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NFL Week 2 Game Previews 2015

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week 2 Game Previews 2015

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Week One revealed a lot about many NFL teams—for example, the New England Patriots were vastly overrated; and the Atlanta Falcons were more than prepared for the visiting Saints and are set on winning the division. Here’s a look forward to this Sunday’s matchups:

Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: The Dolphins are coming off of a big win over the Patriots and the Bills are coming off of an unexpected overtime victory over the Bears, so needless to say both squads are pumped up for this matchup. The Dolphins dominated the Patriots offensive line sacking Tom Brady four times; but the Bills line may prove to be a different animal. The Bills offensive line paved the way for 193 rushing yards against the Bears, and E.J. Manuel silenced the countless critics not by posting big numbers but by making key plays that added up to a victory for Buffalo. Manuel has a lot of tools around him, and he will certainly be putting those to use against the Dolphins this week.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins: The Redskins looked so bad against the Texans that it really would not be that surprising if the Jaguars come out and blow them out. The Jags jumped to a quick 17-0 lead against the Eagles before losing the game 34-17 in typical Jaguars fashion; however, they at least showed some potential. The Redskins couldn’t get anything done in their game though, Robert Griffin III looked sloppy and the offensive line was torn apart by the Texans pass rush.

Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans: The Titans looked great with Jake Locker back under center, beating the Chiefs 26-10—as for the Cowboys…not so much. “America’s Team” got tossed around on both sides of the ball by the 49ers, and Romo’s three interceptions certainly didn’t help. That being said, the Cowboys have always been great at bouncing back from a loss. Dez Bryant was held down by the Niners defense; but he’ll definitely be back with a vengeance in Tennessee. As long as Romo doesn’t blow it, the Cowboys should be able to pull one out in a close game.

Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants: The Giants offense looked horrible Monday night against the Lions. Eli Manning looks uncomfortable, and the receiving core is clearly having some problems learning all of the hand signals. The Cardinals did well against the Chargers; however, they do have some problems and mistakes they need to take care of. It will be a lot easier for the Cardinals to readjust than for the Giants to do so, so they should have no problem leaving New York 2-0.

New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings: After being outscored by the Dolphins 23-0 in the second half on Sunday, the Patriots definitely showed that they are far from invulnerable. The Vikings looked great in the second half against the Rams, and Cordarrelle Patterson took over the game as both a receiving and rushing threat. However, the Patriots are still the better team; and they have never started 0-2 under Tom Brady.

New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns: If the Saints had won in Atlanta, then this may have been qualified as a ‘trap game.’ But, unfortunately for the Browns, the Saints lost to the Falcons in overtime; so they won’t be overlooking anything this week in preparation for Cleveland. The loss to their division rivals will only strengthen the Saints focus, and they should have no problem taking care of business in Cleveland.

Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals: After throwing for a team-record 448 yards Week One against the Saints, Matt Ryan will have the chance to prove himself against the Bengals top five defense. The Bengals defense, however, looked sloppy against the Ravens; and if Joe Flacco was able to pass against the Bengals Ryan will have a field day. Another bonus for the Falcons: Devin Hester, the return specialist who has often been criticized for his inability as a wide receiver, looked phenomenal on the offense. If Hester can keep it up, Ryan will have Hester, Julio Jones, and Roddy White to stretch the field.

Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers: The Lions have never been good at winning games even when they have the victory all but secured, and even Monday against the Giants stupid penalties nearly cost them what should have been an easy win. The Panthers will have Cam Newton back for this game, but that probably won’t help the offense much. The Lions defensive line should be able to contact Newton; whereas the Panthers defense, although one of the best in the league, will most likely have no answer for Calvin Johnson. As long as Matthew Stafford can spread the ball around and keep Carolina’s defense on its toes, the Lions should have no problem stealing a victory in Carolina.

St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: With Sam Bradford and Chris Long both injured, the Rams have almost no chance this season. After being crushed 34-6 by the Vikings, the Rams show absolutely no hope of winning anytime soon. The Buccaneers looked good despite losing to the overpowering Carolina defense, so they should have no problem snagging an easy home victory.

Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers: This game should be an easy win for the Seahawks. Sure, the Chargers are a good team; but if they can’t beat the Cardinals they’ll have a difficult time trying to beat the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s still hard to call the Seahawks the best team in the NFL, but the game next week against the Denver Broncos will definitely reveal a Super Bowl favorite.

Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders: Looks like the Texans will be starting 2-0 again. The Texans have J.J. Watt and the Raiders have a struggling rookie quarterback. Do the math. The Raiders managed only 158 yards of offense against the Jets, and most of that yardage came in garbage time at the end of the game. If they can’t do it against the Jets, they surely can’t do it against the Texans who, despite their record last season, had one of the better defenses in the NFL.

New York Jets at Green Bay Packers: The Packers have a few extra days to get over their 36-16 loss to the Seahawks last Thursday and to come back firing on all cylinders against a weak Jets secondary. The Jets barely slipped past the Raiders, so they’ll have a difficult time trying to keep up with the Packers in Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers will surely bounce back from the loss in Seattle, but Geno Smith still has some issues to work out.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: The Chiefs of 2014 are much different than the Chiefs that started the season 9-0 in 2013. The Chiefs not only lost 26-10 to the Titans at home but also lost two defensive starters, Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito, to torn Achilles tendons. The Broncos on the other hand are looking to bounce back from a bad second half against Indianapolis. All things considered, it’s not looking good for the Chiefs.

Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers: Jay Cutler proved that money doesn’t make a player good. After throwing two interceptions and losing to the Bills in overtime in Chicago, Cutler and the Bears aren’t looking good. The 49ers on the other hand are coming off a dominating performance against the Cowboys. The last time the Bears played in San Francisco they were crushed 32-7. The Bears showed a lot of problems against the Bills, and they can’t fix them fast enough to be ready for the Niners. The 49ers had a lot of offseason problems, but their victory over Dallas effectively silenced those. 49ers fans should have nothing to worry about this weekend.

Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts may be 1-0, but Andrew Luck nearly led his team back from a 24-3 halftime deficit against the new and “improved” Broncos defense. The Eagles season didn’t start out the way they would have liked either, falling behind 17-0 to the Jaguars; however, Nick Foles was able to lead the team back and stomp out the Jags 34-17. With Luck at quarterback the Colts never seem to be out of the game, but their defense as it is now is not good enough to stop Chip Kelly’s offensive schemes. Don’t expect a slow start from either team, but with a high-powered offense against a low-ranking defense the Colts may find themselves in an unfortunate 0-2 position.

