If I Expanded The NFL To Six More Teams ...

Earlier, I wrote about if I expanded the NFL by eight teams, who would those teams be and where would they go.  What if eight was just waaaaay too much and the NFL just wished to expand by four teams?  That may be more likely.

Using that earlier article, I'm going to use these as my new four franchises:  Los Angeles, London, San Antonio and Portland.  Frankfort just misses out but would be strongly looked at down the road if the London franchise works out.  Toronto just misses out due to Buffalo getting a brand new owner and not trying to steal some of their fan base.

To me, if the NFL did this, they may not like having the eight division format anymore.  That would mean half the divisions would have five teams and the other half with four.  The NFL would look something like this if they went to that:

NFC EAST:  Dallas, NY Giants, Philadelphia, Washington
NFC SOUTH:  Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, San Antonio, Tampa Bay
NFC NORTH:  Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Minnesota
NFC WEST:  Arizona, Los Angeles, St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle
AFC EAST:  Buffalo, London, Miami, New England, NY Jets
AFC SOUTH:  Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Tennessee
AFC NORTH:  Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Pittsburgh
AFC WEST:  Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, Portland, San Diego

I just am not a fan of that.  Could the NFL ... which is watching a very bad NFC South race that could end up with a sub-.500 champion ... decide to go back to a six-division format?  Maybe.  That NFL could look like this:

If I Expanded The NFL To Eight More Teams ...

If the NFL expanded to 8 more teams, of course
L.A. would get at least one of those teams.

If I expanded the NFL to eight more teams, who would I pick?

First off, let me just say that I'm not unsatisfied with the 32-team member league at all.  I like the setup of the 32 teams in eight 4-team divisions.  I love the schedule and the whole deal.

But, ya know, let's just say that it was going to happen.  And you can't just add two or four teams, right?  I wouldn't like the 1980s way of having two four team divisions while the other four had five teams.  Let all the divisions have five teams.

So who would I pick to make a 40-team league?  If any league could pull it off, it would be the NFL.  Oh, and I may go a bit out there with my new league.

Now, how do I do this?  In adding eight teams, should I make two new divisions of four teams?  Or should I add a fifth team to each division.  I'd rather do the latter, but it may be tough to do since I'm going a bit wild with some of my franchised cities.  Also, I'm going to go on the naive premise that no one is relocating.  I know that Los Angeles is trying to lure the Rams, Raiders or Chargers back to town but for this exercise, none of that is happening.

First, the cities I'd want to see teams in.

-LOS ANGELES:  LA is going to get a team if the NFL has to buy the team themselves and run it.  It will happen one way or another.

-LONDON:  The NFL also seems hellbent on placing a team in London as well.  I've been a bit torn on this since I'm not sure if London would truly support a team that was there all the time.  These few games they get a season are event games that see people from all over Europe attending.  Would that last with a permanent team?  Which leads me to add ...

-FRANKFORT:  If you are going to put one team in Europe, I think you should put a second team over there as well.  Why Frankfort?  Well, when NFL Europe was a thing, Germany really supported American Football.  The Frankfort Galaxy drew very well and the league ended up with teams in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Hamburg.

-SAN ANTONIO:  San Antonio did a great job hosting the Saints during Hurricane Katrina, Texas is a football crazy state and they've long been the bridesmaid while other franchises use them as leverage for a new stadium.

-PORTLAND:  Portland is a great town and certainly has the wherewithal to support an NFL team.

-TORONTO:  If we were going to have some international flavor, Toronto deserves a team.  They've hosted Bills games for a while now, football is popular in Canada and we Americans are used to having Toronto in our sports leagues (see: Maple Leafs, Blue Jays, Raptors).

-SALT LAKE CITY:  I think this one is a no-brainer.  Utah has been a great NBA area and football would seem to work just as well.  Like I've always said, the NFL isn't like other sports where it is impossible to get free agents to go to smaller or less desirable markets.

-OKLAHOMA CITY:  Same as SLC.  The NBA has shown that this is a great sports town and they could certainly support an NFL franchise.

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Stop It With The College Football Playoff Rankings!!!!!

The college football playoff committee is entrusted to pick the new
four team playoff, but why do we need them to pick these teams now?

Every Tuesday, ESPN and the sports world sets aside some time to unveil that week's college football rankings.  The committee who sorts through who will ultimately make the playoffs keeps releasing their "rankings" even though we are a month away from actually having all the information in front of us.  Then ESPN and the rest of college football fans and media can break it all down as if this really was a thing.

It is silly.

Does the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee gather together in January and release their tournament bracket each week even though none of it matters until the actual selection Sunday?  No.  So why do we have to have this weekly update over who is their top four teams to get in ... and why do we need a full Top 25?

