The World According To Ingy!

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Welcome to my new weekly article that compiles my thoughts on the sports world, and some non-sports topics, from the week that was.

- First off, Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. No presents, no religion, lots of great food and three NFL games. There is no better day on the calendar.

- The Bruins are scuffling right now. Don't worry too much though. Rask does need to start playing better soon. They'll get back on track. Of course, you can expect another little hiccup when Savard and Sturm come back as most of the lines will need to be reshuffled.

- I don't want to sound like a homer, but I don't see the Patriots losing to the Jets next Monday night. This is a different team than the past few years. They may be young, but they're a tough team that can be physical with anyone. The Steelers game showed that. This game is more important to the Patriots than it is to the Jets. There's virtually no way they can win the AFC East if they lose this game.

- I know Phillip Rivers is having a great passing season, but there's no way he deserves the MVP more than Tom Brady. Both quarterbacks have been playing, and throwing to, players you've never heard of before. You know what the difference is? The Patriots are 9-2 and the Chargers are 6-5.

- I am a huge fan of Derek Jeter, but he needs to accept that 3 year, $45 million dollar offer from the Yankees. There's no way another team offers him more. He's still a very good player, but his defense is going to make him a liability sooner rather than later. I would love to see him at third base for the Dodgers, but there's no way that happens.

- Speaking of the Dodgers, this is a tough time to be a fan of them. They've already made their "Big Splash" of the off-season by resigning Ted Lilly. Don't hold your breath for anything else really. The McCourt divorce fiasco is crippling that team. In a normal world, they'd spend the money to sign Carl Crawford because he'd be a perfect fit. His home runs might go down a bit in Dodger Stadium, but he'd hit 50+ double and 6+ triples easily.

- Speaking of disappointing off-seasons, it looks like it will be the 2nd consecutive one for the Boston Red Sox. Theo Epstein is one of the games most overrated general managers, and I see another off-season of b-level moves like last season. I don't see him having the stones to use some of his true bargaining chips to make a trade for Adrian Gonzalez or Prince Fielder. He'd much rather wait a year and sign them as free agents. We all know he's excellent with free agent signings.

Well, that's all I have for this week.

Early thoughts on Patriots vs. Jets

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's the showdown everyone has been waiting for: Patriots vs. Jets.

And it's a game that is going to be broken down every which way from now until Monday Night's kickoff.

But here are a few quick-hitters from Fan Fanatic Sports.

1. Does anyone even remember when these two hated AFC East rivals squared off in Week 2? Well, we all know the Jets won, but amazingly enough, Jets QB Mark Sanchez won the battle with Tom Brady. The former USC overrated QB threw three TD passes and no INTs in a 28-14 win.

2. Tom Brady and Co. were awful in the first meeting with the Jets. Brady was a dismal 20-of-36 passing for 248 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs. There's no way he can play worse, right? Is anyone expecting him to play subpar again?

3. LaDainian Tomlinson is back to being his old self -- as in old man. I've watched him over the last several weeks, and he's again lost that spring in his step. While he looked young and fresh early in the year, L.T. is having a hard time making a cut and getting to the outside.

4. Could the Patriots be playing any better with the Jets ready to come to town? The Pats have won 8 of their last 9, with the only stinker in the bunch being that terrible Cleveland loss.

5. After watching the Thanksgiving Day game vs. Detroit, Pats fans must still be worried about the defense. The Pats better tighten it up on 'D' vs. the Jets or they will dominate the time of possession, wear down New England and obviously have the best chance of winning.

6. Deion Branch vs. Darrelle Revis. I'll take Revis every day, including this Monday Night. Revis hasn't had the year he had last season (due to injuries and showing up late to camp because of contract issues) but he's still the best corner in the NFL, by far.

7. New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is a loudmouth, but that's OK with me. I'm actually a fan; he's a darn good coach and he provides season-lasting soundbites.

8. You can't run on the Jets, so the Pats better not try to force the issue when spreading that defense out and throwing quick passes is the way to attack.

9. Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez are threats at the tight end position every time they're on the field. How many TE's in football can you say that about?

