Ah, time to look at the division filled with degenerates.

First I’ll start off by saying that Terrell Owens is a punk ass biatch. There is no way in hell that the Cowboys will go through this season without some kind of turmoil. You know the “Big Tuna”, Bill Parcells will not hesitate one minute to give T.O. a piece of his mind if there is any sign of trouble. Aside from all the drama, Julius Jones should have a decent second year, but losing the likes of Dat Nguyen and La’Roi Glover will hurt the defense despite how good everyone thinks their D is. Get ready for a 8-8 season out of Dallas.

The Washington Redskins did it again this off-season. Their locker room has more guys coming in and out than Paris Hilton’s bedroom. I like the trade that brought T.J. Duckett in from Atlanta. When Clinton Portis went down, I admit, I thought they would be toast but you add a bruising back like that to the running game, they won’t miss a beat. Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Lloyd, Adam Archuleta, just a few of the other big names that will be putting on the Redskin jersey and will help make an impact this season. Losing LaVar Arrington to the Giants will make the two meetings more enticing to watch to say the least. I like what I see out of the Skins this year and see them winning 10 games.

About the only thing the Philadelphia Eagles fans will be able to cheer for this season is the fact that the story of Vince Papale was told in a movie starring Mark Wahlberg. This team is terrible! Yes Donovan McNabb is finally rid of that cancer T.O., but have you taken a look at the roster? The top two picks, Bunkley & Justice are going to be studs, but other than that, this roster is pathetic. When the best off-season re-signing is your punter, your in for a bad year. 3-13 I say.

Last but not least, the team that will win the division hands down, the New York football Giants. I can’t stand their Quarterback, I can’t stand their Tight End. However, that doesn’t mean these guys aren’t good. Eli Manning had a pretty decent year last year as the starter and will only get better as the years pass by. Jeremy Shockey should put up some huge numbers this year too. I mentioned the G-Man acquiring LaVar Arrington from Washington to bolster the defense. Tiki Barber is still the best running back in this division, and that alone is why I like the Giants to go 12-4.

Some thoughts about the weekend that was in sports:

• Someone should tell Brad Radke that guys with torn labrums aren’t supposed to be pitching, let alone shutting out the best offensive team in the AL. Radke’s probably going to retire after this season and we all should salute him. He’s one of those good but not great players who fall between the cracks when they leave the game. His performance this is year is awe-inspiring.
• The White Sox are back in the AL Central race. You’ve read it everywhere haven’t you? I hate to break it to everyone, but the Tigers still have a 5.5 game edge over the Pale Hose. The White Sox still could take the division, but its going to take a serious tank job by the Tigers to make it happen.
• I hate to agree with Jeremy Shockey, but when the guy says the NFL preseason is too long, he’s right. And if you think I’m just saying this because I’m bitter my team lost its best player yesterday, well your damn right I am.
• The National League wildcard race is setting up to be the most embarrassing thing for baseball since, well last year when the NL West winner was barely over .500. I know the point of the Wild Card was to get more cities involved in the playoff chase, but when a team like Atlanta is still alive with a record of 54-62, that’s a joke.
• Two of the best hitters in baseball are Canadian (Justin Morneau and Jason Bay). After years of guys like Larry Walker and Matt Stairs leading our Canadian baseball train, its nice to have guys who don’t look like they were signed off the local beer league to cheer on.
• Jared Weaver is the 2nd coming of his brother Jeff. He’ll be great the 1st couple times through the league, but after team’s catch up to his funky windup, he’s going to have troubles.
• Junior Seau is going to retire tomorrow. I’m torn on the guy, was he really that great a player or just an overrated media favorite? Either way, he had a nice career and will probably get some Hall of Fame consideration, so good on him.
• Annika Sorenstam and family, please stay out of the water. Usually, wet female athletes = hot, but not in this case.

