When Will They Learn?

Welcome one and all to another edition of Tha Weatha Report. There’s a lot going on in the world of sports lately, but only one topic can bring me from the dark caves of silence to drop some knowledge on you. So, relax your mind and let your conscience be free and roll with Tha WeathaMan as we hit this journey. 

2013	Aaron Hernandez, NFL	Murder
2013	A. Walcott, NFL	Murder
2013	O. Pistorius, Running	Murder
2012	Josh Brent, NFL	Mans.
2009	Donte' Stallworth, NFL	Mans.
2005	Dany Heatley, NHL	Homic.
2004	Tammy Crow, Swim	Mans.
2003	Dwayne Goodrich, NFL	Homic.
2001	Rae Carruth, NFL	Murder
2000	Ray Lewis, NFL	Murder
1998	Leonard Little, NFL	Mans.
1995	Brian Blades, NFL	Mans.
1992	Charles Smith, NBA	Homic.
1989	Bruce Kimball, Diving	Mans.
1988	Reggie Rogers, NFL	Homic.
1986	Derrick Fenner, CFB	Murder
1984	Craig MacTavish, NHL	Homic.

-        -Credit to ESPN research for this list-

The above list is just the pro athletes that have been arrested and/or convicted of murder, homicide, and/or manslaughter in my lifetime.  Granted, not all of these involve weapons but there are enough that do to give pause. What’s the point? The point is that this is a list that just keeps growing.

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the latest incident involves the former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. There’s no need to retell the story (click here if you need to catch up), but the same cycle that has caught up to previous athletes seems to have engulfed Mr. Hernandez into its web. Kid is born, people discover that said kid has athletic talent, kid becomes popular, popularity attracts unsavory characters (commonly known as “thugs”), kid goes on to be drafted by *insert team name here*, unsavory characters follow along said kid’s path, kid ALLOWS (key word here) unsavory characters to hang around, unsavory characters bring said kid down in a heap of fire and brimstone. We’ve seen it too many times to be surprised at this point. The biggest issue is that these “kids” keep making the same mistakes. 

Adam “Pacman” Jones has made the move to speak at the NFL’s annual Rookie Symposium about this very cycle. We’ve seen upstanding citizens such as Ray Lewis caught in this cycle. Michael Vick was the last big name to be involved in something similar. Now true, Lewis and Vick were able to rebound from their incidents to resurrect their careers but something tells me that Hernandez won’t be able to say the same. Hell, at this point he needs to be more worried about his personal freedom versus catching passes from Tom Brady, Peter Brady, or even Peter Pan. 

The problem is that these athletes don’t realize that in order to live a life like no one else, they have to live a life like no one else. Meaning, not everyone around you is for you. Sometimes the folks that are behind you are the individuals that have the knife that will be inserted into your spine. As opposed to finding out the hard way, these athletes need to realize that cutting off the folks that are hanging on by a thread is the only way to live. A five year $40 million contract is enough motivation to “turn your back on the hood”. 

I understand the stigma of “forgetting where you came from”. It is the most common thing that successful people hear. As soon as you become something special and move up in the world, the crab in a bucket mentality kicks in. People want to pull you back in because you’re leaving them behind, and we all know that it isn’t fair that you get to make it big while Pookie, Ray-Ray, and ‘dem stay in the old neighborhood wasting their lives away. Heaven forbid that the athletes deserve to live a nice lifestyle because they showed the dedication and determination necessary to do something with their lives. 

There’s a lot of information still yet to come concerning the Aaron Hernandez situation. He might even make it out of this mess with no jail time and only a ton of press clippings to his name. But that really isn’t the point now is it? The point is that he allowed himself to be put in this situation to begin with. Somewhere along the line Hernandez allowed all of the pre-draft concerns that teams had about him to become a reality and now he will have to live with the consequences of his actions. There has been too many NFL players (28 since Feb 3 of this year) and athletes in general that find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Yeah, they may be targets because of their wealth. But they also create that target by allowing the openings needed to hit the target. You can either close the cycle, or find yourself scrolling across the bottom of the ESPN screen like Aaron Hernandez, Michael Vick, and Plaxico Burress. The choice is yours professional athletes…us “common folk” can only hope that you make the right one.

