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The ‘Joker’ Asserts Himself As The Best Center In The West

Nikola Jokic had been on his way to becoming one of the best centers in the entire league for some time now. With the dominance of other big men such as Demarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid making such huge names for themselves. But there’s one thing that each one of these players lack: Playoff success.

Jokic, in just his fourth NBA season had never participated the NBA playoffs until this season following an exceptional regular season from his Nuggets squad that finished second in the conference. The Serbian center was then able to will his team to a game seven victory over the San Antonio Spurs to give the Nuggets their first playoff series win since the 2009 when Carmelo Anthony was their superstar.

Last night ‘The Joker’ notched 37 points along with nine rebounds in a game one victory over the Portland Trailblazers. It was a well needed victory for a franchise that’s turned it’s past misfortunes into a buzzing championship contender with a flurry of unselfish players to match their team-first style of play. Jokic is the focal point of all of this as he’s the engine that gets the team going along with third year guard Jamal Murray who chipped in 23 points in their win.

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The Miami Dolphins Are Finally Headed In The Right Direction

Goodbye Ryan Fitzpatrick. Goodbye Adam Gase.

Hello, the new and improved Miami Dolphins.

The draft day trade by the Dolphins to nab quarterback Josh Rosen from the Arizona Cardinals was by far the best move the Dolphins have made in the last decade. I know he hasn’t played a down in a Fins uniform however Rosen provides tremendous upside to a position (QB) where the Dolphins have been lacking since Dan Marino retired in 1999. Their list of starting QB mediocrity includes Jay Fielder, Gus Ferotte, Cleo Lemon, Chad Pennington, Matt Moore, Ryan Tannehill and their latest misfire, Jay Cutler. Following a lackadaisical 2018 season from Ryan Tannehill the organization finally decided it was time for a change.

Insert: Josh Rosen.

Rosen’s a well-rounded QB who has the potential to be great given he has the right personnel around him for most of his career. In Arizona that wasn’t the case, as he had some weapons in running back David Johnson and veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald however those two were succumbed to a bad offensive line, below-average defense and a rookie head coach that didn’t even get the chance to prove himself (The Cardinals have a new rookie HC now). Now he’ll have a better variety of skill players to get the ball to, a better offensive line and an even more opportunistic defense (Miami forced 28 turnovers last season to Arizona’s 16) but he’ll still be working with a rookie head coach. The good news about his new coach however? He, Brian Flores, had been on the New England Patriots staff since 2004 so he knows a thing or two about being apart of a successful organization.

The Josh Rosen era has officially begun in Miami and the future surely does look brighter now in South Beach. As long as Rosen continues to improve and can grow as a leader in the locker room, the Dolphins should have no regret of this trade when they look back a decade from now.

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Mike Trout To Sign Record-Breaking Contract Worth $430 Million Over 12 Years

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has finalized a contract extension with the franchise that will pay him $430 million over 12 seasons.

Trout has spent his entire eight year career with the Angels dating back to when the club played their home games in Anaheim, CA. Trout is a seven time all-star, six time Silver Slugger Award winner and he also was awarded as the American League (AL) MVP in 2014 and 2016. He undoubtedly has been one of the best players in all of baseball since he came into the league however one of the huge knocks to his game has been his inability to carry the Angels into the postseason as he’s only been once (2014).

Nonetheless, Trout is now the owner of the richest contract is all of sports history and it was certainly well-deserved.

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AAF Power Rankings After Week 6: Iron Get Back To Their Winning Ways

The Birmingham Iron have gotten back to their winning ways after dropping two games in a row. QB Luis Perez threw for three touchdowns in a win against the San Diego Fleet to help boast his team victory.

Keep reading to see this week’s power rankings.

Rankings:

Orlando Apollos (2019 Record: 5-1)
San Antonio Commanders (2019 Record: 4-2)
Birmingham Iron (2019 Record: 4-2)
Arizona Hotshots (2019 Record: 4-2)
San Diego Fleet (2019 Record: 3-3)
Atlanta Legends (2019 Record: 2-4)
Salt Lake City Stallions (2019 Record:2-4)
Memphis Express (2019 Record: 1-5)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRWIhnGC0AI

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Have The Lakers Playoff Hopes Officially Faded?

