Greatest Rugby Play Ever

The NFL needs to take a serious look at professional rugby and regain the toughness that was once part of the league's tradition. As the sport of football has become more fragile in recent years, an infusion of hard-nosed aggression is needed. Enjoy this footage.

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Carmelo AnthoNY: Trade to Knicks good for NBA

Thousands of fans in Denver and New Jersey lamented the loss of Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks, whose fans spent Monday night celebrating the coming of a second superstar to the Garden.

Many fans and analysts have been quick to say that the Knicks gave up too much (which is another story entirely), while many others have taken up the mantra that the trade is bad for the NBA. They say the trend of bringing all of the big stars to the big cities hurts the marketability of the league. This is wrong. Carmelo is just the newest move in a hype machine that has been prevalent this entire year. Teams in the big cities attracting big players is great for the NBA.

It is hard to argue that the NBA is less fun when the Knicks are relevant. The Knickerbockers play at Madison Square Garden, arguably the biggest stage in the NBA. New York is the largest market in basketball, so having them even be considered a remote contender is going to bring more interest to the NBA.

To have the big players go to the big markets only makes sense for the league; it means more marketing, more merchandise, and more exposure. Los Angeles vs New York City would make for one hell of an NBA Finals, which means better ratings.

I can't even think of a reason why the big market-big player philosophy could hurt basketball. If you really think it could, look at the Garden crowd for every Knicks home game in the forseeable future. You might change your mind.

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JZSports Blogtalk Radio: Talk Wednesday

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Breaking News: Vets Rush To Masturbate Dying Racehorse To Save Its Valuable Sperm

Thank you Onion Sportsdome for the video. They are in a rush against time to save what's important from this valuable horse. The Onion Sports Network continues to provide viewers with entertaining sports news that can either be labeled creative or absurd. Either way, enjoy.

Onion SportsDome

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The Legend of Quarterback Ryan Leaf's Psyche

This is my latest story for bleacher report about the most notorious NFL bust of all time. Ryan Leaf, known as the biggest flop in history, was irrelevant under center in his limited time as quarterback. However, he is known more for his off the field tantrums and arrogant personality. Hated by his teammates and fans, Leaf snowballed towards mediocrity and was out of the league at 26. This piece looks at Leaf from a different perspective, as if all his mediocrity actually made him a legend. Doubtful, but enjoy the sarcastic article.                          -Z.Pumerantz 

As the pigskin fluttered across the field in a panic and he flailed his arms in frustration, it became clear that Ryan Leaf was on the way to a defining career.

The legacy of Ryan Leaf began in Great Falls, MT in 1976.

A golden arm with a self-righteous swagger, Leaf impressed scouts with his smug attitude. While his teammates and the locals despised his arrogance, it made him dominant on the football field and the basketball court. When he ditched Montana for Washington State University, Russell High School decided not to retire Leaf’s jersey because he broke their hearts.

A First-Team All American at WSU, Leaf was happy to move on from his small town and get rich. In 1997, he reached a significant stepping-stone in his premature career. A Heisman trophy finalist after passing for nearly 8,000 yards and leading his collegiate team, the Cougars, to their first Rose Bowl since 1931, Leaf was building his legacy as the cockiest quarterback ever and was ready to cash in.

The San Diego Chargers had the third pick in the 1998 NFL Draft but decided to trade up to the second pick, owned by the Arizona Cardinals, after becoming enamored with Leaf’s psyche.

The Indianapolis Colts had the first pick and had their choice of a Mississippi quarterback out of the University of Tennessee and Leaf. Many experts believed Leaf was a better prospect than his counterpart, a youth named Peyton Manning. The Colts felt differently and took their chances with the Tennessee quarterback. Colts fans missed out.

The Chargers were thrilled to draft Leaf second overall and gave him $31.25 million for four years and named him the starting quarterback before the season began. It was a great start to an egotistical career. Head coach Kevin Gilbride deserves most of the credit for helping Leaf enter the league. By naming him starter, he was altruistically stroking his ego and helping him become such a conceited figure.

His career didn’t begin as expected, however, as he won his first two games in the 1998 season, albeit passing for one touchdown and two interceptions. With the team winning, Leaf was seen hugging teammates and offering complements. Gilbride wasn’t going to allow this kind of kindness much longer as he urged his young quarterback to care less.

