Top 5 Match-ups for Ravens vs. Steelers III

Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both gearing up for Steelers-Ravens III on Saturday afternoon as their rubber match will not only decide division superiority and bragging rights until next season, but who moves on to the AFC Championship game as well. To get you ready for the game I'm going to give you the best 5 match-ups to keep an eye on on gameday.

1. Terrell Suggs vs. Ben Roethlisberger

The last time these two teams met they played in Baltimore and Suggs was a nightmare for the Steelers' O-line to block. Roethlisberger made a couple of great escapes after Suggs rushed past the line and Suggs made a couple of nasty sacks as well. Even though the Steelers won that game, Suggs was the best player on the field for the Ravens and it will be interesting to see if he can replicate the effort. It shouldn't be too much trouble because he hates the Steelers. The big question will be if Ben can stay away from him long enough to make plays.

2. Ed Reed vs. Troy Polamalu

Yeah, I realize these two will never truly go head-to-head, but they have a healthy rivalry all the same. They represent the two premier players at the safety position in this league and they both are invaluable to their respective defenses. Both Reed and Polamalu are known for making game-changing plays. I believe the game on Saturday could very well boil down to which safety makes the most big plays.

3. Ravens' D-Line vs. Steelers' O-Line

It is common knowledge that the offensive line of the Steelers has been their weak point all season. If the Ravens can stop Rashard Mendenhall and put pressure on Roethlisberger it will go a long way towards a win for them. However, if the offensive lineman of the Steelers can hold them back to give Ben time and open up a few holes for Mendenhall, then the Steelers could put up some points and frustrate the Ravens.

4. Mike Wallace vs. Ravens' Secondary

It's no secret that Mike Wallace is a dangerous receiver. He is one of the fastest players in the NFL and has developed into an all-around receiver this season. This match-up is very simple: for Wallace - get a step on the cornerbacks, for Ravens' secondary - don't let him get by you. If Wallace gets one of his patented 40 yard TD catches it is going to be a long day for Baltimore.

5. Ray Rice vs. Steelers' Front Seven

Rice is really the only play-maker for Baltimore. Flacco can still show signs of being a young QB at times (and fumble at in-opportune times) and the receivers are slow and don't get separation. Therefore, Rice is key in every Ravens' game. He can break big gains on the ground and is very dangerous catching passes in the flat and underneath. If you haven't noticed, the Steelers run defense is one of the most dominant in NFL history. They allowed 62.8 ypg this year, the best in franchise history and the third best in NFL history. If they Steelers stop Rice they essentially stop the Ravens' offense.

I hope you enjoyed the analysis. If you're good I'll come back before the weekend and write another match-up post (most likely for Jets vs. Patriots). I love divisional playoff weekend and I can't wait for this Steelers-Ravens grudge match.

Irresponsible Predictions for 2011

Well in case you didn't notice, the calendar rolled over yesterday to bring us the beginning of 2011. And with it comes an exciting chance to make ridiculous predictions that you are sure to make fun of but are certain to come true. To make things interesting, I will endeavor to make a prediction or two for each major sport. Here we go *Bud Light commercial voice*...

FOOTBALL
Your Super Bowl Champions will be the.....................Green Bay Packers. Yes, a bit of a crazy selection seeing that the Packers have not secured a playoff spot as of yet, and yes it pains me to pick Green Bay because of my love for da Bears, but the Pack are finally getting healthy and are on a bit of a roll. The Packers dropped a close game at New England despite playing with backup quarterback Matt Flynn and then bulldozed the New York Giants at home with Aaron Rodgers back in action. Yes, the Packers will have to win three road games to go to Dallas, including an NFC Championship victory at Soldier Field, but the Cheeseheads will be very happy this February.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tennessee will win the SEC East next year. I like Derek Dooley and I think he will turn around the Volunteer program, but no one will expect him to win like this so quickly. Tyler Bray has been extremely impressive in his freshman year, and with plenty of offensive weapons returning, the Big Orange will make a move back in the national spotlight. Expect Georgia to challenge but have difficulty replacing A.J. Green on the outside. South Carolina will be average again and Florida will be in transition. Vandy will be Vandy, and as for the Cats, it may be difficult getting back to six wins next year with Randall Cobb likely gone.

PRO BASKETBALL
The Miami Heat will not win a championship...this year. There's really not much parity in the NBA these days because I only see five teams that could win it all this year -- Miami, Boston, Los Angeles, Orlando (a stretch), and San Antonio (an even bigger stretch). But I don't think karma will allow Miami to win a championship in their first year. Besides, the playoff moxie that the Celtics and Lakers have will be difficult to defeat. With Boston getting very old very quickly, and with Kobe about to enter the twilight of his dominant days, Miami looks unchallenged on the NBA landscape...but not this year.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kentucky will go undefeated in SEC play. Yeah, why not? The SEC is terrible, let's be honest. The only thing worse than the SEC West was the SEC East in football this year. South Carolina is awful, Florida is average, and Tennessee is imploding. That leaves Georgia and Vanderbilt, but let's remember that Billy Gillispie isn't coaching anymore -- UK can beat the Dawgs and Commodores. What I saw in the Louisville game yesterday was a team coming together as a singular unit, one that takes joy in passing and defending as much as scoring the ball. With Terrence Jones putting passing at a premium, and Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb continuing to rain threes, these Cats look like they could do something special.

