The Maryland Sports Blog

21. Denver Broncos- When will Tim Tebow start at quarterback? Will he ever be a good NFL quarterback? The sooner the Broncos get the answers to these questions, the better off they will be.  They lost a lot of pieces on offense so it will be interesting to see how they do.

22. Pittsburgh Steelers- I like quarterback Dennis Dixon, but all the draft “experts” said the Steelers did not have a good draft. They traded away a Superbowl MVP wide receiver. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for the first four-to-six games. Whether or not they can they recover from that… I don’t know.

23. Oakland Raiders- They got rid of quarterback JaMarcus Russell over the offseason which is a big plus. They have slowly gotten better; they have talent now. They just need consistency which will not be easy to find when the organization itself is such a mess.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars- They are rebuilding, but are still better than some of the other bottom feeder teams.

25. Washington Redskins- I know I will take heat for having this team so low but comparing them to national power rankings it is not that far off. They may have a new coach and quarterback, but the offensive line is terrible. Check out my video on the quarterback Donovan McNabb trade here I explain why the offensive line will let them down.

26. Buffalo Bills- They have good running backs but they have yet to address the quarterback situation.

27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Quarterback Josh Freeman will have the opportunity to prove why he was a first round draft pick. They also have some good young talent on defense.

28. Seattle Seahawks- This team did not age well, a lot of old players that are past their prime. They have spent money on wide receivers that never seem to stay healthy.

29. Cleveland Browns- Looking at the list of quarterbacks for the Browns it is hard to see how they will beat anybody.  They lack talent on all sides except special teams.

30. Kansas City Chiefs- Another team that is lacking in places, it is hard to find good things to say about teams this far down in the power rankings.

31. Detroit Lions- They have a good young quarterback in Matt Stafford but will the surrounding team hurt his development?

32. St. Louis Rams- The consensus worst team in football. They have had a lot of high draft picks the past few years but the overall quality of their team is just terrible.

Here some of the winners of the Twitter contest. Shout outs for guessing the right spot for teams in my last NFL power rankings.

It is time for one of my favorite tournaments of the season, the U.S. Open and this year it is at Pebble Beach.  All of the big guns are out for this tournament and it should be one of the best tournaments that we have seen all season long.  Phil Mickelson it looking for his first U.S. Open championship while Tiger Woods is looking to do what he did back in 2002.  But there are many players to look out for this week.  The young players are looking to put their name in history with a U.S. Open victory while same players are still looking for their first victory.  This week the key to a victory it going to be driving accuracy and shot management. Also the greens this week will show us who is at the top of their game.  So with that said here are my picks for this week:

1. Bo Van Pelt: he has the best driving accuracy on tour this year and if he can continue to drive the ball well then he will be at the top of the leader board on Sunday.  But if he is not able to make putts like he has done in the past weeks then we will have a long week.

2. Tiger Woods: he is still the best golfer in the world and when it is time for a big tournament, Tiger will show up and play like the Tiger we are use to seeing.  The only question with Tiger is if he is going to bet himself.  With no swing coach, it is all on Tiger this week.

3. Phil Mickelson: he is still looking for his first U.S. Open championship and coming into this week, he is playing very well.  He is hitting his irons well but he is going to need to have good tee shots this week and make the easy putts that he has not been able to do in the past.  The weather should not be a problem this week, so Phil will need to belt down and not let this course bet him again.

4. Lee Westwood: he is coming off a big wins of his career after winning after winng a playoff, the only question is can he continue his hot play.  If he can then I don’t see any reason why he will not be in the top 5 this weekend.  But he is going to need to putt better then he did last week because these greens are going to be some of the fastest greens that he has seen all year.

5. Rory McIlroy: he has been playing average golf since his first American victory, but it is time for him to snap out of that first victory and look for another one.  He is going to be one of the better ball strikers this week and if he can play smart and not try to do too much on the first two days then I believe on the weekend he will make a push for the leader board but he is going to need to trust his shots and not force shots like he has done over the last few weeks.

Sleepers:

Adam Scott: he is always a player to watch when the big tournaments are around.  We all know that he can make some great shots, but he is going to need to make a lot of them if he wants a chance to win this week.