I know, I know.  You can scroll down and read my imaginary 12-team playoff race and think I'm a hypocrite.  Sure, there are zillions of bracketology sites for the NCAA Tournament.  But that is just media and fans getting a grip on what could happen.  That, again, isn't the actual tournament committee coming up with their official bracket at the moment so we can gripe about it.

Sportz Assassin College Football Playoff Race

Forget that College Playoff Rankings crap.  I like my postseason better.

I've done this for a few years now.  My playoff is 12 teams where the champs of the big six conferences are automatically in, the top ranked champion from one of the other conferences and then five at-large bids (no more than three teams from one conference allowed).  I seeded them by using the now-defunct BCS standings.

With the new way of college football, there is no BCS standings (I'm using a variation of that for this exercise) and there are now a big five conferences and not six.  So, we will use the champs from those five leagues, the top champ from a non-five league and then six at-large bids.

And here is what I got:

FIRST ROUND BYES
1-Mississippi State (SEC champ)
2-Florida State (ACC champ)
3-Oregon (Pac 12 champ)
4-Alabama

FIRST ROUND GAMES
12-Marshall (CUSA champ) at 5-TCU                     6p
11-Michigan State at 6-Baylor (Big 12 champ)        3p
10-Nebraska at 7-Arizona State                                9p
9-Auburn at 8-Ohio State (Big Ten champ)             12p

SECOND ROUND GAMES
Arizona St/Nebraska at Florida State                        12p
TCU/Marshall at Alabama                                        3p
Ohio St/Auburn at Mississippi State                         6p
Baylor/Michigan State at Oregon                              9p

NFL Coaches On The Hot Seat (Pre-Halloween Edition)

REX RYAN, JETS:  Ryan has survived the ax the last two years, but it seems all but inevitable that Ryan will be out of Gotham Green after this season.  They are 1-7 and Ryan's usually stout defense is giving up over 28 points-per-game.  Ryan has also wasted away two top quarterback picks in Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith.

MIKE SMITH, FALCONS:  I thought Atlanta's sad sack season of 2013 was an aberration.  Injuries and bad luck just strangled them.  Well, the 2014 Falcons are checking in at the halfway point with a 2-6 mark and they just wasted away a 21-point lead to the Lions in London.  Smith's Falcons have been close to a Super Bowl but didn't push through, meaning he doesn't have the kind of cache to survive this kind of nosedive.

MARC TRESTMAN, BEARS:  Chicago was supposed to contend for an NFC North title and a possible Super Bowl berth.  However, these Bears are mired in a slide where they've lost 4 of 5 games and two of their three wins have come against bottom feeders Jets and Falcons.  This pasting by the Patriots this Sunday doesn't help matters.  Chicago's saving grace is that they still face the Lions and Vikings twice each and the Packers once more ... making a surge up the standings possible.

Redskins Are 1-5 ... And Check Out Who Also Sucks

You are what your record says you are.  So despite how you want to frame it, the Washington Redskins (my favorite team) is 1-5.

Who else sucks?  Five other teams have 0 or 1 wins on the season and none of them are who you want to be associated with:

ST. LOUIS (1-4):  The Rams have been competitive this year, but they are the lone team to lose to the Buccaneers.

TAMPA BAY (1-5):  The Bucs have been horrid this season.  Tampa Bay has lost a game 56-14 and 48-17 this season.  No one has given up more points than Tampa's 204. Ugh.

NEW YORK JETS (1-5):  The Jets are a mess.  Whether it is Geno Smith cussing at fans or missing meetings because he's at the movies, it is Michael Vick saying he wasn't prepared to play when called upon.

OAKLAND (0-5):  The Raiders are scoring an NFL-low 79 points this season.  And they are the Jets only win on the season.

JACKSONVILLE (0-6):  Those Jags.  People even pegged them as a possible surprise team this year.   They are averaging a league low 13.5 ppg this season, are being outscored by 104 points this season.  They are bad.

So I'm watching these teams as if they are in their own division.

Jets 1-0  (W Raiders)
Buccaneers 1-0  (W Rams)
Redskins 1-0 (W Jaguars)
Rams 0-1 (L Bucs)
Raiders 0-1 (L Jets)
Jaguars 0-1 (L Redskins)

W11: Tampa Bay at Washington
W13: Oakland at St Louis
W14: St Louis at Washington

NBA 2014-2015 Predictions (East)

LeBron is back in Cleveland.  But can he bring with him
the success he had in Miami?

Later this month, the NBA season will be underway.  So let's look at how I ... the Sportz Assassin ... see the Eastern Conference unfolding (check the West here).