Wes Welker’s PED Suspension Hypocrisy

Shane Mclendon
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Wes Welker’s PED Suspension Hypocrisy

wes welker broncos bulge ped suspension

How long do you think Wes Welker has been using performance enhancing drugs? I will speculate, which is all any of us can do. I will guess that it has been going on for a while. The NFL is as dirty as any sports league. Well, except maybe Track & Field, which I have no idea why they even bother testing anymore. The reason no one makes a big deal about PEDs in the NFL is…..that’s right, we love football. As a general rule, NFL fans do not give a damn what these players are putting in their bodies. Wes Welker is an overachieving short little guy that catches about 100 passes a year. No one wants to know how he gets his edge. We are too busy with fantasy points, The Red Zone, and Sunday Ticket. The NFL’s popularity makes it overshadow any individual problems with the players.

Welker will be out four games and the Broncos will miss him. However the team will not fall apart without him. They are stacked at receiver and Peyton can make any guy look like a Pro Bowl player if they will just listen to him. When Welker comes back or before, he may apologize or make excuses like many other athletes who get popped for trying to get an edge with a pill or needle. We will all ignore it. I am not saying we should care either. Trying to be a moral voice crying in the wilderness for a cleaner NFL is not my job or desire. I honestly do not care. I do care that kids will take note of how to get ahead when it comes to sports, but that is a separate article for another day.

I love the NFL and these are grown men, making the decisions to enhance their performance in any way they can. I do believe they are taking their health into their own hands. Playing in the NFL is doing the same thing though, is it not? They are wrecking their bodies by virtue of the job they are performing. Who are we to judge what they should or should not do to themselves? In a perfect world, football would not exist. Since it does exist and it pays millions of dollars to do it professionally, NFL guys will never stop taking drugs to make themselves better. Let me repeat that….NEVER. They lift weights, eat certain foods, and pay personal trainers to get an edge, so is using science that far fetched? Not to these players.

I realize that there has to be guidelines for the NFL. You can’t have the athletes just taking anything they want. That would be ridiculous and lead to some guys walking around like WWE performers. Humans should not look like that, and pro wrestlers certainly have a shorter life span. Turning NFL’ers loose with the medicine cabinet would be a mistake. Maybe a relaxing of the rules is in order though. Wes Welkerwill lose four games that he could have made a difference in. Josh Gordon will miss an entire season of football for testing positive for weed, which most sane people agree is no more harmful than beer. It seems a bit crazy that either player should miss any time for small infractions. I am not letting either one off the hook. Rules are in place and if you don’t want to miss game checks, you best follow them. Or else you could wind up working at a car lot like Gordon.

I do think the NFL could follow the lead of the fans. We are unfazed by players using PEDs or weed. The league could ease up a bit and just let ‘em play. Now, if you get a guy running around an NFL locker room on Meth or Cocaine it might be time for some intervention. These minor infractions are not enough to concern the average football fan though. Welker will be back soon, to the cheers of every single Bronco fan. No boos will be heard. He makes plays, and that is a football fan’s only criteria for judging a guy.

Top 10 Reasons NFL Waited Months Before Dealing With Race Rice Domestic Abuse

Shane Mclendon
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Top 10 Reasons NFL Waited Months Before Dealing With Race Rice Domestic Abuse

ten reasons nfl waited on ray rice domestic abuse case 2015

It is 2014 and maybe the most powerful weapon in the world is the video camera. Video gives us all the ability to see everything personally. It is the closest we can get to being in an event up close. The video of Ray Rice knocking his girlfriend out cold and dragging her from the elevator cost him his job as an NFL player for now. But why did it take the NFL and the Ravens months to really take action on the guy? Here’s ten reasons to think about.

 

  1. The NFL needed a carefully outlined policy on domestic abuse. They are now having to play catchup. The video forced them to act. A good policy would have made action happen more swiftly.
  1. Ray Rice did not tell them the entire truth about the actual events in the elevator. They shouldn’t have taken his word obviously.
  1. The league had to consider the player involved so they would not hurt a teams’ chances at winning games. They didn’t want to punish the team by leaving them without a superstar running back. They would never admit this but it was a consideration for them.
  1. A picture is worth a thousand words and the video forced the league to take action.
  1. The NFL leadership was out of touch on domestic abuse. They had no idea the significance of this incident until public outcry went through the roof after the video release.
  1. Having a single man in charge of player discipline, Goodell, is a mistake. That is too large a role for one guy.
  1. The NFL is so anxious to keep growing that they have let the players get out of hand. It is bad for growth when your league looks like it is full of abusive barbarians.
  1. Roger Goodell is an arrogant man who thought he had a handle on the league. Clearly he was wrong.
  1. The NFL had to appear to be its own sheriff even if it was months late. If they had done nothing more to Ray Rice, they would have had politicians getting involved to get headlines for themselves, talking about congressional meetings possibly.
  1. Video and the viral effect of it was a snowball rolling downhill for the NFL. Once the video was made public, it became a media storm of epic proportions. The NFL had no choice but to rid themselves of the player that was involved or the league would have looked even worse than it does currently.

NFL Week One Review 2015

Chris Maurice
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NFL Week One Review 2015

The first week of the 2014 NFL is in the books, and there were quite a few big surprises. Here’s a quick recap of each game, and what the results could mean for your favorite team moving forward:

Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks: If you thought the defending Super Bowl champions couldn’t get any better, you may have been wrong. Despite losing a few key starters, the Seahawks seem to be completely on pace with last year’s team as they beat the Packers 36-16 in the season opener. With Percy Harvin back, there may be no stopping the Seahawks from repeating as Super Bowl champs this season.

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons: Despite leading big for nearly the entire game, the Saints lost in overtime to the Falcons 37-34. Matt Ryan was phenomenal in the second half (263 yards and two touchdowns), and he exposed the overhyped Saints defense. The Saints offense looked good, but a few key mistakes (mainly Marques Colston’s fumble in overtime) cost them the game. Look for the Saints to rebound next week against the Browns.

Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams: Matt Cassel was having trouble communicating with the coaches, and it looked like the Vikings were going to win 6-0. Nothing was happening. Once a connection was reestablished, however, the Vikings lit up the score board. Cordarrelle Patterson looked fantastic, actually out-rushing Adrian Peterson with 102 yards on three carries. To add injury to the 34-6 insult, the Rams also lost Chris Long to an ankle injury.

