Ben's NBA Basketball fan blog

Who'd of thunk it? When the season began, people everywhere were dissing the Dirty Birds saying they would only win 3 or 4 games, or that they had given away all their "good" players. Truth be told, they had given away all their troublesome, individual Vick supporters, with the exception of Roddy White, who, with the addition of an incredible young QB whom we will discuss in moments, kept his mouth shut throughout the season.

Nobody thought it possible then, not even me. I don't think anybody believes it's even possible now, but the Atlanta Falcons (Yes, those Atlanta Falcons) are going to the playoffs. Is this the same Atlanta Falcons team that went 4-12 last year? Is this the same Atlanta Falcons team who's franchise quarterback was imprisoned and who's coach walked out on them to go coach a mediocre Arkansas Razorbacks team? The answer, my friends, is no. That team is no more. That was the team, if that's what you wish to call them, who blew easy games against bad opponents, keeping them out of playoff contention for years.

Continue reading "Falcons Clinch Playoff Berth"

Sunday's game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings is a crucial one to say the least. Both teams have playoff berths on the line, and both teams' playoff hopes could be severely hurt with a loss. Both these teams have met or exceeded expectations, as they are each 9-5. And both teams have star running backs, so this game will also affect fantasy football championships everywhere.

Keys to the game:

Burn 'em early with Turner. If the Atlanta Falcons are going to be successful, they're going to have to get the run game going early, which means a steady dose of Michael Turner. The Vikings' pass defense is tougher than it was a year ago, so the Falcons will have to run the ball well to open up the passing game for Matt Ryan.

Score early and often. It seems that when the Falcons score early, and often, they come out on top. If they let the Minnesota Vikings get a head start on them, Jared Allen and the rest of the Vikings' mean D-line is going to make life miserable for Matt Ryan.

Continue reading "What the Falcons Need to do to Beat the Vikings"

For many people, this week is fantasy football championship week. Everybody is going to be scrambling to get there lineups set as best they can, and for some, it becomes a buffer between them and their family members.

For my brother and I, it is not the same story. It is, in fact, an entirely different story all together. We first started playing fantasy football a year ago. I had two teams. He had one. Both of my teams made it to the championship game, and one of them, in fact, won the title. For my brother, his luck was not so good, as his team failed to make the playoffs.

Fast-forward to the offseason. We discussed starting up an online league through a website which I cannot name due to a potential copyright issue. Anyway, we joked about how funny it would be if our teams faced off in the championship game. How we probably wouldn't talk to each other for the week leading up to it. We talked about it all through the offseason. When Fantasy football season started up, sure enough, I started up a public league, and he joined it. When we drafted, it appeared as if I would be a sure-fire playoff contender, drafting players such as T.J. Houwhateverhisnameis, Chad JohnsonOchoCinco, and Torry Holt at the wide receiver position. My brother on the other hand, appeared to be going no where fast, drafting a quarterback who had surgery in the offseason, two suspended wideouts, one running back who held out of camp, another who appeared to be a one-year wonder, and a bunch of apparent lousy backups.

Continue reading "Oh, the Irony; A Fantasy Reality"

It was an up-and-down year to say the least for the Georgia Bulldogs. After whipping Hawaii 48-10 in the Sugar Bowl in January, fans could smell that glass football, and a trip to Miami. Well, at least we had the right state, only we ended up a few hundred miles north of where we wanted to be. Orlando, Florida, the site of the Capitol One Citrus Bowl, is where the Dawgs will face off against the Michigan State Spartans. But one might wonder, "How did the Georgia Bulldogs end up in Orlando?"

Well, it all started back in the summer. The Dawgs were the preseason #1, and with the degree of difficulty schedule-wise, there was no way the Dawgs could not end up contending for the title. After all, they were 100% awesome, and nothing was going to stop them. At least, so we thought. Multiple UGA students were arrested in the preseason, and the lack of discipline carried over to the football field. The Bulldogs wound up being the second-highest penalized team in the nation, behind only TCU.

Continue reading "Up And Down Year Ends In Orlando For the Dawgs"

Something I've been doing on another blogging site are picking (or at least, trying to) the winners of the week's NFL games. I've been doing this since Week 9, and I am currently 49-24-1. It's something I've enjoyed doing and, if you're interested, it's something I will share with you. So, without further adue, time for some picks:

I've got San Diego to beat Oakland 34-7.

Okay people, that's a joke. I know that game was already played. I was kidding.

