The More the Merrier?

photo via ESPN.com

Ohio State may have just won the National Championship, but things are not going to get easy. Most teams have a hard time finding one good quarterback (cough, cough Minnesota), but Ohio State has three going into the 2015 season.

Braxton Miller was going to be the starter for Ohio State this year. He was looking at the Heisman and possibly the National Championship. Before the season even started, Miller sustained another injury to his right shoulder and was ruled out for the entire 2014 campaign. Next up, JT Barrett. He started the whole season and carried the Buckeyes to a 10-1 record before going down for the season with a leg injury against Michigan. Next up, Cardale Jones. He came in to finish off Michigan before he lifted Ohio State over Wisconsin for the Big 10 title. Jones then lead the Buckeyes to a win over number one ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. If that wasn't enough to prove the third string QB is good, what about winning the National Championship against number two ranked Oregon?

Ohio State QBs

• Braxton Miller - Starter for 2012 and 2013 season, 28-8 as starter and Orange Bowl Lose 
• JT Barrett - 11-1 as starter (5th in 2014 Heisman vote) 
• Cardale Jones - 3-0 as starter (3 games - Won Big Ten title, Sugar Bowl, National Champion)

Cardale Jones has already announced his return to Ohio State for the 2015 season. Now we wait to see what Braxton Miller does. 

I believe Braxton Miller should transfer. It is unlikely he will be the starter, and he wants to play QB. He was believed to be looking at LSU, FSU and Oregon, ironically. It appears Houston's QB John O'Korn is looking at FSU as a possibility as well. Notre Dame QB Everett Golson also appears to be looking at LSU as his future school. That leaves Oregon as the only place Miller would almost be the guaranteed starter. What he does is another topic, but I do expect him to leave Ohio State if he wants to play QB and a high draft value. 

Regardless of what Miller does, I believe the started will be decided between Jones and Barrett. Urban Meyers will make the right decision, as he usually does. I believe the starter next year is Cardale Jones. He has played well and came up big in 4 important games (including the Michigan game). I think JT Barrett played incredibly well, but I think the job is now Cardale Jone's to lose. I do think which ever QB Ohio State goes with, they have to stick with him for awhile before abandoning ship the minute the QB makes a mistake. 

Expect Miller to transfer, Cardale Jones to start and JT Barrett to backup Jones.  

Nearing the Finish Line

(Photo via ESPN)

Remember when the New England Patriots were embarrassed on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs? Everyone thought the sky was falling and the Brady/Belichick era was ending. 

Now the Denver Broncos are in a similar situations. The Broncos have lost twice in the divisional round of the playoffs during Peyton Manning's three years in Denver. The one year Denver made it past the divisional round, they lost in the Super Bowl. 

Everyone wants to place the blame on Peyton Manning. Fans were booing Manning towards the end of the game. Manning was playing terribly the last five weeks of the season and apparently that is the result of a torn quad. The problem with Manning was not the lack of arm strength, but his accuracy. He could throw the ball well but was overthrowing way too many receivers. Also note, Manning has never been great in the postseason. 

The Denver Broncos are not ready to give up on Peyton Manning. The Broncos fired their head coach, and there is a good chance the offensive coordinator and/or defensive coordinator are out too. The Broncos have spent a lot on free agents, so they don't have much of an option to get out of their plan now. Odds are when Peyton Manning retires, players will go elsewhere, and the Broncos will be in rebuilding for awhile. The Broncos have no other option than to stick with Manning. However, does Peyton Manning want to come back. 

Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks ever and is very intelligent. It is very unlikely Peyton Manning hangs up his cleats for good. Peyton Manning will look at this last season and see he still has a lot to give. Yes, Manning will never be as good as the 2013 season or his 2006 Super Bowl season, but he can still take this team to the playoffs and possibly the Super Bowl. 

Expect one, maybe two more season from Peyton Manning before he heads to Canton.     

