Super Bowl debate on 'NFL Spin Zone'

Check out our Super Bowl XLVIII debate over on NFL Spin Zone. We've got heroes, villains, Peyton Manning, Richard Sherman and even more NFL sports debate. 


Super Bowl debate Part one
Super Bowl debate Part two
Super Bowl debate Part three
Super Bowl debate Part four



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2014 Sports Predictions - Part two

2014 Sports Predictions - Part two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (12-27-13)



We at Seesaw Sports are ending this year with ten new predictions for 2014. Another crazy year of sports is on the way and we'll tell you who wins and who goes home crying. Ten sports predictions for 2014, with six through ten here in Part two.

[Part one - Predictions one to five]



TODD:

6) 2014 MLB World Series

With the way spending and revenue are heading, everyone is a competitor in Major League Baseball. The Seattle Mariners just spent over $200 million on one player. Mid-market clubs like the Reds, Giants and others are signing their own star players to long-term contracts before they even hit free agency. Even the Rays have tried to do the same thing, just years in advance, by signing unproven prospects to long pro contracts.

In regards to 2014, there is no one that sticks out above the pack. However, I do like a couple teams more than the others. I think the Atlanta Braves will be the best team in the NL next season. Their pitching is young and electric. With better seasons from proven hitters who underachieved in 2013, this coming year should be a huge one for the Braves. In the AL, I like the Detroit Tigers to remain good and the Texas Rangers to be back atop the AL West. The overall quality of the American League seems like it will be lower than in recent years though. I am down on nearly everyone in the AL East.

7) 2014 Surprise NFL Team

Much like the Kansas City Chiefs a season ago, a surprise team must have a pretty putrid record to qualify for this. Even Carolina is borderline. Not many people remember but the Panthers were a respectable 7-9 in 2012. So let's say a surprise team has to have won fewer than five games the previous season. Here is the list of teams that would qualify at the moment:

Washington, Minnesota, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Houston and Oakland.

The obvious choices here would be Atlanta, Houston or Cleveland. Both the Falcons and Texans have recent seasons where they were excellent. One blip does not make a trend. A rebound seems likely. And Cleveland has all the makings other than a franchise quarterback. With two first round picks and the return of Brian Hoyer behind center next year, many people will like them as AFC North winners. However, my choice is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They lost a number of one-score games this year, a stat that often balances out season to season. They also have solid talent and a player they believe in at quarterback; plus, Doug Martin will be back next season to run the ball.

8) World Cup Prediction

Neither of us are soccer aficionados. I am aware that the United States was put into a less than ideal group to start the tournament. However, that is about as far as my futbol critical thinking can take me. I do predict there will be far less societal unrest in Brazil than people are preparing for. It seems bleak at the moment; mobs and protests require police intervention. People are dying and the area is unruly. However, Brazilians love and cherish soccer, right? Won't they be able to settle this down before the games begin in order to host and produce the greatest tournament in the world, in the sport they love the most?

9) 2014 College Football Playoff

The only logical prediction to make here is that proverbial shit will be hitting some sort of giant fan come next December. If people thought the BCS was bad, get ready for something far more uncouth: humans making uninformed decisions! AHH! There is no formula or basis of opinion for the upcoming four-team playoff. It will just be the four teams some panel deems are the best. Good grief. At least the BCS had some numbers to back up its decision.

10) Winter Olympics Thoughts

The Winter Olympics are being held this coming February. Shaun White is the best snowboarder in the world. However, the rest of that aforementioned world is catching up to him. In the past two winter games (Vancouver and Turin), White has grabbed gold in the halfpipe competition. He has won the gold medal in the superpipe competition at the past six winter X Games. I predict he falls short of grabbing a third-straight Olympic gold medal though. There is no way he fails to medal entirely, but I see someone unseating him for the halfpipe gold in Sochi.


DAN:

6) I'm not down on the AL East at all for 2014, but that doesn't mean the teams will all be around in October either. The Red Sox will have another strong year and the Yankees will be back in the playoffs as well. However, my team to watch in the American League is one that underachieved in 2013, but has the pitching and hitting to dominate if the dominoes all fall. The LA Angels will win the AL West this year. As for the AL World Series representative, this one is not a stretch but I'm saying it anyways. The New York Yankees will be playing for the title and a 28th championship.

