My opinion is that the Coyotes can survive one more year without an owner. The reason….the NHL may be heading towards another lockout during the next season. That means that the NHL would not want to move a team during a strike-shortened year giving the Coyotes more time for a buyer. The NHL also already moved the Atlanta Thrashers back to Canada last season. Moving another team would be more embarrassing to Bettman who brought all of these teams to the southern states. If the city of Glendale is willing to pay another 25 million to run the team I think the Coyotes can last another season.

People who say that the Coyotes or hockey can’t work in Arizona are wrong. When the Coyotes had stars like Keith Tkachuck and Jeremy Roenick and making playoff appearances every season they were selling out nightly and the hottest ticket in town. The city of Phoenix is a frontrunners city. Now that the Phoenix Suns are awful watch how bad their attendance starts to plummet. If you win people will come and the Coyotes have been winning with the threat of relocation and with the competitive disadvantage of not being able to spend as much money on players as the rest of the NHL. As soon as the Coyotes can get an owner and the threat of leaving is over, fans will come back. Don Maloney, who is one of the better GMS in the sport, and Dave Tippet, one of the best coaches in hockey, will finally be able to get the players they want and the Coyotes can finally be the winners that they have the potential to be. Until then the Coyotes will continue to scratch and claw their way to victories, which quite frankly is more exciting than anything that the Phoenix Suns have been giving us to watch.

4. Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants

Not many story lines here for this matchup. The Ravens beat the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV, so it would be a re-match. The game has the potential to be a 17-10 snooze-fest with two good defenses facing one very mediocre and one could go either way quarterback.

3. Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers

The reasons I have this game ranked higher than the Giants Ravens Super Bowl is because this game would feature the 2 best middle linebackers in football and the Harbuagh brothers coaching against each other (the annoyance of this possibility may lead me to not turn on any pregame talk for 2 weeks). The rumor is if Ray Lewis wins the Super Bowl this could be the last year so what more fitting way would it be for him to go out by beating the Niners and handing the torch over to Patrick Willis as best linebacker in football?? Then again a ALex Smith and Joe Flacco Super Bowl could leave people losing interest quickly once the game gets started.

2. New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers

Tom Brady facing the best defense in football. Ya this is pretty intriguing. Throw in the hundreds of stories about Tom Brady cheering for the 49ers as a kid growing up in Northern California and the Patriots quest for another Super Bowl in the Belichick Brady era and this game will grab people’s attention.

1. New England Patriots and New York Giants

The more intriguing rematch BY FAR of the two possible Super Bowl rematches if the Giants were to win this Sunday. David Tyree better get ready for the interview and television requests if this were to happen. The storylines would be through the roof. Let alone how good the game should be. Can the Giants pressure Brady the way it did a few years ago? Can they stop Gronk and Hernandez? Can ELi come through in the clutch? How about can Eli pass his brother in SUper Bowl rings on his brother’s own field? Can Brady and Belichick win a ring on Peyton Manning’s own field?? How about Peyton’s brother facing his number one nemesis for the Super Bowl?? This is the game we need to be rooting for on Sunday.

AFC Championship

Baltimore Ravens 23 at New England Patriots 27

The Ravens always play the Patriots close and this game will come down to the final minutes as they always do. The key for the Patriots to win is to control Ray Rice on defense. Joe Flacco can not go 1 on 1 with Tom Brady in a shootout. If the Patriots can control Ray Rice they will be able to outscore the Ravens. The Ravens meanwhile need to stop Tom Brady to give themselves a chance in this game. That means getting pressure on Brady and taking away his go-to targets this year, his tight ends. The X-factor is that this game is in New England. Baltimore’s losses to the Titans, Jaguars, and Seahawks cost them a chance from hosting this game and in effect probably cost them a shot in the Super Bowl. The Ravens can win this game, but the safe bet is on the Patriots.

NFC Championship

New York Giants 27 at San Francisco 49ers 17

This is the way this game should go, but I highly doubt it will. Deep down, no matter how much I hate to admit it, I know it is the 49ers season. It is just their season and there is no other way to explain it. How else do you explain Alex Smith scoring a touchdown on a 30 yard bootleg call on a 3rd and 8??? Really?? Anyways I have to admit I was wrong all year about them and must congratulate them for what they have achieved this far. For the game, this is a tossup call, but I feel the Giants are 10 points better in this game. It is always tough to beat the same team twice in one season. The Giants have also been here before and know how to handle themselves. The 49ers just played in one of the more emotional games you can be apart of and that could be tough for them to duplicate again. Just ask the Broncos about that. Both teams have very good defenses, but are vulnerable in the secondary. The Giants have the better offense by far if they can get the run game going. If the Giants can run on the 49ers strength, their run defense, they will win this one by two scores. Both teams believe it is their destiny to win this game and we should be in for a great hard-hitting football game.

Most Suns fans do not want to hear this. Heck, I do not want to even hear this. As a lifelong Suns fan and a preacher of the importance of loyalty in a world where there is not much of it, I do not want to see Nash go. The Suns ownership though has unfortunately put themselves in this boat and it is only fair to Steve Nash and the fans of the Suns to trade him now to help speed up the rebuilding process. Steve Nash is a great guy and has done wonders for this franchise. He has won 2 MVPS and took this team to the Western Conference FInals 3 times since he came here in 2004. He does not deserve to be put in the position of having to make the choice to leave the Suns to go to a more competitive situation.