Is Carmelo Anthony Really Overpaid?

 

	PPG	APG	RPG	Usage Rte	PER	Win Shares
Player A	28.3	4.5	7.9	29.9	28	18
Player B	28.6	2.6	6.6	35.3	24.5	9.1

 

Welcome one and all to another edition of your favorite internet sports blog, Tha Weatha Report. It has been a while since we've sat down and chatted, but I'm sure you remember how we do this. For this edition of the forecast, I felt the need to tackle a subject that has been brought up and bantered about recently. A few days ago Tom Van Riper of Forbes magazine wrote his list of the top 10 NBA overpaid players. It is a list that created a small bit of controversy due to his #1 selection of Carmelo Anthony, he of the five straight 35-point games. So, I decided to examine if Mr. Honey Nut Cheerios is indeed the most overpaid player in the league. 

Above you will see a table comparing two players that were compared in the Forbes article (all stats courtesy of one of my favorite sites http://www.basketball-reference.com/). I think we would all agree that for the most part, the two players have very similar numbers with the only exception being Player A being responsible for nearly twice the wins that Player B is responsible for. Diving a bit deeper if we're talking about players being overpaid, then we have to talk about contracts. Player A is making over $16 million this year while Player B is making over $19 million. Both players are on teams that have already clinched the titles in their respective divisions with Player A's team having a better record than Player B's team by six games as of this writing. 

In case you haven't figured it out yet, Player A is Kevin Durant and Player B is Carmelo Anthony. While the numbers above are close, Mr. Van Riper states that the Durant is far and away better than Anthony and cites a few stats of his own. Basically he states that Anthony is not an efficient player and that Durant is the epitome of efficiency and that equates to wins for the Thunder. Is that completely true?

Last year Anthony's efficiency rating (listed under PER in the table above) was 21.1 and the Knicks had a .545 winning percentage. This year his PER has increased to 24.5 and the Knicks have responded by increasing their winning percentage to a robust .662. While Van Riper is correct in that Durant is more efficient than Anthony, Durant is second in the NBA while Anthony is sixth in PER, to state that Carmelo is not in Durant's class is just a ludicrous statement that fit the agenda of the article. Not only is Anthony in Durant's class, but count this blogger among those that feel that Carmelo Anthony is the best pure scorer in the NBA. Oh, and that isn't a close argument either because there is no player that can match him.

The Thunder do have a better winning percentage, but they are also a better team. Durant is comparable to Anthony, Russell Westbrook is one of the best point guards in the league, and Serge Ibaka has maintained his tenacity on the defensive end while greatly improving his offensive game. Simply put, Oklahoma City has more weapons than New York. They are supposed to be better. However, while Durant plays a huge part in that success he is not the end all be all. If he has a bad night it does not necessarily spell doom for OKC's chances at winning that particular game. The Knicks go as Anthony goes. With the exception of a few cases of JR Smith carrying the team, Carmelo Anthony is the catalyst that carries New York and that team will only go as far as he can take them. That is clear by the fact that Carmelo leads the NBA in usage rate, which estimates the percentage of plays that each player is involved in while on the court. Can a player that leads the league in scoring, leads the league in percentage of plays ran for him, and is sixth in efficiency be overpaid? 

This isn't meant as a knock against the Forbes article. I found it to be a very well written article and the author backed up his opinions with stats that he felt helped his cause. It just so happens that I found his opinion to be totally off the mark and incorrect. While it is true that Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony are not the same, it is important to note that they are not asked to do the same things. Anthony carries his team, Durant has plenty of help. If being overpaid means you lead the league in scoring and lead your team to a division title, then I'm sure there are plenty of teams that would gladly "overpay" for that kind of production. Maybe Forbes should stick to writing about businesses and leave the sports to others. Or maybe they should find writers that can bring a better perspective to the table. I think I know a guy that could help them. 

