February in Film

February continues January's trend of lower-level fare with some high-budget and/or high-concept fare thrown in for good measure. Here are my thoughts on the crop of February releases.

Films I want to see:
4.Snitch (2/22): I'm a fan of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as an actor and the concept of a dad becoming a drug mule to reduce his son's jail time is interesting. The supporting cast including Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper and Michael Kenneth Williams is strong and the trailer makes it out to be a nail-biting and emotional thriller.

3.Side Effects (2/8):Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Z.Burns team up for another interesting psychological medical thriller. It looks to be in the same eerie and scarily potentially realistic vein as their last project Contagion. I'm also intrigued to see how Rooney Mara follows up her breakout performance in  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and how Channing Tatum fares in a completely serious role.

2.Bullet to the Head (2/1): Sylvester Stallone's first non-ensemble, non-sequel leading role in a long time looks to be a fun, old-school action movie. I mean how can you wrong with Stallone axe fighting with Kal Drogo from Game of Thrones? If this is half as good as Schwarzenegger's comeback film, The Last Stand, I will be very satisfied.

1.A Good Day to Die Hard (2/14): Bruce Willis is my favorite actor and the Die Hard franchise is one of my favorites of all-time, so naturally I'm ecstatic for this to come out. The return to the R-rating of the first three films is a blessing and I'm expecting a big, badass, and elite action film.

Films I'm not sure about:
Warm Bodies (2/1): The cast (John Malkovich!) and the presence of writer/director Jonathan Levine is promising, but the Twilght-esque concept applied to zombies is raising a bit of a red flag. I'll probably catch it on DVD.

Identity Thief (2/8): Jason Bateman is very funny in everything he does, but this looks mediocre and Mellisa McCarthy appears to be very obnoxious in the lead role.

Dark Skies (2/22):This looks awful and painfully unintentionally funny at the same time. My love for unintentionally funny horror films will probably lead me to watching Dark Skies at some point in time.

Films I have zero interest in:
Beautiful Creatures (2/14): Looks like another standard tween fantasy/romance film that I will avoid like the plague at all costs.

Escape from Planet Earth (2/14): Haven't seen the trailer or any ad's for it, but the concept doesn't appeal to me.

Safe Haven (2/14)-The obligatory Valentine's Day Nicholas Sparks adaption *sigh* Cheesy romance is not my bag, so I won't be seeing this.



   

Album Review: Hatebreed-The Divinity of Purpose

Hatebreed has been assaulting audiences with their brand of passionate metallic hardcore for well over a decade now. Their latest record, The Divinity of Purpose, shows that Hatebreed isn't showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.

The Divinity of Purpose is bro-metal bliss. When Hatebreed stated in a press release that this album was "all pit, no shit" they were not fucking lying. This is the most crushing record they've done since Perseverance and contains pit-worthy anthem upon pit-worthy anthem. They had been straying from their blueprint a little bit on their past couple records with more melody and technicality. There are flashes of melody and experimentation on this record, but for the most part this album is Hatebreed going back to the strictly ignorant, straightforward hardcore sound of their first few records. The return to their heavier sound never seems inorganic or forced in any way.  Some hardcore bands that have been in the scene for a long time start phoning it over time: Hatebreed is not one of those bands. The anger and raw emotion/honesty in their music is as genuine as ever. Jamey Jasta still gives everything he's got to give from an energy, vocals, and lyrics standpoint. He is a truly special and dynamic frontman who's presence gives Hatebreed an edge over a majority of other hardcore bands.

The Divinity of Purpose is a savage release from Hatebreed. It's been a decade since they have done anything that consistently hits this hard. Each song is injected with honesty, energy, and relentless heaviness. It may be premature after only a few listens, but I would put this only behind Rise of Brutality in terms of quality in their discography. Hatebreed may be getting older, but they sure as hell aren't getting softer and The Divinity of Purpose spends 38 minutes beating that point senselessly into the listeners brain.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.The Language
2.Dead Man Breathing
3.Honor Never Dies 

2012 NFL Year-End Awards

The NFL is going to announce the winners for their year-end awards next week after the Super Bowl, but I figured I would beat them of it by unveiling my picks for the year-end awards now. Feel free to comment and/or discuss my picks, I value any input.

MVP: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings.
I don't think this pick could be any more obvious. Peterson was an absolute monster this season coming back from a torn ACL at the end of the 2011 to carry an otherwise weak Vikings to the playoffs and finish just shy of breaking Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. Peterson overcame adversity and defined most valuable player to a T this season.
Honorable Mentions: Peyton Manning (Denver Broncos), Tom Brady (New England Patriots), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons)

Offensive Player of the Year: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos
What Peyton Manning did for the Broncos in 2012 was absolutely amazing. Manning completely revitalized the Broncos offense and made them one of the most effective in the league as well as leading them on a 9-game win streak to close out the regular season. Manning's season was even more impressive given that he was coming off a neck injury that sidelined him for the entire 2011 season. Leave it to an all-time great like Manning to have one of the best seasons of his career at age 36 on a new team coming off a major injury.
Honorable Mentions: Tom Brady (New England Patriots), Matt Ryan (Atlanta Falcons), Calvin Johnson (Detroit Lions)

Defensive Player of the Year: J.J Watt, Houston Texans
There was a lot of dominant defensive performers this year, but no one wreaked as much as havoc as Texans defensive end J.J Watt. In only his second year in the league, Watt led the league in sacks with 20.5 as well as deflecting 16 passes at the line of scrimmage. Watt's scary pass-rushing ability off the edge and his completeness as a player gives him the edge over guys like Aldon Smith and Von Miller in my book.
Honorable Mentions: Aldon Smith (San Fransisco 49ers), Von Miller (Denver Broncos), Justin Smith (San Fransisco 49ers)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Robert Griffin III,Washington Redskins
2012 had a plethora of rookies that made an instant impact on the offensive side of the ball, but Robert Griffin III gets the slight edge over the rest of the heap. RG3 stormed onto the scene with explosive playmaking ability in the rushing and passing game. He didn't make many mistakes either with only 5 INT's on the season and he gave a previously lifeless Redskins offense the boost they needed to contend in the league. RG3 was the standout in a rookie class that was loaded to the brim with standouts.
Honorable Mentions: Andrew Luck (Indianapolis Colts), Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks), Alfred Morris (Washington Redskins), Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers
Unlike the offensive Rookie of the Year award which is hotly contested, the Defensive Rookie of the Year winner is a pretty clear choice. Luke Kuechly was a monster all year for the Panthers. He led the league in tackles and his presence alone vastly improved the Panthers defense. Kuechly got overshadowed by his offensive counterparts, but that doesn't make Kuechly's rookie season any less impressive.
Honorable Mentions: Chandler Jones (New England Patriots), Melvin Ingram (San Diego Chargers), Vontaze Burfict (Cincinnati Bengals)

Coach of the Year: Chuck Pagano/Bruce Arians, Indianapolis Colts
No team faced more adversity this season than the Colts, but their excellent coaching got them through it. With an inexperienced roster and the loss of first-year head coach Chuck Pagano for most of the season after being diagnosed with leukemia, the Colts made an improbable run to the playoffs. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians stepped in gracefully and led the Colts to a 9-3 record in Pagano's absence. The brilliant coaching from both them helped this young team deify the odds and make a remarkable turnaround from 2-14 in 2011 to 11-5 in 2012.
Honorable Mentions: Mike Shanahan (Washington Redskins), Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks), John Fox (Denver Broncos)  

 

Movie Review: Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

I pride myself on being unbiased as possible and I really don't mean to disrespect other people opinions, but professional critics need to lighten up. When you have a film like Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters you can't judge it as high art. I mean this is a film about fairy tale characters going around killing witches, of course it's going to be downright silly. This film embraces it's over-the-top premise and it makes for a quick, efficient, and fun affair. This film is the perfect departure from all the Oscar-fare dominating the box office right now. The action and gore are pretty much non-stop for it's 88-minute runtime and the filmmakers pace it perfectly so it never gets dull. There is just enough story to give a purpose for Hansel and Gretel to kill witches and ample time to brutally murder as many witches as possible. The film also delivers visually with pretty good use of 3D with plenty of splattering blood and body parts striking the audience. The makeup work on the witches was also very impressive and effectively grotesque. The film does absolutely takes itself too seriously at times (primarily in the first half-hour) which takes away a bit from the experience. The casting of Jeremy Renner didn't work too well either. He spends the whole film looking confused as to why he agreed to do it. Renner is one of the best actors in Hollywood right now, He just felt miscast for this type of ridiculous movie. It's far from flawless, but Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a satisfying mindless gorefest that doesn't outstay it's welcome.

