Super Bowl XLVIII Preview/Prediction

By: Bradley Stewart

This is the type of Super Bowl the Football Gods have dreamed of.  The best defense against the best offense.  Wilson vs Manning.  Sherman vs Thomas. This is going to be great.

Analysis

Advantages for Broncos:

No 12th Man :  Seattle's 12th man has caused the most false starts since 2010.  But since it isn't in Seattle, the Broncos O-Line, doesn't have anything to worry about.

Experience:  The Broncos team is older than the Seahawks.  There is no question about.  For the Broncos : Welker, Mannning, and Prater.  While for the Seahawks : Wilson, Lynch, Sherman.  The Broncos team overall has played more games which could be huge.

Peyton Manning:  Obviously the best QB in the league.  Especially this season, 5,467 yards, 55 TD's, and a QB rating of 115.1, will make you say "Wow!".

Underrated Rushing Game:  When people think of the Broncos, they think of Peyton Manning immediately.  While Kowshon Moreno was a 1,000 yard rusher, with 10 touchdowns.  Don't overlook Moreno or Montee Ball.

Richard Sherman:  After Sherman's rant after the NFC Championship,  the undecided rooters turned to the Broncos. I'm sure Peyton Manning would love to light him up after that. (See other section for more)

Receiving Core:  The Broncos' receiving core is ridiculous.  Wes Welker, Julilus Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, and Eric Decker.  Too many capable hands to compete against a good secondary.  Except some big plays.

Defense:  Everyone criticizes the Broncos' defenses, but for good reason.  They rank 27th in the NFL in Passing Yards.  But in the past 4 games, the Broncos have given up 17 points or less, while stuffing the run.  Remember LaGarrette Blount? 4 touchdowns to nothing.

Russell Wilson:  Wilson hasn't been the same since Week 13.  Throwing 5 interceptions in the pass six games.  He has been sacked 7 times in the playoffs, and we know Denver likes to rush the passer.


Advantages for Seahawks:

Defense:  This is going to be the sixth time the #1 defense has faced the #1 offense in the Super Bowl. The defense is 4-1.  Also, the Seahawks defense doesn't give up points, they have given up more than 20 points only three times all season, while holding offenses to under 14 points, eight times.

Percy Harvin: The king of the PUP-List is scheduled to make a return in the Super Bowl.  Harvin adds even more to this dynamic offense.  If Harvin plays except Sweeps and Hail Marys.

Receiving Core:  Seattle's receiving core may look bad against the Bronco's all-star core, but don't mark me wrong.  Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin are both 50+ catch receivers, while coming up big in the playoffs.  And don't forget about Percy Harvin.

The Odds: Denver is favored to beat the Seahawks.  And over the past four seasons, the underdog has won the Super Bowl every time, and five out of the past six.  While adding that the Seahawks are 17-5-1, when the spread has been against them in the past three seasons.

Jerseys:  I know this sounds crazy, but it's not.  The Broncos are wearing orange jerseys.  In the Super Bowl, the Broncos are 0-3, while wearing their orange jersey.  While Seattle is wearing white tops with blue pants, a combo where they are 2-0 at this year, including a 23-0 win over the Giants in Met Life Stadium.

Richard Sherman:  Richard Sherman wants to prove that he is as good as he is saying.  Expect a big day from him.  Win or lose.

Weather:  The Seahawks are built to blizzards, monsoons, droughts, etc..  They can handle anything.  It is going to be snowy in New Jersey.  The Broncos are built on Manning, who is 4-7 in under 32 degree weather.  Remember snow.



Betting Odds: Denver -2.5
Above Odds: Denver 8, Seattle 7
Advantage: Denver Broncos

Overview

There is nothing really big going on publicity about this Super Bowl.  Except Richard Sherman.
Here's what I think:

He's disrespected.  People can think what they want, but nothing is ever going to change the fact that he is a smart and competitive guy.  This is football we are talking about, not tennis.  Trash-talking is apart of the game.  The game was still going on in his head.  He was pouring out his emotions.  Crabtree gave him crap, so he gave it back.  He is the best cornerback in the league.  He does backs up what he says with facts, unlike Skip Bayless (Sherman's own words).  Get off his back.  If you can't handle trash-talk, get out of the game.  Most of the people I've talked to say "This is why I hate Seattle." or "That's why I'm rooting for the Broncos.".  I can't help but thinking, "Be quiet."  If Erin Andrews hadn't interviewed him he wouldn't have said that.  Get off his back.  There is trash-talk in every football game, and the only reason people care about this one is that he is playing in the Super Bowl.  Everyone who knows him says he was a nice guy.  Which is why I am rooting for him, to prove Bayless and his haters wrong.