As for the National League, I really like your Atlanta pick, mainly because it was mine from last season. However, they won't be the team to beat in 2014. That honor belongs once again to the St. Louis Cardinals. Yet the playoffs will be full of surprises and the NL representative in the World Series won't be wearing red. The Pittsburgh Pirates were no fluke and will be strong enough to earn a wildcard berth in 2014. I like them to ride the wave all the way through October and make the World Series in what will be a magical and memorable run for the ages.

7) My surprise NFL team in 2014 was also a surprise this season for all the wrong reasons. RG3 had himself a pretty bad sophomore slump, but I'm still on the bandwagon and a resurgence is in order. The Washington Redskins will bounce back in 2014 and push around the other NFC East teams, proving we can't judge a quarterback on his first, or his second season, but rather on a body of work.

8) Predicting less unrest than anticipated is like saying a bomb only killed 10K people when we thought 15K would die. Cop out! I'm going to make a completely uneducated guess here and pick the winner. Italy will win the World Cup and the US team will make the semifinals. Mark it down.

9) Am I the only one here making actual predictions? Well, the inaugural College Football playoff will consist of four undefeated teams. It won't be complicated, it won't be a head scratcher. Nope; only four teams will be without a loss next year and they'll all have a chance to compete for that giant glass football.

10) I like your Winter Olympics prediction and I'll raise you another MLB prediction. 

Masahiro Tanaka is up for bid. The Japanese pitching ace will be playing in the majors in 2014, but which team will overpay for this one man? That honor will belong to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fun LA fact, it has a huge Asian population and would completely embrace a foreign star like Tanaka. Look out, the Dodgers are throwing money again.

[Part one - Predictions one to five]

2014 Sports Predictions - Part one

2014 Sports Predictions - Part one
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (12-23-13)



Our predictions played out so well last year, we at Seesaw Sports are ending this year with ten new predictions for 2014. Another crazy year of sports is on the way and we'll tell you who wins and who goes home crying. Ten sports predictions for 2014.



TODD:

1) 2014 Super Bowl teams

Since the beginning of the season, I had pegged the Broncos and the 49ers as my Super Bowl picks. I thought they were the best two teams entering the year, and both looked poised to compete in the playoffs. However, it's a total cop-out when prognosticators hang on an old prediction when a better one has made itself evident. Denver still seems like the likeliest AFC squad to advance through the playoffs, but San Francisco is not better than Seattle, especially if the Seahawks have home field advantage. So I'm going with Denver and Seattle. Now, of course, if San Fran does end up making it, I can still take credit for that as well. I've set myself up for the double prediction!

I have a feeling you will come up with another selection entirely, but it seems as though you'd be grasping at straws. Everyone is flawed. These are the two teams with the fewest. That being said, when is the last time the two "best" teams actually made the Super Bowl? It's been a while.

2) March Madness prediction

Again, I am forced to refer back to prior, mysterious statements that no one can confirm, but coming into the college basketball season, I was very high on Arizona. Of course, now everyone is since the Wildcats climbed their way to the number one ranking in the country. They will certainly not remain number one all year, but I do like them to advance to the Final Four.

A couple other teams I like are Memphis and New Mexico. I don't know if they both will make the Final Four but let's say they both advance past their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Wait, that's another cop-out. Okay, Elite Eight. They both make the Elite Eight.

3) NBA Finals MVP

This is silly, so I will rephrase things and throw it back to you. If I gave you two options for this,

Option A - LeBron James
Option B - everyone else

Which would you choose?

4) Alex Rodriguez results

In the case of Alex Rodriguez, my prediction is that the arbiter in charge of the proceedings decides to lower the suspension levied against A-Rod but does not erase it entirely. The most logical scenario would seem to be Rodriguez getting his suspension lowered to the 50-game level that everyone else in this drama received. So the A-Bomb is out until early June sometime. By that point, I am sure Yankee fans will be exhausted by Kelly Johnson's exploits and actually welcome Alex back. (I like Kelly Johnson! but not as an everyday player. Get real.)

