Weekend Observations

I'm not one to toot my own horn (yes I am), but just as I predicted (in typical Cleavie The Greek fashion) the NFC West division will come down to the final game between the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams. The good news for Seahawk fans is the game is at home and the team has some veterans with playoff experience. The bad news is those players are banged up and Seattle has looked awful the last 3 games. In addition, the Rams were able to grind out a win against the 49ers and momentum is on their side. Originally I said the Seahawks would win this game. I'll stick with that prediction (although I'm not as confident as before) because I'm somewhat of a homer and I'm a man of my word. Here are some observations from the weekend.

The NFL:

The NFL stands for not for long if your team doesn't make the playoffs and Mike Singletary won't be the last coach to get fired. Look for John fox (Carolina), Eric Mangini (Cleveland), Gary Kubiak (Houston), Jeff Fisher (Tennessee), Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati), and Jack Del Rio (Jacksonville) to find themselves without work at the end of the season.

The Bays (Tampa and Green) will not make the playoffs. New York and Seattle will take their place despite Green Bay thrashing New York 45-17 and Tampa Bay smashing Seattle 38-15 on Sunday.

The eventual Superbowl winner will come out of the AFC. The AFC has 3 elite teams (New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh) while the NFC has 6 very good teams.

The NBA:

The Lakers are vulnerable. No time to panic just yet for the 2 time defending NBA champs, but no time to pump their chests out either. The embarrassing loss to the Heat on Christmas day let us know the road back to the finals will not be easy.

Derrick Rose is the best point guard in the Eastern conference. He's moved past Rajon Rondo and only Deron Williams and Chris Paul are considered his equal.

Rip Hamilton will be traded by the all star break. The heart and soul of the Pistons needs a fresh start and a change of scenery to rejuvenate his career and Detroit needs to start all over again from scratch.