NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

Top 5

1. Atlanta – Power house team with little to no flaws – 7-0
2. Houston – BYE
3. Giants – With much resistance the Giants have cracked the top 5. This team continues to find ways to win even if it only by a few inches of a finger tip.
4. San Francisco – Alex Smith had an extremely accurate night and the defense as usually looked great. This team looks a lot like the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.
5. Bears – Horrific game by Cutler but as a top 5 team does they find a way to win close games even when they aren't playing well. This game for the Bears was also an emotional hangover game from their big win the previous week so this lack luster effort get a one week excuse.


Bottom 5

27 Saints - This one time top 5 team has drop the on all experts power rankings. The offense has constant pressure to score 20+ points a game to hid the worst defense in the league. The value of a coach is often minimized but the lost of Sean Payton this year is proving to be a significant.
28. Panthers – The implosion has beginning. Once a QB starts to put the blame on others instead of taking it onto himself there is a problem. A QB by default is an leader and therefore Cam is the leader of this team. Cam needs to find some type of mentorship from an older veteran QB to understand how to become a leader of men.
30. Browns – Great game by Trent Richardson but was only able to put up seven points against an decline Chargers team. I’m not impressed
32. Jaguars – Tough to be good when you are missing your teams two best offensive players (MJD and Gabbert)
31. Chiefs – Another lost!!! The crazy stat is this team has not lead at any time during a  regulation game. Sad and sorry.

Fantasy Monster – Doug Martin – Rookie Breakout Game

Sanchez Watch – Sanchez didn’t play well but the special teams played worst. Hopeful over the upcoming bye week the Jets coaching staff will implement new plays to put a spark in this offense because this team is often painful to watch.

Thoughts? Disagreements? Opinions?

Follow me @DrivenDre

5 reasons Why the James Harden trade is good of OKC?

1. Not a Max Player -James Harden was not a max player. The way he disappeared in the final and at some points in regular season proves he wasn't worth 60 million.

2. Sergi Ibaka - With Harden gone and Martin with a expiring contact OKC has the option to sign Sergi. Sergi is the best defender on a other wise weak defense team and he more then likely this seasons Defensive Player of the Year.

3. No scoring drop off - The combination of Martin, Lamb and a now healthy a Manyor give OKC than enough scoring to cover Harden's 17.0 PPG.

4. The Rookies - This teams has a lot of young talent (Lamb and Jones III) to grow with their young leaders of Durant and Westbrook.

5. The Draft Picks -  OKC recieved 2 future first round picks from Houston. This team hasn't missed on a first round draft pick in the last 5 years. Sure Jeff Green isn't a superstar but he is a quality player along with every pick this team has had. 

Agree or Disagree

Follow Me - @DrivenDre

NBA 12-13 Season Awards Predictions

Comeback Player of the Year - Jeff Green - Loved his talent at Georgetown and in OKC before the trade, with the Celtics being so old I see Jeff getting 25+ minutes also the crop of SF/PF in the eastern conference is very week. If we get the Jeff Green from a few years ago we have the Comeback Player and possibly the Sixth Man of the Year Award winner.

Most Valuable Player - Lebron James - I think Lebron always thought he was the best player in the world but know he knows and that self realizations of your own greatness is a powerful weapon. He has gotten the NBA Champion Monkey off his back and now sky is the limit.

Rookie of the Year - Austin Rivers - The Hornets have nothing else and Rivers has a quick trigger finger to shoot the rock, what he lacks in defense will be covered up by Anthony Davis (#1 Pick, 2011 College Player of the Year).  Harrison Barnes will be  a close second.

Out of No Where Rookie (not really an award) - Jared Sullenger - he reminds me of a  D.Blair (SA)  type. A smart player with below grade athletic ability. If Jared's knee and back hold up he can average close to a double double every night (10 pts 7 rb). Last year Kawhi Leonard would have won this award

Sixth Man of the Year - James Harden - An Olympian coming of the bench (need i say more). I can see someone on the Clippers second team winning this award (G.Hill, L.Odom, or J. Crawford) once there roles get sorted out.

Coach of the Year - Brooklyn Nets: -Avery Johnson - If he can get this team to the playoffs this award is a lock for Avery.

Most Improved Player - Brook Lopez - He was a Top 5 center prior too injury.  Now he is playing the eastern conference minus Dwight Howard.

Eastern Conference Playoffs

1. Heat
2. Celtics
3. Packers
4. Knicks
5. Hawks
6. 76ers
7. Nets
8. Bulls
9. On the bubble - Milwaukee

1. Lakers
2. Thunder
3. Spurs
4. Clippers
5. Nuggets
6. Memphis
7. Dallas
8. Portland
9 On the bubble - Minnesota (Depending on how effective Ricky Rubio is upon his return)

Eastern Conference Champion: Miami Heat
Western Conference Champions: La Lakers

NBA 2013 Champion - Miami Heat

Lebron has gotten the taste of what it means to be a champion and he is hungry for more. I have a hard time believing Nash and Howard will be full healthy for the Finals after playing a difficult 7 game series against the OKC Thunder.

NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

NFL Week 7 Power Rankings

Top 5

1. Atlanta – BYE – Still the best in the league

2. Houston – Blew-out a upper tier team, great game by Arian Foster and Matt Schaub

4. San Francisco – Team isn’t looking as efficient as they appeared in the first 3 weeks but always good when you get a win against a tough division rival

4. Bears – Defense looks great and the Cutler-Marshall combination is firing on all cylinders.

5. Ravens – Flacco was terrible. Chris Johnson had more rushing yards (195 yards) then Joe Flacco had passing yards (147 yards)

Bottom 5

28. Panthers – Cam has hit the sophomore slump and has hit it hard. This team was only a 6 win team last year and most people thought they were going to make the leap to an 8 to 10 win team but this team is still lacking weapons.

29. Titans – Late pick by Bills QB Fitzpatrick gave the Titans the game but a win is a win,  It is still a bit sad that with a near 200 yard rushing game by CJ2K you can only win by 1.

30. Browns – I like Weeden, he isn’t that horrible still a loss but Cleveland fights to the end in every game 

31. Chiefs – BYE, but still bad

32. Jaguars – A loss to Oakland and a loss of MJD and Gabbert. It just gets uglier and uglier in Jacksonville

Fantasy Monster – Chris Johnson is alive!!!!!- 195 yards.

Sanchez Watch – TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW. Everytime he drops back to pass I feel fear instead of anticipation.

Thoughts? Disagreements? Opinions?

Follow me @DrivenDre

Lift Your Own Weight

One of my favorite days to hit the gym is Mondays. You may ask what makes Monday so special.

1. Usually the start of a new cycle of lifts and I get to compete against what I did last week
and it's
2. Chest and Triceps Day

For most people this is also Chest and Tri's, my guess is this trend started when all the muscle magazines in the late 90's decided to make all their basic lifting programs begin with Chest on Mondays. But the reason that Chest and Tri's Monday are my favorite is not because what I plan to do but because of watching what everyone else is going to do. For some reason the male machismo and ego are at an all time high on Monday especially on the bench press. It never fails me seeing someone almost drop the bar on their chest during a bench press set, after me or someone else helps the nearly decapitated male I always let out a little chuckle.

In general there are no girls in the free weight section but for some reason people throw weight on the bar that they know they cant handle. Unless you are throwing up 315 lb for reps you are not going to get too many ohhh and ahhh in the weight room anyway. So if you struggling to lift 185 lb on the bench why add 30 lbs just because you notice the guy next to you is going up in weight.

Lift your own weight if your max is 185 lb gradually work your way up and stop competing with Mr. Wannabe Phil Heath next to you. If you end up hurting yourself trying to go too heavy you will end up losing progress and you max of 185 lb will quickly drop.

Always remember that big guy that you see bench pressing with 3 plates on each side started with just lifting the bar. Progress and strength grow with consistency and a gradually increase the weight.

NFL:Below Average, Average or Above Average (Thoughts on 3-3 teams)

Below Average, Average or Above Average (Thoughts on 3-3 teams)

Buffalo Bills – Average – Solid offense and under performing Defense, the one thing  I know is on those cold winter days in buffalo their two headed monster at running back (Fred Jackson and C.J Spiller) will cause teams a lot of the problems and maybe by then the defensive will start to gel and play better.  

 

Cincinnati Bengals – Above Average – A.J. Green is becoming a top 5 receiver, only thing missing is more consistent play of Andy Dalton and this team can easy catch and surpass the Baltimore Ravens   

                   

Denver Broncos – Below Average –The Broncos  seem to always fall behind by double digits and ever now and again comeback and win. Once teams learn to take away Peyton Manning’s short game and force him to throw it deep I see this team losing more games than they win.

Green Bay Packers – Above Average – Besides being cheated out of a game by the replacement refs this team is playing above average football. Aaron Rodgers also seems to thrive when people doubt him. The Pack this year will pull of a 4 game winning streak at some point this season

Miami Dolphins  - Average – They have so far avoided the curse of HBO’s Hard Knocks. Ryan Tannehill isn't that bad and the defense keeps the team in games which allows the Dolphins to sneak away with wins. Not a bad formula for a team with a rookie QB.

New England Patriots – Above Average – With such a prolific offense this team should have only one loss but for the advantages they have on offense they lack in the secondary. Tons of high draft picks in the secondary under performing cause this team to appear average when they really aren’t.