Oh LA. Oh no LA.

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially hanging from a thread in terms of making the playoffs after their recent loss to the NBA’s worst team, the Pheonix Suns. The loss now seats the Lakers two spots outside of the playoffs which also amounts to them being five games back from being in the eight seed. With 19 games left in the regular season, would it be wise to believe LeBron James can lead this group of players to the playoffs?

The 2018-19 Los Angeles Lakers are not a bad squad. They definitely have had an up and down season, however they certainly have the pieces in place to make a playoff run, if they can even get there. Star forward LeBron James previously stated that he was activating his “playoff mode” earlier than expected due to the Lakers playoffs hopes reeling. However, the rest of the squad outside of Brandon Ingram have shown up on a consistent enough basis for the Lakers to have the string of wins that they so badly need if they really want a playoff spot. Their loss to the Pheonix Suns highlighted how sloppy and unorganized year it’s been for a Lakers team led by Luke Walton who is reportedly set to be fired after the season. So will the Lakers play inspired basketball down the stretch for their current coach or will they slouch around the last 19 games?

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Trae Young Becomes First Rookie Since AI To Score 35 Points In Consecutive Games

Hawks point guard Trae Young, becomes the first rookie since Philadelphia 76er, Allen Iverson, to record 35 plus points in two consecutive games. The Atlanta Hawks rookie has been on a impressive role since the All-star weekend. The Hawks point guard has averaged Twenty Three points per game over the course of February. The rookie point guard recorded 36 points and 10 assists during the Hawks 131 to 123 win versus the Minnesota Timberwolves. Young has definitely created a spark within his young Atlanta team. The Hawks point guard will win Rookie Of The Year, playing at this rate. Check out Trae Young’s highlights last game verse the Minnesota Timberwolves. (Below)

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Jason Witten Will Return To The Cowboys After Being Away For A Year

Cowboys Tight-End and future Hall Of Fame inductee, Jason Witten, announced Thursday that he would be returning to the Dallas Cowboys after sitting out for one year. The 36 year old veteran returns to the gridiron after spending his last year as a ESPN analyst. Witten will return to the Cowboys on a 3.5 million one-year contract. Witten holds the Dallas Cowboy’s franchise record for most receiving yards and receptions within a career. Take a look back at Jason Witten career so far with the Cowboys, down below.

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Stellar Defenses Headline The Patriots Super Bowl 53 Victory

Super Bowl LIII was supposed to be one of the most high scoring affairs ever. After last season’s high flying Super Bowl that featured the Philadelphia Eagles instead of the Los Angeles Rams there was no reason to believe this one wouldn’t be more potent offensively. Wrong. The Rams and New England Patriots combined for just a measly 16 points in the Patriots 13-3 victory.

The first half of this year’s Super Bowl only featured three points between the Rams and New England Patriots. Neither team took a snap in the other team’s red zone while the Pats committed the only turnover on Tom Brady’s first pass attempt of the game. The Rams were only able to muster 52 total yards and two first downs in the half and Todd Gurley was again shunned as he only received three touches (He only had four all of last week). Both team played worse than usual and it led to the 3-0 stalemate that fans were left with at halftime.

New England Patriots WR Julian Edelman finished Super Bowl LIII with 10 receptions for 143 yards.

The second half began almost no different than the first half as both teams continued to struggle offensively. The Rams added on to a streak they began in the first half as they wound up punting on eight straight possessions through midway of the third quarter. The Patriots ended up with a few first downs in the third quarter but after the quarter the score was just 3-3 as Greg Zuerlein connected on a 53 yard attempt near the end of the third.

It all came down to the fourth quarter in this Super Bowl of defenses as neither team was able to create separation through three quarters. The Patriots were able to finally break through offensively with a one-yard Sony Michel touchdown to make the score 10-3. They coupled that with a Stephon Gilmore interception on the following Rams possession with under five minutes to play in regulation. That interception proved to be the biggest play of the game as Tom Brady and the rest of the offense ran the time down to under two minutes before Stephen Gostkowski put the game away at 13-3.

