No Matter What! Exciting Points of the Sixers Season

This has been a very confusing season for fans of the Philadelphia 76ers.

All logic pointed to the Sixers tanking this season. Their team did not appear very good. Their new executives seemed interested in starting over from scratch. The teams #TogetherWeBuild campaign shows their commitment to a new look team.

But they aren't tanking. They're not even losing. Like, at all. And they're playing good teams. And it is super exciting! And I don't have it in me to cheer against them. I'm excited and there are three things that I will be excited about if they win every game for the rest of the season or if they go 3-79. These things will keep my blood flowing no matter what.

The Rookie - So now you're thinking: "Well, duh! He's great!" But no one was so sure about Michael Carter-Williams just a week ago. My man is killing it! And he has the perfect Philly demeanor. He sinks his shot and runs back to defense with an ear to ear grin. Then you ask him about it and he's so chill! "Yeah, it's pretty cool. We're just having some fun out there." Like he's playing with some buddies down at the playground! I will agree, 3 games is a small sample set. He could start against Golden State and fall flat on his smiling face! But he's looking really good and getting really good results and playing against really good defenses. Instead of playing third banana behind Andrew Wiggins and Nerlens Noel in a few seasons, I see "The Hyphen" being the backbone of this team for years to come!

The QB Shopping Cart: Who's on the Market in 2014?

It's week 4 of the NFL season. We're at the quarter post and things are looking good for some teams out there. They do not look good, however, for my Washington DC Sqaud (0-3) or my fantasy team (1-2).

So! Like any wise Average Bro would do...I'm calling this glass half empty and looking toward next season!

Last year's QB class swept into the NFL and fell right into their respective slots, flowing seamlessly into their systems. This year's class seems to have accidentally slipped into their spots with no one really able to get them out. With all this new tumultuous upheaval, it leaves many (very) somewhat talented quarterbacks to wonder what could be next? And fans too. What could this force out of old regimes mean for the future of the league?

MNF Post game Highlights

Just cool guy Peyton...hanging out after tonight's big game...chillin. Rockin his Manning forehead.

That's all.

Sports Pro's NFL Playoff Picks!

Hey Pros and Bros! It's that most wonderful time of the year again! It's time for:

That's Right! This is the start of the football season! And what better way to celebrate the start of the season than predicting how it will end! I've got my picks right below! Along with the Average Bro and his worthless opinions chiming in!

Do you agree with us? Super disagree with us? We want your opinion heard! Let us know your take on the 2013 Playoffs by commenting below or tweeting us @ProsandBros! We'll include your picks in our challenge to win prizes at the end of the season!

Well let's get to it already!

NFC

NFC North
Packers: Sure they lack a run game, something that Eddie Lacy won’t fix. Sure they lost Greg Jennings, someone that James Jones can’t replace. And sure their secondary, at times, can be suspect. But they’ve still got the best player in the game in #12 and solid front seven that got to the QB 47 times last season, 4th most in the NFL. It’s a tough division, but I think the Pack cruise to the top, finishing the regular season with 12 wins.

NFC South
Falcons: Matt Ryan comes into his 6th year as starting QB of the Falcons with a regular season home record of 35-5. So, even if they’re terrible on the road this year, they’ll still get 7 home wins. However, the Falcons high powered offense, and above-average defense, should equate to a few more wins than that. At 13-3 the Falcons will dominate the South, earning the top spot in the NFC.


NFC East
Washington: Shanahan can coach, Morris can run, and RGIII can throw. Orakpo is back from his super-scrabble caveman hiatus, and is ready to play. I expect the East, as usual, to be another close division, but with 11 wins the Skins will move on.

Average Bro's Take: I Super Duper agree!

The R*dsk*ns: Holding Firm to the Past and Learning Nothing From It

lastangryfan.com

As you all know ( or should know...read some earlier posts, would ya?) I am an avid Washington R*dsk*ns fan. I've written articles on why Peyton Manning should have come to DC and why RG3 is my guy (good thing we never got Peyton!). I've also written an article based around a possible name change for my beloved team. This topic seems to come up fairly often. It peaks during the off-season and then by the time September rolls around, the sports media is too busy with the game to worry about such silly matters as a team name. This off-season, however, the criticism seems to have stuck to the wall a little more than usual.

Pundits are talking about the racist team name in the mainstream media. ESPN has conducted full conversations and polls about the feelings on this name. Even the US Federal Government has gotten in on the issue. Ten members of congress have written letters to every NFL team, commissioner Roger Goodell, FedEx (the stadium sponsor) and Dan Snyder, the owner himself. In these letters they show disgust for the use of the word (only referring to it as the R-word) and compare it to the N-word.

Dan Snyder seems to have disregarded these letters and has vowed to never change the team's name.


This whole process seems eerily familiar to me.