From a Suns perspective, trading Nash now can bring you back valuable assets to put this team in a position to rebuild its franchise that will have to happen sooner rather than later. Nash is certain to bring you back a first round pick and possibly a solid rotation player. Trading Nash also means the Suns will not get many more wins this season that would put this team in position for a top five pick in a talent rich draft. Teams HAVE  to bottom out to have a chance to draft a star and rebuild. Chicago was stuck in purgatory until they won the lottery and drafted Rose. Ditto Orlando and Dwight Howard and Oklahoma City with Kevin Durant. You need a superstar to win in this league and that is why it is so critical the Suns do not win enough games that would take them out of a top five draft pick. Trading Nash guarantees it. Add another first round pick and the Suns who also would have enough cap room to sign up to two max deals next summer go be a team contending for the playoffs again as soon as next year.

The worst case scenario, which knowing how Suns management works could very well happen, would be to keep Nash for the season and win juusssstttt enough games that they get the 11th pick or so in the draft. You are NOT rebuilding your team by continually drafting the Markief Morris, Robin Lopez, or Earl Clark’s of the world. Then Nash is able to choose where he wants to go and he picks the Suns hated rival the Lakers who desperately need a point guard.  I just want to punch myself in the face thinking about that possibility.

If your a Suns fan and are frustrated by all of this then you know where to put your frustration towards. Robert Sarver has blown this team from being a possible dynasty. He has personally ran out-of-town the following: Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, Mike D’antoni, and Amare Stoudemire. Even with the Suns roster changing year after year and stars coming in and out-of-town Steve Nash has remained a class-act and deserves the best from this team and the entire Suns fanbase. Though it is going to be tough to see him go this day is going to come eventually and “we” the fans deserve a winning product again and Nash deserves to be in a winning organization and the only solution is sadly to part ways.

Saturday

New Orleans Saints 27 at San Francisco 49ers 16

Drew Brees has been there and done that and has bigger goals to accomplish. Alex Smith is happy to finally be playing in January. Take out the fact that Brees is night and day better than Smith and the Saints have the better team. Do not be surprised if Saints win this one easily.

Denver Broncos 14 at New England Patriots 31

Tom Brady + Bill Belichick + Foxboro in January + facing Tim Tebow on the road – the Patriots defense - the 3:16 effect + Gronk +Tom Brady= A Patriots victory

Sunday

Houston Texans 13 at Baltimore Ravens 24

5th round rookie out of North Carolina going to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed’s house. Need another reason??

New York Giants 27 at Green Bay Packers 30

This game can and will come down to the final minutes. I would be terrified if I was a Packers fan. Can the Packers Offensive line give Rodgers time to throw? If they can then the Packers may not have much problems. If that answer is no then the upset alert is on.

Playoffs 3-1

I am automatically eliminating Green Bay, New England, Philadelphia, New York Giants, Detroit, Chicago. Carolina, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Buffalo, Houston, San Diego and Oakland. These teams either have established quarterbacks or have already committed long-term to their current quarterbacks. This leaves us with 12 teams to choose from. I will go by alphabetical order of the teams and say “Why he would” and “Why he Wouldnt.” Let the fun begin!

Arizona Cardinals

Why he would: The Cardinals have everything that you could possibly offer to Peyton Manning. This is a team that managed to win 8 games with the dynamic duo of John Skeleton and Kevin Kolb. He will be throwing to the best wide receiver in football and has a very good running back. He would be in a dome with a coach who likes to throw instead of pass. This option actually makes a ton of sense for both parties. The Cardinals could also release Kevin Kolb by not paying his roster bonus and be out of his lucrative contract to give them room to offer the house to Manning. I would have to think that this situation would highly appeal to Manning and I am now hoping the Colts make the stupid decision to let Manning walk.

Why he would not: He wants to win a Super Bowl now and finds a team in an even better spot than the Cardinals or he gets offered more money elsewhere.

Cleveland Browns

Why he would: Ummmm it is a close drive to the football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He could drive down there every week and visualize where his bust will be and put one on reserve.

Why he would not: In all honesty, Manning would probably retire than play for the Cleveland Browns. They have talent at the skill positions and even with the upgrade of Manning they would hardly be a borderline playoff team in a division with Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati. Less than 0% for the Browns.

Dallas Cowboys

Why he would: He would be offered the most money, play in a dome and have the greatest overall talent on offense of any team that would be in the running for him. Jerry Jones would give Manning the keys to the city, his yachts, his mansion and probably even the stadium. He will be inside for 8 games a year and be throwing to Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Laurent Robinson and Jason Witten. There is just one problem.

Why he would not: The Cowboys already have Tony Romo. You are probably wondering why I put them on the possible destination list right? Well, their owner is Jerry Jones and he wants to win now and will upgrade at any position at any cost if it will win him a few more games and Manning is an upgrade over Romo. This is a major wildcard team for Manning should he be free and they would have to be in the frontrunning if Jones is interested.