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers established a huge lead, and then almost blew it in the second half barely hanging on to win 30-27. Brian Hoyer looked horrible in the first half of the game, but he came to life after halftime throwing for 173 yards in the second half. Maybe Mike Pettine threatened to bench him in favor of Johnny Manziel. The Browns actually didn’t look bad, all things considered; however, if Hoyer has another half like the first one against the Saints this week Manziel may be making his NFL regular season debut.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles: The main takeaway from this game is that more fantasy owners should have drafted Allen Hurns. The Jaguars looked amazing…in the first half. After that it was back to the old Jags. The Jaguars jumped to an early 17-0 lead before falling to the Eagles 34-17. Kudos to Chip Kelly and the Eagles for making the proper adjustments and coming out in the second half ready to show their stuff.

Oakland Raiders at New York Jets: Derek Carr is clearly not ready for the NFL: 151 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 31 passing is not what the Raiders need. His stat line would be even worse if the Jets hadn’t dropped two or three easy interceptions. The Jets also looked sloppy on offense; however, if they can cut down on the penalties they should do significantly better next week. Geno Smith is clearly still learning to play in the NFL, but with time he may be able to lead this Jets offense.

Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens: This game was painful to watch if you are a Ravens fan. The offense looked completely out of practice, and the Bengals defensive line got to Joe Flacco way too many times. The Ravens showed some promise at the end, however; and putting up 16 points against one of the best defenses in the league isn’t bad. They still lost though, 23-16.

Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears: If the Patriots hadn’t lost this would have been the upset of the week. The Bills looked atrocious in preseason, they didn’t have an owner, and the front office guys were fighting amongst themselves. The Bills season seemed doomed; but they came out and shocked the Bears winning 23-20 in overtime. EJ Manuel was by no means flawless in his return, but the young man definitely showed some promise.

Washington Redskins at Houston Texans: The Texans beat the Redskins 17-6, but the Redskins aren’t exactly a good measure of talent. The Texans defense looked great, especially JJ Watt who certainly looked like $100 million on the field. However, there is some bad news for Texans fans—Jadeveon Clowney is going to miss about five to eight weeks with another knee injury.

Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs: The Titans defense was outstanding in this game, pissing off fantasy owners everywhere by holding Jamaal Charles to only 19 yards on the ground and 15 through the air. The Chiefs certainly are not the team that dominated the first half of the season last year, but it remains to be seen just how bad they’ll be this year.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins: This game was definitely the shocker of the week. The Dolphins did everything right, and the Patriots looked worn out and old. Tom Brady showed signs of a major decline last season; and although it has only been one game, he certainly does not look like a three-time Super Bowl champion any more. However, cut him some slack—it’s hard to be good when you’re being chased all around the field by Cameron Wake and company. If the Patriots don’t do something fast to improve their offensive line, they could be in for a long season.

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Who needs Cam Newton when you have one of the best defenses in the National Football League? The Panthers absolutely dominated the Buccaneers defense, and rained on Josh McCown’s debut as a Buc. McCown finished with only 183 yard, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Buccaneers offensive line gave absolutely no help to their new quarterback. Both teams, however, may have been underrated coming into this season.

San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys: Despite a weird and tough offseason for the franchise, the 49ers came out and absolutely dominated the game from the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers returned a fumble for a touchdown early in the game and picked off Tony Romo three times on some very poorly-chosen throws. Romo also consistently missed Dez Bryant, who finished with only four receptions for 55 yards.

Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos: The Broncos offense gave us flashbacks to last year during the first half; however, they really let their guard down in the second half. The Broncos new multi-million dollar defense looked great as well…until the second half. The Colts nearly came away with this one due to tons of offensive drops and poor coverage. The Broncos have the potential to be the best team in the league, but to beat the Seahawks they will have to play hard all four quarters.

New York Giants at Detroit Lions: When the head coach refers to his team as a “work in progress” you know it won’t be pretty. The offense was certainly not ready: Eli Manning doesn’t look comfortable in the new scheme; and his receivers continuously screwed up the new hand signal play calling system. The Lions offense did well, but a few key penalties allowed the Giants to hang around. The Lions pulled away at the end, however, winning 25-14.

San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals and Chargers are supposed to be two of the better teams in the league, but both of them looked sloppy. Missed tackles, blocked punts, and poor defensive line play led to a very sloppy game. The Cardinals pulled it out at the end and won 18-17; but unless both teams can cut down on their mistakes, neither one of them will be in the playoffs this season.

Top 10 NFL Plays Week One 2014

Shane Mclendon
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Top 10 NFL Plays Week One 2014

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The Cowboys were dismantled by the Niners. here is just one play that shows how bad the Boys’ defense is this year.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000390858/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Kaepernick-goes-deep-to-Davis

 

Quiz Rogers had a great run in the Falcons’ win over division rival New Orleans. All the Atlanta backs presented themselves well in this contest.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000390774/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Rodgers-spins-free

 

AJ Green with a circus catch zig zagging to the end zone afterward. This guy is now the second best receiver in the NFL.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000390722/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Green-s-great-juggle

 

Antone Smith of Atlanta showed off his impressive sped n this catch and run from Sunday. Smith continues to make big plays in the limited time he gets on the field.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000390661/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Sneaky-Smith

 

Sproles still has the speed and moves that made him a threat in New Orleans. Chip Kelly will only make the back more versatile with his high speed offense.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000390570/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Sproles-on-the-roll

 

Monte Ball is going to be the featured back in Denver this year. With plays like this, he won’t have to look over his shoulder.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000391306/Wk-1-Can-t-Miss-Play-Bowling-Ball

 

Megatron unguarded is a recipe for an embarrassing loss. That is what happened to the Giants. They couldn’t stop Calvin Johnson even when they remembered to guard him.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/detroit-lions/0ap3000000391803/Week-1-Calvin-Johnson-highlights

 

 

Julius Thomas caught three touchdown passes from Manning. he is a one man gang at tight end.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000391398/Week-1-Julius-Thomas-highlights

 

Michael Floyd‘s 63 yard catch was a nice play from Carson Palmer to his speedy wideout. I am not sure why Larry Fitzgerald was not targeted more in this contest though.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000391797/Floyd-63-yard-reception

 

A fake punt is a great play when it works, a disaster when it doesn’t. The Steelers made this one look easy.

NFL Week 1 Roundup 2014

Shane Mclendon
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NFL Week 1 Roundup 2014

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The first regular season week in the NFL was awesome as usual. No let down here, even with all the hype we give to football season now. The League delivers the goods for sure.

