The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition

We’re as excited about this weekend’s sports as a dog finding a mammoth bone in the backyard or finishing a marathon. This Friday, we'll learn about human growth hormones and All-Star Games galore. We’re also wondering out loud; if plagiarism will get you kicked out of college, will it get Russell Wilson kicked out of bed? 

Pillow fight,

The LNG Team

NBA (National Basketball Association)

  • Water boy. Detroit Pistons owner, Tom Gores, pledges $10 million to help the water situation in Flint, Michigan.
  • Thanks for coming. The NBA All-Star Game reserve players have been announced. They will be riding the pine with the best of them. 

NFL (National Football League)

  • Bowl bound distractions. NFL is launching an investigation into Broncos quarterback, Peyton Manning and HGH (human growth hormone). Al-Jazeera America reported that Manning’s wife received shipments of HGH back in 2011. Manning vehemently denied the report. Keep in mind HGH was not banned in 2011 and there is no way to test for it. When asked about investigation Manning said “I do welcome it. It's no news to me," Manning said after practice. "I still stand by what I said then that it's garbage from the first day that it came out, garbage today.” 
  • Line up. The Pro Bowl teams have been selected via a draft by (non-playing) captains Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice. See who comes out on top out of Team Irvin vs Team Rice during the game on Sunday, January 31st at 7 pm (EST) on ESPN. 
  • Made for TV. Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce, has been given the green light for a dating show on E! entitled “Catching Kelce."   

NHL (National Hockey League)

  • At the mercy of the court. Calgary Flames defenseman, Dennis Wideman, was suspended indefinitely until meeting with league after he plowed over an official in a game. Wideman stating he was injured and did not see referee until the last second. We’re not taking sides but the video makes it look pretty intentional.
  • Mixing it up. The NHL All-Star Game takes place this Sunday in Nashville at 5pm (EST) on NBC Sports. For the first time the game will be in a three-on-three, division format. According to NHL, the All-Star Tournament will be comprised of three 20-minute games played by divisional all-star teams competing for a winner-take-all $1 million prize.

NCAA Basketball (College)

  • Super exciting Saturday. College basketball takes a break from grind of conference play this weekend to have two big conferences (SEC & BIG 12) play each other. These games should have the “March Madness” excitement. A few notable games include:   
    • No. 9 West Virginia at Florida, 12 pm (EST) on ESPN
    • No. 14 Iowa State at No. 5 Texas A&M, 2 pm (EST) on ESPN
    • No. 1 Oklahoma at LSU, 5 pm (EST) on ESPN
    • Georgia at No. 17 Baylor, 6 pm (EST) on ESPN2
    • No. 20 Kentucky at No. 4 Kansas, 7 pm (EST) on ESPN

Tennis

  • G’day mate. Serena Williams (#1) advanced to finals of the Australian Open where she will play Angelique Kerber (#7). Andy Murray also advanced to the final round where he will face Novak Djokovic.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)

  • Fight club, Soprano style. It’s fight night in New Jersey on Saturday 30th at 8 pm (EST) on FOX (i.e it’s free). The ticket features the top contender fight for the light heavyweight (205 lb.) as well as the newest up-and-comer, Sage Northcutt. The main fight will be five – five minute rounds. For a complete rundown click here.

Overtime

  • Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson and his girlfriend, Ciara, are notorious for their love confessions via social media. Wednesday he tweeted out a note that included the romantic line “honey sweet lips that were lilac soft.” Well, Billboard Associate Editor, Natalie Weiner, searched his words and discovered that Wilson didn’t make that up himself but found it online. Kudos to Wilson for giving an overly descriptive shout out to his lady but give credit where credit is due.

Sideline Stat

  • Who needs a lucky rabbit’s foot when you have a 10,000-year-old mammoth femur? Prehistoric bones, which appear to be part of a mammoth, were discovered during the dig for a new Oregon State University stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

Coaches’ Corner

  • Despite only coaching two games, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue will coach the NBA Eastern Conference All-Star Team. The two all-star teams are lead by the coaches from the previous year’s finals teams. (Cavs and Warriors). Lue did not actually coach the Cavs in the final but replaced the coach that did, David Blatt, last week.  