Let's Put It All On the Table

My twitter feed from the last week reads like this:  Fire Yeo. Fire Fletcher. Get Rid of Backstrom. Get Rid of Kuemper. Where's Harding? Vanek Sucks. Suter is minus 19 and Parise's Dad.

There, every topic on the Minnesota Wild has been covered.

The bottom line however is that none of these are going to fix the Wild this season. At least not just one of these is the problem. 

It's gonna take more than a miracle to right this ship right now. 

Sure the Wild could go on a hot streak, finish in the playoff hunt and even still make a deep, competitive run. But it's not likely going to happen, not at this rate. 

However let's dig a little deeper into the team's woes.

Goaltending: Any playoff contender needs good goal tending, and early in the season the Wild had it. Darcy Kuemper looked like a stud, coming out hot to begin the 2014-2015 Season. With Niklas Backstrom looking like a capable back up it seemed that the goalie woes of last season were gone. Consider that Ilya Bryzgalov was also in the mix through training camp for a position, it seemed that they might be in the clear. But of course, the Wild have somehow found a way to screw up such a great situation. 

Oh, and by the way, Josh Harding is still with the Wild... the Iowa Wild development team that is. While he is one hell of a story, he will likely continue to be a non-factor the remainder of the season.

Backstrom

Coaching/ front office management: Mike Yeo needs to go. Everyone in their right mind is saying it. I like the guy, he's a good coach, he's a good person and he's respectable. But bottom line is he isn't winning hockey games. That's what he's paid to do. It doesn't help his cause when he continually gives the generic "We gotta keep working" and "We know we are better than this" responses. We know it too Mike. If you can't get the players inspired then your time is over. 

As far as Chuck Fletcher goes (Wild General Manager), I wish he would just go ahead and do it. Get rid of Yeo, It's nothing personal, just business, end of story. However, I like Fletcher over all. He's done more good than bad here in MN and he deserves to stay.  It won't be surprising if Fletcher makes a move for a goaltender at the trade deadline or sooner. He may also look to get an additional defense men.

It's Suter and Vanek's Fault: I'm not going to get too deep in to the Vanek and Suter stuff. Vanek has played better lately while everyone else seems to struggle. Suter is minus 19 because he continues to be on the ice more than anyone in the league. Part of that is coaching staff leaning on him too much, part of it is he generally is just that good. 

 My sincere condolences to the Parise family as well. JP was a great hockey player and great individual. Any time a player and organization loses one of their family members, it is tough. Kudos to Zach for his continued play, I know it's not easy for him. Especially with a team struggling like it is.

The Return of Mariota?

Marcus Mariota would trade his Heisman trophy for the National Championship. After an incredible 2014 season, Mariota and the Oregon Ducks fell one game short of the title. Marcus Mariota has his degree and the Heisman trophy, however he is still missing the the National Championship.  So what is next for Mariota? Many people believe Mariota will be the 1st overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft if he declares, but I wouldn't be so certain. Marcus Mariota is an incredible talent and will do well in the NFL; Is he ready? Mariota still needs some work and could be what makes him fall a few picks in the draft. Another factor is Jameis Winston, he is an incredible and coming from Florida State. FSU is much closer to Tampa Bay, who happens to have the number one pick. The only reason the Buccaneers won't take Winston is because of his off the field issues.

With that being said, flash back to last years college football season . The Oregon Ducks were ranked in the top 3 for the first 12 weeks of the 2013 season. They finished 9th in the AP poll and won the Alamo bowl. Marcus Mariota was thought to be a top pick. Marcus Mariota knew his team fell short, so he decided to return for the 2014 season. He was able to carry the Ducks to the National Championship like he wanted to, but he wasn't able to hoist the trophy. Here we are one year later in the same situation. The Oregon Ducks fell short and Mariota is projected as a top draft pick.

So what does Mariota do? As of right now, the way too early top 25 college football rankings have the Oregon Ducks at 5 and thats assuming Marcus Mariota leaves.