3.5/5 Stars

25 Whitest Bands/Artists of All-Time

First off, this list is meant as a joke. I'm not trying to offend anyone or cause any form of racial backlash. This is a stupid list I've been saying I was going to do for a long time and now I'm finally doing it. There are just a lot of musical acts that only white people listen to so I figured it would be amusing to poke fun at my own race and compile a list of 25 bands that just screamed official honky/cracker/white people soundtrack. Without further ado, Here is this monumentally dumb list.

25.Hoobastank

24.Third Eye Blind

23.The Police/Sting

22.Kenny Rodgers

21.Phish

20.Kansas

19.The Grateful Dead

18.Alanis Morisette

17.Creed

16.Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam

15.Nickelback

14.Goo Goo Dolls

13.Hootie and the Blowfish

12.Barenaked Ladies

11.Creedence Clearwater Revival

10.Simon and Garfunkel

9.John Denver

8.Sugar Ray

7.Neil Diamond

6.311

5.Journey

4.Matchbox 20

3.Lynyrd Syknyrd

2.Dave Matthews Band

1.Jimmy Buffett

Just missed the cut:

Def Leppard

Evanesence 

Foreigner 

Neutral Milk Hotel

Peter, Paul, and Mary

 

 

Movie Review: The Last Stand

Arnold Schwarzenegger might have done some awful things in his personal life recently, but his return to the big screen is anything but terrible. The Last Stand sees good ol' Ahhnold returning to all his B-movie glory and reminding the audience after a ten-year absence from a big-screen leading role why no one (beside maybe Sylvester Stallone) does over-the top action movies like him. The Last Stand is big, loud, exciting, and gory as hell. In other words, it's the perfect comeback movie for Schwarzenegger. The action sequences are all gleefully over-the top and brilliantly executed. The incredibly entertaining final standoff which takes up the last half-hour is filled with some of the most painfully hilarious kills in recent film history. I was laughing so hard at a few of them that I missed the next few lines of dialogue. Everyone involved in this film knows exactly how to make a great B-movie. Schwarzenegger is surrounded by an elite supporting cast that knows their roles perfectly. Johnny Knoxville shines as the local gun nut who runs a vintage gun museum in the town. Knoxville brings the same lunacy he has during Jackass to this film and this is without his best acting role to date. Luis Guizman also get his fair share of laughs as one of the town's other deputies while character actor extraordinaire Peter Bromare and relatively unknown Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega make great wacky villains. Korean director Kim Ji-Woon plays directly into Schwarzenegger's wheelhouse by perfectly establishing a cheesy, fun tone that never wavers at any point during the film. The Last Stand is a wildly successful comeback party for Arnold Schwarzenegger. This film offers up a ton of over-the top thrills and makes for some of the best B-movie entertainment to come out past few in the years.   

NFL Conference Championship Picks

Last Weeks Picks:2-2 (Correct: San Fransisco, New England Incorrect: Denver, Seattle)
Overall Playoff Record: 4-4

San Fransisco 49ers over Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta and San Fransisco pulled out crazy wins last weekend and with them being the top 2 seeds in the NFC, It's sure to be a competitive contest on Sunday afternoon. Personally, I like the 49ers in this matchup. Colin Kapernick was absolutely dominating last week through the air and on the ground and I expect more of the same this week. The Falcons did just knock off the similarly effective Russell Wilson, but Wilson was able to move the ball on them quite a bit (especially in the second half) and Kapernick has been playing better of late than Wilson. The Falcons defense did do a great job containg Marshawn Lynch last week, but Frank Gore's power style creates another set of problems for them and their defense isn't anything too scary. The Falcons will certainly put up a fight and Matt Ryan proved me wrong last week by coming through in the clutch, but the 49ers have a bit too much offensive and defensive firepower than I think the Falcons can handle.

Baltimore Ravens over New England Patriots: Who would of thought we'd have a rematch of last year's AFC championship game this year? This pick is definitely controversial and I expect to get some shit for making it, but I like the Ravens in this matchup. The Patriots are undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with in the postseason and with Tom Brady under center you always going to contend for a championship. That being said, The Ravens are playing the most inspired football right now and that momentum I believe will lead them to victory tomorrow. They have rallied around Ray Lewis in his final run at a title and seem poised to win it all. This is a team that went on the road and faced a red-hot Denver team and came out on top. They faced adversity numerous times during the game and didn't crumble under pressure. That is the kind of play that is needed to unseat this resilient and skilled Patriots team at home. The defense is rejuvenated with Lewis on the field, Joe Flacco is playing out of his mind right now (especially after torching the second-ranking Broncos pass defense last week and the Patriots secondary is nowhere near as good as the Broncos), The receivers and tight ends are making big plays, and Ray Rice/Bernard Pierce are running the ball wall. It's going to be a hard-fought battle and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if the Patriots pulled out the victory, but I like the way Ravens are playing right now and I think they will pull out the victory and makeup for last year's crushing heartbreaker of a loss.    

Movie Review: Gangster Squad

Gangster Squad's release has been a long time coming. It was initially set for release in September of 2012 before it was delayed in the aftermath of the Aurora shooting (The original cut featured a pivotal scene where a group of innocent people get shot up in a movie theater by a group of gangsters.) Finally Gangster Squad has been released after some reshoots and it delivers on the pulpy thrills the trailer promised.

Gangster Squad is a highly entertaining action period piece. This film is all about Tommy-gun shootouts, car chases, fist fights, and loads of vintage style and I loved every second of it. The story is competent, but it's not the backbone of the film. The action is the star here and the film knows and embraces that fact. The action set-pieces are equal parts traditional gangster film, modern slow-motion and old-school western. This hybrid makes for plenty of engaging and interesting scenes that gives Gangster Squad it's own unique flavor. The film is further bolstered by having a strong cast full of talented actors. Josh Brolin owns the lead role of Sgt. John O'Mara, head of the "Gangster Squad" assigned to stop Chicago thug Mickey Cohen's (Sean Penn) reign of criminal terror on Los Angeles. The other members of the squad played by Ryan Gosling, Anthony Mackie, Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Pena, and Robert Patrick are all good as well. There is an undeniable charisma each actor brings to the table and they are very effective as the collective set to bring down Mickey Cohen. Really the only thing wrong with Gangster Squad is Sean Penn's performance as Mickey Cohen. Penn way overdoes it and makes Cohen come off as a more of a caricature than a menacing villain. No matter how evil and sinister Cohen's actions are, Penn's unnecessarily over-the-top performance makes the character seem like a parody. Gangster Squad is a suave and well-done action flick. It may not have the depth of a film like Goodfellas, but Gangster Squad gets by on it's own merits and it absolutely serves it's purpose as an engrossing and exciting gangster film with an enormously talented cast who (save for Sean Penn) thrive in their respective roles.