Super Bowl LIII was Tom Brady’s sixth NFL championship and it was also the Patriots’ 11th appearance in the big game (Third in a row). Their defense held the Rams usually superb offense to just 3 points, 12 first downs and 205 total yards in addition to the 4 sacks they got on Rams QB Jared Goff.

In a season where the Patriots were doubted repeatedly they persevered and showed everyone around the league why they are still the gold standard around the league.

Exxedera’s FBS Top 25 – Week 10

Another one bites the turf.

The #5 (formerly) Oklahoma Sooners just lost their first game of the season to the Kansas State Wildcats by a score of 48-41. The game highlighted OU’s biggest hinderance over the past few years: Defense. The Sooners defense has got to find a way to be able to make stops when needed if they ever want to get over the hump in the Lincoln Riley era.

Let’s see where they rank in this weeks power rankings.

Power Rankings

1. LSU Tigers (8-0)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (8-0)

3. Clemson Tigers (8-0)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)

5. Penn State Nittany Lions (8-0)

6. Florida Gators (7-1)

7. Oregon Ducks (7-1)

8. Georgia Bulldogs (7-1)

9. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1)

10. Baylor Bears (8-0)

11. Utah Utes (7-1)

12. Minnesota Gophers (8-0)

13. Auburn Tigers (6-2)

14. SMU Mustangs (8-0)

15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2)

16. Cincinnati Bearcats (7-1)

17. Wisconsin Badgers (6-2)

18. Appalachian State Mountaineers (7-0)

19. Iowa Hawkeyes (6-2)

20. Michigan Wolverines (6-2)

21. Memphis Tigers (7-1)

22. Texas A&M Aggies (5-3)

23.

24.

25. Texas A&M Aggies (4-3)

Chicago Can Only Go As High As Trubisky Takes Them

The Chicago Bears are currently one of the NFL’s most streakiest teams. One day they’ll look like one of the NFL’s elite behind a defense that is sure to frighten opponents but then some nights they may give up 30+ points while scoring below 14 and analysts alike will all be wondering what happened to the good Bears out of the Windy City.

Well, their problems begin at the quarterback position.

2017 first round pick Mitchell Trubisky has underperformed to say the least in his third NFL season. It’s crazy because usually players take a “sophomore slump” but in Trubisky’s second season (2018) he was able to lead them to a 12-4 record while tossing for over 3,300 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Exxedera’s FBS Top 25 – Week 9

Week eight of the college football season featured a huge top 10 upset as Wisconsin fell to the fighting Illini of Illinois. As for the rest of the Big Ten Penn State stayed undefeated against Michigan while Minnesota also started 7-0 for the first time since 1960.

Let’s see how the rest of the country ranks in this weeks top 25.

Power Rankings

1. LSU Tigers (7-0)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0)

3. Clemson Tigers (7-0)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (7-0)

5. Oklahoma Sooners (7-0)

6. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-0)

7. Florida Gators (7-1)

8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-1)

9. Oregon Ducks (6-1)

10. Georgia Bulldogs (6-1)

11. Auburn Tigers (6-1)

12. Texas Longhorns (5-2)

13. Baylor Bears (7-0)

14. Utah Utes (6-1)

15. Wisconsin Badgers (6-1)

16. Minnesota Gophers (7-0)

17. SMU Mustangs (7-0)

18. Cincinnati Bearcats (6-1)

19. Appalachian State Mountaineers (6-0)

20. Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2)

21. Michigan Wolverines (5-2)

22. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2)

23. Boise State Broncos (6-1)

24. Memphis Tigers (6-1)

25. Texas A&M Aggies (4-3)

NFL Power Rankings – Week 7

The NFL is a wild league. One week a team may look like playoff contenders and the next they may look like nobodies. This is the case of the Dallas Cowboys who have seen the wheels fall off following a 3-0 start. Their divisional rivals the Philadelphia Eagles are 3-3 after back to back weeks of having an impressive win then a bad loss. At 3-3 they’re firmly tied for first in their division but who is actually the better team?

Check out where the Eagles and Cowboys rank this week in our power rankings.

Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (6-0)

2. San Francisco 49ers (5-0)

3. New Orleans Saints (5-1)

4. Seattle Seahawks (5-1)

5. Green Bay Packers (5-1)

6. Kansas City Chiefs (4-2)

7. Carolina Panthers (4-2)

8. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)

9. Buffalo Bills (4-1)

10. Minnesota Vikings (4-2)

11. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

12. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3)

13. Houston Texans (4-2)

14. Dallas Cowboys (3-3)

15. Oakland Raiders (3-2)

16. Minnesota Vikings (3-2)

17,Carolina Panthers (3-2)

18. Chicago Bears (3-2)

19. Detroit Lions (2-2-1)

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)

21. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)

22. New York Giants (2-3)

23. Tennessee Titans (2-4)

24. Jacksonvillew Jaguars (2-4)

25. Cleveland Browns (2-4)

26. Arizona Cardinals (2-3-1)

27. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4)

28. Atlanta Falcons (1-5)

29. Washington Redskins (1-5)

30. New York Jets (1-4)

31. Cincinnati Bengals (0-6)

32. Miami Dolphins (0-5)

Exxedera’s FBS Top 25 – Week 8

Joe Burrow for Heisman! I’m claiming it now. LSU’s quarterback looks like the best player in the country after a week six win against Florida saw the Tigers jump to 6-0 on the year. I ranked them #1 last week, let’s see how much that may have changed.

Power Rankings

1. LSU Tigers (6-0)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (6-0)

3. Clemson Tigers (6-0)

4. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)

5. Oklahoma Sooners (6-0)

6. Wisconsin Badgers (6-0)

7. Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0)

8. Florida Gators (6-1)

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1)

10. Oregon Ducks (5-1)

11. Texas Longhorns (4-2)

12. Georgia Bulldogs (5-1)

13. Michigan Wolverines (5-1)

14. Auburn Tigers (5-1)

15. Boise State Broncos (6-0)

16. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-1)

17. SMU Mustangs (6-0)

18. Baylor Bears (6-0)

19.

Exxedera’s NFL Power Rankings – Week 6

Week six of the NFL is set to kick off Thursday night as the undefeated New England Patriots face off against rookie Daniel Jones and the New York Giants. We’ve already seen some upsets happen this season so an upending of the Patriots wouldn’t be too surprising especially to the Giants.

Let’s take a look at how the entire league stacks up ahead of week six.

Power Rankings:

1. New England Patriots (5-0)

2. New Orleans Saints (4-1)

3. San Francisco 49ers (4-0)

4. Seattle Seahawks (4-1)

5. Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)

6. Green Bay Packers (4-1)

7. Los Angeles Rams (3-2)

8. Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

9. Buffalo Bills (4-1)

10. Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

11. Detroit Lions (2-1-1)

12. Philadelphia Eagles (3-2)

13. Houston Texans (3-2)

14. Dallas Cowboys (3-2)

15. Oakland Raiders (3-2)

16. Minnesota Vikings (3-2)

17,Carolina Panthers (3-2)

18. Chicago Bears (3-2)

19. Tennessee Titans (2-3)

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3)

21. Los Angeles Chargers (2-3)

22. New York Giants (2-3)

23. Cleveland Browns (2-3)

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-3)

25. Atlanta Falcons (1-4)

26. Arizona Cardinals (1-3-1)

27. Denver Broncos (1-4)

28. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-4)

29. Cincinnati Bengals (0-5)

30. Miami Dolphins (0-4)

31. New York Jets (0-4)

32. Washington Redskins (0-5)

Exxedera’s FBS Top 25 – Week 7

We’re already six weeks through the college football season and we have already seen a large number of surprises. LSU looks like they may have the nation’s most lethal passing attacks while Michigan’s “new” passing attack has looked pedestrian basically every week. Auburn lost for the first time this season to Florida giving them a thin line on how much they can afford to mess up the rest of the way.

Let’s countdown this week’s top 25.

