2014-2015 NBA Midseason Rewards

Most Valuable Player 

          Stephen Curry Golden State Warrior point guard is my early MVP. Steph has a had a remarkable first half of the season by averaging 23.7 points per game and also is averaging 8.1 assists per game and also has a fantastic 3Pt field goal percentage at 40.4 and this is all in 47 games and playing 33 minutes per game. Steph has a lead his Warrior squad to 39-9 and this is 2nd in the NBA behind the Atlanta Hawks. Another ribs key to Currys success is with his so called Splash brother Klay Thompson who is another great player who is having a career year also. 

Most Improved Player 

          This award goes to Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls who is having a great year in his 3rd year out of Marquette. Butler is averaging 20.6 points per game and 6.0 Rebounds and has a 46.1 Field goal %. This has all been in 39 minutes per game and 46 games played. Last season he averaged 13.1 points per game and 4.9 rebounds and has his field goal percentage up at nearly 7 points with 39 field goal percentage per game. You can see how much he improved just by looking at these stats. 

Rookie of the Year 

         Andrew Wiggins hasn't been the most consistent this season but Andrew the # 1 pick in last summers draft has been good enough to be this season ROY. Andrew showed that he is talented by showing some games with 25 or more points in 3 different games this season. But this season he has averaged 15.3 points per game and 4.2 rebounds with a .43 field goal percentage. This guy could be a solid player in this league once he starts to become more familiar with the NBA. 

Defensive Player of the Year 

         The team that has one of the most underrated defense in the league because they get overlooked by there offense. This is why I believe that Draymond Green is the DPOY because he a tough nose defender who doesn't let people get angles on him and has been good most of time when there center Andrew Bogut is out he mostly helps out in the low block and is an inforcer down low. He also is very versatile standing at 6 foot 7 who can guard many people on the court. He can guard a guy like Derek Rose who is a point guard or a guy like Kevin Durant who is a forward. 

Sixth Man of the Year

         This award goes to yet another Warrior who is Marreese Speights. The Forward from Golden State is averaging 12.2 points per game and is also averaging 5.3 rebounds and 47 field goal percentage. This guy is a key component coming off the bench when guys like Draymond Green is off the floor. Standing at 6 foot 10 he adds a physical specimen to Golden State's front court.  

Coach of the Year 

        The Hawks have had much success this season and team is led by coach Mike Budenholtzer. The Hawks have had the best record in the NBA with 42-9. They have had many players that stepped up this season and that will be Atlantas big 3 led by Jeff Teague, Al Horford and Paul Millsap. They have compared this team to the way the San Antonio Spurs play who Budenholzer coach for as An assistant for many years. This is why I believe that coach Mike Budenholzer is the COY. 

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@EvanGrubin

New York Giants Receiving Core

     The New York Giants have a great group of receivers. If they all play next year, Eli Manning will have many guys to throw to. I would like to briefly talk about three receivers on the Giants, O'dell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, and Rueben Randle.

   

     O'Dell Beckham Jr. is a very talented receiver. He is extremely althetic and ran a 4.31 40 yard dash at the draft combine. He put together a great season while winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. In only 12 games, he finished the year in the top 10 in receiving yards and touchdown receptions. He is hard to tackle in the open field and has great hands. He showed his catching ability with his famous one handed catch against the Dallas Cowboys. He also showed his great leaping ability by making that catch. Beckham draws the attention of defensive backs which can help Victor Cruz and Rueben Randle get open more.

     Victor Cruz is another great receiver on this team. With the Giants, he won 1 Super Bowl. Throughout his whole career, Cruz has 264 receptions. He and Beckham have a very similar style of play. They both have great speed and are hard to tackle in the open field. This season Cruz was injured in week 6 and was ruled out for the entire season.  Before getting hurt, Cruz was playing great. Cruz has no trouble getting open.

     Rueben Randle is a great player. This season he played every game and finished the season with 938 receiving yards. He is 6'2" and 208 pounds. He is bigger and taller than Cruz and Beckham. If he plays next season, Eli Manning should consider throwing him the ball in the red zone more often. In Randle's last 2 games of the season, he played great. In those two games combined, he caught 1 touchdown and got 290 receiving yards.

