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NFL: Josh Freeman Resurfaces

Josh Freeman joins the Minnesota Vikings.
Photo credit NFL

by J.T.

The past few weeks have been a rollercoaster ride for Josh Freeman. Freeman went from being the Buccaneers starting QB to inactive then released within 2 weeks. The breakup with the Bucs seemed to be very nasty, they leaked confidential information and personal emails. Even with today's state of social media I've never seen a team go this low to black ball a player they once drafted to be their franchise QB, I know this regime wasn't the ones to draft him but still.

NFL: Monday Night Football Preview - New York Jets vs Atlanta Falcons

by Rodney Fisher

Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons (1-3) take on the
New York Jets (2-2). Photo credit NFL

The New York Jets (2-2) fly south to the Georgia Dome to try and ground the Atlanta Falcons (1-3). The Jets come off a blow-out loss to the Tennessee Titans. The Falcons will try to enter their bye week without losing two straight at home.

NBA: Dirk Nowitzki Talks Upcoming 2013-14 Season With Dallas Mavericks

by Rodney Fisher

Dirk Nowitzki at Mavs Media Day. Photo credit Rodney Fisher

Dirk Nowitzki shares his thoughts on the upcoming NBA season and his new teammates in Dallas.

Derrick Rose returns to the NBA. Photo credit Adidas

by Rodney Fisher

Everyone knows how much of a basketball fan I am and I know it may be only the second game of the preseason, but watching this game only made me more anxious for the 2012-13 season to start. The Indiana Pacers challenged the Miami Heat for the Eastern Conference, while the Chicago Bulls minus Derrick Rose could not overcome injuries and illness. Like that one song, by that one guy, times are changing.

The winning track record will be put to the test this week, as some of the better teams in the NFL head out on the road.

Without further procrastination, here are the Sunday Predictions for Week 5

Monta Ellis. Photo credit NBA

by Rodney Fisher

Since being drafted 40th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, Monta Ellis has been out to prove he belongs with the elite group. His natural scoring ability allowed him to bypass college for the NBA. He spent a majority of his rookie season adjusting to the business aspect of basketball that is missing from playing for your local high school team. Now with the Dallas Mavericks and importantly head coach Rick Carlisle, Ellis is ready for stardom.

Amare Stoudmire and New York Knicks. Photo credit NBA

by Mattman

There are almost 100 million reasons why the New York Knicks signed themselves out of a foreseeable NBA Championship when they picked up Amare' Stoudemire in the 2010 NBA offseason, and it all starts with his famously "unmovable" contract.

Although the Knicks' 5-year, 99.7 million dollar (uninsured) investment in Amare' Stoudemire sounded like a great start for an NBA franchise that was looking to streamline their squad into an NBA

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Minnesota Timberwolves: Have draft day blunders kept them out of the playoffs?

by Mattman

The NBA Playoffs have not been kind to the Minnesota Timberwolves over the past decade.

In fact, the T-Wolves and the NBA postseason are practically not even on speaking terms at this second, and Minnesota currently holds the longest playoff drought amongst active NBA franchises as we speak.

Can you say "separation issues"?

Paul George gets max contract. Photo credit NBA

by J.T.

Paul George gets "PAID". The Indiana Pacers are extending their star forward at the tune of 5 years 90 million dollars. George's rise to stardom has led to him getting cashed out. He helped push the Heat to a game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Will George build off of a year that he averaged 17.4 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 4.1 apg and 1.8 spg? PG can ya boy get a loan? Will this contract hamper his game? No matter what happens he should be set for life. Do your thing PG keep ballin'

Follow me at http://thefrontofficenews.com
-JT

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NFL: Ranking The 0-2 Teams

by Rodney Fisher

Carolina Panthers take on NY Giants to end
winless season. Photo credit NFL

We are in week 3 of the young NFL season and eight teams have started out 0-2. Two teams were in the playoffs just last season, while others are perennial division favorites that find themselves rebuilding or nursing some critical injuries on their roster. Then again, some of the teams are just that bad.

1. Washington Redskins - You could make the argument that their first two games was an extended preseason, since their best player RGIII has only played in two games back from surgery. The have been blown out the first half of both games, but seem to be able to put up points in the second half.

NFL: Indianapolis Colts Playing With House Money

Trent Richardson arrives at Colts facility after being traded
by the Cleveland Browns. Photo credit NFL

by Chad Jones

Per the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), a 'Minimum Team Cash Spending' provision mandates every team spends 89% of Cap Space over two 4 year windows, (2013-2016) & (2017-2020).

Drew Brees stated on this CBA Provision in an E-Mail per Pro Football Talk:

"It doesn’t matter how high the cap is if they are only going to spend that much. So with a minimum in place, it requires all teams to be at or above that minimum. More money in players pockets.”