10. Can we please confuse and fluster Sanchez this time around? I love watching him self destruct -- and I'm even a USC fan -- when things aren't going his way.

Prediction: Not yet!

Week 12 Picks: Chad vs Jim Thanksgiving Day Games

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Chad and I had a nice start to week 12 going 3 for 3 on Thanksgiving. What that means, is I still have an 8 game lead. We both had good weeks in week 11, but I was able to add 2 games to my lead as I had a stellar 12-3 week. There's still a lot of time left for Chad to make a run, so no lead is safe, especially since we differ on a whopping 8 games this week. Now we need to see what happens.

Week 12 Picks: Chad vs Jim Thanksgiving Day Games

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Hello all. Happy Thanksgiving from everyone here at Fan Fanatic Sports. Very brief blog today as we're just going to send out our picks for the three games played on Thanksgiving.

Chad and I are picking the Patriots, Saints and Jets.

More to come on Sunday.

Enjoy Turkey Day!

Write it down: Patriots are SB contenders

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

No doubt the Patriots are legitimate Super Bowl contenders now. If you had any doubts before, after yesterday's victory over the Colts, you have to at least believe the Pats have a shot to play for another Vince Lombardi trophy.

Seriously, back-to-back games vs. Pittsburgh and Indianapolis and back-to-back wins? Trust in Belichick is back, but it's not like that's ever left this scribe.

The Patriots did exactly what I thought they'd do -- they made a real effort to pound the pigskin, which set up some great play-action looks by Tom Brady. The premier QB, who some had written off, simply doesn't miss open receivers.

And the added bonus that should have everyone gushing this morning is that the defense stepped up and created some crucial turnovers.

And it didn't get any bigger than James Sanders' game-sealing interception of Peyton Manning, who fired three INTs, on the final drive of the game. If Asante Samuel made the catch in the Super Bowl ... well, you get the point. Sanders actually made the big play when the game was on the line.

Just when we all were thinking the Pats were going to blow another lead to these scary Colts -- that's a darn good football team too, even with all those injuries -- the defense rises to the occasion.

These are the type of special ingredients that championship-type teams are made of. The biggest thing, however, is that this team is all about T-E-A-M, it's not about M-E. Doesn't it remind you of another former New England team that beat the Rams in the Super Bowl?

I'm not getting ahead of myself, but it's OK to have big goals. And I'm setting the bar real high on this team.

I know they have some weaknesses (I'd like to see the defense tighten up slightly with a better pass rush), but every team this year has issues.

They say chemistry goes a long way in determining the success of any team, and it's hard to argue that the Pats don't have a special type of mojo brewing. And that wasn't the case when Randy Moss was here (tears).

It always feels better when you're a contender and not a pretender.

Week 11 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Somehow I was still able to edge Chad, once again, last week. We both didn't have great weeks, I went 8-5 while Chad went 7-6, but look to rebound this week. We only differ on two games so unless Chad wins both, it looks like it'll be another draw type of week for the two of us. I was able to pick up a game last week, which extends my season lead by 6. I am now 67-44 and Chad is 61-50. Make sure to check on Thursday, as we will be posting our picks for the 3 Thanksgiving games.

Colts are still dangerous, especially with Manning at the helm

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Bring on the Indianapolis Colts.
Bring on Peyton Manning.
Should Patriots Nation being worried about the Colts? Especially after pounding the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Of course.
These Colts are still dangerous, even though they are completely banged up. But don't get me wrong, it's nice to be playing the Colts with some key guys out, including tight end Dallas Clark.
But Indy can still run with the big boys. Plus, the Pats have shown they can play and beat the best (see Steelers game) and play way, way down to the competition (see Cleveland Browns).
So what team will show up for the Patriots? Let's hope it's the team that isn't stuck in neutral in the first half and falls way behind. But I'm betting that's not going to happen.
I think we're in store for a great ballgame. Well, it's Tom Brady and Manning trading pass for pass. What's not to like about that matchup?
Chalk this one up to the defenses.
While it's not going to be a defensive battle -- expect both teams to move the football with relative ease (Colts through the air, and don't be surprised if the Pats try to pound away with the run to set up the deadly play-action game) -- the defensive guys will need to come up with some big plays.
I'm talking about a key interception, a huge third-down tackle to prevent a first down, a strip-sack, a fumble recovery. That's how you win football games, anyway.
But every time the Pats face Manning, I get a little nervous. This isn't the old Manning who was wetting his pants having to face a Bill Belichick defense. This is the television commercial comedian who has won a Super Bowl and isn't afraid to air out the ball. It's tough to outsmart Manning, too. He's Mr. Audible, whether what he's doing is for real or for show.
So, who will rise to the challenge on defense? They hold the key to this game.