Ricky Barnes: he is one of the young guys that can turn a lot of heads this week.  With his ball striking ability, he will have a lot of good looks for birdie this week but the question is going to be the putting like it is going to be for a lot of players.  But Barnes can make some noise if he plays inside of himself and not try to please the fans with big risky shots.

Those are my picks for this week, let me know what your picks are?

It’s never too early to start breaking down the NFL and what everyone think’s they’ll do. I sat down and analyzed the teams and created my power rankings:

1: New Orleans Saints- The top spot is dedicated to the defending champs. They have an offense that can score at will.

2: Indianapolis professional football team- Reggie Wayne is having a tiff with the Colts ownership, which could potentially be something to watch.

3: Baltimore Ravens- Call it a hometown vote if you want, but the Ravens addressed all but one of its weaknesses this offseason…the cornerbacks. New additions to the defense should greatly help out the corners though, like Sergio Kindle and Terrence “Mount” Cody.

4: New York Jets- The sudden media darling of the AFC, they have a defense that is just plain scary. Revis and Cromartie are going to make opponent’s passing game rather difficult. Oh, did I mention they have Ladanian Tomlinson now, too? Or Santonio Holmes?

5: Minnesota Vikings- I have to preface this by saying if Brett Favre doesn’t play next year, this goes way down. They have a strong receiving corps and a defense led by now mullet-less Jared Allen that keeps them in almost every game.

6: Dallas Cowboys- Miles Austin has blossomed working with Tony Romo, and the addition of Dez Bryant combined with Jason Witten and Marion Barber in the backfield will allow the Cowboys to score…often.

7: Green Bay Packers- Aaron Rodgers is proving he can slice and dice even the best defenses.

8: San Diego Chargers- It should be interesting to see how the Chargers function with no Tomlinson to rely on. Ryan Mathews has some big shoes to fill for the Southern CA faithful.

9: Cincinnati Bengals- Giving Carson Palmer another reliable target opposite Ochocinco in Antonio Bryant and having two reliable corners have the Bengals in position to potentially sweep the AFC North again.

10: New England Patriots- A lot of questions for this team remain after being embarrassed in the wildcard round by Baltimore. Gone are the reliable names on defense, and the only reason I ranked them as high as I did was the fact that they still have Tom Brady and Wes Welker.

11: Atlanta Falcons- Matt Ryan is blossoming into a fine young quarterback, and a few additions to the defense through the draft have the Falcons poised to rival the Saints in the NFC South.

12: Houston Texans- The Brian Cushing controversy is certainly distracting, but this club has done nothing but improve each year. After barely missing the playoffs last year, what can we expect from the Texans this year?

13: San Francisco 49ers- Singletary added two O-Linemen during the first round of the draft, so the quarterback in SanFran will have all day to find Michael Crabtree.

14: Washington Redskins- I absolutely love the upgrade from Campbell to McNabb. Watch out for the Redskins, folks.

15: Denver Broncos- Here’s hoping for Josh McDaniel’s sake that Tebow doesn’t pull a Brady Quinn for Denver.

16: New York Giants- The G-Men are still wishing Plaxico Burress didn’t shoot himself.

17: Miami Dolphins- Adding Brandon Marshall gives Chad Henne a lot of potential for success in a division that contains the Jets and Patriots.

18: Pittsburgh Steelers- They lost their best all-around receiver in Santonio Holmes, and Roethlisberger’s own idiocy will make the first month of the season rough for the Steelers.

19: Arizona Cardinals- Two major pieces of the offensive puzzle are missing: Warner and Boldin. Can Fitzgerald carry the offense solo? I doubt it.

20: Carolina Panthers- Matt Moore did go 3-1 as a starter after Delhomme was pulled. DeAngelo Williams is also a perennial threat.

21: Philadelphia Eagles- I still don’t understand why they were so hellbent on ditching the quarterback that took them to countless NFC Championships and Super Bowl 39. Kevin Kolb?? Give me a break.

