Just 13 months ago, Cain Velasquez suffered his first and most embarrassing loss in the UFC when he lost his heavyweight championship to Junior Dos Santos in 64 seconds in the first ever broadcast of The UFC on fox. Now the first ever Mexican born Heavyweight champion has regained the title in his most dominant showing in the UFC. Velasquez completely decimated and destroyed the once undefeated Dos Santos in a five round smack down. Cain was the real deal in this full circle showing, going from the guy who lost the title in 64 seconds to the face and champion of the best heavyweight division in fighting! Cain Velasquez legitimized himself as one of the best heavyweight champs in the modern era with his five round massacre of Dos Santos. In the post-fight press conference UFC President Dana White speculated that Junior suffered a broken jaw in the second round of fight, yet still managed to finish the five rounds. Despite being dominated in every aspect of the game from wrestling, to striking, to octagon control, Dos Santos went out like a fighting champ willing himself to finish the fight even with a broken jaw. Dana White also said at the UFC 155 post fight press conference that a possible third Velasquez vs. Dos Santos could be in the works down the road if Cain were to successfully defend his newly won UFC heavyweight championship in his first defense. - Joe Passarelli Plenty of teams are looking to solve the tough questions as we embark on the final week of the calendar year and NFL regular season. A good number of teams are still either playing to lock up a seed in the playoffs. In fact, ten of the 16 NFL matchups this week have some impact on playoff scenarios. From 10 to 1, here are the most important matchups of crazy slate of week 17 games. 10. Chiefs vs. Broncos: Although Kansas City has little to play for besides ending Denver’s 10 game win streak, this game is huge for Peyton Manning and crew. Denver could land anywhere from the one to three seed in the AFC playoffs. Simply put the Broncos march on to a bye week with a win over the lowly chiefs this Sunday. 9. Ravens vs. Bengals: Both teams are in the AFC playoffs. The Bengals would love to prevent the Ravens from the pivotal bye week, as the Ravens need a win, plus losses from New England and Houston to move into the second seed. 8. Dolphins vs. Patriots: The fish have officially been squished however this game in snowy Foxboro has big time playoff bearing for the Pats as Brady’s bunch could end up anywhere from 1-4 seeding wise in the AFC. The Pats would clinch a bye with a loss by the Texans and a win, and would clinch the top seed with a win and a loss by Houston and Denver. 7. Texans vs. Colts: The Colts are locked in as a wild card, but could cause a huge headache to the slumping Texans. Houston could be as high as the top seed in the AFC with a win over rookie sensation Andrew Luck and the Colts, but could drop as low as three with a loss and wins by the Pats and Broncos. 6. Eagles vs. Giants: Both teams have had sub-par seasons. The Eagles would love to play spoiler to the defending Champs and divisional foe New York. Even with a win, the G-men would need losses by a plethora of teams to have any playoff chance, most notably the Bears and the Vikings. 5. Bears vs. Lions: The monsters of the midway once seemed a lock for a spot in the dance, now play for the playoff lives this Sunday versus rival Detroit, led by NFL season receiving yards all-time leader Megatron Calvin Johnson. The Lions would pounce at the chance to eliminate Jay Cutler and the Bears. Chicago also needs a loss by the Vikings to make it to the playoffs. 4. Rams vs. Seahawks: With a win over division rival San Francisco last week. Seattle has already punched its playoff ticket. With a win and a 49ers loss, Seattle would move up into one of the top 4 seeds and host at least one playoff game with its loud "12 man" fan base behind them. 3. Cardinals vs. 49ers: The 49ers would win the competitive NFC west with a win over Arizona. They could still obtain a bye week with a win and a Packers loss. However, the 49ers could drop out of the top 4 and not even host a home playoff game with a loss and Seahawks win. 2. Packers vs. Vikings: The Vikings could board the playoff ship with simply a win over hated rival Green Bay. The Packers have clinched the NFC North and could clinch the number two seed with a win. Not to mention MVP and comeback player of the year candidate AD Adrian Peterson could break the all-time single season rushing mark with a 220 plus yard performance against Green Bay's inconsistent run defense. 