Prediction:

Here is the box score of my prediction:

As you can see, the 1st Quarter is dominated by field goals.  In the 2nd Quarter Manning's touchdown pass to Thomas, makes it 13-3 Broncos.

The Broncos are up 10 at the half.  But here comes the Seahawks.  A 20-yard touchdown run from Marshawn Lynch and a Steven Hauschka field goal makes it a tie game going into the 4th Quarter.

Instant classic!  Manning hits Welker, early in the 4th Quarter.  This gives the Broncos a 20-13 lead.  Another Steven Hauschka field goal makes it 20-16 with under 5 minutes left.  A Knowshon Moreno turnover, lets the Seahawks get the ball back.  Russell Wilson drives down the field, and with under 1 minute left, Russell Wilson hits Percy Harvin, to make it 23-20.

But the game is still not over.  Peyton Manning drives down the field.  But instead of trying to kick a chip shot field goal, the Broncos try and win it.  But they fail.  Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Champions!

This is happening.

While this is happening.

And That's All I Got To Say 'Bout That!

The Space Jam Controversy

By: Bradley Stewart

For those of you who has seen Space Jam starring Bugs Bunny and Micheal Jordan.  You all know how it ended.  MJ stretches his arm from half-court and drops the ball in the hoop as time expires for the win. See Below.

But did the Tune Squad really need a miracle and a comeback?  DID THEY?!  No, they didn't!  The refs, were terrible.  They were absolutley horrendous.  In a game against 3 12-footers.  And 2 guys with spikes coming out of their heads.  Of course, there are going to be fouls.  There was not a foul called in the game.  The rooster for the Tune Squad, was burned alive on the court.  The Monstars killed Foghorn Leghorn in front of his teammates.  But they kept on fighting.  There is not a team in the current NBA, continue to play after a guy on their team got killed.

Here is a look at some of the fouls that should have been called, but weren't.

A monstar tackles Granny on the sideline. 

 A MonStar spins MJ around.

 Two toons blows up a Monstar.

 Blown away again.

 First seconds of the game,  a Monstar throws away Bugs.

 Tweety beats up a Monstar.

 This one sums it up.

 And this is just weird.

Now, the question is why was the game poorly officiated?  The lone ref was a toon.  They Toon Squad should have had the advantage, from calls.  Maybe it was because he was scared.  

But the Tune Squad came back and won the game.  As David Larson says, "It was incredible, all of it.  I've never seen anything like it, and I don't think we'll see anything like it again."  I agree David.  

Here is a box score from the game:

So what happened after the game?  The Monstars disbanded and killed their owner by shoving him up onto a distant planet, killing on impact.  The Tune Squad never played another game.  They remain, UNDEFEATED.

And That's All I Got To Say 'Bout That!

Championship Round Playoff Predictions

By: Bradley Stewart

These predictions I have had sense, the day after the playoffs were set, being who is going to the Super Bowl.

Patriots 45, Broncos 42: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.  Two of the greatest QB's of all time.  In a match up for the Super Bowl.  While Manning starts off strong and looks like the Broncos are heading to New Jersey.  But Tom Brady wants one more ring, so he gets his entire offense and talks with them.  Then score 28 points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

Seahawks 17, 49ers 3:  This is going to be a very loud and boring game.  The 12th man makes an impact early, off of Kaepernick's 3 Turnovers.  Seahawks vs Patriots for the Super Bowl.

And That's All I Got To Say 'Bout That!

NFL Divisional Round Playoff Predictions

By: Bradley Stewart

OK.  Tough start, 0-4.  OK, terrible start. OK, the worst start possible.  But I still have three more rounds to make up for it.  Here is my NFL Divisional Round Playoff Predictions.