PGA TOUR -- No American will win a major this season. International golf is kicking butt right now.

NASCAR -- Jimmie Johnson will not win his sixth straight title. For the love of God, please be true.

BASEBALL -- The Pirates will be bad.

That's all I have for now. Go ahead and book all of these as true. It will save you time and energy later.

Checking up on the new guys

Though UK basketball is well under way, not much has been said on SAI about this year's team. We may not have a John Wall or a Demarcus, but we do have some new guys making a splash in the college basketball world (and of course, a few who still find themselves at the end of the bench). Here's what's up with the new faces of Kentucky basketball:

Terrence Jones: Thank goodness this guy chose Kentucky over Washington. He's already picked up a few SEC Freshman of the Week honors, been projected as an All-American, and has been placed the top 5 among draft boards. Jones has been an integral part of the team's success, and when he had his first bad game, Kentucky fell apart. Since then, the team has proven that they can still take over a game without Jones, but I hope that doesn't have to happen very often. He's definitely had a couple poor games. He had a terrible shooting percentage against Winthrop, no rebounds in the first half of the Mississippi Valley State game, and he's been in foul trouble several times, but everyone seems able to overlook all of these things because he's had enough great moments to make up for poor play. He averages over 18 points a game, close to 10 rebound a game, and has an impeccable ability to draw fouls. I'd like for Jones to be able to take on John Wall's role of taking over a game when Kentucky is in trouble, but there is work to be done for this to happen.

Brandon Knight: Knight is finally proving that he is who we thought he was. After a couple terrible games in Maui, B. Knight has stepped it up and is becoming the point guard that Calipari is looking for. I've been especially impressed with his defensive effort as of late. He averages 17.5 points a game, but needs to improve on assists (only 3.5 per game). At the beginning of the season, I would've said that Knight will be back next year, but it's looking as if we could lose him to the pros as well.

Doron Lamb: Well, he just broke the freshman scoring record for points in a game with 32. Lamb has been excelling off the bench and it's refreshing for UK fans to see a player who can drain threes after our outside shooting struggles from last year. He averages over 14 points a game, an average that has been skewed by a couple unproductive games, and has a 55.6% 3-pt shooting percentage. There have been questions about his defensive effort, but he has greatly improved on defense in the last few games.

Eloy Vargas: Man, this guy. He's played close to 20 minutes in several games, but rarely ever has more than three rebounds and/or two points. He has looked absolutely lost on the court at times and has been pretty disappointing for his size. Until yesterday. Vargas had his first decent game yesterday afternoon against Winthrop. He scored eight points and three blocks, boosting his average to 2.9 points per game and 1.0 block per game. We can only hope Vargas continues to play this way and continue to improve as we enter into conference play.

Stacey Poole: It seemed like it was going to be Poole's time to shine when Cal stated that he was disappointed with the play of John Hood and that he would be giving some of his minutes to Poole. In the game following this statement, Poole got in the game, didn't play well, and was taken out quickly. We have yet to see much of Stacey Poole since then, but hey, he made a three against Notre Dame!

Jarrod Polson: Jarrod is fulfilling the role of the player that everyone cheers for at the end of blow-out games. I even spotted Josh Harrellson chanting his name during the Mississippi Valley State game. Yesterday, Cal remarked that he needed an eight-man rotation and Polson could see more minutes, so that's some pretty big news for the little guy.

Enes Kanter: Free him. Please.

Look for more UK and SEC basketball posts coming in the next few weeks.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: CBs

Hello SAI Readers! Welcome to the final installment of my 2010 NFL player rankings. I'm going to wrap it up today with the cornerbacks.

1. DeAngelo Hall

One thing I have learned from ranking players is that the Washington Redskins defense is terrible, but has some very good individual players. Hall is second among all cornerbacks with 6 INTs and leads them all with 83 tackles. CBs can sometimes have a tendency to make plays on the ball only and shy away from physicality (see Deion Sanders). However, Hall does not do that. Additionally has defended 20 passes and forced and recovered 2 fumbles. A very nice statistical year for someone who probably wishes he was back on the division-leading Atlanta Falcons.

2. Devin McCourty

Not only is Mr. McCourty having a very good statistical year for the New England Patriots, but he is still only a rookie and has tremendous upside. In regards to these rankings, when a rookie or young player has a stand-out year he gets bonus points due to potential upside he shows for the future. He 67 tackles, 20 pass defenses, and 6 INTs on the year.

3. Ike Taylor

I have the benefit of seeing Taylor play for the Pittsburgh Steelers play on a weekly basis and have been super-impressed with him all season. He does not show up at the top of stat sheets simply because he is a shut-down corner and because the other cornerback slot for the Steelers has been consistently targeted and exploited. The main reason people are not as familiar with Ike is the same reason he has not made a Pro Bowl in his career - he can't catch and therefore doesn't pull down many INTs.

