Who Wins 2013 NL MVP?

With the 2013 baseball season coming to a close, the National League has had its fair share of players who could definitely be considered for Most Valuable Player. I honestly believe that it’s going to come down to a list of four players that have done more than enough for consideration for this award.

1. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Atlanta Braves
In his third full season, the young first baseman for the Atlanta Braves is putting up quite the season, with a .317 batting average to go along with 23 HR’s and 107 RBI’s. Being one of the cornerstones of the Atlanta Braves franchise, Freddie Freeman provided a constant source of power, especially during times when Justin Upton was cold at the plate. He is one of the reasons why the Atlanta Braves have been near the top of the National League for a majority of the season and with the superstar potential he has, the Braves could be contending for multiple World Series’ to come.

2. Andrew McCutchen, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Perhaps the most exciting player on this list, Andrew McCutchen has been the catalyst of  the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last few years, finally paying off this year with not only their first  winning season since 1992, but also their first playoff appearance since 1992. Although he is  regressed a little bit in the second half, McCutchen has put up a very solid line of a .317 batting  average to go along with 21 HR’s and 84 RBI’s and even 27 SB’s. Now that the players around  him have finally developed, the Pittsburgh Pirates look to be serious playoff contenders and  possibly World Series contenders for years to come.

3. Matt Carpenter, 2B, St. Louis Cardinals
This one was a tough choice because Yadier Molina is also a very important piece to the success of the St. Louis Cardinals, but I’m going with the young second baseman because of his versatility at the top of the lineup. Leading the NL in both runs scored and hits to go along with a .320 batting average, Matt Carpenter has been one of the primary catalysts for St. Louis having the best record in the National League. Him getting on base allows for the power bats such as Molina and Carlos Beltran to drive in the runs and if he continues to progress, he can one of the best leadoff hitters for years to come.

4. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
If the Arizona Diamondbacks won the division, then Paul Goldschmidt would definitely have the award in the bag because of the huge season that he’s having. With a .302 batting average to go along with 36 HR’s and 124 RBI’s, he’s having an MVP like year in only his second full season. Unfortunately, what will hurt him in the MVP race is the team that surrounds him and that the Diamondbacks fell out of the division race pretty early in the second half of the year. He has nowhere to go but up and he’s going to win MVP’s down the road if he continues on this road.

5. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers
Generally, it’s very difficult for pitchers to win an MVP award considering they have their own Cy Young award, but it has happened, most recently Justin Verlander in 2011. With a line that includes a 16-9 record, 232 K’s, a .915 WHIP, and an ERA of 1.83 (lowest ERA in NL since 1995), Clayton Kershaw has the possibility of taking both awards this year. He has pitched in games where he has given up 2 or fewer runs to the tune of either a no decision or a loss, hence why he has 9 losses when he could have had possibly only 4 or 5 and a few more wins. And winning the ERA crown for the third straight year is the cherry on top for this superstar ace of the Dodgers.

My Final Opinion
With a wide open race this year, it’s very difficult for me to pick a clear winner for NL MVP. All five of the candidates have their own merits that would be considered worthy of the award. In my opinion, I think the award is going to go to Andrew McCutchen, giving consideration to the fact that the Pirates finally got the monkey off their back and made it to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years.

NL MVP: Andrew McCutchen

Written by Executive Producer Gregory Delaney

Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays Set To Go In Play In Game

This is a win or go home situation for both of these clubs. Game 163 is set to go tonight as the Tampa Bay Rays head to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. The winner gets the final wild card spot in the American League, and will have to head to Cleveland on Wednesday to play the Indians.

This game is being played in Texas based on the head to head matchups between the two teams this season. Texas took four of seven from the Rays this year, and will head home for the one game playoff. Tampa Bay dropped two of three to the Blue Jays over the weekend, but won Sunday to force the playoff. The Rangers, after struggling for much of September, closed the regular season with seven straight wins to advance to Game 163.

Texas really needed to play desperate ball down the stretch, as for the early part of September, the Rangers really struggled to win ball games. But they found their mojo late in the year, winning their final seven games of the season to force this playoff. Going into the final stretch, it looked like having Nelson Cruz out of the Rangers lineup was going to hurt them, as Cruz was out due to the steroid suspension. But the Rangers found a way to pull together, pick up the pieces and force the one game playoff.