Denver Broncos

Why he would: This is a playoff team with Tim Tebow. With Manning they would be Super Bowl contenders. (Obligatory opinion time on Tim Tebow) I do not get why it is a miracle the Broncos won this game or when Tebow wins any game. He has his strengths and weaknesses like every athlete to play any sport. Yesterday the Steelers played a defense that suited Tebow’s strengths, which is throwing the ball down the field. The Steelers were keeping their safeties in to stop the run and by doing that they left their corners out to dry. The Steelers defense was also depleted by the time the game was over. There was no way the Broncos should have lost yesterday. I think it would have been more of a miracle if the Steelers won rather the Broncos.

Why he would not: He does not want to deal with the craziness of the media and Tebow disciples when they go crazy to start Tebow again when he throws his first interception.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Why he would: He would stay in the Colts division with the chance to stick it to his old team twice a year and be the face of a new era of Jaguars football.

Why he would not: He has no one to throw the ball to and he wants to play for a contender, which the Jaguars are not.

Miami Dolphins

Why he would: Their owner Stpehen Ross would pay him whatever he wants and he would be able to play in South Beach. He could also bring over former Miami start Reggie Wayne with him to team up with Brandon Marshall and compete with Tom Brady twice a year.

Why he would not: I do not know why he would not jump at that possibility actually.

Minnesota Vikings

Why he would: He would stay indoors and play for a team with Adrian Peterson has it’s running back with a possible wide receiver tandem of Percy Harvin and Justin Blackman if they select him with their 3rd pick in the draft.

Why he would not: This is a 3-13 team. Remember the theme of wanting to contend for Super Bowls??

New York Jets

Why he would: He would play in the biggest market in sports and get to play Tom Brady twice. I am curious… Have Jets fans come to the realization that Mark Sanchez is not good yet??

Why he would not: Rex Ryan still believes in Mark Sanchez and Manning does not want to play outdoors in cold weather for half the year.

San Francisco 49ers

Why he would: He would be contending for Super Bowls and play for one of the hottest coaches in football with the chance to revive a great football market even more.

Why he would not: The Niners would not be able to offer him as much money as other teams and he would not want to deal with the weather conditions in San Francisco.

Seattle Seahawks

Why he would: I am not really sure there is any good reason for him to come here.

Why he would not: Bad weather conditions, limited offensive talent, not enough money…etc etc

Tennessee Titans

Why he would: He would stay in his division and face the Colts twice a year and get to play with CJ2k and Kenny Britt.

Why he would not: Will not be winning championships here.

Washington Redskins

Why he would: Money….Money….Money…. There could be a money shootout in the NFC East between Dan Snyder and Jerry Jones this coming spring.

Why he would not: Redskins do not have much talent on offense to make any threat at a Super Bowl.

There you have it. To recap I think the Cardinals, Cowboys, Dolphins, 49ers, and Vikings would be the most intriguing to Peyton Manning. This is all fictional talk of course until the Colts decide what they will end up doing. The Colts would make the worst decision in the history of the NFL if they let Manning walk, but if they do, they would make one city and one organization’s dreams come true this coming spring. Until then all 12 teams I mentioned can dream happy thoughts.

You dig deeper though and realize that the Texans and TJ Yates just beat the Bengals on the road. They can just as easily do it at home in the playoffs. (If for whatever reason Jake Delhomme enters this game all bets are off and check my twitter feed @jesanders11 for some Gus Johnson excitement like tweets) The insignificant team the Saints are playing is the Detroit Lions who are very similar to them and if they can play football and keep their heads on straight will keep it close enough to steal. The Broncos are at home and who knows what Tim Tebow will pull out against a VERY banged up Steelers team. My warning to everyone out there is to save your gambling money this week because ANYTHING can happen this week and nothing will surprise me.

12. Cincinnati Bengals

They can very easily win a first round game, but that is their limit in the playoffs this year. There is no way they can keep up with Tom Brady in round 2 if they pull off the Wildcard upset in round 1. Andy Dalton spent the other day in the hospital due to an illness so he may not even be 100% come Saturday afternoon. Marvin Lewis earns a huge congrats for the job he did to lead the Bengals into the playoffs this season.

11. Houston Texans

How good would they have been if they had Mario Williams, Matt Schaub, and Andre Johnson all season?? The Texans had to of been the unluckiest luckiest team in football this season. Lucky because they were in the weakest division in football and unlucky due to the injuries that will cost them any chance of a deep run in January.

10. Denver Broncos

I do not think I have ever seen a bandwagon fill up so quickly and break so quickly as I have the Tim Tebow bandwagon. Kurt Warner was on the Bickley and MJ radio show today and there was a question asked to Warner about if Cardinals quarterback John Skeleton could improve his accuracy and he gave an answer that relates to Tim Tebow. He said, “that he was a very firm believer that if you have gotten to this point as a not very accurate passer, then it is very difficult to make yourself an accurate passer.” Tebow is never going to throw the ball efficiently and that is just how it is. What Tebow does best is the intangibles and for those to come into play the game needs to be close in the 4th quarter. If it is close than Tebow will always give you chance. He will never be a good and efficient passer and most people need to realize that and accept him for what he does best not bash him for what he does not do best.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

Way too many injuries this season. They just lost their starting running back and Ben Roethilsberger is still only 80 percent. I would not be as confident as most Steelers fans are this week. You guy are without your leader on defense Ryan Clark for this week and on the road in Denver. The other X factor could be overconfidence. If the Bengals win on Saturday then the winner of Broncos/Steelers would face Baltimore. It is human nature for the Steelers to begin to overlook this game for another rematch against the hated Ravens. I am not bold enough to call the upset I am just putting the upset alert tag on.