4. Aqib Talib

Talib is another young player that seems to be the real deal. Another cornerback with 6 INTs on the year, Talib has contributed a ton for a middle-of-the-road Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense. One of the more amazing things you will find in his stat line is that out of his 40 tackles, 39 of them are solo. Right there, that tells me he has very good discipline and good tackling form. Talib will be a good corner for a very long time.

5. Asante Samuel

Samuel is one of those infamous cornerbacks that shies away from physical contact and prefers to make plays on the ball. I let him fall a bit in the rankings because of this, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he is very good at what he does. He currently leads the league in INTs with 7, but has only recorded 23 tackles.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment if you feel like I have messed up these rankings or left someone off.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: Safeties

Hello SAI readers! As promised today I am giving you my rankings of the top 5 Safeties for this 2010 NFL season.

1. Troy Polamalu

In my opinion, this is another case where the number one player at the position is miles ahead of everyone else. Polamalu does things on the field that no other safety has ever done. Off the top of your head how many safeties can you thing of that consistently make plays to swing games in his team's favor? This week's pick-six off Carson Palmer and the strip-sack against Joe Flacco in week 13 both stand out. He is one of the best at reading the QB and covers more field than any other player in the league.

2. LaRon Landry

Landry falls into that coveted "Beast" category. Landry is a terrific tackler and excels in breaking up would-be catches. It is really tragic that Landry is wallowing on the worst defense in the NFL of the Washington Redskins. There are several other safeties that have better statistical numbers, but few that make as many significant plays.

3. Michael Griffin

Playing on the Titans in what was, earlier in the season, one of the better defenses in the league Griffin is filling out the stat sheet very well. He is third in tackles out of all defensive backs with 90 tackles. He has also recorded 13 pass defenses, 4 INTs, 1 FF, and 1 FR. Through week 14 in just his fourth season he has 15 more tackles already than any previous season.

4. Kerry Rhodes

Rhodes is a another player that is having a very nice statistical season for a bad defense on a terrible team. The Cardinals are 29th in the league in total defense, but Rhodes has been one of the lone bright spots so far this season. He has 74 tackles, 15 pass defenses (2nd in the league for safeties behind Polamalu), and 4 INTs. He has also recovered 3 fumbles and returned two of them for touchdowns. I understand a lot of situational luck is involved in that, but still.

5. Charles Godfrey

I know, I know, another good safety on a bad team. It's not my fault though! The good statistical defenses this year have not had outstanding play from their safeties. Godfrey, however, has put up significant numbers for the lowly Panthers. 72 tackles, 12 PDs, 5 INTs, and 1 FF. In his 3rd season out of Iowa Godfrey is definitely having a break out year.

Honorable Mentions: Donte Whitner, TJ Ward, Tyvon Branch

Thanks for reading. Check back next time and I will finish up this year's rankings with Cornerbacks.

Robert's Weekend College Basketball Catchup

Lot's of stuff happened in the basketball world this week, so let's get to catching up on it:

Kentucky tops Notre Dame, people get drunk.

The most important item of interest to everyone who will visit our portion of the Internet is that Kentucky took down Notre Dame 72-58. In the first half, Ben Hansbrough went off for 19 points--but in the second half, UK totally shut him down. The brother of Psycho T went 0-5 from the field in the 2nd half, but made two free throws. Notre Dame was lost without him, scoring only 18 points in the whole second half. Kentucky showed the ability to adjust defensively, as the shut down came by implementing a switching box-and-one defense. Not only was it a good call by Coach Cal, the team executed it extremely effectively.

The game was played in Freedom Hall, which was, of course, the home of the Louisville Cardinals for more than 50 years. I love Rupp Arena--its a historic place where amazing teams played. It's also gargantuan and extremely foreboding for opponents from smaller schools to see so many fans in one place. But Freedom Hall is the best place in the state to watch a game. The arena has no bad seats--and it has the feel of a high school gym, where you can see just about everybody in the joint. Freedom Hall is full of good memories for me--I saw the Harlem Globetrotters there, we went to the annual UK game in Freedom Hall every year when I saw a kid, and even going to see UofL games was always a good time. It freaks me out to see a Kentucky floor at the Hall, but I love it. I hope Kentucky plays 3 games a year there from now on.

Also, Freedom Hall sells beer and liquor. It was HILARIOUS to see Kentucky fans so drunk while watching their beloved Cats. A lot of our fans got so drunk that they couldn't even spell out "C-A-T-S."

Kyrie Irving injured, done for season?

I hate Duke, as every red-blooded American ought to. I have hated them my entire life. They epitomize everything that is wrong with college basketball. Mike Krzyzewski is more entitled than Roy Williams and has the air of superiority of Bob Knight. Their players are annoying and frustrating. And they always win. I hate hate hate hate hate Duke.

But I really like Kyrie Irving. He seems like a great kid, and he can really ball. Unfortunately for poor Kyrie, he injured a toe badly and may be gone for the entire season. That sucks. As much as I hate Duke, I like watching good basketball, so when one of the best in the country goes down, that's a shame for everybody. It will be interesting to see what Irving does. The NBA is likely headed to a lockout, so he may opt to stick around another year. He is also eligible for a medical redshirt, which would be about the most useless redshirt ever awarded. Here's hoping he can come back to play this year, and that he see 100% recovery.

