Tom Brady Prediction

I'm sure most of you NFL fans out there saw Tom Brady's preseason debut last night. I thought he looked really good. He threw 2 nice TDs and had a perfect deep ball that Moss dropped. he did have an INT but he then went to the sidelines and threw his waterbottle down like it was the playoffs or something!

He moved around and stepped up in the pocket. I do think that he needs to take a few big hits and have a few people down on the ground around him in the pocket. Just so that he can get used to stepping up in the pocket, stepping into throws, and trusting the knee.

I have a prediction to make. I think that last year's injury might end up being the one of the best things to happen to Tom Brady's career. Obviously winning superbowls and marrying underwear models are much better than a knee injury but this is the way I see it. He looks great so far. We know that he's going to play a lot in preseason and should be firing on all cyllindars come week 1. The most important things to a QB like Brady are his throwing arm, shoulder, and head. He got a whole season to preserve what matters the most to him. Last season made have put another 2-3+ years onto the prime of his career!

All I'm saying is that Brady is going ot be huge again this year so be ready. He will be fresher than ever and hungrier than ever. I hate the guy, but I expect a big year.

Now here's an idea....

With the celebrity world abuzz over the engagement of Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen I got a great idea. Maybe Bill Belichick would like to be the videographer for the wedding!? Seems fitting doesn't it?

Stefan's Sports Take: 9/9

Stefan's Take is a new column TSF is adding to the blog. Exploring different sports topics from recent events to the latest breaking news. Stefan's Take will appear every Tuesday.

College Football:
We've had a fairly interesting College Football season thus far. With some upsets and very good games, it just makes me even more eager for Saturday. East Carolina has been the biggest surprise so far with their upsets over Virginia Tech and West Virginia. The Pirates still have two more BCS conference games playing at NC St. and Virginia. It may be a little early but we could possibly have a BCS Bowl crasher upon us.

Everybody is looking forward to the OSU/USC (Sat. 7 pm ABC) games this weekend. I was going to pick OSU until their game against Ohio, where they trailed heading into the fourth quarter. The defense wasn't too bad, they did give up some big plays, which concerns me for USC. But the offense was not very good at all, maybe the offense's poor showing reflected upon the absence of Beanie Wells, but still it was Ohio they were playing.

Truth be told, I am still expecting a hell of a good game on primetime Saturday night. USC should give OSU fits, but now that Wells is expected to be back for the Bucks, that helps quite a bit. I am expecting a close USC win.

I must comment a little on the BYU-Washington ending on Saturday. Jake Locker scored with 5 seconds remaining to get his Huskies within a PAT. Locker threw the ball up in celebration but was flagged for excessive celebration. This is a 15 yard penalty and caused Wash. to kick a 35 yard extra point. Well, the PAT was blocked and BYU snuck away with a 28-27 win.

Let me say, there is no way you can tell me Locker was trying to show up BYU. Who wouldn't throw the ball up after scoring with 5 tics left? This was a terrible call and the refs lost it for the Huskies. There is no way that was a penalty and now way he was trying to draw attention to himself. Plus, the refs should never, under most circumstances, determine the outcome of a game.

NFL:
As we all know, Tom Brady will undergo season ending knee surgery. Maybe it was a matter of time because Brady was on the Pats injury report every game last season. They may have all been minor injuries, but there was always something with him and now I think it finally caught up to him; but that's football.

With Brady out, look for the Steelers, Colts, Jags, and Chargers to be the ones vying for the top of the AFC. I know what you're thinking... never say never. Brady could be back to lead the Pats in the playoffs, but I'm going to play the odds. The Jets will probably win the AFC East now or even the Bills, but look for the CHARGERS to be the top team in the NFL this season.

MLB:
The MLB playoff race is always a marathon coming down the final stretch. It's September and we all know September and October are for baseball (sorry football). The NL East is still up for grabs and it's anybodies game. I think the Phillies will get it done and take the east. The White Sox seem to be pulling away from Minnesota as the Twinkies' bullpen starts to struggle. Look for the White Sox, Devil Rays, Angels, Phillies, Cubs, and Dodgers to win their divisions respectively.

A Priceless Birthday Gift

Well not that I like the attention or anything but today is my birthday. I got a lot of sweet gifts and had a lot of fun today but there was one gift that was a special surprise. A gift that I was not expecting at all.

Tom Brady is out for the SEASON! Wow what an amazing gift because I hate the Patriots and I hate Brady! Brady is out for the season and Favre looked like same old Brett in his Jets opener.