1-CHICAGO BULLS

Good:  The Bulls are a tough bunch.  They are defensively sound and won despite being limited offensively.  They get Derrick Rose back, who looked great for Team USA.  They also get Doug McDermott to be the off-ball scoring threat they've longed for.  Oh, and Pau Gasol is a perfect compliment to Joakim Noah on the baseline.  I really like this team.

Bad:  Rose has played just 49 games in three years for the Bulls.  This is a decent team without him, but Rose turns them into a legit contender.  Can you trust him to stay healthy?

2-CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Good:  You go from missing the playoffs to adding LeBron James and Kevin Love.  How can it get any better than that?  Oh yeah, you resigned Kyrie Irving to a long term deal and surround them all with guys like Mike Miller, Shawn Marion and Brandon Hayward.

Bad:  Aside from LeBron, none of their starters ... okay Anderson Varejao ... has played in the postseason.  There will be an obvious learning curve that may stunt their growth at times.  Plus, there will be a big honeymoon period right now so there isn't the pressure to bring home an immediate title like there was for LeBron in Miami.

3-WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Good:  The young Wizards finally found success last year and hung on to Marcin Gortat in free agency.  They also added Paul Pierce, which gives them huge playoff experience as well as a guy that can rise to the occasion.

Bad:  Not much, except for the fact that they have arrived and are now expected to win.  Can they handle that?

4-TORONTO RAPTORS

Good:  Kyle Lowry returns.  So does a very talented and cohesive roster.  DeMar DeRozan gained valuable experience with Team USA.

Bad:  No one will respect them, which is fine.  While they are a team that plays together, do they have enough go-to guys to make a difference when the playoffs come around?

Cincinnati TV Station Gets Their Panthers Mixed Up

Cincinnati's NBC affiliate, WLWT, must have someone in the graphics department that doesn't know their football.  The Bengals, who lost badly to the Patriots last night, will face the NFL's Carolina Panthers next Sunday.

The graphic says that the Bengals will instead play the Eastern Illinois Panthers.  Who?  Yeah, wrong Panthers.

Eastern Illinois plays in the NCAA Division I FCS in the Ohio Valley Conference.  Eastern Illinois is currently 1-4 this season.  According to the OVC's website, those Panthers will be a few miles south next weekend as they'll face Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, KY.

NBA 2014-2015 Predictions (West)

The Spurs are the defending champions.  But will the be the
best in the West this coming season?

Later this month, the NBA season will be underway.  So let's look at how I ... the Sportz Assassin ... see the Western Conference unfolding.

1-OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

Good:  Kevin Durant is coming off an MVP season.  OKC is coming off a season where Russell Westbrook missed a lot of time due to injury and Serge Ibaka missed key games in the postseason.  Anthony Morrow was added to help stretch defenses.

Bad:  Thabo Sefalosha is gone and he was their premiere perimeter defender.  As good was the Thunder have been, the core have been to just one Finals.  With KD's free agency looming, will there be some weirdness among the team?

2-SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Good:  They are defending champs who have been to the Finals two straight years.  They know what they are doing.

Bad: They are all a year older and that motivation of letting a title slip away from them isn't there anymore.

3-LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Good:  The Donald Sterling mess has been resolved so not only is that storyline not hanging over their head, but they went from a cheap owner to one that wants to make good on his hefty investment.

Bad:  They lost some depth and they haven't really added that "it" role guy to help bring it all together.

4-DALLAS MAVERICKS

Good:  The Mavs are a talented bunch that added Chandler Parsons and Raymond Felton.  There is a lot of depth with guys like Devin Harris, Jameer Nelson, Al-Farouq Aminu and Brandan Wright coming off the bench.

Bad: But is Felton right to lead this offense?  And is this team too old?  It is starting Dirk Nowitzki and Tyson Chandler in the power spots.

I'd Like To See NHL Add Two Teams, Go To 8 Divisions

If you know my blog, I like tinkering around with divisions.  In the NFL ... keep them the same.  In baseball, I'd like the old NL and AL East and West.  In the NBA, just give me a Western and Eastern conference and screw the divisions (or go back to the 4 division format of yore).

In the NHL, I'm torn on the newer four division format.  The NHL, unlike the NBA, employs a division heavy scheduling format.  So making smaller divisions makes sense.  That's why I wasn't as angry at the six-division format the NHL had that the NBA still uses.  I don't like the current format where the two divisions in the Eastern Conference have 8 teams and the two in the West have 7.  That's not very fair when half the teams in the East get into the playoffs and 57% of the teams in the West do.