Temple takes down Georgetown, Mizzou escapes Vandy, Syracuse rolls Mich State, and other things.

I watched Temple beat Georgetown yesterday. Temple lead the entire game, despite being obviously less talented. The Owls rode Ramone Moore's 30 points to a big W over a top 10 team in what I think might be the biggest upset of the year so far. John Thompson III is showing again his ability to over-recruit and under-coach. He and Rick Barnes ought to start a club.

Missouri managed to beat Vanderbilt, but only after overtime. The Tigers are considered to be in the upper-tier of the Big 10 this year, along with Ohio State and Michigan State. I didn't see the game (I was watching Arkansas take down Seton Hall at the time), but it looks like Vandy will be a tough out this year.

Michigan State entered this season ranked #2 in the nation, which is exactly where they were ranked at the beginning of last season. Last season, MSU dropped early games to Florida, North Carolina, and Texas, and fell precipitously in the rankings. This year, Michigan State have already lost to UConn and Duke, and this week lost by 14 to Syracuse. All three of those teams are top-10 (maybe top-5) caliber. Ben consistently argues that playing stiff competition early in the season prepares a team to win at the end of the season. The Spartans are his best argument, having been to the past 3 Final Fours despite losing two games out of their first 10 each of those seasons. Will they do it again?

Kansas was 7-0 entering the week, but their most difficult competition so far has been Arizona and UCLA, who are (at best) decent. But this week, they took down a good Memphis team by a healthy margin. The ceiling is high for Kansas, but they are proving to be the opposite of Michigan State, playing an extremely weak non-conference schedule. But then again, they do have to play a brutal Big XII schedule. They see Kansas State and Missouri twice, and also have to go to Waco to play Baylor.

The SEC West is Awful

Many people on TV and the Internets have pointed out that the SEC is weak, but truthfully, most of the weakness comes from the West. Auburn has already lost to Campbell, Samford, and Jacksonville. Alabama lost to St. Peter's College. LSU lost to Nicholls State. Mississippi State lost to Florida Atlantic. The only slightly embarrassing loss by a team in the East belongs Florida, who dropped a game to Central Florida by 3. UCF's leading scorer was Michael Jordan's son. So, really, I think the SEC isn't as bad as some make it out to be--it will just be a lopsided first day of the SEC tournament.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: OLBs

Good afternoon SAI readers! Today I am ranking the top 5 Outside Linebackers through week 13 of the 2010 season.

1. James Harrison

He is a beast, plain and simple. I'm going to list his stats which, for a large part speak for themselves: 79 tackles (59 solo), 10.0 sacks, 6 PDs, 2 INTs, 6 FFs (no one else has more than 4 and only 4 players have more than 2) and 2 FRs. He does it all and won Defensive MVP in 2008 and should be on the short list again this year. The Steelers coach Mike Tomlin calls him "violent" which is the primary reason he is flagged and fined more than anyone else in the league. I truly do not believe he is a dirty player, what he is though is a competitor and vicious athlete. One final comment: if you look at Harrison, he may be one of the most physically imposing figures in football. Dude's huge.

2. Clay Matthews

Matthews was having a sick first half of the season (8.5 sacks through 5 games), but has tailed off a bit down the stretch. However, he is still the anchor of that Green Bay Packers' defense. In only his second season he has become one of the premier pass rushers in the whole NFL. This is one guy that will cause problems for offenses many years into the future.

3. Cameron Wake

Another guy in just his second season in the league, Cameron Wake is having a coming out party in Miami. He is currently leading the NFL in sacks with 12 - a very solid number through only 12 games. Miami has not had a 'big-name" guy on defense since they lost Jason Taylor and are hoping Wake will fill that role. Very impressed with him so far.

4. Terrell Suggs

Suggs absolutely obliterated my Steelers' offensive line last week playing for the Ravens. He was simply unblockable and presented in that game something you want your OLB to do: he forced Pittsburgh to adjust their offense based on his pressure on Roethliberger alone. When one player on a defense can dictate what an offense does that is huge. Suggs had a very down year last year and promised to come back strong in 2010. So far he has done that with 55 tackles and 9 sacks.

5. Shaun Phillips

Phillips is a guy that has not gotten a lot of attention this year, but is putting up very impressive stats down in San Diego. Through week 13 he has 48 tackles, 10 sacks, 8 PDs, and 1 INT. He definitely plays in an environment where the offense gets all of the attention with big name guys like Phillip Rivers and Antonio Gates. Yet he is still playing hard and making a name for himself.

Honorable Mentions: DeMarcus Ware, Tamba Hali, LaMarr Woodley

Thanks for reading! Check back next time and I will rank this year's top 5 players at the Safety position.

Previous Rankings:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Defensive Linemen

Inside Linebackers

Christmas Come Early: Winter Meetings Winners and Losers

As the 2010 Major League Baseball Winter Meetings come to an end, I think it is fitting that we review all the wheeling and dealing that took place.  Basically, these meetings exist for every team's GM to meet with agents and other teams in order to expedite much of the offseason processes.  It is a week of baseball transactions and I love it!