So is it a mere coincidence? Is it a gift to me from God? Is it God rewarding Brett for persevering and continuing to believe in himself when Ted Thompson and Co. didn't.

Am I a little bitter about not having Favre on my favorite team? Yes, I will admit it was a little hard watching him sling it around for another team today. But what can i do now but wish for my favorite player of all-time to win?

I don't really know for sure what will come of this. All that I do know is that Mr. Favre and the Jets are looking pretty damn good in the AFC East right now. Maybe Favre will get to go out with a ring afterall!

Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady
Who would have said otherwise? Brady was amazing last season throwing for 4806 yards and 50 TDs. I highly doubt he will repeat those numbers or anything remotely close to them but Brady should still be the number one QB. He should put up some freakish numbers again though.

2. Peyton Manning
If you need a QB you can trust it's Manning. He is no risk for injury at all and you know what you're going to get from him. He's going to continue to rack up the yards and TDs as long as he can walk and throw a football.

3. Drew Brees
I really like Brees. He should continue to put up some great numbers with the offense that he's in. I think he'll have an even better season than last year. Now that Jeremy Shockey is in a Saints uniform expect defenses to focus less on Marques Colston and cover more of the middle of the field.

4. Tony Romo
Romo will put up similar numbers again since he has Terrell Owens to throw to. But the Cowboys have such a balanced offense that helps out quite a bit.

5. Carson Palmer
Bearing no injury Palmer should have a somewhat similar season to last year, possibly even better. I think the Bengals will be a tad bit improved, even with all of the off-field problems. With all of the targets there's no reason not for Palmer to improve his stats.

6. Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers struggled during the early part of 2007 but as the season wore on they looked better and better. Look for the Steelers to continue that momentum in this season. I think Big Ben can start off hot right away, which is also why I am a big fan of WR Santonio Holmes as well.

7. Derek Anderson
Anderson must show that last season was no fluke. I think he will continue his tremendous play. The Browns have a good chance to make the playoffs this season. And with the addition of Dontae Stallworth to go with Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, I don't see why not.

8. Donovan McNabb
If McNabb can stay healthy you know he will put up some good numbers. You know he's capable of putting up some godly stats but he can be too inconsistent as times as well. The Eagles still don't have a big-time WR but they do have quite a few capable ones.

9. Matt Hasselback
Hasselback has always put up some consistent and fairly good numbers. He has a decent WR crew and he always racks up the points at home.

10. Jay Cutler
Cutler should be improved with another year under his belt. He has some good targets to throw to in Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson, and TE Tony Scheffler. Expect the Broncos to pass a little more this season.

11. David Garrard
I am a big fan of Garrard. He throws the ball with such consistency and he can run as well. He will get you some rushing TDs of his own here and there and you know he will convert when it counts in the red zone.

12. Marc Bulger
If there's one QB who's high risk/high reward it's Bulger. He could break out and have an amazing season at any time or he could be a bust and get injured like last season. Anyways, I still like Bulger, he's has some deep threats and you know Steven Jackson will take some pressure off him.

13. Eli Manning
I don't know what to expect from Eli after he won the Super Bowl. Who know's how he'll perform. But I think he's a safe bet if you desperately need a QB in the mid to late rounds of your draft. I think the offense will be improved a bit, Plaxico Burress should be solid again and Sinorice Moss will be much improved.

14. Matt Schaub
Schaub has one heck of an arm. He has a great number one target in Andre Johnson. If the Texans can find any sort of run game, the sky's the limit for Schaub and Johnson.

15. Philip Rivers
Rivers should be good again, but not great. All of his numbers were down last season. But he is just putting a lot of pressure on himself and his team with his arrogant ego. But he still has some quality targets in Chris Chambers, Antonio Gates, and Vincent Jackson.

Superbowl Recap: What Does 18-1 Really Mean?

18-1. What does it mean? Sure, I was rooting for the Giants Sunday and sure I rooted against the Patriots almost any chance I got the entire season. However, what do we owe to 18-1? Is the season marked by the Superbowl loss?

Unfortunately for the Patriots, they will forever be remembered as the team to go undefeated and lose in the Superbowl. It took 35 years to have another undefeated team with a perfect record going into the superbowl and it might be another 35+ before we see it happen again. It is indeed very possible that they go down as the only NFL team to EVER go 18-0 and lose in the superbowl in the history of the world.