What to Make of Tiger's Win

It feels so good to be back! It has been months since the pages of Tha Weatha Report have been seen, but now is the time to dust off the old keyboard and see if Tha WeathaMan still knows how to do this. I apologize for leaving you for so long, but sometimes even the most dedicated sports fan has to take a step back. Now come here and give your old pal a hug and journey with me through another forecast on the world of sports. As you may have guessed from the title and picture, Mr. Tiger Woods is today's focus.

The last time Tiger Woods graced this report was almost exactly a year ago (conveniently linked here for your enjoyment). At that point the golf world was all abuzz over Tiger and his lead in the Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament. Tha WeathaMan, on the other hand, was not impressed. Don't get me wrong, I love a Tiger Woods' tournament win as much as the next fan. The game of golf needs Tiger and I'm fully aware of that. But I wasn't fooled. I knew Tiger was still inconsistent, and his play for the rest of the season proved that. In 2013 however, Tiger looks different. He's won twice already this year as we head into the race for the green jacket. However, isn't this the same thing that happened last year? Tiger won a tournament that he's won seven times, became the de facto favorite to win the Masters, and then proceeded to go to Augusta and shoot +5 on his way to a 40th place finish.

This year Tiger wins a tournament that he's won seven times, becomes the prohibitive favorite to win the Masters, and then goes to Augusta and....well, we'll just have to see how that sentence gets finished now won't we? Also, lets not pretend that Tiger isn't a favorite to win whatever tournament he enters. I mean, the man won a tournament with a broken leg! Most of us get a paper cut at work and start looking for the first aid kit. If Tiger Woods is breathing, he is the favorite to win that weekend. The biggest difference between the Tiger Woods of today and the Tiger Woods of 1999-2006 is that he no longer wins tournaments just by showing up. The unbeatable aura that Woods once held over the rest of the PGA Tour has been decimated. He actually has to outplay a few golfers these days. No worries, if I was a betting man I would still place my money on red....as in the championship red shirt that Tiger dons on final round Sundays.

So what does this all mean? Well simply put, I think Tiger should be the favorite at this point. He's the only golfer with multiple victories on tour so far and his short game has finally looked consistent. He's driving the ball with accuracy and outside of two rounds (one at Abu Dhabi and the other at the Honda Classic) he has looked good on the greens. With the exception of Brandt Snedeker, good ol' Eldrick has been on his own level as far as consistent players this year. But the days of Tiger showing up and dominating a major are over. Right? At the end of the day, isn't that the beauty of Tiger Woods? Even when you don't necessarily want to believe that the return of the man, myth, and legend is upon us he does something that makes us stand up and take notice. Well, consider us on notice Mr. Woods. We eagerly await your response.

Quick Hits

- DeAndre Jordan should be ashamed of what he did to Brandon Knight. It was the first dunk I've seen in a while where I said to myself "He just took that man's soul." See for yourself  

- I've held firm from the beginning that I felt the Lakers would make the playoffs. If they can make it to the 6th seed they have a shot against the 3rd seed (probably Clippers). 

- NFL free agency is set to kick off shortly. Mike Wallace will be the big winner. Surprised more attention isn't being given to Greg Jennings and Aqib Talib

- I'm looking forward to this year's NCAA tournament more than any in recent memory. There are about 10 teams that could have a legitimate shot at becoming the National Champion.

College Football Review

"Eerbody rip the swag off
'Fore I rip the tag off
Why my pants sag off, cause I'm bloggin' my butt off
Numbers so ugly, Tha WeathaMan so handsome
This the sports anthem, get it, the sports anthem"

- Modified lyrics from this editions song of the moment "Marvin and Chardonnay" by Big Sean

Well, that Saturday slate of games certainly cleared up a few things didn't it? Welcome once again to Tha Weatha Report: College Football Review. Remember last week when I said that we knew absolutely nothing in the world of college football? Well, consider this past weekend a lesson in what is real and what was fake in the NCAA. Take for instance: 

- Georgia, who once was the talk of the SEC East but then went to South Carolina and got molly-wopped, but who is now once again the talk of the SEC East because they went into The World's Largest Cocktail Gathering of a Ton of College Kids and beat Florida who once was the talk of the SEC East but is now just a team with an angry and intense head coach, now controls their own destiny. Follow all of that? Hope so, because my fingers are tired.

