When a team typically loses a player that is high caliber, it hurts. That is typically the case in any sport. With that said, this is not the case with the New York Giants. If Plaxico is lost for the year, or even for a few games, there are many reasons that they can keep on keeping on. When Tiki Barber left, he thought that it would leave a gaping hole that could not be filled. Then, without even a thought, there was Brandon Jacobs to fill that hole. Jeremy Shockey was sent away to the New Orleans Saints and in stepped Kevin Boss. Michael Strahan retired at the end of the year and Osi Umenyiora went down at the beginning, yet the defense might just be better this year than last.

With all those lost players, how can Plaxico think that this team goes as he goes. So, let’s get to the list of reason the Giants won’t miss a beat.

1) The first reason that I think of to begin with is that of 3rd year wide receiver Domenik Hixon. He does not have the height or weight that Plaxico brings, but he also does not come with the attitude. In Burress’ missed games this year, Hixon has been the man to fill the shoes. In filling those shoes, he has stepped in with 26 receptions for 373 yards and 1 touchdown. This comes from starting only 3 games. In 2007, Hixon started 1 game, had 1 reception for 5 yards, and never saw the end zone.

2) The next reason that I think of has been the reemergence of Amani Toomer. In 15 starts in 2007, Amani had 59 receptions for 760 yards and just 3 scores. This year, Amani has 39 catches for 480 yards and 4 touchdowns. Amani is on pace to at least double his touchdown catches this year.

3) The next reason has to be Steve Smith. In 2007, Steve caught a total of 8 passes for 63 yards and never visited the end zone. This year, Steve has 43 catches amassing 424 yards while stepping into the end zone 1 time so far. He has also started 3 games.

4) Another reason to add to this would be that of Sinorice Moss. Another 3rd year player, he had zero touchdown catches until this year. In just the 7 games that he has been involved in, he has made it to the end zone 2 times.

5) The fifth reason has to be the play of Kevin Boss. Unlike Jeremy, Kevin gets on the field and does his job. He has done his job so well that he has crossed the goal line 5 times already this year.

6) In 2007, the entire receiving corps had 23 touchdowns. 12 of those belonged to Burress. That leaves 11 amongst all other receivers. This includes running backs and tight ends that caught a pass for a touchdown. At this point in the season the receivers have caught 20 touchdown passes, just 3 short of all of last year. The amazing part of it is the fact that Plaxico only has 4 of those touchdowns.

7) The seventh reason is the 3 headed monster that shows up in New York’s backfield each week. I am referring to Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward, and Ahmad Bradshaw. Last year’s run game produced a total of 15 touchdowns. This year, they have surpassed that with 16 and still have more games to play.

8) The 8th wonder of this team has to be the growth of Eli Manning. He is far beyond where people expected him to be. He has the confidence that it takes to be a winner in New York and he proved that in the Super Bowl last year.

9) The next reason that this team will survive with or without Plaxico has to be the defense. There have been times that they bend, but they have only broken once. Do not expect them to break often.

10) The biggest reason that this team will survive with or without Plaxico has to be the coaching staff. Take it from someone that hates Tom Coughlin. He has done what he needs to do to make this team a winner and he is mastermind on the field. You can say what you want about them, but you have to say that they are winners.

All in all, the Giants can be a better team with Plaxico, but not in the state of mind that he has right now. The bad thing is, he knows that he is his own worst enemy. The question is, what is he going to do about it?

With all the games on Thursday, the choices of games for Sunday were made easy. I came up with a total of 7 big games, but this is called “Top 5″ for a reason. For those that have not followed this regular article, let’s review what I look for to prioritize these games. The first and foremost that I consider is the game has to have implications for both teams. With these being the biggest criteria, it leaves out teams that are already knocked out of contention and focuses on teams that have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs.

As for a record, I have done this for 3 weeks so far and have a 12-3 record. So, without further ado, let’s get this show started.

5th place) Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots

The Pittsburgh Steelers having been playing great defense this year. It reminds me of days of old when the Steel Curtain was around.  This is very evident when you look at their league leading stat of 160 points against. The next best team is at 180, so that says a lot for the Steelers. However, this is no chump team that they have to face on Sunday. For several weeks I bashed on Matt Cassel as did most sports writers. He has stepped up most of the weeks and led his team to victory. Last Sunday, I seen the Cassel that I needed to see. He stepped in for Tom and has done what he needed to do to get his team in position for the playoffs. One of the issues that is going to face the Steelers is that you take the 5th ranked scoring team in the AFC and pit them against the number 1 ranked stingiest defense. What do you get? Well, for starters, a hell of a game. But more importantly than that, it is a chance for both teams to get closer to the playoffs.