At a wide look, a Super Bowl loss looks bad for this Patriot dynasty. The '70s Steelers 4 for 4 in their Super Bowl appearances, as were the '80s 49ers. Thus I must say that Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana are always going to have something over Tom Brady. But during those Steeler and 49er dynasties, there were years when they lost in the playoffs before reaching the Super Bowl. We shouldn't discredit the Patriot dynasty because that in one of their non-championship years, they lost in the Super Bowl instead of earlier in the playoffs. If the Patriots go on to win another championship this decade, they're legacy will still match the '70s Steelers and '80s 49ers and most likely surpas. In the grand scheme of things, when looking at this dynasty 10+ years from now this superbowl loss could be almost an asset to the team's list of accomplishments. How good of a chance do they have of doing this? I think very good. Brady is most likely going to be a Patriot for life, they have the 7th pick in the draft and if they can get Moss to come back and recharge their LB corps with some youth, they could be as good if not maybe better than ever!

To be honest if I had to say who I thought has a better chance of winning the Superbowl next season, the Giants or the Patriots, I would probably say the Patriots. For now, I'm going to ignore all Spygate and Spygate 2 allegations and info just because we aren't really sure what it entails right now. That aside, I think that there's really no telling if this loss marking the infamous "perfect" season will mark the Patriots "dynasty". Only time will tell.

Aside from that I was really impressed with the play of Eli Manning and the Giants Defensive line. Truly I would have liked to give the MVP award to the Giants D-Line. They really won the game. The New York defensive line dominated the game. Individual players like Justin Tuck, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora, and Jay Alford kept making outstanding individual plays. Tom Brady had a record setting season mostly because the New England offensive line consistently gave him time to throw and when given a chance to scan the field, Tom Brady will pick apart any defense. But the Giant pass rush consistently got to Brady, sacking him, knocking him down, throwing him off rhythm. We haven't been used to seeing Brady knocked around, but that's what the Giants did. The Giants lines, both offensive and defensive (but mostly defensive), outplayed both of the Patriots' lines.

Since in the MVP award has to go to an individual player, I think, for the game as a whole, Eli Manning is a worthy choice. In the fourth quarter, the Giants had three real possessions. Manning twice threw go-ahead touchdown passes. He completed four of five passes on 3rd down, three of them converting to first down (on a 3rd and ten, he completed a nine yard pass that allowed a short 4th down run). In the fourth quarter, he made big play after big play. He's a deserving MVP.

I tip my hat to the Giants. I'm very happy for guys like Tom Coughlin and Michael Strahan. Although, hopefully skipping training camp doesn't become a popular trend! Amidst all the screaming and cheering towards the end of the game I couldn't help but think what Tiki Barber must have been thinking!

Is Tom Brady The Greatest Quarterback Ever?

Everyone defines greatness a different way. Some define greatness through records. Some define it through championships. When you think of great quarterbacks some that come right to mind are Unitas, Montana, Marino, Bradshaw, Starr, Staubach, Elway, Farve, Manning, and, whether you love him or you hate him, Brady. On Sunday, Tom Brady has a chance to do what none of the quarterbacks on that list have done, and that is go undefeated. Some already say Brady is the greatest postseason quaterback of all-time and his resume defends that argument very well. Three Super Bowl rings, an undefeated record at home in the playoffs, and two Super Bowl MVPs. Not to mention he is the leader of what might go down as the best football team to ever step on a football field. Not bad for a sixth round draft pick out of the University of Michigan.

What It Really Means To Go Undefeated?
It means you will be glorified in history forever. Everyone knows Don Shula because he was the only coach to go undefeated. No matter how much you hate the New England Patriots, you have to admire the accomplishments that are waiting for them if they can get by the Giants Sunday. They may have "cheated", teams may have let the game slip through their hands, but they are the only team without a loss this season. Us haters may gripe and groan if in fact by the end of Sunday night the Patriots do win, but regardless of the outcome we will have seen history Sunday night. I have already explained what it means to go undefeated, but what if the all-mighty Patriots fall on Sunday? The Giants will have pulled off the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. Whatever happens its a story we can tell our kids, our grandkids, and maybe even our great grandkids. Because being perfect never happens No baseball team has won 173 baseball games, No one wins 98 basketball games, and its hard to find a team that can go undefeated in college football and they play no more than 13 or 14 games. 36 years have passed since the Dolphins went undefeated and it maybe another 36 or more before we seen another great team like the Patriots.