- Oregon continues to put up basketball numbers on their opponents, but keep getting treated like Rodney Dangerfield in the BCS standings. Yet the Ducks keep trucking along. "BCS! BCS! That's ok. We'll put up another 70, and they'll move us up in the morning."

- Kansas State keeps riding the back of their defense and their Heisman candidate and looks more and more impressive as the weeks go on. 

- Arizona scoffed at the idea that the USC vs Oregon game was the only Pac-12 game that mattered in the fall and took some of the luster off of next week's matchup. 

- THE Ohio State keeps winning, but everyone except their diehard fans realize that it doesn't matter much. #TattooLove

- Notre Dame stood up to the doubters and said "Yeah, we are that good."

- And the entire time Alabama yawned, beat Mississippi St like it was personal and then went back to sleep. Yeah, they also are that good. 

So, you're sitting there asking yourself : "Weatha Man, what does it all mean?" Of course you are....

Simply it means the clouds are clearing but the landscape is not entirely sunny and clear as of yet. Georgia is more than likely going to Atlanta to face either Alabama or LSU (we'll get to those two a little later). They control their own SEC destiny and Ole Miss and Auburn do not inspire the type of confidence it takes to forecast an upset. As for Florida...well, they still have to stay focused because those Seminoles are still waiting for them at the end of November. 

I doubt that Oregon will go into The Coliseum on Saturday and treat USC like a scout team, but they are very capable of running away from the Trojans. They do that, and they won't be getting jumped in the new BCS rankings. Oregon has to just continue doing what they have been and that's taking care of business on the field. The rankings will straighten themselves out. 

Kansas State should not lose a game this season. There is not a team left on their schedule that should give the Wildcats any trouble. But, that is why they play the games right? They are in the same position that Oregon is in. There isn't much they can do except keep winning. The computers will either like them or not, just that simple. 

USC is out of the National Title hunt, but they can still have a huge impact on who is the eventual champion. This Saturday they welcome Oregon to town and on November 24th the Trojans play host to the Irish of Notre Dame. While USC won't be taking home that crystal ball, they should take the approach that if they can't win it no one can. 

The game of the weekend is #1 Alabama going into Baton Rouge to play the #5 Tigers of LSU. Last year's regular season game was a defensive battle, but this one doesn't have the same feel to it. Alabama looks like a dominant force on the field that could go into the NFL's NFC South and probably be the 2nd best team. On the opposite side of the field, LSU doesn't appear to be able to pass their way out of a wet paper bag. Stranger things have happened and you can never doubt the coach dubbed the Mad Hatter Mr. Les Miles, but I don't see Alabama losing to LSU. 

Game(s) of the Weekend:

- #4 Oregon at #17 USC - Should be a good game that will feature a lot of scoring. Oregon will not drop 70 in this game, but I still see them winning 

- #1 Alabama at #5 LSU - Nick Saban didn't cut it in the NFL as a head coach, so he went to Tuscaloosa and created his own NFL team without any of the salary cap restrictions. Alabama wins in a game that will not be as close as last year's match-up.

Heisman Rankings:

#1 Collin Klein - QB - Kansas St: 117-of-165 for 1,630 yards and 12 touchdowns; 120 rushes for 634 yards and 16 touchdowns.

#2 Manti Te'O - LB - Notre Dame: 80 tackles, one sack, five interceptions, two fumble recoveries.

#3 AJ McCarron - QB - Alabama: 122-of-177 for 1,684 yards, 18 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

#4 Matt Barkley - QB - USC: 171-of-262 for 2266 yards and 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. 

#5 Braxton Miller - QB - Ohio St: 112-of-198 for 1,527 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions; 166 rushes for 1,093 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Collin Klein keeps doing his thing and leading the Wildcats to impressive victories. He doesn't have a stranglehold on the stiff-armed statue, but he is in control. Manti Te'O had his "Heisman moment" when he made a diving interception of a Landry Jones pass with just about four minutes left in the game. Right now he is as close as a defensive player can be to the Heisman lead without actually being the favorite to take the award home. McCarron is as steady as they come and is probably the most efficient (not just based on numbers) quarterback in the nation. Barkley put up nearly 500 yards passing in the loss to Arizona, and that loss is the reason why he's not higher up on my list. Impressive numbers, but results are a must when it comes to the Heisman. The sophomore Braxton Miller returned from a injury in Ohio State's previous game to lead the Buckeyes to victory over Penn State. Miller has taken to Urban Meyer's system and looks like the next in a line of quarterbacks that started with Alex Smith and went on to Tim Tebow. 

