Derrick Rose has been through a lot of trials over the past three years. Not only has he had two serious knee injuries in a torn ACL and torn meniscus, but he has received a lot of heat as well. Whether it has been from the media, people who follow the NBA, and supposed Chicago Bulls' "fans", Rose has received so much ridicule over things he could not even control. Through all of it though, D-Rose has never given up and never lost his confidence in himself. For that, he deserved to be an All-Star this year. Rose is averaging 18.9 ppg on 41.5%, 5 apg, and 3.1 rpg. Not exactly your prototypical All-Star point guard numbers, but still quality stats. It is the way Rose does it though. He makes teams account for him every possession. On scouting reports, Rose is always the top man on the list that teams are looking to shut down. He will always be the one to take the last shot of the game, as seen here as he drills a game winning jumper against the Warriors. Rose is the home town hero for the Chicago Bulls. He has faced so much adversity over his life that he deserves to be honored for all of his effort and his valor.
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Could we be seeing this in 2015?
Friday is here! And to those of you who have waited for the final installment of the early MLB predictions, here they are! First off, the playoffs. AL PLAYOFF TEAMS NL PLAYOFF TEAMS AL EAST WINNER: Baltimore Orioles . NL EAST WINNER: Washington Nationals AL CENTRAL WINNER: Kansas City Royals. NL CENTRAL WINNER: St. Louis Cardinals AL WEST WINNER: Oakland Athletics. NL WEST WINNER: San Diego Padres WILD CARD: Los Angeles Angels WILD CARD: Los Angeles Dodgers WILD CARD: Boston Red Sox WILD CARD: Pittsburgh Pirates Boston defeats Los Angeles in Wild Card . Pittsburgh defeats Los Angeles in Wild Card Kansas City defeats Oakland in ALDS St. Louis defeats San Diego in NLDS Baltimore defeats Boston in ALDS Washington defeats Pittsburgh in NLDS Baltimore defeats Kansas City in ALCS Washington defeats St. Louis in NLCS Baltimore loses to Washington in World Series WASHINGTON NATIONALS 2015 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS To be completely honest, I did try to make awards predictions. And I got nothing. All I'm gonna say is that Madison Bumgarner will have a better 2015 campaign than Clayton Kershaw's 2014 year. 'Nuff said. 1. The Jets will run mainly the single wing formation- In 2014, the Jets passed for 2946 yards. That might have been good in 1962, but those aren't exactly stellar numbers today. Geno Smith staked his claim for worst quarterback in the NFL, right behind Michael Vick (also of the Jets), and right above Ryan Leaf, formerly of the San Diego Chargers, and most recently a member of the Great Falls, Montana Prison Sand Lot football team. There is a bright spot, however. In 2014, the Jets ranked 3rd in rushing with 2280 yards. I predict that next year the Jets will abandon the concept of the quarterback and run the single wing formation.
2.The Seahawks will miss the Playoffs- Russell Wilson will get paid this offseason, and rightfully so. If Colin Kaepernick can get a QB megadeal, then so can Wilson. However, if Wilson does get paid the money he deserves, then the Seahawks will fall apart. Free agents like Kevin Williams and Marshawn Lynch will chase the money and take their talents elsewhere. The Patriots demonstrated in the Super Bowl that the "Legion of Boom" can be easily beaten given the right matchups. The Seahawks will go 10-6 and miss the playoffs in a tightly contested NFC. 3.The Bills will win the AFC East- With Kyle Orton retiring and EJ Manuel a questionable alternative, the Bills 2015 season seems in doubt. However, with the signing of Rex Ryan as head coach, the Bills could be an exceptional team. Ryan is going to stress the importance of defense, and the Bills have a suffocating one. With pieces like Mario Williams and Leodis McKelvin already in place, the Bills won't have to worry about that side of the ball. I believe that EJ Manuel will do a decent enough job of managing the game, and the one-two punch of CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson will give them just enough offense to go 11-5 and win the AFC East. 4.Jay Cutler will revive his career... in Cleveland- Nearly every sports fan in the Midwest feels like "quarterback" is a dirty word (that is, except for Colts fans). The Bears and the Browns are two of the most unfortunate teams when it comes to signal-callers. (Rex Grossman, Tim Couch, need I say more?). Johnny Manziel of the Browns turned out to be nothing more than Johnny Jersey Sales, and Jay Cutler has been a turnover machine since he joined the Bears in 2009. I predict that the Browns will sign Brian Hoyer and do a wholesale QB for QB trade with the Bears for Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler will be refreshed in his new role as the low expectations quarterback on a team that is synonymous with failure. Cutler will finally display mechanics on par with his arm strength and lead the Browns to a 10-6 record and a playoff spot. The Bears, on the other hand, they'll be as dissatisfied with Hoyer as they were with Cutler and finish in the bottom half of the NFC. 5.Four quarterbacks will throw for 5,000 yards... and none of them will be Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Peyton Manning- 2014 saw some amazing feats from the QB position. Big Ben threw for 6 touchdowns in two straight games, Aaron Rodgers threw 6 touchdowns in one half against the Bears, and Andrew Luck became the eight quarterback to throw for 40 touchdowns in a season. Oddly enough, however, no one threw for 5,000 yards. That won't be the case next year. I predict that Andrew Luck of the Colts, Matthew Stafford of the Lions, Ryan Tannehill of the Dolphins, and Eli Manning of the Giants will all throw for 5,000 yards. Andrew Luck had a breakout season last year, putting up 4,761 yards. With weapons like T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen, Luck will only continue to improve. Matthew Stafford has already thrown for 5,00 yards (5,038 in 2011). He threw for 4,257 yards in 2014 despite what seemed to be a decline in the Lions offense. With Golden Tate emerging as a star and Calvin Johnson still as big and athletic as ever, Stafford will eclipse the 5,000 yard mark. Tannehill is the wildcard here. He took a big step forward in 2014, throwing for 4,045 yards. Mike Wallace will finally deliver on his huge free agent contract and Brian Hartline staying a consistent receiving threat, Tannehill will have a huge breakout season and throw for 5,000 yards. People don't realize that Eli Manning had a really good season in 2014. He threw for 4,410 yards, even though his team was awful. In a last ditch effort to save his career in New York, (and with a little help from Odell Beckham Jr.), Eli will eclipse the 5,000 yard mark for the first time in his career. 6.The Colts will face the Lions in the Super Bowl- Yes, you read that right. Colts and Lions. Here's why: Colts- Everyone can agree that Andrew Luck is outstanding. After just three years, he is already one of the best QB's in the league. What has held the Colts back has been their running game and their defense. They should be able to draft a quality running back outside of the first round (Jeremy Langford perhaps). They already have talent like Vontae Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, and Jerell Freeman on the defensive side, they just need to put it all together and consistently play like a solid defense, not up and down like last season. All in all, I think the Colts will go 12-4, finally beat the Patriots, and end up in Super Bowl 50. Lions- If we learned anything from the Lions last year, it's that they can still win without Matthew Stafford throwing for a ton of yards. Their defense was suffocating, but when their defense did lapse, they struggled to produce the offense they needed to win. That will change next year. Matthew Stafford will return to his 2011 form and lead an explosive pass offense that will be one of the four best in the league. If the Lions resign Ndamukong Suh, they will have a dominate front seven that will catapult the Lions to a 12-4 record and a Super Bowl 50 berth. Well, the AL was released Monday. Now comes the NL. Soon enough, the playoffs shall be predicted. So without further ado, the NL.
NL EAST 1. WASHINGTON NATIONALS - An NLDS to the Giants means a sense of urgency for the Nats. It should be world series or bust for these guys. 2. MIAMI MARLINS - Apparently the Marlins have a guy named Giancarlo Stanton who is supposed to be pretty good. 3. NEW YORK METS - After a 79-83 season, I don't foresee any changes this season. Except a lower finish in the division. 4. PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES - The Phils should jump a spot in the division thanks to a dwon year from the Braves after losing some key names. 5. ATLANTA BRAVES - The Braves have lost some key names so a fifth place finish should be the result. NL CENTRAL 1. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS - They made the playoffs, beat the Dodgers by destroying Clayton Kershaw, then proceeded to give the NLCS to the Giants. 2. PITTSBURGH PIRATES - Last season they got thrashed 8-0 by the SanFran Giants, but revenge is on their mind. A second place finish in the Central and an appearance in the NLCS will happen in 2015. 3. CINCINNATI REDS - After a fourth place NL Central finish, they need to get back to their former form. Winning games and showing up in October. 