FOOTBALL

The weekend of NFL playoff games continued.

First up was the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the New England Patriots. QB Tom Brady found his favorite (and now healthy) target Rob Gronkowski, twice in the end zone for the win. The Patriots now find themselves headed to the AFC Championship game for the 5th year in a row. They will have an epic showdown against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos next weekend. Patriots 27, Chiefs 20.

Next up,  the Green Bay Packers forced an overtime after an Aaron Rodgers 41 yard Hail Mary touchdown on the final play of regulation. The Arizona Cardinals did not let that unbelievable play affect their confidence. On the first play of overtime, QB Carson Palmer escaped his defender and threw a beautiful pass to a wide open Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald ran for 75 yards. On the next play, from the 5 yard line, Fitzgerald grabbed a shovel pass from Palmer and ran into the end zone for the win. Arizona will now face the Carolina Panthers for the NFC Championship. Cardinals 26, Packers 20.

Sunday’s games began with the Carolina Panthers easily cruising to a 31 point halftime lead over the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks furiously rallied with 24 points in the second half giving the Panthers a bit of a scare, but it was too little too late and the Panthers held on for the win. The Panthers will need to stay strong for both halves if they hope to beat the Cardinals next weekend in the NFC Title Game. Panthers 31, Seahawks 24.

In the final game of the weekend, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos needed to get past the Pittsburgh Steelers for a shot at his rival, Tom Brady and the Patriots. The game was uneventful and at times fairly ugly (seven dropped passes from Manning’s receivers), but in the end, Manning drove for a TD that lifted the Broncos up 20-13. On the next drive, the Steelers settled for a field goal and hoped the onside kick would give them the ball back. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Denver recovered the onside kick and capped the game with another field goal. At 39 (2 months shy of 40 years old), this will likely be Peyton Manning’s last shot at a Super Bowl Title. But first, he’ll be hosting Brady next weekend for an epic rivalry and some must watch football. Broncos 23, Steelers 16.

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In the NFL,many coaching vacancies were filled and the most high profile of all was for the San Francisco 49ers.  The Niners have been a franchise in turmoil, and have a super athletic quarterback on the bench (Colin Kaepernick).  The organization thought it was worth the risk to bring in controversial football coaching genius, Chip Kelly.  Kelly floundered recently in Philadelphia, but the Niners are willing to give him a second chance.  Kelly is an offensive-minded coach and should work well with Kaepernick. In addition, Kelly won’t have general manager duties in San Fran which should help him focus.
Elsewhere, the Philadelphia Eagles think they have found their man in Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Doug Pederson.  After a sluggish start to the season, the Chiefs offense became fun to watch.  Pederson was largely responsible for the turnaround and Philly thinks Pederson can use their current young weapons to build an explosive offense.  The Eagles did meet with former Giants’ coach Tom Coughlin, but didn’t think he would be a good long-term fit for the team.

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In the NBA, the best team in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers, took on arguably the 2nd best team in the west, the San Antonio Spurs.  The matchup was a true test for both teams, and the game did not disappoint.  It was a back and forth battle, but Kawai Leonard shined for the Spurs (as he has been doing this year — a season that will likely get him nominated for an MVP candidate) and the Spurs were able to edge the Cavs.  It’s quite possible though that these two teams will meet again in the finals, as there doesn’t seem to be too much competition for the Cavs in the East.  The Spurs, however, will have to muscle past the Golden State Warriors or even the Los Angeles Clippers.  San Antonio 99, Cleveland 95.

FOOTBALL

In the NFL, the Cleveland Browns recently hired a baseball analytics specialist (think Moneyball) to crunch numbers to find the best players and strategies.  On Wednesday, the Browns signed Hue Jackson as their new head coach.  Jackson spent last year as the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals which was one of the best offenses in the league.  And prior to that, he went 8-8 as the head coach of a horrible Oakland Raiders team.  So far, the Browns are getting rave reviews for hiring Jackson. It could be the start of a nice turn around for the team.

In other coaching news, the New York Giants seem to be close on a deal to turn their current offensive coordinator, Ben McAdoo, into their head coach.   McAdoo served two years under former Giants coach Tom Coughlin, but was popular for implementing a faster paced, west coast style offense.  The Giants may have had a horrible defense this past season, but when their offense gets hot, they can definitely put up points.  With a weapon like Odell Beckham Jr. and whomever the Giants get in the draft, this could be a very exciting team next season.

Former NFL running back Lawrence Phillips was found dead in prison.  Phillips was a superstar running back at the University of Nebraska.  He then played a few years for the Rams, but was known as a serious head case.  Phillips had a short lived NFL career, and then some heinous crimes landed him in jail for a long time.   The media always kept tabs on him, and last year Phillips killed his cellmate in prison. His death is being ruled a suicide.