Maurice Clarett was arrested on Wednesday carrying a bucket full of loaded weapons, wearing a bullet proof vest and getting liquored up. Now I’ll admit I’m from Canada and we’re kinda wimpy when it comes to guns and stuff, but I’m pretty sure that’s kinda dangerous. Who the hell knows what he was about to do and what exactly his intentions were, but I do know that its pretty likely he wasn’t going to sing lullabies to his daughter. Yet for some odd reason, the media has decided to portray Clarett as a sympathetic figure.

To paraphrase the great Vince McMahon: “Maurice Clarett screwed Maurice Clarett.” He was the guy who decided to risk his football career by challenging the NFL draft policy. Sucks to him for losing that battle, but no one forced him to do it. No one made him borrow money from whoever was financing him while he was away from football that year. He was the one who decided to live large instead of waiting for his pay day. He was the guy who showed up to the combine out of shape and slower than half the offensive lineman.

Maybe if he would have won his draft challenge and been able to enter the NFL after his freshman year everything would have turned out roses for the guy. But he was given a 2nd chance and he blew it. The guy who’d always had everything handed to him couldn’t handle failure and his downward spiral began.

I feel sorry for the witness who’s house Clarett was allegedly near when he was arrested. I feel sorry for Jim Tressel and everyone else who tried to reach out to the guy even after he screwed them all over after leaving school. I feel sorry for Clarett’s daughter who will have to grow up with her father behind bars. But I sure as heck don’t feel sorry for Maurice Clarett. He screwed up and now he has to deal with the consequences. Every criminal has a story or excuse as to how the system screwed them over. It time to realize what Clarett has become, just another criminal.

So the guy on the left is the new starting quarterback for the Oakland Raiders. Former New Orleans Saint, Aaron Brooks.
The guy on the right is arguably the most successful comedian in the 90’s and the man who first popularized the phrase “Wassup?”. Staring in movies House Party I & II, Boomerang, Bad Boys I & II, Big Momma’s house I & II, we have Martin Lawrence.

Together they make the latest separated at birth list.

He’s back folks. And just how does Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers fair in their final season together?

We all witnessed Brett Favre’s worst season a year ago. Everything just seemed to go terribly wrong with the Packers in 2005.  The holdout of receiver Javon Walker at the beginning of the season.  The injury to Ahman Green that devastated the team and started the carousel of running backs in and out of the starting lineup.  All this plus the fact that Brett Favre had his worst statistical season ever having thrown 29 picks, of which 23 were when the team was behind, were big reasons why the Pack found themselves finishing the season 4-12.

I don’t see this repeating in 2006 however. With Ahman Green available for a full season.  With the drafting of A.J. Hawk who will make a huge impact with the linebacking core, I expect Brett Favre to showcase a bit more patience as he’ll be able to play with some leads unlike most of last season.

Under rookie head coach Mike McCarthy, the Packers will be a much more competitive team, especially in the black and blue North division where they went 1-5 last season.  I see a huge improvement with the Packers and if they can spread the ball out and not have Favre throw too many times per game, they could finish 9-7.

Another team with a new leader on the sidelines this year is the Minnesota Vikings. Brad Chilldress becomes the 7th coach in franchise history and he’s walking into a great situation. Despite losing Duante Culpepper to the Miami Dolphins for a 2nd round draft choice, he has a veteran quarterback in Brad Johnson who is very familiar with his surroundings.  A very young offensive line that is solid all the way through.  And very talented players on both sides of the ball starting with the acquisition of running Chester Taylor from the Baltimore Ravens.  The wide receiver position is loaded with talent.  Young Troy Williamson is set to step it up and help out veterans Koren Robinson and Travis Taylor, with Marcus Robinson also very capable of making big plays.

Chad Greenway, the Vikes 1st round pick, is a monster, but what will make or break their season is just how well the defense will hold up as a whole.  In a tight division that should see the first place and fourth place teams with 2 or 3 games of watch other, the Vikes will finish 8-8.