To start off the 2014 season, Thursday night saw defending Super Bowl Champs, the Seattle Seahawks, take on the Green Bay Packers. This game had the build up from last year’s game which featured the scab referees and the so called “Fail Mary”. This 2014 version of the matchup was not even close to coming down to a last second controversy. The Seahawks, for this game at least, were just in a another class than the Pack. That could change over the course of a long season. Green Bay could get on a roll and be a better match for the Champs. But after getting whooped 36-16, Aaron Rodgers and his crew have a long way to go to get on the Hawks’ level.

As the Sunday action got started I had a buffet of games to get settled into. Atlanta and New Orleans is a great NFL rivalry even though the Saints have owned Atlanta ever since Drew Brees and Sean Payton have been together in The Big Easy. The Falcons hoped to get the 2014 season kicked off on a better note than 2013, which saw the team crumble to a shell of themselves. The Saints had edged the Falcons in the prior season’s opening game and Arthur Blank felt like that one game set the tone for the year. The whole off season for the Birds involved being tougher as a team. This stemmed from the Saints late hit on Matt Ryan in that 2013 opener in which no Falcon came to the aid of their leader. This 2014 opener started out like last year with Atlanta unable to stop anyone from scoring at will. Drew Brees had all the time in the world to pass to whomever he wished. Matt Ryan had to buy time with some “annoying scrambling” as his line was barely able to give him enough time to get the ball out. The Falcons managed to keep the game close and in the second half they actually managed to get some pressure on Brees. Atlanta’s much maligned defensive backs made some key plays and the Birds won the turnover battle. The game went to over time where Matt Bryant sealed the deal with a 52 yard field goal to close out the visiting Saints 37-34. This game was a fantasy football dream with all the scoring and yards that were piled up.

In an upset in the AFC East, the Patriots were dropped by the fair weather Dolphins 33-20. New England went ahead early in this matchup but was held scoreless in the entire second half. That is a surprising stat from a Tom Brady led offense. Usually the guy gets on the board even with a bunch of no names as weapons. Maybe these underwhelming offensive players are finally going to hurt the Pats, but they did get Gronkowski back for this game. The biggest issue versus the Dolphins was the pressure from Cameron Wake. Brady was sacked twice by the defensive end and felt pressure more often than not from the Dolphins line.

In one of the national games of the week, San Francisco and Dallas faced off. The Cowboys allegedly have no defense and that proved true for the most part in this game. The 49ers got big play after big play in their passing game. They made the Cowboys look pretty silly along the way. Tony Romo certainly did not help his defense any though. He was a turnover factory of ineptness. I lost count at one point of how many picks he had thrown in such a short time span. That is not a good sign for a QB by the way. For the record he threw three interceptions overall. After the Boys fell so far behind, the game was pretty much a wrap. The final score shows a game that got closer on paper, but that is about it. The Niners had this game in the bag at halftime. The final was 28-17.

The Sunday Night feature game was the Broncos and the Colts. This one shaped up to be a good rematch from last year’s surprising win by Indy. But as Manning led Denver to a 24-0 lead, this one was a yawn for the first half unless you are a Broncos fan or have Julius Thomas on your fantasy team. However, the Colts have a guy named Andrew Luck who is not too shabby and was not to be outdone by his veteran counterpart, Manning. Luck brought his team back to within a touchdown but could not get them in the end zone on the final drive. Colts lose 31-24. Trent Richardson was a no show for Indy in this game, only gaining 20 yards on six carries. The Colts had to throw a ton to get back in the game but they have to get more out of the former Alabama star running back.

As for the rest of the games, the Eagles came back to beat a game Jacksonville team in Philly. Detroit laid waste to a Giants team that does not look much better than last year’s train wreck of a unit. Cincinnati edged Baltimore and Cleveland was barely topped by Pittsburgh. The Texans, Titans, Jets, and Vikings were all winners. The Panthers, without Cam Newton played well enough to beat division rival Tampa Bay. In the last part of the Monday Night double header, Arizona beat San Diego 18-17. Carson palmer led a long late drive for the go ahead score. Rivers and the Chargers had time to get down the field for a field goal but could not generate enough offense to get close.

The first week of the 2014 season is in the books and without much of a hesitation, Thursday Night Football is right around the corner. The feature game this week will be the Steelers and Ravens, who cut Ray Rice following the video release of his knockout punch of his girlfriend.

John Harbaugh NFL Press Conference Sept 9, 2014 Translated Coach Speak

Shane Mclendon
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John Harbaugh NFL Press Conference Sept 9, 2014 Translated Coach Speak

nfl coach jim harbaugh press conference 2014

We translate the “coach speak”. Nothing funny about domestic violence. What is funny is the NFL having to do word gymnastics to avoid trouble for themselves. Full transcript is here.

Opening statement: “I want to thank everybody for being here, and we appreciate you being here. We had a good practice coming off the tough game yesterday, and we’re going to work on our next game. Obviously, you’re here for more than just that. We had a chance – after seeing something this morning – after seeing the video this morning, we had a chance to get together with Steve [Bisciotti], Dick [Cass], Ozzie [Newsome] and myself, and we had a meeting. It was not a long meeting, and we came to the decision that we came to, to release Ray [Rice]. And that’s what we did. So, you know that. I had a chance to talk to Ray along with Ozzie this afternoon after we did it. [We have] nothing but hope and goodwill for Ray and Janay, and we’ll do whatever we can going forward to help them as they go forward and try to make the best of it.”

Translation: I wish no one was here to report on this awful event from our knuckleheaded running back. But since you all won’t go away, I have to stand here and say something. The leadership of the Ravens and I got together this morning after the Ray Rice video was released. After we all threw up from seeing this awful footage, we had a decision to make. Should we put a bounty out on TMZ producer, Harvey Levin or cut Ray Rice, or do both. While having Levin snuffed out would do the world a favor, he did shine a light on the barbaric behavior of one of our best players. We decided that hiring a hitman to off Levin would just get the Ravens in more hot water. So we have simply cut Ray Rice from the team. Ozzie Newsome and I spoke to Ray this afternoon and let him know he was fired. Of course we had some security to make sure nothing violent happened…again. We wish the best for Ray and Janay, his wife. And we will do whatever we can going forward to help them….that does not include paying him millions of dollars left on his contract. It was sort of an empty gesture on our part since he has screwed up so badly.

 

John, what was it like to see that video? “It’s something we saw for the first time today – all of us – and it changed things, of course. It made things a little bit different.”