He began to take strides in his third game against the Kansas City Chiefs, completing 1-15 passes for four yards and two interceptions. In September, he was seen cursing at a cameraman and screaming on the sideline like a toddler. After four more games, Gilbride was fired because he couldn’t mold Leaf into a haughtier quarterback, despite the exciting recent outbursts.

While he failed mightily on the field in 10 games in 1998, completing 45% of his passes for 1,289 yards, two touchdowns and 15 interceptions, he was more arrogant than ever. He was on the way to becoming the cockiest. He decided to leave the chargers for the streets. He was ready for a new team and expected his agent’s phone to be busy. But it was his tantrums and aggravated assault on reporters and chatty fans that made him so unique. Teams hoped he still had that aggression within.

He then took his ego to Tampa Bay, where the Buccaneers were more than happy to embrace his personality. This is when his career plummeted. Lacking the violent outbursts that made him so famous in San Diego, Leaf didn’t feel at home. He chose to leave again. Jerry Jones jumped on the chance. The Cowboys picked up the confused signal caller.

Unable to find his immature attitude, Leaf’s career with the Cowboys lasted four games, until he ditched his team for one final time and went to the Seattle Seahawks. With injuries plaguing his psyce, Leaf was unable to find the violent tantrums that once hinted to such promise a promising career.

It started with so many expectations from coaches and fans in San Diego. The young quarterback from Montana had the world on his back, carrying them to egotistical stardom. While he displayed some skill for the tantrum at times, he got bored with San Diego and decided moving on was the best choice. The rest is karma.

He could never find the immaturity that defined his early career and retired at the tender age of 26. He had lost his spark, lost his vigor. Feeling as if he lost his libido, Leaf took his talents to court and was arrested numerous times on drug charges following his NFL career.

San Diego will never forget the star prima donna and the short, but exciting career he had in the NFL as the sports cockiest player of all time. In these times, when players are humble and good teammates, the sport needs another Ryan Leaf to come along and infuse the sport with unwanted tantrums. Only time will tell if there is a second coming of the biggest prick in sports. As of now, the best bust of all time will suffice.

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Blogtalk radio: JZ Sports Football Withdrawal Special

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Islanders Game Becomes an All-Out Brawl

This game appeared to be a dominant 9-3 victory by the New York Islanders, but when watching the plethora of fights in this game (17), it becomes clear that the NHL fining the Islanders $100,000 might not suffice. Islanders forwards Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin and Penguins forward Eric Godard were suspended as well.

Obviously fighting is a significant part of the sport of hockey, but not when it occurs play after play. The highlight video below is somewhat entertaining, to be honest, but not good for hockey. Mario Lemieux has already revealed his disgust with what took place on Friday night. Read his ESPN quotes here. Enjoy.

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Jacked Up: NFL's Best Hits of the Last Decade

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Jordy Nelson: The Unsung Hero of SuperBowl XLV

As the bulbs flashed, the crowd roared, and confetti flew, all eyes of the Cowboys stadium crowd and the record-breaking 111 million T.V viewers were on Aaron Rodgers, the clear MVP of Super Bowl XLV.

Off to the side though stood another Packer, one who was instrumental in the historic victory, one who managed to rise from obscurity this year to become a critical piece of the puzzle: wide receiver Jordy Nelson.

Buried on the Green Bay depth chart behind Greg Jennings, Donald Driver and James Jones, Jordy Nelson has never been a top weapon of Aaron Rodgers; having been drafted in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft, he came after the Favre era while Rodgers was still getting his feet under him. He played a minimal if not completely insignificant role in the '08/'09 seasons, recording only 55 catches for 686 yards in 2 full years.

His role in 2010 showed some change. He ended up recording 45 catches for 582 yards and 2 touchdowns, though he did not record the first 100 yard game of his career until he racked up 124 against the Giants in Week 16. Though he picked up his play during the last few regular season games, he was a non factor against the Eagles in the Wild Card round, leading many pundits to leave him out of consideration as a factor player for the postseason.

He worked his way back into the picture against the Falcons and Bears, posting 12 catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. It was in Super Bowl 45 however, that Nelson cemented his place in Packer lore forever.

With just over 3 minutes to go in the 1st quarter, Nelson beat Randall Gay to make a jumping catch of a beautifully thrown 29-yard pass from Rodgers, putting up the first points of the SuperBowl.

