This one is for you Husker Fans

Being that I go to a school in #Nebraska, #Huskers football has gradually become apart of my life whether I want it to be or not. I am writing this giving all my honest opinions and thoughts, many people may disagree but just know I'm not trying to dog on the Huskers. So here you go Husker fans, here is what I think the 2011 college football season has in store for you.

The Huskers are entering their first year as a school in the big ten conference, and it most definitely won't be an easy one, considering they have played in the Big 12 North. I hate to break it to you, but you aren't going to have teams in this conference that you can just walk all over. That being said, you will still be at the top of the conference, winning it however won't be easy.
You do start the season off with a "free be" against Tennessee at Chattanooga and then play Fresno State at Memorial stadium as well. My only problem with this is that how will the team come out in week three against Washington? Sure you guys are pissed that they beat you in your bowl game last year, but Nebraska is a team known to come out not ready to play against teams they should beat. That being said, I do believe the Huskers begin the season 4-0. Then it gets a little shaky for me, as you guys enter into Big Ten play starting off against Wisconsin, who in my opinion is the team to beat in the Big Ten. The Badgers play well at home, they are well coached, and play old fashioned football consisting of hard hits, and running the ball with double tight end sets that wear down defenses. Plus it's a nationally televised game which the Huskers seem to struggle with that extra hype. Wisconsin will hand the Huskers their first loss of the season.
Your next game is against Ohio State at Memorial, which a lot people believe Ohio State will win, I on the other hand think you guys get the job done especially if you guys lose to Wisconsin. That extra fuel from losing to the Badgers will help the Huskers pull out a close one.
The following week at Minnesota should be no problem for Nebraska as they move to a 6-1 record. The following week Michigan St comes into Lincoln for yet another hard hitting Big Ten grudge match. The Spartans are coming off a very impressive 2010 football season and are currently preseason ranked 17th in the AP poll. I think Nebraska may have trouble putting up points against a fast Mich St. defense which eventually lead to the Huskers second loss of the season.
Upset alert!! Naaa NorthWestern won't be able to beat Nebraska in Lincoln, not enough talent to win on the road. The Huskers now sit at 7-2 going into University Park to play Penn State, which is arguably the hardest and loudest place to play in the nation. Can the Huskers handle it? I believe the Lions pull off an upset at home and hand the Huskers there third loss of the season.
As for the remaining two games against Michigan and Iowa, I think Nebraska wins both putting their overall record at 9-3 which isn't bad at all. Michigan is rebuilding with a new head coach and their defense will still be terrible this year and I'm sorry Iowa fans but you guys over achieved all last season and now you lost a great number of key players.

So there you have it, Nebraska has a great shot to make an instant impact on the Big Ten, and though I'm not a fan, I am anxious to see how everything turns out for the "Skers".

-Sink

writing...for my enjoyment as well as yours

This blog post is for my Feature Writing class at #CreightonUniversity but don't worry, I will still be keeping up with my sports blogs as well.

Since I was in middle school, I always took more of an interest in writing than math or science. English and writing just came easier to me. In high school it was the same deal. I even joined the yearbook and wrote for our school paper because I enjoyed writing stories that others were going to read. Finding this passion to write and want my ideas to be heard, eventually directed me towards what I wanted to major in at Creighton.
To be honest my writing experience has been like a roller coaster ride. Up and down, back and forth. I always feel like I reach a point where my writing is at an all time high, and then I'm brought back to earth and something makes me realize that there is always room for improvement. Whether it be creativity, spelling, punctuation, or the structure of the story, I have found that it is good to fail sometimes, because in the end, you will become a better writer.
I love to write and read anything that has to do with sports. I'm that guy who grabs the morning paper and takes out the sports section only. I'll sit down to eat breakfast in front of the tv and turn on #sportscenter. When bringing reading material on a plane or long drive, I always either read a #SportsIllustrated or #ESPN magazine. I love sports and with out them, I probably wouldn't have this drive to write sports articles and voice my opinions on certain topics in the sporting world.
The most important thing is to always improve as a writer, and that is my intention for this class. I know I have lots of room for improvement and feature writing could definitely help me become the best writer I can be. This also leads me to the bigger picture of why I want to write in the first place. Writing helps me get away from the world. I calm down and let my thoughts flow. I write for myself because I enjoy putting my thoughts into words. But I also want to write for other people. I love having conversations with others on topics of interest and a big part of why I want to write is to share my thoughts with others. Sparking conversation, debating topics, or even just reflecting with others about my writing means a lot to me, thats why I also write, for the enjoyment of others.