New York Jets – Below Average - The only team my team can score is through Special Teams and the defense either giving the offense a short field or scoring themselves. When a team has to use so many reverses and trick plays to move the ball on offense they are doomed.

Philadelphia Eagles - Above Average - All the pieces are there, the only thing missing is a QB that doesnt average three turnovers a game.

San Diego Chargers - Average - The lost on Monday night will be the tipping point for this team either they go down further in the drain or they become revitalized and win a very win-able division

St. Louis Rams  - Average - This team has a weapon on each level but not enough blue chip starters, they will be in every game until the end but anything better than an 8-8 record would be a surprise

Washington Redskins - Average - Decent weapons on offense with a average defense. RG3 will have his greatest test this weekend against the NY Giants pass rush. If the skins win this game they will be #1 in the NFC East.

NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

NFL Week 6 Power Rankings

Top 5

1. Atlanta – Business as usually a lot closer game than expected but the Raiders can sneak up on people. Offense had a horrible game particular M. Ryan (3 INTS) but was able to move the ball down the field on that last drive to get the winning field goal. 

2. Houston – First big test under the spot lights and the offense didn't show up. The defense also looked like they were missing a linebacker.  

3. Ravens – With all the ESPN coverage I thought Ray Lewis announced his retirement yesterday; this injury won’t effect them too much on the field but Ray will be missed in the locker room.  

4. San Francisco – Deja Vu, The NFL is a league of match ups and I think the Giants may have their number but still no losing hope on this team.

5. Bears – This defense has really stepped up the   

Bottom 5

31. Titans – The steady hand of thee vet Hasselbeck led this team to win, No need to usher in the future too early Locker can wait. Look what waiting did for Rodgers

28. Raiders – Costly last pick six to Asante Samuel cost the time late, this team should be a lot but they seemed cursed.  

 30. Chiefs – So let me get this straight Kansas City you boo’ed an injured Matt Cassel for Brady Quinn……..

32. Browns – Weeden isn't as bad as I thought he was but he doesn't have enough weapons and one of his weapons T.Rich is hurt again.

29. Jaguars –  BYE         

Fantasy Monster – Holy Aaron Rodgers – Six Touchdowns (Welcome back MVP)

Sanchez Watch – A much better game for my boy Mark, I am still worried we beat the team with the worst record in the NFL. The bright side is we are in a four way tie for the division lead going into New England next week, the bad news is we are going into NEW ENGLAND!!!

Thoughts? Disagreements? Opinions?

Follow me @DrivenDre

1 Timothy 1:15

"Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief:" (ASV)

This book and particularly this verses is written by Paul. If you don't remember Paul was formally named Saul until his conversion through his encounter with Christ. It is safe to assume that since Paul had the job of persecuting citizens that he was an influential and rich member of society.  Living this lifestyle I believe Paul lived a very sinful life whether it be through drugs, sex and money. After Paul was converted he had a lust and a fire for God which changed the course of history. The thing I love about Paul is he remained transparent throughout his teaching. Paul knew people knew the man he used to be and wouldn't listen to his message if he was acting "holier than thou".

As a Christians we must own up to all our past mistakes and become an example needed for younger followers and unbelievers. People who knew our past lives and know our past sins will think we are being hypocrites unless we are willing to be transparent with our past mistakes.

I believe in order to draw others closer to God we may have to open up our secret closets and give unbelievers, younger Christians a full tour (even showing them the skeletons in the dark corners of your secret closet)

Are you willing to show them you will to be transparent? what is hold you back?

Full Commit before you Judge

I always find it funny when people say something doesn't work when we see it clearly worked for others. I believe people do not fully commit to a task and are quick to provide negative feedback. There are numerous home workout programs ie. Insanity, P90X and numerous diet plans and strategies ie. Weight Watchers, Jennie Craig, Paleo, Low Carb, Atkins etc. We see before and after pictures and read inspiring testimonials and then we think we can follow the same plan and get the results. So we go out and buy into the program but don't really buy in.

We get on our P90X or Weight Watchers and we go hard the first couple of days and then we start missing workouts or we start tweaking the program and start saying things like.

"I only can do half of today's routine"

"5 days a week is too much, I can just do 4 and go really hard one day"

"I don' need to track my points today, this is similar to what I ate yesterday"

"I know what five ounce of chicken looks like no need for me to weight this"

"I was good this week, so I can over eat on my weekly allowance"

And the list goes on and on..........