Why Mariota should stay

• He was not able to finish what he started
• He has one final year to accomplish his goal
• The Ducks have a good chance to return to the playoffs
• He could improve his skills to become more NFL ready
• He has another chance at the Heisman 

Why Mariota should enter the draft

• He is a top draft pick 
• He already passed on the draft once 
• It's not easy to bring a team back to the National Championship
• A lot of money comes from the NFL 
• He could fall in the 2016 NFL draft due to injury, poor play, or another QB

As a Oregon Ducks fan, I would love to see Mariota return. They were so close this year, and they have a great chance to return. However the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be a good spot for him to begin his NFL career, if he gets drafted number one. The problem is he will have high expectations for instant success, but he just isn't quite NFL ready.

Mariota will enter the draft but don't be suprised if he goes back to Eugene for one last season.

Marcus Mariota has a lot to think about before the Thursday deadline for college players to declare for the draft. 

What went down this weekend?

If you haven't learned this yet it's time you do, never count New England out. As long as the Patriots have Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, they can do anything. I, and many others, believed this was New England's best defense in awhile with the addition of Revis and Browner, but they didn't look great on Saturday night. While the defense did force "January Joe" to throw two interception, Joe Flacco owned much of the game. The Ravens played incredibly well, but when you give Tom Brady the ball, it's hard to stop him. The biggest play of the game came from Julian Edleman and Danny Amendola when they hooked up for a 50 yard TD. What we can take a way from the game; 

• Joe Flacco is the real deal in the playoffs 
• The Ravens are scary come January
• John Harbaugh deserves credit for his great coaching
• Tom Brady is making a strong case for the greatest of all time (GOAT) 
• Bill Belichick is in the same boat as Tom Brady (GOAT) 
• Julian Edleman has as good of an arm as some of the starting QBs in the league 

If the Seattle Seahawks are not in the Super Bowl, I will be very shocked. The Legion of Boom and the 12th man are in their prime. Most people know Richard Sherman as the face of the Seahawks D, but Kam Chancellor made his name known with a 90 yard INT returned for a TD and some awesome attempts at field goal blocking. The Panthers didn't look great, but this was an under .500 team, they had to play on the road, and played against the defending champions. We are looking at a Seahawks team that has a great chance to repeat. 

Before I talk about the catch, let's look at the rest of the game. Aaron Rodgers wasn't his normal self with his strained calf muscle, but he did play well. I still don't think he deserves MVP (JJ Watt), but that is a different article. The Cowboys started the game like they wanted it more. For once I had faith in Romo and the Boys. The Cowboys took a shot deep down field in the 4th quarter that caused controversy. When I was watching the game at the local T.G.I. Fridays, I knew it was coming back. How could I forget the Calvin Johnson play? That play cost my fantasy team the win that week, and I was even telling my friends that you have to complete the pass in our group text. It was the right call but dumb rule. 

Colts fans are excited today and not just because they won the game. In 2012, the Colts released Peyton Manning and any doubt that Colt fans had about the decision is now gone. Andrew Luck is looking at an incredible career, and it showed on Sunday night. Peyton Manning on the other hand didn't look like the great QB we are used to. People look at Manning's slump as the last 6 weeks, but it goes back to the Super Bowl. He had good games since then but Peyton hasn't been the same. He still has a good arm, but he over threw way too many receivers Saturday. Something tells me Peyton will have one more season, but things have to change and money won't solve the problem.  

(last 2 pictures from USA today)

Sports in 2014

2014 did not disappoint sports fans. There were many record breaking performances, close games, controversy, and incredible plays that made 2014 a year to remember.

The year began with the annual NHL Winter Classic. The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout, 3-2, at The Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The excitement continued as Auburn led Florida State 21-3 late in the 2nd quarter during the final BCS National Championship game. Auburn managed to reach the championship by an incredible finish against Alabama in the Iron Bowl. Florida State reached the championship thanks to a great season by their freshman QB and Heisman winner Jameis Winston. Kelvin Benjamin caught the game winning touchdown for Florida State with 13 seconds left. Florida State won the BCS over Auburn 34-31.

