2012 - Page 33 of 114 - Last Word On Sports

NFL Game-Changers: Plays You Won't See on the Highlight Reel, But Should Have

Posted on September 24, 2012November 5, 2021 by Michael Kovacs, ADMIN

Momentum is huge in football, and often effects the outcome of games. There are key plays that change momentum that are very subtle and may not make the highlight package on your favorite sports show. Sure, these shows do a great job of showing incredible catches, hits, and runs, or of showing you the scoring plays in a game, but do they really tell the whole story?

While a drive might end in a 5-yard TD pass or a 10-yard TD run, is that really the key play in a 7, 8, 9 or 10 play drive? Would the scoring play even be possible without the key completion on third and long earlier in the drive? Or that receiver who made a key block freeing up the running back to get to the outside to pick up a first down?

The purpose of this column is to highlight some key plays that greatly effected the outcome of their games, yet they might not have made highlight reels. This isn’t to take away from the importance of a big scoring play or turnover, but without these plays the highlight reel play would not have happened.

#5 Buffalo at Cleveland

The Fitzpatrick-led Bills stormed out in Cleveland, scoring on its first possession. Fitz marched the Bills down the field with the utmost efficiency, spreading the ball around, and to the relief of Bills fans, with great accuracy. After padding the lead to a comfortable 14-0 advantage, what COULD have been a dramatic swift in momentum ensued.

After the Browns brought the game to within seven, with 2:05 left it had the Bills deep in their own territory. Fitzpatrick through a horrendous pass, an easy pick for the Browns’ Patterson. But, fortunately for the Bills, he dropped the ball, which he certainly could have tip-toed in for a major. This would have had the home team in the locker room back to level with momentum on their side.

But two plays later, on a third and long, they looked poised to get the ball back in good field position, except for one bone-head play. The Bills were stopped well short of first down, and the receiver stepped out of bounds, leading to a whistle. The problem is that one Browns defender must have lost control of his senses as he popped the Bill right on the chin out of bounds and well after the whistle. First and 10 Bills. They didn’t add to the lead, but it could have, and should have been, a tie going into halftime.

#4 Philadelphia at Arizona

Michael Vick looked like a deer in headlights from very early in the game. The Eagles were not crisp at all yesterday, but things didn’t need to get quite so out of hand. In fact, there was one particular play that I thought had the potential to reverse their fortunes, but fate stepped in and it was all for not.

The Eagles were down 17-0. Yes, that’s a big hole, but they were marching. Vick completed a pass to DeSean Jackson, who looked good for paydirt. A TD saving (and potential game-saving) tackle by Kerry Rhodes at the one-yard line set up a first and goal. Two plays later, Vick was sacked, and stripped of the ball in the process. Kerry Rhodes, making a great Superman impersonation on the drive, recovered and scampered 99 yards on the last play of the half. Instead of 17-7 and a manageable deficit, ‘Zona was up 24-0 – an insurmountable lead.

Turnovers, turnover, turnovers – they’ll getcha every time.

#3 Kansas City at New Orleans

The New Orleans certainly do not have Lady Luck on their side. They have had a horrendous start to the season. Of course any team at 0-3 can be said to have had a horrendous start, but the Saints should not be amongst that group. Their talent far surpasses their record. That said, they seem be doing everything in their power to screw up at every given opportunity. But the play that spelled their end was not so much something they did wrong, but something KC did right.

Dustin Colquitt, the Chiefs’ punter, quite simply laid the perfect punt, at the perfect time. The punt pinned the Saints deep, which is always tough to climb out of. The punt set up the Chiefs D to keep Brees to a three-and-out, which gave them excellent field position near mid-field. The rest, as they say, is history. Chiefs win, and they have Colquitt to hold up high on their shoulders.

#2 New York at Carolina

The problem for Carolina occurred well before the fourth quarter or even the second half. It was before they went into the locker room, and well before they gave up their first hundred yards of offense. The problem was two-fold.

First, the very fact that Carolina showed up for the coin toss was a huge mistake. The coin toss was completely unfair, and the fault lie with the replacement officials. I mean, do these guys even know how to flip a coin? The referee stood there, and so nonchalantly and haphazardly tossed the coin in the air, barely getting any rotation on the flip. Where did the league find these guys? He had no wrist movement, and his back-spin was worse than my three-year old son’s. Sheesh…some officials these days.

Sources close to LWOS have cited that there was some bad Wheaties going around the Panthers breakfast service. Despite their best efforts, team officials did not catch the bad Wheaties in time. Doctors close to us have told us some of the very disturbing side effects:

Warning: Consuming bad Wheaties may cause drowsiness, fatigue, an inability to tackle anyone at any time in any given situation. If consumed, stay at home and get a lot of rest. Avoid coin tosses at all costs.

Apparently the Panthers didn’t get the memo.

#1 Jacksonville at Indianapolis

Late in the game the Colts were down by one. It was 3rd and 8 at Jacksonville’s 26 with 1:15 to play. Instead of going for a first down, the Colts ran the ball with Brown up the gut to set up a FG. That left far too much time on the clock and Blaine Gabbert had time to make the 80 yard pass to Shorts 3. Had they made the first down they would have ran out the clock and had a relatively easy kick.

There you have five plays that had an impact on the their respective games. I’ll be back next Monday and give you five more plays that you can expect not to see on a highlight package, but probably should.

