All in all, a disappointing performance to what was a must-win game. Congratulations to Benedict Favre and the Vile Vikings.

Vegas favors the Pack by 3 points, which means they consider the teams to be about equal, for a 3 point advantage is given to the home team. And that is true, the teams are pretty even. Adrian Peterson was contained to 55 yards last time, but Favre managed to tear up the defense with some great passing. Meanwhile, Ryan Grant might as well have been at home, but Aaron Rodgers is a different story. He was sacked eight times, hit nine more, and pressured constantly. And yet, he had his best day this season. Imagine if the offensive line could actually hold off the rush. Currently, Minnesota’s defense is among the leaders, as is that of the Packers. The Packers have brought back SS Atari Bigby, while the Vikings have lost Pro Bowl CB Antoine Winfield. This could make all the difference, as Derrick Martin looked lost the last game. Both front sevens have not changed much, but the Packers’ front seven has improved. Slightly. I think this game is to close to call. It all depends on Favre’s emotions. He’s the most emotionally driven player in the league. Look back on his performance against the Raiders, one day after his father died. Then look at the 2007 NFC Championship game.

Keys to a Viking Victory: Keeping 12 under pressure, making sure the pass defense holds up, hoping Favre does not make any stupid mistakes

Keys to a Packer Victory: Stop dropping what should be easy catches, keeping the pressure off Rodgers, making sure the defense contains both Sidney Rice and Adrian Peterson while actually getting to Brett Favre

To all those I-Love-Brett-Favre-But-I-Also-Love-The-Packers: Here’s an ultimatum for you. Stop whining about Brett Favre, or go become a Vikings fan. I don’t care which. Aaron Rodgers is the Packers’ quarterback of the future, and that is not going to change.

Of course I start with the division my favorite team is in.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears:  The Bears are still a work in progress, like the rest of their division. They have a solid ground game in Matt Forte, and a Pro Bowl caliber QB in Jay Cutler. The run defense was stifling last year, ranking in the top ten in least amount of yards given up. But, the running game and run defense will not get you to the Super Bowl. The Bears have Jay Cutler, but no receivers. Their number 1 and 2 receiver would easily be numbers 3 and down on many teams. And the pass defense. It seems like the Bears only play their front seven. The Bears were gouged for huge amounts of passing yard, ranking 30th in the league. Remember, there are 32 teams. Yeah, that’s really bad. Either way, the Bears need more players to show up and do their part, or spend another year watching some other team take the division title.

Impact Players: The entire secondary, the receiving corps. You can’t get by without being able play and guard the pass.

Detroit Lions: 0-16. You cant get worse than that, unless more games are added to the regular season. Little needs to be said here. The Lions have nowhere to go but up. Well, unless the team is 0-16 again. Then, the entire team should just be released, and Detroit should rebuild from the ground up.

Impact Players: The whole 53-man roster. And the coaching staff.

Green Bay Packers: 13-3 and second best in the NFC. And now, 6-10 and third worst in what is currently a very weak divison. Some will blame it on the departure of Brett Favre. Huh. Aaron Rodgers did just fine. He threw for more yards, more touchdowns, and less interceptions than Favre. There are no problems with the offense, except for the offensive line. The Packers boast the 5th highest scoring offense in the league, even with a 6-10 record. The defense is the problem, and special teams. Injuries decimated the Packers’ defense, taking out Atari Bigby, Al Harris, and Cullen Jenkins. KGB, the all-time sacks leader, was released. Charles Woodson was forced to play safety and let a 2nd string corner cover players like Steve Smith of Carolina. And the kickoff teams were atrocious. They gave up huge returns, setting up key plays in losses. Aaron Rodgers was 0-7 when attempting to stage a comeback win. That’s no fault of his, or the offense’s. The defense and the kickoff team need to improve. If the defense and kickoff teams played just that much better, or hadn’t suffered from injuries, the Packers could’ve been a playoff contender this year.

Impact Players: Look for BJ Raji and Clay Matthews to contribute to the 3-4.

Minnesota Vikings: Yikes, the Vikes are going to be without their fabled Williams wall because of the StarCaps case. (Is it me, or did the Packers seem to play against the teams whose players were using that shit?) They have a decent enough defense, but it needs to improve both the pass and run defense. The running game? Well…..they have Adrian Peterson. The passing game? Tarvaris Jackson? Sage Rosenfels? John David Booty? Not to be rude, but who the fuck are these people? I only know two of their receivers: Bernard Berrian(I played too many Madden 07 Quick Play games) and Percy Harvin(Because I actually followed the draft this year).

Impact Players: Any QB, receivers. Like the Bears, you can’t win without a passing game. Only difference? Bears have btter run defense, worse pass defense.