Century Link field. Photo credit Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have a good team and a great home field crowd which leads to an amazing home field advantage.

by J.T.

One of the most anticipated matches of the year happened Week 2 when the Seahawks and 49ers linked up. This matchup highlighted two great defenses with explosive offenses. There has been Madden 25 commercials highlighting the teams dual threat star Quarterbacks respectively Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. I waited all day for this one game and Breaking Bad (heck of an episode wasn’t it?) and boy was I pissed but I realized how tough it is to play the Seahawks at home and calmed down. Before I blew a gasket I remembered what happened to the Saints playing at CenturyLink Field in the playoffs in the fact that no team has beat them there since 2011 and it made me say one thing during this year’s playoffs no one wants to play them at home, I mean no one.

Floyd Mayweather remains undefeated. Photo credit Showtime

by Kendrick Johnson

Leading up to his clash with Mexican Superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, boxing’s pound for pound king Floyd “Money” Mayweather told anyone who would listen September 14 would be easy work. For nearly all 16,000 in attendance, Mayweather’s latest masterpiece looked very easy as the “Money Man” rung up another victory while making a guaranteed $41.5 million.

NFL on RFSN

RFSN has announced their new NFL Sunday LIVE Lineup starting this weekend. Now you can get all the new information on every NFL team before kickoff! Don't set your fantasy lineup until you listen to us!

9:00am cst/ 10:00am est - The Sunday Morning Slant w/ Asylum Fantasy Football
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Vlog: NFL Picks for Week 2

by Rodney Fisher

I'm back everyone! New picks for the NFL Week 2. Again, the picks are for recreational purposes...or something like that.

Video after jump

Delle Donne and Brittney Griner. Photo credit WNBA

by J.T.

I was watching some WNBA last night because nothing else was on but it was also a Griner/Delle Donne matchup and as a fan of all sorts of basketball I can have time for that.

In the winding seconds with game tied at 68, Delle Donne got the ball at the top of the 3 point line isolated on Bonner; honestly she channeled her inner Dirk because I swear I thought I was looking at a female Dirk when she made her move. She took a few dribbles did a nice left to right spin move to get separation and she cashed out leading the Sky to the victory (70-68).

Video after jump

NFC West

by J. T.

I know people will state the AFC North is the best division in football, some will argue the NFC East or NFC South is the best division and everybody would be able to make valid points to back their case but I’m not here to shoot down the other divisions, I’m here to marvel at the marvelous jump the NFC West has made within a short period of time.

Chicago Bulls. Photo credit NBA

by Mattman

Between free agency findings and signings that shook up the "power rankings" over the summer, a plethora of sustainability questions surrounding a two-time defending champ, and a new generation of influential NBA talent, there's something funky brewing out East.

Marshawn Lynch and Frank Gore. Photo credit NFL

by Chad Jones

San Francisco: Super Bowl Losers Curse Not an Issue
GM Trent Baalke, Coach Jim Harbaugh & unheralded executive Paraag Marathe lead one of footballs most innovative & successful organizations. In a primetime rematch with perennial contender Green Bay, San Francisco was well-prepared & executed it's game plan at a postseason level. In a week 1 filled with sloppy play & mental lapses across the league; San Francisco was firing on all cylinders. The running game never established except spots in the 3rd Quarter, which forced 2nd year starter Colin Kaepernick to take the stage. Credit also goes to Anquan Boldin, who delivered one of the best performances of his career.

New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons. Photo credit NFL

by Chad Jones

New Orleans: Defense in Big Easy?
Sean Payton's return to the Big Easy reignited the Saints to a 23-17 Win v. Division Rival, & presumptive Super Bowl contender Atlanta. The offense remained dynamic & lethal in Payton's absence; and churned out 419 Yards on Sunday. It's Drew Brees' show, a big strike passing game that complements intermediate precision passing, and mixed in running opportunities. The true week 1 takeaway was the vastly improved Defensive performance.

Jay Cutler. Photo courtesy of NFL

by Chad Jones

Green Bay- Aaron Rodgers makes the Pack Favorites
Over the past 4 seasons, Aaron Rodgers has led the Packers to 47 Wins against a mere 17 losses. It's built around Rodgers' execution of Mike McCarthy's scheme, whose talent covers up issues across the team. The first issue has been the offensive line. Starting a 4th Round Rookie Left Tackle & a 2012 Undrafted Free Agent at Right Tackle; many perceived issues would persist in 2013. Against a tough road opponent, protection was better than many anticipated. The concern that persists is the one dimensional offense, lacking a complementary running game despite a 2nd Round investment in Eddie Lacy.