Nelson proceeded to be the go-to guy for Rodgers throughout the game, totaling 15 targets and racking up 8 more catches for an astounding 140 yards. Despite his stellar play, Nelson did have 3 critical dropped passes, fully half of the team's drops. Rodgers continued to rely on the young receiver, and one play after his final drop, on 3rd and 10 early in the 4th, Nelson snagged a pass, dodged a few tackles and dashed laterally across the field, going 38 yards and eventually being brought down on the 2 yard line. Greg Jennings caught what would be the game winning touchdown 2 plays later, though Jordy Nelson was the one who put the team in position.

Aaron Rodgers will be the first one to tell you that his teammates deserve all the credit; obviously this is untrue, but his teammates do deserve SOME credit. Rodgers played a historical game, but Jordy Nelson's SuperBowl should never be overlooked. A young and unknown player rising up to help his team win the championship is the stuff of legends. Nelson has his whole career ahead of him, and if he ever ends up in the SuperBowl again, the opposing defense better hope they have a corner that can match him.

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Green Bay Stardom

"As the clock dwindled, the Green Bay Packers only seconds away from a legendary Super Bowl victory, fans began to reminisce, grins and gratification omnipresent... "        click here to read the full article

Congratulations to the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and their loyal fanbase. The team has come a long way since the Brett Favre days and could not be happier with their franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers leading the charge. Read why Rodgers will dominate the league for years in my latest Bleacher Report piece. Click Here to Read

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blogtalk radio: JZ Sports Superbowl Pre-Show

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Super Bowl XLV: Keys to Victory

This comical collection detailing the matchup in this year's Superbowl featuring Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers against Big Ben and the Steelers is all thanks to the Onion Sports Network. Read and Enjoy. To see the full article, click here.

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Cam Newton at a Crossroads: Can He Avoid NFL Failure?

"With off-the-field issues clouding his years at Florida, Newton transferred to Blinn Junior College and then to Auburn, where he quickly established himself as a star. Many drool over his tools and the potential he flashes. He has the athletic ability that scouts dream about. But he’s got a long road to success, with many expecting him to fail." Read Full Article Here.

Here is the article I just wrote for bleacher report concerning the future of Cam Newton and whether he can succeed. Many see him as another first round bust but others salivate over his tools. Only time will tell. Enjoy the article. To read the full piece, click here.

                  

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Da Raidas Will Be Back

I'd just like to take this opportunity for some minor boasting, mixed with some admittance of luck. Back in June, I wrote a piece called "Rating the Raiders: Emerging from the Black Hole", in which I predicted that the Raiders would at least go 8-8, missing the playoffs but showing huge improvement.

They certainly did so, but in a rather peculiar fashion. Rather than beating the teams I figured to be pushovers for them, they went 6-0 in their division; demolishing the Chargers and Broncos and defeating the division champion Chiefs twice each. The Raiders went 8-8 winning 6 games in their division and missed the playoffs. What a world right?

The point is, the Raiders improved immensely this season. Their passing defense was notable as always, going from the #7 spot in '09 to the #2 spot in 2010. The rushing defense improved minimally, from 30th to 29th. However, the Raiders truly shined in rushing this year, as Darren McFadden had his breakout season helping Oakland to reach 155.5 yards rushing per game and the #2 overall rushing attack. When your running offense and passing defense are that good, teams sort of find themselves in a bind. When forced to run competing with a superior attack, and unable to out-throw, some teams will just fold in.

As stated in June, this is at least partially due to the improvement to the Raider's air attack with the dumping of the Purple Drank. Though it was downright ugly at times, and yes I was more than a little wrong about which recievers would be impact players (Sorry Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy), the passing game improved enough with Campbell and Gradkowski to give the runners some breathing room. They will definitely need to look for a more permanent solution in this area, or hope one of those two improves enough to lead legitimately. However, having two middle talent QB's with room for improvement is certianly better than having a 300 pound, lazy, charisma-less blob.

In fact, the worst thing the Raiders did in 2010/2011 was fire Tom Cable. The guy was on the cusp of bringing the team out of the darkness. Yes he had a few losing seasons, but building a team takes time. Sadly of course, the bane of the Raiders-Al Davis-swooped in and took that man away. A team just about to resurface to relevance does not need a turbulent coaching change. Hopefully for them, all will go smoothly. If the Raiders have any luck, the new coach will keep order, and Raider nation will have a chance again in 2011. They have the tools, the drive, and the youth. With the right leadership, the Silver and Black could be around for the 2012 playoffs.