Anyway, every team goes into the meetings with a plan.  Some were able to execute and others leave disappointed.  This post will outline the winners and the losers of the Winter Meetings.

Winners:

1. Boston Red Sox.
How do you make the #1 spot on this list?  Acquire arguably 2 of the 3 best players available this offseason.  On Monday, the Red Sox completed a trade for All-Star firstbaseman Adrian Gonzalez from the Padres.  Then, yesterday (Wednesday), the Red Sox signed free agent outfielder Carl Crawford to the richest deal for an OF in baseball history.  Filling two holes in their lineup, plugging in an above average defender at first, and keeping both of those players out of the Yankees hands make the Red Sox the clear cut winner of the Winter Meetings.

2. Chicago White Sox.
Let's be honest, there's a HUGE drop off between #1 and #2 on this list.  The White Sox do come in at #2, however, because of two players.  First, they were able to re-sign long time White Sox (Sock? I dunno) Paul Konerko.  He is very valuable for this team on many levels and it was important that they keep him.  Second, the White Sox were able to bring in Adam Dunn, who has the 2nd most homeruns in all of baseball (behind only Albert Pujols) over the course of the last few seasons.  Adding Dunn to the middle of their lineup in that ballpark could be huge for this team.

2a. Washington Nationals.
Huh? The Nats?  Yep.  That's what happens when a seemingly irrelevant team lands the 3rd best free agent in this class (1. Cliff Lee 2. Carl Crawford).  Jayson Werth is a great player, and the Nationals did well to bring him in (although they did have to throw way too much money at him to make it happen).  He's locked in for the next seven years, although I'd be really surprised to see him live out that contract in a Nats uniform.

Honorable Mention:  St. Louis Cardinals (signed Lance Berkman, but failed to get the backup catcher they wanted and to trade Brendan Ryan)

Losers:

1. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
The Angels had their sights set very high, yet they don't seem to have figured out this whole free agent thing just yet.  They wiffed on Carl Crawford, they most likely won't get Cliff Lee, and they haven't been able to complete an Adrian Beltre deal yet.  A team with lots of money and a good reputation should be better at bringing in big names than they are.  They are clearly the top choice for this #1 losers spot.

2. New York Mets.
Having trouble remembering who the Mets signed/traded for/picked up off the street this year at the Winter Meetings?  Don't worry, it's not your fault.  The Mets did make a move this past week, but I don't think signing Boof Bonser to a minor league deal counts for much when they are now real threats to be the worst team in their own division.

Honorable Mention: Cincinnati Reds (re-signed Bronson Arroyo, but did nothing else to help their division winning club except add IF Miguel Cairo)

Keep in mind, this is a list of winners and losers for the Winter Meetings only.  Some teams made good moves before, and there is still time for good moves going forward.  Keep looking for more and more offseason updates.

Nothing Like a Good Rivalry

With a North Carolina game behind us and an Indiana game coming up, I have been giving some thought to Kentucky’s basketball rivalries. A KSR writer posted about rivals last week, and she was given a ton of crap about her rankings. It mostly came from old people who think that Indiana is still a HUGE rival and that Duke shouldn’t even be considered a rival whatsoever. What I’ve realized is this: our rivalry opinions are dependent upon age and location. Kentucky fans near Louisville and Lexington view Louisville as the team to hate. Apparently people in Western Kentucky really hate Indiana. Eastern Kentuckians may put Tennessee at the top of their list. You can argue all day about who’s a bigger rival, but everyone has their own reasons to hate another team. I certainly have my reasons, so here is my list of Kentucky rivalries at this point in time. Absolutely feel free to disagree because these rankings are probably only true to me (and possibly other college-age fans from the Louisville area).

1. Louisville: This is not a list of teams that I hate the most. I do not hate Louisville, but I definitely believe this rivalry to be the greatest in Kentucky. Growing up near Louisville, you seriously cannot escape this rivalry. We even had school fundraisers where you put your spare change/dollars in a UK bucket or UL bucket. It made A TON of money. No one wanted their team to lose! I also love this rivalry because it doesn’t matter if one team is infinitely better than the other...UK/UL games are usually close no matter what. And they’re always dirty. And UL, you’ll always be little brother. :)

2. Tennessee: Man, I hate Tennessee. This one has always been up there. Anyone remember when Jodie dropped 54 on them at home? Even though these rankings are mostly about basketball, losing 26 straight to Tennessee football makes the Vols even easier to hate. This year should be very interesting for the UK/Tennessee rivalry. As of yesterday, they were ranked above UK and have been favored to win the SEC.

3. Duke: I don’t care that we haven’t played them in years, this rivalry matters to UK fans. They’re the best team in the country right now, so Duke hate is growing even stronger in Kentucky. And we won’t EVER forget Christian Laettner.

4. North Carolina: This one hasn’t been a chart-topping rivalry in recent years, and I think we hate North Carolina more than North Carolina hates us. But the last two meetings have been incredibly close games proving that UK being way better than UNC doesn’t really matter.

5. Florida: Florida has made its way onto the list in recent years, beginning when Billy Donovan led the Gators to two straight national championships. How dare Florida be awesome at football and basketball! And remember that Nick Calathes guy? He’s the worst.