As for the Rays, they had floated around the wild card spots for the entire season, but I feel dropping two of three against Toronto in the final weekend made things more interesting than they had to be. Tampa has been a little more consistent this year than the Rangers have, and this one game will decide who moves on and who goes home.

On the mound for the Rangers is going to be left-hander Martin Perez. Perez finished the year 11-9 with a 4.01 ERA and has had a good year playing for the Rangers, after getting called up from Triple-A. So Ron Washington is showing bigtime confidence in Perez to have him start this game.

Another big plus for the Rangers in this contest is going to be the returning Nelson Cruz. He will be activated and in the lineup for the playoff game. With Cruz out of the lineup, the Rangers went 29-21. Cruz has not played in a regular-season game since Aug. 4. He was hitting .269 with 27 home runs, 76 RBIs and a .511 slugging percentage at the time he was suspended.

So with Cruz back in the lineup, it throws in a bit of a monkey wrench into the plans for Rays Starter David Price. He was 9-8 with a 3.39 ERA. Price comes into Monday's matchup sporting a 2.73 ERA in his last four starts, but he's facing a squad he has been anything but dominant against throughout his career. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is 1-4 with a 5.98 ERA in eight starts career starts against Texas -- including a 10.26 mark in four starts in Arlington.

For the Rays to have a chance to win tonight, they have to slow down the Texas baserunners. The Rangers were second in the Majors with 148 stolen bases this season, with five different players reaching double figures. Rays catchers caught only 21 percent (32-of-150) of basestealers this season, tied for the third-worst mark in the Majors. So if you slow down the Rangers on the base paths, then you have a bigtime chance to win.  The Rangers are going with the rookie in Perez on the hill, but with the way he has pitched as of late, he really doesn't look like a rookie. The 22-year-old is 7-2 with a 3.26 ERA in his past 10 starts. A smart move by Rangers management, they will have Alexi Ogando and Matt Garza available out of the bullpen to back Perez, who has not yet faced Tampa Bay this season.

Finally, this is the fourth time in the last seven seasons that there has been a game 163!

Henderson Alverez No Hits The Detroit Tigers

In a season that has been marked by bad baseball, the Miami Marlins end the season on a very high note. Not only did they close out the season with a three game sweep of the AL Central Champions the Detroit Tigers, they did so behind Henderson Alverez and his no hitter, the third in the big leagues this year. Alverez joins Homer Bailey (July 2nd) and Tim Lincecum (July 13th) to throw no no's in the bigs this season. And the kicker with this no hitter is, Alverez had to wait for the Marlins to score a run in the bottom of the 9th to make it stand up. This game ended on a wild pitch. Giancarlo Stanton crossed the plate standing up when a breaking ball skipped to the backstop, and Alvarez had his no-hitter, beating the Tigers on the final day of the regular season Sunday, 1-0.

Alverez struck out four, walked one and hit one batter. It was a patchwork Tigers lineup, as they had already clinched a playoff spot and division title. But lets not take anything away from Alverez, he still had to be on his game in order to get the no-hitter. It doesn't matter whether its a patchwork lineup, or the Tigers regulars, it still counts as a no-hitter in the record books all the same. It was the fourth season-ending no-hitter ever, and first since Mike Witt of the Angels threw a perfect game at Texas in 1984. In 1975, Vida Blue and three Oakland relievers combined to no-hit the Angels and in 1892, Bumpus Jones of Cincinnati did it against Pittsburgh, according to STATS. So this was a big day for baseball. This isn't the first time a Marlins pitcher has thrown a no hitter. It is actually the 5th in franchise history. The other four are:

Sept. 6, 2006 Anibal Sanchez vs. D-backs 2-0 W
May 12, 2001 A.J. Burnett vs. Padres 3-0 W
June 10, 1997 Kevin Brown vs. Giants 9-0 W
May 11, 1996 Al Leiter vs. Rockies 11-0 W

Of the 282 no-hitters in history, it was the only one to end on a wild pitch, according to STATS. And it was the first walk-off complete-game no-hitter since Virgil Trucks of the Tigers threw one on May 15, 1952, against Washington. So its a great way to end the season for the Marlins!