Pittsburgh is on top of their division by just one game. They currently lead Baltimore who is faced with Cincinnati on Sunday. The New England Patriots are 1 game out of first place. They are currently chasing the New York Jets. You can read about their game next. With all that said, Pitt has only lost 1 on the road while the Patriots have lost 2 at home. All in all, it will be a great game.

New England wins

4th place) Denver Broncos @ New York Jets

I am not a huge fan of this game. I personally think that the Broncos cannot match up to the Jets. But, personal feelings aside, this is football and for this very reason, this is why games are played. Jay Cutler has had some great games this year. However, in contrast, he has had some awful ones too. In the case of this particular game, if they want to put some distance between themselves and San Diego, then they need to step up now. Even as I say that, San Diego does not have it easy this Sunday with Atlanta, but that is a BIRD of a different color.

The Jets have been looking great and freshly off going to Tennessee to beat the former undefeated Titans. Denver is freshly of a butt whooping at the hands of the Raiders. Someone please tell me what Denver was thinking. Anyway, back to the game at hand. They are playing this game at Giant Stadium. Enough said.

Jets Win

3rd place) Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers

Before I get very far with this one, let me say this. What I say from the Packers on Monday Night was pathetic. They played like shit and deserved to get bet. Now that I got that out of the way, let’s go. The Green Bay Packers have duplicated the efforts of Denver this year with the exception that they are 5-6 instead of 6-5. However, they are playing this game at Lambeau Field. Green Bay is 3-2 this year at home while the Panthers are 2-3 on the road. Add in the cold weather and the screaming cheese heads that fill the stands each and every game. I am sure that you get the picture.

The Panthers are currently tied with Tampa Bay for 1st place with Atlanta on their heels. Both Atlanta and Tampa Bay do not have cake walks on Sunday. This means that these three teams all need a win. Carolina can either keep pace or fall behind, but they need to walk out of Green Bay with a “W”. On the side of Green Bay, they are 1 game out of the NFC North. Since Chicago and Minnesota is going to lock it up in a duel later that night, Green Bay needs this win bad. It will allow for the to keep 1 game out from the sole team that will be in first place alone.

Green Bay wins.

2nd place) New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

When you get these two teams locked up in a battle, it has the making to be a great game. Dallas has already won this week, so the pressure is applied to both teams. The Giants have lost just 1 game this year while the Redskins have fallen 4 times. As for the division, Washington is 2-2 while the Giants are 3-0.

At this point, I am not sure if Brandon Jacobs will play or not. I can for sure say the “trigger happy” Burress will not be in the game. One thing about the Giants that people have to realize though, the Giants find ways to win. The Redskins are catching the Giants at what they think is the best time to play them. The issue is, Hixon has stepped up every time that Burress goes down and everyone knows about the three headed running back they Giants have.

Giant win.

1st place) Chicago Bears @ Minnesota Vikings

My personal opinion of these two teams being put aside for a moment, this has been driven as the game with the most meaning for both teams. One moves forward into the number 1 spot in their division while the other falls to second place. With absolutely no team in this division qualifying for the playoffs through a wild card berth, this becomes very important.

The issue here is that they are playing in the Metrodome where the Vikings have only lost 1 game all year long. It is like this is a different team at home. As for the Bears, they have a 3-3 record on the road. This does not bode well for them.

Minnesota take the number 1 spot.

This has been the question for a while here in Knoxville. All sources point to the new head coach being named real soon. I do not like the fact that the local news stations and news papers leaked this news prior to this weekend’s game against Kentucky. This weekend will be the last time that Phillip Fulmer actually gets to run out on the field with the football program that he built. But, that is yet another post that I am sure that you can read elsewhere.

As for the new head coach, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported earlier today that Lane Kiffin has agreed in principle with the University of Tennessee. ESPN is also echoing this same story . This does not mean that it is etched in stone yet, but from my experience, it is pretty much a done deal. It looks as though the deal will be announce on Monday and the Tennessee Volunteers football program can start in the new direction.

Here is my issue with Lane. He has yet to be proven as a head coach. His only stint as one was with the Oakland Raiders and he was fired there. He was an offensive coordinator for Southern California in 2005-2006, which is his only other stint even close to running a team. He started coaching in 1997 as a quarterbacks coach, then became an offensive line coach, then a tight ends coach, and then a wide receivers coach. Either he was damn good at what he was doing or someone did not want to fire him, so they kept moving him. Either way, the University of Tennessee cannot benefit from his experience nor his leadership. He does not have much of either yet. The one positive that I do see with Lane Kiffin is his age.

Frankly, this is just my opinion. If Lane gets announced, I will watch with bated breathed.

My business partner, Rich Dansereau , and I have decided to do something a little different. Since each of us have a sports blog at Today.com and are the co-founders to Athletic Alley, we have decided to cover the Thursday NFL games in three parts. The first part will be on SportsFanatic written by Danny Thornton , the second will be on Rich Talks Sports authored by Rich Dansereau , while the third and final will be presented on Athletic Alley . The third will be a shared view article. Here are the links to the other 2 post to check out.

