The shot is up...and its good! General Sports Discussion

[Aslans_Jewel]

Im going to guess this would fit here.. but Im not sure.
I'm on a Varsity Sporter Air Rifle Shooting team in High School, And Im slowly rising up through the scores. My score went from 120/300 when I started in August last year, to 230 average now. My average for prone (Laying on the ground) was in the 70's, and now its about 94 (out of 100), Kneeling I shoot in the 80's normally, risen from the 50's, and in Standing I shoot in the 50's or 60's, which rose up from scores in the One's place at the beginning, Although I shot a 70 the other day and go so excited I got over confident and my kneeling was also a 70... I'm starting to get really good, considering I'm only 30 points below the Precision shooters who have been shooting for 4 years, and I'm getting better every day. I'm hoping that eventually Ill be good enough to go to the Olympics, but I kind of doubt it. I know that I can get many scholarships after High School if I get really good, and I'm looking forward to it!

[FencerforJesus]

The NBA may finally be ending their lock-out and a season may begin on Christmas day. I'm almost at the point where I don't really care, but it's in the news.

In the NFL, the playoff picture is slowly starting to take shape and there are big surprises all over the place. In the NFC, there are 8 teams with a post- .500 record going for six playoff spots. Teams in the hunt are New York (Giants), Dallas, Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Green Bay, the defending champs are undefeated at 11-0. The Cowboys are 1/2 up on the Giants for their Division lead. New Orleans has 1/2 game lead on Atlanta at 7-3, pending tonight's showdown with the Giants. San Francisco's playoff clinching, 'Magic Number' is 1. One win or one loss from Seattle and Arizona (each) puts them in. Detroit and Chicago are fighting Atlanta and the Giants right now for the two wild-card spots.

NFC surprises is San Francisco's solid play putting them at 9-2, when last year Seattle won their division at 7-9. Detroit, a usual perennial loser lately is at 7-4 after a 5-0 start. And Philadelphia, the self-proclaimed 'Dream Team' is now essentially finished after losing to the Patriots badly to fall to 4-7.

In the AFC it gets even crazier with 9 teams over .500 vying for playoff spots. Teams in the hunt are New England, New York Jets, Houston, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Oakland, and Denver. Patriots easily lead their division as expected at 8-3. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied in their division at 8-3 with the Bengals one game back. Houston is a surprise strong start also at 8-3, but are struggling with keeping a quarterback healthy the last couple games. Oakland has a one game lead over up-start Denver at 7-4. Jets, Titans, and Denver are each 6-5 and fighting the Bengals for the last wild-card.

Two big surprises early on was San Diego's strong start for a 4-1 record and have now dropped six straight are now out of the hunt for a playoff spot at 4-7. Indianapolis, sans Peyton Manning, is winless at 0-11, easily set for taking worst record this season. But the biggest talk today is Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos who jumped from a 1-4 start to a 6-5 record after his 4th 4th-quarter comeback win this season. The overtly Christian QB has turned the team around with his unconventional play and outstanding leadership, all of which he attributes to Christ. It's been very fun being a Bronco fan (before Tebow) with him in the lineup.

[Elanor]

Well, if you like Football it's a good time to be in Wisconsin. Yes, the Packers are 11-0 (which is pretty hard to imagine!!), and after one slump week, will hopefully be picking up their pace some more - which is pretty difficult when you're the only undefeated team in the NFL.
And the Badgers are going to the Big 10 Championship (I think I've got that right. ), and if they win, to the Rosebowl. Go Badgers! I've been watching every game for both.

[FencerforJesus]

It just keeps getting better and better in the NFL. Two stories are running headlines like crazy. The Green Bay Packers are at 13-0 with only Detroit left who presents a remote challenge for them to reach a perfect regular seasons. But like the 08 Patriots, it doesn't mean anything unless joined by a Super Bowl victory. That being said, only San Francisco and New Orleans appear to have a chance at keeping them from representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

