Mets Eliminated From Playoff Contention

For the second straight season, the New York Mets have been eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the season. The Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL East title on Saturday with their victory over the Washington Nationals. The Mets only chance of making the playoffs was getting in by being a wild card. The Mets and the Milwaukee Brewers were tied in the wild card standings. The Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 3-1, effectively eliminating the Mets. Last season, the Mets played the Florida Marlins last year on the last day and had a chance to win the NL East. They lost to the Marlins and the Phillies beat the Nationals as well on the last day to capture the division crown. Earlier this season, manager Willie Randolph was fired and many thought that it was because the Mets didn't recover from their collapse last season. The Mets had a three and a half game lead earlier in the month and they let it slip away just like last year. Last year, they had a seven game lead in September and blew the lead. Was this collapse bigger than last year's collapse? What does this say about the Mets? Should the Mets make drastic moves?

Week 3

As usual, there were a couple of interesting and great matchups in week 3 of the NFL season. The most intriguing matchup of the week was the Sunday night matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers. Last season, these two teams were the two best teams in the NFC. This year, Aaron Rodgers is the new starting quarterback, replacing the legend Brett Favre. The Cowboys proved that they are real contenders to win a Super Bowl with a convincing 27-16 win over the Packers. Cowboys' running back Marion Barber had an excellent game, rushing for a career high 142 yards on 28 carries with a touchdown. His backup, Felix Jones, gained 76 additional yards on 6 carries with a touchdown himself. The Cowboys' defense was the story of the night, however, sacking Rodgers five times. Another great game was the offensive matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos won the game 34-32, when Saints' kicker Martin Gramatica missed a potential game winning 43 yard field goal with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Saints' quarterback Drew Brees threw for 421 yards and completed 39 out of 48 passes. Jay Cutler had another good game, throwing for 264 yards with two touchdowns. In other games, the Jaguars beat the Colts 23-21 to avoid going 0-3, the Giants beat the Bengals 26-23 in overtime to improve to 0-3, and the Chargers beat the Jets on Monday night 48-29 to get their first win. I think the Broncos defense has to improve or they will encounter problems down the road trying to win the AFC West. The Cowboys and Giants are also looking like contenders for a Super Bowl run. What do you think? Who impressed in Week 3? Which team looks shaky?

Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL had a couple exciting finishes and hyped matchups. The best game by far was the divisional matchup between the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos. The Broncos outlasted the Chargers 39-38, only before giving up a huge first half lead. This game did not end without controversy however. On 2nd and goal with the Broncos trailing 38-31, Broncos' quarterback Jay Cutler dropped back to throw but fumbled the ball and the fumble was picked up by Tim Dobbins. Referee Ed Hochuli, however, blew the whistle signaling that it was an incomplete pass. Hochuli was not able to change the call since he blew the play dead, and the Broncos had another chance, and they capitalized by Cutler's touchdown throw to wide receiver Eddie Royal. They decided to go for the two point conversion instead for the win, and Royal caught the conversion as well to go ahead. Another great game was the Monday night matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. Both defenses were not very good, and both offenses capitalized. The Cowboys won 41-37, behind quarterback Tony Romo's three touchdown passes, two of them that ended up to Terrell Owens. He threw for 312 yards. Eagles' quarterback Donovan McNabb also threw for a touchdown and 281 yards in another explosive offensive outburst for the Eagles. Down the stretch, however, the Eagles could not make the plays necessary to take the lead. In other games, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Minnesota Vikings 18-15, on Adam Vinatieri's 47 yard field goal with 3 seconds left to win. The New England Patriots, behind backup quarterback Matt Cassel, beat the New York Jets 19-10. That was the most surprising outcome, as I thought the Patriots would struggle with Cassel. The Chargers and Broncos matchup was definitely the best and I think Jay Cutler is going to be a good quarterback in this league. What do you think? Who had the most impressive performance this week? Which team is in trouble?

K-Rod Gets Save Record

Francisco Rodriguez, closer for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, has set the record for most saves in a season with his 58th save against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday night. Rodriguez has been pursuing the record for most of the season. He had a lot of saves at the All-Star break, and was definitely on track to setting the record. He has been helped by the team's stellar play this season, and great relief pitching in front of him. The Angels have already clinched their division earlier in the week, when they defeated the New York Yankees. That was coupled with the Texas Rangers' loss the same day. The Angels have been dominant all season, having the best record in baseball for some of the season. Rodriguez broke the record previously held by Bobby Thigpen of the Chicago White Sox in 1990. That season, Thigpen set a record with 57 saves. Rodriguez will be a free agent after the season with many teams looking to acquire him. I believe Rodriguez won't be back with the Angels because of his expected demand for a huge contract. I believe that he can end up in a big market like with the New York Mets. What do you think? How does this record help Rodriguez for the upcoming free agency season? Will the Angels win the World Series?