8. Detroit Lions

Same deal here with the Lions. Stafford and the offense can definitely score enough to beat the Saints. The question is can they control their emotions to give them the chance to beat the Saints? Even if they do beat the Saints they would have to go back to Green Bay where they just lost to their second stringers. Odds are low for a Super Bowl run, but hey, your back in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years!!

7. San Francisco 49ers

This team has caught the most breaks of any team in football this season. They played almost every team on their schedule at the EXACT right time to play them. David Akers attempted 50 field goals this season. I do not think any other kicker even reached 40 attempts. Alex Smith will need to prove he can win a playoff game for me to believe it because odds are high he will be facing Drew Brees in 2 weeks and field goals will not beat the Saints.

6. Atlanta Falcons

The goal for them this year is to win A playoff game. They will be putting so much into beating the Giants this week that even if they do I do not think they will have enough to beat the Packers in round 2.

5. New York Giants

Does anyone have a good feel on this team?? Anyone?? Bueller….Bueller???? They lose to the Redskins at home in between beating the Cowboys twice and the Jets. They win at Arizona and lose at home to Seattle. They win at Philly and lose at home to Philly. How can you ever beat a New York Giants game? They have a Super Bowl winning quarterback and coach plus experience from a defense that beat Tom Brady 4 years ago. I would not doubt that they have another run still in them.

4. New England Patriots

The patriots do not have the defense to win a Super Bowl. Winning a Super Bowl means beating Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers inside a dome. They would study New England’s secondary and be overcome with excitement. The Patriots can very easily make another Super Bowl. The road to Indianapolis runs through New England in the AFC.

3.Green Bay Packers

If this helps Packers fans I actually think they are the second best team, but this is a top 12 of best chance to make the Super Bowl so I have to put an AFC team number 2.

2. Baltimore Ravens

Can Joe Flacco be a Super Bowl quarterback? My answer to that is if Jake Delhomme can do it then why can’t Joe Flacco!! The Ravens always play Tom Brady tough to begin with so they do not face any demons there unless they somehow face the Steelers which is very possible. If that is the case I would also like to switch this pick because it is almost IMPOSSIBLE in the NFL to beat a team 3 times in one season, especially your hated rivals and a team that has knocked you out of the playoffs 2 times in 3 years…just ask the Suns how long it took them to beat the SPurs.

1. New Orleans Saints

My hidden secret has come out. I have a love affair for Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. I do not care that they will have to win in Frisco and in Green Bay. I do not see anything stopping the Saints other than themselves. I honestly believe they are the best team in football right now and will be the one’s celebrating in Indianapolis on February 5th.

Wild Card picks

Saturday

Cincinnati Bengals 17 at Houston Texans 20

Detroit Lions 27 at New Orleans Saints 38

Sunday

Atlanta Falcons 16 at New York Giants 26

Pittsburgh Steelers 17 at Denver Broncos 13

With a 66 game schedule and a very compacted schedule I once thought of this season to be very difficult to predict. What teams will benefit and what teams will suffer from the schedule complications? Will younger teams with fresher legs like Indiana or Minnesota get a better seed than teams like Boston or the Lakers who are older and have some players who may not last through the schedule? There are many intriguing questions that could lead to some very outrageous predictions so I am going to keep things simple and break down the league into 4 tiers. The contenders, teams that can contend, borderline playoff teams, and the teams in the lottery. Lets start with the lottery teams.

Lottery teams

Toronto, Cleveland, New Jersey, Detroit, Washington, Utah, Phoenix, Golden State

These 8 teams are the long shots to do anything this year. Toronto and Cleveland are still recovering from the summer of 2010. New Jersey is waiting for Dwight Howard and is willing to give up the season to wait for him, Washington and Golden State are too young and do not play any defense though I think Golden State with Curry and Ellis have the best shot of these teams to stay competitive throughout the year. Utah just does not have the chemistry or enough talent to be successful.

That leaves the Phoenix Suns who by far have the worst team of the Robert Sarver era. This may even go down as the worst season in the history of the franchise. In the NBA you need guys who can score and guys who you can count on in crunch time to get you a basket when you need it. The Suns do not have a player who can do that. Steve Nash has been awful in the first two games this season. Same to Channing Frye and Grant Hill who have not stepped up at all. The center position seems to be the Suns strength with Robin Lopez and Marcin Gortat, but both are not go-to scorers and do not threaten the defense in the final 5 minutes of a game when most NBA games are decided. They have no shooting guard unless their recent signing of Michael Redd can provide them with something. Jared Dudley is one of the best bench players in the league, but when he is starting your team has problems.