4. MILWAUKEE BREWERS - They surprised everybody last year but they simply do not have enough weapons on defense to compete with the best of the NL. 5. CHICAGO CUBS - Even the addition of Jon Lester won't help them this season, as they suffer another last place finish. 2016 should be a better season though. NL WEST 1. SAN DIEGO PADRES - After having the biggest off season of any MLB team, they have the tools for a playoff appearance. The Friars will exit early, but will build the foundations for future runs. 2. LOS ANGELES DODGERS - As good as Clayton Kershaw is, he can't provide everything the team needs. There will be a point where it all comes apart for the Dodgers. 3. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS - A year after a championship, they'll miss the playoffs altogether, even though Madison Bumgarner will win the NL Cy Young. 4. ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS - The D-Backs are a team without a clear-cut star, which is what teams need to be successful. 5. COLORADO ROCKIES - Troy Tulowitzki is the Rockies leader, and he's a fine player. But he's all they've got. This concludes the NL, on Friday, my playoff predictions and award predictions shall be released. Thanks for reading! We would like to apologize to all of the fans that have been looking forward to Mason's & my mock drafts. During our time off we decided that instead of posting both of our mock drafts together, we would post them separately to save time and make it more convenient for both of us. We have also put in numerous hours of study (Sports Center highlights) in order to formulate our mock drafts. So anyway, lets begin with mine:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, QB- Despite the "off-field issues", I still believe that Winston will be drafted 1st overall. He is a very good athlete, and the Bucs are desperate for a QB. 2. Tennessee Titans: Dante Fowler Jr., DE- The Titans need a QB, but is there one that is really worthy of the 2nd overall pick? Fowler's is rising within NFL's circles. And his combine performance will probably help him out to. 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams, DT- Williams is a beast. He's too quick for interior linemen, and too strong for offensive tackles. Gus Bradley could use a disruptive player like him on his defense. 4. Oakland Raiders: Kevin White, WR- I am not very high on White, but he's very athletic. And that also seems like the only thing the Raiders ever care about. 5. Washington Redskins: Randy Gregory, DE/OLB- If I were the Redskins, I would be looking to dump RG"ME" off to another team, but I highly doubt they do that. The quickest way to improve a defense is through adding a good pass rush. 6. New York Jets: Amari Cooper, WR- Eric Decker is an ok option for the Jets, but they need another option whether or not they get a QB outside of Geno Smith. 7. Chicago Bears: Shane Ray, DE- The Bears defense stinks. Shea McClellin has been a bust ever since being drafted a few years ago and Jared Allen is getting old. Adding a fresh pass-rusher would help the Bears in many ways. 8. Atlanta Falcons: Shaq Thompson, OLB- The Falcons offense is set for the most part, but a three-down linebacker with decent ball skills like Thompson could help this team a lot. 9. New York Giants: Landon Collins, SS- The Giants need a hammer on defense, and Colllins fits the bill. 10 St. Louis Rams: Marcus Mariota, QB- Mariota's fall stops here, as the Rams need another QB option outside of the injury-prone Sam Bradford. 11. Minnesota Vikings: Brandon Scherff, OG/OT- The Vikings LG Charlie Johnson stinks. And their LT Matt Kalil needs to improve a lot if he wants to keep his job. 12.Cleveland Browns: Vic Beasly, OLB- What are the Browns going to do? Might as will try and bolster the defensive line at this point. 13. New Orleans Saints: Gerod Holliman, FS- Jarius Byrd was a huge free agent bust, and the position needs to be addressed. 14. Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, WR- Mike Wallace hasn't done anything significant, and a WR opposite of Jarvis Landry is needed. 15. San Francisco 49ers: Rashad Greene, WR- I believe there will be another run on WR's this year, and some teams will end up over drafting some of them. 16. Houston Texans: Kevin Johnson, CB- Jonathan Joseph is on the decline, and a replacement will be needed for Kareem Jackson if the Texans are unable to sign him. 17. San Diego Chargers: Andrus Peat, OT- Phillip Rivers' window is beginning to close, and they need to protect him as well as they can if they want to make a serious run. 18.Kansas City Chiefs: Devin Funchess, WR- The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to not have a WR score a receiving TD, and they almost made the playoffs. Alex Smith kinda stinks, and he needs all the help he can get. 19. Cleveland Browns (via Buffalo): Eddie Goldman, DT- If their isn't a QB Cleveland likes, they should just keep building the defense up. 20. Philadelphia Eagles: Trae Waynes, CB- The Eagles are pretty much set on offense, but Chip Kelly needs to at least attempt to play some sort of defense. 