Seahawks 34, Saints 28 : Russel Wilson and Marshawn Lynch work well against the Saint's D-Line.  The read-option will have a game to go the the Super Bowl.  Brees's 3 TD's and Graham's 2 aren't enough.

Patriots 17, Colts 14: Adam Vinatari reunites with New England.  But this is the type of reunion that was poorly planned.  The Colts jump out early with a TY Hilton touchdown.  Going into the 4th Quarter, the Pats are down 14-0.  But some late Brady magic and a Gronk TD.  Puts the Patriots into most likely OT.  But Andrew Luck's INT with less than a minute left and a Brady 35-yard pass to Edelman, Stephan Gostowski kicks the game-winning field goal as time expires.

Panthers 42, 49ers 27:  Cam Newton and Steve Smith comeback strong.  The Panthers start with a 21-3 start.  And at half the 49ers are down 28-10.  The 49ers win the 2nd Half, but dug themselves into to deep of a whole to start.

Broncos 52, Chargers 31:  The Broncos are looking for revenge from the late-season upset.  And the will, easily.  Manning's 5 TD's leads the way, past Danny Woodhead's 2.

And That's All I Have To Say About That!

Notre Dame Stuns Duke in First ACC Game

By: Bradley Stewart

Notre Dame was in the Big East on June 30, 2013. The next day the Fighting Irish officially joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Their move was announced on September 12, 2012 during a press conference.
The Irish 9-4 entering the game, had already played against two ranked teams this season, Ohio State and Iowa.  The Buckeyes and Hawkeyes had beaten Notre Dame by 3 and 5 points.  Close games? Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Notre Dame is that good of a basketball team.  On Saturday, they proved they were.

In the first half of the game,  it was fairly even.  The largest lead of the half was Duke up 5, with 14:44 left in the half.  The rest of the half the team in the lead had it no larger than 4.  The half ended with the Blue Devils up 37-35.
                                    Below: Jabrai Parker and Erik Atkins battle for a loose ball.

It was much difference in the 2nd Half.  Andre Dawkins' 3-Pointer with 11:39 left gave Duke a 60-50 lead on the Irish.  The game is basically over.  Duke, historically, whenever they are up double digits always wins.  Will that is historically.  Duke has blown leads this season against Kansas, Vermont, and Arizona.  All of those games were in November.  Duke lost them all, except for the game against Vermont.  In December Duke proved to be a good and not overrated team with double-digit wins against two ranked teams, UCLA and Michigan.  Duke was hot in December, but this is January. Then Notre Dame went on a 20-4 run in a span of 8:15 to take a 70-64 lead.  

                               Below: Pat Connaughton dunks over Duke's true freshman Jabari Parker.

But with a minute left, after two Quinn Cook free throws Duke was only down 74-73.  Lets skip to when there is 9 seconds left.  Rodney Hood commits a turnover.  Duke, down 77-75 fouls Demetrius Jackson.  Jackson nails the two free throws to give Notre Dame a 79-75 lead.  The game is over right?  Wrong.  Quinn Cook of Duke drives but misses.  Amile Jefferson gets the rebound and puts it back in with 1 second to spare.  But still Duke still has a chance to win.  The options were to steal the ball and score,  foul and have the Notre Dame player miss one of the two free throws.  

Pat Connaughton is throwing the ball inbounds and throws the ball too half court.  Tyler Thornton then steals the ball from midair and shoots it from half court, only to fail miserably.  You are probably thinking "Oh well, Duke needed a miracle to win anyway.".  Wrong.

There was no one behind Tyler Thornton.  Had he let the ball sail over his head and roll out of bounds Duke would receive the ball underneath the hoop they were scoring in.  Coach K probably has a successful inbound play.  They could try and tie with a two or win with a three, as Duke has five guys (Cook, Parker, Sulaimon, Dawkins, and Hood) who can make threes easily if they are open.  With that being said Duke was a "jump" away from winning or sending that game into overtime. 