The bottom line is this….the Suns are still recovering from not resigning Amare Stoudemire and they can not contend again unless they bottom out and get lucky in the lottery. Any team that loses a perennial All-Star for nothing goes through this. The Suns need to trade Grant Hill to a Chicago or New York for either a first round pick or a young rotation player and need to trade Steve Nash for a solid rotation player AND a first round pick, preferably a lottery pick. That way you will have 3 first round picks plus your own which would be a top 5 more than likely. The Suns also would have enough cap money to sign to max contracts. The Suns could be contending for a playoff spot again by next year if they make the correct trades with Nash and Hill. Or they keep both and win enough games to miss out on all the top prospects in the draft then lose both of them for nothing and be awful again for another year. With how Sarver runs things why do I think that this rebuilding process will last a few years??

Borderline playoff teams

Indiana, Atlanta, Orlando, Boston, Philly, Charlotte, Minnesota, Sacramento, Houston, New Orleans, Dallas, Denver, Portland, Denver

This is a very big group with some very good teams in it, but the bottom line here is none of these teams have a shot of winning the championship.

I am sure everyone wants to know why the Boston Celtics are in this group. The Celtics are a very flawed team this season that I think will struggle to even make the playoffs. They have very little depth on this team and can not afford ANY injuries to their big 4. For example they are starting Sasha Pavolvic with Paul Pierce missing the first 3 games of the year which resulted in a 0-3 start. Doc Rivers will also be forced to sit Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and even Pierce throughout the year to keep them fresh enough for a playoff run. There is no way I can this team can stay healthy and fresh enough to make a run in May with a short compacted schedule and are probably one of the teams hurt most by the lockout.

Dallas has looked absolutely awful to begin the year. Mark Cuban might have made his worst personnel decision by letting Tyson Chandler go to New York. Dallas has been totally out of sync to begin the year. There is still plenty of time to get things together, but Dallas has lost chemistry and defense from last year’s championship and I do not think they will be repeating.

Indiana, Minnesota, Sacramento, Philadelphia, and Charlotte are all wildcards. They all have young and fast paced teams that with this schedule I think can out run some of the older teams and steal a few wins that they wouldn’t with a normal schedule. I think Indiana and Minnesota will have legitimate teams this year and both teams will be the surprises of the year. It would not shock me at all if Indiana even gets a 4 or 5 seed in the East. They have 2 all-stars in Danny Granger and David West to go with some very solid young rotational players. The only thing missing is a consistent point guard and there is one that could be on the trade block in Phoenix that could make the Pacers a championship contender.

Possible contenders

New York, Both L.A. teams, Memphis, San Antonio

These are 5 teams that could win the championship or at the very least make it to the finals, but they each are flawed enough to lose a 7 game series to any of the other teams.

New York has star power and 2 players who can score at will. They have one of the top defensive centers in basketball and some very young and intriguing guards. Their flaws are chemistry between Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire as they still try to co-exist. Defense and their bench are also some very big flaws that will leave them just short of Chicago and Miami this season.

Memphis I think is good enough to contend and if EVERYTHING falls their way they can get to the Finals, but there is no way they are beating Miami in a 7 game series. The Spurs will always be right there in the end, but will also be hurt like the Celtics with the compacted schedule due to their old age. The Lakers will also always have a chance as long as Kobe is healthy. The Clippers are the wild card of this bunch. They need to trade either Chauncey Billups or Mo Williams for some more depth elsewhere and to avoid chemistry issues. It is also not a good thing if Brian Cook is playing heavy minutes for you. If they can make the right deal to add another player they can definitely make a run to the Finals, but there is still plenty of work they need to do.

Contenders

Miami, Chicago, Oklahoma City

All 3 teams bring back most of the same team and all of their core players from last season. They have combined 4 of the top 5 or 6 players in the league on their teams. They are all fairly young and all have yet to taste a championship. One of these three teams will be celebrating with the Larry O’brien trophy in June.

OKC big issue will probably be getting Russel Westbrook to concede that Kevin Durant is the best player on that team. The deal that should happen, but never will is a swap of Rondo for Westbrook. OKC would get a pass first PG which would fit that team better than a shoot first Point Guard. Boston needs more scoring from Rondo to be successful this year and they would defiantly get that from Westbrook. Both players also need a change of scenery it seems like and makes sense all the way around. I will be interested if any rumors ever come out of a Westbrook for Rondo swap this season.

Chicago has the same exact team that went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season with an upgrade of Rip Hamilton at shooting guard. They have the defense to shut down Lebron and Wade and if Rip can provide 15 points a night they will give Miami a run for their money in a Finals rematch this season.

Miami season can not be judged until after the first two rounds of the playoffs. They are going to win 55-60 games this season unless Wade or James miss an extended period of time. Their chemistry issues are more than likely figured out by now and we all know that Wade is the go-to guy in the final minutes and Lebron seems willing to defer to Wade in the crunch time which will be huge for their championship hopes. The only thing they need to figure out is their role players and who can be trusted coming off the bench come playoff time. Everything else is already a known. We all know that Lebron and Wade are the best talents in basketball. We all know that Lebron is the best regular season player and has the most talent of anyone on the planet. Those are obvious facts that are not worth arguing anymore. The arguments involving Lebron is can he lead a team to a championship. We already know he needs help, that is also an obvious fact. Can he be mentally tough enough to not shut down during the playoffs when his team needs him the most when the times get tough. The last two years he has been a frontrunner, so to say, playing his best when it is easy and playing his worst when it becomes a challenge. This season could be a cake walk for the Heat or it could be another disaster for Lebron. It really is up to him to decide the Miami Heat’s fate and we will not know what Lebron decides until May.