The biggest headliner outside Wisconsin however is Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. He just defeated the Chicago Bears 13-10 in OT after being down 10-0 with 2:08 left in the game. Denver has won 6 straight and forth straight in the last minute of regulation or OT. It was also Denver's third straight game, winning with a field goal as the last play of the game (a 'walk-off' in baseball terminology). In just 11 starts, Tebow has 8 wins (including 3 games last year, an 7-1 this year), 6 4th quarter game-winning drives and has a will to win that nobody can fathom. People are really starting to wonder if God is somehow blessing the Broncos because of Tebow's explicit declaration of his faith in Christ. I personally believe God is honoring Tebow in the same way he honored Eric Liddel in the 1924 Olympics, recorded in book/movie Chariots of Fire, because Scripture does say God will honor those who honor him. But whatever it is, as a Broncos fan, I have not been this excited about football since Elway won the Super Bowl 13 years ago. Next week will be the test all the doubters have been looking for. Tim Tebow will host Tom Brady and the Patriots in what is likely going to be the highest rated regular season game of this season. I know the Patriots are a good team and while I root for the Broncos, I know Tebow can't win every game. And yet somehow, I think Tebow and Denver can pull off an upset and win. It's going to be good.

In other football news, the Colts are truly going 0-broke at this point. They are the opposite of Green Bay at 0-13 and any chances of winning are looking rather slim right now. The Houston Texans have clinched the AFC South, their first, and their first playoff birth, standing at 10-3. This having won their last two games with a 3rd stringer QB.

In terms of playoffs with 3 games remaining. Here are the likely teams in. In the NFC, Green Bay and San Fran are in having clinched their divisions. New Orleans tied with San Fran for the #2 seed and are all but in. The NFC East will be between the Cowboys and Giants. They are in action as this post is typed. Wild Cards currently belong to Detroit and Atlanta with Chicago and the Giants holding on for dear life.
In the AFC, four teams are all but guaranteed. Houston is the first team in. New England has a two game lead on the Jets but a lot can happen in three games. Denver has a one-game lead on Oakland and the tie-breakers. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are tied for the AFC top spot with the Pats and Texans at 10-3. One will get the division and the other the top wildcard. Ravens have the tie-breaker. The last wild card is now with the Jets and looming one game back is Tennessee, Oakland, and Cincinnatti.

Three games left and a lot yet to be said. It's going to be good.

[starkat]

I'm hoping the Texans do well in the playoffs. Especially with the way the team has rallied around each other with all of the injuries. They've had two or three consecutive years of some major injury issues. To come back from so many injuries is pretty impressive. GO TEXANS!

[FencerforJesus]

If not Denver, I'm going for Houston myself. Not because I live in Texas but because they are the 'underdog' team. That being said, if Houston has to play against Denver in the playoffs, is all about the Broncos for me (and just to be clear, I was a Bronco fan LONG before Tim Tebow showed up). If Denver loses, I'm rooting for Houston to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

[starkat]

Whether they make it all the way to the Super Bowl or not, I'm just hoping the Texans do well. They've gone through a lot the last few years in the injury department. They and the U of H Cougars both have had pretty impressive seasons.

[stargazer]

Nice summary of the current NFL playoff situation, Fencer.

Congrats to the division champs, and especially to the Texans, for their first division title.

Not sure who I'm going to cheer for in the playoffs, since my local team is on course for the worst record in its history. Green Bay will represent the division in the playoffs and perhaps the Super Bowl, but I do like the underdog idea. Hmmm...perhaps Houston then. We'll see.

[Elanor]

Because of Tim Tebow, what he's been doing, and his testimony, I'll always be ready to root for him and I'm SO glad he's clinched getting into the playoffs.
And as for the Packers - oh geez. We're amazing - what can I say? I don't know if we'll win the Super Bowl, I'm not really expecting it - just taking each game as they come. The next thing I want is 14-0.
Wonderful game, though I didn't get to see all of it.

[FencerforJesus]

Denver and Tebow have not clinched the playoffs yet. But they are in the driver's seat to get a spot. It was Houston who clinched. Denver has the tie breakers with Oakland and if they beat KC in the last game, Denver MUST lose to NE and Buffalo while Oakland wins out for Oakland to claim the division title. With Oakland playing Detroit next week and a San Diego team that's re-discovered their form in the last game, I don't see the Raiders recatching the Broncos.

And yes, along with the Denver win, very little gave me as much joy and seeing the Packers completely demolish the Raiders. I knew last week's game against Miami was a trap game for the Raider's which went much better for me than I expected but this was exactly the type of results I was expecting Green Bay to give the Raiders.