Translation: A picture is worth a thousand words. An elevator video is worth an NFL contract. I am shocked at how violent, not to mention dumb, Ray Rice appeared on that night.

 

Coach, how come the team wasn’t able to see the video until today? “I have no answer for that.”

Translation: Damn! I knew I shouldn’t have called on you for a question. Hey I just coach the team man. The owner forced me to come out here and talk to you vultures. You should ask Steve Bisciotti. Here is his personal cell number. 555-555-555

 

You came into the league when Ray Rice came into the NFL as a head coach. You had a strong relationship with him. This has to be personally kind of devastating to you. “It’s always … When someone that you care about does wrong and is faced with the consequences of doing wrong – and rightfully so – it is tough, it is hurtful. My pain is for both of them as a couple and going forward. My hope is that they can make it work. From everything that I understand in talking to Ray up until his suspension – talking to him a lot – it seemed like they really were working hard and really doing well in that direction. I hope they can weather this part of it, too. And I’ll be praying for that. If I can help in any way, [if] my wife and I can help in any way, we will. That’s where it’s at.”

Translation: If me or my wife can help the couple in any way , we will. A bodyguard will be sent with my wife obviously though.

 

Can you share any of RB Ray Rice’s reaction to the news today? “I really would rather not. That’s more personal.”

Translation: Yes, he cried like a baby and did not seem near as tough as he thought he was in that casino elevator. Losing several million dollars will break a guy. No pun intended.

 

Coach, are you satisfied with the level of diligence that the organization took to see what occurred on that video? “Absolutely. Sure. I’m not following where you’re going with that.”

Translation: Yes, we diligently tried to avoid seeing it or having it become public. Any idiot would know that if there was video outside the elevator that got released, that there would be inside the elevator footage that came out. I am not sure why the NFL didn’t do a better job of covering all this up, to be honest.

 

Did you discuss it with the team as a whole today? “We did. The team responds the way everybody responds to these things. And again, you’re talking about somebody you know. It’s a little more challenging when you’re talking about someone that’s part of your family, so to speak. So our guys, they felt it. All the same emotions that everybody out there would feel, we all felt.”

Translation: The team seemed down and of course shocked. The only guys that seemed glad were the back up running backs.

 

Why did the video change the team’s reaction so drastically? What did you think happened in that elevator before you saw the video? “I don’t want to get into all of that. Talking about feelings and all that stuff … It’s pretty easy for everybody to understand. Anybody that has a heart would understand how that goes.”

Translation: I envisioned the couple having a tickle-fight of some sort that ultimately ended with Janay accidentally knocking herself out on the elevator handrail. I was pretty far off it seems.

 

How did Ray Rice relay the events of the evening to you guys? “I’m not going to get into all of that. Those are personal conversations, and that’s really where that belongs. I want to respect that.”

Translation: His explanation was pretty sketchy, involving phrases like, “drunk as hell”, “actin a fool”, and “I know better”. He left out the key phrase, “left hook”.

 

What do you think about the timing of this whole video and how that impacts the team in the midst of a short week with a game coming up? “The timing is the timing that it is. We have a football game to play Thursday night. We have no control over that. I don’t have any feelings about that at all. It will not impact us in any way, football-wise. You can’t allow that. This is professional football, and we’ll be ready to play Thursday night.”

Translation: We hope to win the game Thursday night and get asked some football questions. Those are much easier to answer with clichés.

 

This affects the organization on so many different levels, John. Which is the most difficult? “I wish I had an answer for that. That’s a pretty deep question. I haven’t given it that much thought to think of it in that many levels right now.”

Translation: Money son! $9 million cap hit for next year from cutting Rice.

 

Do you expect Ray Rice to play in the NFL again? “I don’t have any expectation for anything right now. My expectation right now really is to move with our team going forward and [being] the best football team we can be.”

Translation: No. If he manages to get another shot, which I doubt, he will be washed up as a player. Running backs have a short shelf life anyway. He better enroll in some kind of online college.

 

Who’s your starting running back Thursday? “Bernard Pierce, Justin Forsett – they’ll both play a lot. Lorenzo Taliaferro will be a big part of it, too. Good question. Thanks.”

Translation: One of the hacks that usually rides the bench. It doesn’t matter who does it? We are screwed at tailback. If the backups were any count, they wouldn’t be backups would they?

UFC 177 Recap: Joe Soto’s Bright Future

Shane Mclendon
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UFC 177 Recap: Joe Soto’s Bright Future

ufc issues in 2015

What a disappointment UFC 177 could have been after Renan Barao bowed out just a day and a half before his rematch with TJ Dillashaw. Thanks to a more than capable last minute fill in, Joe Soto, this UFC pay per view was a hit. I know my disappointment in the Barao absence was replaced with a surprising enjoyment of the whole card.

Let me just say that I was tempted to not even buy UFC 177 after finding out about Renan Barao being off the main card. I had been wowed by the excellent previews of the upcoming rematch between Barao and TJ Dillashaw. The first fight was fascinating and I thought that the former champ would be on a maniac like mission to regain his belt. I can’t say that Barao was not being a pro. Maybe he had a serious health issue that resulted from cutting weight. I don’t know. But I know I was very disappointed with him being out as the challenger to TJ Dillashaw.

My level of excitement for this PPV returned as fight after fight got me going. When I got to the co-main event between Danny Castillo and Tony Ferguson, I had forgotten about Renan Barao for the most part. Ferguson and Castillo didn’t put on an epic display of action but the fight was close and hard fought. There are many fights that end up very boring when one fighter is on the bottom for the majority of the fight and the top man does little to push the action. However in this match Ferguson was on the bottom much of the latter two rounds. But he was the aggressor from the bottom position. If he was only able to land ear slaps, that is what he did to ensure that he was pushing forward, even underneath Castillo.

The start of this lightweight battle saw Castillo, of the Alpha Male camp, throwing big shots that never connected. He was in and out on the dangerous Ferguson. For the record, anyone who knows nothing of MMA fighting can just look at Tony Ferguson and see he is not a guy to be trifled with at a bar. The man is the picture of toughness. In round one I thought Ferguson would end the battle with the D’Arce choke he had firmly locked in on his opponent. However, Castillo survived the choke to my surprise.