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Chad Johnson Making a Comeback

"Don't stop mangling your Spanish quite yet, though. Ochocinco hasn't filed the paperwork yet for the name change and has gone back on this promise before. In 2009, he said he'd change it back if Darrelle Revis(notes) shut him down in a game. Revis did and Ochocinco didn't follow through." 

                                                                                         ~ Chris Chase, Yahoo Sports

The chatty wide receiver finds a way to claim more attention. Chad Ochocinco is changing his surname back to Johnson, looking for a new start. After consistent riffs with his Head Coach, Marvin Lewis, number 85 seems to be on the cusp of a release or trade from Cincinnati. After the most unproductive streak of his career, under the name Ochocinco, Johnson will look to find his old form. Once feared by defensive backs, he has no longer been a threat and recruited his buddy Terrell Owens to improve the offense. After one year, T.O. seems to be on his way out as well. To read the full story, click here.

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Blog Talk Radio: JZSports Championship Sunday Aftermath

Recap of the wild NFC and AFC Championship games. Also, tune in for our JZSports regular season awards winners, and the first Superbowl Preview. We will also be announcing the Silver Puma award, for our favorite player of the year.

Listen to internet radio with jzsports on Blog Talk Radio

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What Should Brett Favre Do?

Here is yet another comical remix of Lebron James' "what should I do" commercial. Favre retires from making commercials and then decides to come back. This actor looks too much like the crippled quarterback. Enjoy.

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Moment of the Year: Sanchez Gives Brunell a Gift

After a tough 24-19 loss to the Steelers in the AFC Championship game to end the season, Jets fans need something to make them smile. Here is a clip of Mark Sanchez during the game. Enjoy. It was a great season and the team can only get better. Sanchez got plenty of developing this year and seems ready to take that next step. Get ready for a Packers/Steelers Superbowl. Should be good.

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AFC Championship Prediction

JZ Sports welcomes back contributor Bill Eckert back from vacation, with his prediction for Sunday's AFC Championship battle between Gang Green and the Black and Yellow. Read and Enjoy.

Hey there gang! Bill Eckert here to make a few predictions on Sunday’s games. I found myself in a situation last week that didn’t allow me see the Steelers/Ravens game live, but thanks to my trusty DVR I was able to go to work and not worry myself about the game. Fast forwarding through the unneeded flagaphiles we call refs tends to eat up too much play time and I find no more joy zipping past that as I do in any other enjoyable activity (how’s that for vague). Anyhow, as the chef of my kitchen warned me earlier in the shift, I wasn’t getting out of that shift without knowing what happened in the game. With an hour or so left in my shift, Brian, our door guy, strolls back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee; before I knew it, Brian turns to Chef and I, matter-of-factly stating, “So, the Steelers won,” leaving me only to hang my head and nod in acknowledgment to Chef that he was on the money and I was out the results to what I was calling MY Super Bowl, since it was my Steelers facing their greatest rival.

Don’t fret though sports fans, for as any of you that watched the game know, when I arrived home that evening I sat through the game either way and found myself pleasured by the battle between what might be the two hardest hitting teams in the NFL (even though I found myself disappointed at times knowing that I might have been truly hooting and hollering at times had I not already know the outcome).

Now, down to brass tacks, the AFC and NFC Championships! Both of these games are going to rest on the shoulders of the quarterbacks, more so than usual. I’ll get even more specific. These games are going to rest on the shoulders of, in the NFC match up, Jay Cutler, and in the AFC match up, Mark Sanchez. Both these guys can be remarkable when they on their mark; Sanchez showed what he was made of last week when he seemed impervious to the New England defense, and Cutler ran wild, literally, on the Seahawks. But things are going to be very different this week.           

Both Cutler and Sanchez, though they have moments where they shine brightly, they have also been the providers for a rival’s victory through interceptions, and frequently. Their biggest weakness has been their inconsistency and this is a problem that both Green Bay and Pittsburgh lack.