Looking Back At The QB’S Taken In The 1st Round Of The 2009 NFL Draft

With Josh Freeman getting benched by the Tamp Bay Buccaneers this week and immediately demanding a trade, it’s safe to say that the QB’s from the first round of the 2009 have more or less been disappointing in their tenures. The franchises in discussion, the New York Jets, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Detroit Lions, have been labeled as a few of the NFL’s more dysfunctional franchises and were in need of franchise QB’s after the seasons they came off of (Detroit’s 0-16 the most noteworthy). Let’s take a look back and see how these QB’s performed for their respective teams.

MATTHEW STAFFORD (#1 OVERALL PICK, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, DETROIT LIONS)
Probably the most talented out of the trio, Matt Stafford has put up some impressive numbers, but there have been some questions regarding his durability and his ability to come up in the clutch at times. With a compliment of offensive weapons, most notably Calvin Johnson, Stafford brought some stability to a QB position in Detroit that hasn’t been stable in quite some time. With his gifted tools, there are some times where he throws a high number of picks, which prevents him from being one of the elite QB’s in the league, and in addition to that, he has had a number of injuries, most notably regarding his shoulder. He needs to have consistent regular seasons that lead to playoff appearances and wins, but that more or less falls on Detroit not having a solid defense. If Detroit had a re-do, I honestly think they would still pick Matt Stafford
because of the physical tools that he brings to the table. A solid pick indeed!

MARK SANCHEZ (#5 OVERALL PICK, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, NEW YORK JETS)
Out of the three, Mark Sanchez had the most success coming out of the gate, going to not one but two straight AFC Championship games. With that being said, Mark has been plagued with inconsistent play throughout his career, most notably the past two seasons where he has had the most turnovers than any other QB (And the distinct owner of the Butt Fumble). Most people will agree that while he was a pretty effective game manager and made some big plays during the Jets’ run to the AFC Championship games, he wasn’t the primary reason for their success. There have been times where Sanchez has made mistakes that a seasoned veteran like him shouldn’t make, and this is one of the factors in the decision to draft Geno Smith. After getting hurt in the preseason, the chances of seeing Sanchez play another down for the Jets are pretty slim. If the Jets had a re-do, I think they would go after another player knowing what they got out of
Sanchez.

JOSH FREEMAN (#17 OVERALL PICK, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS)
Now, in my honest opinion, Josh Freeman is the wild card in the bunch. On one hand, he has all of the physical tools to be a great QB, but on the other hands, his progression has been pretty slow to where he makes some pretty boneheaded decisions. He did have his best overall season in 2010, but besides that, has not done a whole lot with the team besides putting up solid stats. Perhaps the best situation for Josh Freeman would have to be on another team that can utilize his skills while at the same time correcting his decision making, for that’ll be the only way that he succeeds in the NFL. If Tampa Bay had a re-do, I think they would take Freeman, but only after much consideration to other positions on the team.

Written By Executive Prodcer Gregory Delaney

The Best And Worst Of Week Three In The NFL

We are already three weeks into the NFL season, and just like last week, things get more and more interesting. The Giants got blasted and are struggling badly. There are six teams in the league that still don't have a win yet: the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Those teams really can't seem to buy a break through the first three games of the year. We also have seven teams that are unbeaten at 3-0: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and Seattle Seahawks. Payton Manning has gone off like a firecracker to start off, and doesn't seem to be showing signs of slowing down. So with that in mind, lets take a look at the best and worst of week three of this season.

Best:
Payton Manning Quarterback Denver Broncos
After throwing three touchdowns Monday night against the Raiders, Payton has 12 TD passes through the first three games of the season, giving him a new NFL record for most TD passes through the first three games. The old record had been 11, which was set by Tom Brady back in 2011. Manning has yet to throw an interception this year either, which shows just how great he has been for the Broncos to start a year.