Thursday NFL Review: Part 2

Thursday NFL Review: Part 3

So, let’s get this show on the road.

Tennessee Titans @ Detroit Lions

In the first game, we have the Titans taking on this year’s NFL punching bag better known as the Detroit Lions. The problem that I see with this game can be two fold. The first can be that the Titans come out fighting made for losing and run all over the Detroit Lions. Or, the second scenario would be that the Titans take the short week, the week 12 loss, and the flight to Detroit and let all of this get under their skin and play sub-par in which the Detroit Lions will do exactly what the 2007 Dolphins did to the Ravens in week 15. The real question is going to be are the Titans mentally ready to play.

The Lions are ready for a win. The Titans want to revenge their loss. With all that being said, I see an upset in the making. I think that the Lions will squeak out a win for Thanksgiving.

When I sat down to do the research on this project, I thought that it would have been easier than I realized it to be. When one initially thinks about the cities, Boston comes to mind. However, the Patriots are actually in Foxborough. Detriot seems like a great selection too. With that said, their issue is the fact that the Pistons play out of Auburn Hills. Another city that comes to mind would be New York. However, the Giants and the Jets both play out of East Rutherford. Then my mind travels to Dallas. The issue there is the same.  The Dallas Cowboys actually play out of Irving, Texas and the Rangers actually play out of Arlington, Texas. Phoenix seems like a likely suspect as well, except for the fact that the Cardinals actually play out of Glendale, Arizona. Then, if you want to be technical, Miami does not even qualify as the Dolphins actually host their home games in Miami Gardens. Minneappolis would be another great one if it would not be for the fact that they play in 2 different cities. Then, there is the issue of Washington, D.C. and the fact that the Redskins actually play in Landover, Maryland. This is the difference of CITY versus METROPOLIS.

So, what cities are left that actually have all 4 of the major sports represented? Well, that is easy.

Atlanta

Chicago

Denver

Philadelphia

Currently, Ball State is locked up in a duel with Western Michigan. Baring any miraculous finish from the “Directional” school, Ball State will go undefeated. Now, as for Ball State, that is something to be proud of. Hell, that is an accomplishment for any team to be proud of. For the first time in school history, Ball State has achieved a ranking in the college polls. They have been able to be in those rankings for 7 weeks. All in all, this is great.

However, with all that being said, here is where the flaw of the BCS lies. Ball State is ranked 15th. They will go undefeated, yet they will not have a chance at playing for the national championship. The biggest reason is because they play in the MAC and do not deserve to play for it even though they have beaten everyone they have played.

All in all, this type of delima would be resolved if they actually had a playoff system in place. Instead of handing 2 teams the right to play for the championship, why not allow all the teams that have a steak in winning battle it out like almost all other sports do? Or, is it better to let the national championship have several teams lie claim to it in the same year?

Today, I am honored to be able to write my 150th post for SportsFanatic. When I originally started this post, I was skeptical that this day would actually surface. So, I thought that instead of writing an article for the 150th, I would take the time to thank some people.

The first and foremost group that I want to thank would be the administrators of Today.com and the entire support team. Without you guys, there would be no SportsFanatic.

The next would be the group that brought inspiration to me:

Today.com’s Sports Blogs

Baseball And Sports Insight
Bay Area Baseball
Braves Baseball
East Bay Baseball
Extra Innings
Go Cubs Go
Philly Sports
Play Ball
Royals and Celebs
Sports Blogger
Sports Fanatic
Sports R’ Us
Sports 2000
Women Watching Football

The newest member of the sports blogging team at Today.com, Rich Dansereau, is my business partner. He originally started out with The Knoxville, Tennessee Area Local Expert and has since created Rich Talks Sports and is the co-founder of Athletic Alley.

Then there are the people that I have learned to call “friend” here. The names are so vast that I do not even want to get into mentioning them in fear that I would leave someone out. I do however, want to mention Robin Green. She has been an inspiration to me. For those that do not know Robin, she authors Upstate S.C. Today, Upstate South Carolina, US Work From Home Free. It seems that there is not a day that goes by that I do not either get an email, IM, or phone call from her. Her dedication to the blogging world is second to none and that alone is inspiration to keep moving daily.

And, last but not least, the readers. For you, I am given life to write daily. You are too numerous to mention and single out, but a big thank you to all. This milestone would not exist without you.

Now that Sunday’s day games are in the books with just the Indianapolis versus San Diego game left, Monday Night’s game has gained a lot of significance. The Monday night football review is below.