1. Cowboys vs. Redskins: This primetime matchup is sure to deliver, as one of the NFL's all-time greatest rivalries will settle the NFC East Sunday Night. Rookie stud RG3 could finish off his Cinderella first season with a division clinching win against those Cowboys. Tony Romo may be playing as good as any NFL QB at the moment, however that will not matter in Big D if Tony and the boys find a way to fumble away this game and find themselves on the outside looking in yet again. This is a can't-miss conclusion to the NFL regular season and is certainly the biggest game in RG3's young career. - Joe Passarelli Okay folks, let's be honest. When the season started, everybody was busy focusing on the new Brooklyn Nets and rightfully so. They made the big trade for former Atlanta Hawks SG Joe Johnson, brought back PG Deron Williams with a new 5-year, $98.7 million and SF Gerald Wallace and C Brook Lopez each on 4-year deals. Not to mention moving from the Prudential Center in New Jerseyto the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. They then took the NBA by storm, sprinting out to an 11-4 record through November, averaging 95.7 PPG while giving up 90.9 PPG. But then the honey moon was over when things got colder. In December, they managed just 3 victories while dropping 10. So who is to blame for all this? According to the Nets management (and Deron Williams) the blame falls on Avery Johnson, the Eastern Conference Coach for the month of November. Under his watch, the Nets scoring average was 93.1 while their opponents scored 98.9 PPG during December. But does the blame really stick with him. Deron Williams scored 25+ points only once and has a tendency of missing wide open shots and has a 'history' of getting coaches into hot trouble (anyone remember what he did with iconic Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan last year?), Joe Johnson has made 50% or more of his shots four times, including six consecutive games of below 50 percent shooting, Gerald Wallace has scored over 20 points just once and him, F Kris Humphries, and C Brook Lopez have missed time due to injuries. So I ask you, the NBA fans. Who is to blame for the winter Nets swoon? Voice your opinion. -Ryan L. Fox
And so we have come to the finish line. After 16 grueling weeks, it's come down to the final week of the season. Already we have 6 teams from the AFC who made it in: Pats, Texans, Broncos, Colts, Steelers, and Bengals. However in the NFC, the NFC East divisional showdown with winner taking the division as well as a slew of teams who are battling it out for the last remaining wildcard spot. That being said, this will be the last regular season pick'ems. Had some laughs, had some cries, had some moments where you wondered why I made those picks. But in the end, it was all in good fun. Let's get started. Last Week:12-4 Season Record: 137-99-1 Comment: Damn I'm good. (Editor's Note: Not that good) Sunday 1:00 p.m. Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Falcons already clenched the #1 seed so expect them to rest a lot of their starters in this meaningless game. Pick: Buccaneers Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets Both teams went into the season with high hopes but then everything just crashed and burned. What's worse is the fact that Sanchez is starting in this one. You know who I'm going with. Pick: Bills Extra Bonus: This will be Tim Tebow's last game as a Jet as he deserves much better than the situation he's in. Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals Both teams already clenched. Bengals won't clench AFC North with win due to divisional record (2-3 vs. Ravens' 4-1). Ravens will be getting back MLB Ray Lewis for the postseason but he's sitting out in this one. Still, the Bengals won 6 of 7 and are clicking at the right time. Pick: Bengals Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson needs only 108 yards to become the first WR to catch for 2,000 yards. Unfortunately that's the only highlight of this game. Pick: Bears Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans Jacksonville played the Patriots tough last week, but they could only settle for field goals when they needed touchdowns. Pick: Titans Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts Big feel good story this season. After going 2-14 last year, the Colts are 10-5 and are getting back Chuck Pagano on their sidelines for this one. However a win for the Texans means they clench a 1st round bye so don't expect them to rest starters in this one just yet. Pick: Texans After the August Mega-Trade that shipped their three largest contracts to Los Angeles, it appeared that the Red Sox philosophy on player acquisitions had shifted. Following their worst performance in over forty years, a season which left them out of the playoffs for a third consecutive year, it was clear that change was needed. A team that was originally built through a system of over-spending and prospect-pillaging, had abandoned their practices and seemed to settle on a process based in value and prospect development. Simply put, it is starting to look like the Sox are finally making personnel decisions in the best interest of baseball, and not based on pink hats and sell-out streaks. However, as the New Year approaches, fan's faith in this ownership group is shaky at best, and results will be the only way to sway public opinion.
Grade: C+
Grade: B
Grade: B-
Grade: C-
At 37, the Japanese Uehara established himself as the best set-up man in the game. In 37 appearances, he posted an ERA of 1.75, and a WHIP of 0.91. Grade: B+ So, it appears that the philosophy is to play it safe. They acquired several character guys, and made sure not to burden themselves with lengthy contracts. They finally realized that they have the resources to overpay on short-term deals, which essentially provide more flexibility and allow them to hedge poor signings. They have definitely improved this roster in many areas, but they still lack a few key pieces that could help them contend. However, as it stands today, they are no better than the fourth or fifth most talented roster in the AL East, so, I wouldn't start warming up the Duck Boats quite yet. -Kevin Aherne Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la...ah you guys know the rest. Any who, now normally is a time of peace and good will towards our fellow man and all that jazz. However as we celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, I'm here to present to you the 12 Sports Pains of Christmas according to moi. Now note, this is all in good fun. So if you take offense to it that means: A) you’re no fun, B) you suck, and C) 1, 2, 3 F@#k you. 12. Ray Allen: Waah! The Celtics like this other guy who can play better defense and can run with Rondo better than me. He took my starter role and I'm stuck on the bench. But even though the Celtics offered me more money, I'm going to the Miami Heat for lesser money and to come off the bench for lesser playing time. You can't blame KG for not wanting to speak with him. 11. Sports Illustrated: Oh we are so brilliant. Let's dedicate an entire piece to an LSU player who was kicked off the team for using drugs and put. Next, let's give the Sportsman of the Year to an egotistical jackass who gets babied by everybody from his team owner to the NBA Commissioner. I know you guys over there are desperate to sell some magazines but come on. If you are trying to create a discussion of some sorts, try to cover something more relevant for a change.
9. BCS Bowl Games: I am glad that they are going to use more of a tournament bracket come the 2014 season. People will argue that 'oh, it gives some other lesser schools the spotlight and to be able to showcase their football team's talent.' Pfft, I'm sure everybody wants to see Idaho play Nevada in the Great Idaho Potato Bowl or watch Michigan play a scrub from the ACC in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl or even tune into to the Papa John’s Bowl game between a WAC team and a MAC team. Let's be honest, it's all about corporate sponsorship and these NCAA schools suck in the money. And here I thought it was all about football. 8. Barrack Obama: I have my reasons but that's beside the point. I could care less about your love for some crappy Chicago team (which is all of them) or your dingy little NCAA Basketball bracket that always seems to get ESPN coverage. And don't get me started on how he tried to get the 2016 Olympics to be in Chicago. I mean really Barry; I think there are more pressing matters to attend to than your fascination for the Bulls or White Sox. 7. Johnny Manziel Winning the Heisman: This is a rare time that I and a certain Fighting Irish fan agree on something: Johnny Manziel winning the Heisman is a joke. If you look at Manziel's numbers, they look 'impressive' with his 24 TDs passes (tied for 26th among NCCA FBS QBs) and his 19 rushing TDs (four short of Tim Tebow during his Heisman year). But then look who they played against: Southern Methodist, South Carolina State, Louisiana Tech, and Sam Houston State as well as going up against the bottom of the barrel in the SEC against Auburn and Arkansas. Not to mention that Geno Smith of West Virginia, AJ McCarron of Alabama, Aaron Murphy of Georgia, Tajh Boyd of Clemson, and many other QBs put up similar or better numbers than 'Johnny Football'. It's going to give me a headache to keep hearing about this kid every single year. 6. 2012 Boston Red Sox: Let's see: 6) Too focused on the '100-year anniversary of Fenway' to the point where you're mentioning it every 5 seconds. 5) Overpaying for players that have contributed little to nothing for the team. 4) Hiring a GM but then overrule him on every decision, thus making him look like a schmuck in a suit. 3) Bring in a Manager who has been out of the game for a few years now, but then keep the previous position coaches from the previous manager's staff. 