4/5 Stars       

2012 NFL Recap: NFC West

My preseason predictions:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-5)
2.Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
3.Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
4.St.Louis Rams (4-12)

Actual Standings:
1.San Fransisco 49ers (11-4-1)
2.Seattle Seahawks (11-5)
3.St.Louis Rams (7-8-1)
4.Arizona Cardinals (5-11)

Arizona Cardinals: The 2012 Cardinals campaign started off with a bang. They started off 4-0 with Kevin Kolb playing solid at quarterback and picking up victories over the elite Seahawks and Patriots. Fast forward to game 5 against the Rams where Kolb goes down with an injury and they go 1-11 for the rest of the season. The quarterback play after Kolb went down was abysmal to say the least. Both John Skeleton and Ryan Lindley put up consistently pathetic showings. I mean it didn't help that their offensive line play was terrible and they couldn't run the ball, but their offense with Skeleton and Lindley under center was incredibly inefficient. This poor quarterback play led to their biggest weapon, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, having the worst season of his career. The Cardinals offense is miles worse when Fitzgerald isn't contributing and the lack of a quarterback that could get him the ball killed their offense this year. On the positive side, their defense was excellent all year. Patrick Peterson is the next star corner in the league and lineback Daryl Washington continue to improve and is quietly becoming one of the best linebackers in the league. Andre Roberts also emerged as a legitimate number two receiving option behind Larry Fitzgerald. If their passing game actually gets going next season (aka Kevin Kolb stays healthy and plays at the level he did this year), The Cardinals could have a potent 1-2 receiver combo in Fitzgerald and Roberts. The 2012 Cardinals season was ultimately one to forget after a promising start with a horrible offense that shut down after Kevin Kolb went down an injury.

San Fransisco 49ers: The 49ers had a similarly successful season then they one they had in 2011. The story of the year for them was the late-season quarterback change from Alex Smith to Colin Kapernick. Smith's play was fine all season, but once they got a taste of Kapernick's dynamic play when Smith missed the Bears game with a concussion, He remained the starter the rest of the season. Kapernick's play is explosive and has elevated this offense to the next level. He's got a great arm and his ability to run the ball effectively gives the 49ers a whole aspect to their offense. This season also saw the emergence of wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Crabtree is finally playing at the level at he was expected to when the 49ers took him 10th overall in the 2009 draft. Besides Kapernick and the breakout season for Crabtree, This was pretty much the same old effective San Fransisco 49ers. The defense was menacing with Patrick Willis and Justin Smith being their typical superhuman selves and second-year linebacker Aldon Smith solidifying himself as an elite pass rusher with 17.5 sacks. Running back Frank Gore had another productive workhorse season that ended up being one of the best of his career and hasn't showed any signs of slowing down as he approaches 30. The 49ers had another excellent year and they look like they are going to be at the top of this division for quite some time.

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks were one of the most surprising teams of 2012. This team was consistently good and at times, dominating. There are a few teams that are this well-rounded in the league and their success this season shows that. Russell Wilson had a phenomenal rookie season.  No one expected him to be the starting quarterback over free agent pickup Matt Flynn and he made the most of his opportunity leading all rookies in passing touchdowns and improving each time he took the field. Wilson is a special player and the Seahawks got an absolute steal taking him in the third round of the draft. The Seahawks defense also came on strong this season and proved to be a force to be reckoned with. Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are becoming shutdown corners, Earl Thomas is a beast at safety, Chris Clemons is becoming a great pass rusher and rookies Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin had made instant contributions to this stout defensive unit. Of course the most dangerous element to the Seahawks is still running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch gouged defenses for a career-best 1,590 yards this year. Lynch keeps getting better in Seattle and his production has been nothing short of exceptional over the past couple years. The Seahawks are a young them that is already thriving and can only get better from here.

St.Louis Rams: The Rams were the forgotten team in the NFC West this season. Their numbers weren't bad, but they weren't great either. Jeff Fisher seems to making an impact in his first year with the team. The defense was pretty effective with Robert Quinn and Chris Long establishing a solid pass rush, Linebacker James Laurinatis had another excellent season, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan bolstered the secondary with a Pro Bowl-worthy season in his first year with the team. Offensively, quarterback Sam Bradford was competent with solid receiver play from Danny Amendola (when healthy) and rookie Chris Givens showing show big-play capability. Steven Jackson had a bit of an off-year, but still ran for 1,000 yards and did has share to contribute to the offense. The Rams are an average team that seem to be headed in the right direction with Jeff Fisher at head coach.    

 

 

Album Review: A$AP Rocky-Long.Live.A$AP

There are only a few rappers in the history of hip-hop that have gained success as rapidly as A$AP Rocky has. It was only late 2011 when his debut mixtape LiveLoveA$AP was released. The mixtape was wildly successful critically and commercially (although it was a free release, it gained him a lot of internet hype) which paved the way for him getting signed to RCA/Sony Records. His debut full-length record, Long. Live. A$AP, see A$AP Rocky tightening up his style while retaining the qualities that made his mixtape successful.

Long. Live. A$AP is kind of a strange record for me to review. A$AP Rocky's music is undoubtedly dumb and he's not particularly gifted from a lyrical standpoint. At the same time, his music is a lot of fun and I just can't hate it. He embraces the simplicity and shallowness of his music with a supreme and undeniable confidence. Most mainstream rappers are full of shit, but A$AP Rocky is very sincere in his approach and lyrical topics (no matter how silly they are) that I have to respect him as an artist. Boosting the quality of his music is his great flow and solid production from an array of different producers including Hit-Boy, T-Minus, and frequent collaborator Clams Casino. A textbook example of the fun this record has to offer is the Skrillex-produced "Wild for the Night". The track is extremely catchy and with no room for his signature drops, Skrillex keeps his electronic seizure moments to a minimum and actually comes up with a pretty decent beat. I'm no psychic, but I can all but guarantee that "Wild for the Night" will be the official fratboy/  lax bro anthem of 2013. Much of the rest of the record  (The title track, "LVL", "Fashion Killa" and "PMW (All I Really Need)" in particular) offers up similar dumb fun with catchy hooks and memorable beats and a few stinkers for good measure ("Fuckin Problem" with an awful guest spot from Drake and 2 Chainz screaming his lungs out during the chorus, "Goldie", "Pain".) Long. Live. A$AP's one truly exceptional moment is the huge collaboration track "1 Train". "1 Train" sees A$AP being joined by currently lauded MC's Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T. Everyone (including the normally awful Yelawolf) delivers on this track, but this song belongs to Big K.R.I.T in my eyes. He goes against his normally laid-back southern style and unleashes an aggressive behemoth of a verse to close out the song. I hope he explores this style more in the future. He is just too damn good at hardcore hip-hop to not incorporate into his solo stuff at least every once and a while.

Long. Live. A$AP is far from great, but it's ability to provide mindless fun makes it worth the listen. I like to think of A$AP Rocky as the hip-hop equivalent of a B-movie: He may not be a great overall artist, but he is good at what he does. There is hardly any substance and that's completely fine. This record is a mindless good time and I believe that's exactly what A$AP Rocky intended it to be.

3/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1. 1 Train ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson and Big K.R.I.T
2.Wild for the Night ft. Skrillex
3.LVL    

Mayhem Fest 2013 Rumors

The rumor mill was quiet for a while, but has suddenly exploded for this year's edition of Mayhem Fest. With the official announcement expected by the end of the month, here are the bands that are confirmed/rumored to be involved with the festival this year

Confirmed:
Rob Zombie
Behemoth

Most Likely Playing:
Deftones
Five Finger Death Punch
In This Moment
Chelsea Grin

Rumored to be in talks:
Machine Head
Killswitch Engage
Children of Bodom
Testament
Exodus
Every Time I Die
Fleshgod Apocalypse
Emmure
Hatebreed
Sylosis
Miss May I
Battlecross
Devildriver
Soilwork
Dark Tranquility

NFL Recap: NFC South

My preseason predictions:
1.Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
2.New Orleans Saints (9-7)
3.Carolina Panthers (6-10)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-10)


Actual Standings:
1.Atlanta Falcons (13-3)
2.Carolina Panthers (7-9)
3.New Orleans Saints (7-9)
4.Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)

Atlanta Falcons: Going into the season, most people (myself included) expected the Falcons to be good, but not this good. The Falcons had a breakout season and dominated most of the competition that was thrown in their path. Matt Ryan had the best year of his career and at times, was absolutely dominating. He has never looked more poised or confident in his play and it showed with his excellent performance this season. Much of Ryan's success can be attributed to his elite receiving combo of Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Tony Gonzalez. White had yet another outstanding year and he just might be the most underrated wide receiver in the league. Jones had a breakout year after an injury-plagued rookie season and he has proven to be well worth the amount of draft picks the Falcons gave up to get him. Gonzalez was alarmingly good in his alleged final season in the league. At 36 years old, he is still creating tough matchups for his opponents and his continued strong plays proves that he is arguably the best tight end to ever play the game. The Falcons defense was decent, but they are far from scary. Asante Samuel has definitely bolstered their secondary, but they still need a lot of work. Michael Turner also had an off-year and seems to be on the decline with only 800 yards on the year. On the plus side, Jaquizz Rodgers was a productive third-down back and could be in line to become the starter if Turner continues to underwhelm. The Falcons are a great football team with a great quarterback and receiving corps, but they have a lot of room to grow if they want to win a championship.

