AFC East Recap: Week 1

The AFC East has for the better part of this millennium always been ran by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots but this year the Miami Dolphins seem to be the only team with the talent and sustainability to dethrone the Pats from recapturing the Division crown. The Bills and Jets are in the rebuilding phase so don't expect much out of them this season. Week 1 gave us our 1^st look at all 4 teams in the AFC East so lets recap at everything that transpired on the first of many NFL sundays in 2013.

Game #1-New England Patriots:23 @ Buffalo Bills:21

This one was a lot closer than expected but the Patriots still managed to pick up the win at a rowdy Ralph Wilson Stadium. The game showcased 2 quarterbacks at 2 completely different ends of the spectrum. Tom Brady has multiple super bowl rings and is a sure fire hall of famer, EJ Manuel is fresh out of Florida State making his rookie debut for the Bills.

The game started like anybody would expect by the Patriots jumping out to a 10-0 lead due in large part to a touchdown reception from Julian Edleman. Then the Bills gathered some momentum as Da Norris Searcy recovered a Stevan Ridley fumble and returned it 74 yards for a Bills Touchdown that cut the lead to 10-7. Later on in the 2nd quarter Brady puts the Patriots back up by 10 points on another touchdown pass to Julian Edleman, the Pats were now up 17-7. Just before the quarter ended EJ Manuel found Robert Woods for an 18 yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 17-14 at halftime.

Early on to open up the 3^rd quarter EJ Manuel leads his team 80 yards down the field and finds Stevie Johnson for an 18 yard Touch down pass to give the Bills a 21-17 lead. In the 4^th quarter the Pats played from behind and needed 2 field goals to take the lead. Stephen Gostowski hit a 33 and 35 yard field goals to give the Patriots their 1^st win of 2013 and the give the Bills their 19^th loss in their last 20 ames vs the Patriots.

Moving On Up

Bill Belichek moves up he all-time coaching wins list passing Marty Schottenheimer with his 206^th career victory today.

Manuel Finds Rhythm

Usually against a team like the New England Patriots some rookie quarterbacks would put pressure on themselves to do to much but EJ Manuel looked poised from the start. The Former Seminole went 18-27 for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Game #2- Miami Dolphins:23 @ Cleveland Browns:10

This off season the Dolphins focused on surrounding quarterback Ryan Tannehill with more weapons by signing guys like Brandon Gibson and Mike Wallace. So far it seems to have payed off with Tannehill throwing for 272 yards really spreading the ball around. While he still threw to Brian Hartline a lot he still managed to complete 7 passes to Brandon Gibson and 5 to Charles Clay. It was great to see him spreading the ball around and taking a few shots down the field. While there were many things to critique as far as offensive fluidity the Dolphins looked decent on offense.

Brian Hartline had a huge day today with his 9 receptions, 114 yards and 1 touchdown. He is Tannehill's favorite receiver and the Dolphins could use more games like this from him as the season moves along. 2 major concerns I have for the Dolphins though is 1. pass protection and 2. running game. Before Tannhill established his rhythm in the 2^nd half he had a hard time hitting his receivers due to pressure from the Browns defense who collected 4 sacks and tons of pressure on him. It goes without saying that the o-line must improve once they start playing better teams. In addition to that the run game was non existent with Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas combining for 17 yards on 18 carries. In the NFL you need a respectable run game in order to win at a high level and 18 rushing yards from your 2 starting running backs is not the production Miami is looking for.

The Dolphins defense was brilliant as a unit today collecting 6 sacks and 3 interceptions. Cameron Wake as usual led the charge for the defense collecting 2.5 sacks and being that dominant player he has proven himself to be over the last few seasons. There was pressure and everybody executed pretty well for most of the game but the Dolphins Defense is usually the strong suit of the team, lets see how consistent they can stay.

Consistent Cameron

Cameron Wake with his 2.5 sacks today notched the 10^th multi sack game of his career. Wake has collected more Sacks then any Dolphins player over the last 4 seasons.

Out Of Sync

Mike Wallace was the big money signing for the Dolphins in the off season and Sunday vs Cleveland looked out of sync with Quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Its early in the year so this can still be fixed but Mike Wallace must be more of a factor in the Miami offense 15 yards on 1 catch just won't cut it. Personally I think inability to establish the run game prevented any kind of play action passing situations for Wallace & Tannehill, once that gets straightened out then we will see Wallace doing what he usually does.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:17 @ New York Jets:18

In the return of Darrelle Revis back to New York the Buccaneers were stunned by Geno Smith and the Jets. With little to no time left on the clock Jets Rookie QB told his teammates down by 2 with a bunch yards to gain that the game was not over. It turns out he was right on a scramble outside the pocket Lavonte David of the Buccaneers was flagged for unnecessary roughness which happen to move the Jets 15 yards up the field and led to a Nick Folk 48 yard game winning field goal.

The Bucaneers had than 10 penalties throughout the course of this game but that still doesn’t take away from what Geno Smith did on the field today. He did a good job of spreading the ball around the field as 4 receivers had 3 receptions or more. It wasn't pretty but its still what you would want to start the season if your the New York jets.