Finals prediction

Miami over OKC in 6

MVP

Kevin Durant

Coach of the year

Rick Adelman (Minnesota)

Rookie of the year

Kemba  Walker

Now my quick Week 17 picks…I do not have scores since this week is so hard to predict with not knowing about if teams are playing their guys or mailing it in.

Philly over Washington

Detroit over Green bay

Minnesota over Chicago

Atlanta over Tampa Bay

New Orleans over Carolina

Frisco over St. Louis

Jets over Miami

New England over Buffalo

Baltimore over Cincy

Pittsburgh over Cleveland

Arizona over Seattle

Jacksonville over Indy

Tennessee over Houston

Oakland over San Diego

Kansas City over Denver

Giants over Cowboys

Last week: 10-5

Season 105-69

Back in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes

Minnesota Vikings 17 at Washington Redskins 21

St. Louis Rams 6 at Pittsburgh Steelers 23

Thanks to the Texans for playing the most conservative game in recent memory and to Dan Orlovsky for being on a mission to not lose his backup job to some rookie prodigy the Rams and Vikings are right back in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Colts play the Jaguars next week and with the way both teams are playing I am betting Colts which means if the Rams or Vikings lose out they will have the number one pick. For the Rams that probably means trading it and getting 4 or 5 extra picks. For the Vikings maybe the same maybe not. They just took Christian Ponder last year in the first round so I am not sure they take another 1st round quarterback. For the Colts I am benching Dan Orlovsky immediately and getting Curtis Painter back out onto the field.

Tampa Bay Buccanears 14 at Carolina Panthers 27

Raheem Morris is probably the next head coach to be getting the pink slip. It happens when you don’t win a game after October 16th. The Panthers are going to be a very good team for the next decade as long as they build a defense to go with Cam Newton and that run game.

Upset of the Week

Denver Tebows 17 at Buffalo Bills 23

I think it is hilarious that we finally have a city who could care less about Tim Tebow and that is Buffalo, New York. Buffalo as of Wednesday had not sold 24,000 of its tickets meaning it will be blacked out in the local area. This is my upset pick of the week mostly due to my gut instinct. My gut told me to take the Colts as I said on my Twitter @jesanders11 before the game, but of course I did not. Sorry Tim, Im going with my gut on this one.

Lock of the Week

Miami Dolphins 23 at New England Patriots 34

A win and the Patriots clinch a bye in the first round. That is all Tom and Bill need for me to make this the lock of the week over a tough Dolphins team.

Flip a Coin

New York Giants at New York Jets

Would anyone in their right mind even bet a dollar on this game? You are literally flipping a coin when picking this game. I will say Jets, but I don’t even have a score for you. Both teams have been major disappointments, yet the Jets with a win will probably get the 6th seed which means a game against the Houston Texans. After that would be a trip to face the Patriots who they eliminated last year. Jets fans you are welcome for that sliver of hope…Giants fans you are on your own.

Arizona Cardinals 20 at Cincinnati Bengals 16

Walking around the mall with my brother the other day we walked into the sports memorabilia store when we saw an autograph photo of Adrian Wilson. This wasn’t just any autograph photo either. This is what me and my brother agree on is Adrian Wilson’s greatest hit ever. The hit came on Bills quarterback Trent Edwards in 2008. The Bills came into the game 4-1 I think and they were the talk of the NFL. First series of the game on the 3rd play Dubs comes untouched and knocks out Edwards with a crushing hit. Pretty much ruined Edwards career and is probably the greatest hit in Wilson’s career. It was $25 well spent plus another 10 for a frame and it is now one of the prized possessions of our Cardinals room in our house. Here is the you tube link to the hit… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjpANEVexhY

Cleveland Browns 10 at Baltimore Ravens 21

Hopefully Anquan Boldin is only out the remaining two weeks and will be back come playoff time. The Ravens and Joe Flacco need him in that offense to have any success in the playoffs. I kind of feel like the Ravens spent so much time, energy and focus into beating the Steelers this year that every other game does not seem as important and that is why you see the losses to the Jaguars, Titans and Chargers among others. If they are not careful they could blow the division and have to go on the road again in the playoffs.

Jacksonville Jaguars 16 at Tennessee Titans 20

What is new owner Shahid Khan’s first move going to be for the Jaguars? A. Announce the team will eventually move to Los Angelos B. Hire a new coach or C. get rid of Blaine Gabbert and pretend he never existed in the franchise and trade the next 5 future first round picks to draft Andrew Luck??? Correct Answer is C.