Carolina Panthers: The 2012 Panthers were pretty much a tale of two seasons. They stumbled out of the gate going 2-7 in their first nine games. Cam Newton was playing mediocre, their defense was allowing big plays, and they were choking in close games. Fast forward to the final seven games and they are a completely different team going 5-2 over that stretch. Cam Newton was elite, their defense stepped up big time, and they didn't waver at the end of games. The Panthers are a team on the rise. Rookie linebacker Luke Kuchely and the emergence of defensive end Greg Hardy has their defense looking the best it has since it's Super Bowl run in 2003. 2012 also saw tight end Greg Olsen having the best of his career and launching himself into the top half of tight ends in the league. The Panthers desperately needed someone to step up and help out Steve Smith and Olsen rose to the occasion.  If Cam Newton plays at a consistent level, the defense continues to grow, and they get a second wideout to help out Smith and Olsen, The Panthers could be in the playoffs as early as next season.

New Orleans Saints: Everyone knew this was going to be a tough season for the Saints and it absolutely was. This year proved how valuable suspended head coach Sean Payton is to this football team. They have essentially the same roster that made the playoffs the past few years, yet this season with Payton they finish with a losing record and miss the playoffs. Despite all the adversity they faced, The Saints didn't play completely terrible. Drew Brees still played at an elite level and really carried this team through this rough patch. He utilized all his receivers incredibly well and without much help from his arsenal of sub-par running backs, he had a truly amazing season. On the flip side, the Saints defense was outright terrible. They had the worst overall defense in the league and they could not stop anyone all season. As expected, the Saints disappointed this season amidst the turmoil of the bounty scandal and the absence of head coach Sean Payton. We'll have to wait and see how the Saints do next with Payton back at the helm and this scandal behind them, but I have a feeling they will return to form next season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers were the exact opposite of Panthers: They started strong and finished with a whimper. The whole team just underperformed down the stretch and it cost them any chance of sneaking into the playoffs. Besides the skid at the end of the year, The Buccaneers have a lot of positives to take away from this season. First and foremost, rookie running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson were both excellent this year. Martin is an absolute beast that has the tools to be one of the best running backs in the league. He is a small guy, but he runs with a lot of power and is explosive with his cuts. He reminds a lot of guys like Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew, which is a good sign for Martin going forward. Jackson was incredibly productive this year and gave the Bucs their first legit number one wideout in almost a decade. He averaged a staggering 19 yards per catch and opened up opportunities for guys like Mike Williams and Tiquan Underwood to thrive as well. Josh Freeman had arguably the best year of his career throwing for 4,065 yards and 27 TD's and appears to be growing more confident in his game. He's not a top-flight quarterback, but he is quite solid and you can definitely win with a guy like him. Their run defense was also incredible finishing best in the league. Gerald McCoy is an excellent, run-stuffing defensive tackle and linebacker Lavonte David had a great rookie year leading the team in tackles. The Buccaneers one major flaw is their pass defense, which is the worst in the league. Ronde Barber is just too damn old to be effective in pass coverage any more and the other young guys they have had poor years. The Buccaneers are a young team with some room to grow, but they have some promising pieces that could bring them success moving forward.

NFL Divisonal Round Picks

Last Weeks Record 2-2 (Correct: Packers, Ravens  Incorrect: Bengals, Redskins)
Another exciting weekend of playoff football lays ahead with intriguing matchups all-around. Here are my picks for all four divisional round games this weekend.

Denver Broncos over Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens rallied behind Ray Lewis in the final home game of his career and picked up an inspired win against the Colts last week. The Ravens will no doubt be playing with a lot of emotion again this week to try bring Lewis a Super Bowl title in his final season. Unfortunately, I don't see it happening. Playing the Broncos in Denver is just a tall order and the Broncos were the hottest team in football when the regular season ended. Their defense is simply outstanding and Peyton Manning has the offense firing on all cylinders. To make matters worse for the Ravens, the Broncos blew them out in Baltimore just a few weeks ago. The Broncos stuffed Ray Rice and made Joe Flacco rush his throws, which is a surefire way to beat the Ravens. The Ravens do have emotion on their side, but every other aspect of the game favors the Broncos.

San Fransisco 49ers over Green Bay Packers: The Packers have experience and superior quarterback play on their side, but the 49ers ability to run the ball and their stellar defense makes me give the slight edge to the 49ers in this game. The Packers offensive line has struggled all season and the 49ers pass rush is deadly and should get to Aaron Rodgers all game long. The Packers also can very easily be run on and Frank Gore torched them in the season opener averaging seven yards a carry. The downside to the 49ers is quarterback Colin Kapernick's inexperience in playoff games, but I think he will be just fine. He showed a lot of poise and had a great game on the national stage just a few weeks ago against the Patriots on the road. Kapernick is a talented quarterback and I think he will tackle this challenge. I don't think the 49ers will sleep on Aaron Rodgers and the Packers elite receiving corps and will pull out a close victory.

Seattle Seahawks over Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan has been a trainwreck in the playoffs and with a tough and red-hot Seahawks team coming into town on Sunday, I don't expect that to change. The Seahawks have been up to any task of late and their cornerback tandem of Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner are going to make it tough for Ryan to get the ball to star wideouts Roddy White and Julio Jones. On top of their great defense, The Seahawks offense has been flourishing of late. Russell Wilson didn't have the greatest game last week, but he's a skilled and mature quarterback so I'm sure he will bounce back. The Seahawks also have the gift of having monstrous running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch should have a field day against the decent Falcons run defense. If the Falcons want to be an elite team, they have to win big games and I don't expect Sunday to be their moment in the sun against a seemingly unstoppable at the moment Seahawks squad.

New England Patriots over Houston Texans: The Texans came out last week and proved they can still play at a high level with their victory over the Bengals. Their going to need their A-game if they want to go into New England and avenge the beatdown they took at the hands of the Patriots on Monday Night Football in early December. I do think the Patriots will end up winning this game. You really can't go against Tom Brady at home in the playoffs and having Rob Gronkowski back at full strength is a big asset for the Patriots. However, there is an interesting parallel between this and the 2010 season when the Jets eliminated the Patriots in the divisional round. The Jets got trounced by the Patriots at Gillette Stadium in an early December on Monday Night Football and went onto to beat the Patriots in the divisional round.  Not saying history will repeat itself, but it's just something to take into consideration. I'm not expecting another shellacking, but I do believe the Patriots will knock off the Texans once again. 