AFC EAST Standings

Miami 1-0

New England 1-0

New York Jets 1-0

Buffalo 0-1

Week 2 matchups

Jets @ Patriots

Dolphins @ Colts

Panthers @Bills

New England Patriots Cut Tim Tebow

The Tim Tebow experiment is now officially over with as today he was cut by the New England Patriots. It lasted only 3 games and he went 11 for 30 passing for 145 yards collecting 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Many people are saying this might be the end of his career but Tim Tebow has other plans.

...to be a part of such a classy organization. I pray for nothing but the best for you all. I will remain in relentless pursuit...
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) August 31, 2013

...of continuing my lifelong dream of being an NFL quarterback. 2 Corinthians 12:9: And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient...
— Tim Tebow (@TimTebow) August 31, 2013

I think regardless of how horrible he may be as a QB stats wise, the fact of the matter is that he wins ball games. In Jacksonville you have 2 bums who can't win football games in Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert but Tebow- a guy who took a team to the playoffs can't get a fair shot. I think NFL GM's who work for teams with horrible qb's who don't win need to reevaluate themselves.

My Take:Aaron Hernandez

Some Stories in sports push the boundaries of sports fans and become nationwide stories. That is the case here when speaking about former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Hernandez has been accused for the murder of semi pro football player Odin Llyod and is facing a life sentence in prison.

This seems to be just another cautionary tale of Pro Athletes thinking they are superman and then making stupid decisions that lead to a change in public perception of them and loads of media scrutiny. This is much more then that Hernandez is not only accused for the murder of Odin Lloyd but also accused of a 2012 shooting in Boston. People who are also close to Hernandez such as his counter parts Carlos Ortiz and Ernest Wallace are all in connection to this and multiple murders.

Before this all took place Hernandez had the world in his hands. He is a decorated football player in 2008 he was part of the Florida Gator team that won the national championship. The very next year he was awarded the John Mackey award given to the best collegiate tight end. Due to questions facing his character Hernandez fell to the 4^th round of the NFL Draft in 2010. Once he got to the NFL he made the Pro Bowl in 2011. After a tremendous season he was rewarded a 5 year 37.5 million dollar contract. Back in April he signed a 2 year endorsement deal with Puma and that has now been terminated along with his contract with the Patriots.

Hernandez looked like he had it all Money, tremendous talent, a family what could possibly go wrong. Well here’s what happened with all of those things comes an ego its the way humans are wired. Hernandez is a fantastic player but people always questioned his mental make up which is why he was a 4^th round draft pick in the first place. It looks like now those GM's assumptions of Hernandez were right.

Whats crazy about this whole story from my perspective is that I actually had an encounter with Aaron Hernandez as you can see in the picture above. It was like any other day with my friends hanging out at Aventura Mall we walk around, we crack jokes and just enjoy that time. Well on this particular day we were at a shoe store and we spotted this large oversized man, we knew he was somebody. Later when I was in the bathroom I went to go wash my hands and as i'm looking for soap I glance to my right, I then do a double take. The same oversized muscular guy in the shoe store was on my right and It was Aaron Hernandez. My friend Aydian thought it was the other Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski so I proceeded to ask Aaron Hernandez who towered over me “ Are You Rob Gronkowski” he replied stating “No Rob is a big white guy i'm Aaron Hernandez”. After telling him how I hated him as a Florida Gator due to the fact that I'm a UM fan and that it's a joy to watch him play I asked him for a picture and we was cool about it and gave me a yes. After the pic I went home and he went to go eat with nobody even noticing who he was. Its crazy how a year changes things.

In my heart I want to believe that Hernandez didn't shoot Odin Lloyd and that he is innocent but with all the signs pointing straight at him that’s incredibly hard to do. He is such a cool guy and he seems very humble but the way he acted towards me and other fans vs what has taken place are 2 completely different things. I don't wish bad on anybody so if he gets convicted I'm just hoping something semi good comes out of this whether its Hernandez becoming a better person or just an example of what not to do if your a professional athlete.

Throwback Thursday: Sam Mills

As Thursday nights prime time match up rapidly approaches between the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers I can’t help but  get excited for the game. As a long time Panther fan I have always loved when we are at home for night games in Charlotte. I can’t stop thinking about how our defense will perform vs. Eli Manning but I would love them to play with the same intensity and spirit of the late great Sam Mills.