Top Four: Essential Notes on the Current Top Four

Posted on September 24, 2012November 5, 2021 by Mike Neilson

Chelsea (This Week #1, Last Week #1)

An ugly win is better than a pretty loss. As expected Stoke were difficult to break down and Chelsea were struggling to break the Potters down. Di Matteo started Hazard, Oscar and Mata together for the first time with an amassed value of £80 million behind the £50 million Torres. The £130 million offensive force couldn’t break through the Stoke partnership of Shawcross and Huth with the game looking like a well-earned draw for the Potters until Ashley Cole popped up in the box in the 85^th minute which allows his team to stay top of the table for one more week.

This game saw the ageing duo of John Terry and Frank Lampard confined to the bench and allowed Ramires to play his preferred position behind the creative talents of Hazard and Mata (my man of the match). The Brazilian has often found himself out wide under Di Matteo but is energy and work ethic proved essential as he ended Stokes counter attacks before they could really begin. Same as last week; Fernando Torres will give his critics more ammunition with another poor performance at the Bridge while looking nervy on the ball and uncomfortable in front of goal.

Along with the obvious three points, the other positive apart from Ramires was the brilliance of Juan Mata. Mata was running the risk of becoming an invisible man with the performances of Eden Hazard stealing all the attention. The Spaniard created the single goal of the game with a cheeky back heel and if it wasn’t for the poor finishing of his teammates the playmaker could have had a few more assists. Performances like this will create some optimism amongst the Blues fans who can only hope Mata and Hazard begin to play off each other. Work on the training ground is needed to create that fluidity but if these two begin to click, several premier league defences will be in trouble.

Chelsea now must look towards Arsenal next week as they travel to North London after their opponents return home with an impressive point against the defending champions. If Arsenal continue their impressive start defensively I see they taking this game, but only by a small margin.

My Prediction: Arsenal 1 – Chelsea 0

Manchester United (This Week #2, Last Week #2)

In a game with extra significance for the home side, Manchester United scraped a fortuitous win at Anfield but not without the usual controversy. Referee Mark Halsey will come away from the match as the real talking point after sending off Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey late in the first half, along with a questionable penalty decision that allowed United to go up 2-1 and take the points. The game will be talked about continuously for the coming days but nonetheless, has allowed United to take a victory on a day cross town rivals dropped more points.

United capitalised on Liverpool’s inability in the final third alongside the man advantage but the performance has already been publicly criticized by coach Sir Alex Ferguson. Nani, who has become a scapegoat for some United fans was noticeably poor today and showed no real cutting edge going forward while his crossing continues to be erratic. Subbed off at half time will only lower the former Lisbon man’s confidence even more but United need him performing due to the injury to fellow winger Ashley Young. With Giggs at his age playing more centrally, Nani is the only option out wide but more games like at Anfield could see his rumoured move to Zenit come to fruition in the January transfer window. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Danny Welbeck get the opportunity out wide if the poor form continues; Welbeck will see less game time this season up front but has the speed and ability on the ball to be a more than capable wide man. Welbeck would be an asset going forward when coming inside to link up with Van Persie and Kagawa, especially with the amount of play that comes down United’s right flank.

United return to Old Trafford this weekend for a game which will catch the eye against Tottenham. After the poor performance at Anfield I expect a much improved game in front of the home crowd and I see Tottenham’s poor record against the Red Devil’s continuing.

My Prediction: Manchester United 2 – Tottenham 0

Everton (This Week #3, Last Week #7)

When a team can create thirty one shooting opportunities in one game its quite clear your team played well. Everton continued their incredibly impressive start to the season by thumping Swansea 3-0 and jumping into 3^rd place. Forcing Swansea keeper Michel Vorm into three saves within the first three minutes set the tone for what turned out to be a dominant day in Wales for the blue side of Liverpool. Marouane Fellaini continued to impress; dominating in the air with Swansea lacking the strength and grit to oppose him. While in the absence of Nikica Jelavic; Victor Anichebe has scored his second in so many games while Kevin Mirallas looked lively and scored his first league goal.

By far, this is the clubs best start to a season and manager David Moyes deserves the plaudits for his teams’ achievements. Moyes, who is now into his 11^th year at the club has managed to survive at Everton on next to no budget season after season and this year has put together a stronger team than in past seasons. Offensively in particular Everton have usually been lacking the depth and firepower to compete. But within the last 18 months, Moyes has wisely brought in Nikica Jelavic who has become the target man of the team. What highlights the depth this season however, is with the Croatian out there are has been several others stepping up and scoring the goals. Felliani has found himself in a more offensive role with the departure of Tim Cahill and I don’t see him moving back deeper into midfield if the goal scoring form continues.

I don’t see Everton’s impressive early season form coming to a halt this week. Back in front of the Goodison faithful they are favourites against Southampton in my books. Coming off a commanding win against Aston Villa Southampton look to build on their first win and leave Merseyside victorious but with the likes of Felliani and Pienaar in fine form I see the Saints leaving disappointed.

My Prediction: Everton 3 – Southampton 1

West Brom (This Week #4, Last Week #6)

Easily the surprise package of the league so far. Steve Clarke has had quite the start at the Hawthorns as his side sits in fourth place. Clarke’s loan signing Romelu Lukaku scored mid second half in a tight affair. Reading came close on the odd occasion but West Broms successful start continued, but I can only wonder how long it can last. In the meantime, West Brom fans can enjoy the historic win which has now seen them win three in a row at home for the first time in 58 years.

If West Broms rich vein of form is to last deep into the season they need goals on a regular basis. Seven goals in five games isn’t that bad, but as the games get tougher so will the defences so I would like to see Clarke deploy two up front and make the most of the variety he has up front this year. Peter Odemwingie as seen in the past can win a game on his own, the Nigerian is highly talented and can score some amazing goals but doubts continue to be raised over the striker’s fitness. Going forward, Shane Long has the speed and movement to be a perfect partner for Lukaku. Long, who is the clubs top scorer so far can play off the bigger, more imposing Belgian and if these two click, could prove to be the key to keeping West Brom in the top half of the table come season end.