2012 NFL Recap: NFC North

My preseason predictions:
1.Green Bay Packers (14-2)
2.Chicago Bears (11-5)
3.Detroit Lions (10-6)
4.Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

Actual Standings
1.Green Bay Packers (11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
3.Chicago Bears (10-6)
4.Detroit Lions (4-12)

Chicago Bears: 2012 was a year of progress for my beloved Chicago Bears, but it ended unfortunately with them just missing the playoffs and the unjustified firing of head coach Lovie Smith. The Bears six losses this year were all to playoff teams (Packers x2, Seahawks, 49ers, Texans, Vikings) and only two those of were in blowout fashion and the 49ers game backup quarterback Jason Campbell started. It's not like Bears were getting dominated by bad teams, they only lost to the cream of the crop. Lovie Smith is a great guy and coach and did not even remotely deserved to be fired. On the field things were good in Chicago for the most part. Brandon Marshall gave the Bears their first legitimate number receiver and he had a great first year with the team. The chemistry that Marshall and Jay Cutler had in Denver five years ago is still very much alive with Marshall recording 118 receptions for 1,508 yards and 11 TD's this season. This is the quarterback/receiver tandem Chicago has been looking for years now and unless something drastic happens, the damage should continue. Of course, The Bears defense were heavy contributors as well. They had the most takeaways in the league and had a top 10 rush and pass defense. This defense may be old, but they can still play and change the complexion of a game by putting points up on the board. What the Bears need to work on is consistency on offense. They have the tools to win a title on defense, but not enough talent on offense. The biggest need for them is offensive line and a second wide receiver to help take some of the pressure off of Brandon Marshall. Jay Cutler is one of the few quarterbacks in the league that can win games with this poor of an offensive line, but they really need to get a line that can better protect him so he can be more effective throwing the ball and not have to run all over the place like a madman just to make a play. The receiver depth issue is also huge. Earl Bennett is serviceable, but not as a number two wideout. The Devin Hester receiver experiment was a nice idea, but he doesn't really make too many plays. Alshon Jeffery missed a lot of time with injury and made a few plays in his rookie year, but he made a lot of boneheaded decisions with route-running and had a plethora of offensive pass interference problems. Somebody needs to step up from this group and help take some of the reciveing load off of Brandon Marshall.  Matt Forte also needs to remain healthy and they need to get more involved with the offense next season. Forte is a weapon and his downplayed involvement this year hurt them a bit as an offensive unit. The Bears are a good, but not great football team that needs to work on offensive consistency before reaching the next level.

Detroit Lions: The Lions followed up their first playoff season in an entirety returning to a place they know all too well: The basement of the NFL. The Lions 4-12 season is puzzling to say the least. Statistically, they were only in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing yards (23rd in the league). Hell, they were even 2nd in the league in passing yards and in the middle of the pack in both passing and rushing defense. There wasn't very many times this year where this team looked absolutely awful (Only 3 of their 12 losses were by 10 points or more) and with the amount of close games they lost, this might me the best 4-12 team in NFL history. Of course, they could be playing better football and making less mistakes, but luck was a big factor in the Lions failed season. It just came out that they had the hardest adjusted strength of schedule in the league this season. They were playing elite opponents and they just couldn't quite stack up. They proved a year ago they have the talent to make the playoffs and with the young talent on this team, I can all but guarantee they will make it back there at some point. It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Lions this season though. Calvin Johnson broke the all-time single-season receiving record with a mind-boggling 1,964 yards. With Johnson's continued excellence and now this record under his belt, we could be looking at a contender for the best wide receiver to ever play the game. The Lions gave the ball away lot and had a lot of unlucky breaks this season, but I fully believe they will recover and return to the playoffs in the near future.

Green Bay Packers: Another year, another playoff bid for the Packers. Their NFC North dominance was once again driven by the play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their seemingly endless amount of talented wide receivers. With normal starting wideouts Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson missing a good amount of time with injury this season, James Jones and Randall Cobb shined. Jones and Cobb stepped in as starters gracefully and both went onto have breakout seasons leading the team in receiving. Most teams would be screwed if their starting receivers missed significant time, but the Packers ridiculous amount of depth and talent show that they undoubtedly have the best receiving corps in the league. The defense was solid all season as well even with Clay Matthews missing a portion of the season and Charles Woodson missing most of the year. As for flaws, they still can't run the ball. Cedric Benson went down early in the year and the Packers have no other quality running backs on the roster. The Packers really need to look for an answer at running back because they haven't had a legitimate running back for years now. The Packers were once again great behind the play of Aaron Rodgers, their receivers, and a scary pass rush anchored by Clay Matthews.

Minnesota Vikings: Is there really anything to say about the 2012 Vikings besides Adrian Peterson? Peterson miraculously returned from a torn ACL to have the best year of his career and came just 7 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. Peterson carried the team on his back all season and destroyed just about every defense that came in his path. He is the sole reason this team won games and made it to the playoffs. If there was any question about who was the best running back in the league was, Peterson answered it this season. This is a a truly remarkable comeback and he should be a shoo-in for MVP. Outside of Peterson and an excellent season for rookie kicker Blair Walsh (who broke the record for most 50+ yard field goals in a single season), there was really no highlights for the Vikings. This is a team that can not pass the ball and has a decent defense with a few standpoint players (Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson) that is solid against the run and pretty weak against the pass. Peterson is this football team and without him, they would be one of the worst in the league.

   

2012 NFL Recap: NFC East

My preseason predictions:
1.New York Giants (12-4)
2.Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
3.Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
4.Washington Redskins (5-11)

Final Standings
1.Washington Redskins (10-6)
2.New York Giants (9-7)
3.Dallas Cowboys (8-8)
4.Philadelphia Eagles (4-12)

Dallas Cowboys: I honestly think the Dallas Cowboys are the football equivalent of Groundhog Day. Every year without fail they put themselves in a position to make the playoffs and choke in the final game. Tony Romo once again had a good statistical year: 6th in TD's, 5th in completion percentage, and 3rd in passing yards, but he also failed to deliver for his team when it counted most. Romo really is a good quarterback, he just continues to blow it in key games tarnishing his reputation and making him the butt of just about every joke in the NFL. It also didn't help that the Cowboys were depleted by injuries. The defense was completely decimated by the end of the year with injuries to key contributors like defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, linebacker Sean Lee, defensive end Kenyon Coleman, and cornerback Orlando Scandrick. This isn't even including the guys that were playing hurt like linebacker DeMarcus Ware and defensive Jason Hatcher. The offensive was banged-up as well with starting running back DeMarco Murray missing a number of games mid-year with a foot injury, and receiver Miles Austin playing hurt again. On the plus side, Dez Bryant had an amazing season and is finally coming around to be the big-play, dominant receiver he was touted to be when the Cowboys drafted him. Jason Witten also had a career year breaking the single-season reception record for a tight end. Defensively, rookie cornerback Morris Claiborne had a solid rookie year and was one of the few bright spots on an otherwise bleak season for the Cowboys D. The Cowboys had some upside with their offense this year, but were plagued with injury and didn't come through in the clutch once again.

New York Giants: The reigning Super Bowl champs really couldn't decide what team they were in 2012 and it cost them a shot at defending their title. Most of the time this season they were either blowing out their opponents or getting blown out by their opponents. It's hard to believe a team the beat the Packers, 49ers, and Saints in dominant fashion didn't make the playoffs, but that's just the Giants for you. It's not like there is one person to blame for this issue, it's a team-wide problem. In their victories, Eli Manning was sharp, they were running the ball well, the receiving corps was torching opposing defensive backs, and their talented defensive front was getting to the quarterback. In the losses, Eli Manning was sloppy, they couldn't run, the receivers were dropping passes left and right, and the defense front was stagnant and unable to establish a pass rush. The Giants really need to strive for consistency and pick up some defensive backs in free agency or the draft. They are an immensely talented team that can stay competitive for a number of years if they go out and play at a consistent level week in and week out.

Philadelphia Eagles: Ugh the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles put together arguably the most disappointing season out of any team in the league. This team looked like it finally had it together after finishing strong last year and after they started 3-0 this year, you expected more of the same. Not the case at all, The Eagles went on to lose 12 of their last 13 games. It was a nightmare that grew more painful to watch week after week. Michael Vick was a turnover machine before he got injured and looked nothing like the guy that lead this team to the playoffs a couple of years ago. Vick's poor play lead their talented receiving corps to be essentially DOA without anyone that was able to get the ball to them. Nick Foles was decent in relief once Vick went down, but by then the damage had been done. Their pass defense was also abysmal and got torched week after week. Nmandi Ashomuga shot himself in the foot when he made the now infamous "dream team" comments before the 2011 season. Before that, he was an elite shutdown corner. Now he can't stop a nosebleed. Probably the saddest element of their game though was the offensive line. I honestly don't think I've seen worse offensive line play in my life (As a Bears fan that's saying something considering how bad their line is.) I mean they made the Saints poor pass rush look elite with a seven sack performance in their Week 9 matchup. The Eagles can at least take pride in the fact they have a good two-back system with LeSean McCoy and the surprising effectiveness of rookie Bryce Brown (though he does fumble A LOT.) The Eagles need a lot of work on defense and offensive line, but their new coach (who ever it may be) is inheriting a roster with a fair amount of talent on it and I wouldn't be shocked to see them rebound within a couple years.