5) NFL Draft prediction

I'll save my World Series picks until Friday because I have some NFL draft thoughts to cover first. There will be as many as six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. You heard me! Even with Marcus Mariota returning to school, the QB crop is as deep as it's been in years, and teams are desperate for a franchise signal caller. To clarify, there will most certainly NOT be six quarterbacks worthy of a first round grade, but at least six get taken day one.


DAN:

1) The two best teams rarely make the Super Bowl and this year's game will be no different. Mojo is the biggest factor in playoff success and two teams stand out with the most mojo this season. The Carolina Panthers will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Their mojo couldn't be higher after a monster win over New Orleans this past week. And in the AFC I'm revisiting my prediction from last year, yet this time its coming true. The New England Patriots will continue to defy the odds and roll past the competition on their way to the big game.

Mark it down, we're having a good old fashioned rematch this February. Panthers vs. Patriots for the title.

2) I'm going in a different direction with my initial March Madness prediction. I'm calling it, a team seeded ten or lower will make the Final Four this March. I'm also high on Duke and Arizona, both are Elite Eight teams this season for sure.

3) I like this game, because you have to take the field as I'm going with Lebron James for NBA MVP. I feel pretty darn good about my odds here. Go Heat!

4) I think Alex gets a slightly higher suspension, missing an aesthetically pleasing 65 games. But I don't think he returns to the Yankees this season. As long as teams like Seattle need names to fill seats, A-rod has value on the open market. The Yankees eat half his salary and trade him for some youth. Where you ask? I'm leaning towards Seattle or Colorado. Just a gut feeling.

5) Wow, hard to top that type of prediction. I know the quarterback needs around the league are running high, but six quarterbacks in the first round? I'm predicting the top pick in the draft will NOT be a quarterback. Round two is the new round one for QBs and this year will be more of the same. I like six quarterbacks in round two, but only two taken in round one. Johnny Football slips into round two for sure and the Redskins draft a quarterback. How about them apples?

[Part two - Predictions six to ten]

NFL Kickoff: Off season questions Real & Hilarious - Part one

NFL Kickoff: Off season questions Real & Hilarious - Part one
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (8-5-13)



TODD:
The NFL is perfecting its takeover of the entire calendar year. We start with training camp and preseason in August through to the regular season and playoffs. The Super Bowl is played in February. From there comes free agency, player movement and draft talk through April-May. After that is finalization of rosters, more player movement and preseason news through the summer. Parts of this takeover are more fun (the NFC West royalty) than others (the Aaron Hernandez story). But either way, the National Football League now lasts 12 months a year.

With that preamble out of the way, let's dive into a myriad of questions that currently surround the league.

First, and possibly most importantly, with concussion research and player safety in the front of everyone's mind, is it realistic that this league eventually folds, AKA no longer exists, like some people have opined? Perhaps not in the next decade, but in our lifetime is there ever not going to be an NFL?

On a smaller scale, we can get into who will win the Super Bowl, what happens to the Patriots offense, who's the surprise team of the year and the biggest disappointment, etc. But those aren't the questions people are clambering for. Not yet at least. Here's what fans are really wondering:

(1) From a pure popularity standpoint, as in most interest by the most people, which New England story was actually bigger news, Aaron Hernandez or Tim Tebow?

(2) Is this finally the year fantasy football leagues realize using a kicker as a scoring position is almost entirely irrelevant and luck-based?

(3) If Barry Sanders came out of retirement today, could he be the starting running back for the New York Jets?

(4) If Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick and Robert Griffin III played 2 on 2 in a decathalon-type event, what would the teams be, which side would win, who would America be rooting for, and would they all be immediately inducted into the respective Halls of Fame of each sport they participated in?

(4b) How much does it suck for all current and future first year starting quarterbacks?

(5) Do the New York Giants actually eschew the linebacker position entirely this season and go with an unconventional 5-0-6 alignment? ...Huh, oh, no one is actually wondering this other than me?


DAN:
Whoa, whoa, whoa, someone just exploded a four part NFL debate in my face! I see six valid questions and one that is complete horse manure.