That being said, I'd like for the NHL ... as which has been rumored all summer ... to add two new expansion teams and make the conferences even at 16.  Those franchises will be, I decree, in Seattle and Houston (I'm not against Las Vegas, Quebec or Toronto getting ones either, but I think those two are the favorites).  There.

Now go against what I usually want and actually expand out like the NFL (the only other major league with 32 teams) and have two conferences with four divisions each.  Since, like the NFL, intra-division scheduling is weighted, I like this a lot.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

NORTHEAST:  Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa
ATLANTIC:  New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia
CENTRAL:  Columbus, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Toronto
SOUTHEAST:  Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Washington

WESTERN CONFERENCE

MIDWEST:  Chicago, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis
SOUTHWEST:  Arizona, Colorado, Dallas, Winnipeg
NORTHWEST: Calgary, Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver
PACIFIC:  Anaheim, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Jose

I like this.  Again, the NHL isn't like the other leagues where they really depend on geography to help with travel and align divisions accordingly.  And the scheduling is easy:

SIX games each against division teams.  Play each three times at home and three on the road.  (18 total)

FOUR games each against the teams in the same division.  Two at home and two on the road. (48 total)

ONE game against each team in the other conference.  Play half the teams at home and half on the road.  I'd like it to split each division so you'd play two teams in one division at home and two on the road.  That would allow, say, for each Western team to play a game in New York every year and every East team to play a game in the Los Angeles area.  I'll have the splits below. (16 total)

There is your 82 game schedule.  Simple, eh?  Then the champs of each division makes the playoffs with the four best non-winners from each conference making up the wildcard.  Those teams qualify for the playoffs, but seed them by total points.  There you go.

Okay, here are your splits:
Boston/Buffalo, Montreal/Ottawa, NY Islanders/NY Rangers, New Jersey/Philadelphia, Detroit/Toronto, Columbus/Pittsburgh, Florida/Tampa Bay, Carolina/Washington, Chicago/Minnesota, Nashville/St Louis, Arizona/Dallas, Colorado/Winnipeg, Calgary/Edmonton, Seattle/Vancouver, Anaheim/Los Angeles, Las Vegas/San Jose

That's what I would like to see.

Derek Jeter Tour Overblown?

When you are rich, people just give you things

We are winding down the Derek Jeter era for the Yankees Major League Baseball world and many are asking the question of whether the Love Tour is necessary.  To me ... no.  While Jeter is a Yankee legend and one of the better players of our time, this is much too much.

First off, the tour itself.  I hate them, unless you are really one of the all-time greats.  I mean GREATS.  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar deserved one.  So did Jeter's teammate Mo Rivera.  Chipper Jones?  Not so much.

That isn't to belittle those other players.  Jones and Jeter are sure fire Hall of Famers.  Any player that means a lot to an organization should get some special occasion during the final homestand.  I'm one of those people who understands not only HOFers like Jeter and Jones are important to their teams' fans but gutty guys who won't make it into Cooperstown also can get some love.  Dave Concepcion in Cincinnati?  Or even a Derek Fisher in Los Angeles.  Cedric Maxwell in Boston.  Those guys and many others mean a lot to their franchises too.

Jeter is above those guys and I understand that but is a run of gifts really necessary?  Did the Reds really need to give Jeter framed jerseys of Concepcion and Barry Larkin, the two best shortstops in Cincinnati history?  Or that the Chicago Cubs gave Jeter the number 2 from their ancient hand-operated scoreboard?  Especially when Jeter played about 5 games in Wrigley.

I remember when Kareem Abdul Jabbar did his tour in 1988-1989 and he came to Charlotte.  The Hornets were in their inaugural season and Jabbar was making his first ever trip there ... yet the team gave him a rocking chair.  Welcome to Charlotte!  Sorry we didn't get to know each other better!

Unlike Keith Olbermann, I'm not going to go into Jeter's status among the greatest of the greats.  I know he is transcendent but he isn't Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky or Walter Payton.  I also know he's had a Hall Of Fame career for the biggest sports franchise in our country.  I get ESPN's fawning over the tour (moving game times to televise the Yankees).  I know he's important to the Yankees which means he's supposed to be important to us.  Maybe not as much as Roger Clemens sitting in George Steinbrenner's box, but important.  

Jeter is a pretty pure guy and in an era where we can't even celebrate our greatest players, I can see why people latch onto his legacy.  To me, Clemens, Barry Bonds, Ricky Henderson, Ken Griffey Jr and Tony Gwynn were the best players in my time.  There are others, but that was my wheelhouse.  None of them got victory tours for a variety of reasons (steroids, jerks or broken down at the end of their career).  So I get the need to express your admiration for a clutch player who played "the right way".