The Detroit Lions.  I was so shocked that they didn’t select another wide receiver.  Come on, it would have been 4 seasons in a row. What was Matt Millen thinking you ask? He finally saw the light and drafted some talented players that could help improve that mediocre defense he’s had since he’s been with the team.  Ernie Sims, the 5′11″, 221 pound linebacker out of Florida State brings alot of speed to the team and will provide a physical presence alot with their number 2 pick, safety Daniel Bullocks.

As Rod Marinelli sets to put together his team, which will consist of guys who will want to put in the time to succeed or bye bye, the Lions offense will be under the controls of former Rams head coach Mike Martz.  Martz has his work cut out for him as he’s been given Josh McCown and Jon Kitna as his quarterbacks.  They both suck and will only hurt the Lions.  Kevin Jones is a nice back and all, but I don’t see Detroit doing much of anything this season.  6-10 is my prediction.

This brings us to the division winner of a year ago.  The only team in the division that has their head coach returning for another season.  The Bears played in alot of low scoring games last year, due in large part to a wicked defense that shut down the competition with ease for the most part.  Ricky Manning will replace the retired Jerry Azumah this year. Mike Green is out after being traded to the Seahawks for a 6th round pick.

The weak link was that they had to rely on Kyle Orton as the pivot on offense.  Not this year, as Brian Griese was brought in with a new 5 year contract to help out the cause.  Other than Muhsin Muhammed as the primary receiver, he has no one to throw the ball to.  The running game will be the focal point in the offense as Cedric Benson, Thomas Jones and Adrian Peterson will all have opportunities to carry the ball this season. Again, these teams are going to beat up one another, and with that their records will be very close.  I respect the Defense of Da Bears and they will finish 10-6.

I want to hear from you!, NFC North fans.

It’s been about 9 million degrees outside these past few days and quite frankly I’m a little fired up about it. I could sit here and wrack my brain for something interesting to write, something that would blow your mind and leave you wanting more, but let’s be honest here, its just too hot to think. So instead I present to you a list of people or things that really piss me off:

• I load up ESPN.com tonight and who’s there on the the front page: Chris Simms. I hate that jackass. For a guy who’s
  known mainly for not being able to win a big game, he sure is a cocky bastard. Chris Simms, you are a below average QB so get your smug face off my TV screen. Your dad is a terrible commentator as well.
• I hate Jeremy Shockey. The guy gets more press than Tony Gonzalez and he’s never even had a one-thousand yard season. He’s about as dumb as a concrete block too. Enjoy the concussion meatball.
• I hate NASCAR. Actually i don’t really hate NASCAR, I just hate how a sport that’s about as exciting as watching grass grow is on my TV every weekend.
• I hate women’s sports. Now I’m not some neanderthal who thinks woman shouldn’t play sports or anything, but if I’m going to commit a few hours to watch a sporting event the people participating better be able to play the game better than I can.
• I hate when media people try to spice up a boring story by making things up. Yeah, the trading deadline was a dud, but Roger Clemens wasn’t close to going to Boston. Why is this even being discussed.
• I hate this whole steroid witch hunt. How can you keep guys out of the Hall of Fame that have never failed a drug test? If you catch someone doing it, then punish them, but you can’t just hold guys down because of suspicions.
• I hate the insanely disproportionate payrolls in major league baseball. The Yankees go add another bazillionaire to their roster, while they battle the Twins who have a payroll that barely surpasses A-Rod’s salary.

That’s enough hate for one day. Heck, if the temperature drops below 100 in the next few days maybe I’ll write a column about things I like. I’m sure that’ll score me some big readership numbers.

Not even a minute into their first 11-on-11 scrimmage, the bad luck for Cleveland sports fans strikes again. The homecoming was not suppose to go this way for LeCharles Bentley. In the first year of his six year contract, the big center injured his patellar tendon on what seemed like an innocent running play. All you could here was Bentley yelling “Oh no”, as he fell to the ground grabbing his left knee. The players were playing without full equipment in hopes of not having the possibility of an injury occur. A devastating blow to the team as it was later confirmed that Bentley’s season was over.

It makes you think back to all the misfortune in past years not only for the Browns, but for past Cav’s and Indians teams. Who doesn’t remember “The Shot” by Michael Jordan

over Craig Ehlo back in 1989 to win the five game series. Whatabout Jose Mesa blowing the save in the 1997 World Series to the Marlins. But its the Browns who have had the worst luck of them all.

Remember the imfamous fumble by Ernest Byner in the 1987 playoffs versus the Denver Broncos. As the Browns seemed certain to tie the Broncos at 38 late in the 4th quarter. Byner would be stripped of the ball at the 3rd yard line by Jeremiah Castille, we all remember that guy. The Broncos would go on to win 38-33 that year.

The very next year, John Elway would lead the Broncos down the field, in what was named, “The Drive”, to once again break the hearts of Browns fans. Let’s not forget when Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore, and of course, the Ravens would eventually become Super Bowl champs.

This was suppose to be the year that maybe, just maybe the luck would finally change for the Browns. Tight end Kellen “The Chosen One” Winslow, after two injury plagued seasons, is set to make an impact finally, along with receiver Braylon Edwards entering his 2nd season. It just makes you wonder what will happen next.

Oh how tough it must be if you are a Cleveland sports fan.

All is well in the State of Louisiana these days. New Orleans favourite Saint, 2nd pick overall, Reggie Bush has arrived and is poised to make a positive impression, unlike a previously hyped running back who was taken by the team 5th overall…

Yes, you all remember Ricky Williams once graced the black and gold from 1999 to 2001.

It’s still hard to believe that the Houston Texans gave up on the opportunity to draft Reggie, however only time will tell if they made the right decision in electing to go with defensive lineman Mario Williams.

Reggie Bush joins a crowded backfield that includes a healthy Deuce McAllister, who is returning from a torn ACL injury that forced him to miss 13 games last season. As if that wasn’t enough, the Saints went out and added (RB) Michael Bennett from the Minnesota Vikings to bolster the running game and complement the new man under centre, quarterback Drew Brees who signed a 60 million dollar contract that will keep him in New Orleans for the next six years. You gotta believe that this revamped offense will score a tonne of points and keep the Saints competitive in a division that is almost impossible to pick a winner this year.

The one player I feel the Saints will miss this season is (C) LeCharles Bentley. Bentley was scooped up by the Cleveland Browns for 36 million over 6 years and that will leave a huge hole to fill in the offensive line. Also departing from the team this year is quarterback Aaron Brooks who struggled in ‘05.
Among some other additions to the team this year are veteran (DT) Hollis Thomas, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, and 2nd round pick (S) Roman Harper. The low down on Harper is that although he isn’t rated among the elite at his position, he’s a big hitter that relies on quickness and his ability to play his angles to get an edge on his opponents. Even with all these moves, I only see the Saints as an 8-8 team this year.

On to the team I picked to win the Super Bowl last year, the Carolina Panthers. Yes that’s right, I picked Panthers last July to go all the way, and they nearly pulled if off. The one problem that stood in their way was the Seattle Seahawks who were able to shut Steve Smith down in their playoff game. So to be sure to solve that problem this year, the Panthers went out and brought in Keyshawn Johnson to help take the load off the shoulders of Smith. The re-signing of (RB) DeShaun Foster to 3 years was key, but you have to like the additions on defense. (LB) Na’il Diggs from Green Bay, (DT) Maake Kemoeatu from Baltimore, (DT) Damione Lewis from St. Louis and (S) Shaun Williams from the Giants will all fit in nicely.

But the big dude, (DT) Kris Jenkins returns for a full season after tearing his ACL in the season opener last year. I see an 11-5 record ahead for the cats.