I have one prediction for the playoffs at this point. I predict it will be New Orleans at Green Bay for the NFC Championship game, but the AFC is completely unpredictable. Tebow continues to put all predictors and commentators to shame and disbelief. I've seen little competition provided against Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and New England save for each other and enough inconsistency to show upsets are possible. I think this next week will say a lot. Denver hosts New England in a potential playoff preview game while Pittsburgh will have San Francisco (that might be in two weeks). It is going to be interesting throughout and I actually see a possible scenario (with a few upsets in the mix) where all six AFC playoff teams go in with an 11-5 record (in which case Denver would be the top seed due to tie breakers). I doubt that will happen, but it would be really interesting to see.

[Sparky]

I don't follow the NFL extremely closely, at least not until the playoffs, but I've definitely been keeping an eye on Tebow and the Broncos. It's uncanny. He can have been playing terrible all game long, the Broncos will be down very late in the fourth quarter, and all of a sudden he turns into Peyton Manning. Take their last win against the Bears: Tebow was 3 of 16 for 45 yards passing in the first three quarters, then in the fourth quarter and overtime he was 18 of 24 for 191 yards. That's pretty much how he's been all year. Not all the credit goes to Tebow though. The defense has been playing very well, keeping the Broncos in the game and giving Tebow a chance late, and having a kicker who's knocking through 59 yard field goals as time expires certainly helps. If Tebow wants to be a ten-year starter in the NFL though, he has to improve his consistency and passing(just a 48.5% completion rate this year, which is pretty pitiful). He knows that, and will work like crazy to get better, I'm sure. It will be very interesting watching him, not just this year, but for the next couple of years.
The Colts being absolutely terrible this year with Peyton Manning out with an injury sets up another interesting plot line: it's almost certain that the Colts will get the first pick of the draft. Do they take Andrew Luck, considered a sure-fire, can't-miss franchise quarterback, or do they trade the pick/take somebody else? Nobody really knows how much longer the 35 year old Manning, one of the greatest quarterbacks ever IMO, is going to be able to play(If he can avoid any more injuries, could easily be five years, could just be one), so the Colts have got to be tempted to take Luck. But does Luck really want to be a backup for who knows how long when he could become an instant starter somewhere else(doubtful), and does Manning really want to mentor Luck and possibly end up with another messy Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers situation(also doubtful)?

College football bowl games are right around the corner. Some of the highlights include a rematch between LSU and Alabama for the national title(do you agree with having two teams from the same conference in the NC?), Stanford vs Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl, and a top ten matchup between Kansas State and my Razorbacks in the Cotton Bowl.

[FencerforJesus]

There was a really good article about Tebow in the Washington Post a few weeks ago that really wasn't about "Tebowmania", but about true leadership, comparing Tebow to two recently fired coaches. How Tebow leads is not as many coaches do which is scream down your throat, assert authority, and the like. Tebow leads by uplifting and encouraging. He is very humble, never takes any glory for himself, but at the end of the day, he gets the job done.

I've really been enjoying the ESPN commentators on First Take with Skip Bayless. Skip bought into "Tebowmania" early and while he can't explain how Tebow has done what he has done, he sees something in Tebow that he has not seen in anyone else. I really got a kick of the commentator across from him yesterday after Denver win against Chicago. He was just just like the Chicago Bears staff and team: completely stunned and speechless. I couldn't watch the game because FOX wouldn't show it, but a really interesting thing happened that rarely happens anywhere else. Denver completely shut down for 3 1/2 quarters, down 10-0 and all 70,000 fans were still in the stadium. It was as if they sensed Tebow was going to do it again. Something was also mentioned by Skip Bayless yesterday that I see happening as well. How Tebow is doing this is in part to other team's mistakes. Sunday, Marion Barber ran out of bounds, which gave Tebow time for the final drive. Then he fumbled the ball (which was more the defense punched it out). But there is speculation that Tebow is causing the other team to make mistakes, even when he is not on the field, where the Broncos capitalize on them. I can see this being a mental issue. Teams know that with 5 minutes left, Tebow lights up and turns into super-elite QB quality. And it turns the other team into panic mode. I can easily see Barber desperately trying to get that 1st down as to not give Tebow the ball and it lead to the mental mistake of running out of bounds.