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In the NFL, the main story of the day is the St. Louis Rams relocating to Los Angeles.  LA is where the Rams organization began.  The Rams will now move to Inglewood at a brand new, phenomenal facility complete with restaurants and lodging.  The San Diego Chargers have reportedly been given a one year option to decide whether they will join the Rams in LA.  The Oakland Raiders, however will remain in Oakland.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals’ Adam Jones, who, along with his teammate Vontaze Burfict, was responsible for two costly penalties that put the Pittsburgh Steelers in field goal range during the playoff game last weekend, said Antonio Brown faked the injury from Burfict’s hit.  Brown suffered a concussion after Burfict’s tackle which makes Jones’ statement a serious accusation.  Jones said Brown winked at him as he left the field and then stated “I think he needs a Grammy award for that one.”

BASKETBALL

In college basketball, the #1 Kansas Jayhawks traveled to West Virginia to take on the #11 Mountaineers.  West Virginia played a masterful game and shocked the Jayhawks.  Kansas is still a dominant team and won’t be letting this setback affect their focus on winning a national title. West Virginia 74, Kansas 63.

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In college, it was finally time for the National Championship between #1 Clemson and #2 Alabama. Clemson was undefeated, but Alabama has been red hot. Clemson seemed to have control of the game throughout most of the first half. In the second half, Albama found their rhythm, and thanks to some Clemson defensive breakdowns, Alabama was able to get a safe lead.

Clemson hung in but found themselves on a goal line stand to stop Alabama’s Heisman Trophy running back Derrick Henry and hopefully get one more chance to win the game. But Henry powered through a huge pile, and spun to get the ball just an inch over the goal line for the touchdown. Clemson scored another touchdown, but it was too little too late, and Alabama won ANOTHER National Championship. With the win, head coach Nick Saban now has 5 National Championships (between LSU and Alabama). That makes him one win short of the all-time leader (Alabama’s Bear Bryant). Alabama 45, Clemson 40.

It was interesting to see how betting on the game in Las Vegas was affected. The late, unexpected touchdown score from Clemson swung the Vegas spread, and moved millions of dollars.

In the NFL, it was an crazy wild care weekend:

First up, the Houston Texans hosted the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Chiefs were favored to win, but nobody saw a complete route coming.  The Chiefs ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown and set the tone for the game.  Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer was dreadful and cemented the fact that he will lose the starting job next season.  The Chiefs, however, lost their star receiver Jeremy Maclin, and given that he was shedding tears on the sideline, he may be done for the year.  The Chiefs take on the New England Patriots next weekend.  Kansas City 30, Houston 0.

Next up, it was the Cincinnati Bengals hosting their rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers.  These teams really hate each other and it was evident during the game which was full of nasty, dangerous, and illegal hits.  The Steelers led the entire first half and appeared to be in control, but in the second half, the Bengals surged back and took the lead thanks to the excellent play of back-up QB A.J. McCarron.  It looked like the Bengals were going to hold on for the win, but some controversial late penalties on the Bengals gave the Steelers excellent field position and allowed them to try one last kick to win the game.  The Bengals have now lost 4 straight first round playoff games.  Their coach might also get fired in part due to the losses and the on-field misbehaving.  The Steelers take on the Denver Broncos next weekend.  Pittsburgh 18, Cincinnati 16.

On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks headed to Minnesota for a game that took place in zero degree weather.  The game was inching along and in the 4th quarter the Vikings were only up 9-0. But then some solid Seahawks drives led to the Seahawks taking a 1-point lead.  All the Seahawks defense had to do was hold the Vikings one more time.  The Vikings stayed strong and got the ball down to within the 10 yard line.  A chip shot game winner would have sent the Vikes to the next round.  In an epic shocker that Vikings fans will remember forever, their clutch kicker, Blair Walsh, shanked a 27 yard routine field goal.  The placeholder held the ball wrong, but that’s all it takes sometimes to mess with a kicker’s head.  The Seahawks caught a break and will head to Carolina to face the Panthers next weekend.

Finally, the Washington Redskins played host to the Green Bay Packers.  The Redskins snuck into the playoffs by winning the dreadful NFC East but the Packers haven’t been playing that well lately. Despite getting an early lead, the Packers’ offense was too much for the Redskins’ defense, and the Packers cruised to a victory.  The Packers will take on the Arizona Cardinals next weekend.  Green Bay 35, Washington 18.