January continued with more great football when Peyton Manning and Tom Brady faced off for the 15th time in their careers. The Broncos dominated football all years in large part to the record breaking season that MVP QB Peyton Manning had. The Broncos pulled away after Broncos WR Wes Welker put a hit on Patriots CB Aqib Talib that caused him to miss the rest of the game. While the Broncos were heading to the Super Bowl, many people were left asking if Welker intentionally hurt former teammate Talib. 

The day was not over as the Seattle Seahawks took on the San Francisco 49ers. The Legion of Boom had been controlling football all year but the 49ers were playing in their 3rd straight NFC Championship and looking to win the Super Bowl after they fell 1 play short against the Ravens a year before. The Seahawks won after Richard Sherman broke up a TD pass. Luckily for the Seahawks, Richard Sherman was stuck on a sorry receiver named Michael Crabtree.

The Super Bowl started with the football flying past Peyton Manning and the Broncos as the Seahawks were awarded a safety. The defense and special teams for the Seahawks played incredible with a safety, INT for a TD and a kick return for a TD to start the 2nd half. The Broncos scored their only points with a TD as time expired in the 3rd quarter. The Legion of Boom played one of the best game all year as the Super Bowl MVP was a defensive player. Linebacker Malcom Smith of the Seahawks was named MVP after he had nine tackles, a fumble recovery, and a INT returned for a TD. Super Bowl winning QB Russell Wilson spent his offseason playing some baseball for the Texas Rangers.

 The world came to a stop when the 2014 Winter olympics began in Sochi, Russia. T.J. Oshie became a hero for the USA hockey team when he converted 4 of 6 shoutout attempts to push the US over Russia but ultimately the USA lost to Canada and later failed to win the Bronze. The USA did very well in snowboarding but surprisingly Shaun White did not fare so well. Jamie Anderson and Kaitlyn Farrington helped bring home two gold medals in snowboarding. While the games were very exciting to watch, unfortunately there were many problems the city of Sochi had. There was even a Sochi Problems Twitter account which included American bobsledder, Johnny Quinn, who had to break down a door because he was trapped. The USA ended up with the 2nd most medals behind Russia. 

March Madness was not a let down. Many brackets did not last long. Ask Falcons WR Roddy White how Duke lost. Mercer upset Duke in the first round of the tourney. Kentucky snuck out of a tough Midwest bracket as they upset Wichita State and later beat Michigan. UConn on the other hand had a very rough journey. UConn beat number 2 Villanova, number 3 Iowa State, number 4 Michigan state, and number 1 Florida before they beat number 8 Kentucky. 

The 2014 MLB baseball season was a little different than usual. 

• Clayton Kershaw suffered a 6-8 week injury after signing a mega contract in the offseason before having arguably the best season for a Pitcher being crowned NL CY Young and NL MVP.
• Derek Jeter enjoyed his last season playing baseball as his farewell tour lasted all season including a memorable 2014 All-star game. 
• Jose Abreu had one of the best rookie seasons.
• Giancarlo Stanton had an incredible year with a trip to the Homerun derby were he send a Baseball to space before his season was cut short after a devastating hit to the jaw. 
• The Athletics sent their best hitter and 2 time Homerun derby champion Yoenis Cespedes to Boston for Jon Lester in an attempt to finally win the World Series. 
• The KC Royals got so hot late in the season that they ended up in the playoffs for the first time in 29 years and made it to the World Series but lost in game 7. 
• Madison Bumgarner was the closest thing to Mr. October we will see. While in the playoffs Bumgarner was Iron Man and was the reason the Giants won the World Series. 
• With Jeter out of baseball the attention now turns to 2014 AL MVP Mike Trout to be the face of baseball. 