Up next is the West Midlands derby, as West Brom makes the trip to Villa Park to face a Villa side in dire need of a win. After getting thumped 4-1 by a newly promoted Southampton, I expect Aston Villa to come out firing with a point to prove to their loyal yet disappointed fans. Form is always irrelevant in these heated derbies and this one could go either way.

My Prediction: West Brom 1 – Aston Villa 1

Top Shelf Prospects: 2012-13 OHL Preview, Eastern Conference

Posted on September 24, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

Welcome to today’s edition of “Top Shelf Prospects”. I’ve taken a couple of weeks off from the Prospect Beat since completing a review of the prospects of all thirty NHL teams. If you missed those you can find a complete listing of my previous articles here. You can also find my extensive NHL Draft preview here.

This past weekend, hockey started across the CHL, and now that the new hockey season is upon us I will be given my thoughts on this coming season. I’ll be breaking it down league by league, and conference by conference. We started yesterday with the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference and today move on to the Eastern Conference, home of the highest ranked 2013 draft eligible player in the OHL, and to last year’s powerhouse Niagara Ice Dogs.

So lets get to it.

The Top Contenders

Belleville Bulls: For those that read the Western Conference preview, you saw that one of the reasons I picked the Kitchener Rangers to win East was that they had arguably the best goalie in the OHL. Well here we have the Belleville Bulls, my pick to take the OHL’s Eastern Conference, led largely by another goalie who is arguably the best in the league, Malcolm Subban. Its true that goaltending wins Championships, and Canada’s likely starter at this year’s World Junior Championships has plenty of OHL playoff experience, starting his first playoff games for Belleville when he was still just 16 years old. On defence the Bulls feature veterans in Brady Austin and Stephen Silas who will be relied upon to play against the best lines of the other teams. Meanwhile Jordan Subban is really coming into his own, and looks to put together a good season to be drafted as high as his brothers Malcolm and P.K. were in previous years. He’s turning into a great Power Play weapon, but will need to work on his defensive game, and it wouldn’t hurt his draft stock if he can grow an inch or two this year. Regardless though, he’ll be an OHL weapon. Up front Cameron Gaunce and Daniil Zharkov will lead the offence, and it is in good hands with those two stars. Look for Austen Brassard to also have a breakout year.

Barrie Colts In Mark Scheifele the Barrie Colts will have a contender for OHL MVP on the club. The only problem is that if the NHL lockout ends he might find himself in Winnipeg to finish the season, and for that reason I cant be 100% confident in picking the club to win the conference. I expect a breakout from newly acquired Andreas Athanasiou in Barrie, it was obvious that this kid has a ton of skill, but clashed with the Hunters in London, and that is never a situation a player like Athanasiou would want to be in. Anthony Camara and Zach Hall should also provide offence for the Colts. On defence Aaron Ekblad will be looking to improve in his sophomore season. After scoring 10 goals in his rookie season as a 15 year old with exceptional player status, Ekblad will look to improve those numbers and become a real offensive force in the OHL. Overager Ryan O’Connor will be given big responsibility and big minutes, and he should be more than capable of handling it. The Colts also have solid, if unspectacular goaltending, and should be more than good enough with their strong offensive team.

Niagara Ice Dogs: Last year was supposed to be the big year for the club, and it was as they were excellent all season long, only losing in the OHL final. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the club, but the NHL lockout may have changed that. Any time you can add Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Strome to your lineup, you should have a pretty good junior hockey club. These two will certainly be the leaders of the team and Niagara is a threat as long as they are part of the club. If the NHL gets back to work though this young club is likely still a playoff team, but not conference title contender. Brett Ritchie, Brock Beukeboom, Steve Shipley, and Jesse Graham will provide veteran leadership to the young club even if Hamilton and Strome leave. The goaltending is the big question mark as the team looks to replace Mark Visentin.

Players to Watch:

Mark Scheifele, Center, Barrie Colts: As mentionned Scheifele could be a contender for OHL MVP if he spends the entire season with Barrie. The Jets prospect had a good season last year, but never seemed to really have the great play that many expected. I think that this year he’ll really show his value and be one of the most dangerous players in the league. He’s an outstanding playmaker, and his very presence on the Colts will make every player who plays with him better. Expect his wingers to have big seasons.

Ryan Strome, Centre, Niagara Ice Dogs: Another high draft pick. Strome might not even be in the OHL if the NHL wasn’t locked out this year. Look for him to show off the great skating and slick hands that have made him a valued prospect in the Islanders system. He will look to round out his defensive game this year.

Dougie Hamilton, Defence, Niagara Ice Dogs: Hamiltton might have been the best defencemen in the OHL last season and will certainly contend for that honour again this season. The Bruins prospect will dominate games at the back end for Niagara, and don’t be surprised to see him play 35+ minutes a night in big games. He will play in all situations, whether it be matching against other teams top lines, leading the Niagara powerplay, or killing penalties. Expect to see Hamilton playing for the Bruins as soon as the NHL comes out of this lockout. Ice Dogs fans can only hope that happens later rather than sooner.

Cody Ceci, Defence, Ottawa 67s: The Senators first rounder leads a young 67s team. He’s got a huge point shot and is great on the PowerPlay. Ceci will look to have a big season and crack Canada’s World Junior lineup, something that isn’t easy as the team should be very deep on defence. Ceci will be another defencemen who will play huge minutes for his club.