Oakland Raiders 10 at Kansas City Chiefs 13

This is another game I have no idea of who to pick. I will take the Chiefs since they are at home and have the better defense. Where has Darren Mcfadden gone for the Raiders?? That one injury has probably cost the Raiders the division and first playoff berth since 2002. Very unfortunate for Raider Nation I feel for you guys.

San Diego Chargers 31 at Detroit Lions 24

The Chargers just do not lose in December. It is just not conceivable for Philip Rivers and Co to lose a game in December. This year may be the time where it is too little too late for them.

Philadelphia Eagles 26 at Dallas Cowboys 23

Here is how the Eagles win the NFC East…They win out, and the Giants lose this week and beat the Cowboys next week which would create a 3 way tie and the tiebreaker would belong to the Eagles. Dream Team is not out of it yet Ladies and Gentlemen!!!!!

San Francisco 49ers 20 at Seattle Seahawks 24

This is not another “I hate the 49ers pick.” This is a I am picking logically pick. The Seahawks can be almost impossible to beat at home when they are playing for something important which is for their playoff lives. Also, Seattle was only down 2 points before Ted Ginn took back a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the final five minutes to blow the game open in Week 1. This is one of my more for sure bets of the week. Take Seattle at home and thank me later.

Christmas Night

Chicago Bears 7 at Green Bay Packers 24

Josh McCown is starting for the Bears this week in Lambeau Field. McCown has not started a NFL game since 2007. McCown started for the Cardinals back when they won 4 games a year almost a decade ago. Ladies and Gentlemen Merry Christmas!!!!

Monday Night Football

Atlanta Falcons 21 at New Orleans Saints 30

I am not sure why everyone is penciling in the Falcons for the playoffs. There is no way they win here in the Dome this week and next week they play Tampa Bay, which yes they are awful, but they will get up to play their hated rivals if they can knock them out of the playoffs. The Saints are my Super Bowl pick as of right now. Their only deficiency is playing on the road which they may have to do twice, but they are a good enough team to win 2 on the road and make the Super Bowl.

Last Week: 9-6

Season: 95-64

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Saturday night

Dallas Cowboys 35 at Tampa Bay Bucs 16

The Bucs have given up on this season. I do not think even Blaine Gabbert himself thought he could put up 41 points in a NFL game himself. Meanwhile, there is no better comedy in sports then seeing the Jerry Jones face as the Cowboys are blowing a game on national television. If you have ever watched a Cowboys game you know what I am saying. I hope the Cowboys get to the playoffs just to see more of the Jerry Jones losing face. Hilarious!

Washington Redskins 17 at New York Giants 21

This has classic Giants written all over it. Getting a big win on the road then coming home and losing to a bad team. The only reason I am not picking the Skins is because they are so injury ravaged that I think no matter how hard the Giants try to lose, they will end up pulling out the win at home.

Seattle Seahawks 16 at Chicago Bears 10

If I was a bears fan I would probably have punched myself in the face at least 50 times after that loss Sunday to the Tebows. Also I want to give Barber a .55% of a break for running out-of-bounds. My reason…why did the Bears even call a stretch run toward the sidelines in the first place??? Just knee it four time for crying out loud!! Not even Jesus himself could throw a 80 yard pass with ten seconds. That game was a huge sucker punch to all Bears fans and I can feel your pain…you guys were TEBOWED!!

New Orleans Saints 38 at Minnesota Vikings 21

The Vikings secondary was shredded by Tim Tebow… What is Drew Brees going to do to it??

Lock of the week

Cincinnati Bengals 27 at St. Louis Rams 10

Steve Spagnuolo deserves a better fate than what is being dealt to him. He is the coach of a depleted and awful football team and he deserves a better fate. The Rams have won 15 games in the last 5 years. How would you like to be a St. Louis football fan??

Miami Dolphins 20 at Buffalo Bills 27

Ryan Fitzpatrick is now 1-6 since signing his 50 million dollar contract extension. Can they return that contract to Wal-mart???

Upset Special

Tennessee Titans 17 at Indianapolis Colts 20

Yes, I am calling it…. The Colts will win and avoid going 0-16 this week. Hasselback will probably be out this week meaning Jake Locker will start for the Titans. With the Texans winning the division last week it gives the Titans little to play for this week and I feel like the Colts will play this as their Super Bowl. I am going to pick the more desperate team in this one and the Colts have some very prideful veterans who will not accept a 0-16 season.

Green Bay Packers 31 at Kansas City Chiefs 13

Packers keep rolling toward a 16-0 season with an easy one against the Chiefs.

Carolina Panthers 17 at Houston Texans 23

When the Panthers get a good defense they will be a very scary team. Cam Newton can only do so much. Arian Foster and Ben Tate will run all over this defense and the defense will slow down Newton just enough for the Texans to pull out yet another win.

Detroit Lions 24 at Oakland Raiders 28

The Lions need to lose one of the next two games and HAVE to lose the Packers game to finish 9-7 and give the Cardinals the tiebreaker over the Lions if they both finish 9-7 for the playoffs spot. Why am I getting my hopes for this??