22: Tennessee Titans- We thought Vince Young turned a corner. Then he punched that guy in the face. I don’t know if he has what it takes mentally to be an NFL quarterback.

23: Seattle Seahawks- Pete Carroll is about to begin round 2 of coaching in the NFL. And he has a team with a lot of potential that also plays in the weakest division in professional football.

24: Jacksonville Jaguars- Name another offensive starter beside Garrard, MJD or MSW. I bet you can’t…and that’s not good for the Jags.

25: Chicago Bears- Nothing to be excited about in Chicago apart from the signing of Julius Peppers.

26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Tampa fans are overly excited about Gerald McCoy. And with good reason…he’s a beast.

27: Cleveland Browns- Mike Homgren is building a Cleveland team that could be something to watch in a few season from now. But as for right now, they’re still at the bottom.

28: Detroit Lions- Motor City has caught Suh fever. I’m thinking 5 wins is doable for the Lions this year.

29: Kansas City Chiefs- Eric Berry is going to be exciting to watch in the NFL.

30: Buffalo Bills-The Terrell Owens experiment in Buffalo is over. The Bills are back to square 1.

31: Oakland Raiders- Jason Campbell is a major upgrade over JaMarcus Russell.

32: St. Louis Rams- It’s Sam Bradford’s team…let’s see what he does with it.

The PGA tour professionals are heading to TPC Southwind in Tennessee for the St. Jude Classic.  Most of the big name players are taking the week off to prepare for the U.S. Open next week, but there are some big names in this weeks tournament.  The key to this weeks tournament will be who can control their drives on this course.  TPC Southwind is one of the tougher courses on tour but there will be a lot of low scoring.  After last week, the young guns on tour made a statement that they are the future for the PGA, the only question is going to be if they are going to be able to keep it up. 

After taking a look at the field for this tournament, I have my picks:

1. Ian Poulter: he is ranked 6th in the world but has not been playing like the player that everyone knows that he can be.  After winning the World Golf Championship-Accenture Match Play Championship, he has not played well.  But I think it is time for Poulter to start playing like he did in the beginning of the year.  I look for him to make a strong push to finish in the top 5 and get his second victory of the season.

2. Lee Westwood: after finishing 2nd at the Masters, Westwood has been play well finishing in the middle of the pack in the last few tournaments.  I look for him to put together a strong 4 days this week and make a strong push to win this week.  He has one of the best driving accuracy on tour which is going to be key for this week.

3. Rory McIlroy: one of the young guns that played well last week, the only question is going to be if he can continue his strong play in back to back weeks.  After he won his first PGA tournament, he missed the cut the next week.  If he wants to be one the next great players on tour, he is going to have to be able to play consistent week after week.  But I do not see any reason why he is not going to finish in the top 5 this week.

4. Camilo Villegas: he is another player that has not done much since he won his first tournament of the season, but he is one of the best ball strikers in the field this week.  I look for him to play smart this week by playing the safe shot instead of forcing shots that could hurt him.  Smart playing and good putting is the key for a top 5 finish this week for Villegas.

5. Padraig Harrington: he has not won a tournament since 2008 but he has been finishing in the middle of the pack in most of the tournaments his season.  He is another player that has one of the best driving accuracy on tour but he is going to need to make more greens in regulation and stop setting for pars. The key for Harrington is going to be ball placement on his drives if he can control his driver, I look for him to finish in the top 5 this week.

Sleepers:

Brian Gay: he has been playing well this season but he has not been able to make a strong push on the weekends to win.  Maybe this week could be the week that he puts together a strong 4 days and get his first victory.

J.B. Holmes: he is the longest hitter on tour and makes it look easy reaching the greens in two on par 5, but he is one of the worst putters on tour.  If he can just make half of his birdie and eagle putts then I look for him to finish in the top 10.

Zach Johnson: after winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational he has been making the cuts but not making any push on the weekends to be on the leader board. Maybe this week he can make that push and finish in the top 10.

John Daly: he has been working hard on his putting and maybe this week all of his hard work will payoff and he could get in the top 10.  We all know that he can hit the ball far, but it is the putting that wins tournaments, not the long ball.