Worst:
New York Giants Offensive Line
The Giants just had an awful game on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, losing 38-0. You could point out the horrible performance of pretty much any positional group, but the blockers were especially egregious, giving up seven sacks and only paving the way for a total of 60 rushing yards during the loss. If the Giants are going to get any better at all over the final 13 games of the year, their offensive line has got to step up and play better. The running game can't get going if they don't have any running lanes to work through. Plus if Eli Manning is supposed to play better, he has to stay on his feet. For him to do that, his line has got to protect him a lot better.

Best:
Ahmad Bradshaw Running Back Indianapolis Colts
Going into this week's game against the 49ers, everybody was wondering what was going to happen with the Colts and new running back Trent Richardson. Well Ahmad Bradshaw made a claim that he should still be getting more of the carries for the Colts. Averaging five yards per carry in his 95 yard, one touchdown performance versus the 49ers, Bradshaw made his statement that he still wants to be a feature back in Indy. If both backs stay healthy, they could pack a really nice 1-2 punch in the Indianapolis backfield.

Worst:
CJ Spiller Running Back Buffalo Bills
This one isn't just on Spiller, its on the Bills running game as a whole. Fred Jackson had 72 yards on the ground including one big run against the Jets, but that was it. And Spiller was way worse, having 10 carries for just nine total yards. The Bills running game was absent, which can't happen if you're Buffalo/ For the Bills to even attempt to stay in this hunt in the AFC East, they need to get the running game going, othewise it will be another disappointing season for Buffalo.

Best:
Cleveland Browns Offense
Going into this week, some people, me included, felt bad for the Browns. The reason is they just gave up their best player in Richardson, and it looked like they were giving up hope on the season. That didn't happen at all. The Browns surprised everybody, picking up their first win of the season, 31-27 over the Vikings. Brian Hoyer powered the offense with 354 yards passing and three touchdowns. Sure he was picked off three times, but all three TD passes went to the same guy, Jordan Cameron. This gives the Browns a little something to work with going forward.

Worst:
Washington Redskins Secondary
For parts of the game against the Lions, it looked like this was going to be the week that the Redskins got off the slid and finally got their first win of the season. A DeAngelo Hall pick six on the Lions’ second drive made it seem like the unit was about to rebound from its terrible performances in the Redskins’ first two games. They did not, allowing Matthew Stafford to throw for 378 yards and two touchdowns, including seven passes of over 15 yards in Detroit’s 27-20 win.

Best:
Ryan Tannehill Quarterback Miami Dolphins
Miami is 3-0 right now, a lot of that having to do with the play of their 2nd year quarterback. Tannehill played great in the week three win, his best drive of the day being a a 13-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dion Sims with 38 seconds left in the game. The score gave the Dolphins a 27-23 victory.

Worst:
Kyle Wilson Cornerback New York Jets
Yes I know the Jets got the win over the Bills, but it was a lot closer than it should have been. The Jets as a team took 20 penalties, five of which were taken by Kyle Wilson. The cornerback was benched in the fourth quarter by Rex Ryan after two consecutive dumb personal fouls gave the Bills 20 free yards on what ended up being a game-tying drive. All this part of four straight penalties that were taken by Wilson on that same drive. The Jets amazingly hung on to win 27-20 despite committing a franchise record 20 penalties in the game.

The Best and Worst From Week 2 In The NFL

Week two of the NFL season is already in the books, and lets just say things have gotten a little more interesting around the league. The Buffalo Bills pulled out their first win of the year, the NFC West looks to be an average division, the Green Bay Packers dominate the Redskins, the NFC East looks weak to average at best. Things have really started to shape up after the completion of week two of the season. Some teams have gotten better, while others have seemed to have taken a step backwards. So with that in mind, much like we did last week, we are going to look at the best and worst from week two in the NFL.

Best:
New York Jets Defense
The Jets defense was able to hold the Patriots to just 13 points, despite getting scored upon on the opening drive of the game by the Pats. I know Tom Brady didn't necessarily have a typical week, by his standards, but still the Jets did enough to get in his head during the game.

Worst:
New York Jets Wide Receivers
I mean come on here guys. Sure Geno Smith put up some good numbers, throwing for 214 yards but he was picked three times at the end of the game. Before that though, he gave the team a chance to win. What was at fault? The Jets receivers. They had a lot of trouble hanging onto the football, dropping some easy passes, unable to haul in touchdown passes and even fumbling. It has to get better if the Jets want to even salvage anything from this season.