 

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition

Sunday marks the NFL Conference Championship games. Yes, the last time this season to enjoy multiple football games on one day. I guess it’s back to watching Scandal on your DVR. Darn.  

Speaking of DVR, don’t forget to set it to record UFC rock star Ronda Rousey on SNL, with musical guest Selena Gomez, on Saturday.

Grab the popcorn,

The LNG Team

NFL

New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos, 3:05 pm (EST) on CBS

  • What are the odds? Patriots -3 (favored by three), over/under 45
  • Saved the best for last. This game is most likely final match up of two legendary quarterbacks Tom Brady (Patriots, age 37) and Peyton Manning (Broncos, 39 and expected to retire after this season).
  • You never know. The quarterbacks have played each other 17 times and Brady leads series 11-5 but their record is split 2-2 in the playoffs. 
  • Break out your bikini. Weather not expected to be issue in the game as the forecast calls for a tropical 46° at kick off.
  • Trash talk. Denver Broncos defensive players have labeled Tom Brady a crybaby who always complains to referees. The defensive backs also said they were going to aim for Patriots’ 6’6” Tight End Rob Gronkowski’s knees when tackling (Gronkowski was knocked out of a game vs Broncos earlier in the season from a low hit around knees) so Gronkowski fired back with this mature tweet. Dude.    

Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers, 6:30 pm (EST) on FOX

  • What are the odds? Panthers -3 (favored by three points), over/under 48
  • Feels like the first time. This is the first time two Heisman winning quarterbacks have faced each other in the playoffs – Carson Palmer (Cardinals) and Cam Newton (Panthers). 
  • Same same but different. The teams have a similar make up. Both have high scoring offenses and strong defenses.
  • Break out the stilettos. Panthers’ field was in poor condition last week and it could play a factor in this weekend’s. The players have had a hard time getting traction and most will be wearing longer cleats than usual.

The winners of each game will play each other in Super Bowl 50 on February 7th in Levi Stadium, home of the San Francisco 49ers.  

  • Take that glass ceiling. Buffalo Bills make history by hiring the first full-time female coach, Kathryn Smith, as Special Teams Quality Control Coach.

NBA

West

  • Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers - leading vote getter for the NBA. He announced that he will retire after this season.
  • Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder – 2013-2014 MVP. He gave a moving speech about his mom in his MVP acceptance speech. 
  • Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs - first time starter and 2014 NBA Finals MVP
  • Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors - reigning NBA MVP
  • Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder - reigning NBA All-Star game MVP

East

  • LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers - leading vote getter for the Eastern Conference
  • Paul George, Indiana Pacers – George had a miraculous comeback after breaking his leg in a 2014 USA basketball scrimmage.
  • Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks - 10-time All-Star
  • Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat – 2006 NBA Finals MVP, Miami Heat all-time scorer and married to actress Gabrielle Union
  • Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors - A tweet of support from fellow Canadian Justin Bieber gave him enough votes to become a starter.  

The game is February 14th in Toronto, Canada. 

Overtime

  • Colorado State Rams’ (CSU) Junior Emmanuel Omogbo is learning the power of sports. Omogbo received word that his parents and two-year-old niece and nephew passed away in a house fire on Tuesday. He insisted on playing in the game on Wednesday. He received the game ball after the CSU win even though he only scored one point. CSU started a Go Fund Me Page to help cover expenses. Word got out about the tragedy and Omogbo’s humble appreciation for the support his team and school provided. As of this morning the fund has raised $84,480 from 1,619 donors with a goal of $100,000. (In case you’re wondering the NCAA has ruled he can only use the money for expenses directly related to tragedy).

Sideline Stat

  • If it’s free, it’s for me. FOX will be broadcasting a free fight on Saturday night at 8 pm (EST).

The main event, features Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero vs Danny "Swift" Garcia.The 147 weight class is without a champion after Floyd Mayweather retired. 

Coaches Corner

  • NFC vs AFC? The NFL has two conferences, the NFC and AFC. The NFC is the National Football Conference and the AFC is the Atlantic Football Conference. Each conference consists of 16 teams. The Broncos and Patriots are playing for the AFC title rights and Cardinals and Panthers for the NFC’s. 

The Rundown: Weekend Preview Edition

It’s Friday! While you've been practicing your touchdown dance, we put together everything you need to know for this weekend’s divisional round of the NFL playoffs. It’s almost Super Bowl time.  