What Tebow is doing is completely unprecedented. Nobody has seen the comebacks like this and most certainly, nobody has seen a QB go from 'awful' for 3 1/2 quarters to 'super good' like a light switch. Nobody has turned a team go from worst in the division to first in the division in the same season, let alone in a span of 8 games. This Denver team was 4-12 last year, a franchise worst. They started 1-4, with the same kickers, the same defensive players, the same offensive players, except Kyle Orton as QB, and with Tebow they have gone 7-1. Obviously football is a true team sport, but there is something about Tebow that has caused this turnaround. The media can't let go of it because they can't figure out what it is. And with each game it's something different. I know God doesn't care about sports outcomes per say, but he does say he will honor those who honor him. I can't help but think of Eric Liddel who won Gold in the 1924 Olympics in part because of his stance of not running on a Sunday. I almost wonder if God is giving Tebow this extraordinary run because of Tebow's explicit faith in Christ. Does that knock against the other Christians in the sport or other sports? Absolutely not, but it has come to where the Broncos' success and faith are becoming more and more hand-in-hand. They are defying the experts and odds and I think are going to be very dangerous in the playoffs.

This coming Sunday will be a potential playoff preview when New England plays at Denver. I can't wait for this game.

[Sparky]

Several notable NFL streaks came to an end this weekend: the Green Bay Packers lost their shot a perfect season, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs 19-14. The previously winless Indianapolis Colts finally got a W, beating the Titans 27-13. And the Broncos six game losing streak came to an end against the New England Patriots, 41-23. The Broncos really hurt themselves in that game, turning the ball three times, all of them fumbles including one with 3 seconds left in the half that gave the Patriots a gift field goal, and losing the time of possession battle by nearly seven minutes.

[TheGeneral]

I'm pretending football doesn't exist this season. Yes I'm a Vikings fan lol.

Actually I can relate to the Vikings this year. My hockey team has lost 6 games and won only once, lol. We always have good games though, we play hard and always have an awesome time out on the ice, but it would be kinda nice to win more often. I tend to get very competitive so all this losing is tough

[Sparky]

NFL playoffs are set:
AFC
1.New England Patriots
2.Baltimore Ravens
3.Houston Texans
4.Denver Broncos
5.Pittsburgh Steelers
6.Cincinnati Bengals
NFC
1.Green Bay Packers
2.San Francisco 49ers
3.New Orleans Saints
4.New York Giants
5.Atlanta Falcons
6.Detroit Lions

Seems like whenever I put predictions down in writing, they turn out completely wrong, but being something of an optimist(or maybe just an idiot ), I'll give it a shot.
Texans vs. Bengals: Texans have never been to the playoffs before... Both teams will be starting rookie quarterbacks, Andy Dalton for the Bengals, TJ Yates for the Texans(Yates has an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, but is expected to play)... Texans beat the Bengals 20-19 back in Week 14... I'm gonna say Bengals pull out a win in a close one.
Broncos vs. Steelers: Broncos are reeling going into this one, having lost their last 3 games, including blowouts against the Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Defenses have adjusted to Tim Tebow, and are exposing his deficiencies as a passer... Betting against Tebow may still be a bad idea, but I just can't see the Broncos winning this one. Steelers by two touchdowns.
Saints vs. Lions: With Aaron Rodgers resting last week, his backup Matt Flynn threw for 480 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Lions defense in a 45-41 loss for Detroit that dropped them to the No. 6 seed. Drew Brees must be drooling... In what will likely be a shootout, Saints win.
Giants vs. Falcons: Giants started hot with a 6-2 record, then lost 4 in a row, now appear to be getting hot again. For their part, the Falcons are coming off an absolute mauling of Tampa Bay that lifted them above Detroit for the No. 5 seed. I like the Giants in this one.

[stargazer]

In general, I like your picks for this upcoming weekend's games, Sparky. (I'd like to see the Texans notch their first playoff win, however).

I'm pretending football doesn't exist this season. Yes I'm a Vikings fan lol.

There are a couple of silver linings to this disappointing season, however. The Vikings will draft third (I believe).

And Jared Allen got a franchise-record 22 sacks this season (all the more difficult when your team goes 3-13!) and is the Vikings' only Pro Bowl player. He ended the season just shy of the NFL record 22.5.