As Much As We All Complain, This Series Should Be Good

Let's face it. If you don't love the Yankees, you hate the Yankees. You hate them because of all the money they spend. You hate them because their fans wet themselves whenever they get a two out single already up 8-1 in the 8th inning. You hate them because Derek Jeter (pictured right) is just so freaking good. You hate them because their best player is a cheater you would want on your team every day. You hate them because they represent everything wrong with baseball. You hate them because Joe Girardi is younger than some of his players. The list goes on.

Let's face it. If you don't love the Phillies, you hate them because - after all, they're from Philly. These are the worst fans in the world. THEY BOOED SANTA CLAUS, THOSE JERKS! THEY CHEERED WHEN MICHAEL IRVIN LITERALLY DIED! And even though you think the Phillies are a pretty cool team, you still have to hate them, because, after all, they are from Philadelphia.

All that aside ... if you actually call yourself a baseball fan (and even if you don't), this should be a great series. Think of the pitching match-ups. Sabbathia vs. Lee in an Indian rematch? Hamels vs. Burnett featuring the best number two pitchers in baseball? Pedro vs. Pettitte in a "I swear I'm not too old" game 3? It's great stuff. And who has the closer advantage? Seemingly Rivera, the best closer of all time, but postseason 2009 Brad Lidge is looking a lot like 2008 Brad Lidge.

Then you look at their lineups. Who do you want batting cleanup for you: A-Rod or Howard? You don't know? Yeah, me neither. I see your Teixeira over Utley batting third and raise you a Werth over Posada batting 5th.

Bottom line: I'm sticking to what I said before the postseason started: Yankees in 6. That being said, I would not be surprised for a second if this went 7, and I have the feeling this will be a MUCH better matchup than Phils-Rays last year.

Black and Gold Love

Disclaimer: this is going to be the most homer post I'll ever make in my life, and that's the way I want it to be. It may sound like rambling, but it's something I've always wanted to write out because people do wonder how I can be both a Steelers and Capitals fan. I hope you enjoy it.

When I was younger, I wasn't a big NFL fan. I watched it casually and played NFL video games, but never really felt attached to any team. I enjoyed watching it but would never have considered myself a hardcore fan despite going to a couple Redskins games. The only sport I really dove into was ice hockey. That was until 2004. In that year, the NHL canceled a season. For me, it was devastating. The Capitals had just drafted Alex Ovechkin and I really wanted to see him play. Now, I had to hope the NHL and the NHLPA would agree to a new CBA and I could see my Washington Capitals play again. When the season officially was delayed, I needed to find a sport to watch. So, naturally, I turned to football and the NFL.

Like most kids, I looked to my parents for what teams to like. My dad is from Detroit and is a Lions fan, but is more of a Redskins fan. He isn't a hardcore fan but he watched every Sunday and even went to a couple games. My mom is from Pittsburgh and grew up going to Pitt Panthers football games and watching Franco Harris and Terry Bradshaw. She watched the Steelers any time they were on TV at home.

So, when the NHL canceled the season, I decided I'd become a Steelers fan. I had watched them casually and knew a handful of players on the team and some of the history. My mom and her family (all from Pittsburgh) would teach me whatever else I needed. Yes, it was weird that I would be a Caps fan and Steelers fan. The Caps and Pens had played in the playoffs and were definitely rivals. They still are. Trust me, I hear about it.

Well, I've been pretty lucky. Since 2004, they've been incredibly successful. In 2004, the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger. I had watched that draft and was pretty disgusted at what Eli Manning did. When the Steelers took Roethlisberger, I was really happy: he had an awesome name, he went to a small school that went under the radar, and he seemed like a cool guy. So, as the NFL season began, I watched the Steelers and watched Roethlisberger have a magical rookie campaign. I watched Jerome Bettis have a great season and learned to absolutely fall in love with Hines Ward's smile. I was heartbroken when the Steelers got beat by Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. It was a terrible way to end a great season.

The NHL may have locked out but the NFL opened up my eyes to a whole world I had barely touched. After that season, I, like so many others before me, fell in love with the NFL. It in no way replaced the NHL: when the season resumed in fall 2005, I watched it and loved the Caps with the same amount of enthusiasim as I had before the lockout. Ovechkin helped. But the NFL gave me another sport to really enjoy, and the Steelers gave me another team to love.

As the next couple years went by, I divulged deeper and deeper into the NFL and the Steelers. I watched the Steelers ride the Bus home to a Lombardi Trophy in 2006. I defended Ben Roethlisberger's touchdown run and subsequently freaked out when he was nearly killed in a motorcylce accident. I watched Bill Cowher finish his Steelers career with an 8-8 season. I went to Latrobe, Pa., for training camp and I visited Heinz Field for the first time in 2006 for a pre-season game against the Vikings. It was more than I ever could have imagined.