A thought on your preamble, the NFL is definitely expanding itself across all twelve months of the calendar and there is no better time for this to happen. Its popularity couldn't be higher and the potential for making money is still growing. Yet I worry for the league, and not because of the concussion issue which I'll get to in a minute. I worry because too much of a good thing is a cliche for a reason. If you eat too much ice cream you get a brain freeze and swear off it for a week. If you drink too much you puke, wake up with a hang over and wish you never knew what alcohol was. My point, we as Americans are reaching a saturation point with football. Its not just the NFL, but college football in conjunction with the NFL is inescapable.

There will be a breaking point, a moment in time where each fan says "Enough!" I can't take anymore football and need a break. Sports were built this way to start out. You had an off season with few to no stories to tell, so by the time training camp came around you were clamoring for some football or baseball or what not. Expanding to twelve uninterrupted months of football news and notes and crap involving the legal system is dangerous territory. ESPN and the like need things to talk about, I get it, and the NFL can still make more money. I get that too. But I worry, will enough be enough or will it never be enough?

How about that first question. The league is not going to fold. That's completely unrealistic. Sports are a part of American culture and football is at the forefront. It has been our entire lives. Our father's generation had baseball in the lead and our kid's generation might have the NBA, if trends continue. But the major sports are staying put in our society. No one is shutting down or boycotting the NFL and the game will get safer. Hell, its infinitely safer then when I played in high school. Rules alone, not to mention equipment, make it harder to get seriously injured. Plus, more importantly, there is something about men that makes them want to inflict pain on one another. I'm not saying we want to injure other men, just bruise them and push them around a bit. It's why boxing gyms are so popular, even if the sport has leveled off. Its also why MMA has blown up. The NFL is like Mixed Martial Arts with a full body suit and too many rules to count. Plus, hold onto this ball. Men love this! We aren't letting it go, just allowing it to change to appease the women of the world.

I'd like to issue a half apology in advance for being semi-sexist. Just covering my bases.


TODD:
The saturation point seems far off with the way things are transpiring, but certain actions are on the horizon that may expedite this process. Expanding the league into other countries, which already happens once a year, is going to get kicked up a notch. Multiple games will be played overseas. There may even be a franchise located in a country outside of North America. So not only will American football be a full-year sport in America but in other parts of the world as well.

On a side note, if the NFL expands past Europe and into Latin speaking countries, I'm not quite sure what they will call it. Futbol is already taken and we know first hand how confusing it is when soccer fans call soccer futbol here in the states.

[Part two - Off season questions 'Tebow vs. Hernandez']
[Part three - The fantasy kicker & Barry Sanders] 
[Part four - A QB decathlon, rookies & the NY Giants]

What ha... happened? - April edition Part Two

What ha... happened? - April edition Part Two
by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (4-12-13)

[Part One - The Eli Manning Face]



We scour the internet for crazy sports photo and someone must try to explain it. Seesaw Sports asks what ha... happened? Monday: opening statements. Friday: rebuttal.

Real photos. Real results. But what in the heck happened?



TODD:
I present to you the following:

Photo: The original Manning face, courtesy of Peyton.

Title: "The Original"

Description: While you claim Eli is famous for his reactionary shots, the original Manning Face belongs to older brother Peyton. Peyton Manning created, honed and perfected the Manning Face during his time in Indy. He has since brought it with him to Denver.

The question is, of course, which Manning makes better faces?

Is it Peyton's resigned, thin-lipped mouth with scrunched forehead that emotes just the correct amount of disappointment and disdain in his team's failings, or is it Eli's normal, dead-eyed, blank stare (the crazy eyes shot not withstanding) that gives off the impression that he has no idea why things didn't go his way or the impression that he is not fully aware of how things even transpired?

What ha... happened and which Manning face wins?


DAN:
In the spirit of our photo series I'll first tell you what happened, then lay out the facts on which Manning makes the better face. As to 'The Original' and Peyton Manning's face, this particular iteration happened after a fruitless effort to converse with his former head coach Jim Caldwell. Its well known that Jim Caldwell may not in fact be alive. At the very least, speaking to him is like talking to a wax statue with the occasional mumble or grunt. Peyton Manning's stone face, meet Jim Caldwell's waxy goodness. Much like rubber and glue, nothing Manning could every say got through to his coach. A classic grimace resulted. That's what happened.