Is Tom Brady the Best Ever ?

Tom Brady just won his fourth ring and can easily be considered the best Quarterback of all time. Brady has made six appearances to the Super Bowl and won four. He is a former MVP and is high up on all of the major Quarterback stats lists. Brady is not done , far from it. The Pats are already favorites to return to the Super Bowl next year. Even if Brady doesn't win next year you figure he has at least three years left. There is definitely a chance that Brady can win another ring before he is done. Brady is fifth on the all time touchdown list and needs just eight more for 400. Brady is also fifth on the all time passing yards leaderboard. Tom Brady has knocked off the Rams , Panthers , Eagles , and now the Seahawks. After winning three Super Bowls right away it took Brady ten years before winning another. Brady was still in the playoffs every year except one while playing for the Patriots. He now has the most wins ever in playoff history and the most passing touchdowns.

Their will always be an argument of who is better Brady or Montana but Brady has made six Super Bowl appearances in the free agent era. He has done it at a time that Quarterbacks rule the game. In a game where Quarterback records fall all the time Brady remain consistent and on top of his game. Brady has passed for 392 touchdowns and Montana 273. Brady has passed for over 53,000 yards and Montana for over 40,000 yards. Granted the game is different now but Brady's numbers aren't slightly better than Montana's they are clearly better. Tom Brady has won two MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVP awards. Montana and Brady have the exact amount of Super Bowl Rings , Super Bowl MVP awards and League MVP Awards. Brady and Montana are clearly the two best ever. Personally I believe Brady is now the best ever and he is not even done.

Peter Vitella 

@Realpete13 

Sports Bros Podcast

Another great podcast by the Sports Bros Podcast give them a download!

Episode 41: A Crap Ton of Llamas

On this week’s episode of the Sports Bros Podcast, Jordan, Walter, and Brad talk all things Super Bowl, discuss Jonathon Football’s trip to rehab, hail Duke as the best team in the land, talk National Signing Day, and play Bro Down.

To vote for the winner of this week’s opening question, be sure to head over to www.jordanrhall.com/vote

Don’t forget to follow the Bros on Twitter

@jordanhall23

@w_lehmann22

@SportsBrosPod

www.jordanrhall.com

www.facebook.com/sportsbrospodcast

Peter Vitella from the League Sports Blog 

@Realpete13 

Transformation Tuesday: Tom Brady

From Nothing to Something

Tom Brady: 4-time Super Bowl Champion and 3-time Super Bowl MVP. Yeah, right, said any fan of football in the late 90's and early 00's. Well, yeah, Tom Brady just won the 4th Super Bowl of his career, tying Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for the most by a quarterback. Brady also won his 3rd Super Bowl MVP, now sharing the record with none-other than Joe Montana. Brady definitely had a slow start to his career, but over the years, you have seen tremendous improvements. Tom Brady, a young California kid, has come a long way. 

Before the NFL

Brady attended Junípero Serro High School where he was a three-sport athlete, playing baseball, basketball, and football. He was even drafted by the Montreal Expos as a catcher. Brady, obviously passed on baseball. Instead, he then attended the University of Michigan to play football. Brady would not find the field for the first two years of college, which led to severe frustration and anxiety. He would even go as far as to hire a sports physiologist. However, Brady would become the starter in his junior year, where he broke various records, including one for the most completions in a season, with 214. The Michigan star would go on to win Citrus and Orange Bowls. Next, he would enter the 2000 NFL Draft.

NFL Career

The image above is a very popular photo. Brady, at 6'0" and 211 pounds, is seen out-of-shape and not NFL-ready. Brady would look to overcome such challenges in his career. At the NFL Combine, Brady ran a historically low 5.28 40-yard dash. He also had a 24.5 vertical leap. Overall, he put up a terrible showing. But still, in the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady was selected with the 199th pick in the 6th round, by the New England Patriots. Here, he united with Bill Belicheck, who we all know had a long term plan for Brady (much like we have seen with Jimmy Garoppolo now). In his rookie season, Brady again couldn't find the field. But during the 2001 season, his time had finally come. 