Rounds two and three of this fight were very similar. Castillo was able to gain the advantage on the ground. Once he was there and on top he made few offensive moves. And by few, I mean none. He basically laid on top of Ferguson. I will admit that Ferguson could do little to escape the grounding, although he was attacking from his pinned position. This fight was hard to judge. I would have given the fight to Ferguson, but if Castillo had won a unanimous decision, I would not have been shocked. He was on top the majority of the time after all. I would not have wanted to be a judge for this one. The end of the fight saw Tony Ferguson wind up in a choke hold. I don’t think he made a mistake to end up there. I believe he knew he could survive the last few seconds, so he took some chances at the end of round three. Ferguson got the split decision much to the dismay of Danny Castillo. I can see both guys thinking they truly won this match.

The main event could have shaped up like a propped up Dana White concoction to save a PPV from flopping. Joe  Soto made sure that was not the case at all. The young man, in his first UFC fight, showed the heart of a warrior. He took this fight at truly the last minute, a day and a half before the fight! Who does that? Dana White loves guys who are not afraid to step up when they are needed. Joe Soto may have earned himself a lot of leeway in his UFC career. Not only did he fill in for a fight that no one else was apparently up for. He fought very well and gave Dillashaw a real title match.

I want to make sure I give TJ Dillashaw all the credit in the world as well. He took on an opponent that he had not trained for and was in a no win situation against. If he lost, he got beaten by an unknown. If he won, then he beat a nobody. All the pressure was on the champion.

As this fight started, it was clear that Joe Soto’s confidence at the weigh in and his ring entry was not phony. He was not afraid of TJ Dillashaw. Not afraid at all. He came to fight and win, not to fill a void. If there was any doubt that Soto was in an unfamiliar place though, his corner crew looked like they were pulled from the stands. No insult to them, but this stage was a bit more than they were prepped for initially. The first round was basically a feeling out process. Neither fighter wanted to do anything rash. The first five minutes of the fight were a substitute for weeks of preparation that was not available due to the card change.

Round two was more striking exchanges with the champion just throwing tons of shots. Dillashaw caught Soto with a nice knee and a hard jab early on. Soto connected with a great hook of his own, but looked a bit less active in this round. The newbie to the UFC showed some good defense as the round went on as well. I do think that TJ Dillashaw could have exploited more body shots if he had chosen to do so. Strategy can get tricky when you have less than a day to prepare for a new opponent though.

Round three saw mostly stand up action again. There were a couple takedown attempts that were stuffed by Soto. The challenger countered well but still ended up getting hit more than any fighter would like. Round four is when you could see Soto tiring more and more. He would not use this as an excuse, but he trained for a three round fight originally. So if he was gassed, it was not because of a lack of preparation.

The champion ended the main event in the fifth round with a rowdy head kick that knocked Joe Soto out for all intents and purposes. Big John saved Soto from any follow up damage as quickly as possible. Dillashaw did what he needed to in order to win the fight and keep the belt. Soto went above and beyond in saving this card from embarrassment. He answered the bell when the UFC needed him and gave the fans a fight worth the price of admission.

Joe Soto looks to have a bright future in the UFC. He certainly got thrown into the fire in a hurry. He presented himself very well and I hope he is rewarded with a great UFC career. The champion will now look to his next opponent. That will definitely not be Renan Barao, who will have to work his way back to another title shot. Dillashaw proved his worth as the bantamweight champion. He overcame a bad scenario last night and is obviously not going to duck anyone going forward. It would have been easy for him to bow out of UFC 177 after Barao dropped off. But that may be why he has the belt that Barao once held. He was game and Barao was not.

Top 10 Hypothetical NFL Prop Bets For 2014

Shane Mclendon
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Top 10 Hypothetical NFL Prop Bets For 2014

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I love to look at crazy NFL proposition bets, AKA prop bets. These wagers are usually most seen around Super Bowl time. You will see things like coin toss result bets, Super Bowl score versus an NBA game score, or really weird things like number of catches by Wes Welker compared to number of penalties by a certain team. Here is a quick top ten of hypothetical NFL prop bets that would be cool to lay some money on this season.

  1. 160 – Over / under on number of Peyton Manning using the Omaha audible. I’ll go over.
  1. 3 – Over / under on number of Johnny Manziel fines in 2014 in the regular season. I’ll go under on this one. The preseason fine does not count, by the way.
  1. 2 – Over / under on Wes Welker concussions in the regular season. I blame his head ducking for his bad luck with the brain.
  1. Higher number: Number of Patriot wide receivers the average fan can name versus ones able to correctly spell Belichick.
  1. 17 – Over / under on Geno Smith’s picks in 2014. If he is allowed to start enough games, I am going with the over.
  1. Higher number: Number of game Gronkowski starts versus number of pornstars he is connected with in 2014.
  1. 4 – Over / under on number of weeks it takes for Joe Buck to get death threats for ruining NFL broadcasts he is working. It is a shame Fox can’t find a better partner for Troy Aikman, who is the best in the biz.
  1. Higher number: Idiots who get a bad tattoo as punishment for finishing last in their fantasy leagues versus morons who get arrested for streaking across NFL fields in 2014.
  1. More interceptions…..Richard Sherman or Earl Thomas. Sherman has the mouth, but Thomas may have the edge in skill believe it or not.

2014 NFL Week One Picks

Chris Maurice
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2014 NFL Week One Picks

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Picking for Week One is always the hardest—there is no telling which teams are all hype and which players are the real deal. With that being said, let’s jump right into it:

New Orleans Saints (-3) at Atlanta Falcons (+3): When the Saints play the Falcons it’s always a shootout. The Saints defense, however, has drastically improved over the offseason; and if the Falcons offensive line has not then Matt Ryan could be in some trouble. Expect the Saints to win by at least a touchdown, so taking them at -3 should be a pretty safe bet.

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) at St. Louis Rams (-3.5): With Matt Cassel starting for the Vikings and Shaun Hill starting for the Rams, this game will most likely be determined by the run game. The Rams have the best defensive line in the NFL, but the Vikings have Adrian Peterson. Peterson will need to have a great game for the Vikings to win, and I like those odds. Take the upset.

Cleveland Browns (+6.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (-6.5): Despite all the hype in Cleveland since they drafted Johnny Manziel, the Browns are still the Browns. As if it couldn’t get any worse for them, Josh Gordon has been suspended for the entire season. Brian Hoyer will be starting against a revitalized Steelers defense, and unless Jordan Cameron manages to get open on every play Hoyer will definitely struggle against the Steelers secondary. The Browns may be able to beat the spread, but don’t expect them to leave Pittsburgh with a win.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+10.5) at Philadelphia Eagles (-10.5): The Jaguars don’t have much going for them once again this season. Blake Bortles has shown promise and Toby Gerhart is a great running back, but they are still the Jaguars. Pick the Eagles.