Now the real debate, Eli Manning's doe eyed deer face versus Peyton Manning's stink eyed face.

Although the original from Peyton came first and is unique in its own right, Eli wins HANDS DOWN. His ability to look lost amid both blunder and success is unparalleled in the sports world today. He looked the same in Monday's photo, getting sacked, as he did when he threw the infamous 'Helmet Catch' pass to David Tyree in the Superbowl that led to a touchdown and the defeat of the New England Patriots. That look, the Eli Manning face, is where fear meets shock and confusion in the perfect storm of eye's wide open. And yes Patriots fans, I just utilized a small scalpel to scrape apart the scar over the wound left by that defeat and a lost perfect season. Cue the evil laughter. Muahaha.

Eli Manning wins. Again.

[Part One - The Eli Manning Face]

Superbowl? Heck no its Harbaugh Bowl !

Superbowl? Heck no its Harbaugh Bowl !

by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (2-1-13)

[Part One from Monday]

DAN:

With two full weeks to prepare for the big game, as a Harbaugh I would devote at least one full day of preparation to breaking down my sibling's tendencies, faults, habits and insecurities. My brother breakdown day would go something like this:

I'm Jim Harbaugh, since he was a favorite player of mine growing up. I loved watching him as QB of the Colts, with Marshall Faulk rolling out into the flat to catch a pass and scamper into the end zone. So, first hour, what are John's biggest fears? These must, MUST, be made into giant posters to be held at midfield by a bunch of crazy fans. John is afraid of spiders, well guess what is going on a monster piece of cardboard, a tarantula. John hates Bruce Springsteen, well guess what music I'm playing as my team runs out of the tunnel. This has endless possibilities! Hour two would focus on how and why John panics. We know he is a great coach, but during his teen years playing backyard football if you kicked him while he was down then he would totally freak out and do something irrational. Perhaps that celebration penalty after a touchdown is worth it after all. And kick it onside just to make it really sting.

Okay, now you're John. What do you do?

TODD:

This is sounding like the plot of the movie Waterboy: the overbearing coach of the opponent striking fear into the heart and mind of the poor, lovable loser coach. Everyone agrees John is the "lovable" Harbaugh, right? And he is obviously the loser in this. All we need now is John going into the locker room at halftime and imagining Jim as a cuddly baby.

More important than even the brother battle is what will happen if the Ravens lose. They have been riding this Ray Lewis euphoria for weeks now, playing above their heads and getting a legitimate rich-man's-Eli-Manning performance out of Joe Flacco. So what happens if it fails to produce a title and Ray Lewis suddenly doesn't want to retire on slightly lower than top? If he comes back, how big of a scandal would this be? He played with the emotions of an entire team and city. He announced his retirement as a ploy to invigorate his over-matched mates to play at a level they hadn't approached this decade. If he wants to play another year, it sours his relationship with them, makes him a fraud in the eyes of the public and minimizes the effect he has on the rest of the league, which still pictured him as an elite-level middle linebacker even though he hasn't been one in years.

A Ravens loss would be catastrophic, leading to the free agency of their star quarterback and either the retirement of the franchise's best player or the return of the franchise's best player after he swore he would retire.

Meanwhile, the 49ers weren't even supposed to peak until Kaepernick got a few seasons under his belt. I'm not sure Jim even needs to go through the weaknesses of his brother to find an edge in this game. With the best defense and running game in the league, he has ownership of the future of the NFL at his fingertips.

DAN:

You're right; a sequel to the Waterboy is long overdue. Get Adam Sandler on the phone.

A Ravens loss won't be catastrophic for one simple reason; they are NOT expected to win. The 49ers are heavy, heavy favorites in my book. The Vegas line has the two teams slightly more even with Ravens +3.5 (doubt it's moved much), but there's no way the Ravens are looked at as the better team by any reasonable football mind. As you say, they are playing way over their heads and Joe "Football is Fun" Flacco hasn't earned my trust ever. Yes, he's playing for a new contract, but that didn't stop him from being boringly average all year.

As to your other two points. Flacco is a free agent regardless of the outcome and Mr. Ray Lewis already has a deal in place to join ESPN after the season. Even more rare than someone un-retiring is someone turning down a job at ESPN.