Super Bowl #1

Brady would replace the injured Drew Bledsoe in Week 2. Brady would secure the the starting job with outstanding play. He finished the season with 2,843 yards and 18 touchdowns. In his first playoff game, Brady would be subject to one of the most controversial plays in NFL history, the Tuck Rule. Down by three in the 4th quarter and driving, Brady fumbled the ball, but was eventually overturned and changed to a incomplete pass. Brady would win that game and the next, and was going to Super Bowl XXXVI. This game was a tight one, and it came down to the end. Brady, started at their own 17 yard line with 1:21 left and no timeouts, drove down field to set up a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri. This was Brady's first Super Bowl win and the first of his Super Bowl MVP's. 

Super Bowl #2

The New England Patriots started out 2-2, but then won 12 straight games to finish 14-2. Brady would return to the Super Bowl in the 2003 Playoffs for Super Bowl XXXVIII. Brady cruised through the AFC Divisional and Conference Championships games against the Titans and Colts. Once again, the ball was put in Tom Brady's hands. With the game knotted up at 29 and 1:08 to go, Brady drove his team down field for another game-winning field goal, a 32-29 victory over the Panthers. Brady totaled 354 yards and 3 touchdowns. Brady would again win Super Bowl MVP. Now, Brady was 2 for 2 in Super Bowls.

Super Bowl #3

The following year, Brady and the Pats cruised through opponents, again finishing 14-2. The New England Patriots again found themselves in the Super Bowl, this time facing the Philadelphia Eagles. Brady would get the job done again, winning Super Bowl XXXIX. Brady threw for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, he did not win MVP honors, for that went to a Tom Brady receiver, Deion Branch. Branch caught 11 passes for 133 receiving yards. This was the Patriots 3rd title in the last 4 years. 

Super Bowl #4

The Patriots would not return to the Super Bowl again until 2007, this time with Randy Moss, Dontè Stallworth, and Wes Welker. This Super Bowl had a different feeling to it. The Pats were trying to complete a perfect season, but the New York Football Giants were in their path. In Super Bowl XLII, it would be the Giants, and not the Patriots, winning the Super Bowl. Of course, it was Eli Manning leading a game-winning drive, with an outstanding helmet-catch by David Tyree. Brady would finish with 266 yards, 1 touchdown, and his first Super Bowl loss. Brady was now 3-1 in his Super Bowl career.

Super Bowl #5

Brady's Patriots would once again meet Eli Manning's Giants in the Super Bowl. This time, it was Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Brady played well the entire game, but again fell victim to Eli Manning's late game heroics. It was a Mario Manningham sideline catch and a Ahmad Bradshaw touchdown that would deliver the final knockout punch. Most notably, Brady had 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. This would drop Brady to a 3-2 Super Bowl record. He was 0-2 against the Giants and Eli Manning. He will forever remember the Tyree and Manningham catches that would hold him from being 5-0 in the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl #6

All of that leads us to now, a Super Bowl XLIX matchup with the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks and their number 1 defense were coming off their first Super Bowl win against the number 1 offense Denver Broncos. The first half ended with Russell Wilson and Tom Brady trading blows. The game was tied 14-14. Early in the fourth quarter, the Patriots found themselves in a hole, down 24-14. Once again, it was Brady time, something we were all used to seeing on the big stage. Brady drives down the field with ease. Boom, one touchdown, and it is already 24-21. A defensive stop and the ball has found Brady again. With no more than 4 minutes left in the game, Brady just picks apart Seattle and replacement corner Tharold Simon for another touchdown. Well, Brady's done it again. However, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks had other plans. Wilson and Jermaine Kearse hook up on a tremendous bobbling catch in the red-zone. It is not the first time Brady's seen something like this. Then, on the 1-yard line, Wilson is picked off by Malcolm Butler, the savior. Brady is a 4-time Super Bowl Champion and a 3-time Super Bowl MVP, finishing with all 4 Patriot touchdowns. 

In the Long Run...

From a 6th-round pick, to the picture above.

Brady is definitely the greatest playoff QB of all-time, better than Montana and Bradshaw. Brady should really be 6-0 in the Super Bowl, but it just wasn't meant to happen, and he has to live with it. The great part about it, is that he's 37 years young and still has plenty of football left. Tom Brady: A 4-time Super Bowl Champion and a 3-time Super Bowl MVP. Yeah, right. 