Prediction: Patriots 27, Colts 24

So are you still doubting Tom Brady?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Don't doubt Tom Brady.

He's not washed up, not even close.

All those Brady haters out there who have been saying he's not the same quarterback he has been and his skills aren't at the elite level anymore, well what are you saying while drinking your Monday coffee?

Brady showed everyone -- even Patriot Nation doubters -- that he's still one of the elite QBs in the NFL.

While Brady doesn't have the weapons around him like Peyton Manning or Drew Brees, Brady is the best in the business at doing more with less.

And you know what, his weapons aren't chopped liver, either.

These guys are all solid pass-catchers. While they don't have the brand name like Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne or Larry Fitzgerald, they play as a unit under the team concept and always seem to produce.

They are put in positions to succeed and Brady makes sure they are rewarded for getting open.

Last night against Pittsburgh -- a team I thought would beat up the Pats -- Brady and Co. showed they have the makings of a championship-caliber team (or a team that could be knocked out of the playoffs in the first round if they play like they did against the Cleveland Browns). I'm not saying they aren't flawed, however, but it seems like every team this year has a weakness or two that can be exposed.

But with the way Brady was slinging the ball around in Pittsburgh, one has to wonder if there's more shows like this to come in the second half of the season.

Kudos to the offensive line for keeping Brady pretty much clean the whole game. And when Brady has that kind of time to sit back and survey the field, he can pick any secondary part.

And the Steelers got shredded last night, that's for sure.

Brady was 30-of-43 for 350 yards and three touchdowns. All those TD tosses went to rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski, who grew up a lot last night.

Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Alge Crumpler, Deion Branch, Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Brandon Tate might not frighten many fans, but teams know they are to be taken seriously.

Give most of the QBs in this league those guys to work with and they fail, both the QB and the receivers. But with Brady at the helm, they are legit. Those aren't 1,000-yard pass-catchers, but they all get their share of balls. Brady never locks in on one target anyway, if someone is open that's who he throws it to. That's why he's always been a great QB, plus he makes everyone around him better.

I can't believe people have been doubting Brady anyway, but hopefully last night's game will make others realize that Brady is still the same old Brady, but with the flowing locks.

Word to the wise: Don't ever doubt Tom Brady.

Week 10 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With the two of us disagreeing on 4 games last week, both teams had a chance to pull away or get back in the game. Unfortunately for Chad, we split, so we keep the 5 game difference. This week, we disagree on 3 games, so there will be at least a one game difference. Chad and I had solid 10-3 weeks in week 9, so we look to start a hot streak after mediocre results in week 7 & 8.

Impressive marks in college football

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Lost in the midst of the Cam Newton scandal at Auburn and the beatdown TCU laid on Utah last weekend is the fact that Hawaii absolutely dominated a pretty good team as well.

Hawaii came to the blue turf with a 7-2 record and a 5-0 league mark, averaging a shade over 39 points per game. What makes that even more impressive is the fact that Jeremiah Masoli was supposed to be their starting quarterback. For those who don't remember, Masoli was kicked off the team after getting caught stealing, graduated, then moved on to Ole Miss.

The Warriors were smothered by the Broncos and scored just seven points the entire game. They were shut out in the first half for the first time all season and had 196 yards of total offense.