This, however, is right after Mo Rivera's victory lap ... which was deserved a bit.  Again, I'm not a fan of these things but if anyone should had one, the greatest reliever in the history of baseball should be one to do so.  But is this going to be a trend?  I mean, Chipper Jones had his in 2012, Rivera in 2013 and Jeter in 2014.  I mean, will David Ortiz get one when he retires?  I mean, he was a huge part of the Red Sox winning three World Series and ending a near century long championship drought.

Let's just have a national conversation about who deserves to have these tours.  I mean, Kobe Bryant will retire soon and I don't want to know what the fans in Denver will have to give to him.

Hurricane Hugo Hit 25 Years Ago Today. How Sports Have Changed

Hurricane Hugo hit Charlotte overnight on September 22, 1989.  I was a 14 year old junior high football player when that happened and it was quite the event.  No power or school for nearly two weeks.  Gas lines, fallen trees, showers by candle light.  Ahhhh.

I'm a sports nerd, so I look at things in a different way when it comes to timelines.  How did our sports look back in September 1989?

NEW FRANCHISES

These franchises didn't exist at that time:  Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Tampa Bay Rays, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers/Winnipeg Jets, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Ottawa Senators, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Bobcats.

The Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves were set to debut the following month.

RELOCATED FRANCHISES

Since then the Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans.  The Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals.  The Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens, but then got a new Browns team back.  The Houston Oilers are now the Tennessee Titans.  The Los Angeles Raiders are now in Oakland and the Los Angeles Rams are in St. Louis.  The New Jersey Nets now reside in Brooklyn.  Seattle Super Sonics are now Oklahoma City Thunder.  In the NHL, the Winnipeg Jets became the Arizona Coyotes, Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota North Stars became the Dallas Stars, Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes.

Since then, we also had the Vancouver Grizzlies born then move to Memphis.  The Atlanta Thrashers were born and moved to Winnipeg to become the new Jets.

NAME CHANGES

The Washington Bullets became the Wizards.  The New Orleans Hornets are now the Pelicans. The California Angels changed to the Anaheim Angels and then the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  The Phoenix Coyotes became the Arizona Coyotes.

The Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans ... and then changed their name to the Pelicans, which the Charlotte Bobcats then changed to the Hornets.

That doesn't even take into account the Florida Marlins turning into the Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays into the Tampa Bay Rays, Anaheim Mighty Ducks into just the Ducks,

LEAGUE STRUCTURES

In the NFL, we had two conferences with the East, Central and West divisions.  The MLB had just the East and West in each league -- no interleague play or wildcards -- with the division winners facing off in the LCS.  The NBA had just four divisions (Atlantic, Central, Midwest, Pacific).  So did the NHL, but they were the Adams, Patrick, Norris and Smythe divisions.

The Houston Astros have moved from the NL to the AL.  The Milwaukee Brewers moved from the AL to the NL.  The Seattle Seahawks moved from the NFC to the AFC.

STADIUMS

*Only 7 of the 30 MLB stadiums were around then.  The Blue Jays' SkyDome was brand spanking new.

*Only 8 of the 31 NFL stadiums were around then.  The newest stadium at that time was Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.

*Only 5 of the 30 NHL arenas were around then, including classics like Madison Square Garden and Joe Louis Arena.

*Only 4 of the 29 NBA arenas were around.  Oracle Arena and Sleep Train Arena (formerly Oakland Arena and ARCO Arena) are set to be replaced.  The other two?  Bradley Center and Madison Square Garden.

Remember all the multipurpose stadiums?  Then the Braves and Falcons, Reds and Bengals, Angels and Rams, Indians and Browns, Mariners and Seahawks, Giants and 49ers, Astros and Oilers, Pirates and Steelers, Phillies and Eagles, Padres and Chargers and Twins and Vikings all shared stadiums.

Now only the Athletics and Raiders share a stadium.

TELEVISION

The NBA was on CBS.  The NFL had their AFC games on NBC, the NFC games on CBS, Monday Night Football on ABC and Sunday Night football on ESPN.  MLB was on ABC and NBC.

FANTASY FOOTBALL

This would've been a great fantasy football team in 1989:

QB-Jim Everett (Rams)
RB-Christian Okoye (Chiefs)
RB-Barry Sanders (Lions)
WR-Jerry Rice (49ers)
WR-Sterling Sharpe (Packers)
TE-Keith Jackson (Eagles)
K-Mike Cofer (49ers)
DEF-Eagles

OTHER NOTES

* Michael Jordan hadn't won a championship yet

Yeah! The Citrus Bowl Is Back!

I've been for the college bowls going back to typical bowl names.  I don't mind the sponsorships, but I hate when the sponsors become the bowl names.

