Knicks Survive and Win 1st Playoff Series Since 2000

Sorry, Jets. You're the only embarrassing sports franchise left in New York City. Well, at least AROUND New York City.

The New York Knicks decided not to dress in black this time as they went into Boston to face the Celtics in game 6 of their series. New York started strong by actually moving the ball around to score 24 points in the first quarter compared to the Celtics 10. The Knicks actually played a great game for the most part. They were up by as much as 26 points in the 4th quarter.

Then the Celtics caught fire. Boston went on a 20-0 run in the 4th quarter which would cut the lead down to 6. They would later cut the lead down to 4 with 3:31 to go.

The Knicks and Carmelo Anthony, however, would be able to refocus. Melo then made a couple of jumpers with one of them being a 3 pointer to get the lead back up to 9. The J.R. Smith then made a lay up and one at the free throw line to make it a 12 point game with 1:21 left. Finals score was 88-80 with the Knicks winning the series 4-2.

New York manages to stave off 0-3 series comeback attempt from the Celtics and win their first playoff series since the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. the Pacers which, ironically, who they will play next. Indiana just put away Atlanta last night 81-73 to win their series 4-2.

As for the Celtics, they go home with questions surrounding them. It's the first time since Kevin Garnett arrived in Boston that the Celtics have been eliminated in the 1st round of the postseason.

It's not likely that things will get better in Boston for next season. Rajon Rondo will be back but KG and Paul Pierce will be another year older. Heck, Pierce and Garnett may not be back next year depending on how they feel and how the team feels.

Meanwhile, the Knicks move on trying to establish a notable era themselves. However, they've had trouble with Indiana this season splitting the season series with them 2-2. If they do get past them, then they will face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals.

P.S. I would say 'likely face Miami' but seriously, Come On....

Sanchez Out, McElroy In, Tebow Cheated

Finally the Jets bench Mark Sanchez. It only took them 4 years to realize he sucked.

Sanchez has been horrible this year save for a couple of games and Rex Ryan has replaced him with Greg McElroy, the third string QB. McElroy came in off the bench a couple weeks ago against the Cardinals and threw the only TD in that game to help the Jets win. This will be Greg's first start in the NFL.

It's certainly the sensible thing to do to put in the back ups and see what they got on the NFL level. The only problem might be is that they skipped over Tim Tebow's name who is "supposedly" the 2nd string QB. Now McElroy does deserves a shot to replace Sanchez but so does Tebow. The Jets, however, do not want Tebow as the big thing in New York so much so that they never gave him a chance. It's still a mystery why the team got Tebow to begin with. The ways they haven't used him makes it seem it was a waste of the team's resources and also a waste of Tebow's time.

I wish McElroy luck this Sunday but if he doesn't do well he might just start to hear the Tebow chants.

P.S. Told you they wouldn't start Tebow.

Jets Out of Postseason Race

Now is it Tebow time?

Quite frankly, the New York Jets were lucky enough to just be in the discussion for the postseason this far into the regular season. Last night, the Jets played the Titans to finish up week 15 in the NFL and Tennessee basically put the Jets playoffs hopes to rest. Well, Mark Sanchez helped out quite a bit. Sanchez was 13/28 throwing one TD and 131 yards along with 4 interceptions and a fumble that was a turnover. The game was still close but mistakes by the Jets (Sanchez) kept them from winning. Titans win 14-10.

With that loss, the Jets are pushed out of playoff contention falling to 6-8. With more questions than ever about the team losing than about Tebow not playing, I can't help but think that Rex Ryan's days in New York are numbered along with Mark Sanchez. Sure, the team might be foolish enough to keep them around for one more year (for some reason that other franchises can't understand) but the fact is that the Jets are just wasting time on both of them. Rex seems too stubborn to adjust his team properly and Sanchez just plain sucks. Mark is regressing with a QB Rating of 67.9 this year with 13 passing TDs and 17 interceptions thrown.

It doesn't matter if Tebow is the solution or not. The point is that neither Rex Ryan or Mark Sanchez are.

P.S. That being said, put Tebow in. Might as well eliminate him as a possibility anyway. Rex Ryan won't because of said stubbornness but a sensible team would start to see what their backups (Tebow and McElroy) got so they can prepare for the off season.