With guys like Kellen Moore, Austin Pettis and Titus Young making the headlines by putting up somewhere around 50 points everytime they hit the field, it's easy to overlook the defense, but they are second in the nation in scoring defense behind TCU, second in run defense, ninth in pass defense and second in total defense behind the Horned Frogs.

The last big test for the defense and a chance to make a final statement for the BCS comes two weeks from now against No. 25 Nevada. Hawaii did hold them to 21 in the Wolfpack's only loss of the season, but Nevada is fourth in the nation in scoring with 42 points per contest. Will shutting down that team be enough to vault the Broncos over at least two other teams in the BCS standings? Most likely they'll still need some help.

Chris Maza is the owner of his own blog, Maza's Musings, and makes weekly contributions to Fan Fanatic Sports. Check out Maza's Musings for more sports insight and also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @Mazasmusings and 'like' him on Facebook.

Patriots better get their act together

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Are you still shaking your head after yesterday's disgusting Patriots game?

I am, but I'm also sort of chuckling.

Not because of the loss because those always sting, but in the way that it happened.

They got humiliated.

And people were starting to believe that this New England Patriots team was the best in the NFL?

What are they thinking this morning?

Yes, the Patriots are not as bad as they played, but they're also not as good as people think they are. They are somewhere in between, and that's not a bad thing, either.

Teams in the NFL do put up stinker games, but against Cleveland? Against the rat Eric Mangini? Shouldn't have happened.

Obviously, looking back on it now, the Pats took the Browns lightly. They played like it, too.

But those Browns played like it was their Super Bowl.

If you never watched a football game in your life, you would have thought that the Browns were the elite and the Patriots were a team at the bottom of the pack.

The Pats didn't do anything right. They were severely beaten in every phase of the game, including coaching.

But defensively, they just laid a major stink bomb.

Browns QB Colt McCoy is a rookie, but the Pats made him look like an All-Pro. They didn't put pressure on him, they couldn't contain him and they paid the ultimate price.

And while most of their attention was on stopping the run, the Pats couldn't do a darn thing against bruising back Peyton Hillis (184 yards, 2 TDs). Hillis, who would destroy a brick wall if he ran into it, made the Pats defense look like a Pop Warner team. He took their will away and completely punked them.

Well, the offense wasn't much better. How out of sync does Tom Brady and his cast of receivers and tight ends look? They are not on the same page and it's showing. Perhaps the one positive is that no-huddle offense, which they should have done earlier. They at least dictated tempo and actually moved the ball down the field. And one week after praising the Law Firm, I'm back to not being a fan. He didn't run hard and was a non-factor. Nine carries for 14 yards, not going to cut it. Perhaps this team should just drop back and pass (via the no-huddle) on every down?Use the short, 3-yard pass as a run. It's worked before, maybe go back to it on a full-time basis.

Any way you slice it, Mangini and his cast of former New England assistants completely outschemed mastermind Bill Belichick and his assistants. That'll eat at Bill for a long time ...and it should.

It was a total team collapse. This is the type of loss that can linger for weeks. And now the Pats enter the meat of their schedule -- at Steelers (Sunday night 8:20 p.m.), vs. Colts, at Lions (but don't automatically chalk that up in the win column) and vs. Jets -- for the next four weeks.

The Pats have a lot of work to do, obviously. Everyone -- coaches and players -- need to elevate their game and start putting a better product on the field on a consistent basis. If things don't change quickly, the AFC East division could slip away real quickly.

Week 9 Picks: Chad vs Jim

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's week 9, pretty much the halfway point of the season, and I still have a 5 game lead over Chad. With so many games to be picked, that really means nothing. This week we differ on 4 games, so there's a chance I could run away with it, or Chad could get right back in.

Thomas is still the No. 1 goaltender

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Do I hear the "Tuukka" chants off in the distance?

Yup, I sure do.

And it's quickly catching on since Tim Thomas didn't play up to his usual shutout ways against Washington Friday night.

I'm a huge Tuukka Rask fan and I did want the Bruins to trade Thomas away in the offseason, but I'm still on board with Thomas starting right now.