6. Indiana: I’m not old enough for this rivalry to be a big deal to me. In the years that I’ve followed Kentucky basketball, Indiana hasn’t even been competitive. I kind of wish this rivalry would return to its greatness because it used to be a pretty big deal.

7. South Carolina: This is probably the one that no one will agree with. It’s kind of a personal rivalry for me. I have friends in South Carolina that give me a lot of crap. Then they shattered our dreams of an undefeated season the day after we reached #1 in the rankings. And then they sent that ridiculous letter to UK. And I hate Devan Downey.

Honorable Mention:

Vanderbilt: They’re the only other SEC team besides UK that isn’t a football school, so I feel that UK/Vandy should have greater importance than it does. Vandy turned into a rival when we lost four straight (I think) in Memorial Gym. And one of those losses was the worst loss in conference play in SEC history.

Washington: They hate us a lot more than we hate them. We took Enes. Then we took Terrence Jones after he committed to the Huskies. Then we beat them just a couple weeks ago in Maui.

Kansas: Another school with a great basketball tradition, so naturally UK fans closely follow their success and failure. They were with us in the race to 2,000 and though we never really play them, there’s often a fight for the rankings with Kansas. And we play them in our home opener next year!

Agree? Disagree? Other thoughts?

Everyone Gets a Little More Wilbon

It's now official that ESPN has locked up Michael Wilbon to an expanded role:

Longtime Pardon the Interruption co-host and ESPN NBA studio analyst Michael Wilbon, one of the nation’s most respected sports journalists, will expand his role with ESPN as a featured columnist for ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, ESPN’s local online destination for in-depth sports coverage of his beloved hometown, in addition to appearing weekly on ESPN Radio 1000’s Waddle and Silvy Show in Chicago. Wilbon, a veteran sports columnist who most recently concluded three decades with The Washington Post, delivers his first column and chat at 1:30 p.m. ET today on ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com.

“We’re thrilled to have a writer and a voice of Mike’s stature joining ESPN.com and ESPNChicago.com, where his strong opinions and thoughtful commentary on the most important issues in sports and culture will engage our fans in new ways across our platforms,” said Rob King, vice president and editor-in-chief for ESPN Digital Media.

I never read the Washington Post, but I do read ESPN.com so I look forward to reading some of Wilbon's features.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: ILBs

Today, I present my rankings of the top 5 Inside/Middle Linebackers for the 2010 NFL regular season.

1. Ray Lewis

In the interest of full disclosure I will tell you that I don't like Ray Lewis. This is mostly because I am a Steelers fan and he performs every time they Steelers play the Ravens. However, this doesn't stop me from admitting that he is one of the top linebackers in the league and, considering his age (35), this becomes even more impressive. He is solid playing both the run and the pass, is one of the premier locker room leaders in the NFL, and is one of the best players one of the best defenses.

2. Lawrence Timmons

Timmons is one of the most promising young 'backers in the whole NFL primarily because of his near picture-perfect tackling form and his superior athleticism. It has been said by people around the Steelers organization that he is one of the fastest accelerating players on the team. Note I said "players," not linebackers or defenders. That statement is comparing him to running backs, Mike Wallace, and Ike Taylor. His entire stat sheet is filled up: 103 tackles (74 solo), 3 sacks, 10 pass defenses, 2 INTs, 1 FF, 2 FR. He is very good at covering receivers and I will mention now that I take that heavily into account when rating these ILBs.

3. Jerod Mayo

Mayo is having a fantastic 3rd year for the New England Patriots and is leading the league by a wide margin with 144 tackles (94 solo). Now, even though he has a lot of tackles and is very good at tackling, he fell to #3 because he does not cover receivers very often and does not rush the pass very much - he has only 3 pass defenses, 0 INTs, and 1 sack through 12 games. This hurt him in my book, because I am of the opinion that as an interior linebacker one must be able to perform any task and cover the whole field.

4. Stephen Tulloch

I'm not going to lie, I didn't know who Stephen Tulloch was before writing this. Apparently he know what he is doing though because he is second in the league in tackles with 127 (88 solo), 7 pass defenses, and 1 INT. However, he has yet to register a sack, which hurts his ranking. Tulloch has had 6 games this year with at least 12 total tackles. This tells me that the guy simply has a nose for the ball - something that is very important in a ILB.

5. E.J. Henderson

After receiving a devastating injury in week 13 of the 2009 season in which he broke he femur that threatened to end his career he came out of surgery and rehabbed in time for the 2010 training camp. He doesn't have the most tackles this year (80 total), but he has been very sold as the Vikings' defensive captain and he does lead all linebackers with 3 interceptions on the season. Look for Henderson to get a lot of consideration for the Comeback Player of the Year award.

Honorable Mentions: Paul Posluszny, London Fletcher, Patrick Willis, Dhani Jones

Previous Rankings:

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Defensive Linemen

As always if you disagree with a selection or feel I have left someone off, please let me know in the comment section. Check back next time for the Outside Linebacker rankings.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: D-Linemen

Moving along with my rankings of position players throughout the NFL we are switching sides of the ball to defense. (Yes, I skipped fullbacks and O-linemen on offense, but I didn't think I would be able to rank them effectively) The best place to start is on the defensive line. Here we go:

1. Haloti Ngata

As much as it pains me as a Steelers fan to write this (although last night provided much needed revenge) Ngata has been the best, most dominant defensive lineman all season. He has even shown up on some MVP short-lists. Ngata resides in that all-important category of D-linemen that you must double-team or they will kill you. Not much else to say, you won't know how good Ngata is until your team plays him.