Word on the street is that Michael Vick and his 2 main targets, Roddy White and Michael Jenkins, are developing quite the chemistry which will only help Michael’s passing game and open up more offense for the Falcons.

I like the trade that brought (DE) John Abraham in from the Jets. It only cost a 1st round pick, which was 15th overall so not a big deal. The 6′4″, 258 LB Abraham adds a veteran presence to the right side of the line. What will be interesting to watch is the development of another Williams on the team, 2nd RD pick (S) Jimmy Williams. Atlanta really wanted this guy, so much infact, they moved up 8 spots to get him in the draft. A versatile athlete out of Virginia Tech, Williams also played some quarterback, Wide receiver, and outside linebacker during his prep career.

I like the Falcons improving from 8-8 a year ago to 10-6 this year.

And that leaves us with the Bucs. Tampa Bay is set to ride the Cadillac for a second season although we’ll see if Carnell Williams can survive that dreaded 2nd season. Tampa Bay convinced Mike Alstott to come back for another year. He had been contemplating retiring after last season but instead inked a one year, 1.5 million dollar contract to give it one more shot at another Super Bowl. Along with bringing back Alstott, the Bucs re-sign (DT) Chris Hovan to 5 years and (WR) Ike Hilliard to 4 years, and super sub (QB) Jay Fiedler to replace the departed Brian Griese as Chris Simms backup.

The Bucs helped out the offensive line in the draft by selecting 6′2″, 311LB guard Davin Joseph from Oklahoma with the 23rd overall pick. They followed that selection with 6′8″, 316LB tackle Jeremy Trueblood from Boston College. Some big beef added to the line thats for sure.

Other than the releasing of (S) Dexter Jackson, the defense remains intact and should continue to play well in ‘06. With all that being said, I don’t see a repeat of 11 wins out of this years Bucs. More like a 9-7 season due to the improvement of everyone else in the division.

• The week that was saw Kyle Busch finally taking a checkered flag. Winning his first race of the season at the New Hampshire speedway on Sunday by 0.406 seconds over Carl Edwards. Busch has started to come on of late, with top 3 finishes in the last 3 races. Fortunately for Busch, Jeff Gordon was nowhere in site for the cheap shot take out.
• Aussie John Sendon won his first PGA event by 1 stroke over J.P. Hayes by saving par on the 18th hole after a birdie on 17 to take the John Deere Classic. Seddon finished first on the leaderboard that listed a bunch of no names with a 4 day total of 265 and qualified for the British Open.
• The Tigers and Mets continue to stay atop there respective leagues after the All-star break as Detroit takes 3 of 4 from the power house Royals, and the Mets take 2 of 3 from the Cubs including an embarrassing 13-7 win Sunday that saw the Mets hit 2 grand slams in the same inning. Oh those Cubs are terrible.
• Mariano Rivera became only the 4th closer in history to register 400 saves. Has there been anyone better than this guy?
• The guy who put Ghana soccer on the map has resigned for health reasons. Ratomir Dujkovic who is 60, stepped down this week with 6 months remaining on his contract. You done good Ratomir, you done good.
• Dallas Cowboy’s safety Keith Davis is in stable condition after being shot twice while on the highway in Dallas. He had successful surgery that removed the bullet fragments. In case your scratching your head and wondering who this guy is, he’s among the top special team players on the Dallas Cowboys.
• Fernando Vargas fell, and fell hard to the canvas as Shane Mosley knocked him out in the 6th round with the left hand shot. This one-sided affair was the rematch from 5 months previous that saw Mosley take out Vargas in 10 rounds. Please, we don’t need to see a third.
• My favourite NBA player has announced his return for a 14th season next year. Yes that’s right, that whiner Alonzo Mourning will be back in uniform for the Heat next season.
• The Dallas Stars apparently have money to waste next season. They are willing to take a chance on Eric Lindros as they signed the Centerman to a one year contract which could end up paying Eric 2 million if he stays healthy. Good luck on this one Dallas. Eric only managed to play in 33 games last year in Toronto.
• A 17 year old High School football player tragically died in a paintball accident in Oklahoma. Leaving a paintball competition, Garrett Bennett and 3 others were driving in a SUV, when a following vehicle shot paintball’s at the SUV causing the driver to loose control of the vehicle. The SUV crossed the median, struck a speed limit sign, and overturned several times. An unfortunate incident for sure, and one that has left a cloud over Jenks High School.