Best:
Aaron Rogers Quarterback Green Bay Packers
After the tough loss to the 49ers a week ago, Rogers needed to help right the ship. He did so in a big way against the Redskins. Rogers went out and had the best game of his career, throwing for a personal-best 480 yards (including 335 in the first half) and four touchdowns in his team’s 38-20 win.

Worst:
Washington Redskins
For the 2nd week in a row the Skins got off to a very slow start and it bit them in the rear end. They almost made up for it against the Eagles in the first game. This time they were playing a talent heavy Packers team, who had just too much firepower for the Skins to overcome. Washington has got to start better in their games, otherwise this is going to be a very long season down in DC.

Best:
Jay Cutler (Quarterback Chicago Bears) & EJ Manuel (Quarterback Buffalo Bills)
This was a bounceback game for both quarterbacks. Both had rough starts to the season in week one, but managed to find a groove and lead their team on game winning drives during week two. The Bears QB was in the groove, finding Martellus Bennett in the corner of the end zone on a game-winning 16-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds left in Chicago’s 31-30 win against the Minnesota Vikings. Buffalo Bills rookie EJ Manuel was just as poised, hitting Stevie Johnson on a 2-yard fade route with time expiring to give his team a 24-23 win against the Carolina Panthers.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Carolina blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second week in a row, with this egregious effort due to a miscommunication between defensive backs that left Bills receiver Stevie Johnson wide open on the game’s decisive touchdown. The Panthers lost starting cornerback Josh Thomas and both starting safeties to injuries during the game, so it’s somewhat understandable if their replacements were a little discombobulated.

Best:
Doug Martin Running Back Tampa Bay Buccanners
After having a miserable week one against the Jets, in which he only managed 69 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, Martin had a rebound game against the Saints in week two. He didn't get into the endzone, but did manage to run for 144 yards on 29 carries, a big improvement from his first performance of the season.

Worst:
Eli Manning Quarterback New York Giants
I guess he couldn't really handle the pressure of playing against big brother Payton. The two-time Super Bowl champ threw four interceptions in his team’s embarrassing 41-23 showing against brother Peyton’s Broncos. Not only are the Giants 0-2, but Manning also has thrown seven interceptions. That’s nearly half as many as he threw during the entire 2012 season. He has looked a little uncomfortable in the pocket in the first two games, and the line hasn't really given him, or the running game for that matter, much protection. "If the Giants want to have a shot at the playoffs, they need to get out of this funk that they're in, and it all starts with Eli Manning.

Derek Jeter Season Has Come To An End

It really has been a rough year for Yankees Captain Derek Jeter. After breaking his ankle in the playoffs last year, Jeter tried to come back. He did, on July 12th. Then got hurt again, then came back again. This went on a few times this year, before Yankees GM Brian Cashman announced on Wednesday afternoon that Jeter has been placed on the disabled list, and will miss the rest of the 2013 season. Jeter had been out of the lineup due to ankle soreness. Through 17 games in 2013, Jeter was batting .190 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs. He is a career .312 batter and has played in 2,602 career games for the Yankees.

This comes as a bit of a blow to the Yankees, who at the moment, are fighting for the last wild card spot in the American League. I'm not saying that Jeter was powering the Yankees offense this year, but he wanted so badly to play this year and help his team out, but his body just wouldn't let him. With all the stuff that has gone on around the Yankees this season, it really would have been a great story to have Jeter come back healthy, and help get them into the playoffs. But it just wasn't in the cards.

Now the big question is, with Jeter done for this year, what do you do with him next year? He holds a $8 million player option for the 2014 season with a $3 million buyout. The Yankees still have that option on the table, but it doesn't look like ti will happen. Jeter wants to come back, so does everybody else in the organization. I know his production has dipped over the last few years, but that is expected for a guy who's 38 years old. Jeter is still a good ball player, there is no denying that. However he just isn't at the same talent level he was ten years ago.