2. Kyle Williams

Continuing the theme of guys that made the Steelers O-line look stupid is Williams. He currently plays for a no-name Bills defense and expectedly not many people know his name, but they will soon. Williams is a load at nose tackle and has the ability to give any center-guard combo in the NFL issues. He also leads all defensive linemen in total tackles. Keep an eye out for this guy to get a lot more attention in the near future.

3. Justin Tuck

Tuck is having a very nice statistical season - he is second to Williams in total tackles and second to teammate Osi Umenyiora in forced fumbles with 6 (he has recovered 4)! It really is quite amazing how quality and consistent the New York Giants defensive line is year in and year out. Oh, did I mention Tuck is second in the league with 8.5 sacks? I didn't? Well he is.

4. Ndamukong Suh

Suh is a rookie, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from watching him play. The man is a beast, pure and simple. He is third in the league with 8 sacks and has given the Detroit Lions defense a vicious presence that they have lacked for some time. Look for him to be a mainstay in "best defensive players in the league" conversations for a long, long time.

5. Jared Allen

The man who rocks the mullet had an absolutely terrible start to this season. Don't believe me? Through week 8 he had 1 sack, just 1. However, in the past 5 games he has 7.5!! That is a substantial bounce back and ranks him second in the league with Tuck, Chris Clemons and Robert Mathis. Allen is a do-it-all DE, evidenced by his INT, FF, and multiple passes defensed.

Honorable mentions: Charles Johnson, Osi Umenyiora, Jason Babin

As always if you disagree, let me know in the comment section. Check back tomorrow as I rank the Inside Linebackers.

UK at UNC Basketball Preview

Ok, so I'm sitting in my Evangelism and Mission class right now.  It's three hours long, it's hot, and it's kinda boring.  What that means for you is that I have plenty of time on my hands and nothing to do except tell the SAI nation my thoughts.  On tap for the moment, a preview of the big game on Saturday:  UK vs. UNC.

Now, as the only representative of Tar Heel-dom (and non-UK-dom) on this blog, I feel like it is my job to offer a preview that does not come out of the Lexington, KY circles of fantasy.  (stay with me, UK fans, I think you'll like what is to come)

I'll start with an honest statement, and one that I have been saying to anyone who will listen since the preseason polls came out:  The University of North Carolina's College Basketball Team 2010-2011 Edition was so far overrated at preseason #8, it wasn't even funny.  Even more honest: Carolina has no business being ranked at all.  Why?  Well, 1. they are playing like total garbage.  Period.  And, 2. they lost lots of talent off of last years already bad NIT team.  Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson graduated.  Ed Davis (last year's best player) is in the NBA.  David and Travis Wear transferred to the west coast to be closer to their family who needed them nearby.  And Will Graves was dismissed from the team for violating teams rules.  So, take an NIT team, subtract 6 key players, including 4 big men, add 3 very talented freshmen (none of whom are big men), and what do you get?  A team that is still bad, has only 1 legit inside presence, and are most likely NIT bound again.

Now, I know I said this would be a preview of this weekend's game, and it will be, you just have to let me soapbox for a little bit.  A season of football frustrations because of morons who got too much help with papers is not the best precursor to an inevitably frustrating basketball season where the limited roster of talented players underachieves because the expectations on their heads was to be the 8th best team in the country.  Anyway, on to the preview:

The game is in Chapel Hill, which, in most years, would be a homecourt advantage worth at least a handful of points.  This year, however, the wine and cheese, rich, old white dude crowd in the lower part of the Dean Dome has been dead (literally and figuratively, it seems).  The good thing about it is that games in Chapel Hill sell out, so the chances of UK fans getting in there is very low compared to most occasions.  Don't get me wrong, there's still going to be those UK people who pay 10 times face value for a ticket so they can get in there and harass people (and I mean that in the nicest way possible, really).  [note: UK fans love their team.  They get loud and they make their presence known.  Sometimes they do overstep their bounds and I also get frustrated when they boo their own team/coach (ask Tubby), but they are passionate and God knows they are not a wine and cheese crowd.]

Essentially then, this is a neutral court game for UK (I really hope that is not the case, I would love to see it get loud in the Dean Dome, but I just don't see it happening).  The numbers also favor Kentucky, which should come as no surprise.

Carolina is averaging 77 points per game and UK 79.  The real difference is on the defensive side.  Carolina gives up 70 ppg and UK 64.  Now, there are better teams than UK on defense without a doubt, but Carolina is not one of those.  Carolina has also struggled to score for minutes at a time in every game they've played this year.  That doesn't bode well for the home team.  In my mind, there are two keys to this game:  Carolina's Harrison Barnes and UK's Terrance Jones.  I know that may seem obvious, but, let's be real, it is obvious.