2) Focus all your attention to Chelsea and watch them tank while you care. 1) Allow the players to run the show and piss and moan to the media when things aren't going their way. I can tell you that much that some Bostonians might put the '12 Sox as their number one Christmas pain. The world is coming to an end....or rather the football season is coming to and end. With this week and then Week 17, teams are on limited time trying to make the postseason, especially in the NFC East where we have 3 teams tied for first at 8-6. The good news though is that there are no more crappy Thursday night football games to watch nor any more Monday Night Football as well (I could not sit through another Jets-Titans game ever again). That being said, let's get on with the picks Record Last Week: 9-7 Seasonal Record: 125-95-1 Games of the Week Sunday 1:00 p.m. New Orleans @ Dallas Cowboys Both teams need this game to stay alive so you will see each of them give it their all. This will be Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's biggest challenge of the year. His defense will be set to take on a Saints offense that 4th in scoring (27.8 ppg), 3rd in total offense (397.9 ypg), and 2nd in passing (298.1 ypg) and put up 41 points against the Buccaneers. But even as the Saints are the worst run defense in the NFL, they got nothing to fear against the 2nd worst running offense in the NFL. Pick: Saints Cinncinati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers With the 9-5 Baltimore Ravens going down in a late season swoon, the Bengals are right behind at 8-6 and the Steelers at 7-7. Unfortunately for the Bengals, they are 1-3 in AFC North divisional play. For the Bengals is Andy Dalton, who has been playing poor as of late, throwing 3TDs and 3INT with a QB rating of 72.0 in the month of December. However, the RB Lawfirm of Green-Ellis has been on fire, rushing for 442 yards (110.5 ypg) in his last 4 games to go with 6 TDs. Although the Steelers beat the Bengals 24-17 earlier in the year, that was when Ben Roethlisberger was at 100% health. Right now, he's still up in the air and has butt heads with offensive coordinator Todd Hayley. Expect the Bengals to avenge their earlier loss and knock the Steelers out of the playoff hunt. Pick: Bengals Minnesota Vikings @ Houston Texans By the end of this game, we could see two players reach closer in their goals. DE J.J. Watt (currently tied with 49ers DE Aldon Smith at 19.5) is 3.5 sacks away from breaking former NYG DE Michael Strahan's single season sack record of 22.5. He might get 2 sacks in this one since the Vikings are 19th in sacks allowed (30). On the other side, RB Adrian Peterson is at 1,812 rushing yards and is 294 yards away from breaking HOF Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record of 2,105 yards. Unfortunately for Peterson, he's going up against the 5th best rushing defense (allowing 93.2 ypg) and his QB is god awful. Pick: Houston Sunday 4:25 p.m. New York Giants @ Baltimore Ravens It's do or die for both teams at this moment. Both teams are coming off embarrassing losses (Giants 34-0 against the Falcons and Ravens 37-14 against the Broncos) and both are in situations where they need to win out to stay in the playoffs. However this song and dance routine is common for the Giants during their previous two Super Bowl runs. Not too mention that the Ravens are 25th in rushing defense (allowing 132.2 ypg) and have lost their identity on offense. This is a must-win game for Big Blue but if history proves right, then you can expect this game to be the first step of another Giants' playoff run. Not too mention that Eli Manning will have a fire lit underneath him after Tom Coughlin called him out earlier this week on his terrible play recently. Pick: Giants Sunday 8:20 p.m. San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks The San Francisco 49ers outplayed the Patriots last week in Foxboro 41-34 in every aspect of football, have allowed just 15.6 ppg (tied for 1st in the NFL in scoring defense along with the Seahawks). have a chance to get the 2nd playoff seed in the NFC. The Seahawks are undefeated at home, have scored a combined 108 points in the past two games, and rookie QB Russell Wilson has posted a QB rating of 108.3 in his last 4 games, throwing 870 yards, 6TDs and only 1INT in that same span. If this was at San Fran, I'd pick the 49ers but there is a reason why the Seahawks are undefeated at home. Pick: Seahawks Third year guard Avery Bradley returned to practice this Monday for the slumping