Rodney Hood led Duke in points with 27.  Cook had 22 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.  Parker went 3/15 from the field in this game, only scoring 7 points.  Parker was taken out because he was under-performing.  Amile Jefferson make a big impact of the bench for the Blue Devils scoring 4 points and led both teams with 9 rebounds.

Eric Atikins led the Irish with 19 points.  Atkins had a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists.  Steve Vasturia hit three, big, threes off the bench. Garrick Sherman scored 14 points and had 8 rebounds.   Pat Connaughton would be my vote for player of the game.  He had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.  

When you look at the key team stats between Duke and Notre Dame, some major stats jump out.  Notre Dame shot 52% from the field, while Duke only shot 41%.  Notre Dame out-rebounded the Blue Devils 39-30.  This game was not scrappy on 12 turnovers for the entire game.  And the reason the Fighting Irish defeated the Blue Devils was that they shot 11% better than Duke.

NFL Playoff Predictions - Wild Card

By: Bradley Stewart

The NFL playoffs have begun!  Here are my predictions.

Chiefs 31, Colts 20

Andy Reid, Alex Smith, and Jamall Charles handle the overrated Colts in a game that is close down to the end.  Smith hits Bowe in the endzone to ice the game with under 2:00 minutes left.

Eagles 45, Saints 38

The Saints jump out to an early lead, but LeSean McCoy comes out crazy in the second half scoring 3 touchdowns (2 Rushing, 1 Receiving).  But Nick Foles and DeSean Jackson comes out and hit a hail mary with under a minute to clinch the victory.

Bengals 38, Chargers 10

The Chargers are the most overrated team in the league.  The Steelers should be playing the Bengals on Sunday, but come out strong.  At half the Chargers are only down 7, but BJGE leads the Bengals to a crushing defeat of the Chargers.

Packers 28, 49ers 27

The Packers ride Aaron Rodgers to a comeback victory over the 49ers.  Down 13 with 5 minutes left.  A Rodgers TD and a Kaepernick turnover.  Leads to a Rodgers to Cobb touch down to win!

Top Games --- College Football Edition

By: Bradley Stewart

Here is a quick look at the top games in 2013.

The top games in 2013:

#4.  Alabama 49, Texas A&M 42 :  This game was easily one of the most talked about and hyped games before the season.  With AJ Macarron and Johnny Manziel, this was going to be a great game.  However Alabama jumped out to a 35-14 lead in the 3rd Quarter.  But Johnny Football worked some of his magic.  Leading a comeback that fell just short.

BWSN Score: 8/10

#3. Ohio State 42, Michigan 41 : This game was not necessarily a top game going into the season, but in The Game, it will always will be.  Ohio State and Michigan traded scores for nearly the whole game.  But when Michigan scored with 30 seconds left, they were left with a descion to make.  Go for the two and probably the win, or send it to overtime with a PAT.  Michigan decided to go for two, but fell short.  Handing the Buckeyes a 42-41 victory in the Big House.

BWSN Score: 8.5/10

#2.  Auburn 43, Georgia 38 : This game before the season, would have been a blow out.  But thanks to injuries for Georgia and a surprising start for Auburn, this turned into a Instant Classic.  Aaron Murray led Georgia down the field to give the Dawgs a 38-37 lead.  But soon came the magic.  Thanks to a tipped pass Ricardo Louis got the ball and scored a 73-yard touchdown.  The failed 2-pt conversion gave Auburn the 43-38 victory.

BWSN Score: 9.5

#1.  Auburn 34, Alabama 28 : OK, you guys know all about this one.  Here is the end of game breakdown.  The game is tied at 28 with close to none time left on the clock.  The Tide has the ball in Auburn's territory but a long field goal.  It appears that time has expired but thanks to Nick Sabans complaining to the refs, they put 0:01 seconds on the clock.  Adam Griffith is on to try and kick the game-winning 57 yard field goal.  He makes it, Bama wins.  He misses, it goes to OT. Right, Nick Saban?  Sorry, Saban the answer to that question is false.  Griffith misses the field goal short and Chris Davis returns it 109 yards (officially 100--NCAA doesn't measure the end zones) for the win.  Bedlam in Jordan-Hare.

BWSN Score: 15/10