Oakland Raiders (+5) at New York Jets (-5): The biggest question in this game is who has more left in their tank, the Jets Chris Johnson or the Raiders Maurice Jones-Drew. Geno Smith isn’t great, but him and Michael Vick will be able to put together enough to beat rookie quarterback Derek Carr and the Raiders. The Raiders may beat the five point spread but not the Jets.

Cincinnati Bengals (+1) at Baltimore Ravens (-1): Everyone has been talking about how much Joe Flacco has improved over the offseason, but the running game and offensive line are still sloppy. The Ravens will be without Ray Rice, while Giovani Bernard will be running all over their defense. The Bengals defense was phenomenal last season, so unless Flacco has transformed his game tremendously over the offseason the Bengals should have no problem taking this one from the Ravens.

Buffalo Bills (+7) at Chicago Bears (-7): After a poor offseason by EJ Manuel, the Bills have nothing going for them coming into Week One except their vastly underrated defensive unit. Jay Cutler isn’t a great quarterback by any means; but unfortunately for the Bills, the Bears also have Matt Forte, Alshon Jeffery, and Brandon Marshall. The Bears big three will prove to be too much for the Bills. Chicago should have no problem winning by two touchdowns.

Washington Redskins (+3) at Houston Texans (-3): Robert Griffin III did not look good preseason despite all the hype surrounding him. Don’t expect much out of Ryan Fitzpatrick, but expect enough out of Andre Johnson and Arian Foster to outscore the lackluster Redskins offense. The pass rushing duo of JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney will prove too much for RGIII and Alfred Morris to handle. Unless Griffin has really improved and he’s waiting until the regular season to show the league what he’s got, the Texans should have no problem edging one out at home.

Tennessee Titans (+3) at Kansas City Chiefs (-3): UPSET ALERT! The Chiefs have had a sad offseason, whereas the Titans will have Jake Locker back and Ken Whisenhunt to fire up the offense. Kansas City still has Jamaal Charles, but the team’s offense overall has declined greatly since last season. The Titans are not a lock by any means, but if you’re a gambling man you may want to consider taking them at +3.

New England Patriots (-4) at Miami Dolphins (+4): The Ryan Tannehill to Mike Wallace connect will probably happen a lot this season, but not with Darrelle Revis lining up against them. With Rob Gronkowski back on the field, the Patriots should have no problem running over the Dolphins like they usually do.

Carolina Panthers (+3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3): With Cam Newton slightly off his game and without Steve Smith or Ted Ginn, Jr, the Panthers offense will be lucky to score two touchdowns. On the other side, the Buccaneers have Lovie Smith on the sidelines and Josh McCown at quarterback. The Panthers defense will remain one of the best in the league, but if the Bucs keep chipping away they will score on it eventually. Take the Buccaneers in a close, low-scoring game.

San Francisco 49ers (-4) at Dallas Cowboys (+4): This should prove to be a very close game. Dez Bryant is a mismatch against any player on the 49ers defense, but he relies on Tony Romo to get him the ball. With that said, the Cowboys also have one of (if not the) worst defenses in the NFL. This game is almost too close to call on paper. If you’re a risk taker, you may consider going with the Cowboys; but if you like to play it safe with your money, take the 49ers.

Indianapolis Colts (+7.5) at Denver Broncos (-7.5): With their new and improved defense and Peyton Manning, the Broncos should have no problem sending the Colts home with a loss. Peyton looked phenomenal preseason and after last season there is no telling what he can do. Andrew Luck will have his work cut out for him against the Broncos new secondary; so unless Reggie Wayne is really on his game, Luck probably won’t have a very good one. With that said, 7.5 is a large spread against the Colts; so you may want to bet moneyline (straight).

New York Giants (+6) at Detroit Lions (-6): For a two-time Super Bowl Champion, Eli Manning looks really out of place in the Giants’ offense. Between Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Reggie Bush the Giants defense doesn’t stand a chance in Detroit. The Lions should have no problem winning by at least a touchdown.

San Diego Chargers (+3) at Arizona Cardinals (-3): This game should easily be the best game of the week. The Cardinals are a great team, and the Chargers offense is ready to play. If the Chargers want to win they will need a lot out of Philip Rivers, Ryan Matthews, and Danny Woodhead in order to keep Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals secondary on their toes. As for Arizona, Carson Palmer, Andre Ellington, and Michael Floyd will all need to have great performances in order for the birds to pull out a victory. All in all, San Diego has a great offense; but the Cardinals have a little bit more on both sides of the ball. This game will probably be decided by one play. Take the Chargers at +3, that way even if they lose by a field goal you don’t lose your money.

Biggest Celebrity Gossip To End Summer 2014

Julie Wein
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2
Biggest Celebrity Gossip To End Summer 2014

prince charles princess diana wedding cake auction

In this week’s celebrity gossip roundup, an online auction resulted in a private collector purchasing a piece of cake that was part of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake…33 years ago. The private collector that purchased it paid $1,375 for the piece of cake, which is still wrapped in the wax paper it was originally waxed in on the couple’s wedding day. The Los Angeles based Nate D. Sanders Auction was responsible for the sale. It was reportedly given to its new owner in the same presentation box that it had been put in the day of the royal couple’s 1981 wedding. On the box, the couple’s first initials are interlocked and there is also a depiction of the feathers belonging to Prince Charles. It even comes complete with the original card attached to the package stating that the card was given to the couple by the Prince & Princess of Wales.

brad pitt angelina jolie wedding

Perhaps the biggest celebrity gossip of the week is that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finally tied the knot in France. Even local officials were not aware that the couple was marrying the day that they did. The couples own an estate in Correns, the Chateau Miraval, where they make their own wine and this is where they choose to hold their wedding.  Ever since the couple bought the estate in 2008 there had been rumors that it is where they eventually had planned to get married. In addition to the estate’s vineyard and its main house it also has a chapel where the wedding was held. To keep everything on the down low, the couple obtained their wedding license in their home state of California. Since they purchased the estate Brad Pitt has reportedly been renovating it in order to incorporate the architecture he loves the most.

joan rivers death

In a continuing story, 81 year old Joan Rivers was having a medical procedure done at an endoscopy center in NYC and suddenly stopped breathing. She was rushed to a full blown hospital in serious condition and was later placed in a medically induced coma. The world was shocked when she died.