Boston Celtics for the first time this season. Bradley was forced to miss the eastern conference finals against the Heat last season due to needing surgery on both shoulders. Many thought Bradley's season, and even young career may have been in doubt, which gave rise to the Celtics signing a Christmas stocking's worth of guards this offseason, including: Jason Terry, Leandro Barbosa, and Courtney Lee. Despite these signing's the Celtics have stumbled out to a less then impactful 12-11 record to start the 2012-2013 season, and find themselves looking up at the division leading New York Knicks, as well as the recharged relocated Brooklyn Nets who have two wins on the Celtics already heading into their third matchup on Christmas day in the Barclays Center. Many have given Kevin Garnett the credit for the Celtics rise from and under achieving 8th seed to their Eastern Conference Finals last season. Certainly the move from power forward to center helped KG revitalize his season and career, as he played inspired basketball and looked like the Big Ticket that we had acquired from the T'Wolves in the summer of 2007. However it was Doc River's choice to move Avery Bradley to the starting shooting guard position and have future hall of famer Ray Allen come off the bench. That move ignited the Celtics backcourt, and along with Garnett’s inspired play, turned the Celtics to an 8th seed after thought, to being one win away from playing in another NBA finals. Bradley went down with his shoulder injuries in the second round against the 76ers, which left the Celtic's with an aging Ray Allen on Swiss cheese ankles and career journeyman Keyon Dooling as the only shooting guards on the roster to go against the explosive Miami Heat. Once again the Celtics find themselves counting on the return of Bradley, who will most likely return to action in early January. Time will tell if Bradley's return will help the slumping Celtics rise up the Eastern Conference standings. Certainly Boston is looking forward to Bradley's on court return, especially after two underwhelming losing to the Spurs and Rockets this past weekend. - Joe Passarelli Friday the Yankees announced the signing of 34 year-old third baseman, and former Boston Red Sox catalyst Kevin Youkilis. Youk was one of mainstays of the Sox for years and often times injected himself into the heated rivalry. Now Youk will be counted on to fill in for injured third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, who has had offseason hip surgery and will miss the better part of the 2013 season. Youkilis will be a vital asset to the Bronx Bombers’ success this season. He will not only play a plethora of games at third, but should also see time at first, DH, and even outfield. The biggest concern Yankee fans may have is how Youk will gel with a Yankee locker room which has certainly had no love lost over the years. Youkilis has famously been at the center of heated moments in the rivalry, most notably with Yankee reliever Joba Chamberlain. In a sign of good faith, Chamberlain actually did the unthinkable, and called Youkilis to welcome him to the pinstripes this week; even stating that the media may have over hyped the feud. The signing of Youk was not the only move the Yankees made this week, as the bombers also re-signed former Seattle Mariners OF Ichiro Suzuki. With the exception of Nick Swisher, the Yankees have pretty much retained the bulk of the 2012 American League East Championship roster. Although with the Blue Jays and O's making big time strides towards the AL east crown, have the Yankees truly done enough to stay on top of the divisional mountain? - Joe Passarrelli The weather is getting colder, the days shorter, the roads more crowded, and everybody is scrambling to figure out what to get at the last minute for Christmas gifts. At the same time, we have the NFL dwindling down to only just 2 more games after this week and the last two weeks will determine who gets in and what seed they will be. Of course you'll have to watch for the teams who are willing to play the role of spoilers for teams on the bubble. Now normally in the previous weeks, Fox's Weekly Pick'ems has been categorized by 'interesting', 'semi-interesting', and 'best of the rest'. For the next few weeks, we're going to to 'Rapid Fire' mode. Here we go. Record Last Week: 8-8 Seasonal Record: 116-88-1 Thursday 8:20 p.m. Cincinnati Bengals @ Philadelphia Eagles Eagles got the last minute upset touchdown from Nick Foles last week against Tampa Bay to show they got some