Conclusion: Tight divison race in a relatively weak division. Packers hold the edge with a high powered offense and slightly improved defense(Can’t know for sure until they play another team), then the Vikings led by Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin, then the Bears with Jay Cutler and a stalwart run defense. Then those Lions, with an unproven franchise QB and Calvin Johnson.

Today, the Guardian Council deemed the current ballot valid, paving the way for the incumbent, Ahmadinejad. The Guardian Council declared this after reviewing 10% of votes, which totaled at over 40 million.  Mousavi, the reformist challenger, had earlier stated that Ahmadinejad stole re-election through fraud.

Back to the norm.

Green Bay has recently resigned WR Greg Jennings, making him the second highest paid wideout in the NFL, only behind Larry Fitzgerald.

The Hawks have made two important moves at point guard, trading Acie Law IV and Speedy Claxton for Jamal Crawford of Golden State, and drafting Jeff Teague of Wake Forest. These moves bring insurance at point guard, but coach Mike Woodson said that those moves do not mean Mike Bibby, the incumbent, would be let go.

And the East. How the mighty have fallen. Cavs are down in a deep hole. VERY deep. as in, 3-1 deep. They could have been swept, if it weren’t for Lebron’s miracle shot over Hedo Terkoglu. Seems to me like the Cavs trip to the Finals is over. Magic in 5.

Lakers 105, Nuggets 103

Kobe Bryant leads a lifeless Lakers team to victory, scoring forty points, six in the closing seconds to put the game out of reach. Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggest with thirty-nine points. The Nuggets had a fast start, but the Lakers held on and closed the gap, and even gained the lead, at the end of the first half. From there, the game stayed close. At a 99-99 tie, Kobe stepped up to the line, and made both throws, making it a 101-99 game, and the lead would never change. He then made two more free throws, the score at 103-99. But, a miraculous 23 footer by Chauncey Billups made it a 103-99 game. But, Bryant was fouled again, made two more free throws, and the game was basically over. Denver managed to put up one free throw though, but intentionally missed the other.

BTW, has anyone seen the new Final Fantasy game? Looks pretty good.

Lakers lead regular season series 2-1

Magic leads regular season series 2-1                                                                                                                                                                               ——————————————————————————————————————————————————

On another note, the Green Bay Packers! The Packers have had a relatively quietly offseason compared to other teams. However, the free agent class is one of the largest in recent years, topping out at a whopping two players. Green Bay has generally addressed all of its needs in the draft, but although this may look like a season for redemption, it probably won’t be. The Packers defense needs to adjust to the 3-4, and that won’t happen in a season. Look for Minnesota or Chicago to win the division.

…I can’t believe I really just said that. Someone arrest me.

ORL, BOS: Dwight Howard and the Magic have been pushed to the brink of elimination. If they win, the series will go to a seventh game. Meanwhile, Lebron and the Cavs wait for the winner. Can the Celtics win away from home without KG?

LAL, HOU: Likewise, the Rockets are about to be eliminated, unless they can pick it up. And the last game, a 40 pt 118-78 loss, does not bode well. The Lakers are appaerntly back to their old form: completely crushing their opponents.

Final Scores:

ORL 83, BOS 75—Dwight Howard lifts the Magic with 23 points and 22 rebounds, and forces a Game 7 at TD Banknorth Garden.

LAL 80, HOU 95—A fast start by the Rockets, led by Luis Scola, helps hold back the Lakers and forces another Game 7, at Staples Center.

The Cavs are going for, in some very famous words, “Fo’, fo’, fo’.” And they’re getting close, after having swept the Hawks. Although it was close in this final game, the Hawks never stood a chance. NEVER. It took three consecutive blowouts for the Hawks to find themselves, and even then, they gave a lackluster performance. Josh Smith was the only driving force on the Hawks with 26 points, while the Cavs ground out a win, led by 21 points from Delonte West, and 27 from LBJ. The Hawks led after the first quarter, their biggest lead (7 points), and the first time they’ve led after the end of a quarter. The Hawks’ shooting dropped off in the second quarter, and they never recovered. They made numerous rallies during the closing minutes, but they were always stopped cold by an overpowering Cavs offense that pulled away in the final minute. It was the closest game of the series, and the closest win by the Cavs these playoffs, followed by an 11 point win at Detroit, 79-68. Lebron and the Cavs look to take on the winner of the Magic-Celtics series.

Today, Orlando takes on Boston at TD Banknorth Garden, followed by a showdown between the Lakers and the Yao-less rockets, at Staples Center. As of now, Orlando lead Boston, 28-23, with 8:11 left in the second quarter.

The Nuggets, following a close loss, look to put away the Mavericks. The next game in the series is tomorrow, 9:00, at Denver.