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In the NBA, fans are allowed to vote for players to appear in the all-star game but the practice has been controversial, and some wonder if the best players are voted in or just the popular stars.  Case in point; the player with the most votes right now is the aging veteran Kobe Bryant.  Bryant is on his NBA farewell tour, and it appears that the fans want to honor him by sending him to the all-star game one last time.  Bryant tends to sit out many games or plays very few minutes, but that didn’t keep the people from wanting to see him on all-star weekend.  Stephen Curry, arguably the best player in the league, is second in votes.

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The Philadelphia Eagles open coaching position has become a coveted job.  The Eagles are looking at a variety of candidates, from star college coaches, to former players, to strong offensive and defensive minds.  But now, a report is indicating that former Super Bowl winning coach and TV personality Jon Gruden is interested in the position.  Gruden has wanted to return to coaching for a long time, but has been waiting for the right gig.  These reports are only speculative at this time, but it would be interesting to see Gruden back on the field.

Elsewhere in football, the Green Bay Packers, who play the Washington Redskins on Sunday in the NFC Wild card game, love romantic movies. Yes, you heard it! Movies like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”. Their love of these type of movies even led most of the offensive line and star linebacker Clay Matthews III to appear in a cameo in the movie Pitch Perfect 2. Somehow knowing this will make me see them in a whole new light on Sunday!

BASEBALL

Ken Griffey Jr and Mike Piazza, both elected to the Hall of Fame Wednesday evening, had very different starts to their careers. Griffey Jr was drafted #1 in 1987 and from baseball royalty (father played for 19 seasons and was an all-star) while Piazza wasn’t drafted until the 62nd round in 1988 and largely taken as favor to his father’s friend Los Angeles Dodger’s manager Tommy Lasorda. Griffey Jr. received the highest percentage of votes ever for induction into the Hall. He was only 3 people shy of receiving 100% of the votes. The question from fans and commentators is “who were the three people that didn’t vote for him, and why?” Fun fact: Griffey Jr and Piazza are the highest and lowest drafted picks to make it to the Hall of Fame. Congrats!

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With the sudden firing of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith, the NFL now has 7 head coaching vacancies. The San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, NY Giants, Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins are all in the market for a new head coach.

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The NFL stated they will move two teams to LA with both teams playing in one stadium. The St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders are all competing to be two of those teams. The Rams are proposing a stadium near the LA airport while the Chargers and Raiders have proposed a plan to build in Carson, CA. The Rams were lured to St. Louis from Los Angeles back in 1995 with the promise of a first rate stadium. Now they want to head back to LA as attendance at games is poor and a move to LA (they claim) will help the League overall.

In one of the oddest stories (and that’s saying a lot), there’s speculation around the League as to whether or not Cleveland Browns’ QB Johnny Manziel went to Las Vegas this past weekend wearing a blond wig, fake mustache, hoodie and glasses and calling himself “Billy“. Manziel wasn’t scheduled to play on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers but he was required to check in to the facility due to a concussion he suffered the week before.  We still don’t know for sure whether this story is true, but some enterprising person is selling t-shirts via twitter with Johnny dressed as Billy.

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After 12 years as the NY Giants head coach Tom Coughlin stepped down. Coughlin led the team to two Super Bowl victories and five playoff appearances. His last three seasons, however, have been disappointing, and the Giants brass seemed ready to move on.  Plus, Coughlin is 69 years old, and being a head coach in football requires an extreme amount of time and energy that Coughlin may no longer have.

In some surprise coaching news, many people thought the Indianapolis Colts would move on from head coach Chuck Pagano.   The Colts failed to make the playoffs this season, primarily because they lost their star quarterback Andrew Luck at the beginning of the year (even though back-up Matt Hasselbeck played well in Luck’s absence).  Pagano was on the hot seat, but the Colts agreed to his 4-year extension.  Pagano had a fantastic track record with the Colts the past few seasons, leading them to consistent winning records and the AFC Championship last year.

The St. Louis Rams, San Diego Chargers, and Oakland Raiders have all officially applied for relocation to Los Angeles.  LA is a big market, and it’s a bit shocking that America’s biggest, most popular sport doesn’t have a team in the city.  Now, it looks like they may get as many as two teams.  Nothing is a done deal, but there is talk.

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In college basketball,  #1 Kansas vs. #2 Oklahoma was the game of the season.  The matchup was in Kansas in front of their raucous crowd, and this battle completely lived up to the hype.  It was a fast-paced, back and forth contest that required, 3 OVERTIMES!  In the end, the Jayhawks held on for the big win.  An incredible game to watch!  Kansas 109, Oklahoma 106.