Redskins' Revenge Over G-Men, Colts Beat Lions in Comeback Win, McElroy Time? (and more)

Week 13 of the NFL season finished last night with the New York Giants going down to Washington DC to face the Redskins. In a nail biting game back in October, the Giants managed to have the last laugh is  a close game 27-23. This time, however, had the Redskins laughing last. Being down by 6, the Redskins managed to drive 86 yards in 12 plays from the late 3rd into the 4th quarter that resulted in a go ahead TD. Robert Griffin III managed to connect with Pierre Garcon for a lead grabbing 8 yard touchdown pass. The Giants can't get anything going on two more drives while the Redskins killed the clock at the end. Redskins win it by one 17-16. Washington is now 6-6 and still alive for the postseason.

Sunday, itself, was highlighted by Andrew Luck leading a comeback win for the Colts against the Lions. Detroit was up by 12 with 8:41 left in the game and the Colts somehow managed to pass them by. Andrew Luck threw a 42 TD pass to LaVon Brazill to bring them to within 5. Then, as time expired, Luck threw the game winning TD pass to Donnie Avery for 14 yards for the win 35-33. The unlikely season for them continues as the Colts are now 8-4. The Lions nightmare season, meanwhile, doesn't end as they are 4-8 and have lost 4 in a row.

As for the rest of Week 13, Mark Sanchez was finally benched but not for Tebow as Timmy was injured. Greg McElroy comes in and manages to get the game's only TD in the 4th quarter on a one yard pass to Jeff Cumberland. Jets beat the visiting Cardinals 7-6. The Seahawks managed to beat the Bears in OT 23-17 in an exciting finish. Russell Wilson hit Sidney Rice for the game winning 13 yard TD pass in OT. The Steelers steal a win from the Ravens in Baltimore 23-20 with Charlie Batch in as Pittsburgh's starter. Batch managed to keep it together after an interception as he threw the game tying TD and then managed to lead the Steelers down field for a game winning FG as time expired. I'll end by mentioning the Denver Broncos beating the Buccaneers 31-23 and clinch the AFC West. Peyton Manning threw for 242 yards and 3 TDs with just one INT in this division clinching win.

4 weeks to go and while the playoff picture seems clearer, not everything is decided. Down the stretch they come.

P.S. For my report on the 49ers loss to the Rams, click here. Be sure to check out the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for my take on the team before and after the game.

Thanksgiving Football: Blowouts and an OT

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving day. If not, three football games hopefully took your mind off that fact.

The first one ended up being a close finish. The Texans and the Lions played a back and forth game and then some. Every time that the Lions got in front, the Texans came back. Houston didn't grab the lead until the overtime winning field goal that gave them the win 34-31. Both teams had over 1000 yards of combined offense in this game but it's the Texans that get the win and possibly end the postseason chase for the Lions.

The next game featured the traditional Cowboys and Indians match up but this time with Robert Griffin III. The Redskins came to Dallas to play the Cowboys in their traditional home Thanksgiving game and from the start RG3 owned this game. RG3 threw for 311 passing yards for 4 TDs and one INT. The Redskins went up 28-3 by halftime. The Cowboys didn't go away and tried to come back but they ended up losing to the Redskins 38-31 anyway. Tony Romo threw the ball 62 times in this one for 441 yards and 3 TDs but he also threw 2 INTs. This was also Romo's first loss as Cowboys QB on Thanksgiving.

The last "game" of the day was the Patriots coming into New Jersey and putting the Jets to bed and not with Turkey. A crazy 2nd quarter which involved 3 Tom Brady TD throws and a couple of fumbles returned for TDs gave the Pats 35 points in the quarter alone. The Jets ended up turning the ball over 5 times with 4 of those by fumbles. The Pats destroy the Jets 49-19 and dash any remaining chance for a postseason for NYJ.

I am thankful that yesterday featured a great day of football for us all to enjoy. Hope it wasn't all you did though. Now I got to go. I got leftover Pumpkin Pie for breakfast.

P.S. Can the Jets open their Christmas present early this year?

Cowboys Beat Eagles in the Battle of Disapointments and More

As week 10 in the NFL began, two teams stood out among the rest as underachievers, jokes, and all around embarrassments. These two were the Cowboys and the Eagles. Both entered this week at 3-5 and both were looking to keep their seasons alive and avoid media scrutiny.