Maybe next week I'll change my tune when Thomas is giving up 4-5 goals a game, but right now the veteran is the right choice to start between the pipes.

I mean, Thomas has been gigantic in net. There's no denying that, either. Any team in the NHL wishes they could have ridden Thomas while he was simply white hot.

Remember when Thomas had three shutouts in his last seven starts? Oh, how quickly we forget.

Now, fans are remembering him allowing three goals in a loss to the Caps Friday night and two vs. Buffalo on Nov. 3. Shame on Timmy for letting the fans down!

Yes, fans are starting to feel that Thomas is losing his mojo. Maybe he is? But I still say don't yank him just yet.

He's earned the right to be the starter -- for now -- and he shouldn't lose that No. 1 label because he's been human in the last two starts.

Do you believe in BenJarvus Green-Ellis?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I really enjoy watching running backs who run hard, have a little juke in their step and make the right reads by following their blocks and quickly racing to daylight.

I've never thought that New England running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been that type of back (although there's no questioning that he runs hard).

Green-Ellis was a pleasure to watch yesterday, however.

The young back gave the Patriots what they've been missing all season -- balance. He ran like a guy possessed, desperately trying to secure that starting running back spot.

And, at least for one game, he'g got to be the No. 1 guy in the backfield.

The Law Firm rushed for a career-high 112 yards and scored twice to lift the Pats over the Vikings.

In a game that featured Brett Favre and Randy Moss, Green-Ellis stole the show.

He grew up a lot yesterday.

Green-Ellis did look like a different running back. While he ran hard and physical, he also showed some burst by bouncing to the outside and made it hard for the secondary to run him down.

Perhaps this was his coming-out party? Could Green-Ellis be the key piece that really makes this offense go? He could be, considering the Pats are no longer a quick-strike offense without Moss taking the focus away from Wes Welker and Co.

But if Green-Ellis continues to re-charge a quiet rushing attack, this offense will be extremely hard to defend.

While it's no secret that I haven't been a big fan of Green-Ellis over the years, he really showed me a lot of positives. I'm not going to completely take the bait just yet, but it's a great start to making me be a believer.

Oregon, Auburn deserve title shot

Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Hey, I know everyone wants the BCS to go up in smoke. I subscribe to the same notion.

But at the same time, I'm not going to say that another team should get screwed in order for it to happen. People seem to have gotten so caught up in their desire to see Boise State and TCU in the BCS title game that they've forgotten that a couple of good teams in front of them just might be championship caliber, too.

Oregon now sits at No. 1 after beating USC by three touchdowns. That's two convincing wins over ranked teams within their own conference this season that have helped them achieve an 8-0 record. Sure, they've got New Mexico and Portland State on their schedule, too, but they outscored those two by a count of 141-0. Isn't that the argument that fans are always making about Boise? They don't play the strongest schedule, but they throttle the teams they do play, then beat the ranked opponents that fall on their schedule?You can't have it one way and not the other.

Throw on top of that the fact that the Ducks have the most prolific offense in football, averaging a touchdown more a game than Boise with a tougher schedule, and you have to at least consider them one of the top teams in college football.

Auburn at No. 2 isn't quite as flashy, but is still as dangerous. The Tigers have beaten three ranked teams this season and have a very diverse offense led by a quarterback that just might be this year's Heisman winner. Not that winning trophies has anything to do with winning football games, but is illustrates the amount of talent Cam Newton has. People can say the SEC is overrated and in a lot of years they would be correct. This year is not one of those years, especially in the West division, where four of the five teams are ranked. Auburn has beaten two of them and also has beaten the best team in the East. They also beat Ole Miss at home, which anyone can tell you is not an easy feat.

So, yes, in the grand scheme of things, I would like to see the BCS die just like everyone else. However, if these two teams stay perfect, I don't see how you can deny them. They're just too good.

Chris Maza is the owner of his own blog, Maza's Musings, and makes weekly contributions to Fan Fanatic Sports. Check out Maza's Musings for more sports insight and also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @Mazasmusings and 'like' him on Facebook.