Earlier this year, the Peach Bowl returned after a run where it became the Chick-fil-A Bowl.  Sure, it was a money motivated decision since the Peach Bowl wanted to be part of the college football playoff (which requires bowls to not have sponsorship-only names).  Now my other big offender, the Capital One Bowl, will go back to being named the Citrus Bowl.

Capital One has been the sponsor of the Citrus Bowl since 2001, with the name changing to the Capital One Bowl from 2003 to 2014.  I didn't like that at all.  Well, Capital One has replaced Discover as the sponsor of the Orange Bowl and, in turn, gives life to the Citrus Bowl.

Buffalo Wild Wings will be the sponsor of the Citrus Bowl, a year after leaving the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in Tempe (that game will now be the Cactus Bowl).

We got rid of the Capital One Bowl for the Citrus Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Bowl for the Peach Bowl and the John Hancock Bowl for the Sun Bowl.  All isn't great, though.  The Gator Bowl is shamefully now named the TaxSlayer Bowl.  Disgusting.

All we need is the Outback Bowl to go back to the Hall Of Fame Bowl, Russell Athletic Bowl back to the Sunshine Bowl, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl back to the Humanitarian Bowl and the GoDaddy Bowl back to Alabama Bowl.

ESPN ... Leave Michael Sam Alone (Other NFL Notes)

Michael Sam has become the new Tim Tebow.

I'm not comparing their play, their social importance or whatever to the sports landscape or even their fanbase.  I mean that ESPN just won't leave them alone.

During the Tim Tebow Era of ESPN, his name was all over the network.  It could be March and they were name dropping him.  First Take would spend pretty much every day bringing him up in their debates.  SportsCenter would talk about him for no reason.  I'm not getting into why all of that happened, but it happened.

They are doing the same with Sam even though no one really is asking for it.  Yes, Sam is attempting to be the first openly gay player.  I hope he makes it just because he's a good player and seems like a good guy.  I hope a lot of these young guys reach their dreams too but I know that the reality is that many dreams die on cut day.  Yet Sam is singled out which is exactly what you really don't want to do.  Go to ESPN.com and their main headlines has been "Rams making cuts but Sam is still on the roster".  Nice.  What about the 17 guys who were cut?  Only two of those players, Garrett Gilbert and Mitchell Van Dyk, were mentioned by name.

Sam's name was mentioned seven times in the article and included a quote.

Please, ESPN, don't make him into a caricature.  Don't make people hate him just because you won't stop talking about him.

LAW FIRM

BenJarvus Green-Ellis was cut by the Bengals which was no surprise to anyone ... least of all, Green-Ellis.  The only shame is how the Bengals used him this preseason.  They knew they didn't want to keep him, but kept him on the roster as basically a guy to work out their defense in practice and take on the injury risk during the preseason.

That's the way the roster game is played, but it still kinda sucks.  BJGE may have a shot elsewhere as a veteran back without a ton of mileage, but I'm sure he wishes he could've had a shot at earning a job during the preseason elsewhere than being the guy who is your sacrificial lamb during the preseason.

Other interesting names that could be cut:  Mario Manningham, Champ Bailey and Stevan Ridley.

SILAS REDD-SKIN

As a Redskins fan, I'm glad that Silas Redd made the team.  I've like his running style for a while and feel he could be a guy who could be a diamond in the rough if he can stay healthy.  That's a big if, but I don't think the Redskins were making a big gamble choosing him over the other backs they cut ... including their veteran Evan Royster.

Sportz' NFL Preview

Ahhhhhhhhh!  It is that time of year again.  Football is back, baseball is in the home stretch, kids are back in school, fantasy football drafts are being held and the sound of basketballs hitting gym floor is around the corner.

After a month hiatus, I'm back refreshed to look forward to the fall.  College Saturdays and NFL Sundays.  And like every year at this time, I'm going to take yet another stab at trying to predict the NFL season.

NFC EAST
1-EAGLES*
2-REDSKINS
3-GIANTS
4-COWBOYS

OUTLOOK:  The NFC East will be tight, but not really in the best way.  Other than the Eagles, the rest of the division is under a lot of change.  New offenses, new coaching and key guys coming back from injury will define their seasons.  Philly won the division a year ago and pretty much has the whole gang back.  They've now had a year under Chip Kelly's reign and should get off to a better start.  Adding Darren Sproles could be unfair.  The other three teams?  Well the Redskins have a new head coach and a new attitude.  If RG3 shows more of his rookie season than his sophomore one, they could make a strong push for a playoff spot.  They will need a lot more from their defense and for the offense to get to clicking.  Eli Manning was awful last year for the G-men and they got him a new offensive coordinator.  They spent a lot of money to surround Eli, but the defensive front seven is unusually weak.  I don't have them in the basement just off of Tom Coughlin.  Dallas could be anywhere.  They have the offensive weapons to win this division or this season could be a disaster.  The defense is horrid, Tony Romo is coming off a back injury that caused him to miss the win-and-your-in finale last season and Jason Garrett is still the coach.  The hope rests with Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray ... and that sounds a bit scary.