NFL: NFC East Week 1 Reaction- Chip Kelly's Arrival

by Chad Jones

Chip Kelly, Mike Vick. Photo courtesy of NFL

NFC East:
Cognizant that 10-11 wins carries the 'NFC Beast', preseason prognostications ranged. Consensus varied from the Redskins repeating, Giants rebounding, to 'America's Team' reemerging. What nobody believed was the mystery of Chip Kelly's arrival in Philadelphia with holdover Michael Vick would be a resounding success. The Eagles Monday Night Football performance, in particular the first half, has put the league on notice.

Don't miss the kickoff of the NFL season with Football Extra Points on RFSN!

2013 NFL Season Preview & Predictions

2013 NFL Season Preview and Predictions

by Statmark

I wrote my first NFL preview back in High School in 1991 which makes me a youngin to most experts and an old fogey to the whippersnappers. Regardless, I’ve been writing about football for a long time and have never made an effort to put it out beyond my inner circle of friends and to the masses. So we’ll see how this goes. When I did this post last year, I talked about the “inner hunger teams” of that came oh-so-close but fell just short are so frequently the most logical choice to go to the Super Bowl the following yet and conveniently enough, the 2011 Conference championship losers – the Ravens and 49ers – confirmed my statement by meeting in this past Super Bowl. So which two teams fall into that category this year? Ironically enough, those two teams BOTH fall into the NFC while the AFC has no one team that truly represents that “inner hunger”. The Patriots and Broncos (or more specifically, Brady and Manning) are perennial powerhouses that can’t replicate the desire of those teams that have never tasted the sweet sod of Super Bowl Sunday. However, in the NFC, we have both the Falcons and the Seahawks (and many might say the 49ers fall into that category as well, although as a general rule, the Super Bowl loser is LESS driven than a team that lost in the Conference Championship).

NFL Preview: Power Rankings By Division

by Rodney Fisher

2013-14 NFL Preview Power Rankings

Now that the NFL season is upon us, it is now time for our NFL Power Rankings to return. We take a look at each division for our first list. The NFL has grown into a league of parity, which for fans is the best case scenario. In no other league can a bad team turn into a championship contender over one offseason. See the Washington Redskins last season for evidence.

For this list, we took a close look at the preseason for what it is worth. We took into account injuries, new coaches, new coordinators, and returning power teams.

Lets get to the 2013-14 NFL Preseason Power Rankings:

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Lamar Odom: Flesh and Blood

by Matt Silverston

Say what you want about Lamar Odom, and go ahead and criticize his lifestyle and the choices he's made, but I will never hesitate to stand up for those human beings who suffer from addiction and mental illness.

Given that Odom's story as well as his whereabouts are uncertain and up-in-the-air at this time, the biggest issue at stake here is so much more than money, a reality TV drama, or a basketball hoop. His future livelihood as a healthy, spirited human being is under attack and in immediate jeopardy.

NFL: 49ers and Chiefs swap disappointing 1st round receivers

by J.T.

Alex Smith of Kansas City Chiefs. Photo courtesy of USA Today

The 49ers and Chiefs can’t stop dealing with each other can they? Both teams were back at it after coming together during the off season to make a swap.

Alex Smith for two 2nd round picks was the deal months ago that brought the two teams together and Monday they came together to trade disappointing 1st round receivers, The 49ers send 2012 1st round pick A.J. Jenkins to the Chiefs for their 2011 1st round pick Jonathan Baldwin.

NFL: A.J. Jenkins you are next up

by J.T.

A.J. Jenkins of the San Francisco 49ers. Photo credit NFL

49ers star receiver tore his achilles and more than likely will be
~~out for the season~~ the majority of the season. Crabtree finally claimed his spot as the 9ers number 1 receiver last year, being the first receiver to get over 1,000 receiving yards for the 9ers since Terrell Owens.

With injury comes opportunity for other players

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: Defense/Special Teams

by Rodney Fisher

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings Defense

Why not save the rest for last? Drafting the right defense may seem like the best function of auto-draft, but some research could make the difference. You should look for defenses and special teams that can score points. Do they have a speedy return guy? Do they have some studs in the secondary or can the frontline cause turnovers? Another strategy is to look at the division the defense will play in. If you can hit on a defense that plays against poor offensive competition or young quarterbacks, you may have your diamond in the rough.

Here is our rankings for defense/special teams:

NBA: Monta Ellis' Dallas Ties

by Rodney Fisher

Monta Ellis of the Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks introduced their new and improved roster to season ticket holders and media. After fielding a few questions and making statements, we learned that the team's biggest free agent aquisition of the offseason, Monta Ellis, has deep Dallas ties.

by Matt Silverston

The good news for Pau Gasol is that its already halfway through August, and the Lakers haven't started shopping him around the league yet (at least not openly).