A special get well soon to Marcus Lattimore. That was a gruesome injury he suffered in South Carolina's game against Tennessee. However, head coach Steve Spurrier says that Lattimore could return from the injury to play football again. I'm not as concerned with that as I am the overall well being of the young man, but it is clear he is respected throughout the nation. Get well Mr. Lattimore, we are all pulling for you. 

Well that brings us to the end of another Weatha Report. Thank you for reading and I'm sure you all will share with your friends, family, co-workers, haters, and lovers alike. Until next time folks...

Taking the Temperature of the NFL

The NFL is the one gift that gives, but it gives too quickly. It seems like just yesterday we were all gearing up for our fantasy drafts, but today I looked up and realized that tomorrow night is the kickoff to week 8 of the NFL’s season. Where did the time go? I don’t know, but I think now is the appropriate time to take stock in what Tha WeathaMan said back on April 22^nd of this year and what is actually taking place so far in the league. We’ll go division by division, and we’ll see if Tha WeathaMan is right or if it is time to chalk it up to the fact that weathermen are only right about 50% of the time.

AFC East: 

April Forecast -

Buffalo Bills	11-5
Miami Dolphins	5-11
New England Patriots	13-3
New York Jets	8-8

Today’s Forecast –

Buffalo Bills	3-4
Miami Dolphins	3-3
New England Patriots	4-3
New York Jets	3-4

 Well, unless New England plans on going undefeated the rest of the season it seems that I put a little too much faith in that team. Although the overall premise is correct, the Patriots are the best team in that division. The Jets seem to be right on par with what I originally thought, but Buffalo took my good faith gesture and stomped on it. Shame on you Bills, Tha WeathaMan does not forget. Instead of dwelling on the underachieving defense and team that is Buffalo, let us stand and give kudos to the Miami Dolphins. That team plays their hearts out for Joe Philbin and Ryan Tannehill is developing well so far this season. 

How They Will Finish The Season Forecast –

Buffalo Bills	8-8
Miami Dolphins	8-8
New England Patriots	11-5
New York Jets	9-7

AFC North:

April Forecast –

Baltimore Ravens	10-6
Cincinnati Bengals	7-9
Cleveland Browns	4-12
Pittsburgh Steelers	11-5

Today’s Forecast –

Baltimore Ravens	5-2
Cincinnati Bengals	3-4
Cleveland Browns	1-6
Pittsburgh Steelers	3-3

Monday night’s loss to Pittsburgh tells you all you need to know about Cincinnati. They have a young team full of talent and potential, but they are not quite ready for the primetime. Pittsburgh seemed to be missing every big name player they had sans Ben Roethlisberger yet the Bengals’ offense put up a dud in front of a national audience. That team will continue to grow, but the Steelers aren’t handing the torch over quite yet. If Baltimore manages to get their equipment manager through the season without tearing a hamstring maybe they’ll be satisfied. At this point if you were the black and purple of the Ravens then you have the potential to be lost for the season via injury. Ray Lewis is gone and Lardarius Webb is gone and Terrell Suggs is working his way back. Joe Flacco isn’t playing like a guy who put himself in the elite quarterback column and is working his way out of a big contract, and the team just finished getting embarrassed by the Houston Texans. If the team is to win the division, Flacco might want to remember that he doesn’t have a contract for next season and start playing like it. Oh, and Cleveland is still a train wreck. Moving on…

How They Will Finish The Season Forecast –

Baltimore Ravens	10-6
Cincinnati Bengals	6-10
Cleveland Browns	4-12
Pittsburgh Steelers	10-6

AFC West:

April Forecast –

Denver Broncos	9-7
Kansas City Chiefs	8-8
Oakland Raiders	7-9
San Diego Chargers	11-5