Washington Redskins: How many rookies does it take to reverse years of bad luck for a franchise? Two apparently. The Redskins were doomed for years. Mike Shanahan seemed like he was losing his marbles with a series of boneheaded coaching decisions and a plethora of previously talented veterans had the life sucked out of them when they came to the Redskins. That all changed this season thanks to rookie quarterback/running back duo of Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris and they made it back to the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. I really need to stop doubting dual-threat quarterbacks transitioning well into the NFL. I was wrong last year about Cam Newton and I was wrong this year about RG3. RG3 was dominant throughout the year and the read option offense he runs is a nightmare for opposing defenses. He is explosive in the run game and he is patient with his throws and shown great arm strength, making him dangerous in the passing game as well. Running back Alfred Morris also had an exceptional rookie season. Morris came out of nowhere as a sixth-round pick who wasn't even supposed to be the backup, let alone the starting running back this season. Morris got his shot to start once veteran Tim Hightower was released, Evan Royster failed to impress in the preseason, and last years starter Roy Helu got injured. Morris made the most of his opportunity and excelled finishing 2nd in the league with 1,613 rushing yards. His style isn't flashy, but he runs hard and is one of the best power backs to enter the league in a long time. The x-factor for the Redskins this season though was wide receiver Pierre Garcon. Garcon was excellent proving he could be the top wideout and was easily Griffin's favorite target this season. What's incredible is that the Redskins were 9-1 when Garcon was active and 1-5 when he wasn't. If Garcon can stay healthy next season, he could be in for a career year. The Redskins defense even played pretty well after losing top contributors linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive tackle Adam Carriker for the year early in the season. Linebacker London Fletcher is the backbone of this defense. He anchored a rock solid run defense and he's proven he's still got a lot left in the tank after all these years. The pass defense was awful to start the season, but got a bit better towards the end of the year. Pass defense is definitely their weakness as a team right now, but if they continue to progress they should be fine. The Redskins made a hell of an impression on the NFL this season and this is a pretty young team that will only get better over time.

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC West

My preseason predictions:
1.Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
2.Denver Broncos (8-8)
3.Oakland Raiders (7-9)
4.San Diego Chargers (7-9)

Final Standings:
1.Denver Broncos (13-3)
2.San Diego Chargers (7-9)
3.Oakland Raiders (4-12)
4.Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)

Denver Broncos: Well Peyton Manning still has it. I was a naysayer because of his age and the severity of his neck injury, but his play this year proved that you shouldn't doubt a legend no matter how bad the circumstances look on paper. Manning has injected this Broncos team with life. His presence has made everyone around him better. Starting wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker had breakout seasons, Free agent pickups Jacob Tamme and Joel Dressen are a highly effective tight end duo, and previously struggling running back Knowshon Moreno came on strong for the first time in his career after starter Willis McGahee (who was playing very well until he got hurt) went down with a season-ending knee injury. Manning has a special effect on a team and the current momentum they have (They haven't lost since Columbus Day weekend against the Patriots) has them in a prime position to contend for a Super Bowl this season. Manning wasn't the only great success for the Broncos this season, their defense emerged as one of the strongest in the league. Von Miller is an absolute beast at linebacker and just his second year in the league, he is already one of the best linebackers in all of football. Wesley Woodyard, Elvis Dumervil, and the great cornerback pair of Champ Bailey and Tracy Porter all had excellent seasons as well. Their defense can stop the run and the pass, which is very rare in the league these days and makes them a very dangerous unit. The Broncos surpassed all expectations and were one of the best teams in the NFL this season.

Kansas City Chiefs: That hunch I had about the Chiefs winning the division this year was wrong. Actually I couldn't have been more wrong. They went in 2-14 and have the number one pick in the draft this year. I will say this though, The Chiefs are no where near as bad as their record makes them out to be. Their downfall was at quarterback. Matt Casell and Brady Quinn were absolutely awful all season and are the main reason this team lost so many games. Dwayne Bowe, Tony Moeaki, and the rest of the receivers and tight ends greatly underachieved because of the quarterback play. Bowe, in particular, is a top-flight receiver who's talent was wasted and production suffered because no one could get him the ball. Their run defense was poor as well, but that doesn't surprise me since the talent they have on defense is in the secondary or linebackers who specialize in pass-rushing. The Chiefs did have some silver linings to their poor year though. Despite a few dud games, running back Jammal Charles is back to his elite status. All his explosiveness is back after missing most of the 2011 season with a torn ACL. The Chiefs young secondary also played at a pretty high level, especially after losing Brandon Carr. Eric Berry is emerging as a great young safety and Brandon Flowers and Javier Arena did a good job for the most part containing opposing receivers this year. The Chiefs aren't a lost cause with a decent amount of talent on the roster and I like new coach Andy Reid's chances of turning this team around. If they can find a quarterback in the offseason, The turnaround could be rapid.

Oakland Raiders:The Raiders proved once again why they are the stupidest franchise in the NFL. New coach Dennis Allen isn't half the coach Hue Jackson was yet Allen still has his job after a 4-12 season just a year after Jackson got fired after one season for posting an 8-8 record. Makes a lot of sense right? The Raiders defense save for defensive tackles Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly was abysmal all season. They were getting trounced against the run and pass just about every week. I mean the only time anybody talked about the Raiders D (or the Raiders at all) this year was when Doug Martin ran for 250 yards and 4 TD's against them. Running back Darren McFadden had another underwhelming and injury-plagued year. You really have to wonder how much longer the Raiders are going to stick with him. He has upside, but he consistently gets hurt, which takes away from any value he has. About the only highlight for Oakland this year was the play of quarterback Carson Palmer and the emergence of tight end Brandon Myers. The Raiders are the only low-level team that doesn't have to worry about quarterback play as Palmer put up pretty good numbers in an otherwise really poor year for the Raiders. Myers was Palmer's favorite target and save for the last few weeks, was consistently effective and is a tight end to watch in the upcoming years. 2012 was another awful year for the Raiders and with their moronic front office, I don't see that changing any time soon.

San Diego Chargers:Well the Chargers played well in December again. Other than that, It was another rough year for the Chargers. They are a talented team, but they have a lot of issues. The biggest of their issues is the spotty play of quarterback Phillip Rivers. You never what your going to get with Rivers. One week he will look like a future hall-of-famer and the next week, he will look like a benchwarming bum who is playing because the starter is injured. Rivers needs to find some type of consistency if the Chargers want to be successful. Running back Ryan Matthews also struggled. Matthews, who is easily the most overrated running back in the league, just isn't very good and unless some drastic happens, I don't see him succeeding in the NFL. On the plus side for the Chargers, their defense looked great all year. Their run defense was especially effective ranking sixth in the league and they also had a solid pass rush that ranked in the top half of the league in sacks. Another bright spot was wide receiver Danario Alexander. He joined the team mid-year and went onto to have a hell of season. Alexander gives Rivers a legit second option next to Malcolm Floyd and adds some much-needed depth to their receiving corps. The Chargers are stuck in the depths of mediocrity due to the Philip Rivers's inconsistency and their inability to run the ball. We'll have to wait and see how their new coach handles things and if they can overcome these obstacles and make a return to the playoffs in the upcoming years.

  

NFL Wild Card Predictions

Well it's that time of the year again, the NFL playoffs start today with a series of intriguing matchups. Could would be looking at our future champion in this round or will it be one of the top two seeds? We'll have to wait and find out..... Here are my picks for all four wild card games.