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@_SwagggyT

Top 50 Early Outfielder Rankings

Top 50 Early Outfielder rankings
1. M. Trout
2. G. Stanton
3. A. Mccutchen
4. J. Batista
5. C. Gomez
6. A. Jones
7. R. Braun
8. M. Brantley
9. J. Ellsbury
10. J. Upton
11.  M. Kemp
12. Y. Puig
13. B. Harper
14. G. Springer
15. H. Pence
16. C. Dickerson
17. C. Gonzalez
18. M. Holliday
19. N. Cruz
20. Y. Cespedes
21. C. Blackmon
22. A. Gordan
23. S. Marte
24. B. Hamilton
25. M. Betts
26. W. Myers
27. J. Bruce
28. S. Choo
29. J. Solar
30. J. Hayward
31. C. Yelich
32. J. Werth
33. B. Gardner
34. M. Trumbo
35. G. Palanco
36. C. Kalhoun
37. R. Zimmerman
38. J. Harrison
39. J. Martinez
40. M. Ozuna
41. K. Davis
42. B. Zobrist
43. M. Byrd
44. Y. Tomas
45. B. Moss
46. A. Pollock
47. M. Cuddyer
48. O. Arcia
49. C. Granderson
50. D. Span
By: Joseph Vitella

Game Preview: Super Bowl XLIX

Time- 6:30 pm

Location- University of Phoenix Stadium, Gendale, Arizona

Super Bowl Sunday has finally come and its the matchup that all football fans wanted to see. The Patriots and Tom Brady will be looking for their fourth Super Bowl victory to continue their dynasty. The Seahawks are looking to win back to back Super Bowls. They would be the first team to do that since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots.

The Seattle Seahawks enter the game as 1 point favorites after the Patriots spent most of the week as 1 point favorites. The Seahawks are led by running back Marshawn Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson, safety Kam Chancellor, and cornerback Richard Sherman. The Legion of Boom will look to stop Patriots star receiver Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. The Seahawks offense will also be under a microscope as many believe if the Hawks cannot run then the game will be over. Wide receiver Doug Baldwin was outspoken when the wideout group was questioned. If the Seahawks want to repeat as champions, Russell Wilson will have to come up big both in the running and passing games.

The New England Patriots come into Arizona looking to avenge their Super Bowl 42 loss in Arizona as well as their loss to the Seahawks in 2012. Tom Brady will lead his troops into battle against one of the best defenses of all time but Brady is ready. Tight end Rob Gronkowski will play a huge role in the offense as if the Patriots can get him going early and often the run game will open up and this game might get out of hand. On the defensive side of the ball cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner look to silence the critics as the will want to prove that they are the best defense on the field. The defensive line with Vince Wilfork, Chandler Jones, and Sealver Siliga will be given a tough task in stopping Marshawn Lynch.

Key Players 

Patriots- Rob Gronkowski, Tight End: Rob Gronkowski or Gronk as he is better known, will have to have a big game for the Patriots. The All-Pro tight end will look to beat Kam Chancellor in one of  the best match-ups in Super Bowl history. Gronk has helped Tom Brady all season with huge plays and if the Patriots want to walk away with a fourth Super Bowl title, Gronk will have to spike a couple of balls in the end zone.

Seahawks- Russell Wilson, Quarterback: The former third round pick will look to win his second consecutive Lombardi Trophy in the desert. Wilson is a true dual threat as he lead the league in rushing yards for a quarterback and he was near the tops in passing yards. The Pats will look to contain him in the pocket but Wilson will be looking to prove he can adjust and win. If Seattle wants to start a dynasty Wilson will have to play his game and then some.

Predictions
After a long season for both teams and the NFL it is fitting for the season to end in a battle of the top teams from each conference. The Patriots come in as underdogs but this is not the first time it has happened. After a difficult regular season, the Patriots rebounded to make the Super Bowl. Similarly, the Seahawks struggled out of the gate but still made the Super Bowl. In a matchup for the ages, the Patriots will walk out of the desert with another Lombardi Trophy for their collection. The Patriots will win in overtime 23-17 on a Brady to Gronkowksi connection for the win.

Follow me on Twitter @wstobin2 and @bblueshirts