Bust a move,

The LNG Team

NFL (National Football League) 

  • Hi, I'm the new guy. San Francisco 49ers hire former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. According to ESPN, Kelly received a four-year deal worth $24 million.  
  • It’s going down for real. What you really need to know about this weekend’s NFL playoff games is that the teams are riddled with injuries. At this point it is survival of the fittest.  

Saturday

Kansas City Chiefs vs New England Patriots, 4:35 pm (EST) on CBS

Game notes

  • Led by quarterback Alex Smith, the Chiefs are coming off a 30-0 domination of the Houston Texans in the wild card round last weekend.
  • The Chiefs have won 11 games in a row.
  • In one of the more bizarre stories of the season, Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (brother of UFC Champion Jon Jones), showed up at the Foxborough police station early Sunday morning on foot, shirtless and disoriented. He was transported to hospital where he stayed all day. The diagnosis? A bad reaction to "synthetic marijuana," which is legal in Massachusetts. Jones did not miss any practice this week and he is unlikely to receive any type of discipline.
  • Not to be outdone, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick showed up to a Monday press conference with a black eye.

Green Bay Packers vs Arizona Cardinals, 8:15 pm (EST) on NBC

Game notes

  • The Packers seemed to find their rhythm last week, beating Washington Redskins 35-18 in the wild card round. 
  • Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, comes alive in playoffs.
  • Cardinals dismantled Packers 38-8 on December 27th
  • Injuries have decimated Packers offensive line.
  • Led by 36-year-old quarterback, Carson Palmer, Cardinals had their best season in franchise history (13 wins).
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians started coaching football in 1975 at Virginia Tech. He became one of the oldest first time NFL coaches at age 60. The Cardinals named him head coach in 2013.

Sunday

Seattle Seahawks vs Carolina Panthers, 1:05 pm (EST) on FOX

Game notes

  • Panthers beat Seahawks in Seattle earlier in the season, 27-23.
  • Both teams feature a punishing defense. 
  • It feels like Seahawks are a team of destiny after beating the Vikings last weekend when the Vikings kicker missed an easy 27-yard field goal to lose the game.
  • Seahawks are expected to have their top running back, Marshawn Lynch, back from an injury.
  • Panthers are led by top MVP candidate, quarterback Cam Newton.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Denver Broncos, 4:40 pm (EST) on CBS

Game notes

  • Steelers beat Broncos, 34-27, on December 20th.
  • Steelers are the only team to score 30+ points on Broncos all season.
  • Injuries have depleted the Steelers' offense this week. One of the most notable injuries is Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, who sustained a concussion in last week’s game.  He is still under concussion protocol and will not play.
  • Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will start for first time since week 10 due to a foot injury.
  • Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will likely have his mother in attendance at his game for the first time ever. His mom was sent to prison when Thomas was 11, along with his grandmother, for drug charges. She was originally scheduled to get out in 2017, but her sentenced was reduced when President Obama shortened 46 sentences for non-violent drug charges.

NCAA Basketball (College)

Overtime

  • Vikings kicker, Blair Walsh, was not a fan favorite after missing the game winning field goal in last week's playoff game. First graders at a local Minnesota elementary school wrote Walsh letters of encouragement as part of a lesson in empathy. Their kind words of support were acknowledged by Walsh when he paid the students a visit. 

Sideline stat

  • Number one ranked American golfer Jordan Spieth signed a multiyear deal with Coca-Cola that would make him the face of the brand. The exact numbers of the deal have not been released. The 22-year-old made an estimated $30 million in endorsements in 2015.

Coaches’ Corner

  • What is the NFL’s concussion protocol?  We've been hearing so much about concussions in the NFL and their concussion protocol, put into place to protect the health of the players. As expected, it’s complicated but The Washington Post’s Liz Clarke did a great job of breaking down the four-page concussion protocol document into layman’s terms. The five steps in the concussion protocol consist of:
  1. Rest and recovery. 
  2. Light aerobic exercise. 
  3. Continued aerobic exercise, introduction of strength training.
  4. Football-specific work. 
  5. Full football activity, full clearance. 

Note: There is no set timetable for the player’s return to the game. Every case is treated differently.

For more information or to read the whole story, visit our source, The Washington Post.

 

 

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