Jeter in all likelyhood, will be playing again next year, if his body lets him. He should come back healthy and fully rested by the time training camp opens next March. If he does come back, what the Yankees should consider doing is getting a solid backup for Jeter at shortstop if possible. It would make all the sense in the world.

Yes it does stink that Jeter is done for the year. Right now though, before the Yanks start to worry about what to do with shortstop for next year, they need to finish the job this year of trying to make the playoffs.

Is The Season Really Over For Mark Sanchez?

Ever since hurting his throwing shoulder in the preseason game against the Giants, there has been speculation as to whether or not Mark Sanchez will play this season. Wednesday, Sanchez met with Dr. James Andrews, and according to reports, Dr. Andrews confirmed that Sanchez has a labral tear in his right shoulder, and the quarterback is "likely to have surgery" that would end his 2013 season, according to team and league sources, as well as a source close to Sanchez. However, Sanchez disputed the account in a text message to ESPN: “If I needed surgery right now, I never would have left Andrews’ office. I would’ve stayed and got the surgery.” “There’s nothing to report,” he added. “It’s reckless.”

Sanchez will try to rehab his shoulder as surgery remains a possibility — either now or at the end of the season, according to multiple reports. The New York Daily News said he would be evaluated from “week-to-week.” Surgery would likely end Sanchez’s Jets career. A labrum will not heal itself; once it is torn, it is torn until it is repaired. The question is whether a player can function adequately despite the tear. It is not a career-threatening injury.

From every indication I've gotten, it doesn't really matter what happens to Sanchez, in regards to surgery, he is likely done anyway as Jets Quarterback. Lets think about this for a moment. If Rex Ryan really wanted Mark Sanchez to be his starting QB this year, then I HIGHLY doubt he would have put him in the Giants game to begin with. In all lieklyhood, Sanchez was probably going to be let go at seasons end anyway, at least that's how some local sports writers feel. The team probably feels they made a mistake signing Sanchez to the $8 million extension a few years ago, and then he turned in the year he did. That's what I think is really leading to his exidus from New York. The injury just makes this an easy scapecoat for the team.

The organization should be embarrassed by the way it has treated Sanchez in recent weeks. Coach Rex Ryan made the irresponsible decision to insert Sanchez in the fourth quarter of a preseason game -- behind a bunch of scrubs on the offensive line. At that point, Sanchez was to be the opening-day starter. Ryan tried to rationalize the decision, saying he wanted to beat the Giants -- lame. To make it worse, owner Woody Johnson suggested recently that Sanchez should have protected himself on the play during which he was injured, intimating that the signal-caller was partially to blame. That's not how you treat players, especially a quarterback you're paying $8.25 million this season.

What's happened with Sanchez, from an injury perspective, is a lot similar to that of Chad Pennington. See when Pennington was with the Jets, he hurt his throwing shoulder in a game against Miami. He had surgery and tried to come back but it just wasn't the same and, eventually, Pennington's career ended. That's what's happening here with Sanchez. The difference is, with Sanchez, the team is basically throwing him under the bus, no longer wanting anything to do with him. With Pennington, that never happened.

Mark Sanchez has appeared to throw his final pass in a Jets uniform.

The Best And Worst From NFL Week 1

So with Week 1 of the NFL season in the books, there were some interesting happenings to start the season. Some players had big days out of nowhere, while there were others who were really quite on opening day. Some teams played better than expected, while others did horrible, making boneheaded mistakes that cost them games. So with that in mind, here's the best and worst from kickoff weekend in the NFL.

Best:
Payton Manning Quarterback Denver Broncos
Manning had an opening night for the ages. He lit up an already shaky Baltimore Ravens defense for a record seven touchdowns en route to a 49-27 win at home. He also threw for 462 yards in the win. I'd say Payton had a pretty good week.

Worst:
Lavonte David Linebacker Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
You wanna talk about one of the all time boneheaded plays. David's late hit on Jets quarterback Geno Smith put the Jets into field goal range, of course to which Nick Folk hit the winner to give the Jets the 18-17 win. This had to be one of the dumbest penalties taken on opening weekend.