2013 Draft Eligibles to Keep an Eye On:

Ryan Kujawinski, Centre, Kingston Frontenacs: I expect Kujawinski to be the guy that Kingston builds around going forward. At 6’2″ 200lbs he is developping into a big, powerful centre. He has excellent reach, and great puck control, and is able to extend plays. This allows him to be a playmaker as it gives his teammates time to get open and he’s able to make a few quick moves to open up passing lanes. He also is a powerful skater who drives the net and plays a gritty style. Kujawinski will need to work on his defensive game this season.

Sean Monahan, Centre, Ottawa 67s: Monahan already has 2 full seasons in the OHL under his belt, Monahan spent last season centring the first line for the Ottawa 67s. Already 6’2″, Monahan is developing into a power forward at the centre position. He uses his strong skating ability, powerful stride and good balance to drive the net in the offensive zone. Monahan’s shot and release are already at pro level, and he can use them to beat goalies with regularity. Monahan is also an excellent playmaker and his vision and passing skills helped linemate Tyler Toffoli lead the OHL in goals last year. Monahan is my 3rd ranked draft prospect (overall) heading into this season.

Spencer Martin, Goaltender, Mississauga Steelheads: Martin has already taken over as the Steelheads number one goaltender. He plays a solid butterfly style and has very quick legs taking away the bottom of the net very effectively. He has good size, and plays his angles well; challenging shooters effectively. Martin will be looking to improve his rebound control this season. If he can do that, he can move himself up NHL draft boards.

Jordan Subban, Defence, Belleville Bulls: Is a great skater, and is becoming a dangerous offensive weapon, with many of the same tools his brother P.K. showed while in Belleville. Jordan has an excellent slapshot, and is great at one-timers. He also has great vision, and is becoming the Bulls powerplay quarterback. Questions about his size will always plague him as he is listed at 5’10” but can sometimes look even smaller than that out there. However if he can add strength, and answer questions about his defensive ability this season he can move up draft boards very quickly. Jordan certainly has the type of prodigious talent we’ve seen in his two older brothers.

Other Rookies To Watch:

Michael Dal Colle, Centre, Oshawa Generals: I wasn’t really expecting much from Dal Colle this season. I figured he would make it on the Generals, but on a pretty decent club, I thought he’d struggle to get a lot of meaningful minutes. I had him more pegged as a guy to watch in 2013-14. However, the Generals first round pick in the OHL Draft, Dal Colle came in and had a great pre-season putting up 8 points, and making a case for top 6 minutes in Oshawa. It will be interesting to see what he can do now that the regular season is here.

Eric Cornel, Centre, Peterborough Petes:The Peterborough Native was the 3rd overall pick in the OHL Draft, the Petes will look to build around Cornel and return to the playoffs after two straight years missing them. Cornel is a big playmaking centre in the mold of Mark Schiefele. The Petes can only hope he’ll turn out as good as Schiefele has. Expect him to get top 6 minutes early in his career as Peterborough can use the offence.

Roland McKeown, Defence, Kingston Frontenacs: The 2nd overall pick in the OHL Draft, McKeown is a smooth skating, offensive defenceman. He played on the powerful Toronto Marlboros team that featured top pick Connor McDavid (Erie), 5th overall pick Joshua Ho-Sang (Windsor) and 9th overall Samuel Bennett (also taken by Kingston). McKeown was the blueline quarterback for the high powered club and will show critics that the big offensive numbers he put up in junior weren’t just because he played with those forwards.

As always feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on Twitter @LastWordBKerr

A Last Word Book Review: "A Random History of Football"

Posted on September 23, 2012May 28, 2017 by Mitchell Tierney

A Random History of Football
Colin Murray
Football (Association)

Synopsis:

A Random History of Football is (BBC Radio host of world-renown sporting program “Fighting Talk”) Colin Murray’s first book. Like much of Murray’s work it is hard to really summarize any of this book as the title indicates. A Random History of Football means switching on the fly from topics such as “Mascot brawls” to goals scored in surreal fashion. This book takes the sifting pan to the crazy history of international and club football and pulls out several hilarious and jaw-dropping nuggets.

Also contained within the list are several other intriguing story lines: What are the most ridiculous things footballers have ever been exchanged for? What happens when you get a club tattoo from a parlor supporting its biggest rival? What happened to a man who cycled all the way from Brazil to Mexico to watch his beloved country? The book also includes an eye-opening XI of the best players who smoked in the history of football. Plus at the bottom of every page is an interesting fact about every single league club in Great Britain, all the way from the Aberdeen to Yeovil Town.

Critique:

The purpose of this book is to give a broad and random view of the history of football. It is absolutely achieved as Murray moves from one story to another with his signature precise transitions that keep the book moving at an impressively quick pace. The book, despite being writing with simplicity in terms of word choice, still presents plenty of interesting facts that could not be compiled in any other format then the one Murray has chosen. The collection of facts are too broad to be categorized.

This book is certainly not written objectively, but for in this case that only contributes to a book that reads like an actual conversation with one of the most charismatic characters in radio sports. Murray rants about his support of Liverpool and Northern Ireland and taps into a vain that is present in every single sports fan. Whether a Liverpool supporter or a United supporter certain chapters in this book will make you consider the best moments of your supporting life.

A Random History of Football is written clearly and with simplistic diction. This makes the book a very light read that can be read easily without plenty of concentration. At the same time it is filled with incredible facts that are highly educational for football supporters. While the facts are not presented in an academic manner they seem to check up upon research and honestly none of the stories contained within this work could ever be presented professionally.

Recommendation:

I would absolutely recommend this book. Murray has done an absolutely exceptional job in penning this and should be commended for his efforts. I can almost guarantee, no matter how many football stories you have heard in your life, written within this book will be one that you have never heard of nor thought possible. This is the kind of book that keeps you happy throughout the reading and it is about as informative a comedic sports writing as I have ever read.