My hope, the Ravens lose so Flacco hits the open market and the Jets have a shot at him. And Ray Lewis puts his money where his super huge mouth is and delights us all on ESPN next fall. Go 49ers!

[If you missed Part One from Monday]

Harbaugh Bowl I

Harbaugh Bowl I

by Dan Salem and Todd Salem (1-28-13)

TODD:

In their highly contested, supremely exciting NFC Championship game victory, the 49ers did more than earn themselves a trip to the Super Bowl. They also made me 4 for 4 on my January predictions. Boo ya!

1 - Alabama will win the National Championship by more than one score - blam!

2 - Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will both fall short of Hall induction - wham!

3 - The NHL lockout will end and the regular season will begin before the month is out - slam!

4 - The 49ers will win the National Football Conference - squajam!

That is all.

DAN:

Yes, yes, pour salt on the wound. Since January is winding down it’s fair to recap all your predictive glory, but my predictions were really just poorly chosen outcomes that didn’t happen, so let’s focus on what we both got right and embrace Super Bowl week. I bring you Harbaugh Bowl I. I went with Roman numerals to keep with tradition and make things unnecessarily confusing in an age where we count with numbers.

Brotherly competition holds a special place in my heart, as it does for you as well considering your 'kind' reminder of predictive glory. I was rooting for Tom Brady and I picked the Patriots to win, but I'm happy to see Jim and John in the big game facing off as only brothers can. Since you’re the stat guy, have two coaching brothers ever faced off in the Super Bowl? How about in the championship of the other major sports?

I was having a conversation last week about brothers in sports and there are tons in football. Family in general goes generational in the sport. We also see this in baseball, but not nearly to the same extent. And I know of at least one example in hockey with the Bourques. So we see sport families in football, baseball and hockey. But what about the NBA? I’m drawing a blank here. I know Doc Rivers' son is now playing, but that's a weak example at best. I can't think of a major family in basketball. I would attribute this to smaller rosters, less players on the court, and the overall athleticism required to play basketball. And now you tell me why I'm wrong.

TODD:

The Super Bowl should have a bevy of great story lines with Ray Lewis retiring, the 49ers quarterback switch, two hard-nosed defenses and the emergence of Joe Flacco. However, I agree with you that the Harbaughs facing each other is insane and should be the definitive story going into New Orleans.

Two brothers have most certainly never coached against each other in the Super Bowl and I am almost positive two brothers have never even played against each other in such a big game either. The only example of siblings facing each other in championships in sports that comes to mind is Venus and Serena Williams playing each other in tennis majors (which happened a lot and does not get the fanfare it deserves for how amazing it was).

As for simply playing the same sport as your brother, it does happen an awful lot more than I would expect considering the accomplishment. Basketball had the Barry brothers in the late 90's and early aughts. And the Morris twins are both in the NBA, coming out of Kansas just a few seasons ago. How could you have forgotten about the Gasols? Pau and Marc are probably the best pair of brothers in any sport (talent-wise) in a long time. They are both all-stars. And next year, Tyler Zeller's brother Cody will be in the NBA. So, yes indeed, you are wrong. It does not appear as though there are fewer examples of this happening in basketball than in the other sports. Fascinating that it happens so often, though.

DAN:

Oh man, the Gasols! And I forgot about the Lopez brothers, Robin and Brook. The NBA has no fewer examples of brothers, so the theory holds true. This theory is really just how DNA works, athleticism runs in the family.

Let's chalk that up to a point well made and head back to talking Harbaugh Bowl I, aka Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans where the 49ers face the Ravens. If I were Jim or John, with two full weeks to prepare for the big game, I would devote at least one full day of preparation to breaking down my sibling's tendencies, faults, habits and insecurities. Speaking from experience, Toddy, only Jim and John's parents know them better than they know one another. They are only fifteen months apart in age. That's practically twins! They built snow forts together, presumably, were on the same high school sports teams (pretend this is true for sake of argument) and may have even stolen a girlfriend or two at some point. How can you not exploit this in the biggest game of your coaching career?

My 'Brother Breakdown Day' would go something like this:

[Part two of 'Harbaugh Bowl I' on Friday]