NFC SOUTH
1-SAINTS*
2-FALCONS
3-PANTHERS
4-BUCCANEERS

OUTLOOK:  The South is usually unpredictable, so I'm going with that thinking again.   Like pretty much every team in the league, each of these clubs have big questions and reasons for optimism.  I'm going with the Saints to win this division.  The offense may not be the juggernaut it was a few years back, but Jimmy Graham is nearly unguardable ... and pissed.  They still have a stunning home field advantage and that defense really improved under Rob Ryan.  Call me stupid, but I'm high on the Falcons again.  Yeah, last year I picked them to go to the Super Bowl and they finished among the worst teams in the league.  But injuries just killed them last year and I feel the offense will be so much improved, even if the defense isn't.  I have the Panthers falling a bit.  Sorry, but having an entire new stable of receivers isn't a plus for me, especially when the receivers that left weren't all that great (anymore, in Steve Smith's case).  Cam Newton is a beast, but that offensive line is patchwork.  The defense is stout and would have to have an all-time great season to win the division again for Carolina.  Tampa Bay is a much improving team, but this division could swallow them.  Lovie Smith will get them on the right track, but we may not see drastic results just yet.

NFC NORTH
1-PACKERS*
2-BEARS*
3-LIONS
4-VIKINGS

OUTLOOK:  To me, there may be no more fun division than this!  Honestly, each team will be fun to watch.  The Packers are strong, especially with Aaron Rodgers (hopefully) back to play 16 games this season.  He missed a ton of time last year and they still won the division.  The Bears offense is bonkers.  The Lions, though now without Scott Linehan, always has potential to put up video game numbers.  All three defenses have their holes, so expect some shootouts.  I separate them by history.  The Packers have shown me the confidence in Rodgers and Mike McCarthy to win a division.  The Bears have shown me the ability to hang in there but just not reaching the top.  The Lions have shown me the ability to let me down right when I think they have it figured out.  Minnesota is the odd child here, but this is a team that made the postseason two years ago and actually finished only 3 games back of the division champs.  They'll be playing outdoors this season and still have Adrian Peterson.  They also have Norv Turner running the offense and Mike Zimmer, the new head coach, one of the better defensive minds.  Again, this division should be fun!

NFC WEST
1-SEAHAWKS*
2-49ERS*
3-CARDINALS
4-RAMS

OUTLOOK:  The Super Bowl champs reside here as do the NFC title game runners-up.  To most people, the two best NFC teams are the Seahawks and Niners.  I'm one of them.  Seattle's home field advantage is real as is their defense (though they lost some key guys).  Russell Wilson's leadership was a breakout star and Marshawn Lynch still has some left in the tank.  Remember that Percy Harvin pretty much missed all of last season as well.  The 49ers move into their new digs in Santa Clara which makes me a bit cautious of having them pass Seattle.  I know it may seem dumb, but a new stadium doesn't always equal to a home field advantage.  It may take them a while to get used to Levi Stadium about an hour away from San Francisco.  Arizona was a bit of a surprise last year (they finished 10-6), and they could be better ... especially if Carson Palmer cuts down on the turnovers.  Losing Karlos Dansby and Daryl Washington could really delay that.  The Rams, again, see Sam Bradford severely injured and it may be time to move on from the former No. 1 overall pick.  St. Louis has a very good defense, but in a league filled with dynamic offenses they just can't match that power.

NFC PLAYOFF PICKS
Packers, Seahawks, Saints, Eagles, 49ers, Bears

NFC TITLE GAME
49ers over Seahawks

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AFC EAST
1-PATRIOTS*
2-DOLPHINS
3-JETS
4-BILLS

OUTLOOK:  This should be pretty easy for the Patriots to win.  Tom Brady & Co are the only team that has the look of a division champion.  The other three teams have to show me a bit.  Something about the Dolphins makes me place them second.  Despite all the crap that went on last year, Miami went 8-8.  Get rid of all that nonsense and maybe the Phins can improve.  The Jets got Eric Decker and Chris Johnson (as well as drafting receivers) to help out Geno Smith.  Even at their weakest, Rex Ryan's defenses tend to do well so Smith ... or Michael Vick ... can have success.  Buffalo is in the same boat.  E.J. Manuel now has a big time receiver in Sammy Watkins and a decent defense to help him along.

