Archive for January, 2012
Jersey Sports Fan – MSG vs. Time Warner Cable
Posted in Jets, Rangers, Shout Out of the Week on January 18, 2012 by EAST SIDE RYNOThanks to my man Dave Mueller for sending the clip
The Coliseum was Rock’n on MLK Day
Posted in Islanders on January 16, 2012 by EAST SIDE RYNO
Looks like Uniondale is where it’s at.
What the Giants Must Do to Win at Lambeau
Posted in Giants on January 15, 2012 by EAST SIDE RYNO
Here we go. Gameday baby. Nothing better than a playoff matchup between two old-school teams in the most historic stadium in football. All I’ve heard this week in the media is how the Giants have a good shot at winning this game since they have the momentum. But I think we’re all forgetting just how good this Green Bay Packers team has been. They’re 15-1, undefeated at home, have an MVP quarterback, and are the defending Super Bowl champs. Let’s just get that straight. But having said that, the Packers are beatable. In Week 13, the Giants stood neck and neck with the Pack all game. Eli was able to pick apart the Packers’ secondary, but the defense looked atrocious. But Perry Fewell’s defense have improved and are much healthier since that early December game. In order for the Giants to win today, they must execute two basic things:
1) ESTABLISH THE RUN
If Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs perform like they did last week, the Giants will pick apart the Packers’ mediocre defense. With a good running game, Eli Manning will have a field day with his receivers. In 2007 when the Giants last played the Packers in the postseason, the Giants gained a solid 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground. Plus that Packers defense was one of the best in the league that season. If Jacobs and Bradshaw only run for a combined 85 yards, like they did against the Pack in Week 13, it’s not going to be pretty for Kevin Gilbride.
Hopefully we will see more of this from Brandon Jacobs, just like in 2007:
2) PRESSURE RODGERS
Aaron Rodgers can’t have time in the pocket if the Giants want to win (or at least hold the Packers under 45 points). With Jennings back in the lineup today, Rodgers has all of his weapons ready to go. Let’s face it, the Giants secondary has improved over the 2011 season but it’s still not that good. Just like they did with Matt Ryan, the defensive line must get to Rodgers and disrupt his time in the pocket. In Week 13, there was a play in the second half where the Packers were inside the ten on a 3rd and goal. Rodgers went back to pass and had at least eight seconds in the pocket. Eventually, Donald Driver got open and the Packers had themselves another touchdown. (See Below) This can’t happen today. Let’s hope JPP, Osi, and Tuck stay hot and lay the hammer on Rodgers all game.
4:30pm today…Let’s get it on.
New York Rangers
Posted in Rangers on January 10, 2012 by Matthew Werblin
After a busy end of the semester it is time to focus on the Rangers. They have been on a roll. They took care of business in the winter classic and have found themselves holding the best record in the league. Every line has been delivering and the team chemistry is perfect. If you haven’t caught an episode of 24/7 i highly recommend it. You can see that the players buy into Torts system and fight for each other.
Tonight: They are playing the Phoenix Coyotes. The last time these two teams met the Rangers found the net with .01 on the clock. In their last ten games the rangers are 9-1. Brandon Dubinsky has been picking up steam and his play and work is starting to work off. Also, the emergence of Carl Hagelin has had a tremendous impact on the team. His speed is dangerous and opens the ice for the team. Gaborik has been lights out and is having possibly his best season as a New York Ranger.
Early Look at 2012 in College Football
Posted in College Football on January 10, 2012 by sammywestside
With last night’s domination of LSU, Alabama took home the National Championship trophy for the 2011 season. It’s sad that College Football is over now, so the only thing to do is look ahead to next season. I’ll go through my projected Top 30 teams, and give you an idea of what kind of season they could have.
1. LSU- This is obvious, the Tigers return a ton of talent from this year’s squad and they get Alabama in Baton Rouge next year. They have a favorable schedule to be playing for the title again next year.
2. Oklahoma- This is probably surprising, but the Sooners underachieved this year and return 8 starters on both sides of the ball. Their schedule isn’t bad, and I project them to face LSU at the end of the year.