Best: 
Anquan Bouldin Wide Receiver San Fransisco 49ers
The veteran had a spectacular day, catching 13 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown. The Packers' secondary had no answers for Boldin, as he routinely found seams and opened himself up for Kaepernick to throw to. He and Kaepernick could become one of the best pass-catch combos in the league.


Worst:
Mike Wallace Wide Reciecer Miami Dolphins
Wallace had a bad day in week one. He was signed to that big contract in the offseason to play in Miami, yet in his first game he was thrown to five times and only made one catch. When asked by reporters about his day, Wallace responded by telling them to go ask the coach about the game plan. Well that might be so, but um you were thrown to five times and had only one catch. It's not the coaches fault you caught one out of five passes.

Best: 
Reggie Bush (Running Back Detroit Lions) and Adrian Peterson (Running Back Minnesota Vikings)
Bush had a good day in his first game in a Lions uniform. Bush had 90 yards rushing and 101 yards receiving, a good chunk of the receiving yards coming on a 77 yard touchdown catch from Matthew Stafford. So I think Bush might be comfortable in his new surroundings in Detroit. As for Adrian Peterson, what stood out was the BIG first play from scrimmage, a 78 yard touchdown run. He was out to prove from the first play that last year was no fluke. Peterson finished the day with 93 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. Not bad for a first game.

Worst:
Doug Martin Running Back Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Now this is an interesting case. It's not that Martin had an horrible week, because he didn't. He had 65 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. But I put him here on the list because he was coming off a good year last year, and was, much like Mike Wallace of the Dolphins, expecting to have a great week. But he wasn't too much of a force in the running game for the Bucs, and that really hurt them over the course of the football game against the Jets.

Best:
Denver Broncos
The Broncos were an easy choice for this one. They dominated the defending champions from start to finish. It really was an all out team effort and the Broncos rolled to the win on opening night. It really was a great thing to watch.

Worst:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers & New York Giants (Honorable Mention Baltimore Ravens)
Honorable mention to the Ravens just because of how flat they were in the first game of their title defense. But the Bucs and Giants get the nod this week and its basically for the exact reasons. With Tampa, they had a chance to beat the Jets, even had a few chances to put the game away, but undisciplined football is what cost them this game. Simple as that. With the Giants they almost had a chance to win the game, but too many turnovers are what did them in against Dallas. There is no way possible you can come away from a game with six turnovers and win, doesn't matter how good a team you are. Six turnovers in one game just can't happen.

So there you have some of the best and worst from week one of the NFL season.

2013 NFL Preview

So that time of year is finally apon us. The 2013 NFL season is underway. There has been a lot of changes made during the offseason, and with new faces in new places, things could get really interesting. With that in mind, we here at Solly & Steve On Sports have our predictions for how this season is going to play out. We are going to give our pics for who wins each division, the two wild card teams and who will be playing in the Super Bowl. (Author note: The picks w:ere made BEFORE kickoff on opening night and Our Intern and Social Media Director we're unable to get their picks in in time). So with that in mind here are our predictions for how this season will go down.


Matthew 'Solly' Solomon (Host)
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC West: Denver Broncos
AFC Wild Card: Indianapolis Colts
AFC Wild Card: Cincinnati Bengals
NFC East: New York Giants
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: New Orleans Saints
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: Atlanta Falcons
NFC Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks


Steven Carollo (Host)
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC West: Denver Broncos
AFC Wild Card: Indianapolis Colts
AFC Wild Card: Cincinnati Bengals
NFC East: New York Giants
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks
NFC Wild Card: Chicago Bears


Gregory Delaney (Producer)
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC West: Denver Broncos
AFC Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens
AFC Wild Card: Indianapolis Colts
NFC East: New York Giants
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: New Orleans Saints
NFC Wild Card: Seattle Seahawks


Jeff Miller (Producer and Tech Director)
AFC East: New England Patriots
AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
AFC South: Houston Texans
AFC West: Denver Broncos
AFC Wild Card: Indianapolis Colts
AFC Wild Card: Baltimore Ravens
NFC East: New York Giants
NFC North: Green Bay Packers
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons
NFC West: Seattle Seahwaks
NFC Wild Card: San Francisco 49ers
NFC Wild Card: New Orleans Saints


So there you have it our predictions for the 2013 NFL Season!