Ah, back after some needed time away and your patience for my absense was greatly appreciated. Well by most anyways. At any rate, there is no better time then now to start looking at who’s made the biggest improvements in the NFL, as camps set to open soon.

We’ll start in Arizona. With a good draft, and some key additions from free agency, this just might be the year the Cards turn up right for Arizona.

A new stadium, a new quarterback, a new running back. You get the theme going forward in the desert these days. It’s a fresh new attitude and it could produce alot of wins in seasons to come.

Going into a season with a new stadium, ownership needed to go out and get a player that would impact their team immediately. So they made a huge splash inking stud running back Edgerrin James to a 4 year contract. It didn’t hurt that USC QB, Matt Leinart fell to #10 in the draft for the Cardinals either. The other new face of the franchise, although might not have an impact this season, will definitely have a future impact as he develops under Kurt Warner’s mentoring.

Despite losing tackle Russell Davis and safety Quentin Harris on the defensive side of the ball, the acquisition of Kedrick Clancy at nose tackle should help the young core on the defense. I predict a 9-7 season for the Cardinals, although it might not get them in the playoffs, it will be a good season in the desert.

The San Francisco 49ers got there man in Maryland tight end Vernon Davis. A great weapon for QB Alex Smith to possess that’s forsure. After the loss of WR Brandon Lloyd to the Washington Redskins, the receiving core was looking pretty thin in Frisco, so Antonio Bryant was brought to help Davis.

Other key additions to the team this off season are John Madden’s favourite player and long time guard Larry Allen from Dallas. Not sure how many seasons Allen has left, but he should provide some good protection barring injury. The defense took a major hit as linebacker Julian Peterson left for Seattle, while defensive end Andre Carter signed with Washington.

TJ Slaughter was brought to fill the void of Peterson at linebacker, however I don’t see the 49ers winning many games this year. 5-11 seems like a good prediction to me.

This brings us to the Super Bowl runner up of a year ago, the Seattle Seahawks. A team that will challenge again but only because I expect their defense to dominate this year. Are you kidding me! Julian Peterson at linebacker with Russell Davis plugging the holes up the middle, and the drafting of Cornerback Kelly Jennings out of Miami with their 1st pick to replace Andre Dyson, then selecting that 252 lb pass rushing machine in Darryl Tapp from Virginia Tech! This team will be fun to watch on defense this year.

Sure the offense lost guard Steve Hutchinson to the Vikings and wideout Joe Jurevicius to the Browns, however Nate Burleson should fill in nicely at receiver with his 7 year contract and lets not forget they brought back touchdown machine Shaun Alexander for 8 years at $62 million. Seahawks are going 12-4 this year.

And last but not least, the St. Louis Rams. What can I say about the Rams, it sounds as though their pleased with the draft additions of 1st round pick, corner Tye Hill from Clemson, big catching tight end Joe Klopfenstein from Colorado at #2, and 3rd pick defensive tackle Claude Wroten out of Louisiana State. Claude along with massive size, brings elusive speed and quickness to a Rams defensive line.

Losing Adam Archuleta to the Redskins won’t hurt that much as Cory Chavous was added at the safety position as his replacement. Of note, defensive tackle La’Roi Glover and linebacker Will Witherspoon were signed in the off-season to shore up the defense. This should be a season where Steve Jackson bursts out and makes a name for himself as the Rams try to re-establish themselves as a top tier team where they were only a few seasons ago. prediction, Rams 9-7 this season.