The only criticism I would have for this book is that you want there to be more. When the book is done you wish that Murray had added more content as there is sure to be plenty more seeing as how there is more than a century of history in this sport. At the end of the book Murray mentioned the possibility of a second volume but three years after the original was released it is unclear whether it will ever be published.

For any football fan this book is an essential read. If you are not a supporter of the sport this still may be a great read simply because the story telling and content is intriguing.

Follow the link below and buy the book from our Amazon Storefront

Hammer Radio: Live at UFC 152; Post Fight Interviews and Press Conference

Posted on September 23, 2012December 27, 2021 by Ben Kerr

UFC 152 is Saturday and the Hammer Radio has full coverage and special editions all week. The Hammer is regularly heard on Wednesday Nights, and available in Hamilton on 93.3 CMFU FM.

The Boys at the Hammer feature weekly coverage of all things MMA. This special live at UFC 152 show features special guest interviews.

“UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort is over, and so is our week long coverage of all of the UFC 152 events taking place around Toronto for the past week. Check out this episode for our thoughts on all of the fight results from live in the building, as well as what went down at the post-fight press conference. Spoiler: Dana White yelled at Dave.

Hammer Radio is live on location in Toronto covering UFC 152: Jones vs. Belfort, so check for a ton of bonus episodes in all of the regular places, including live Wednesday night at 7pm on CFMU 93.3 FM, http://www.thehammermma.com/, Last Word On Sports, and The Itunes Store.”

Here is the Video, you can see Dana White start to freak out around the 9:00 mark, but this has been editted by UFC. The Radio Show isn’t.

The Hammer features lastwordonsports’ own writer Greg Persson, long time internet superstar Steve Jeffrey, and is hosted by MMA aficionado Dave Abraham.

The Hammer has had interviews with some of the biggest names in MMA over the years, including BJ Penn, Dan Henderson, Sean Sherk, Mark Coleman, and others. They continue to bring unparallelled, independent coverage of all things MMA to fans of the sport.

They’ll give you the straight goods and the Last Word.

UFC 152: Jon Jones' Paper Victory

Posted on September 23, 2012November 5, 2021 by Mark Modeski

UFC 152 marked a first in the history of the mixed martial arts promotion. It was the first replacement event for another event – re: UFC 151. Well, this is really only a half truth, as UFC 152 was already in place before cancelling UFC 151; however, the main event was in fact a replacement main event. Now that we’re clear on that little detail, let’s avoid all of the history behind UFC 151 and talk about what everyone was really taking about at UFC 152 – Did Jon Jones victory really matter?

Unfortunately, Toronto fans were not to be awarded with the same heads up challenge to Jon Jones that was promised to fans at UFC 151 with Dan Henderson. Instead Toronto fans were given Vitor Belfort as a contender. While dangerous in his time, Belfort has had few fights in the UFC since returning to the Octagon, and even fewer at light heavyweight. He clearly had no place fighting for the championship at 205 lbs.

Vitor Belfort really only had a “Matt-Serras-chance” of winning the fight versus Jones. Side-to-side Jones outclasses Belfort on almost every key aspect of the game, as such it should be surprising to few to know that Jon Jones submitted Belfort in the fourth round of last night’s light heavyweight title bout. In all fairness, Belfort did put up an admirable performance – and did have the champ in trouble on the ground a few times; however, I dont think anyone was taken aback by the final result.

So what are the implications of this victory for Jones? To be honest, nothing really. As I mentioned prviously, Belfort had no real place fighting Jones in the first place. A large part of me firmly believes that Belfort was given the Jones fight purely so Jones would live to fight another day as champion for Dan Henderson.

For Jones to fight Henderson is important for the UFC. Once Jones has defeated Henderson he has realistically cleaned out the division, and will move into re-match territory with most of the divisions elite. With Jones having cleared out the division it opens things up for the “superfight” possibilities that Dana White has been alluding to as of late – namely between Anderson Silva and Jon Jones (although Georges St. Pierre’s name has also been thrown into this mix). It’s interesting to note, that no one has been hearing as many outright declines in reference to this superfight from Anderson Silva lately, as well.

This superfight could be moving into reality territory sooner than a lot may think. It’s imperiative for the UFC to have this fight soon for two key reasons:

Anderson Silva is getting old: He needs to fight before he starts to become irrelevant, and people can use the – “well, he was well past his prime” excuse if Silva was to lose.
The UFC needs a ratings boost: North American TV viewership and pay-per-viewership have both been down recently. As such Dana White needs something that he can cash in on, and he’s been holding this chip back from quite sometime, you kind of get the sense that he may be ready to put it in play.

When all is said and done about last night’s main event, it was an entertaining fight and an interesting match-up; however, the bout had no real long-term implications for Jones. For Belfort it would have re-ignited his floundering MMA career. My only hope is that we get to Henderson vs. Jones soon, because THAT will be a fight to watch!

What We Learned In College, Week 4

Posted on September 23, 2012November 5, 2021 by Lindsay Higgins

-Stick a fork in Arkansas, if you didn’t last week. An SEC team losing to the Big (L)East?

-I can’t be the only one who thought Arizona-Oregon would be a good game. I’m just glad I didn’t stay up to watch it. I do think Rich Rod’s system will work in the Pac-12, but he needs more of his own recruits there.

-Kentucky’s defense looked decent yesterday, at least early on. Their offense, particularly at QB, did not.

-A first for me in the Penn State game: seeing a personal foul for a late hit out-of-bounds committed by the kicker. Seriously, the kicker. Thats Ficken ridiculous.