In the NFC Championship the rivalry between Green Bay and Chicago alone will be something that should both turn up the heat in Soldier Field and, in the words of Chef Emeril Lagasse, both teams will “kick it up a notch” when they hit the field. Green Bay is going to bring hell and Cutler isn’t going to be able to gallivant around the field as he did last week. Urlacher and the Bears defense is going to give Aaron Rodgers a work out; however, this isn’t something new to Rodgers and he has always been a team commander who understands the importance of his roll as QB and has the know how to help his team advance to The Big Show in two weeks. If Cutler is smart, he’ll be smart and not try to outrun Clay Matthews and the rest of the Lemon-Limebackers, and if can’t find himself a receiver, don’t give it up as he has been know to do.

Things on the AFC end of the league are a little less cut and dry. For those of you that have read any of my previous posts, you know well that I am a long time fan of The Steel Curtain and JZ’s own Zack Pumerantz is a raging Jets fan (Would raging be a good adjective, Zack?), so hopefully he’ll not want my head for writing such things about Sanchez and the Jets. Let it be said that I like the Jets. Hell, I’m going AFC for the remainder of this stint and if the Jets do beat my Steelers, I want them to take it all. That being said, I don’t see that happening. My personal fandom aside, the Jets has a few things working against them.

I’ve already mentioned that Sanchez has been known to turn the ball over through rushed passing, but he showed last week, against the Patriots, that he can handle the pressure when it is poured on, so though he played well last week and is still capable to choke, I’ll dispel said weakness and trade it for these other potential issues. The Steelers defense IS NOT the New England Patriots defense, and what they have working for them that the Pats didn’t have last week is that the Jets beat Big Ben and the gang in Pittsburgh the last time they met, James Harrison and the rest of The Curtain will not want to lose at home against the Jets twice and this time they brought Troy to play.

I believe I mentioned this in the past, but for the sake of continuity I would like to mention (maybe again) that I don’t like the idea of placing a teams victory or loss on one player, though here I am clearly saying that Cutler and Sanchez are very likely the deciding factors for their teams, I am now going to add in what I like to call the “Troy Factor.” When the Jets came to Pittsburgh last they faced a team without their Pro-Bowl safety Troy Polamalu. The Jets won by five points that day, but it was a very hard fought five points and they played very well. Sunday’s game is going to have to be harder fought on New York’s end. Troy is back, and that will certainly beef up the Steelers D but to wind down and wrap up, I’ll just say that there is a threat on the Jets end as well.

Big Ben is a force to be reckoned with and defensive opponents have to often work very hard to strike fear into him, nevertheless bring him to the ground, but in a press conference Ben sang the praises of the Jets defense and all that they are capable of. It was their art of confusion that Ben sang about most. He went on about their raw talent and the hug fest between Antonio Cromartie and Big Ben and their comments about loving one another and what they do was all well and good; however, I found myself only slightly stirred, as a Steelers fan, when I heard Ben say that after watching the Jets defeat the two best quarterbacks in the league at home that he didn’t know how he was going to beat them. I’m sure Ben will continue to do as he has done all season long and help to press his team forward.

These Championship games are going to be featuring a lot of hardcore defense and by looking back at them, Roethlisberger and Rodgers have been consistently solid when it came to handling the pressure. Having said that, my buddy Sweet Jimmy B. reminded me that when it comes to the Playoffs, statistics and everything else we think we know can go out the window, but pressure, well she can be a bitch and hopefully neither Cutler or Sanchez buckle at the crack of her whip. 

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The Knicks are Back

"There was no summer more significant to the New York Knicks future than in 2010. The LeBron James sweepstakes began and it was evident that his choices were the Chicago Bulls, his former team the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Knicks.

Donnie Walsh was confident, with the perfect pitch in place to recruit him. Everything looking good, it all fell apart and James took his efforts to Miami where he is dominating with his all-star tandem of Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, who is the face of the Heat franchise. The Knicks settled for a power forward who is only second in the league in scoring right now with 26.4 points per game. 

After Amare Stoudemire signed with the Knicks, he proclaimed to the NBA world that the Knicks were back. Well, they have made that clear this year. At 22-19, they are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference and have beaten the likes of the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets. It took a last second shot by Paul Pierce for the Boston Celtics to scrape by. They are playing with toughness and vigor.Whether they win or lose the game, their play is always exhilarating. 

With their new-found attitude and fearless play, the Knicks are making noise in the NBA and other teams are taking note. Whether they make the postseason or not this season, albeit a catastrophic collapse, the Knicks are to be feared next season and in the future. It's an exciting time for Knicks fans. Here's why."

Second article for bleacher report, enjoy. Knicks are back. To read the full article, click here.

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