Eastern Conference Playoff First Round Wrapup

#1 Miami Heat vs #8 New Jersey Nets
(101.54 PPG #4 in Scoring) (91.41 PPG #29 in Scoring)
(95.02 PPG #8 in Defense) (92.91 #6 in Defense)
(+6.52 #3 in Scoring Differential) (-1.50 #19 in Scoring Differential)

Miami wins series 4-0

1. Sun, Apr 24 – Mia 116, NJ 98
2. Tue, Apr 26 – Mia 104, NJ 87
3. Thu, Apr 28 – Mia 108, NJ 105 (2OT)
4. Sun, May 1 – Mia 110, NJ 97

#2 Detroit Pistons vs #7 Philadelphia 76ers
(93.32 PPG #24 in Scoring) (99.12 PPG #10 in Scoring)
(89.46 PPG #2 in Defense) (99.86 #19 in Defense)
(+3.86 #6 in Scoring Differential) (-.74 #17 in Scoring Differential)

Detroit wins series 4-1

1. Sat, Apr 23 – Det 106, Phi 85
2. Tue, Apr 26 – Det 99, Phi 84
3. Fri, Apr 29 – Phi 115, Det 104
4. Sun, May 1 – Det 97, Phi 92 (OT)
5. Tue, May 3 – Det 88, Phi 78

#3 Boston Celtics vs #6 Indiana Pacers
(101.26 PPG #5 in Scoring) (93.00 PPG #25 in Scoring)
(100.40 PPG #22 in Defense) (92.24 #5 in Defense)
(+.86 #13 in Scoring Differential) (+.75 #15 in Scoring Differential)

Indiana wins series 4-3

1. Sat, Apr 23 – Bos 102, Ind 82
2. Mon, Apr 25 – Ind 82, Bos 79
3. Thu, Apr 28 – Ind 99, Bos 76
4. Sat, Apr 30 – Bos 110, Ind 79
5. Tue, May 3 – Ind 90, Bos 85
6. Thu, May 5 – Bos 92, Ind 89 (OT)
7. Sat, May 7 – Ind 97, Bos 70

#4 Chicago Bulls vs #5 Washington Wizards
(94.45 PPG #21 in Scoring) (100.50 PPG #6 in Scoring)
(93.39 PPG #7 in Defense) (100.82 #23 in Defense)
(+1.06 #7 in Scoring Differential) (-.32 #16 in Scoring Differential)

Washington wins series 4-2

1. Sun, Apr 24 – Chi 103, Was 94
2. Wed, Apr 27 – Chi 113, Was 103
3. Sat, Apr 30 – Was 117, Chi 99
4. Mon, May 2 – Was 106, Chi 99
5. Wed, May 4 – Was 112, Chi 110
6. Fri, May 6 – Was 94, Chi 91

Western Conference Playoff First Round Wrapup

#1 Phoenix Suns vs #8 Memphis Grizzlies
(110.41 PPG #1 in Scoring) (93.42 PPG #23 in Scoring)
(103.29 PPG #30 in Defense) (91.13 #14 in Defense)
(+7.12 #2 in Scoring Differential) (+2.29 #8 in Scoring Differential)

The Suns ran the Grizzlies out of the gym. Maybe Jason Williams can now enjoy some family time. The Grizzlies didn't play as well as they had hoped.

Phoenix wins series 4-0
1. Sun, Apr 24 – Pho 114, Mem 103
2. Wed, Apr 27 – Pho 108, Mem 103
3. Fri, Apr 29 – Pho 110, Mem 90
4. Sun, May 1 – Pho 123, Mem 115


#2 San Antonio Spurs vs #7 Denver Nuggets
(96.19 PPG #18 in Scoring) (99.52 PPG #8 in Scoring)
(88.39 PPG #1 in Defense) (97.50 #17 in Defense)
(+7.8 #1 in Scoring Differential) (+2.02 #10 in Scoring Differential)

After stealing game one from the Spurs, the Nuggets were overmatched by the Spurs. Although the Spurs clutch, grab, and hack defense gets away with a lot more fouls than they're called for. I just don't get their style, but they move on to the next round.