21. Cincinnati Bengals: Benardrick McKinney, MLB- If Rey Maulaga doesn't return, a replacement will be needed. 22.Pittsburgh Steelers: Danny Shelton, DT- The Steelers go back to their roots with this pick. Defense. 23. Detroit Lions: Marcus Peters, CB- Lions could use some secondary help, especially if the pass-rush flops because of the probable departure of Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. 24. Arizona Cardinals: Brett Hundley, QB- Some team will overdraft a QB, and it's the Cards in this one. 25. Carolina Panthers: T.J. Clemmings, OT- Panthers make Cam Newton happy with this pick, as their tackle duo is the worst in the NFL. 26. Baltimore Ravens: Sammie Coates, WR- Ravens decide to replace Torrey Smith, as Coates is probably the best deep threat in this draft. 27.Dallas Cowboys: Melvin Gordon, HB- Jerruh Jones goes Jerruh Jones with this pick, its all bout the flash. 28. Denver Broncos: Arik Armstead, DE- At the end of the 1st, its all about potential. Armstead is full of it. 29. Indianapolis Colts: Michael Bennett, DT- The Colts decide to bolster their depleted defensive line with this pick. Bennett has been a quiet prospect as of late, and could end up being a huge steal. 30. Green Bay Packers: Jaelen Strong, WR- If the Packers don't resign Randall Cobb, a replacement will be needed as DeVante Adams is not a viable #2 WR option. 31. Seattle Seahawks: La'el Collins, OT- Why does Collins fall all the way down here? I don't know, but it always happens every year when teams over-draft other players. 32. New England Patriots: Alex Carter, CB- If Darrelle Revis isn't resigned, it would be a huge blow to the Patriots much improved defense. A replacement would be needed. As teams report for spring training, new faces are on new teams. The most notable changes are James Shields, who signed four-year $75 million deal with the Padres, Jon Lester to the Cubs, Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez to the Red Sox, and Joe Maddon to the Cubs as their new manager. But what do these changes mean for the upcoming season?
AL EAST 1. BALTIMORE ORIOLES -They won the division last year, and I expect them to repeat due to the fact that they have a good rotation and a better offense. 2. BOSTON RED SOX -With the additions of Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez, the offense has been boosted. But, they have a struggle with where to put Ramirez, but it's a good problem to have. 3.TORONTO BLUE JAYS -They finished third last season, mainly due to a less than stellar defense. Their offense has no problem producing, mainly thanks to Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. Expect the same this season. 4.NEW YORK YANKEES -The Yankees will miss the postseason for the second straight year because they simply cannot keep teams from scoring runs. The pitchers need a defense to work well behind them, but they don't have that kind of defense. 5.TAMPA BAY RAYS -The Rays will dwell in the cellar. No rotation, no defense, no offense, no game. AL CENTRAL 1. KANSAS CITY ROYALS -Lost in the World Series, lost James Shields to the Padres, but not gonna lose the AL Central. 2. CLEVELAND INDIANS - The Tribe was close to a playoff spot last year and this year they'll get it. They have a solid rotation and a decent offense, but their lacking defense will cause big problems. 3. DETROIT TIGERS - Losing Max Scherzer is gonna hurt. Badly. With Scherzer cruising the capital, the Tigers are now left with one solid option. David Price will most likely be good, but Justin Verlander is shaky. 4. CHICAGO WHITE SOX - Where do I start? How about with their lack of defense. Their defense is struggling, but the addition of Jeff Samardzjia may help. 5. MINNESOTA TWINS - With Joe Mauer on the obvious downward spiral towards retirement, the Twins are lacking leadership and talent. AL WEST 1. OAKLAND ATHLETICS - The A's saw a promising season and a huge lead slip away in the playoffs. This season will be different for the A's. 2. LOS ANGELES ANGELS - It all starts with Mike Trout for the Angels and this season should be no different. Trout will lead the offense to a decent season. 3. SEATTLE MARINERS - Felix Hernandez is going to be amazing again, but the rest of the team won't catch up to him. 4. HOUSTON ASTROS - The Astros have the best looking farm system in all of the MLB, but they aren't ready to win now. 5. TEXAS RANGERS - Yu Darvish is the best player on the Rangers' roster, but you cannot win with only one good pitcher. This concludes the AL predictions. Within this week, the NL shall be released, then following that the playoff predictions will be released. The unwritten rule of the NFL goes something like this: If you're QB is bad , you'll end up with a top-10 pick. It's as simple as that. Unfortunately, great QB's like Tom Brady only come around once in a generation. Even good ones don't grow on trees. Teams with a need at QB will be thrilled when they find out what the free agent market looks like this year:
-Brian Hoyer -Ryan Mallett -Mark Sanchez -Michael Vick -Jake Locker And those are the notable options.Well, at least teams with top picks can look forward to drafting the next franchise QB, right? Wrong. While I believe Jamies Winston will have a better career than Marcus Mariota, both aren't too promising when it comes to having the "it" factor. Can they carry a stinky Buccaneers/Titans team on their back? They won't have the same supporting cast like they did at Florida State and Oregon. I have ranked the top 10 NFL teams in terms of their QB need (one being the worst). For example, the Colts probably won't be needing a QB anytime soon, so they're not ranked. But the Jets on the other hand... Well... 1. Tennessee Titans- Charlie Whitehurst? Yuck-o. The Titans have been plagued by bad QB play ever since Vince Young decided to change his attitude... For the worst. 2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Josh McCown is too old. His one good saeason with the Bears is looking a lot more fluke-ish. And there's a good chance Mike Glennon gets traded away. 3. Cleveland Browns- This is bad. Johnny Manziel was a "jersey sales" selection. The Browns needed to sell some tickets, but all they got in return was a huge need for a QB. If Brian Hoyer isn't resigned, the future looks bleak in Cleveland. 4. Houston Texans- Ryan Fitzpatrick is a solid -3.6 on the Dalton scale, and isn't going to improve any time soon. Case Keenum is what he is, and undrafted free agent QB. 5. New York Jets- The Jets have never had a good QB. If Joe Namath hadn't won Super Bowl III, he wouldn't be remembered. But fumbles don't help either. And how is Geno Smith still the presumed starter? 6. St. Louis Rams- Sam Bradford is very fragile and the Rams need to move on. Shaun Hill and Austin Davis don't exactly strike fear into the opposition either. 7. Buffalo Bills- Kyle Orton could have at least kept the Bills in contention... If he hadn't retired. E.J. Manuel looks like the "best option" at this point. 8. Jacksonville Jaguars- I am not as high on Blake Bortles as other people are. His mechanics are not suitable for the NFL, and is looking very much like Jay Cutler in that department. I would start looking elsewhere if I were the Jaguars. 9. Chicago Bears- Jay Cutler had all the talent a QB could ever want, but he was never able to put it all together. A lot of things factored into this; A new OC almost every season, a deteriorating defense and the overall lazy mechanics Cutler has displayed throughout his career. Unfortunately, with the lack of QB options, the Bears are probably stuck with him for another season. 10. Washington Redskins- What ever happened to RGIII? After a fantastic rookie campaign, he has now hit rock bottom and his future in Washington is very much in doubt. Hopefully he fixes his mechanical flaws, but even that is being overly enthusiastic. Honorable Mentions- Cardinals (Carson Palmer is old and injury prone) Broncos (Will Peyton Manning return?) Raiders (Can Derek Carr prove to be consistent?) ![]() Due to the lack of expertise of many of our experts in the college hoops world, the weekly top 25 is gone. Too many times did I ask one poll member, "why is this team so high or so low." Or why are they not even on here. In light of there only being 6 weeks until Selection Sunday, this will now consist of bracketology. Here I will give you a seed by seed prediction of the teams I believe should be in the tournament. Without further ado your RationalFanz bracketology. #1 Seeds- #2 Seeds- #3 Seeds- #4 Seeds- Kentucky Duke Notre Dame Northern Iowa Virginia Arizona North Carolina Wichita St Gonzaga Wisconsin Louisville Baylor Kansas Villanova Iowa State West Virginia #5 Seeds- #6 Seeds- #7 Seeds- #8 Seeds- Butler Georgetown Indiana SMU VCU Providence Arkansas Dayton Utah Texas Stanford San Diego St Maryland Oklahoma Ohio St. Georgia #9 Seeds- #10 Seeds- #11 Seeds- #12 Seeds- Iowa Michigan St Colorado St George Washington/ NC St Miami (FL) Xavier Old Dominion Green Bay Oklahoma Cincinnati Ole Miss/Kansas St Western Kentucky Seton Hall LSU Tulsa Murray St #13 Seeds- #14 Seeds- #15 Seeds- #16 Seeds Wofford Iona South Dakota St North Carolina Central Yale Kent St High Point North FL/Albany Stefen F Austin Long Beach St Bucknell Sacramento St/ St Francis William & Mary New Mexico St Georgia Southern Texas Southern |
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