-Jonathan Sinkiewicz

Which player would I build and NFL team around?

The other day I came across an article on ESPN.com talking about starting a new NFL franchise and which player to build around. Now the writer went into detail about which owner he would want, which General Manager, and even head coach before picking his player. I'm however skipping right to picking which player I would build an NFL team with.

First off, I know the saying "defense wins championships" holds a lot of truth to it, but I will not be choosing an a defensive player to start my team with. First off, currently there is no defensive player in the NFL that can dominate on a daily basis, they have their weak spots. Second off it is an offensive and pass happy league, therefore not only will I not be choosing a defensive player but I also won't choose a receiver, tight end, offensive lineman, or running back. I don't care how good Larry Fitzgerald or Andre Johnson are, if they don't have a good QB, their stats won't lead their teams to wins. Same thing with a running back. If your team leads the league in rushing yards but you QB can't convert on a 3rd and long play to extend your drive then you also won't be getting many W's. That leaves us with the quarterback position.

In order to have success in the NFL, your team must have solid play from its QB. Now I'm going name my top quarterbacks currently in the league and explain why I would start a team with them or why I wouldn't take the chance.

Lets start with Michael Vick. Vick is possibly the most versatile and athletic player in the NFL today. He is a home run waiting to happen. One play he is throwing a 60 yard bomb for a TD, and the next he is ripping off a 45 yard run and converting a 3rd and long. This guy is dynamic in so many ways, but I would not start my NFL team with Vick. Here is why. Vick comes with a beware sticker on him. Because he is a running quarterback, you risk him getting injured meaning he can miss a few games each year or possibly be out for a season. I love his upside, but I wouldn't take the chance.

Next is Tom Brady, who is arguably the best player in the NFL today. The guy has three super bowl rings and rarely makes a mistake on the field. He is a natural leader on the field, and his teammates respect him and build around him. Again a good player to start your team with but Brady is getting older and he has been injured a few times of late. He is a solid QB to start a team with but he isn't my number one choice.

This is where it gets a little tricky for me. My heart tells me to pick THE Peyton Manning. The guy picks a part defenses as if he were playing against a bunch of high school zone packages. He is without a doubt one of the best QB's to ever play the game and could go down as the best ever if he wins another title or two. Manning is a proven winner and he has done with a sub par running game and defense during his career. Like Brady, Manning is a great leader on and off the field and one of the most respected players in the league today. But again Manning isn't my choice. I don't have a legit reason as to why I wouldn't choose Manning. The only reason I can think of is because the next QB I'm going to talk about is on the rise and has the potential to be great.

That leads me to my decision. Wow, I feel like Lebron James and how he dragged everyone along this bumpy road before announcing his decision to "take his talents south beach (Miami)". The player I would choose is Aaron Rodgers, the QB for the super bowl champion Green Bay Packers. The guy has it all. He is smart, can make any throw on the field, and has the ability to to take off and scramble for big yards. Not to mention he just added a super bowl ring to his resume, and has the coolest TD celebration in the league (the championship belt). Rodgers is young and dynamic, and has all the skills sets of the previous guys I mentioned. I am someone who loves to win and I want to win right away. That is why I didn't take choose Sam Bradford of the St. Louis Rams. Rodgers gives me everything I want. A young agile QB, who knows how to win in this league and still has a long successful career ahead of him. Not to mention he helped my fantasy football team reach the semis last season. The guy can flat out play the position and knows how to lead a team. In the face of adversity, he rises to the occasion and plays out of his mind.