The game between these two stay close for a bit even when Michael Vick had to leave because of a concussion sustained in the 2nd quarter. Nick Foles came in and was average. The Cowboys, however, started to pull away in the 4th quarter with Dwayne Harris getting a 78 yard punt return for a TD. Then Foles threw an interception that was returned for a 47 yard TD by Brandon Carr. The Eagles did get a TD (missing the extra point) to make it an 8 point game but failed a comeback as Nick Foles was sacked in his own end zone fumbling the ball and being recovered by Jason Hatcher for a Cowboys TD. Cowboys win it 38-23. Cowboys are now 4-5 and the Eagles fall to 3-6 with Andy Reid starting to look for a new job on Craigslist.

As for the other games across the league, the Texans go to Chicago on Sunday night and beat the Bears 13-6. Jay Cutler left the game with a concussion leaving the Bears with no offense. Didn't stop him from throwing 2 INTs before he left, though. Giants get shocked by the Bengals in Cincy 31-13. Giants committed 4 turnovers including 2 INTs by Eli Manning. The Falcons are no longer undefeated as the Saints hold on to beat them 31-27. Can you hear the annoying cork popping by the '72 Dolphins? Last one I'll mention is that the Seahawks beat the Jets 28-7. Jets look awful again while the Seahawks still haven't lost at home this season (5-0 at home).

Week 10 ends tomorrow night with the Chiefs playing the Steelers.

P.S. For my take on the 49ers tie game with the Rams, click here. Be sure to check out the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for take on the team before and after the game.

Falcons Still Undefeated, Texans Are Not, Pats Upset by Another NFC West Team and More

Week 6 was a wake up call for a few teams.

One of those teams was the Houston Texans. The Packers came to Houston to take on the Texans and told them and the rest of the league that they can still destroy another team. Aaron Rodgers unloaded on the Texans with 6 TD passes and 338 passing yards. Rodgers and the Packers jumped to an early lead and never let the Texans catch up. Matt Schaub did poorly throwing 2 picks and no TDs. The Texans just didn't play up to par before their fans or the country. Packers win 42-24. Texans are now 5-1 and no longer undefeated.

There is only one undefeated team left in the NFL and even they had a scare in week 6. The Atlanta Falcons hosted the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders should be an easy opponent to get by but they made it a bit difficult. Matt Ryan got picked off three times in this game and threw one TD in this game to Roddy White in the 2nd quarter. Meanwhile, the Raiders had 474 total yards on offense while the Falcons only had 286. The Falcons still were able to win it in the end with the Falcons making a quick drive down the field to score a 55 yard FG by Matt Bryant with one second remaining. Falcons win barely 23-20 and stay undefeated.

The rest of the NFL had some interesting games. The Patriots got upset again by another NFC West Team as the Seahawks win it 24-23 with a late 46 yard TD pass from Russell Wilson to Sidney Rice being the decider. Seahawks are now 4-2 and tied with the 49ers and the Cardinals in NFC West. The Cowboys lose to the Ravens 31-29 as Dan Bailey misses a 52 yarder to win it for Dallas. The Cowboys might've been able to get one more play off before kicking a FG but they all had to hustle to find out. The Lions beat the Eagles in OT 26-23 with Jason Hanson making the 45 yard FG to win it. Michael Vick threw two interceptions as the Eagles are lost. Last game I'll mention involves the Jets beating the Colts 35-9. Shonn Greene ran for 161 yards and 3 TDs on the ground just carrying the Jets to a win and stopping the Tebow talk for now.

Thank goodness this day is over. Week 6 ends tonight with the Broncos taking on the Chargers on Monday Night.

P.S. To read my take on what went wrong for the 49ers in week 6, click here. Check out the 49ers section at Prosportsblogging.com for my scoop on the team before and after the game.

Is It Tebow Time Yet?

Unless it is Tebow time, this is going to be a short posting.

Texans went to New York, beat the Jets 23-17, Mark Sanchez once again looks awful. Texans, meanwhile, undefeated at 5-0 with Arian Foster doing much of the work today with 29 carries, 152 rushing yards, and a TD. Jets, meanwhile, fall under .500 at 2-3.

The Jets have a lot problems on both sides of the ball that don't have to do with Mark Sanchez. But quite frankly Sanchez is not helping his team. Except for week 1, Sanchez has been awful for the Jets. 5 INTs vs. 3 TD passes with a completion percentage under 50%. They say that Tebow can't throw above 50% but you know what he can do better than Sanchez? He can run. Right now Sanchez is not proving he can be a more effective QB than Tebow at QB and that is a troubling.