These same people are the first to write a negative review on Amazon, the first to tell friends Weight Watchers, P90X and  Insanity doesn't work. We have to fully commit to a program before we can past judgement on it. Wouldn't you want someone to spend the time to get to know you before they give others opinions about you, so then we should do the same for everything,

So after two month of Insanity tell me if it works, after 90 days of P90X tell me it works, after 12 weeks of following WeightWatchers system and reading all the basic material then and only then CAN YOU TELL ME IT WORKS

NFL Week 5 Power Rankings

Week 5 Power Rankings


Top 5

1. Houston – J.J Watt has replaced D. Revis as the best Defensive Back in the League
2. Atlanta – Closer game then expect against the Redskins but it shows the true quality of a team that pulls out a win when they aren't playing their best.
3. Ravens - Struggled against the Chief but the defense kept the game low scoring which allowed the offensive to sneak a win out. 
4. San Francisco – Complete and utter destruction of the Bills, If Alex Smith  is out for a bit Colin Kaepernick is a more than serviceable backup.
5. New England  – Patriots seem to getting their groove back, this is mostly to the addition of Wes Welker being a bigger part of the offense. This team will only get better once Aaron Hernandez is back.  

Bottom 5

28. Raiders - BYE Week (Looks like this team not playing has moved them up in the ranks)
29. Jaguars - I thought I was watching the 85' Bears Defense against this horrific Jags Offense 
30. Chiefs - Played the Ravens tough and  had a great game from Jamal Charles but the offense seem to stall in the red zone and only scoring field goals will not win you games. 
31. Titans - Hasselbeck possibly starting may be a blessing in disguise, I rather the veteran with a proven track record than the future career backup QB (J. Locker). 
32. Browns - Had a first half lead over the giants but Eli Cruz and Bradshaw decided to wake up and go off

Fantasy Monster – Giants Offense- Eli, Cruz, or Bradshaw take your pick!!

Knuckle Head of the Week - Chief Fans you can't boo a man that is hurt on the field even if he hasn't been playing well for you. 

Sanchez Watch – For some reason he always throw interceptions in the red zone, is it play calling is it nerves I have no idea but one thing I do know is Tim Tebow needs more snaps. 

Thoughts?

Finish the Move

There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on
Robert Byrne

I pride myself that when I start something I finish it, it may not look pretty or it may not be fully effective but if I start something I finish. I remember a few years back a buddy of mine at the gym suggested we do a aerobic step class. Being a "Brotha" I had never had a problem at rhythm or keeping beat to a song. To my surprise I was huffing and puffing, tripping over the step and struggling to keep on pace with the teacher. I saw fellow new comers leave the class early but not me I refused to be defeated by the class and I refused to quit before the end of the session. 

I often see people quitting during work outs or even quitting during sets, I clearly understand that circumstances may come up (ie. injury or family emergency) but I refuse to believe that all these quitters have a legit excuses. I see people do a bench press and the bar moves 2 inches, I see people performing the squat and barely bending their knees. It frustrates me seeing people starting a task and not finishing it, whats the point of starting if your not going to finish. Even though you may realize mid task that you don't enjoy it you should still finish because you will learn something from that experience.

We should apply this mindset in all aspects of life.

If you payed for a movie why leave before the closing credits!

If you are attending a sporting event why leave before the final whistle (I left David Cone's perfect game in 1996) 

If you are in the gym performing a prescribed workout why leave until you have checked of the last item

We may not be being it perfect but we do it till the end and before you know it you will be head of the class! 

(Only in about 2 to 3 month my steppers was up front right next to the instructor and I was with her step for step)

NFL Week 4 Power Rankings

Week 4 - Power Rankings

Top 5

1. Houston – Just consistent, I see this team in the top three all season.
2. Atlanta – Too many weapons for one team to cover
3. Ravens - Close game against the Browns but Joe Flacco made all the clutch throws down the stretch.
4. San Francisco – Treated my Jets like a practice squad, they decided to test out some of their trick plays and most of them worked.
5. Green Bay – Beat an already beaten Saints but good win for the Pack, Rodgers seems to be getting back to MVP form.
5. Arizona – The defense is forreal and they seem to find a way to win the close games, not sure how long it will last but you can tell this team believes they are better than people think they are. Miami should have won this game.


Bottom 5

28. Jaguars - MJD struggled and Gabbert couldn't stretch the field, you can never win a game playing like that.
29. Chiefs - This team on paper is so much better, not sure Cassel is the answer here.
30. Raiders - If this team isn't playing in California they cant compete, I don't know how this team beat the Steelers last week
31. Titans - The one time Chris Johnson goes off its in garbage time and now Jake Locker is hurt again. Could we please bring back Eddie George and Steve McNair.
32. Browns - Geno Smith and Trent Richardson is starting to look like the backfield of the future.

Fantasy Monster – Dress Brees – Welcome back we have missed you!!!

Knuckle Head of the Week - Dez Bryant - so much talent but running wrong route and dropping balls. Will he ever get it together 

Sanchez Watch – Jets had 145 yards of total offense on Sunday. Brian Hartline (253), Roddy White (169) and Marques Colston (153) alone had more yard then an entire football team. I think it may be time for the a change.


Any agreement or disagreements?