The ageless San Antonio Spurs spoiled the Miami Heat's 3peat in what was LeBron's final game in Miami. LeBron opted out of his final contract in Miami to return home to Cleveland. Cavalier's rookie Andrew Wiggins was never able to get comfortable in the city of Cleveland as he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love, after he signed his rookie contract. Kevin Durant had one of the most memorable MVP speeches, as he told his mom that she is the real MVP. 

The Stanley Cup was hoisted by the LA Kings for the 2nd time in 3 years. The Minnesota Wild signed Thomas Vanek hoping he will be the final piece in their search for the Stanley Cup. Martin Brodeur entered the crease once again, but not as a New Jersey Devil, but as a St. Louis Blues goalies. 

The 2014 NFL season started in a dark place. With serious off the field issues regarding Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson, the NFL had problems they needed to figure out. Both players were suspended but that didn't solve the real problem with NFL players. JJ Watt was been Mr.Incredible since his huge contract and could/should be the NFL MVP. Aaron Rodgers has been almost unstoppable and Tom Brady went from a wash up QB to MVP in a matter of a few weeks. The highly anticipated Johnny Manziel finally got his first start but flopped. Don't give up on Manziel yet but be skeptical. 

The Miami Heat have found ways to win without the King while the Cavaliers have struggled with their new royalty. 2nd overall pick Jabari Parker went down with a season ending injury. Derek Rose is still in and out with injuries and the fresh looking Timberwolves have struggled with their young talent.

Marcus Mariota had an great 2014 season. The Heisman winner lead the Oregon Ducks to a 12-1 season and a trip to the Rose Bowl where they will face the undefeated and reigning champions Florida State. FSU Jameis Winston has struggled on and off the field this season. With a game suspension with an incident on campus, stolen crab legs and sexual assault accusation, Winston looks to end his college career without a loss. Ohio State reached the playoffs with their 3rd string QB and Alabama does what Alabama does, win.   

Golden Gophers do NOT deserve a Jan. 1st Bowl

What? The Golden Gophers don't deserve a new years day bowl???

Before all the nay-sayers explode, I am a student at the University of Minnesota, I am an avid fan of the team, I am going to the game and I am very excited to watch.

Jerry Kill? Pretty good coach don't get me wrong..
8-4? Pretty good record this season!
2nd in the Big Ten West? That's pretty good!

Wait... You only won against ONE ranked opponent?
Wait... You only have TWO wins against teams with a winning record? (Iowa and Nebraska)
Wait... You can't sell out your 55,000 seat stadium... EVER?

Now, the real reason the Gophers ended up with the Citrus Bowl is because the Big Ten didn't want the Badgers going back to Orlando for consecutive years and because Ole Miss jumped Michigan State out of no where when neither team played. After all the bowl games were selected and seeing as the Badgers weren't heading back to the Citrus Bowl, the Gophers were left with the Citrus Bowl.

As far as I am concerned, the "wait's" outshine the "Pretty Good's". A 2-3 record against winning teams is nothing to be proud of.... at all..... Especially considering that the Gophers really only blew out one team (Iowa). Why didn't we knock the socks of Middle Tennessee or Eastern Illinois? Nobody really gives a crap about Big Ten Coach of the Year, and if we can't sell out a small stadium, how do we sell bowl tickets...? (Somehow we are doing it though...)

Plain and simple: The Gophers do not deserve the Citrus Bowl.

However, what the Gophers do have going for them is they have, at times, shown brilliance on the field. Against Iowa, Michigan, and the first Quarter at Camp Randall, they made their relatively good or so called "good" opponents look like the Glen Mason seasons I grew up with. They also have a traveling fan base FOR ONCE IN A LIFETIME!!! 8,000 tickets sold just from the U is astonishing! Let alone the tickets from ticket master and Stubhub. I can say for certain that the Gophers are certainly moving in an upward trend and that I am excited to watch them kick some tiger tail in Orlando.