Top 25

1. LSU Tigers (5-0)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (5-0)

3. Clemson Tigers (5-0)

4. Georgia Bulldogs (5-0)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0)

6. Oklahoma Sooners (5-0)

7. Wisconsin Badgers (5-0)

8. Florida Gators (6-0)

9. Penn State Nittany Lions (5-0)

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0)

11. Texas Longhorns (4-1)

12. Oregon Ducks (4-1)

13. Michigan Wolverines (4-1)

14. Auburn Tigers (5-1)

15. Boise State Broncos (5-0)

16. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1)

17. SMU Mustangs (6-0)

18. Wake Forest (5-0)

19. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-1)

20. Utah Utes (4-1)

21. Virginia Cavaliers (4-1)

22. Washington Huskies (3-2)

23. Memphis Tigers (5-0)

24. Baylor Bears (5-0)

25. Cincinnati Bearcats (4-1)

Exxedera’s FCS Top 25 – Week 4

In the first few weeks of the 2019 college football season we have already seen a number of games featuring FBS vs. FCS standoffs. The FCS hasn’t pulled off a large number of upsets as it did in years past however the fact that these teams can push FBS teams to the brink every year should be a positive thing in itself.

Through three weeks which FCS program has seperated themselves from the rest? Let’s take a look.

Top 25

1. North Dakota State (3-0)

2. Kennesaw State (2-1)

3. South Dakota State (3-0)

Exxedera’s FBS Top 25 – Week 2

College football is back and it only took us one week to bring back all of the excitement that fans have been missing for over half a year now. We only saw one top 25 matchup (Oregon vs. Auburn) but we saw some other games that were just as exciting as that one (Iowa State vs. Northern Iowa).

Without further ado let’s countdown our top 25 following week one’s action.

Top 25

1. Clemson Tigers (2019 Record: 1-0)

2. Alabama Crimson Tide (2019 Record: 1-0)

3. Georgia Bulldogs (2019 Record: 1-0)

4. Oklahoma Sooners (2019 Record: 1-0)

5. Ohio State Buckeyes (2019 Record: 1-0)

6. Michigan Wolverines (2019 Record: 1-0)

7. LSU Tigers (2019 Record: 1-0)

8. Texas Longhorns (2019 Record: 1-0)

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2019 Record: 1-0)

10. Texas A&M Aggies (2019 Record: 1-0)

11. Auburn Tigers (2019 Record: 1-0)

12. Utah Utes (2019 Record: 1-0)

13. Florida Gators (2019 Record: 1-0)

14. Wisconsin Badgers (2019 Record: 1-0)

15. Oregon Ducks (2019 Record: 0-1)

16. Washington Huskies (2019 Record: 1-0)

17. Penn State Nittany Lions (2019 Record: 1-0)

18. UCF Golden Knights (2019 Record: 1-0)

19. Iowa Hawkeyes (2019 Record: 1-0)

20. Stanford Cardinal (2019 Record: 1-0)

21. Syracuse Orange (2019 Record: 1-0)

22. Michigan State Spartans (2019 Record: 1-0)

23. Washington State Cougars (2019 Record: 1-0)

24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2019 Record: 1-0)

25. Boise State Broncos (2019 Record: 1-0)

SEC Bottom Feeders Look…. Horrible

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) has long been the cream of the crop when it comes to conferences in the college football world. The conference once was winners of 7 straight national championships and it was so dominant then that one of the BCS national championships even ended up being an SEC vs. SEC matchup (Alabama vs. LSU, 2011). Even after the BCS faded away and fans got acquainted to the new College Football Playoff (CFP) the SEC still someway somehow got two teams in and then they competed for the Natty (Georgia vs. Bama, 2017).

It’s mind-blowing to see a conference display so much talent, but we all knew at some point that would all fade away and 2019 may just be the year. Alabama and Georgia are still great, but what else is new? All offseason many heard about how improved teams like Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina and Ole Miss would be this season.

Well that notion faded quickly.

Ole Miss fell to the Memphis Tigers 15-10 in an ugly game where the Rebels could only garner 173 yards of offense. Tennessee embarrassingly lost 38-30 (They scored a late TD) to Georgia State in a game which they paid the Panthers almost $1 million to come to Knoxville just to defeat the Vols. Senior QB Jake Bentley led the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 20-9 lead before North Carolina quickly turned it around and won the game 24-20. Kelly Bryant’s Mizzou debut went worse than expected as Tigers were gashed by two 100 yard rushers in a 37-31 loss to Wyoming.

Cover Photo By Matthew Grimes Photography.