Cleveland Browns 13 at Arizona Cardinals 20

This game is not as much as a lock as it seems. It all depends on if the Browns come to play or not. There are talks Browns coach Pat Shumar will be getting the pink slip after just one year due to players tuning him out already and not listening to him, If that is the case the Cards should pull out easy. If the Browns decide to come motivated this will be a game. Remember the Cardinals could have easily loss almost all the games that they have won on this streak meaning they could just as easily be 2-10 rather 6-7. If they take care of business though they will be back at .500 which is remarkable given where they were.

New York Jets 21 at Philadelphia Eagles 17

Yes I will actually pick Mark Sanchez to win a big game on the road. Yes I am picking Mark Sanchez because I have Shonn Greene and Santonio Holmes on my fantasy team and need a few touchdowns from them.

New England Patriots 28 at Denver Tebows 21

Ummmm ya I better not try to say anything intelligent and move on.

Sunday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens 23 at San Diego Chargers 28

Here comes the Chargers run in December towards the playoffs. Unfortunately for them they are going up against the Tebows and Jesus this time.

Monday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers 14 at San Fransisco 49ers 15

Even if the Niners beat a beat up Steelers team without Roethilsberger and Harrison does not change the fact this team is limited on offense and can not score touchdowns. They have only scored 4 touchdowns in their last 20 trips in the red zone. The Niners lucked into a few wins and played a few teams at the right time which has given them this 10-3 record. Yes they have a good defense, but not much else. Please San Fransisco, give Alex Smith an extension…the rest of the NFC West is begging you.

Last Week: 10-5

Season: 86-58

The Tebow belief is a term I just made up right now. My definition of it is having a certain mindset that something will happen, usually out of the ordinary but can also be very ordinary, in a game that will lead to a victory. Pretty much the opposite of the Lebron James effect of having the mindset that something will go wrong to lose the game. That is reserved for the Dallas Cowboys right now. Anyways, What is the Cardinals “Tebow Belief” right now that is leading them to all of these improbable victories? Let’s see if I can figure it out!

Patrick Peterson Belief

Patrick Peterson won two games this year by taking a punt back for a touchdown. The first game of the year and the unforgettable 99 yard return against St. Louis to start this stretch of success. He also had a touchdown that broke open the second Rams game a few weeks ago. The only negative with this theory is he had a return against Baltimore, a game the Cards blew a 24-3 lead. He also had minimal impact as a returner in the Philly, Dallas, and Frisco game. You can’t have a belief system made after you if you’re not as consistent as Tim is up in Denver.

Skeletor Belief

To the average fan this belief as ALOT of hope, until you break things down a lot farther. He is 4-1 as a starter this year (im counting the game yesterday as a start since he played all but 3 snaps.) The formula for how he is getting there is a formula Derek Anderson should have taken last year to be successful. That formula has mostly been throw the ball around Larry Fitzgerald and hope for good things. Skeleton is REALLY hoping on some of his throws….and the thing is they are somehow working. Many of his throws could go either way, a catch by fitz or the defender, but since Larry Fitzgerald is a top 3 wide receiver in the game, he makes the catch to bail out the Skeletor every time. In both of his wins against St. Louis Skeleton was bad for the majority of the game. Even against San Fransisco he made many bad throws and was bailed out by two great catches to Larry and the busted the throw to Doucet for the touchdown. He definite has the luck factor going and even some of the Tebow belief factors working, but he is not the reason the Cardinals have been winning.

Defense is believing

The Arizona Cardinals defense is almost = to Tim Tebow in Denver. Take out the 1-6 start and hear me out before you call me crazy on this. In their last 6 games including their one loss to San Fransisco in the stretch, (which was due to AWFUL play by Skeleton) the defense has played with a sense of almost knowing something good will happen to get that stop they need. Lets start with the first St. Louis game, the Cardinals defense held the Rams to 9 points, other 4 coming due to safeties, and not once, not twice, but 3 times kept the Rams from winning the game. They stopped them on a 4th and short late, then BLOCKED a field goal to send it to overtime. Before the unbelievable 99 yard punt return by Peterson the defense forced a 3 and out to let that happen. Against Philly they broke Vick’s ribs and forced him to have the worst game in his career. Against the Rams again the defense stepped up and pretty much won that game with some help of 228 rushing yards by Beanie Wells. We all know the magic that happened against the Cowboys of their OWN coach icing his OWN kicker. Not to take out the fact the defense played dominant against the Cowboys high-powered offense. Their only touchdown was due great field position starting at their own 33. Then yesterday, holding the Niners repeatedly to field goals then stopping them 3 times after they took the lead by two points. They held the Niners to 2 first downs in the entire second half yesterday. If the defense played like this to start the year the Cardinals would not have lost those games to Washington, Seattle, and New York to begin the year.

During the last 6 games the defense has only given up 6 touchdowns with some of those due to turnovers by the offense. This unit, ever since that St.Louis game back on November 6th has had that same belief that is going on up in Denver and it is starting to trickle down throughout the entire organization. Does this mean they are going to the playoffs…no, but it does mean quite a lot. It means that they have a great chance to turn a 1-6 start into at least a 8-8 season. It gives GREAT hope going into next season and it gives us that X factor that anything can happen. We all know what can happen once a team has that Tebow Belief and it sets us up for what could be a crazy next couple of weeks for these Cardiac Cards where, for now, anything is possible.