The terrible towels, the scenery, the excitement...captured me. It was different than anything I had ever experienced. I walked through Steelers history and saw pictures and videos of Swann, Stallworth, Bradshaw, Lambert, Greene - a whole generation I had never experienced. I felt a little bit out of it. So many Steelers fans had lived that dynasty or had grown up learning about it. I hadn't. The more I studied, the more I watched, the more I wish I could have watched those teams.

In January of 2009, I drove to Pittsburgh to watch the Steelers take on the Chargers in their first playoff game. I had never been to a Steelers regular season game and had no idea what to expect. It was going to be sub-freezing and I didn't really know where to go or where my seats were. Once I got situated, everything changed. I went from feeling like an outsider to feeling like a family. For the first time, I felt like a part of Steeler Nation. I waved my Terrible Towel with 60,000 people and high-fived the random guys in their mid-twenties who sat behind me. I may have left the game frozen, but it was definitely worth it.

Watching last year's team win a Super Bowl was an emotional roller coaster, mostly because the Steelers loved taking every game down to the wire. It was a wonderful experience. I knew Tomlin was a great coach and Big Ben shut up every single critic with his legendary drive. I loved it. The Steelers were the class of the NFL.

And this past Sunday, as I watched Big Ben tear apart the Cleveland defense yet again, I kept repeating to myself the following phrase: I love this team. I really do. I love watching the black and gold play every Sunday and I love everything the team is and stands for. I love the Rooneys, I love Tomlin, I love the fact that the team is such a reflection of the city of Pittsburgh. I may not be from there and I may not have been a member of Steeler Nation since my birth like so many have, but I really love the team.

I can't really put a finger on it, but everything about the team draws me to it. It starts up top with the Rooneys, goes down to the players on the field, on to the coaches, to Heinz Field, and all the way to the city itself. I love the way the offense is run, the personalities they have, the history. I think the defense is the best in the NFL and that Troy Polamalu is the best safety in the NFL. I love the fact that the team produces star linebackers like no other team in history. It's not like I just started feeling this way this week - trust me, I loved watching the team from the moment I started to. But whatever it was, this weekend really made me think about all that's happened the last four years or so.

I'm sure it's normal for hardcore NFL fans to feel like this about their team; I can just about guarantee you that Tony feels this way about the Ravens.

But it took me longer and I usually feel I have to prove myself to people who don't get that I can be a Caps fan and a Steelers fan. It's not orthodox, but I don't care. I love both teams. But watching the Steelers every Sunday, watching Tomlin, Big Ben, Troy, and Hines out there feels perfect for me. And even if the team struggles, I still love watching them. Luckily, there have been few consistent struggles. They'll come, and I'll enjoy following the team just as much.

I'll love swinging my Terrible Towel until the day I die and I'll Unleash the Fury until my voice is gone, and there's nothing that will change that. I'll argue with people who hate everything about the team, the city, and the people for probably the rest of my life. I'll be forced to defend my DC-Pittsburgh fandom for a long time, but that doesn't bother me. My blood can and will run Steelers Black and Gold and Capitals Red.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 7

Oh, baby. We had some movers and some shakers this week, from the top to the (almost) bottom and virtually everything in between. The division rankings have been completely turned upside down. This week also marked just about the first week that you have to factor in fluke games: We know by week 7 Oakland is not better than Philadelphia, nor is Buffalo better than the Jets. Comment and tell me what you think ...