-Florida State proved that they are for real with a 49-37 win over Clemson, however their defence may be a bit overrated.

-This may be a bit of an understatement, but Denard Robinson’s mechanics are still an issue. I saw a lot of back-foot throws last night, several of which were caught by Notre Dame players.

– Notre Dame showed that their defence is much improved over the last two years, containing the Wolverines on the ground.

– Oklahoma was the victim of this week’s biggest upset, falling 24-19 at home to Kansas State. This really makes things wide open in the Big 12.

– In another upset UCLA lost to Oregon State, who are now 3-0. Look for the Beavers to be ranked in this weeks top 25.

-LSU had problems putting points on the board against Auburn (who have struggled this year). Not a good sign for the LSU offence with some tougher matchups coming up.

-I lost count of the missed tackles by Missouri sometime in the first quarter. I know South Carolina is good, but come on.

-Not a great weekend for the Big 10. Iowa lost to the MAC and Illinois got rolled by the WAC.

-Hats off for a huge day by Old Dominion quarterback Taylor Heinicke who threw for an astonishing 730 yards, a new Division I record.

Feel free to leave your comments below and follow me on twitter @LastWordLindsay

Top Shelf Prospects: 2012-13 OHL Preview, Western Conference

Posted on September 23, 2012November 5, 2021 by Ben Kerr

This past weekend, hockey resumed from its summer hiatus across the CHL, and now that the new hockey season is upon us I will be giving my thoughts on this coming season. I’ll be breaking it down league by league, and one conference at a time. We will kick things off in the Ontario Hockey League with the OHL’s Western Conference, home of the defending OHL Champion, and also home to the highest-drafted NHLer who returns to the OHL.

So let’s get to it.

OHL Title Contenders

Kitchener Rangers: The Rangers are my pick to win the Western Conference. In fact, I predict Kitchener to win the entire league this year, as the team celebrates its 50th Anniversary season. All great teams start with great goaltending, and the Rangers are back-stopped by Ducks prospect John Gibson, arguably the best goalie in the OHL. As we move from the net out, we see Ryan Murphy on the backend, another one of the top producers in the league. Upfront, we see that in Tobias Rieder, Radek Faksa, and Matt Puempel the Rangers have assembled one of the most dangerous lines in the league. The team has a good mix of veteran depth in players like Mattia Marcantuoni, Dominic Alberga, Nick Czinder, and Evan McEneny. They also have quality youth in 2013 draft eligibles Justin Bailey, Josh Sterk, and Brent Pederson. Overall, this might be the most well-rounded club in the league, but they will face some competition as there is no true clear-cut favorite this year.

Plymouth Whalers: In Tom Wilson, Richard Rakell, JT Miller, and Stefan Noesen, the Whalers have four NHL first round picks leading their offence. The team returns almost their entire forward core from last season, and they should once again score a lot of goals. The defence has been strengthened by the additions of Connor Carrick and Gianluca Curcuruto. Plymouth is also able to avoid the war that will be the Mid-West division this season, which may help the team become better prepared for a long playoff run.

London Knights: Last year’s OHL Champions have taken some big losses as Austin Watson, Greg McKegg, Vlad Namestnikov, Jarred Tinordi, and OHL MVP Michael Houser have all graduated and Andreas Athanasiou was traded. However they still field a powerful lineup. The Knights Offence should still be pretty good, and we can expect the team to be led by Seth Griffith, Ryan Rupert, Matt Rupert, and 2013 NHL Draft Eligibles Max Domi and Bo Horvat. However the strength of this team remains its defence. New Captain Scott Harrington is a premier shut down defencemen, while Penguins Prospect Olli Maatta continues to develop his all around game. The Knights have also added import Nikita Zadorov, a hard-hitting Russian defencemen who is looking to be a 2013 first round pick. The big question, and the reason I give Kitchener the edge over the Knights is in-goal. In my opinion, London has not adequately replaced 2011-12 OHL MVP Michael Houser. However as we have seen in previous years, the Hunters are not afraid to trade assets for missing pieces at the trade deadline, and they could do the same this year.

Players to Watch

Alex Galchenyuk, Centre, Sarnia Sting: With Nail Yakupov off to the KHL, 3rd Overall pick Galchenyuk is the highest NHL drafted prospect in the OHL this season. The Habs pick hopes to return from a devastating knee injury that cost him all but 2 games last season. Galchenyuk had an excellent pre-season and appears to be close to being in full form. While he doesn’t have the surrounding cast in Sarnia to be able to make the Sting more than a middle of the pack team, expect to see Galchenyuk challenge for 100 points this season, and contend for OHL MVP. The only thing that may keep him from challenging for the scoring title as well is the time he will miss with his expected participation as a member of the United States Team in the World Junior Championships.

Jarrod Maidens, Right Wing, Owen Sound Attack: Maidens appeared to be a budding power forward before he suffered a very serious concussion last season. He still isn’t ready to return to the Attack lineup as of the writing of this article. As a big fan of Maidens, I’d love to see him come back and pick up where he left off. Without the injury he probably would have been drafted in the first round last year. This situation will be interesting to monitor, and if Maidens comes back strong, he might be the missing piece that gives Owen Sound the extra offence to turn the Mid-West division into a three team race with London and Kitchener, though even then, they are probably the third best team in the division.

Nick Ebert, Defence, Windsor Spitfires: Entering last season most experts had Nick Ebert as one of the top draft eligible players in the OHL. After a disasterous year, he ended up being “Mr. Irrelevant” as the 211th and last player drafted in the NHL draft. Can Ebert bounce back to his 2010-11 form, playing the type of two-way game that had scouts salivating over him? If he can even come close to being the prospect he was once projected to be, the Los Angeles Kings will have themselves a steal.