San Antonio wins series 4-1
1. Sun, Apr 24 – Den 93, SA 87
2. Wed, Apr 27 – SA 104, Den 76
3. Sat, Apr 30 – SA 86, Den 78
4. Mon, May 2 – SA 126, Den 115 (OT)
5. Wed, May 4 – SA 99, Den 89


#3 Seattle SuperSonics vs #6 Sacramento Kings
(98.93 PPG #11 in Scoring) (103.72 PPG #2 in Scoring)
(96.64 PPG #13 in Defense) (101.56 #26 in Defense)
(+2.29 #7 in Scoring Differential) (+2.15 #9 in Scoring Differential)

Ray Allen was too much for the Kings to handle. Allen scored at will from outside and Jerome James scored at will in the paint. They both dominated in this series.


Seattle wins series 4-1
1. Sat, Apr 23 – Sea 87, Sac 82
2. Tue, Apr 26 – Sea 105, Sac 93
3. Fri, Apr 29 – Sac 116, Sea 104
4. Sun, May 1 – Sea 115, Sac 102
5. Tue, May 3 – Sea 122, Sac 118

#4 Dallas Mavericks vs #5 Houston Rockets
(102.5 PPG #3 in Scoring) (95.07 PPG #20 in Scoring)
(96.75 PPG #14 in Defense) (91.03 #3 in Defense)
(+5.74 #4 in Scoring Differential) (+4.03 #5 in Scoring Differential)

This was a really tight matchup. The Rockets got out to a huge lead 2-0 in the series, and just fell apart after that. Mavs coach Avery Johnson made some great adjustments in the series to counter what Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy wanted to do. Although the series was close, game 7 was an absolute no show for the Rockets. The 40 points they lost by set a new record for a game 7 loss. Yao and T-Mac were the only two playing for the Rockets. Dallas moves on, and Houston needs to retool a few things.

Dallas wins series 4-3
1. Sat, Apr 23 – Hou 98, Dal 86
2. Mon, Apr 25 – Hou 113, Dal 111
3. Thu, Apr 28 – Dal 106, Hou 102
4. Sat, Apr 30 – Dal 97, Hou 93
5. Mon, May 2 – Dal 103, Hou 100
6. Thu, May 5 – Hou 101, Dal 83
7. Sat, May 7 – Dal 116, Hou 76

2005 NFL Draft NFC Winners

Now that the 2005 NFL Draft is behind us, it looks like some NFC teams drafted based on restocking positions for the future. It is kind of odd to be mailing in the 2005-2006 season already, but some teams didn't address the deficiencies their teams had last season. On the other hand some teams made a tremendous effort to find the missing pieces and drafted players who can get an immediate chance to help a team this season. The grades are based on drafting well to fill players into problem areas from last season. Let's take a look at each NFC team division by division.

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys
Team Needs: Defensive stoppers, Depth on Defense and Offense
Best Picks: DeMarcus Ware DE/OLB Troy, Marcus Spears DE LSU,
Kevin Burnett LB Tennessee
Good Picks: Chris Canty DE Virginia, Marion Barber III RB Minnesota
Overall Grade: A

New York Giants
Team Needs: S, DT, RB
Best Picks: Corey Webster CB LSU
Good Picks: Justin Tuck DE Notre Dame
Overall Grade: C

Philadelphia Eagles
Team Needs: TE, Nickel CB, #2 WR
Best Picks: Reggie Brown WR Georgia, Mike Patterson DT USC
Good Picks: Matt McCoy ILB San Diego State, Ryan Moats RB Louisiana Tech
Overall Grade: B

Washington Redskins
Team Needs: DE, DT, G, CB, Backup QB
Best Picks: Carlos Rogers CB Auburn, Jason Campbell QB Auburn
Good Picks: Robert McCune ILB Louisville
Overall Grade: C