1. New Orleans Saints (last week's rank: 3; change: +1): I said last week that the Saints would leapfrog the Colts if the Saints took down the Giants, and boy did they ever fulfill there. You didn't take Drew Brees in the first round of your fantasy draft why?
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): With games at St. Louis, home against San Francisco and home against Houston, you think Indy is already looking forward to week 10 against the Patriots or what?
3. Minnesota Vikings (4; +1): They're just as lucky as they are good, but you have to be both to be a successful team in this league. Brett Favre has turned Sidney Rice into a star.
4. Denver Broncos (5; +1): Forget doubting whether they're good or not. It's time to start thinking whether they're actually the best defense in the NFL. They're playing like it.
5. New York Giants (1; -4): Obviously, it's no easy task to come into New Orleans and win, so the loss is no surprise. I am a bit taken aback by how easy the Saints made it look, though.
6. New England Patriots (8; +2): Make no mistake. Keith Bulluck is a bad, bad man. Bill Belichick should have thought about that before putting Tom Brady in to start the second half.
7. Atlanta Falcons (9; +2): Their defense is playing just good enough to win games with that great offense of theirs. The playoffs - albeit probably as a wild card - are definitely in sight.
8. Chicago Bears (10; +2): Yeah, I know. They lost. As everyone else around them crumbled, I respected their tough loss on the road during prime time the most.
9. Cincinnati Bengals (7; -2): I don't think the loss to Houston told us anything about this Bengals team that we didn't already know. Of course they're still the Bengals. It will need to take a few more bad losses for me to believe they're not good this year, though.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (11; +1): They've quietly won 3 in a row and they definitely don't look like they've hit their stride yet. They're clearly the favorites in the North this year.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (6; -5): The Eagles are going to be playing a game this coming week very similar to the one this past week: against a weak opponent (Washington) with a lot to prove after lots of criticism the previous week. Hopefully they don't overlook this one.
12. Green Bay Packers (17; +5): They have to make sure not to overlook Cleveland before the you-know-who reunion part II.
13. Miami Dolphins (13; 0): Their game against New Orleans this week will be fascinating to watch. If they get down early, how much (if at all) are they going to abandon their incredible running game?
14. Baltimore Ravens (14; -2): Is Frank Walker the worst player in the NFL? No? You think Chris Carr is?
15. Dallas Cowboys (16; +1): They have a chance for a huge statement game this week against Atlanta. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being one of the games of the week; Dallas, off their bye, should come out fired up.
16. San Francisco 49ers (18; +2): The beneficiaries of a bye week, San Fran gets bumped back into the top half. Who would have thought them and Arizona may actually have an interesting division title race?
17. Arizona Cardinals (19; +2): They can definitely turn some heads if they play with - they don't even have to win - the Giants this weekend. Everyone wrote them off after their 1-2 start but they're 3-2 now.
18. New York Jets (18; -4): Hmm, I don't look so dumb now for having the Jets at 14 last week. With the run support he was getting, a bad performance by Mark Sanchez would have won that game. It just so happens he turned in a God-awful performance.
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (21; +2): They have to feel pretty good going into their bye week at 3-3. If they can keep flying in under the radar, they are certainly a playoff sleeper.
20. Houston Texans (22; +2): Like Jacksonville, the division title is out of reach this year. There's a sixth spot in the playoffs begging for someone to claim it, though.
21. San Diego Chargers (16; -5): Division race over? You would have to think so. I fully expect them to make a late-season charge into a crowded AFC wild card race, however. (Sense a theme?)
22. Carolina Panthers (23; +1): The invisible line has been moved! The Panthers still lead the pack of "so terrible I should be competing for the number one pick" teams but this week they're at 22! Who's the addition to the pack? ...
23. Seattle Seahawks (20; -3): It's Seattle! Sorry, when you lose by 20+ at home to a division rival that's not even that good, you belong in here. I don't care what you did to Jacksonville the previous week.
24. Buffalo Bills (28; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Bills are only a game out of a playoff spot 6 games into the season. Just saying.
25. Oakland Raiders (29; +4): You know, at 2-4, the Raiders are only a game out ... Okay, no I really take it too far this time. If the Raiders make the playoffs I will quit being a football fan.
26. Detroit Lions (24; -2): You forgot just how bad the Lions were last year until you watched them with Daunte Culpepper back in, didn't you? What's that? You didn't watch the Packers-Lions game? ... Yeah, me neither.
27. Kansas City Chiefs (30; +3): Remember when people were talking about the Chiefs being a sleeper team with Matt Cassel as their quarterback?
28. Cleveland Browns (27; -1): Things aren't looking up when your quarterback goes 9 for 24 and it's considered a vast improvement over the previous week.
29. Washington Redskins (25; -4): Jim Zorn, you're being humiliated. End it.
30. Tennessee Titans (26; -4): The Titans have played worse in every single one of their games so far this year. Which was the fluke? Last season or this one?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): How come I can name 3 quarterbacks and 3 runningbacks on this team, but a total of 3 other players on the rest of the squad?
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Fine, I lied. They're not better with Kyle Boller as their quarterback. Do you think they've already conceded the game against Indy this week because they're thinking about Detroit the following week?

Division Rankings: Wow, what a logjam in the middle. One team with a 15.00 average and three others with a 15.25. I broke the tie by giving the division with the best team the highest ranking, and down from there. As such, the NFC now has the best three divisions in football. It is tough to argue ...
1. NFC North (last week: 2): 12.25 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC East (1): 15.00
3. NFC South (5): 15.25
4. AFC East (4): 15.25
5. AFC North (3): 15.25
6. AFC South (6): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

The Runningback Class of 08 Making Its Presence Felt

Last year, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco got most of the talk about NFL rookies, and deservedly so.
Both took struggling teams and turned them into playoff teams at the most important position in the NFL.

The rookie runningbacks did pretty good for themselves too, though.

Steve Slaton was 6th in the league in rushing yards, with Matt Forte and Chris Johnson right behind him at 7th and 8th, respectively.

This year, things are looking up even more.

Chris Johnson (pictured, left) is the only one in the top 10, but second year runningbacks are scattered across the top 40. Ray Rice is 14th. Felix Jones is 16th. Matt Forte is 20th. Rashard Mendenhall is 26th. Kevin Smith is 27th. Jonathan Stewart is 31st. Steve Slaton is 36th. Once Darren McFadden gets out of Oakland, he's going to be a player in this league. Don't sleep on Kansas City Chief Jamaal Charles, either.

While that may not overwhelm you, keep in mind the NFL is almost exclusively a runningback by committee league, and these guys are still not even midway through their second season. For some, like Rice and Mendenhall, it's not even that because of injuries during their rookie season. Most of these guys, and again I point to Rice and Mendenhall, along with Jones, Choice and Stewart, were brought in to be the change of pace back who will eventually replace back "1" of their two-back system.

There are certainly a lot of great young quarterbacks in this league, but there's a lot of good young runners, too.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 6

The power rankings were actually pretty easy this week; a lot of things seemed to fall into place. The huge mover was the Jets, who I still had optimistically high after their showing against New Orleans. I could have kept them ahead of the Dolphins on the premise of a completely fluke win, but watching that game last night, the Dolphins looked every bit the team that the Jets did. Hope you enjoy ...

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): Ho hum, a 37 point win by the Giants. There are a lot of great teams in the league, but starting here is as good of a place as any.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): I haven't seen a lot of the Colts this year, because they always play in primetime against teams I know they're going to crush. Have they clinched the South already?
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): Sorry Colts fans. If the Saints beat the Giants this week in what could be the game of the year so far, the Saints are taking the top spot.
4. Minnesota Vikings (4; 0): Brett Favre has been known to be egregiously confident in his arm. He'll throw it anywhere. That could either translate to a Viking blowout victory this week or a multiple interception day for Ed Reed. Based on the Ravens play this week, the former is more likely.
5. Denver Broncos (8; +3): After hating on Josh McDaniels earlier this summer, he's making me eat my words. I find myself rooting for him more every week.
6. Philadelphia Eagles (9; +3): Donovan sure looked rusty after missing a few weeks, didn't he? (sarcasm) They have one of the fastest wide receiving corps ever.
7. Cincinnati Bengals (13; +6): A truly impressive 3-0 sweep of the AFC North the past three weeks. Carson Palmer is playing some of the best fourth quarter ball you will ever see.
8. New England Patriots (6; -2): New England is really good, but didn't it just look like Denver wanted that game a bit more?
9. Atlanta Falcons (11; +2): That was a beat-down. Atlanta played like it used the bye week very well. With only one loss, they're obviously right in it for the NFC South race.
10. Chicago Bears (10; 0): NBC's getting a good one on Sunday night. Chicago-Atlanta should be a great, high-scoring game.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (14; +3): They move up three not for how they played against Detroit but for how much better they instantly become now that Troy Polamalu is back.
12. Baltimore Ravens (7; -5): Cam Cameron's lack of mid-game adjustments has crippled the offense two weeks in a row. He gameplans as well as anyone. He's being outcoached during the game, though.
13. Miami Dolphins (20; +7): This is a completely different team with Henne as their quarterback. I still think last year's 11-5 was a fluke because they had Chad Pennington, but with a strong-armed quarterback back there now, it looks like the playoffs are realistic again.
14. New York Jets (5; -9): This is absolutely the pick that most experts would disagree with me the most. They're 3-2, but they've lost 2 in a row, and they lost the first one because of their offense and the second because of their defense. They don't look like the team that beat New England in week 2.
15. San Diego Chargers (15; 0): Not to make too much of a game in mid-October, but who knew that the Denver-San Diego matchup on Monday night would mean 10 times more to San Diego than Denver?
16. Dallas Cowboys (16; 0): They go into the bye week scratching their heads as to why they needed overtime to beat the Chiefs. They have to love getting an extra week to prepare for Atlanta.
17. Green Bay Packers (17; 0): They have must-wins against Detroit and at Cleveland before they "welcome" back you-know-who.
18. San Francisco 49ers (12; -6): Ouch. That was about as humbling of a loss as there is. It's going to be a long bye week for them.
19. Arizona Cardinals (21; +2): You had to love watching Fitzgerald on one side of the ball and Andre Johnson on the other. In the end, though, the Cardinals defense won the game.
20. Seattle Seahawks (23; +3): If you believe MVP actually means the most valuable player to his team, Peyton Manning would obviously win the award. Matt Hasselebeck might be number two.
21. Jacksonville Jaguars (18; -3): In a savage beating, the Jags (number 21) lose by 41 to the Seahawks (number 20). There should really be more separation than this, but they already beat Houston and then you get into Carolina and Detroit. It gets thin down here.
22. Houston Texans (19; -3): Deion Sanders may not make sense most of the time, but you have to agree with him here: Why was Andre Johnson not on the field for either the 3rd and 1 or 4th and 1 at the end of the game?
23. Carolina Panthers (24; +1): Draw an imaginary line between 22 and 23. The 10 worst teams in the league - starting here at Carolina - are all fantastically awful.
24. Detroit Lions (25; +1): In fact, they're so bad that you can lose by 8 at home to a team without its best player and move up one.
25. Washington Redskins (26; +1): In fact, they're SO bad you can lose to an 0-3 team and still move up one.
26. Tennessee Titans (27; +1): They're 0-5. They've lost their past two games by a combined 42 points. And they're not one of the six worst teams in this league.
27. Cleveland Browns (29; +2): You know what else gets you a promotion down here? Completing two passes in a game!
28. Buffalo Bills (22; -6): Tyler, I'm fascinated to hear your defense for Trent Edwards after this week.
29. Oakland Raiders (28; -1): Have you read the allegations on Tom Cable? Oh, only in Oakland. (quote is almost at the bottom of the page)
30. Kansas City Chiefs (30; 0): Will Washington give Kansas City their first win of the season, too?
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31; 0): I love football. A lot. And you would actually have to pay me to willingly watch the Panthers-Bucs game this weekend.
32. St. Louis Rams (32; 0): Insert Rush Limbaugh joke here.

Division Rankings: The AFC East took a hard fall this week, going 1-3 (including a loss to the Browns.) The rest stayed the same, with the exception of an NFC South/AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 12.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. NFC North (3): 13.75
3. AFC North (4): 14.25
4. AFC East (2): 15.75
5. NFC South (6): 16.50
6. AFC South (5): 17.75
7. AFC West (7): 19.75
8. NFC West (8): 22.25

The Wild AFC North

Coming into this season, most people predicted the following for the AFC North: the Ravens and Steelers battling for 1st place all season, led by their elite defenses. The Bengals would finish 3rd but play decently and the Browns would finish in 4th, like usual.

5 weeks in, the only prediction that is looking accurate is the fact that the Browns are one of the worst teams in the NFL.

Right now, the Bengals are in first place in the AFC North after beating the Ravens in Baltimore. Yes, in Baltimore. One of the toughest places to win the NFL. They're now 4-1 and would be 5-0 if not for a fluke hail mary. The strangest part of it is that the Bengals have done it behind a 9th-ranked defense (points-wise). This past weekend, they shut down the explosive Ravens offense. They held Joe Flacco to 186 yards passing on 22 completions. The Ravens rushing game was neutralized and they forced turnovers at key moments. And, oh yea, Carson Palmer led yet another last-second, game-winning drive.

The Bengals are looking legitimate right now. They have a good defense, a good running game, and a clutch quarterback. It's early, but you have to respect a 4-1 record and a road win at Baltimore.

Behind them, the Ravens and Steelers are facing some pretty big issues. Both teams are 3-2. Both teams' offenses are showing serious signs of being elite. The big problem for both teams? The defense. Yes, the defense. For the two teams that take pride in having a defense at the top of the league, it's a surprise to see both teams so beatable.

A close examination of both defenses shows that the secondaries of each team are terrible. The Ravens are giving up passing yards like crazy and even gave up a 100-yard rusher for the first time since a Bush was in the White House. Their rush defense is the same it's always been: elite. But they're 25th against the pass. It's a problem area and the Ravens know it. Is it because of Rex Ryan jumping ship? Is it just poor players? The pass rush not getting there quick enough? Whatever it is, the Ravens must fix it soon. They play the Vikings this weekend and have a brutal schedule the rest of the year.

The Steelers are in a similar situation. They're only 14th against the pass, but they're struggling on third down and are still giving up some big plays - especially in the fourth quarter. Since week one, the defense has collapsed in the fourth quarter. Their stats don't look too bad at first glance because they played so well in the first three quarters against Chicago, San Diego, and Cinciannti. But in the fourth quarter of those games, they gave up tons of yards and against the Bears and Bengals, they lost the game in the final seconds due to poor defense. This past Sunday against Detroit, they had tons of sacks and even had an interception, but still gave up tons of yardage and overall was unimpressive. Luckily, Lamarr Woodley and James Harrison combined for 4.5 sacks and were able to hold off a late Lions comback.

But still, the trend is troubling. In key moments, the Steelers defense is giving up big plays and not creating turnovers. Statistically, they're the 5th best defense in yards against. But any Steelers fan will tell you that there are problems. The root of the problems? Two words: Troy Polamalu. The last four weeks have shown just how important he is to that defense. Without him, the secondary is average at best. They have no depth at safety. Without him, they have to drop Woodley into coverage much more to make up for all the ground Tyrone Carter can't cover in Polamalu's place. Without him, they lose their biggest playmaker and turnover machine.

Luckily for the Steelers, Polamalu comes back next week to face the Browns. If he's 100% healthy, the Steelers defense could return to form, which would mean bad, bad things for the NFL. Their offense is lighting teams up through the air (Ben Roethlisberger leads the NFL in completion % at 73.5%) and they may have found a decent running back in Rashard Mendenhall. Still, they have a lot of questions to answer. Will Polamalu be healthy? Will the defense step it up in the fourth quarter? Can Ben keep it up? Is Mendenhall for real?

No matter what, the matchups between the Ravens and Steelers will be very, very interesting. Even if they are shootouts. And even if they are for second place in the AFC North.

3 out of 4 Division Series Wrapped Up

We thought the crazy Twins-Tigers game was going to be an omen for a great opening round of baseball playoffs.

Well, at least it's been great for the favorites' fans.

The only series that hasn't ended in a sweep is the Phillies-Rockies, who play tonight in the freezing cold of Colorado. Other than that, it's been a lot of brooms.

A lot of people thought the Cardinals were a better team than the Dodgers coming in; the Dodgers put that to rest in 3.

The Red Sox were supposed to have the Angels number, right? Surely this was going to be a great series. If anything, it was going to be a Red Sox sweep. Oops.

The only thing that's gone according to plan is the Yankees crushing the spirits - one A-Rod homer at a time - of the Twins.

Don't get me wrong, there's been at least one good game on every day of the postseason thus far. On Thursday, the Dodgers beat the Cardinals 5-3. Thursday saw the Rockies pulling off the upset in Philadelphia 5-4 and the most memorable play of the postseason so far in Matt Holliday's error (brutal still image sequence here). The play extended the game and gave the Dodgers the opportunity to go up 2 games to 0. Friday had the first extra inning game of the series, culminated by Mark Teixeira's walk-off (pictured right) for the Bombers. Saturday we all watched in disbelief as the Dodgers just pounded the Cardinals in St. Louis to complete the sweep. And, finally, the Yanks were just better than Minnesota in their quest to sweep the Twins at the Metrodome.

So while there have been good games, there's only been one (and we don't know how that will end up) good series. One has to assume the championship series will be different. Yanks-Angels especially should be great drama.

National Media Siding with Ravens

I'm in a journalism class where we have to set up a weekly blog. The purpose of said blog is to blog about something - anything - media-related. Naturally, my topic is how the media views the Ravens. I thought I would shamelessly promote the latest article here. http://tonyherman.org/

It's actually pretty interesting because the last time the Ravens played the Patriots in 2007, the Ravens had a lot to say about the officials then, too. After that game, everyone outside of Baltimore was just telling the Ravens to shut up. This time it's a different story.

NFL Power Rankings 2009: Week 5

My bad for not posting too much other than power rankings lately. I have a few ideas lined up for the week to do about one a day until next Tuesday. Here's hoping I can actually get to it. Without further ado, the quite difficult week 5 power rankings (I really felt like a prisoner to my own rules this week; you'll see):

1. New York Giants (last week's rank: 1; change: 0): There just aren't many holes in this team. In what could be a crowded NFC championship race, they have just as many weapons as anyone.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2; 0): While Brett Favre and Drew Brees are getting all the hype, Peyton Manning's having a career year. That's saying something.
3. New Orleans Saints (3; 0): You can really just label them "1c." They've won with passing, running, and now defense. Darren Sharper is the free agent acquisition of the year.
4. Minnesota Vikings (6; +2): If Brett Favre's arm actually does hold up this year, the NFC is in trouble.
5. New York Jets (5; 0): Ugh. Just two weeks ago, the Jets beat the Patriots. Since then, I think New England has gotten their groove back and the Jets' suspect offense has been discovered. Nonetheless, ranking laws are ranking laws.
6. New England Patriots (7; +1): They're just so good at maintaining time of possession. They always could with their short passing game; now they have that and a running game.
7. Baltimore Ravens (3; -4): Things are looking up in Baltimore when you can play a mistake-plagued, horrid-luck game and still come within a drop of winning at Foxboro.
8. Denver Broncos (9; +1): The offense isn't anything special. Overrated. At this point in time, I don't think we can say the same thing about the defense.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (8; -1): The bye week really screws with you doesn't it? I feel like the Eagles haven't played in a month. They have a great chance to be 5-1 heading into their showdown with the Giants.
10. Chicago Bears (14; +4): After the ugly beginning in Green Bay, Chicago has won a quiet 3 in a row. The less you hear about Jay Cutler, the better this team is doing.
11. Atlanta Falcons (12; +1): They took the bye week to hopefully improve their run defense. Huge game at San Francisco this week.
12. San Francisco 49ers (15; +3): Good teams dominate inferior opponents in all three phases of the game. The 49ers did that to the Rams.
13. Cincinnati Bengals (13; 0): I let the Bears and 49ers leapfrog them because of how inept they looked at times against the Browns. They need to learn to play four quarters of football.
14. Pittsburgh Steelers (17; +3): Speaking of playing four quarters of football, it's not like the Steelers to give up all of those late points. The mojo of this team isn't there right now.
15. San Diego Chargers (10; -5): I knew they were horrid against the run, but that was just embarrassing.
16. Dallas Cowboys (11; -5): All of a sudden the Cowboys have gone from the team with all the talent in the world that couldn't get it done to a team that's just not that good.
17. Green Bay Packers (16; -1): The defense isn't that good. Ryan Grant doesn't look that good. The offensive line just looks bad. Aaron Rodgers is the only thing keeping this season from being a disaster.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (19; +1): The Jags rebounded nicely from 0-2 with 2 wins against divisional opponents. It'll take a lot to catch Indy, though.
19. Houston Texans (20; +1): The Texans played like they were supposed to stomp the Raiders, and they were. This week's game at Arizona may be fun to watch.
20. Miami Dolphins (24; +4): Fantasy note: If Ricky Williams is a free agent in your league, take a look at his numbers. I think you'll be surprised.
21. Arizona Cardinals (21; 0): They needed the early bye about as much as anyone could. With the way San Francisco is playing, they're going to need to turn it around soon.
22. Buffalo Bills (18; -4): That was ugly. Both scoring only 10 against Miami and giving up 38 to Miami are not good things.
23. Seattle Seahawks (23; 0): You gotta feel bad for Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks. The NFC West race would be a lot more fun with him in it.
24. Carolina Panthers (25; +1): Perhaps I'm too nice to Carolina, but I just think they have too much on offense to be that bad this season.
25. Detroit Lions (26; +1): Not that I condone giving up 48 points in a game, but I'm bitter at Tennessee, so they get the bump up despite the loss.
26. Washington Redskins (28; +2): You do realize they get Carolina and Kansas City the next two weeks, right? They could be 4-2 at that point. Unless they beat Philadelphia after that, they stay down here.
27. Tennessee Titans (22; -5): Tennessee, I can't rank on talent alone. You're down here with the dredges of the league because you started playing like them.
28. Oakland Raiders (27; -1): Is there anyone in the NFL you would want to play for less than the Raiders?
29. Cleveland Browns (32; +3): Derek Anderson gives them a better shot at winning than Quinn does, that's for sure. Derek Anderson is really, really bad, by the way.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (29; -1): If I'm Todd Haley, I'm convincing my guys this is the week they get in the win column. They're not better than Dallas, but they'll probably play harder.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (30; -1): Fun fact: The Bucs have dropped one spot for the third week in a row. Does this mean the Rams are getting lucky this week?
32. St. Louis Rams (31; 0): They're playing Minnesota. I highly doubt this is the one.

And, of course, the division rankings. Only one change this week: the AFC North and AFC South flip flop.
1. NFC East (last week: 1): 13.00 average rank amongst the four teams
2. AFC East (2): 13.25
3. NFC North (3): 14.00
4. AFC North (5): 15.75
5. AFC South (4): 16.50
6. NFC South (6): 17.25
7. AFC West (7): 20.25
8. NFC West (8): 22.00

Terrapins Win First ACC Matchup

The Maryland Terrapins sure love to make it interesting. In a game with multiple momentum shifts, missed field goals, and high-pressure moments, the Terrapins came away with their first Atlantic Coast Conference win against the Clemson Tigers, 24-21. Both teams made mistakes at critical junctions in the game and the game swung in the balance for the last five minutes.