miley cyrus date jesse helt had arrest warrant after vmas

Miley Cyrus is in the news again, this time for bringing a date to the Video Music Awards with her that has had a warrant out for his arrest in Oregon, dating back to 2011. Reportedly he is a homeless person who, after attending the awards with Miley, turned himself into Oregon police. He had violated probation and was required to post his $2,500 bail. In the coming weeks he will go in front of a judge in Oregon. Miley reportedly allowed him to accept the video of the year award that she won at the VMAs. The two allegedly met due to her involvement with a homeless center in Hollywood where he was staying while trying to pursue a modeling career. Miley is reportedly going to help him out financially when it comes to his legal expenses.

chelsea clinton leaves nbc for motherhood

Chelsea Clinton of all people is allegedly leaving her job as an NBC news special correspondent in favor of motherhood. She is set to give birth to her first baby with her husband. Chelsea will also spend her time continuing her work with the Clinton Foundation, which has the goal of improving health on a global and domestic level as well as making sure new opportunities for services are available. The foundation is also used to help females reach advanced status in their careers.

gabrielle union marries dwayne wade from miami heat bulge fame

Actress Gabrielle Union has just married Dwayne Wade, a player with the Miami Heat. The wedding was held in Miami and was attended by family and close friends of the couple. Singer John Legend provided entertainment at the couple’s wedding reception. The wedding had an old fashioned 1930s theme which included the serving of Chardonnay in Vanilla Pudding flavor.

halle berry wedding anniversary in hawaii on jetline

In other couple’s news, Halle Berry celebrated her first wedding anniversary with her husband in Hawaii. The couple’s children were present with them and the family spent a good deal of time exploring Maui. Halle and husband Olivier Martinez even participated in zip-lining and parasailing.

ceelo green pleads not guilty in slipping woman ecstasy pill

CeeLo Green appeared in court on a felony charge for slipping a woman ecstasy in 2012 during a lunch they had together in Los Angeles. He was sentenced to both community service and probation. A special plea was entered by the singer, claiming he is innocent of felony. The plea means that he cannot have it held against him in civil court that he pleaded no contest. However, if he is convicted of an additional drug offense this could be used against him when appearing in criminal court. Part of the agreement he has with the court is that he can receive counseling for a drug and alcohol addiction with a private doctor.

hello kitty not a cat but a girl

Hello Kitty fans were shocked this week to learn after all these years that she is in fact not a kitty at all. According to Sanrio, the company that owns the rights to Hello Kitty, she is actually a young girl who simply enjoys dressing up as a cat.

alan jackson country hall of fame music exhibit

The Country Music Hall of Fame now boasts a brand new attraction for fans of Alan Jackson. Among the items that belong to the exhibit are personal items Jackson has used throughout his life including childhood toys and the plaque he received after having sold 50 million albums. The attraction also includes a handwritten note from George Jones to Allan Jackson. There are also handwritten lyrics and one of his Grammy Awards as well as a jacket that he was wearing when he signed a 1989 record deal. Jackson admitted that his house was much less full now that his exhibit has opened at the museum. This temporary attraction will be available to Country Music Hall of Fame visitors until March of 2015. Jackson is the current HOF artist in residence.

Top 10 Best UFC Fights Of 2014

Shane Mclendon
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Top 10 Best UFC Fights Of 2014

2014 continues to showcase awesome UFC competition. Dana White is one of my favorite sports figures because of the creative ways he guides his sport. He is fearless in his decisions and his general attitude. He also makes the big fights happen. He has never wanted the UFC to appear like boxing with the way the old fight game would never have more than a couple of epic matchups during a year. The UFC has great fights regularly because the champions have to face the best opponents in most cases. The fighters in the top ten rankings below the champ must fight it out with each other in order to get a shot at being the man. There have been some great battles in 2014 at the halfway point of the calendar, so here are my top ten UFC fights so far in 2014.

ufc 171 johny hendricks beats robbie lawler best ufc fights ever 2014 images

  1. Johny Hendricks vs. Robbie Lawler – The fight ended in a decision for Hendricks who captured the vacated title at welterweight. We have not seen the last of these two in the Octagon though.

alex caceres versus sergio pettis best ufc fights ever 2014

  1. Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis – Caceres has the best nickname in MMA, Bruce Leroy, and this fight was just as good. Both guys put on a show for this Fox event.

henderson versus rua II best ufc fights ever 2014 images

  1. Henderson vs. Rua II – All UFC fans love a Dan Henderson fight since there are good odds on seeing a guy get his lights put out. That is exactly what happened after two and a half rounds of MMA action. Rua got put on the mat to end the fight in round three.

rory macdonald demian maia ufc 1701 best ufc fights ever 2014

  1. Rory MacDonald vs. Demian Maia – Maia is a fighter that has had some ups and downs but always has the potential to beat even the best competition. MacDonald ended up winning a decision but the battle was fierce the whole way.

ronda rousey beats sara mcmann best ufc fights ever 2014 images

  1. Ronda Rousey vs. Sara McMann – This fight was not the greatest battle ever, but it had the polarizing Rousey get her first knockout win in the UFC. Not using the arm bar submission to get her win was a change of pace for the UFC diva.

matt brown vs erick silva best ufc fights ever images 2014

  1. Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva – Great fights most often have a big swing from one guy taking it to his opponent only to have the momentum turn wildly. That was the case in this epic fight that saw a stoppage in favor of Matt Brown in the last round.

benson henderson vs rustam khabilov best ufc fights ever images 2014

  1. Benson Henderson vs. Rustam Khabilov – Henderson managed to finally catch his foe in a submission late in a close fight. Khabilov made a good showing against a top notch fighter.

fabricio werdum vs travis browne best ufc fights ever 2014 images

  1. Fabricio Werdum vs. Travis Browne – This fight was supposed to showcase the awesomeness of Browne. However, Werdum whooped up on the alleged bad ass for most of the fight. But you always had the feeling that Browne would somehow find a way to score a big knockout. He did not find that way however.

jon jones vs glover teixeira best ufc fights ever 2014 images

  1. Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira – Jones dominated a foe that was expected to give the champ a run for his money. Fights like this may not be an even contest, but they do showcase a talent that only comes around once a decade or so.

antonio minotauro nogueira vs roy nelson best ufc fights ever 2014 images

10. Minotauro Nogueira vs. Roy Nelson – While Nelson does not look the part of a great UFC fighter, he has the knockout power that voids that perception. He ended this fight with legendary Nogueira in quick fashion.

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