So far this season, Carolina's offense goes as Barnes goes.  When he's playing well, Carolina can run and score and shoot.  When he's struggling, everything gets sluggish.  He was the #1 overall recruit in the country last year, and deservedly so.  So far at Carolina, however, he has not lived up to that hype.  No excuses, he has just been very inconsistent.  If he's on, no one on UK's team will stop him.  But if he's not, he will stop himself.  If Carolina has any hope at all of winning this game, Barnes needs to go for at least 20 points and help to open lanes for other key components of this team.

Terrance Jones, on the other hand, has played great all season so far.  I live in Atlanta now, so I haven't been able to watch UK games like I have in the past, but it's hard to miss the highlights of Jones's season.  I'm kinda scared that Jones could score 1000 points on Saturday cause I honestly have no clue who is going to guard him.  Zeller is capable and is a good player, but I don't think he's quick enough to stay with Jones.  Henson is incredibly athletic and a great shot blocker, but he weighs about 6.5 pounds and Jones could throw him around like a rag doll.  Justin Knox has been serviceable as a backup big man and he is a legit stud body in the post, but he is just plain not good enough to play with Jones.  So yeah, Jones will get his points and rebounds, probably continue to play invisible style defense (the seemingly only thing missing in his game), and make the Heels look like the small team that they are.

In the end, UK comes in to Chapel Hill and leaves with a win.  Carolina drops to 4-4 and I continue to be frustrated.  Prediction:  UK 86, UNC 72.  (And a 14 point win for UK might be generous in my favor because, even though I think UK would be somewhat overrated in the top 10, they are clearly a better team than North Carolina.)

UK fans, I am not a UK fan.  I realize that some of the things I said may not be super nice to your favorite team.  Do not forget, however, that I am a very realistic fan of my team.  I know when we are bad, and this is one of those times.  I'm not going to pretend like I pull for your team on a regular basis, and I don't think this year's team is as good as last year's, but in this matchup, they have a clear advantage.  I'm going to go ahead and say it on Wednesday, December 2nd (3 days before the game):

Congratulations on your win on Saturday.  UK and UNC have the two best programs in the history of college basketball.  It is not a natural rivalry, but is one that has been built out of greatness from both sides.  I'm sure, whatever the final score is Saturday, the winning team deserved the victory.  That is all.  Rant/Soapbox/Game Preview over.  And I'll leave you with one thing we both can agree on.  Suck on this, Duke:

Thursday Quick Hits: The Communists are winning version

And now for the much anticipated return of SAI's Quick Hits. Try to contain your excitement.

• The Commies are winning...at least in a bid to host the World Cup. This morning, Russia was announced to be the host of the 2018 World Cup. Read here. SAI believes it could be because of the funny hats:

• Qatar was announced as the host country for 2022, defeating a bid by the United States. What is Qatar, you might ask? A country about the size of Connecticut. This officially proves the U.S. may never win a bid, and let's be honest, they probably never should.
• Cam Newton is 'reinstated' to play for Auburn. Can someone explain the consistency of the NCAA to me? Deadspin tries to here, but I'm still not buying it.

And that's the news, at least the Thursday morning edition.

2010 NFL Season Player Ratings: TEs

Good Morning! Today I present my ranking of the top 5 tight ends through week 12 of the 2010 NFL season.

1. Antonio Gates

It has been said before, but I will say it again: the gap between the best TE (Gates) and everyone else is larger than any other position gap in football. He's simply the best. He has been hampered by injuries lately, but to give you an idea of the kind of production you get from Gates here are the stats from the first 5 weeks of the season: 29 rec. for 478 yards, 7 TDs. Trust me, he's on my fantasy team, I know how valuable he is. A couple more stats: most TDs among TEs, 86% of his receptions go for 1st downs (NFL high), and he has the most 20+ yard gains among TEs.

2. Jason Witten

Witten gets targeted a LOT. He leads all TEs with 60 receptions and is second only to Gates in yards per game. The only things I would like to see more out of him are more redzone targets. Of course, he plays for a dreadful Dallas Cowboys team and a bad offense (though it has shown signs of life the past few weeks). Look for his numbers to stay strong or improve once Tony Romo returns healthy.

3. Chris Cooley

Cooley falls into the third spot due to his providing Donovan McNabb with a reliable receiver to throw to. No one would call the 2010 Washington Redskin's offense explosive, but Cooley is, if nothing else, a solid receiver for McNabb to rely on. His stats are solid across the board and he has the third highest yardage number behind Gates and Witten.

4. Vernon Davis

Another case of a good player doing what he can for a bad offense, Gates has emerged this year as one of the 49ers' most vocal team leaders. That went a long way to insure him the #4 spot on my list. He had a few rough years to begin his career and was even kicked out of practice at one point by coach Mike Singletary. However, he has since got him game on the right track and is one of the best players on that team.

5. Dustin Keller

Dustin Keller has the second most 20+ yard receptions in the league and turns 61% of his catches into first downs. His stats are solid and he does what I believe is most important for the tight end position: he provides his QB, Mark Sanchez, with a reliable receiver that he can go to to be bailed out.

Honorable Mentions: Todd Heap, Jermichael Finley, Tony Gonzalez

Previous rankings: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers