Some of you may have seen this on some old pay per views. Some of you may know Royce Gracie or Ken Shamrock. Well like it or not this sport is growing. It is filled with world class kickboxers, wreslters, and submission experts. The skill it takes to compete in this complete sport is amazing. So many skills to train could take a life time. Boxing, kickboxing, fighting in the clinch, wrestling, ju-jitsu, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. These fighters also have to be highly conditioned and log hours of training and sparring time. Most have full time jobs on top of that. This is a time that is special because we are witnessing the growth of a sport that may very well replace boxing. I have been a witness to the training as well as the personality of these men who enter the cage. They are by all accounts humble and hard working. Several are college educated and very well spoken. Right now we could be hitting the turning point in public opinion. With show like "The Ultimate Fighter" on Spike TV, the public is learning about these fighters as people and what it takes to prepare for a fight.

Names like Fedor Emelianenko Wanderlei Silva Randy Couture Chuck Liddell Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn will be considered pioneers of this sport and all are currently at the top of the food chain.

Do the research and see for yourself. These are true world class athletes, and soon the main stream will see that on an international level.

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well the media seems to love to talk about Brett Favre and his future. This season he has lead the Pack to only 3 wins and has thrown 19 TDs and 28 INTs. Does that mean he should hang it up? He is legend in the sport and will always be considered one of the best NFL quarterbacks in history.

Will he come back to avenge this sad season, or realize his age and walk away from Green Bay?

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even without reigning MVP Martin St. Louis having a big season, the Tampa Bay Lightning boast one of the more balanced attacks in hockey.

Most 35 Point Scorers, 2005-06

Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (Prospal, Richards, Lecavalier)
Ottawa Senators 3
Atlanta Thrashers 3
Detroit Red Wings 3
3 Teams Tied With 2

Posted by Walter Lis at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)

North Carolina lost four players to the first round of the NBA Draft which was 91.0% of their offense. No other team in college basketball faces such a wide scoring gap to fill.

04-05 Points/Game Lost By Players No Longer On Team – Div 1A

North Carolina Tar Heels 80.1 (2965/37)
Oklahoma State Cowboys 67.0
Baylor Bears 66.0
Centenary Gentlemen 61.6
Kansas Jayhawks 60.7

Posted by Walter Lis at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Assuming they win the North, the Bears now have a passing attack that defenses have to respect. What does that do to the playoff picture for the Bears? They have the defense. They have a good running game. They have two healthy quarterbacks and it seems that the deep freeze against the Falcons last night, warmed up that offense.

So will they be one and done in the playoffs or will they upset and go deep?

Who should start at QB next week against the hated Pack?

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Redskins meet the Cowboys in week 15---lets take a look at the matchup!

Dallas Cowboys Washington Redskins
NFL YDS/G CONF NFL YDS/G CONF
Total Offense, 2005 13 332.4 7 14 330.5 8
Total Offense Final, 2004 14 324.8 7 30 274.8 15
Thru Week 14, 2004 15 329.8 6 29 269.9 14

Total Rushing, 2005 14 113.9 6 5 131.2 3
Total Rushing Final, 2004 20 110.6 7 21 110.3 8
Thru Week 14, 2004 18 111.8 6 19 110.5 7

Total Passing, 2005 14 218.5 7 19 199.3 10
Total Passing Final, 2004 15 214.3 9 29 164.5 14
Thru Week 14, 2004 17 218.0 9 29 159.5 14

Total Defense, 2005 10 300.7 6 9 298.8 5
Total Defense Final, 2004 16 330.3 7 3 267.6 1
Thru Week 14, 2004 25 345.3 13 2 261.6 1

Rush Defense, 2005 13 106.4 7 12 106.3 6
Rush Defense Final, 2004 10 110.3 3 2 81.5 1
Thru Week 14, 2004 12 112.5 4 3 85.2 1

Pass Defense, 2005 13 194.3 8 11 192.5 6
Pass Defense Final, 2004 21 220.1 11 7 186.1 2
Thru Week 14, 2004 26 232.8 14 3 176.4 2

NFL PPG CONF NFL PPG CONF
Points per Game, 2005 13 21.8 6 16 19.8 7
PPG Final, 2004 25 18.3 12 31 15.0 15
Thru Week 14, 2004 21 19.2 10 32 14.1 16

Opp. PPG, 2005 8 17.9 5 12 18.9 7
Opp. PPG Final, 2004 27 25.3 14 5 16.6 2
Thru Week 14, 2004 28 27.3 14 6 16.8 2

QB Rating NFL QB Rating NFL
QB Total, 2005 Bledsoe 89.5 10 Brunell 83.7 15
QB Total, 2004 Testaverd 76.42 26 Brunell 63.86 31
Thru Week 14, 2004 Testaverd 75.48 27 Brunell 63.86 33

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Shaq is coming back. The only threat in the east are the Pistons. Enter Pat Reily. Would adding him to the mix push the Heat into the NBA Finals?

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 4:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Bears have the top rated defense in the NFL, but the offense is led by a rookie QB and has just managed 18 TDs. The Bears, Mike Brown is out with injury...and he is the defensive QB. We all saw what happened when he was MIA against the Steelers.

So---assuming they make the playoffs, are they one and done, or can they get deeper into the mix?

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New York Knicks at Los Angeles Clippers
* The teams have split the last 14 meetings, however the Clippers have won six straight from the Knicks in Los Angeles, last losing on March 25, 1998. The Knicks are a combined 2-11 in 13 games in the Staples Center against the Lakers (2-5) and Clippers (0-6)
* The Clippers' opponents have shot 41 from the field, which leads the NBA.
* Corey Maggette sprained his left foot on Monday. Although the x-rays were negative, he might not play this evening. In the past three seasons the Clippers are 16-13 without him in the lineup (.552). Ironically, they’re record is worse with him playing, going 61-91 (.401).
* Stephon Marbury loves playing in Los Angeles. On the road, he averages 24.8 ppg against the Lakers and 22.4 against the Clippers. Those numbers rank first and third amongst Marbury’s road scoring averages, respectively. He averages 23.6 ppg at Philadelphia.
* Sam Cassell is averaging 22.0 ppg in his last 11 games against the Knicks.
* The Knicks’ only two-game winning streak of the season came on back-to-back games on the road on Nov. 13-14. With a win tonight they can match that, having beaten the Sonics in Seattle last night.

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year Super Bowl contender the Philidelphia Eagles have been destroyed by injuries---and bad attitude (TO).

Westbrook, who recently signed a five-year extension worth almost $25 million, had nine carries for 17 yards in the loss to Seattle.

On the season, Westbrook had 156 carries for 617 yards and three touchdowns, along with 61 catches for 616 yards and four touchdowns.

Other Pro Bowl players lost for the season include quarterback Donovan McNabb, wide receiver Terrell Owens, cornerback Lito Sheppard and left tackle Tra Thomas.

So---what do they need to do next year to get back on track?

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

As you’d probably expect, the team that enjoys more success running the ball on Saturday will likely have the better chance of winning the SEC Championship Game.

SEC Championship Game Leading Indicators – 1996 & Since

Team Scoring First – won last 5 in a row
Team with More Pass Yards – won 7 of last 9
Team with More Rush Yards – won 8 of last 9 #
Team with Higher 3rd Down Conv – won last 8 in a row
Team with More Time of Possession – won 7 of last 8
Team with More Penalties – won 4 of last 6
Higher Ranked Team – won 7 of last 9

# -- Last year was the only time since 1996 that the team with more rushing yards lost the SEC championship game (Tennessee—228, Auburn—185).

Posted by Walter Lis at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can the Colts pull off the perfect season?
Will they choke in the playoffs?

Here are the bullets for this week:

Indianapolis (12-0) at Jacksonville (9-3)
* The Colts have won seven of the nine meetings with the Jags, including a hard fought 10-3 battle in Week 2. In that contest, the Colts trailed 3-0 in the fourth quarter, but were able to score 10 points off the Jags defense for the win.
* Indianapolis looks to become just the fourth team in NFL history to start 13-0 (with 1934 Bears, 1972 Dolphins and 1998 Broncos).
* With a win the Colts would tie the franchise record for the most consecutive road wins (7 set in 1968).
* Colts’ RB Edgerrin James has recorded 100+ scrimmage yards in seven of his eight career games vs. the Jaguars. James has also rushed for six touchdowns in his last four road games.
* Indianapolis TE Bryan Fletcher has caught a touchdown pass in three consecutive games.
* Colts’ QB Peyton Manning needs 34 passing yards to record his eighth consecutive 3,000-yard passing season.
* Jacksonville returns home after three consecutive road games (won all three). The Jags have won three straight home games, but have lost eight of their last 11 divisional home contests.
* The Jaguars have outscored their opponents 93-30 in the third quarter this season, scoring in the third frame in each of their 12 contests.
* Jacksonville RB Fred Taylor, who has missed the past two games, has averaged 101 rushing yards in his last six games vs. the Colts.
* Jaguars’ WR Jimmy Smith needs just two receiving yards to become the 13th player in league history to record 12,000 in a career.

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 4:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Los Angeles Clippers are 6-1 at home this season and are looking to tie their best start at home since the 1974-75 season, when they were still the Buffalo Braves.

Braves/Clippers, Best Home Record Through 8 Games

1974-75 Buffalo Braves 7-1
1983-84 San Diego Clippers 6-2
1977-78 Buffalo Braves 6-2
1976-77 Buffalo Braves 6-2
1988-89 Los Angeles Clippers 6-2
1992-93 Los Angeles Clippers 6-2

Posted by Walter Lis at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Plenty of "experts" are saying Spurs will take the west---but what do these numbers have to say about that?

San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks
*The Mavericks have won four of their last five home games against the Spurs. Their last three home victories over the Spurs were by an average margin of 26.3 points (107.3-81.0).
*The Mavericks are 7-0 this season when outrebounding their opponents.
*The Spurs are averaging an NBA-high 48.1 points in the paint per game this season.
*The Mavericks are the NBA’s only team tallying assists on less than half (47.1 percent) of their made field goals this season.
*Jason Terry has scored 63 points over his last two games (26, 37). This is the first time Terry has tallied at least 25 points in back-to-back games since January 2003.
*Tony Parker is one of only two players in the NBA (Kevin Garnett is the other) in the top 25 in scoring (23rd), field goal percentage (sixth) and assists (23rd).
*Spurs guard/forward Michael Finely played for Dallas for eight and a half seasons, and was named an All-Star twice (2000, 2001) during his time there. Finley is the Mavericks all-time leader in three-pointers made (with 870).

Posted by Jacob Nuesser at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)