3. Alabama- Nick Saban is a genius, that’s all you need to know. Bama could only have one blemish next year from LSU.
4. Oregon- The Ducks will lose LaMichael James, but his value comes from the explosive offense, and an improving defense.
5. Georgia- Another SEC team? Yeah the Dogs are probably heading towards another double digit win season, problem is they have to beat LSU in the title game.
6. Florida State- The Seminoles are always overrated, and for reason I think will be next year, but a favorable schedule will finally give them the opportunity to achieve a healthy amount of wins and an ACC title.
7. Southern Cal- Not quite on board with the Trojans yet. Lane Kiffin is still Lane Kiffin and the Trojans defense is still kinda bad. A late season surge in 2011 will not convince me they are ready to compete for a National Title.
8. South Carolina- The Gamecocks will be running the ball every play next season, seriously. They return Marcus Lattimore from injury, and Connor Shaw who is mobile, but can’t throw well. Their defense should still be very good and have them right there with Georgia in the East.
9. Arkansas- Yeah this is 5 out of the top 9 from the SEC, and Arkansas should be just as good as last year. Tyler Wilson will be slinging it around again to a talented group.
10. Stanford- Post Andrew Luck will be interesting, but the Cardinal have built a strong run game and defense which should help them plow through many of the lesser Pac 12 teams.
11. Virginia Tech- The Hokies lose a lot of offense, but return QB Logan Thomas. On defense they return almost everyone and should be salty. Frank Beemer wins game and should be back in the ACC title game once again.
12. Michigan- Brady Hoke’s bunch weren’t flashy in 2011, and might not have been as good as their record but they are well coached and return a good nucleus next season. They should be one of many front runners in the Big Ten.
13. West Virginia- The high powered offense should be better next season with Geno Smith running the show again. The Mountaineers could face a tough time in the Big 12 though.
14. Nebraska- The Huskers were bizarre this season showing struggles with the passing game and on defense, but they return a lot and could make a step towards a Big 10 title.
15. Ohio State- Yeah, 6-6 to top 15? Urban Meyer is that good…I think. They have talent, and a very good D so why not?
16. Clemson- The Tigers return all their offensive skill players but lose three lineman on both sides. A defensive overhaul might be needed after an embarrassing use of talent in 2011. A favorable schedule might help them overcome some shortcomings.
17. Notre Dame- The Irish weren’t bad this year, they just were terrible in the red zone. They return plenty and could take a nice step next year.
18. Michigan State- They should have a great defense, but how much offense they can produce will determine how good they can be.
19. TCU- The Horned Frogs will jump to the Big 12 and should have good success in year one because of the well coached D and young talent offense.
20. Oklahoma State- An opportunistic defense in 2011 must be good next year to overcome the loss of Justin Blackmon and company.
21. Wisconsin
22. Texas
23. Georgia Tech
24. Baylor
25. Florida
26. BYU
27. Rutgers
28. Kansas State
29. Texas A&M
30. North Carolina
Bracketology: January 9th, 2012
Posted in College Basketball on January 10, 2012 by sammywestside
Today’s Bracketology comes to you after we have completed the first 1-2 weeks of the conference season. So far some conferences have gone as we thought, while others like the Big East, ACC, and Pac 12 have not. With so many teams competitive this year, it also means many large conferences have some really bad teams on the bottom. For those who are on the bubble it will be important for them to not slip up against them. What I find amazing is the fact I have 10 conferences with at least three bids right now. This is very unheard of. The depth in many leagues outside the big 6 is amazing and will prove to be helpful for some teams trying to earn bids. On the other hand it can hurt those teams that might not be everything they’ve shown so far, as losses to conference foes with RPI’s below 150 or 200 will halt the chances of so many at large bids from mid majors. In the end, I think we’ll see things even out a bit, but the bubble will be crazy in March.