NFC North

Chicago Bears
Team Needs: TE, G, OLB, RB, WR, QB
Best Picks: Cedric Benson RB Texas, Mark Bradley WR Oklahoma
Good Picks: Kyle Orton QB Purdue
Overall Grade: A

Detroit Lions
Team Needs: OT, S, MLB, DE
Best Picks: Mike Williams WR USC, Shaun Cody DE USC
Good Picks: Stanley Wilson CB Stanford
Overall Grade: B

Green Bay Packers
Team Needs: Defense help at any position
Best Picks: Aaron Rodgers QB California
Good Picks: None
Overall Grade: D

Minnesota Vikings
Team Needs: WR, OT, DE, S, RB
Best Picks: Troy Williamson WR South Carolina, Erasmus James DE Wisconsin, Marcus Johnson OT/OG Mississippi
Good Picks: Dustin Fox S Ohio State, Ciatric Fason RB Florida
Overall Grade: A

NFC South

Atlanta Falcons
Team Needs: S, WR, DE, DT
Best Picks: Roddy White WR UAB, Jonathon Babineaux DE Iowa
Good Picks: Darrell Shropshire DT South Carolina
Overall Grade: B

Carolina Panthers
Team Needs: OT, WR, RB, LB
Best Picks: Thomas Davis S/LB Georgia, Eric Shelton RB Louisville
Good Picks: Stefan LeFors QB Louisville
Overall Grade: A

New Orleans Saints
Team Needs: LB, OT, WR, QB
Best Picks: Jammal Brown OT Oklahoma, Chase Lyman WR California
Good Picks: Josh Bullocks S Nebraska, Adrian McPherson QB FSU
Overall Grade: B

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Team Needs: CB, WR, RB, LB
Best Picks: Carnell Williams RB Auburn, J.R. Russell WR Louisville
Good Picks: Barrett Ruud LB Nebraska
Overall Grade: B

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals
Team Needs: TE, DT, RB, CB, LB
Best Picks: J.J. Arrington RB California, Antrel Rolle CB Miami (FL),
Darryl Blackstock LB Virginia
Good Picks: Lance Mitchell LB Oklahoma, Eric Green CB Virginia Tech
Overall Grade: A

St. Louis Rams
Team Needs: OT, CB, S,
Best Picks: Alex Barron OT FSU
Good Picks: Oshiomogho Atogwe S Stanford
Overall Grade: D

San Francisco 49ers
Team Needs: S, QB, RB, CB, C
Best Picks: Alex Smith QB Utah, Frank Gore RB Miami (FL)
Good Picks: David Baas C Michigan
Overall Grade: B

Seattle Seahawks
Team Needs: MLB, CB, C, OT, WR
Best Picks: Chris Spencer C Ole Miss
Good Picks: David Greene QB Georgia, Ray Willis OT FSU
Overall Grade: D

2005 NFL Draft AFC Winners

Well this week we have a guest writer bringing us the AFC winners in the draft. O-Face will be an important contributer in the future of our sports coverage. Now more from O-Face.

With this weeks passing of the 2005 NFL draft, the only certainty is that of uncertainty. Although it may seem easy to make predictions about a players’ potential effectiveness in the NFL based upon their college performances, there still is no way to be sure until they actually play in an NFL game. While many “draft experts” base drafting decisions solely upon tangibles like college statistics, a more effective method would be to look at their character and desire to be successful. Many football fans would remember Todd Marinovich, Heath Shuler, Akili Smith, and Ryan Leaf as talented college quarterbacks, but once they entered the NFL they quickly distanced themselves from the elite players, albeit not in a good way.

Most of these quarterbacks were in good college systems and had good players around them, but once they made it to the NFL and collected their first paychecks their careers went by the way side. Was it lack of talent? No, it had more to do with their lack of motivation and less to do with their athletic ability. In an example of will being a greater measuring stick than combine times, Terrell Davis, the Denver Broncos running back during their two Super Bowl victories in the late 90’s, had relatively no college playing experience and poor combine numbers. However, once in the NFL, he quickly established himself as the best running back in football due in large part to his will to succeed.