Ryan Sproul, Defence, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds: The Detroit Red Wings second round pick in 2010, Sproul has one of the hardest shots in the league. Expect to see him quarterbacking what could be a dangerous Sault’s powerplay, and scoring goals at the back-end, while working on rounding out his all-around game before hitting the next level.

Oscar Dansk, Goaltender, Erie Otters: This Columbus Blue Jackets second round pick comes in looking to be the saviour for the OHL’s worst club last season. He should provide the team with solid goaltending, and steal them some games. The question will be, is it enough to get the Otters into a playoff spot? On his own it won’t be. Luckily the Otters will have a healthy Adam Pelech to help, along with a new OHL wunderkind leading their offence. Expect a better season in Erie, and they will fight to be in the top 8.

2013 Draft Eligibles To Watch:

Max Domi, Centre, London Knights: The son of former NHL tough guy Tie Domi is an elite skater who uses his “shiftiness” and changes of pace to confuse and beat defenders. He has excellent hockey sense and is able to find openings in the offensive zone to unleash a quick and accurate wrist shot. He is extremely dangerous with the puck on his stick as he can beat defenders one on one or use his excellent vision and passing ability to create an opening for his teammates. He will need to work on improving his defensive game this season, but he has the drive to succeed.

Bo Horvat, Centre, London Knights: A strong two-way player with great hockey sense, and a strong work ethic. Horvat wins a lot of board battles, and is a powerforward who loves to take the puck to the front of the net. His hockey sense seems to always have him in the right position at both ends of the ice. A good character guy, Horvat sets a good example for other young players on the Knights and is a favorite of the Hunters.

Kerby Rychel, Left Wing, Windsor Spitfires: The son of Warren Rychel is a pure goal scorer, scoring 41 goals last season. He has an excellent wrist shot with a very quick release. Rychel also has a very good one timer. Rychel’s biggest asset though is his good hands. He is deadly in close to the net, tipping in shot, burying rebounds, and driving opposing goalies nuts. Rychel loves to set up right at the top of the opponents crease and scores a ton from this area. He has really improved his skating over the past year which is one of the biggest reasons for him rocketing up draft boards. He also has shown the ability to play the game tough, and drop the gloves from time to time, like his father.

Jordan Maletta, Centre/Right Wing, Windsor Spitfires: Maletta hasn’t gotten as much hype as some of the other players on this list, but I feel he is ready for a breakout this year. Another big, powerful powerforward type Maletta is full of untapped potential. He protects the puck very well, and drives the net hard. He’s got accurate wrist and snap shots, and I like his release. If he can see some playing time with a playmaking centre, I think Maletta can show off his offensive potential and score some goals for the Spits.

Stephen Harper, Left Wing, Erie Otters: Harper has excellent size and skating ability. He is extremely solid on his skates and very difficult to knock off the puck. He controls the puck well down low, and is great at working the cycle game. He also shows good passing ability. A goal scorer with a quick one timer, it looks like Harper has found a spot at LW on the Otters top line and if he develops chemistry with McDavid could score a ton of goals. He led the team in-goal scoring last season, very impressive for a 16-year-old.

Jason Dickinson, Centre, Guelph Storm: Dickinson is a creative playmaker for the Guelph Storm. His excellent vision and passing ability help him to make linemates better. Dickinson is also and excellent stickhandler, and he protects the puck very well, extending plays and waiting for openings to make a pass. Dickinson will look to work on his defensive game, and faceoff skills to become more well-rounded and move up draft boards this season.

Darnell Nurse, Defence, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds: Nurse is a big, strong defensive defenceman for the Greyhounds. The nephew of former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Nurse is an excellent skater who covers a ton of ice. He is a good shot blocker and his long reach helps to cut down passing lanes. NHL teams will be watching to see how his offense develops this season, even if it doesn’t his defensive skills alone might still make him a first round pick.

Nikita Zadorov, Defence, London Knights: I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t seen a lot of Zadorov yet, but am certainly intrigued to see him play based on others reports. The Russian Import is said to be a strong defensive defenceman with a nasty streak. He’s advertised as a big hitter and strong shot blocker in the mold of Anton Volchenkov.

Other Rookies to Watch (Draft Eligible 2014 and 2015):

Joshua Ho-Sang, Windsor Spitfires: The 5th overall pick in the spring OHL draft, Ho-Sang is an excellent skater and has fantastic hands. He really is slick with the puck on his stick He also has an excellent wrist shot and release. It will be interesting to see how Ho Sang is used in the Windsor lineup, but they have the offence to compliment him and he could challenge for rookie of the year.

Connor McDavid, Erie Otters:Just 15 years old, McDavid was granted exceptional player status and is the third player to enter the OHL early under this rule. (Aaron Ekblad and John Tavares were 2nd and 1st respectively). The young McDavid is a slick playmaking centre who looks to show that he deserves the label. Going to Erie, he’s immediately stepping into a top line role and will get big minutes this season. He’s shown some Chemistry with Harper, and I think they will click. I think he will beat his former midget level teammate Ho-Sang and take the OHL’s Rookie Award.

Savant Fantasy Analysis: NFL Week 3 'Bulls'

Posted on September 22, 2012November 4, 2021 by Forrest Doran

Welcome to The Sports Savant’s ‘Bulls’ fantasy football stock watch!