Green Bay Packers @ New Orleans Saints

Now that Sunday’s NFC North games are in the book, Green Bay has a very clear picture of what they need to do; win or lose pace. Both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings laid their opponents to waste today on the gridiron. This has them each holding onto the top spot in the NFC North. as for the Saints, they are currently bringing up the rear in the NFC South. But, thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, they still have a shot. A win on Monday night would leave them just 2 games out with 5 left to go. A loss will pretty much wipe away any chances to make the playoffs for this season. This in itself should push them just a little bit harder.

As for the winner of this particular game, I am going to go out on a limb and pick the Packers. I understand that the Packers have won one 2 road games and the Saints have only lost 1 home game, but my gut tells me to go with the Cheese Heads.

Walking into week 12, many teams are facing a must win situation. This is the case of out fifth ranked game for both teams involved. You can read more about my thoughts on that game soon enough. With just 6 total weeks of games left, teams can not continue to afford to let games get by them. This is such the case with the Philadelphia Eagles in last weeks case. That single tie could be the deciding game in their fate for the year.

As with each and every week, all the games going on are important to each and every team. However, in this, I look for the 5 top games that has the most implications effecting both teams. So, without further ado, lets get started.

5th) Philadelphia Eagles @ Baltimore Ravens

It is not hard to find the significance for both teams in this game. They are both still in the race for the playoffs and this game can be a turning point for either one. In the case of the Eagles, they are bringing up the rear end to what I think might be the toughest division in all the NFL, the NFC East. With the tie that they encountered last week, this could very well be the deciding factor to their post season. A lost Sunday can put some separation in the wild card race. Barring a complete New York Giants meltdown, the division is pretty much clinched. In the case of the Ravens, it is a similar story. For them, the Pittsburgh Steelers have already played for the week and won, so this puts added pressure on Baltimore to keep pace. A loss will put them 2 wins out. Not only will a loss bring separation for the division, it will put added pressure on the Ravens to get in as a Wild Card.

Baltimore Ravens Win.

4th) Carolina Panthers @ Atlanta Falcons

This particular game is a no brainer. With a 2 game lead, the Panthers head to the Georgia Dome to try to increase that lead as the Falcons will attempt to shrink it. A loss here for the Falcons would also put a strain on their chances for a Wild Card berth. A loss for the Panthers would knock them out of their 3rd sport in the NFL behind only the Giants and the Tennessee Titans. This would certainly start causing a log jam at the top and make things very interesting.

Falcons pull out a win here.

3rd) New York Giants @ Arizona Cardinals

This particular game has a nice spin to it as two division leaders lock up in University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona. Both of these teams sit atop their respective divisions. In the case of the Cardinals, a win here can pretty much seal the Division Championship and put them into the playoffs. A loss will make it a little more interesting, but not too much. On the side of the Giants, a loss is much worse as it could potentially leave them with just a 2 game lead. However, on the other side of the coin, if they win, this will put some distance between them and the other teams in their divisions, but from what I see, Dallas and Washington both should keep pace while Philadelphia drops out the race.

Giants stick it out with just 1 loss.

2nd) New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins last shot at the Patriots left the Patriot World wondering if their season was done. Now, it looks like this meeting will determine which of these 2 teams wants a chance to be number 1. Both of the teams have a quarterback that feels that they have something to prove. In fact, both really do. And, so far, they have done a great job proving it. The New York Jets lead this division just by 1 game and given the contest that they have on Sunday, they very well could be tied with one of these 2 teams. Hence, the #2 ranking this weak as most important games.

I have to go with the Dolphins on this. If it were in New England, it would be a different call.

1st) New York Jets @ Tennessee Titans

This has to be the biggest game of the week. Heck, it might be the biggest game of the NFL yet this season. On one hand, you have the Tennessee Titans playing at home and currently leading the NFL as the ONLY undefeated team. However, on the other side sits a quarterback that knows what it takes to win. He is more gutsy than any other quarterbacks that the Titans have yet to face this season. I have read a lot of people’s articles that list the Jets not having a chance. The problem with that is when you count Brett out, that is when he beats you the worst.

I have to say, the undefeated falls on Sunday.

This weekend is setting up to be the perfect weekend. Already this week we have watched one undefeated team have to fight to stay undefeated. We watched as another unranked team ran up 472 yards against the 23rd ranked team and pretty much annihilated any hopes at an ACC title. Now, as I am writing this, we have two WAC teams fighting it out to see which one is better, but basically have nothing to gain by winning or losing.

With that said, Saturday and Sunday is filled full of games that will definitely be worth seeing; both in college and the NFL. As for the college side, the biggest game has to be the Texas Tech Red Raiders slugging it out with the Oklahoma Sooners. Over in the pros, the game of the week has to be the Tennessee Titans attempting to hold onto their undefeated bid as the New York Jets come to town.

Now, I am going to go out on a limb and make 2 predicitions here. Texas Tech will remain undefeated as the Tennessee Titans fall to Brett Favre and the Jets.