College success does not always guarantee success in the NFL. Why, one might ask. It is a difficult question, but one that has more to do with determination and will rather than on athletic ability. No one will argue that Charles Rogers was a gifted receiver for Michigan State, but ask any one to recall anything he has done in the NFL and the words you will likely hear are, “injury prone” or “bust”. While this may be unfair to a player who is still relatively young and in the prime of their career, it is the harsh reality of pro sports. Once players are drafted, they are no longer looked at in the same light.

While Philadelphia Eagles fans booed Donovan McNabb during the draft, the pick now is part of the reason for Philly’s return to prominence. Players like Ted Bruschi and Tom Brady were relatively obscure college athletes, but are now regarded as some of the best at their positions. Words like, “leader” and “warrior” are often used in sentences to describe these players now, but not coming out of college. So, while it is easy to make assessments of how a player may perform in the NFL based on measurable college statistics, desire and a will to succeed are both undoubtedly greater attributes for a player to possess than a good 40-yard dash time.

With that said, here are my predictions for which teams helped themselves the most with the players that they selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.

A Grades:

San Diego:
Best Pick – DE/OLB Shawne Merriman, Round1;
Good Picks – NT Luis Castillo, Round 1; WR Vincent Jackson, Round 2;
RB Darren Sproles, Round 4; OG Wes Sims, Round 6.

Oakland:
Best Pick – ILB Kirk Morrison, Round 3;
Good Picks – CB Fabian Washington, Round 1; QB Andrew Walter, Round 3; DT Anttaj Hawthorne, Round 6

Tennessee:
Best Pick – CB Adam Jones, Round 1;
Good Picks – WR Courtney Roby, Round 3; WR Brandon Jones, Round 3;
CB Vincent Fuller, Round 4; WR Roydell Williams, Round 4.

Cleveland:
Best Pick – WR Braylon Edwards, Round 1;
Good Picks – S Brodney Pool, Round 2; QB Charlie Frye, Round 3;
CB Antonio Perkins, Round 4.

Baltimore:
Best Pick – WR Mark Clayton, Round 1;
Good Picks – DE Dan Cody, Round 2; OT Adam Terry, Round 2;
QB Derek Anderson, Round 6.

B Grades:

Cincinnati:
Best Pick – DE David Pollack, Round 1;
Good Picks – ILB Odell Thurman, Round 2; WR Chris Henry, Round 3.

Miami:
Best Pick – RB Ronnie Brown, Round 1;
Good Picks – DE Matt Roth, Round 2; ILB Channing Crowder, Round 3.

Indianapolis:
Best Pick – CB Marlin Jackson, Round 1;
Good Picks – CB Kelvin Hayden, Round 2; RB Anthony Davis, Round 7.

Jacksonville:
Best Pick – OT Khalif Barnes, Round 2;
Good Picks – WR/TE/QB Matt Jones, Round 1; RB Alvin Pearman, Round 4.

Pittsburgh:
Best Pick – CB Bryant McFadden, Round 2;
Good Picks – TE Heath Miller, Round 1; WR Fred Gibson, Round 4.

C Grades:

NY Jets:
Best Pick – CB Justin Miller, Round 2;
Good Picks – RB Cedric Houston, Round 6; TE Joel Dreessen, Round 6.

New England:
Best Pick – S James Sanders, Round 4;
Good Picks – OG Logan Mankins, Round 1; OG Nick Kaczur, Round 3.

D Grades:

Denver:
Best Pick – CB Domonique Foxworth, Round 3;
Good Picks – CB Darrent Williams, Round 2.

Kansas City:
Best Pick – OLB Derrick Johnson, Round 1;
Good Picks – CB Alphonso Hodge, Round 5.

Houston:
Best Pick – DT Travis Johnson, Round 1;
Good Picks – RB Vernand Morency, Round 3.

Buffalo:
Best Pick – RB Lionel Gates, Round 6;
Good Picks – WR Roscoe Parrish, Round 2.