life left in them. However the Eagles are still banged up (Mike Vick, LeSean McCoy, Brett Celek, out with concussion on offense and Mike Patterson and Kurt Coleman are out on defense due to illness and brushed sternum respectively). Bengals won 3 out of last 4 due to strong play by the Dalton-Green combo and Green-Ellis averaging 109.3 ypg in that stretch. Expect the Bengals to avenge their last loss to Dallas last week. Pick: Bengals Sunday 1:00 p.m. New York Giants @ Atlanta Falcons The Giants are 4-1 against during Eli's tenure, including a 24-2 drubbing in the Wildcard last year in MetLife Stadium. Though the Falcons have an undefeated home record (6-0 this season). they have tendencies to playin. We saw RB David Wilson breakout for the Giants last week against the Saints with his 327 total all-purpose yards and 3 TDs. Though the Falcons will try to gameplan for him, they will leave themselves open to Eli and his receiving corp. And though the Falcons have one of the top passing offenses, Matt Ryan is still winless against them. Pick: Giants Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears Earlier, the Bears were 4-1 and the Packers 2-3. A few key injuries to certain players on both teams later, now it's the Packers at 9-4 and the Bears at 8-5 and on the verge of another collapse. Last time these two teams met, it was a 23-10 drubbing by Green Bay. Packers may get back Clay Matthews and Jordy Nelson back while the Bears could lose Jay Cutler due to a neck injury. Don't expect miracles for the Bears in this one. Pick: Packers Washington Redskins @ Cleveland Browns Kirk Cousins filled in for an injured Rob Griffin III, leading the 'Skins to a 31-28 OT win against Baltimore. Though Griffin III has been given good diagnostics about his knee, it'll decrease his mobility. They go into Cleveland this Sunday, facing off against a team that is 9th in scoring defense(allowing 20.9 ppg) and currently on a 3 game win streak. Though the Browns might get an additional boost from their own rookie QB Brandon Weeden, whose former Oklahoma State University Cowboys kept beating on Griffin III's former Baylor Bears team. Pick: Browns Minnesota Vikings @ St. Louis Rams Adrian Peterson has not only shown that he's fully recovered from his torn ACL but he's be dominating, rushing for 100+ yards in 7 consecutive games as well as on pace to post a career best in rushing yards (1,760 in 2008. He currently leads the NFL in that category with 1,600). Although Christian Ponder has been playing poor of late (69.4 QB rating in last four games and 78.3 for the year), Peterson has carried the offense on his shoulders. Expect no different against the Rams. Pick: Vikings Jacksonville Jaguars @ Miami Dolphins Both teams are out of contention and want to try to salvage their seasons. However the Jaguars are ranked 31st in total offense and defense. Only thing they got left is to play for the number 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft. Although Miami is 5-8, they still got that tough defense led by Cameron Wake and his 14.0 sacks. Pick: Miami Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints For all the talk about how great Drew Brees has been, he's been putting by dirty poor numbers. In the three recent Saints losses (49ers, Falcons, Giants), Brees has thrown 9 INTs compared to 3 TDs. In that same stretch, the Saints offense has averaged 20.3 ppg while their defense has given up 35.3 ppg. Tampa Bay still is clinging onto their playoff lives and they'll be looking to avenge a 35-28 loss in Week 7 to the Saints in Tampa Bay. If the Saints defense thought David Wilson was a headache, then fellow rookie running back Doug Martin and his 1,234 NFL rookie leading rushing yards will make them wish they could face Wilson again. Pick: Buccaneers Denver Broncos @ Baltimore Ravens This is a key match up for not only Ravens and Broncos fans but Patriots, Steelers, and Texans fans as well since whoever wins between these two has a chance to clinch a 1st-round bye in the playoffs. Although the Ravens have beaten the Broncos in their last five match ups, Peyton Manning is 8-0 in his last eight match-ups against the Ravens, including 2 playoff wins. There is some disruption over in Ravens camp with OC Cam Cameron getting fired and former Colts HC, turned Ravens QB coach Jim Cadwell is taking over offensive play-calling duties. But even with the new changes on offense, the Ravens defense is still saddled with injuries. Pick: Broncos |
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