The Big Ten is the nations best conference this year with the chance of getting as many as 9 bids. The Big East is way down from the past, but still is very strong at the top. The Pac 12 is borderline horrific and I’m amazed I have three teams in right now, that will likely change for the worse as conference play continues. The SEC is OK, but losses to the lower teams might push some inconsistent squads like Florida and Vanderbilt in the wrong direction. The Big 12 is down, but a strong top 5 looks to make noise in March. The ACC is struggling as well, and teams other than UNC, Duke and maybe Virginia will have to play well in conference to get on the right side of the bubble. The A-10, MWC, and MVC are all peaking at the right time, and we’ll see if the out of conference play these conferences achieved can hold up and not get torn down by the few bad teams in each conference.
For now we can still say it is quite early, and this bracket is bound to experience some majors changes even before the month ends. I’m excited to see if mid majors teams that have excelled can avoid slip ups in conference to teams they shouldn’t lose to. Additionally, the RPI rankings are bound to change dramatically too. Right now teams like Seton Hall, Southern Miss, and Dayton all appear to be very overrated, while others like Wisconsin seem rated way too high. Anyway, here’s the seeds for this edition of bracketology, enjoy.
#1- Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio State, North Carolina
#2- Baylor, Indiana, Duke, Michigan State
#3- Georgetown, Missouri, Louisville, Kansas
#4- UConn, UNLV, Florida, Michigan
#5- Murray State, Gonzaga, Alabama, Kansas State
#6- Creighton, Mississippi State, Virginia, Seton Hall
#7- Marquette, Vanderbilt, San Diego State, Illinois
#8- Wisconsin, Purdue, West Virginia, St. Mary’s
#9- Harvard, Wichita State, Southern Miss, Temple
#10- California, St. Louis, Stanford, Dayton
#11- BYU, New Mexico, Texas, Memphis
#12- Xavier, Florida State, Northwestern, (NC State/Memphis)
#13- Iona, Long Beach State, Davidson, (Northern Iowa/Virginia Tech)
#14- Belmont, Oral Roberts, Cleveland State, Nevada
#15- Coastal Carolina, Bucknell. Virginia Commonwealth, Ohio
#16- Lamar, Weber State, Norfolk State, Wagner, Texas Southern, Albany
Teams on the bubble but out:
Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Minnesota, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Iowa State, Miami FL, Maryland, LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi, Colorado State, Wyoming, Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s, Missouri State, Indiana State, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Marshall, UCF
By Conference:
Big Ten-8
Big East-7
ACC-6
Big 12-5
SEC-5
A10-4
MWC-3
MVC-3
Pac 12-3
WCC-3
CUSA-2
Lambeau Time!
Posted in Giants on January 8, 2012 by EAST SIDE RYNO
Good thing the Giants decided to to play their best football in the three most important games of the season. This is what happens when a team gets healthy at the right time. Osi, Tuck and JPP were simply unstoppable, Jacobs was an absolute beast, and Nicks was unreal.
I’ve heard some buzz about these guys looking eerily similar to the 2007 team. First of all, the 2007 Giants was a once in a lifetime kind of run. With the Giants headed to Green Bay next week, it’s the perfect opportunity for an upset. In Week 13 at the Meadowland, the GMen came close to beating the then-undefeated Packers 38-35 (the same score the Giants lost to in the regular season to the 2007 undefeated Patriots). It’s close to impossible to beat the Packers at Lambeau this season, but if there’s a team that can do it, it’s the New York Giants. This squad plays better on the road, plus this team has a history of doing the unthinkable on the road. We obviously know about the 2007 season where the Giants won 11 straight on the road including the Super Bowl against the 18-0 Patriots. But in 1990, the Giants were in a similar situation when they had to go out to Candlestick Park to face the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. At Candlestick, Joe Montana and the NIners never lost, especially in the postseason. Against all odds, the Giants went to San Fran and beat the Niners on a last second field goal to go to the Super Bowl. So who knows? Maybe next week the Giants can make history once again. Game time is 4:15pm Sunday.
EAST SIDE RYNO
kfaris89
Matthew Werblin
New York Nick
sammywestside
5 BOROUGH SPORTS 