So, when having a friendly conversation with your buds about who the best player in the NFl is, you don't have say "Aaron Rodgers", but you can say, "boy I would love to start an NFL team with him leading the way".

College Football Preview and the Fighting Irish

When fans and the media believed the NFL players and owners couldn't settle their differences, the fact was that the focus would have to turn to College Football. Now with the NFL back and ready, College football seems to have lost some attention. Today the coaches poll came out with their rankings for the 2011 College football season. The #1 spot was given to the Oklahoma Sooners who know what it's like to be the #1 team in the nation. The Sooners are presented with the challenge of playing Florida State in their second game of the season, a team that was given the #5 ranking in the coaches poll. Other notable tough games for Oklahoma are Oklahoma State and Texas A&M who are also in the AP top 10. Rounding out the top five is Alabama, who won the Championship two years ago, the Oregon ducks who lost in the national title game last season, along with LSU and Florida at #5. Teams like TCU, Auburn, and Wisconsin are also ranked in the top 20 along with the return of Notre Dame, who last season wasn't ranked in the preseason AP Poll. Again just like I mentioned in my NFL post, there lies a lot of questions surrounding the 2011 College season. Will the Big Ten finally earn respect by adding powerhouse Nebraska to their conference? Can Stanford continue their hot streak even with coach Jim Harbough leaving for the NFL? Can the SEC produce yet another BCS Championship winner and Heisman Trophy winner? And finally can coach Brian Kelly return Notre Dame to glory and college football powerhouse? For me this is a big question. For those of you who know me, I am a die hard Irish fan and have been my entire life. The Kelly era to me brings great hope that the Irish are well on their way to being a BCS contender. Led by senior wide receiver Michael Floyd, the Irish are poised to make a run at a big time bowl game. The city of South Bend believes again and Kelly has his players believing its time to win now. When a new head coach is hired, most of the time it is a sign of rebuilding. For Notre Dame and second year coach Kelly, its the exact opposite. Once Kelly arrived in South Bend, he said he wasn't going to install a five year plan, but rather a five minute plan. The time is now and look for the Irish to make huge strides during the 2011 college season.

Football is back and tiger making a come back

So after the lockout ended what was the first thing that came to your mind? Your favorite team's first preseason game? Training camp? Will Farve make another comeback? Well, the first thing that came to my mind was where will all these big name free agents land? Big names such as Reggie Bush, Sidney Rice, Chad Ochocinco, and even Plaxico Burress found new places to play in the 2011 NFL season. With so many teams having to spend so much money this offseason, this seems to present a new and fresh start to the already successful NFL. Fans are more anxious than ever and its only the beginning of August. If anything, the NFL lockout helped the NFL and its fan base. People are excited about football again, and yes fantasy football freaks can begin doing endless research to regain their throne at the top of their fantasy leagues. So many switches in the league have me thinking, is there really a front runner? Essentially I have to put the "Pack" (Greenbay) as the favorite but after that its a toss up for who the other top teams in both the NFC and AFC are going to be. But I do have to pick a few front runners in both the AFC and NFC. The Jets, Patriots, Colts, Ravens, and Steelers are my top five in the AFC and the Packers, Eagles, Falcons, Saints, and Giants in the NFC. Again at this point in time, we really can't make accurate predictions for this upcoming NFL season. All I can say is, are you ready for some football!!!??

And for another top story in sports, Tiger Woods tees off at Firestone where he has won 7 times in his career, but is he on his way to winning his first tournament in 2 years? In my opinion, I think thats exactly why he picked this tourney to make his return. Sure he had health issues with his knee and achilles, but this is a place where Tiger is used to winning and winning big. Mentally this is exactly what Tiger needs, a place of comfort, a course that he has dominated time and time again. His focus seems to be back, along with his health, the third and final piece to this puzzle is Tiger remembering what its like to win. I don't care what anyone says, the guy is still the scariest man on a golf course, and if Firestone turns out to be his comeback party, then golfers better look out. Once Tiger gets going, he is like a freight train, there is no stopping him.

Its been awhile since I last posted on my blog but I hope to become more active this fall with voicing my opinions on sports news on my blog.