The bad news for Pau is that the keyword in the previous phrase was "yet."

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: TE

by Rodney Fisher

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings TE. Photo credit NFL

The tight end position has become the secret weapon for fantasy league winners. The players at the position have become more versatile with the routes that they can run. If you get a TE that gets a lot of targets from the quarterback against the right defense, you can get an easy "W" in a head-to-head league. Look for red zone threats when you make your selection in the draft.

Here is our rankings for TE:

Brian Mcann will be one of many 2014 free agents. Photo credit MLB

by Chad Jones

An inside look at the upcoming free agent market for catchers.

Brian McCann -30- Atlanta Braves
Enters Free Agency relatively young with durability issues. In many ways represents a link to the old Braves, starting his career as John Smoltz's personal catcher. Moving forward, the Braves have Evan Gattis & highly touted prospect Christian Betancourt in the pipeline.

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: QB

by Rodney Fisher

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings: QB. Photo credit NFL

Quarterbacks seem to wake up and throw 4,000 yards in a season. The difference between each will be the amount of touchdowns they can score. When you add in the duel threat athletes like RGIII or Colin Kaepernick, the position on your fantasy team can be critical to finishing first or worst.

Here is our rankings for QBs:

RG3 and Kirk Cousins. Photo credit NFL

by Chad Jones

Two years into a 5 Year $ 35 Million deal, Mike Shanahan's Redskins accumulated 11 Wins & 21 Losses. At 2011's conclusion, fans were frustrated, and many lobbied for Owner Daniel Snyder to cut the cord. Exercising restraint, Shanahan was retained into year 3 of the seismic rebuild.

Shanahan consummated a trade, moving from 6th to 2nd overall in the 2012 Draft to select Robert Griffin III.

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings WR. Photo credit NFL

by Rodney Fisher

The wide receiver position is deep this season. There are always going to be the big names at the top of the list, but don't be surprised if there are some sleepers. The NFL has become a more pass oriented league and most defenses lack a good secondary.

This year we took a close look at the WRs that finished the season well and stand to benefit from stabilty in the offensive huddle. Here are the top WRs:

NY Jets Rex Ryan on the hot seat. Photo credit NFL

by Chad Jones

Enter Rex Ryan's world, the gregarious Coach enters his 5th season in New York, overseeing an organizational transition, what most would call a rebuild. Owner Woody Johnson fired General Manager Mike Tannenbaum of a disappointing 6-10 campaign. The proverbial scapegoat, Johnson searched for the next GM with one caveat- Rex Ryan would be retained as Head Coach in 2013.

After high profile candidates turned down Johnson's overtures & generous offers, John Idzik Jr was hired to lead a, "Collaborative Consensus-Building Process." In many ways, Idzik represents a shift in NFL Circles, not your prototypical 'Football Guy', Idzik is deeply analytical & well-spoken. Idzik graduated Magna Cum Laude & Phi Betta Keppa from Dartmouth College with a degree in Mathematics. He later earned a Masters Degree from Duke University. He chooses his words carefully, and weighs decisions from a cost-benefit vantage point, not coming across as affable or endearing, but rather as a capable professional.

2013 Fantasy Football Rankings - RBs. Photo credit NFL

by Rodney Fisher

NFL fantasy football has become the game within the game for sports fans. We get to not only root for our teams, but we spend our Sunday's flipping to every other game or, if you are more advanced, your watching multiple games at once. As leagues and fantasy GMs become more complex in preparation for the upcoming season we felt we needed to play our part.

Our annual fantasy football rankings report is ready to go. We start off with the most important position in this year's fantasy football draft, running back.

Follow LaDell Williams as he rises through the boxing ranks to get a title shot. This new webisode series will chronicle want it takes outside of the ring to be a champion.

Video after jump

NCAA: Johnny Manziel - Rolexes, Mercedes and Ego

by Chad Jones

Johnny Manziel living large. Photo credit @jmanziel2

Envy is the worst of the deadliest sins, as it doesn't even feel good temporarily. I don't criticize Johnny Manziel because of resentment, I do so to juxtapose Johnny's recent transgressions with prior athletes.

Three weeks after receiving the Heisman, Johnny Manziel & sister Mari received Rolex watches for Christmas. Mari Manziel Tweeted: Matching Watches @jmanziel2 #Twinsies with an Instagram Photo attached.

In reality they weren't matching, Johnny got gold & Mari diamonds. The younger Manziel was flabbergasted when twitter followers berated her about the opulent display, replying via Twitter:

24/7 Sports Talk

The winning track record will be put to the test this week, as some of the better teams in the NFL head out on the road.

by Chad Jones

The Seattle Seahawks have a good team and a great home field crowd which leads to an amazing home field advantage.