Alright, time for some real picks:

Favorite                  Underdog

CHI                     JAC

Continue reading "Week 14 Picks"

So week 13 is in the books, and after a satisfactory win at San Diego, it's on to Cajun Country for the Falcons. In their last meeting with the Saints(6-6), the Falcons literally dominated from the first snap, picking off Drew Brees's first pass from scrimmage. They scored first, and never looked back.

November 9, last meeting: Falcons 38 Saints 24

In the passing game, Matt Ryan simply outplayed Brees in these teams' first meeting. The stats say that Brees had 2 touchdown passes, but one of those passes came on an irrelevant last-second hail mary pass. It's going to be close, but because the Saints are at home, I feel that Brees will have a slightly better day. Advantage: Saints

In the rushing game, Michael Turner has been arguably the best running back in the NFL. The Saints have an overrated running back(Bush), and an underrated running back(Thomas) that could factor into the game. However, the Falcons' defense held LT to under 60 yards last week(of course, who hasn't?). Throw in Jerious Norwood, and I believe this one's a no-brainer. Advantage: Falcons

Continue reading "Game Preview; Falcons vs. Saints"

Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers was a must-win for the Falcons. Of course, every game is a must-win if you're in the NFC south. The Falcons didn't disappoint as they defeated San Diego 22-16. However, the score was not indicative of the game.

The Chargers received the ball to start the game, but their drive stalled around midfield, and they turned it over on downs. The Falcons capitalized with a Jason Elam field-goal, and the away team led 3-0. Later in the first quarter, San Diego punted the ball to rookie return man Harry Douglas, who muffed the punt. San Diego capitalized as Ladanian Tomlinson punched it in. The Chargers led 7-3. On Atlanta's next possession, Elam would once again kick a field goal. This was the final play of the first quarter, as San Diego led 7-6. Coming into the game, the Falcons had never won while trailing after a quarter of play all season.

Continue reading "Falcons Return East With Big Win"

Anybody who expects me to believe that the BCS system is fair is freaking insane! The BCS is suppose to be the "Great Equalizer" for teams who face tougher schedules. The problem is, it doesn't help them. In fact, it hurts them. The reason I say that is because a team like USC can go out and run up the score against a weak team like Washington, while a team like Georgia or Texas goes out and beats a really tough team by 10 or 14, and USC gets "style points" while a team like Georgia or Texas really doesn't get a whole lot of love. Notice that Texas had to play 4 consecutive games against top 10 teams, while USC, Penn State, and Ohio State combined didn't even play that many top 10 teams. And then you've got Texas Tech, whose schedule was just as brutal. They aren't even going to be in a BCS game because of the way the system is set up. Only two teams per conference are allowed in BCS games.

Continue reading "The BCS; How Is This Fair?"

For anybody who watched the Colts-Browns game and was confused by the call made just before halftime concerning Peyton Manning's fumble at the 1-yard-line: The rule states that, inside two minutes, if a player fumbles the football forward, only that player can recover the football for his team. If somebody else on that player's team recovers the fumble, it is that teams' ball where the ball was fumbled. Since it was fourth down, the ball returned to the 1-yard-line, which is where Manning fumbled it, and thus it was Cleveland's football. If There had been more than two minutes remaining in the half, the touchdown would have stood. If the ball had been fumbled backwards, anybody would have been allowed to recover it and advance it. But because there were less than two minutes remaining in t

Continue reading "Explanation of Peyton Manning Fumble on the 1-Yard-Line"

Besides bragging rights, a lot was riding on this in-state rivalry for the Georgia Bulldogs. A win would put them in a good position as far as the BCS was concerned. A loss would almost certainly knock them out of the running for a BCS berth.

For Georgia Tech, their fate didn't even ride on this game. They would be scoreboard watching throughout the afternoon, as Virginia had to defeat Virginia Tech in order for the Jackets to have a shot at a BCS berth. Still, the Yellow Jackets were trying to end a 7-game losing streak to the Dawgs.

Georgia got off to a fast start, scoring within 4 minutes, as Matthew Stafford threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Tripp Chandler. It was Chandler's first touchdown reception of the year. Later in the first quarter, Stafford threw another touchdown pass, only this one was to the other team. Georgia Tech would botch the PAT snap, making the score 7-6 Georgia. Stafford would wind up with four touchdown passes in the first half, three to senior Mohammad Massaquai. And Georgia's defense held Georgia Tech's option offense to just 6 points in the first half. The halftime score: 28-12 in favor of Georgia.

Continue reading "Tech Ends UGA's BCS Run; Victory Bitter-Sweet"