Where does Brady Rank as Far As Greatest of All-Time?
Right now Tom Brady is not the best quarterback to ever play the game, but he is close. I still think San Francisco great Joe Montana is the best quarterback to ever play football. To me its not all about the records, its about stepping up when the light is shined on you. Montana did that better than any quarterback I have ever seen play. He pulled last minute heroics (i:e The Catch against the Cowboys), and he shattered the competition when the experts doubted him (i:e 55-10 Super Bowl drubbing against the #1 scoring defense in Denver). Another thing Montana has four Super Bowl rings. Brady only has three. But Brady has a great chance of surpassing Montana. Why Brady has a chance is because he still rather young. Brady is only 30 years old, and is hitting his prime right now. If he stays in the NFL for 5 or 6 more years he could win more rings and could make more memorable moments. When it is all said and done Brady could be the best player that ever played the game. Thats right not just quarterback but player. In fact Sunday might be the day he passes Joe Montana, because no great quarterback has ever lead their team to an undefeated season. Tom Brady will no doubt be heading to Canton when his career is over, but we will have to wait and see if in fact he will go down as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game of football.

Nate Gonner is a guest writer for The Sports Flow. He writes his columns every Monday and Thursday for Gonners View. Check his site out here

My World In Sports: Calling You Out

Thoughts and opinions on sports which are currently headlining my brain:

Taking a Shot at Complete Sports
OK, keeping in mind that TSF has a quite personal relationship with twins15 or Complete Sports I would like to call him out. Sure we play on the same softball team, have the same Alma mater, will attend the same University, and are both generally good guys....but I'm callin' him out. Earlier in the week he predicted that the Flubs would finish atop the NL Central, meaning atop the Milwaukee Brewers. Bold indeed but let's make him put his money where his mouth is. I would like to meet with you Jon and discuss a friendly wager on the matter. I'm callin' you and your Scrubs out!


NBA Finals Game 1
The Spurs are probably the greatest defensive professional basketball team of my era. Also, make no mistake...game 2 is everything. If the Cavs lose game two I give them a 0% chance at winning the series. However, if they can manage to pull one off then we definitely have ourselves a series. Also, today I heard a startling statistic in regards to the Spurs. I believe it said that in the last 10 years the Spurs have won games at about a 70% rate: best in ALL OF SPORTS. Damn you Ming....Game 2: Tune in and root for the savior of the NBA Playoffs to take down the Spurs and their big 3 (pictured right).

MLB Draft
I missed most of it at work but did quite a bit of reading. I think the D-Rays taking hard-throwing left-hander David Price of Vanderbilt wasn't a shocker to anybody. However the rest of the draft was pretty unpredictable. I was especially shocked with the Brewers picking Matt LaPorta (1B/OF) - FL. He's a power hitting 1B who .402 in 2007 with 20 home runs and 52 RBIs. So, you obviously can't refute this kids talent but why did they take him while there were still a lot of really good pitching prospects out there. It doesn't make any sense to me. The only thing I can think of is: (1)they were drafting for the best available overall talent, (2)they are afraid of losing Prince when his contract is up, (3)they think they can convert him to full-time OF, or (4)they want to trade him for some immediate help. He's a monster but why pick him here? Beats me..what do you think?

Vick is Screwed
This thing just gets uglier and uglier each day. The Feds are now getting involved so I guess that means that they mean business. I never really liked Vick in the first place (think 2nd round playoff game at Lambeau) but I really hope he goes down for this and I think he is screwed. Whether this goes all the way through and he goes to court and whatnot whatever he still had left of his image is completely gone. I predict that in the next 3-4 weeks you can expect Nike to speak out on and probably drop Vick as a sponsor. He's already lost a few minor sponsors and I don't think that this is a PR hit that NIKE is willing to take. I wouldn't be....who wants to buy dog-killer shoes? Also Roger Goodell is a hardass so I think Vick will end up with some kind of suspension regardless of what happens to this


NFL QBs
Who I Would Want to Be: Tom Brady
Very attractive girlfriend (Gisele Bundchen), baby on the way (with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan) and a gem in WR Randy Moss. I think that they will get along well because Moss is ready to realize that he is getting old and needs to win a Superbowl. I predict Moss will have the 2nd best season of his career next year.

Who I would Not Want to Be: Dante Culpepper
He apparently has lost all common sense because he is asking to be cut lose by the Dolphins when in reality he's lucky to be on an NFL roster! Who the hell do you think is gunna pick you up!? Maybe if Vick goes down for his dogfighting business sooner than later he could get some PT down in ATL or I can see him maybe in JAX or BAL. My advice would be: be glad you have a jersey on a NFL team and that you atleast have 1 knee.



What do you think about what I think and is there anything that you would have liked me to talk about? Please share....