Today’s Forecast –

Denver Broncos	3-3
Kansas City Chiefs	1-5
Oakland Raiders	2-4
San Diego Chargers	3-3

I refuse to take any blame for not being 100% accurate when it comes to this division. In my defense, no one can accurately predict what is going to happen with these four teams. A riddle, wrapped inside of a conundrum, inside of a Rubik’s cube is the most accurate statement that can be made about the AFC West. I originally was going to stick with my forecast that called for the Chargers to win the division but I am officially changing that. I am now saying that it will come down to the last week of the season. At the end the Denver Mannings will be going to the playoffs and Norv Turner and AJ Smith will be standing in the unemployment line. I obviously overestimated the coaching job that Romeo Crennel would do in Kansas City, and in Oakland I think it is safe to call the Carson Palmer trade one of the biggest highway robbery jobs in NFL trade history. Somewhere Marvin Lewis is laughing…until watching the game tape of Monday’s game.

How They Will Finish The Season –

Denver Broncos	11-5
Kansas City Chiefs	5-11
Oakland Raiders	5-11
San Diego Chargers	10-6

AFC South:

April Forecast –

Houston Texans	11-5
Indianapolis Colts	4-12
Jacksonville Jaguars	3-13
Tennessee Titans	5-11

Today’s Forecast –

Houston Texans	6-1
Indianapolis Colts	3-3
Jacksonville Jaguars	1-5
Tennessee Titans	3-4

Andrew Luck appears to be the real deal, and because of that the Colts will win more than 4 games this season. Houston is undoubtedly the best team in the AFC and at this point they might not lose the 5 games originally forecasted for them back in April. Blaine Gabbert (now injured) wasn’t progressing the way that Jacksonville had hoped even before suffering a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. Couple that with the injury to Maurice Jones-Drew and you have a team that only has to look forward to next spring’s draft. I caution you to not be fooled by last Sunday’s performance by Chris Johnson. He is NOT back. Notice the hesitation he exhibits when looking for holes. He is not running with the same authority he was a couple of seasons ago. Until he starts hitting the holes with a purpose and taking what the defense gives him he will struggle. If he continues to always look for the home run then he will end up striking out more often than not. One last note on the Titans, when Jake Locker is healthy keep him seated on the bench. Matt Hasselbeck has kept that team competitive each week and has authored wins against Pittsburgh and Buffalo. I understand preparing for the future, but in the ever short and changing world of the NFL you take your shots when you can. Hasselbeck gives them the best chance to win, keep the hot hand in the lineup. 

How They Will Finish The Season –

Houston Texans	13-3
Indianapolis Colts	4-12
Jacksonville Jaguars	3-13
Tennessee Titans	7-9

NFC East:

April Forecast –

Dallas Cowboys	10-6
New York Giants	9-7
Philadelphia Eagles	10-6
Washington Redskins	4-12

Today’s Forecast –

Dallas Cowboys	3-3
New York Giants	5-2
Philadelphia Eagles	3-3
Washington Redskins	3-4

Dear NY Giants and Washington Redskins fans, I apologize for shortchanging your teams. The audacity of Tha WeathaMan not giving Eli Manning and RGIII the credit that they obviously deserve was unwarranted and will not happen again…until next off season. Sincerely, D. Ruck aka Tha WeathaMan. As for the Cowboys, the team really needs to find some consistency if they are to make any waves for the rest of the season. Dez Bryant, Tony Romo, DeMarcus Ware, and the rest of the team has to decide whether they want to live up to their potential or watch as their window closes. The Philadelphia Eagles on the other hand simply has to take care of the ball. If Michael Vick can eliminate the turnovers that have plagued him and the team, then the Eagles will win the majority of their games. If the offense continues to act as Santa Claus then Vick will be on the bench and Andy Reid will be filing a change of address form with the US Postal Service. 

