement, a little is where their win total will stay as well. 4-12 for the Browns.

Best Player in division: Ray Rice. Assuming the Raven's other Ray stays healthy a majority of the year he could be in for a monster year, he is in store for close to 2,000 total yards and around 15 touchdowns with the amount of dependence Joe Flacco will have on him. The only issue is if he will stay on the field.

Follow me on Twitter: @OptimisticFan

NFL Season Prediction: Preview

I don't claim to be an expert on every single NFL team but I do believe I know a significant amount of information and using this information I will do my best to do a full NFL preview. Now it does irk me when I look up previews and the previewer simply restates what happened last year. Come on man, every year there are surprises and although you may be wrong I believe as a previewer you must take a risk or two. So division by division I will be previewing the NFL, then I will preview awards as well. Without further ado, I will begin this dangerous endeavor of previewing the league of parody we call the National Football League.

The Allure

Every single sport has a certain allure, something that brings you in the first time, but then consistently and constantly bring you back to see more and more till you're hooked. This could be anything from the thrill of a 25-foot putt to get Tiger one major closer to the all-time record, or a pitcher that is one out from a perfect game, yet this doesn't necessarily mean that every person is going to love every sport. Some people don't find certain sports as appealing as others, yet there is one sport that is different. There is a sport that during the offseason makes you want to watch a version of the game where they only play three downs in Canada, just because it gives you a little closer to the kickoff of the real season. American football is more than a sport, it is a spectacle; men, women, and children all love it and every Sunday even when the weather outside is delightfully perfect for spending the afternoon on the river, everyone has their eyes glued to the television just praying for that first down.

What is that allure? Why do we love the sport so much? and WHEN WILL IT BE BACK?

Football is back, baby

I'd argue that part of the allure is that we only get the pleasure of watching this great sport only once a week, unlike most other sports which occur daily. I'd also argue that the style of the game is a draw because the basis is similar to the basis of war; protect your land, and your men while trying to conquer others. We get to watch these men (who are far more athletic then most of us could ever hope to be) put their bodies on the line for the pride of a victory. And more so every single game means so much, that when the Browns and the Steelers play, Dolphins fans will watch as intently as if they were hard core terrible-towel-wavers. Many complain that sports like Tennis, Golf, and Baseball are too long to enjoy, yet generally football games last longer than all three of those. Football grabs our attention from the kickoff and the bright lights and big games never for a moment lose us. Every little detail of a football game draws you and leaves you wanting more, even when you are left in utter defeat after a Monday Night lose, you can't stop yourself from wanting more, and that is the definition of the Allure.

Thank goodness for all of our sakes, the answer to my last question I posed earlier is soon, very, very soon we will be enjoying the beginning of a new season and each and every fan base, yes even the Jaguars has hope for this new beginning, that in the end it may bring them a championship.

Follow me on Twitter @OptimisticFan

A Humble Idea

Make that trophy just a little harder to win

Basketball, it is considered one of the four major sports, a fan favorite of most every casual sports fan, and a personal favorite of mine. Yet, it seems a majority of people would almost instantly choose college basketball over the NBA. Fans cite the college enthusiasm and college atmosphere, as well as the NBA's rules, or lack there of, in the case of traveling, and continuation. But, there is one clear advantage of the college game, and that is the playoff system.

March Madness is one of, if not the, premiere sporting event of each year, and the NBA playoffs lacks the excitement of such a fast-paced tournament. The first argument against the NBA joining this style of single elimination, is the chaos of it all. A seven-game series strongly favors the better teams, which seems fair because after a 82 game schedule the better teams should have the advantage, but I'm here to say, screw the better teams! Who cares if the Heat won 66 games or the Bucks won 38, making a single elimination playoff system would ensure that every casual fan would have watched that first round game, in contrast to the fifteen people that watched that four game sweep earlier this postseason. This system would also create a much shorter playoffs, which may seem sad at first, but it is truly quality over quantity in this case.

Let's be honest, if this Finals had been one game, there would have been so much excitement surrounding it, that no Game 7 could ever match, simply because that is the nature of a single elimination playoff. It would allow for Heat haters to hate harder and fans to cheer louder, which, in reality, is what makes sports fun. If you were the only fan who rooted for a team, or if every single person rooted for the same team, no one would enjoy watching the battle between two great teams like the Spurs and Heat. One final argument is this: If Lebron, or Kobe, or Durant is really that good, then they should have the ability to succeed in this format, the very same way they succeed at the 7 game series format, only the stage would be set with 10x the excitement and 10x the fan support.

If Mario Chalmers and Trey Burke can lead teams through a field of 64, then Lebron James and Kobe Bryant can lead their team through a field of 15. Its just a humble idea, that I believe could reinvent the NBA.

-O.O.F