Merriman, Colston Out Due To Injuries

Marques Colston, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, is expected to miss four to six weeks with ligament damage in his left thumb that required surgery. Also, Shawne Merriman, pass rushing linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, will miss the rest of the 2008 season with two torn ligaments in his left knee that will require reconstructive surgery. Colston and Merriman are two key players to their respective teams. Colston suffered the injury in their opening game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Colston, who was a seventh round draft pick out of Hofstra in 2006, has the most catches of any wide receiver in NFL history in their first two NFL seasons. Colston is Saints' quarterback Drew Brees' big target, and Brees has relied heavily on Colston to make plays. Now the Saints have to rely on receivers Devery Henderson and David Patten, as well as Reggie Bush being a receiver out of the backfield. Merriman, on the other hand, had ligament damage on his left knee in the offseason and went to four doctors across the country for opinions. They all advised him to have surgery and miss the entire season, but Merriman was not content with that idea. He decided to give it a go and play the season, but after playing the first game against the Carolina Panthers, he could not deal with the pain. In my opinion, I believe that Colston and Merriman's absences will affect the Saints and Chargers respectively, but it will not hurt their chances of a playoff berth. The Chargers have more defensive weapons and the Saints have a lot of offensive weapons. What do you think? Who's absence will hurt more?

Week 1

The NFL season got underway this weekend and there were a couple intriguing matchups in week 1. Brett Favre started his New York Jets debut when the Jets played the Miami Dolphins in Miami. Favre was 15 of 22 for 194 yards and 2 touchdowns en route to a 20-14 victory. Dolphins' quarterback Chad Pennington made his debut for the Dolphins. He was cut by the Jets after the Jets acquired Favre from the Green Bay Packers. Pennington has been with the Jets for eight seasons. Another interesting matchup was the matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers. This marked the first start for Packers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been a backup for Brett Favre the past four seasons. Rodgers did not disappoint Green Bay fans as he went 18 of 22 for 178 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown in his stellar performance. There were a couple surprises as well in week 1. Carolina Panthers' quarterback Jake Delhomme threw a touchdown pass to Dante Rosario as time expired to give them a 26-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers. In the Sunday night matchup between the Chicago Bears and the Indianapolis Colts, the Colts came out flat and Bears' running back Matt Forte ran for 100 yards in the first half. The Bears stunned the Colts 29-13 in Indianapolis. I think Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos' quarterback, performance against the Oakland Raiders on Monday night was very impressive. I also think the Bears have found a solid running back in Matt Forte. What do you think? Should the Colts be concerned? Who looks impressive from week 1?

Wagner Out For The Rest Of The Season

New York Mets' closer Billy Wagner will miss the rest of the 2008 season and most likely the 2009 season because of surgery on his elbow. Wagner has had the elbow injury this past season and his rehab for the injury has only gotten worse. Wagner has not pitched since August 2, due to this injury. He has been an All-Star closer for the Mets and has converted 101 of his 118 save chances since he became the Mets' closer in 2006. That makes free agency a little more interesting for the Mets when the offseason comes. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim closer Francisco Rodriguez is in the last year of his contract and will now probably be pursued by the Mets because of Wagner's injury. Rodriguez already has 55 saves, and he is well on pace to break Bobby Thigpen's single season save record of 57. The Mets' bullpen have been shaky all season, especially with Wagner's absence. They are currently ahead in the NL East standings, ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies by 2 games. I believe that Wagner's absence will not affect the Mets down the stretch. I believe they will win the NL East but his absence will be felt in the playoffs when they don't have a reliable reliever to depend on. How do you think the Mets will do? With this injury, is Wagner's time in New York done?

Brady Done For Season

Quarterback Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is out for the rest of the 2008 season with a left knee injury that will require surgery. He injured his left knee when Kansas City Chiefs' safety Bernard Pollard hit him in his lower left knee and the knee bent in an awkward position. Brady was instrumental in leading the Patriots to a 16-0 record last season, the first undefeated regular season since the 1972 Miami Dolphins. Brady won the regular season MVP award, and he led them to the Super Bowl before they lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII, in what many consider a historic upset. Brady also broke a single season record for the most touchdown passes thrown in a season when he threw 50 last season. Wide receiver Randy Moss caught 23 of those touchdown passes, setting a record as well. With Brady out for the season, Matt Cassel, who has been a backup in the NFL and college, will be the starting quarterback now. Cassel was the backup at USC to Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart, two quarterbacks who won the Heisman Trophy. In my opinion, this is a major loss for the Patriots and I think the Patriots have gone from the best team in the AFC to a team that will not make the playoffs. What do you think? How will Cassel perform and will the Patriots make the playoffs?

Giants Take NFL Season Opener

The defending champions New York Giants defeated the Washington Redskins in the NFL season opener 16-7 Thursday night to cap off a celebration where the Giants were presented with a Super Bowl XLII victory banner. Michael Strahan, recently retired defensive end who helped the Giants win the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots, ran onto the field with the Vince Lombardi trophy. The Giants dominated the first half by jumping out to a 16-0 lead. Plaxico Burress, who earlier in the day signed a 5 year $35 million contract, had a good start and finished the game with 11 catches. Eli Manning scored the only touchdown of the game for the Giants with his 1 yard run. The Redskins got on the board before halftime when Santana Moss caught a touchdown reception where he was wide open. No team scored in the second half, with Eli throwing his first interception of the season and making some mistakes. The Giants defense, however, were able to play dominantly and shut down quarterback Jason Campbell and the Redskins offense. A lot of people have doubted the Giants will make the playoffs this season after their Super Bowl win because of their losses on defense. I think the Giants will make the playoffs again and give teams a scare. What do you think the Giants will do? How will Eli perform this year? With the Redskins offensive performance, are they in trouble this season?