How They Will Finish The Season –

Dallas Cowboys	8-8
New York Giants	11-5
Philadelphia Eagles	9-7
Washington Redskins	6-10

NFC North: 

April’s Forecast –

Chicago Bears	10-6
Detroit Lions	10-6
Green Bay Packers	13-3
Minnesota Vikings	6-10

Today’s Forecast –

Chicago Bears	5-1
Detroit Lions	2-4
Green Bay Packers	4-3
Minnesota Vikings	5-2

Well, I totally whiffed on the Minnesota Vikings who have to be the NFL’s surprise team at this point. Christian Ponder has continued to develop and Adrian Peterson looks like he never tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee less than 12 months ago. While Peterson is running and cutting with the same force he did pre-injury, the Vikings cannot rely too much on A.P. They must continue to have the balanced offense that produced that 5-2 record. The Packers may be 4-3 right now, but I believe that they have awakened from their early season slumber and are now primed to go on a tear. The Lions appear to be going backwards in their development as a team as Matthew Stafford has regressed this season and Calvin Johnson hasn’t been getting into the end zone with the same frequency as before. And that defense of theirs looks like Swiss cheese.  Jay Cutler continues to act like a spoiled child at times, but no one can argue with the fact that he has the Bears in a good spot. His on field chemistry with Brandon Marshall combined with that defense’s ability to produce turnovers and points equals a team that is in prime position to take the division. 

How They Will Finish The Season –

Chicago Bears	12-4
Detroit Lions	7-9
Green Bay Packers	11-5
Minnesota Vikings	8-8

NFC West: 

April’s Forecast –

Arizona Cardinals	5-11
St. Louis Rams	6-10
San Francisco 49ers	12-4
Seattle Seahawks	7-9

Today’s Forecast –

Arizona Cardinals	4-3
St. Louis Rams	3-4
San Francisco 49ers	5-2
Seattle Seahawks	4-3

Arizona is dropping faster than Roger Goodell’s approval rating in New Orleans. They may win more than 5 games, but they are still a mediocre team that was playing above their heads. The Rams are as competitive as everyone figured they would be under new head coach Jeff Fisher. That is one coach that demands accountability and his players have bought in. The Seahawks have a great defense paired with a good run game and a rookie quarterback that has defied all of the critics. Aided by a blown call that was the catalyst for ending the referee lockout, Russell Wilson has kept the Seahawks afloat by putting the ball in the right places more often than the wrong places. Also, kudos to Pete Carroll for the drafting of Bruce Irvin. The rookie defensive end has played great football this season and is justifying his 15^th pick in this past draft. But the class of the division is still the 49ers. The NFC West is there’s to lose, and while the division title won’t be a runaway as maybe first thought it will still produce a California champion. 

How They Will Finish The Season –

Arizona Cardinals	5-11
St. Louis Rams	6-10
San Francisco 49ers	11-5
Seattle Seahawks	9-7

NFC South:

April’s Forecast –

Atlanta Falcons	10-6
Carolina Panthers	6-10
New Orleans Saints	10-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4-12

Today’s Forecast –

Atlanta Falcons	6-0
Carolina Panthers	1-5
New Orleans Saints	2-4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	2-4

The Falcons have suffered from the tendency to play down to their opponents, and their defense has been sloppy outside of their performance against San Diego. However, they have channeled their inner DJ Khaled (look it up if you’re lost) and all they do is win in Atlanta. Cam Newton and the Panthers look lost on the field and in press conferences this season. Their season is done as far as any legitimate playoff hopes. Now they are playing for jobs, both on the team and on the coaching staff. The Saints are showing small signs of recovering from the bounty scandal that has engulfed the team since the Summer. Their next three games will tell the story of their season. At Denver and at home for the Eagles and Falcons will either send the Saints into playoff mode or will signal the beginning of the city’s Super Bowl preparations. The Buccaneers caught a bad break last Sunday, but this team is where I figured they would be. They are a talented team going through the ups and downs associated with a rookie NFL coach. They will win more than two more games, but they are looking towards next season and continuing the improvement (hopefully) of Josh Freeman. 

How They Will Finish The Season –

Atlanta Falcons	13-3
Carolina Panthers	3-13
New Orleans Saints	9-7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5-11

 

This season has already been interesting and it will only get better as the playoff pushes start. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. Also keep in mind that Tha Weatha Report clued you in on how the season would play out. Thanks for reading, and don't forget.....SHARE this with friends!!!