AFC SOUTH
1-COLTS*
2-TITANS
3-TEXANS
4-JAGUARS

OUTLOOK:  Just like the Patriots will dominate the East, the Colts should cruise through the South.  Andrew Luck is nearly among the elite QBs in the league and there is talent all around him.  No, maybe it isn't Super Bowl talent but it is plenty good enough to win this sad division.  I'm going with the Titans next since I do like Jake Locker.   He may be unreliable but he's pretty good.  Chris Johnson is gone, but this Bishop Sankey could be the break out back this season.  Houston could have a great defense and guys like Arian Foster and Andrew Johnson are still there, but that offense is being led by Ryan Fitzpatrick ... who is now just a journeyman.  If he has one of his low-turnover, high passing seasons, the Texans could fight for a playoff spot.  The Jaguars will be improved, but are still looking towards the future.  I think Blake Bortles will get the starting gig soon and will have the usual growing pains.

AFC NORTH
1-BENGALS*
2-RAVENS*
3-STEELERS
4-BROWNS

OUTLOOK:  The Bengals look to repeat as division champions and certainly have the talent to do it.  Andy Dalton got paid, A.J. Green is among the best receivers in the NFL and they have a top notch defense.  However, Cincinnati's two coordinators, Jay Gruden and Mike Zimmer, are now the head coaches in Washington and Minnesota, respectively.  How will a change on both sides of the ball affect Cincy?  The Ravens and Steelers should fight for a wildcard berth.  Baltimore took a huge tumble after their Super Bowl season and watched their star running back, Ray Rice, go through a rough offseason.  Gary Kubiak is the new offensive coordinator, so it will be interesting to see how Joe Flacco performs.  The Steelers are in the same boat.  They struggled last season, but did win their final three games to make a late playoff push and give hope to this season.  The Browns still live at the bottom, but they do have two things going for them.  That defense is pretty darn good and they will get their share of (over) exposure due to Johnny Football.

AFC WEST
1-BRONCOS*
2-CHARGERS*
3-CHIEFS
4-RAIDERS

OUTLOOK:  Denver is the class of the AFC, to me.  Some think they could go undefeated, but I don't think that's worth the trouble.  Remember that they broke a ton of offensive records only to go down in flames in the Super Bowl.  The Broncos are truly the only team in the NFL that is in a "Championship or Bust" mode.  Anything less will be a horrid disappointment.  After the Broncos, I think the Chargers are team to deal with in the division.  They surprised many by making the playoffs last year.  I think they will be even more improved with the depth they added this offseason.  Kansas City was that team that came from the bottom and made the playoffs.  Could Andy Reid's team fall back down or will Alex Smith and Jamal Charles make another postseason run?  The Raiders could be the worst team in the NFL.  The most interesting thing about them will be the rumors of them moving to Los Angeles, San Antonio or anywhere.

AFC PLAYOFF PICKS
Broncos, Patriots, Colts, Bengals, Ravens, Chargers

AFC TITLE GAME
Patriots over Broncos

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NFL OVERALL OUTLOOK

It looks like this every season, but there seems to be a glut of mediocrity in the league, which should make the wildcard races stunning, and very few elite teams.  To me, the Broncos and Patriots are by far the best in the AFC with the Seahawks, Niners and, possibly, the Packers in that league in the NFC.  I think the Rams, Raiders, Browns and Jaguars will be among the weakest teams of the league.  Everyone else is up for grabs.

I have a 49ers-Patriots Super Bowl.  Both teams lost their respective conference championship games last season.  Both have improved and may be able to knock off their opponents in my conference title game rematches.  And both can do so on the road.

I know that isn't going out on much of a limb, but I'm leaning more toward a chalk season.  Yeah, we could get some awesome stories like a Steelers rise back to the postseason, the Texans going from worst to first, an amazing race in the NFC North or seeing what Andy Reid's Chiefs do for an encore.

To me, all that will whittle down and the cream will rise to the top.  Yeah, we love to make fun of the fact that the Patriots haven't won a Super Bowl in a decade.  But they lost two nail biters and have been to 8 of the last 13 AFC title games.  The Broncos could pull a sequel of their record breaking 2013 season and they are fully a championship-or-bust team, but the Peyton Manning led squad will come up short.

In the NFC, Seattle and San Francisco are the class of the league.  I see them facing off three times with a Super Bowl berth on the line again.  This time, the Niners win it.

In the Super Bowl?  San Francisco over New England.  The Patriots yet again lose a close Super Bowl due to a big game by Colin Kaepernick.