The Jets have certainly put a lot of pressure on him but Mark Sanchez has to respond positively to the pressure. Athletes are determined by how they respond to the pressure around them (fair or unfair) and Mark Sanchez is right now failing that test.

Manning's Fine Broncos Debut, RG3 King of the Rookies, Jets Score a Lot and More

The first NFL Sunday of the year passed by with a lot of stories to talk about. One of which was Peyton Manning.

Manning made his Broncos debut and at Mile High where they faced the visiting Steelers. Manning got off to a slow start not using the offense that he is use to. When they did switch to the no huddle style of Manning's, it was fantastic. Manning threw two TDs on the day which got him over the 400 mark for a career, the first of which was a 71 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas. The Broncos did win the game thanks to a late pick six by Tracy Porter to seal the deal. Final was 31-19.

There were a lot of rookie QB's on showcase yesterday and they stunk for the most part with the notable exception being Robert Griffin III. The Redskins and RG3 went into the Superdome to take on the angered Saints and they surprisingly came out on top. RG3 threw for 2 TDs on the day including the one in the first quarter to Pierre Garcon for 88 yards. RG3 went 19/26 with 320 passing yards and also ran the ball 10 times for 42 yards. Meanwhile, Drew Brees looked sub par going 24/52 with 339 passing yards, 3 TD passes, and 2 INTs. The debuting RG3 and the Redskins upset the Saints 40-32.

While that was a surprising outcome, the Jets shocked me more. Despite a lack of preseason TDs, there was no shortage going against Buffalo. They managed 4 offensive TDs with the first three of them being 3 TD passes from Mark Sanchez (not Tebow). One of his finest performaces ever as Sanchez goes 19/27 with 266 passing yards, 3 TD passes, and 1 INT. Jets pick apart the Bills 48-28.

As for some other games, the Patriots beat the Titans 31-13 as Brady threw for 236 yards and 2 TDs. They actually had a running game here with 162 yards on the ground with 125 of that coming from Steven Ridley. Both the Lions and the Eagles escape upsets. Detroit beat St. Louis 27-23 and Philly beats Cleveland 17-16. Matthew Stafford threw 1 TD and 3 INTs while Vick threw 2 TDs and 4 INTs. Then Russell Wilson and the Seahawks almost beat the Cardinals with less than a half minute remaining in part because of the officiating crew forgot how many TO's Seattle had. Luckily for Arizona, Braylon Edwards drops what so should've been the winning score and the Cardinals win 20-16.

An eventful first Sunday across the NFL as there were plenty of surprises. I'm sure if you're a Jets fan you do like that. Week 1 wraps up tonight with two Monday Night games with the first being Bengals vs. Ravens and the second being Chargers vs. Raiders.

P.S. To see my full scoop on the 49ers beating the Packers, click here. Be sure to visit the 49ers section at prosportsblogging.com for my take on the 49ers each week before and after the games.

2012 AFC East Preview: Can Anyone Contend with the Pats?

The answer to the question above seems to be "Who cares? When will Tim Tebow start for the Jets?

The most talked about team during the preseason and training camp has been the New York Jets and it's not because they are contenders for the Super Bowl. It's Tim Tebow drawing the attention in and everyone trying to figure out when he will be starting for the team. The official party line is that Mark Sanchez is still QB for the Jets and while he will be in week 1 it's a forgone conclusion that at some point Tim Tebow will take the job away. This Jets offense has stunk in the preseason and while the games don't matter, they still look atrocious. This whole season might be a wash no matter who is behind center (or in shotgun). Your seat looks hot, Rex.

As for the other teams, the Bills have a chance. They showed last year that they can play ball and even though they went through a really rough patch, they still looked good at times. Getting Mario Williams will help that defense and could get them over the .500 mark. The Dolphins will have a wash this season in which they will be concerned with Ryan Tannehill and his development.

The favorite is clearly the Patriots and this is one of those picks that seems like a guarantee. Securing up the TE positions for years to come with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez makes Tom Brady happy and having Brandon Lloyd is not bad either. That defense, however, has been sub par and they never really dominated on that side of the ball since their Super Bowl winning years. It could change this year considering that their draft last spring was basically a defensive theme but I just don't have a good vibe for that defense.

Of course the Pats have to be considered for more than just a division. Finishing with a bye week in the postseason is a possibility and going to the Super Bowl is another.

P.S. Week 6 is when Tim Tebow takes over as the starter. Those first five weeks are basically killers and week 6 vs. the Colts might be the best time to make a QB change.