Anybody who has a solid knowledge on the history of the Carolina Panthers knows how important Sam Mills was to our team. He was an important piece in the teams early years. Helping the Panthers reach the playoffs in 96 for the 1st time and defeating Troy Aikman and the Dallas Cowboys. When his career was finished he ended up with 5 Pro Bowls for his career and became a coach with the Panthers and was still making an impact. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2003 an assistant coach and the night before the Panthers would take on the Dallas Cowboys in Charlotte for a home playoff game he made a statement that would become the Panthers identity forever. In his speech Mills said “ When I found out I had cancer there were 2 things I could do- Quit or Keep Pounding”   .“I’m a fighter I kept pounding. You’re fighters too. Keep pounding!“ Following the awe inspiring speech the Panthers would dominate the Cowboys 29-10 en route to a Super Bowl run which saw them fall short to the New England Patriots 32-29. Despite that though Sam Mills remains an example of what Carolina Panther Football is and what every player who puts that black and Electric Blue should strive to be on and off the field. In 2005 He lost his battle to cancer and passed away. Although he is no longer with us in the flesh he remains a luminous presence in the Panther  Organization. On the inner collar of the players jerseys the phrase “Keep on Pounding” is embedded in there as well as the the weight room. If you really want that visual of Sam Mills then Look no further then his statue outside of Bank of America Stadium. Whether your winning or losing in the game on the gridiron or in the game of life all you can do is “Keep on Pounding”………R.I.P Sam Mills

LETS GO PANTHERS!!!!

Throwback Thursday: "Greatest show on turf"

Whats in a nickname? Does it really capture that person or the essence in what it is they are talking about or describing? In football very few nicknames capture essence of a team like “The Greatest show on turf” the described the Late 90s early 00’s offense of the St. Louis Rams. This offense had future Hall of famers everywhere you looked. Kurt Warner, Issac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marshall Faulk where the nucleus of the the offense. Every time they took the field they had a chance to embarrass you and put on a show in the process. It all starts with Kurt Warner who is a Cinderella story going from bagging Groceries to Super Bowl Mvp and Champion. He lead this high powered offense too become the only team in NFL history to score 500 plus points in 3 straight seasons. What a feat!! There have been so many great offense in the leagues history and to put up points at that kind of rate is astounding to me. The high powerd Rams captured the 1st only franchise Super bowl by defeating the Tennessee Titans 23-16. They would go to the super bowl again the following year and fall to the New England Patriots but the Rams still remain the NFL’s highest scoring offense ever. The greatest Show On Turf put up videogame like numbers and sometimes football look to easy. From  199-2001  the Rams had MVP’S Kurt Warner in 1999 and 2001 and Marshall Faulk in 1999. Mike Martz orchestrated what I would call art in football that offense was amazing too watch and how can you not be happy for a guy like Kurt Warner? Going from minimum wage bagger at a super market then through the Arena Football league goes undrafted gets a chance because of Trent Green’s injury in a preseason game. That’s what football or life in general is about making the most of your chances and Warner did that. The 1999 St. Louis Rams is still the greatest team in that franchises history and odds are they may never see one as skilled or entertaining as The Greatest Show on Turf.

Ryan Kalil "The guarantee "

@RyanKalil

This past Wednesday Carolina Panthers Pro-bowl center Ryan Kalil said the boldest words I’ve ever heard anybody ever say in a Panther uniform. He took out an ad in the Charlotte Observer too proclaim that the Carolina Panthers would claim the franchises 1st ever super bowl. In the letter he wrote he thanked the fans for the unwavering support they continue to receive year in and year out. I love his prediction for so many different reasons. For so many years as a diehard fan of this team I have seen us fall short of the ultimate goal plenty of times. In 2003 we fell too Tom Brady and the New England Patriots by a goal. Then in 2005 we fell to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC championship game. Then in 2008 after dominating the NFL to a 12-4 record going in as the 2 seed we get steamrolled by the Arizona Cardinals in Jake Delhommes worst game ever. Where I’m trying to get at is I love this guarantee because Kalil has now set a standard and a good kind of pressure for everybody who puts the black and blue on to do the little things right day in and day out. Personally just as a fan I think this team has more talent then the one that made the super bowl in 03. The guarantee gave something I have never seen any Panther team exude and that is supreme confidence. I don’t care who you are you don’t say what Kalil said without having confidence and the backing of a whole locker room. He isn’t as crazy as people think he is this team has potential to produce 4-6 pro bowlers there is plenty of talent on the Panthers to compete with just about anybody in the NFL. When you have a guy like Cam Newton running your offense you know you are gonna put points up on the board, The only problem with the Carolina was the Defense didn’t do its part. Hopefully with the upgrades of Reggie Smith, Nakumarua, Luck Kuechely and a healthy Jon Beason the defense should be solid they don’t need to be spectacular but they need to stay middle of the pack like 15th-20th and they will be fine. Most of the Panthers toughest out of division opponents are all playing them at home. Giants, Broncos and the Dallas Cowboys all make a trip to the Queen city where historically the Panthers play better. Kalil and his promise have endeared him to the fans and that is why he made the promise in the first place the fans. He said “It was for them we haven’t given them a whole lot to cheer about the last few years”. He is right fans continue to support the team regardless of the record, Carolina is on a 90+ consecutive sellout streak at Bank of America stadium. People look at the 6-10 record from the previous year but don’t realize that the Panthers lost 6 games by a touchdown or less, so it wasn’t like teams were steamrolling us. With upgrades at the teams weakest positions this team is primed and ready to take on the NFL’S elite and I believe as a fan that this could be a special year. We have the talent to do so and now we have new found swagger that I’ve never seen before so im looking forward to a great season and too what I hope is the coronation of the Queen City with a Super Bowl Trophy.