Cincinnati Bengals over Houston Texans: The first game of the weekend is a rematch of last year's wild card game where the Texans blew out the Bengals with backup quarterback T.J Yates under center. This go-round I think it will lean the other way. As I mentioned in my year-end recap, A month ago the Texans were my pick to make it to the Super Bowl out of the AFC. Their play over the last month has completely changed my opinion of them.Their playing with no fire, confidence, or momentum which is terrible entering the playoffs. The Bengals are the exact opposite. They stepped up big time with a great second half of the year and they are firing on all cylinders right now. Their defense has been making big plays and their pass rush has been dominant of late. I also really like the matchup of Andy Dalton versus the weak Texans secondary. Unless the Texans go back to mid-season form all of a sudden, I think Andy Dalton, A.J Green and the Bengals defense will handle the Texans on their home turf.

Green Bay Packers over Minnesota Vikings:I'm bitter that my beloved Chicago Bears didn't make the playoffs because of the Vikings narrow victory over the Packers last week. This week, I expect a different result. Lambeau Field in the playoffs is a completely different animal for the Vikings. I don't expect Christian Ponder to put up another solid performance like last week, leaving 100% of the pressure on Adrian Peterson. Peterson can absolutely handle it (he has all year, he is the only reason they are in the playoffs), but I think Aaron Rodgers and co. will step to the plate and take care of business. The return of Charles Woodson will benefit the Packers defense and I don't think Peterson will put quite as much of a beatdown on them as he did last week. The Packers have too many weapons for the Vikings to slow down and I think the Packers will win handily.

Baltimore Ravens over Indianapolis Colts: With the return of Ray Lewis and what will be most likely be the final home game of his career combined with Colts coach Chuck Pagano in is second game back after finishing his leukemia treatment against his former employers, This going to be an emotional football game. On paper, this is a very even matchup. The Ravens have not been on the top of their game recently, but Ray Lewis's presence makes them a completely different football team. Lewis is clearly a shadow of his former self from an on-field performance standpoint, but his leadership makes the Ravens play far more inspired football. The Colts have been playing emotionally-charged football since Pagano's leukemia diagnosis and Andrew Luck has done far more than expected in his rookie season. That being said, I don't think the Colts will be beat the Ravens. The Ravens are going to play their hearts out to give Ray Lewis in a win in his last game in front of the home crowd and I think they will pull it out. The X-factor for Baltimore will be Ray Rice. The Colts run defense is pretty weak and if he runs well and catches short passes, he will overshadow the Ravens's flaws. It's a great matchup and this will be an emotionally deep game for both teams, but I think the Ravens home-field advantage and talent advantage will allow them to defeat the Colts.

Washington Redskins over Seattle Seahawks: In the most hotly-anticipated game of wild-card weekend, I'm expecting a slugfest. You got two rookie quarterbacks and two talented football teams with a ton of momentum squaring off. It might not be the popular pick considering how the Seahawks have played recently, but I like the Redskins in this matchup. Robert Griffin III is lacking the burst he had for most of the season because of his sprained knee, but their read option offense matches up well against the Seahawks. As good as Seattle's defense is, They play poorly against play action. The read option has is a nightmare for opposing defense because you don't what they are going to do. RG3 could run, fake it to Alfred Morris to pass, hand off to Morris, or drop back in the pocket and throw a bomb downfield. The Redskins have too many weapons to contain. The Redskins also have the advantage of having this game be at home. The Seahawks are unbeaten at home, but they are definitely beatable on the road. The Seahawks are going to fight hard and could absolutely win this game. Marshawn Lynch is playing out of his mind and Russell Wilson has looked great to finish off the year and he should have a good game against the subpar Redskins secondary. The Seahawks are going to need big performances from their defensive standouts like Richard Sherman, Chris Clemons, and fresh off suspension Brandon Browner if they want to win this game. It should be a battle, but I like the Redskins to pull a narrow upset victory over the Seahawks.

2012 NFL Season Recap: AFC South

My preseason predictions:
1.Houston Texans (11-5)
2.Tennessee Titans (9-7)
3.Indianapolis Colts (5-11)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

Final Standings
1.Houston Texans (12-4)
2.Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
3.Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14) 

Houston Texans: 2012 was quite the year for the Texans. They emerged early on as early Super Bowl contender for the AFC and we're in control of the top seed for most of the season. Running back Arian Foster was his normal incredibly productive self, wide receiver Andre Johnson was playing his best football in years, Owen Daniels was coming along as one of the most underrated tight ends in the league with a quietly impressive season, and J.J Watt became one of the dangerous pass rushers in the league in his second season in the league. What could go wrong right? Ever since their blowout loss on the road against the Patriots in early December, Houston is an entirely different football team. Their confidence is gone, no one is playing as well as they were for the first three months of the season, and they are just giving away games to their opponents. Houston's tale of two football teams is one of the odder stories of the season. Much of the first 3/4 of the year they were a juggernaut on both sides of the ball and just about every aspect of their game (except for their poor secondary play) was oustanding. In December, they looked pitiful losing three of their last four games. They couldn't get anything going on offense, their defense looks sluggish, and they didn't even look like a playoff-bound team let alone a top seed. Houston's dominance for much of the year will be remembered, but unfortunately so will their late-season collapse that took them out of the top seed in the AFC.

Indianapolis Colts: No matter who you root for and what your opinion on the league in general is, There is no denying that there was no better story in the NFL this year than Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in late-September and made his triumphant return for their regular-season finale against the Texans last Sunday. The Colts rallied around Pagano and played inspired football to honor their coach and his battle with cancer. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians deserves all the credit in the world for stepping in as interim coach and leading this team for most of the season. If Arians doesn't win coach of the year, I will be shocked. In terms of on-the-field play, the Colts firmly surpassed their expectations. 2012 was thought to be a rebuilding year for them by many (myself included), but the Colts didn't get that memo. Just a year after going 2-14 and releasing iconic quarterback Peyton Manning, The Colts go 11-5 and are back in the playoffs. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is at the forefront of this remarkable turnaround. He has shown maturity beyond his years and his play has been nothing short of outstanding. Peyton Manning wasn't even able to turn around the Colts in his rookie season. Luck is an immense talent and he will have the Colts contending for many years to come. Luck was also helped out by the resurgence of veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne and the surprising production of his fellow rookies wide receiver T.Y Hilton and running back Vick Ballard. Wayne was considered to be past his prime at age 34, but he stunned his critics by having one of the best seasons of his career with 106 receptions for 1,355 yards and 5 TD's. Hilton has become one of Luck's favorite targets with his steady hands, great speed, and flare for running deep routes. Ballard started off slow, but once starting running back Donald Brown went down for the year in early December,  Ballard flourished. The last few games he played great and helped give the Colts a more balanced attacking making their offense more lethal than it was in the early stages of the season. I don't think there is a more surprising team in the NFL this season than the Colts. The scary part is they are only going to get better as time goes on with all the young talent they have on the roster.

Jacksonville Jaguars:The less said about the Jaguars 2012 season the better. This is a team that just could not get anything going all season. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was awful when he was playing and is looking more and more like a monumental bust after his second season in the league. Things got a bit better for them when Gabbert went down with injury and Chad Henne stepped in at quarterback. Henne got a chemistry going with their top draft pick this year, wide receiver Justin Blackmon, and was able to show off the talent he had after his slow start to the year when Gabbert was playing. That being said, Henne still made a lot of mistakes and like Gabbert, he only one game as the starting quarterback. I would say go with Henne over Gabbert as the starter next season, but he's definitely not the answer to their starting quarterback woes either.The worst thing to happen to the Jaguars this season though was the season-ending foot injury that superstar running back Maurice Jones-Drew suffered in Week 7. Jones-Drew's absence made their already weak offense completely one-dimensional. About the only good thing to happen to the Jaguars this year was the breakout year for wide receiver Cecil Shorts. When Jones-Drew is healthy next year (assuming he returns to the Jaguars), the receiving tandem of Shorts, Blackmon, and veteran Laurent Robinson (who was also missed most of this season due to injury) could be lethal. The Jaguars need a lot of help if they want to get out of the NFL's basement any time soon.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans weren't absolutely awful this season, but they also weren't particularly great. They were below average in every single stat category and there wasn't really anyone that stood out on either side of the ball. Star running back Chris Johnson came limping out of the gate, but ended up finishing with over 1,000 yards because of a few very strong games. Johnson is easily the most frustrating star running back in the league because of his wild inconsistency. Jake Locker was mediocre in his first year with the starting quarterback job. He did miss some time with injury, but so far he isn't the godsend he was made out to be when he was drafted. He does have some upside though and I think he should be able to develop into a decent quarterback. One of the few bright spots for the Titans was the play of rookie wideout Kendall Wright. Wright is looking like a solid slot receiver already and if Locker can stay healthy, I'm sure he will continue to grow. The Titans are an all-around below average team that needs steady improvement in all aspects of the game if they want to progress as a squad.
  