Each week of the NFL season I try to provide some clarity on the week’s most crucial fantasy matchups and player fantasy stock. Through analysis, I try to help you make sound decisions on who you can expect to produce so you can make adjustments to your fantasy lineup. Here are my NFL Week 3 ‘Bulls’:

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Robert Griffin III (Was-QB)

Griffin has already shown us that he can be a fantasy impact player in just two weeks as a starting QB in the NFL. He scored the second most fantasy points in the NFL last week(behind only Reggie Bush) so a spot for him in the Bulls section is obvious. I include RGIII in this Bulls and Bears article because as good as he has been in the first two weeks, I am doubling down on his performance this week against the Bengals. Cincy has already given up 308.5 passing yards per game to opponents and that includes getting shredded by rookie QB Brandon Weeden and the Cleveland Browns. This is a very tasty matchup for RGIII owners. The only way I’m not starting this guy if he’s on my bench is if I have one of the few elite QB’s already starting, but this guy is a fantasy must start for fantasy owners that have anyone but Brees, Rodgers or Brady. This could very well be the game that catapults him from rock solid fantasy starter to top fantasy asset in 2012.

Savant Prediction: 318 Passing Yards, 44 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs-Passing , 1 TD-Rushing, 1 INT

Michael Bush (Chi-RB)

It was announced on Friday that Matt Forte will be unavailable for Week 3’s game due to an ankle injury. This means Bush goes from just a goal line running back to a full-time workhouse for Lovie Smith and the Bears offense. Bush has proven that he is more than capable of being an every down back by filling in magnificently for Darren McFadden and the Oakland Raiders over the second half of last season. Once he secured that role with Oakland, he averaged over 100 yards rushing per game and added about a TD per game as well. He will be a monster against a very weak Rams rush defense that was the league’s worst in 2011. I expect top 5 fantasy numbers for Bush this week and is a must start in any format.

Savant Prediction: 119 Rushing Yards, 2 Receptions, 17 Receiving Yards, 2 TDs-Rushing

Michael Crabtree (SF-WR)

In the last couple of games, 49ers TE Vernon Davis has been geting much of the fantasy attention in that passing game because he has connected on three touchdowns with Alex Smith already. What’s gone largely unnoticed in the fantasy community is that Crabtree, not Davis, has been Smith’s favorite target. Smith has been finding Crabtree on almost every third and passing situation and they have connected on a crisp, 81.3% completion rate, tops in the NFL for players with more than 15 targets. The Vikings secondary was torched all last year and they have shown no signs of improving that pass defense anytime soon in 2012. The Vikings have made both Blaine Gabbert and rookie Andrew Luck look like Dan Marino in 1983. Smith is far superior to those two QB’s right now and Crabtree should be the biggest beneficiary of this monster matchup. He’ll be especially pertinent in PPR leagues.

Savant Prediction: 8 Receptions, 94 Receiving Yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Dwayne Bowe (KC-WR)

After being mostly forgotten in Week 1 behind RB Dexter McCluster’s receiving display for KC, Week 2 was a very different story for Bowe who took advantage of his opportunities and scored a couple of late TDs in a blowout loss to Buffalo. We know Bowe is supremely talented and has a history of being a big playmaker and TD machine when he caught 15 TDs and went for over 1,000 in 2010. His fantasy value was heavily diminished last year due to a number of Chiefs injuries, most botably to Qb Matt Cassel that had Bowe catching passes from inexperienced QB Tyler Palko. Bowe’s matchup couldn’t be any meatier against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL in the New Orlean Saints. The other fantasy factor to consider that gives Bowe an advantage is that the Saints very well could get up big early in the game causing the Chiefs to put the ball in the air 40 or 50 times to try and keep up. On sheer volume, matchup and fantasy points ceiling, I am starting Bowe over many top tier WRs this week.

Savant Prediction: 7 Receptions, 107 Receiving Yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Jamaal Charles (KC-RB)

Charles has been mostly quiet through the first couple of fantasy football weeks, largely due to leaving halfway through the second game with what has been called a “knee bruise”. The Chiefs are adamant that Charles could have returned to the game if they were in contention and that he was held out of the second half as a “precaution”. All signs indicate that Charles is healthy and ready to roll. The Saints have given up five rushing TDs already this season and are looking very soft against the run. Add in the fact that the Saints have a hard time covering RBs as well and you have yourself not only a nice fantasy RB play, but a guy who can get you points in the passing game as well. I like Jamaal Charles to come out in this game and show everyone that he is not to be forgotten as a fantasy impact player.

Savant Prediction: 74 Rushing Yards, 4 Receptions, 44 Receiving Yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Dennis Pitta (Bal- TE)

Coming out of nowhere, Pitta is fast turning into the most added TE on the wire. He has gained so much fantasy buzz over the last two weeks because he has emerged as a primary target in the Ravens’ new no-huddle offense they have been running in 2012. Pitta leads all TE’s in the NFL in targets with one more than Jimmy Graham. He also has shown that he has the reliable hands and disciplined route running to get himself free for Flacco to find over the middle. It doesn’t hurt that he and Flacco are also best of friends of the field, strengthening that chemistry they have as the season goes on. He has the potential to score just as many points as the league’s elite TEs on any given week. if you are a Frd Davis, Scott Chandler, Jacob Tamme or Kyle Rudolph owner you are definitely adding this guy. You may even find yourself dropping the likes of Tony Gonzalez or Jermichael Finley for Pitta by season’s end.

Savant Prediction: 6 catches, 84 yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Other ‘BULLS’ Notables:

Kenny Britt (Ten-WR) – 5 Receptions, 91 Receiving Yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Ben Roethlisberger – 284 Passing Yards, 21 Rushing Yards, 2 TDs-Passing, 1 INT

Andrew Hawkins (Cin-WR) – 6 Receptions, 92 Receiving Yards, 1 TD-Receiving

Bills D/ST – 17 Points Allowed, 2 Sacks, 2 INTs, 1 Fumble Recovery

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Year: 2012