"I was working my rosary pretty good," head coach Ralph Friedgen said after the game.

For a team that had lost two consecutive games and was being left for dead, a win against Clemson seemed like a tall task.

Clemson got on the board first with a field goal by Richard Jackson following a muffed punt return by Anthony Wiseman. Five minutes later, the Tigers scored on a touchdown run by wide receiver Jacoby Ford to take a 10-0 lead. It looked as though the Terrapins would find themselves on the wrong side of a blowout for the second week in a row.

The Terrapins would fight back, however, with a 43-yard field goal by Nick Ferrara early in the second quarter. Jackson would kick a 51-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 to put the Tigers up 10.

The Maryland offense would come to life, however, and capped off a 76-yard drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Torrey Smith. Following a defensive stop, the Terrapins would get the ball back with 2:15 remaining in the half and drive 81 yards to take the lead 17-13 into the half.

In the third quarter, Tony Logan returned a short punt to the Clemson 1-yard line to give the Terrapins a chance to add to their lead. Three plays later, Davin Meggett took an option pitch from Turner and dodged a tackler to give the Terrapins a 24-13 lead with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Spiller broke multiple tackles and went 93 yards to swing the momentum back in Clemson's favor. A two-point conversion brought the Tigers back within three points. The two teams would continue to trade possessions until late in the fourth quarter. With less than five minutes remaining, Friedgen decided to go for it on a forth and short from his own 30 yard line. He called for a QB sneak.

"James [Franklin] wanted to go for it. The kids wanted to go for it. I knew our defense was tired, and I went for it," Friedgen said. "I wanted to think about it. I probably changed my mind three times."

Chris Turner was stopped and lost yardage. Friedgen left his defense to face a good Clemson offense already in field goal range. It looked like the game would either be tied or the Terrapins would find themselves trailing with little time remaining.

His defense stepped up, however, and forced a three-and-out by the Tigers. Richard Jackson went out and kicked a long field goal to tie the game. There was one problem: Friedgen had called a timeout right before Clemson hiked the ball. Jackson was forced to try again, and missed.

The Terrapins had dodged a bullet and had a chance to ice the game with a couple first downs. On their first play, however, Meggett fumbled the ball and gave the ball right back to the Tigers. The defense, yet again, stopped the Tigers in their tracks and forced a field goal attempt. Surely Jackson, one of the best kickers in the ACC, would not miss twice from the same spot.

He did. He missed the kick again, and gave the Terrapins another chance to end the game. The Maryland offense, however, was forced to punt after another three and out.

With the ball back and 1:30 left on the clock, the Clemson offense had a chance to march down the field and tie or win the game. After three plays, they were already in field goal range in Maryland territory. On third down, however, Terrapin linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield capped off a 10-tackle day by breaking free and sacking Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker. Hartsfield forced Parker to drop the ball, and, after a review, Maryland had the ball and their first ACC victory.

Still, the Terrapins have problems on both sides of the ball. They had costly fumbles, untimely penalties, and missed assignments.

"I know what's wrong and I'm trying to fix it," Friedgen said. "But it was better today."

The running game also continued to struggle. The Terrapinsonly had 28 total yards on the ground last week vs. Rutgers. Turner was the Terrapins' leading rusher at the half with 7 carries for 31 yards. Da'Rel Scott, who lead the Terrapins in rushing last season and came into the game with 297 yards on the ground, had no carries in the first half and sustained an injury on his first carry of the second half. Meggett ended up with 10 attempts for 29 yards and Gary Douglas had 7 carries for 24 yards.

Defensively, the Terrapins had their best game of the season. Clemson running back C.J. Spiller was held in check (18 attempts for 72 yards) despite his kickoff return and first-year defensive coordinator Don Brown was finally able to use the blitz effectively to stop the powerful Clemson offense, especially in crucial moments in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. Brown saw his defense become closer as a unit and better at running his defense.

"We're really getting comfortable now in terms of guys disguising. We're running the pressures. Even though we only sacked [Clemson quarterback Kyle Parker] twice today, we chased him around all day long," Brown said. He also felt his defense finally put together a solid, full game, which is something he preached all week long.

"The proof is in the pudding. We played 60 minutes today."

(Photo: Washington Post)