2012 in Film: A Year in Review

2012 was a very strong year for film. Picking a year-end top 10 hasn't been this hard in a long time. After my long and tumultuous 2011 film experiment to see just about everything released (Which I still haven't finished, although I am on the home stretch), It was nice to go back to primarily watching only films I was interesting in seeing. What made 2012 interesting was is a lot of films surprised the hell of me (End of Watch, The Raid: Redemption, Chronicle, The Cabin in the Woods) and ended up finishing in the top-tier of my list. Of course there was also my personal highly-anticipated fare that delivered the goods (Django Unchained, The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, The Expendables 2) as well as some unfortunate disappointments (The Hobbit, Taken 2, Casa De Mi Padre.) Overall, I really couldn't be happier with how 2012 turned out and I can only hope that 2013 has similar success. Here is my list of every 2012 film I saw from worst to best with star ratings.

66.Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (1.5/5)

65.John Carter (1.5/5)

64.Haywire (1.5/5)

63.Taken 2 (1.5/5)

62.Jeff, Who Lives At Home (2/5)

61.The Bourne Legacy (2.5/5)

60.Snow White and the Huntsman (2.5/5)

59.This Means War (2.5/5)

58.The Raven (2.5/5)

57.The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2.5/5)

56.Wreck-It Ralph (2.5/5)

55.The Amazing Spider-Man (2.5/5)

54.Casa De Mi Padre (2.5/5)

53.Act of Valor (3/5)

52.Wrath of the Titans (3/5)

51.Lockout (3/5)

50.Hit and Run (3/5)

49.Safe (3.5/5)

48.Premium Rush (3.5/5)

47.The Grey (3.5/5)

46.The Hunger Games (3.5/5)

45.Here Comes the Boom (3.5/5)

44.God Bless America (3.5/5)

43.Prometheus (3.5/5)

42.Safety Not Guaranteed (3.5/5)

41.Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (3.5/5)

40.Red Dawn (3.5/5)

39.Underworld: Awakening (3.5/5)

38.Red Tails (3.5/5)

37.Man on a Ledge (3.5/5)

36.The Watch (3.5/5)

35.Trouble with the Curve (3.5/5)

34.The Five-Year Engagement (3.5/5)

33.Project X (4/5)

32.Piranha 3DD (4/5)

31.Savages (4/5)

30.Sleepwalk with Me (4/5)

29.Wanderlust (4/5)

28.Goon (4/5)

27.Dredd (4/5)

26.Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie (4/5)

25.That's My Boy (4/5)

24.Flight (4/5)

23.Detachment (4/5)

22.Contraband (4/5)

21.The Campaign (4/5)

20.Men in Black III (4/5)

19.Skyfall (4/5)

18.Argo (4/5)

17.The Cabin in the Woods (4/5)

16.Lawless (4/5)

15.Safe House (4/5)

14.This is 40 (4/5)

13.Chronicle (4/5)

12.Looper (4/5)

11.The Dictator (4/5)

10.American Reunion (4/5)

9.The Raid: Redemption (4.5/5)

8.End of Watch (4.5/5)

7.The Avengers (4.5/5)

6.Ted (4.5/5)

5.The Expendables 2 (4.5/5)

4.Silver Linings Playbook (4.5/5)

3.21 Jump Street (4.5/5)

2.The Dark Knight Rises (4.5/5)

1.Django Unchained (5/5)

Still want/need to see:

Get the Gringo

Brave

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

Iron Sky

Killer Joe

Total Recall

Celeste and Jesse Forever

For A Good Time Call....

The Words

Seven Psychopaths

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

3, 2,1 Frankie Go Boom!

Sinister

The Man with the Iron Fists

Killing Them Softly

Deadfall

Jack Reacher

Zero Dark Thirty

I also thought it would be fun to do another list on top of my year-end recap. Every avid moviegoer wishes they could control the winner of the Oscars, so If I controlled the Oscars for this year here's who win based on the films I've seen this year.

Best Picture: Django Unchained

Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, Argo

Best Supporting Actress: Kelly Riley, Flight

Best Director: Quentin Tarintino, Django Unchained

Best Original Screenplay: Django Unchained

Best Adapted Screenplay: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Cinematography: Django Unchained

Best Visual Effects: Snow White and the Huntsman

January in Film

So here we are in the new year. 2013 has a tough act to follow after the great year 2012 was, but there are a lot of films on the schedule this year with potential. As the year starts, I have to say this January continues the trend of recent years and has more intriguing fare than we usually see in the first month of the year. Here's to another year of cinema and here are my thoughts of all of the notable January releases.

Films I want to see:
6.Parker (1/25)-Jason Statham in his familiar wheelhouse is a guarantee I will see it. This film should also benefit from the presence of Michael Chiklis as the villain and talented veteran director Taylor Hackford.

5.Movie 43 (1/25)-Pretty funny looking anthology film with an all-star cast including Hugh Jackman, Gerard Butler, Emma Stone, Terrence Howard, Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Richard Gere, and many more A-list stars. Seeing this many name actors in the same film and the series of short films concept is definitely appealing to me. Hopefully it's as funny as the red band trailer makes it out to be.

4.Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (1/25)-This looked just alright to me until I saw the red band trailer. Now it looks like a fun, gory B-movie to me. It should also be interesting to see a serious actor like Jeremy Renner play off-type in a corny horror-comedy like this. I'm expecting this to be a load of dumb fun making it perfect fare for January.

3.Broken City (1/18)-The trailer is good, but I'm expecting the movie to be better than it looks because of the talent involved. Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe are two of the best actors in the business right now and I loved director Allen Hughes's last movie The Book of Eli. It look like intriguing gritty thriller not unlike Wahlberg's Contraband, which was released last January.

2.The Last Stand (1/18)-Ahnold is back! Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to the big screen has been a long time coming and The Last Stand looks like a glorious return for the action legend. It looks to be loaded with explosions, big guns, corny dialogue, and B-movie greatness or in other words, It's got all the makings of a Schwarzengger classic. The fact that acclaimed Korean director Kim Ji-Woon is behind the camera makes it all the better.

1.Gangster Squad (1/11)-I've been waiting for this one ever since it got delayed from it's September release in the aftermath of the tragic Aurora movie theater shooting (The climax of the film involved gangsters shooting up a movie theater. The studio decided to cut the scene and re-shoot a different ending, causing the delay.) I absolutely love gangster movies and this look like it's going to be a great one. The cast is loaded with talent including Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Nick Noltie, Emma Stone, Sean Penn (I can't stand him, but he is a gifted actor), Michael Pena, and Anthony Mackie. Based on the premise, how good it looks, and the cast, This is one of my most anticipated movies of the year and I hope it lives up to my expectations.

Films I'm unsure about:
Texas Chainsaw 3D (1/4)-I have a soft spot for slasher movies and the trailer is actually pretty decent for this. The problem is that I despised the 2003 remake and even though this film has nothing to do with it, I'm a bit wary of how it will be. I will check it out on DVD though and maybe it will surprise me.

Film I have zero interest in seeing:
A Haunted House (1/11)-What the hell happened to Marlon Wayans? The first two Scary Movie films were really funny, but ever since he really lost his niche at spoof films. This movie looks pretty damn unfunny and even though I do like Cedric the Entertainer, I won't be seeing this one.

Mama (1/18)-Good cast, but Guliermo Del Toro-produced horror always underwhelms and the concept is dumb.