Are you a Survivor!?

A decision has been made. The Pros and the Bros have discussed. The tribe has spoken. The votes are in. It is time for an announcement.

It's time for the first ever Sports Pro & the Average Bro Survivor Pool!

That's right Pros and Bros! If you liked our March Madness Bracket Battle, you'll love our Survivor Pool! 

You can sign up here through ESPN!

It's easy to sign up and even easier to Play!

You simply pick a team every week that you think will win! Easy enough! But once you select a team, you cannot select them again. It takes strategy, patience and some times old fashioned good luck!

Prizes will be announced as the season goes on. Could it be two tickets to the Superbowl!? ...Nope...but it will be something cool!

So hop on over to ESPN and sign up for our "SPAB Survivor Pool" group. Hurry up! The season will be starting before you know it! 

I know! We're excited too! 

Your Beautiful, Dark, Twisted, Fantasy Football: The Draft

Hey there Sports Pros and Average Bros! It's nearing the fall and you know what that means!

And even cooler than that, is everyone's favorite football based past time!

That's right! It's fantasy football time again! Some drafts are going on now and the rest are coming up fast! As any good Fantasy player will tell you, you must prep for this wonderful event. If you're idea of pre-draft research is picking up a two bit fantasy magazine on the way to the draft, you might as well buy a box of tissues too, cuz you'll be crying all season long. Studies have shown that last minute preppers come in last place 150% of the time. That's a legit study!

So of course you'll buy your ESPN Fantasy Football magazine, and study depth charts and listen to Matthew Berry. And I'm sure you will have lots of fun in your league while you come in fifth place.

FIFTH PLACE!

Cuz that's where you're gunna be if you consider all that "enough research"! Is that where you want to be!? If so, then fine. Enjoy mediocrity and being able to say "If only Ray Rice didn't get hurt in week 7, I totally would have made the playoffs!" You hold onto that. I'm sure someone cares.


If you're not fine with that, keep reading.

A House Divided: The 2013 Jets

The Jets need to get on the same page, or that page will be out of a history book.

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

So, a Quarterback, a head coach and a general manager walk into a stadium.

Even if you don't think you've heard it, you probably have. It's one of the biggest jokes in the NFL.

Mark Sanchez is a Quarterback seemingly on the downside of what had the potential to be a decent career. Since taking the Jets to two AFC Championship Games in his first two seasons, he has fallen short, posting an 8-8 record followed up by a 6-10 debacle of a year. Only two years removed from those playoff runs, he is faced with the possibility of losing his starting job and his chance for redemption.

Sanchez was drafted in 2009 by first-time head coach Rex Ryan. Rex, the son of famed Eagles head coach, Buddy, had his roots in defense before coming to the Jets. He had worked with the defensive lineman and linebackers with the Cardinals and all over the defense with the Ravens. In his first draft he took Sanchez at fifth overall. He's been trying to workout an offense ever since. He is also faced with the possibility of unemployment.

Rex and Sanchez were joined early this year by new GM John Idzik. Idzik had spent the past 6 seasons as a front office exec for the Seahawks. In some of his first acts as GM, he wrestled personnel control from Rex Ryan and drafted the QB that stands poised to take on the job should Sanchez fall flat for a third year in a row. His job is probably more secure than anyone in New York.   

3 Men. 2 different goals. 1 NFL team headed full speed off the tracks.

9 to 5 Between the Lines

Once their greatest passions, are athletes starting to look at their jobs as...jobs?

Fun Fact Time!

When I was about nine years old, I played right field for Dig'm Installers at Levittown Pacific Little League. I was on the team with my little brother and some friends and it was fun to be apart of the team. We ended up winning the championship and, as a reward, the coach took us to a Phillies game (my first Phillies game that I've written about before). I thought I was pretty good and had nothing but potential to get better. It was right around this time that I read in our class "Weekly Reader" that A-Rod became the highest paid baseball player ever. He was even making more money than the president! At this point I thought to myself:

 "Hey Lil' Average Bro! I bet you could play baseball for a living!"

And that was it. I would be a pro baseball player when I grew up. Done. Deal!

I thought it through completely. Everything from the position I would play to my number was all hashed out and ready to go. But there was one thing I was concerned about.

Lil' Average Bro: Hey Mom.

Mom: Yes Average Bro.

Lil' Average Bro: Do pro baseball players have to practice every day?

Mom: Yes, definitely.

And in that moment, my dreams were dashed.

Devin Mesoraco Before the Bigs

In February of 2012, I was interning for Nine Baseball, a youth baseball organization designed to aid young athletes headed for the MLB draft or Division 1 Ball. At one of their events, I got the opportunity to interview Cincinnati Red's catcher, Devin Mesorco. At that point, he hadn't spent a full year in the pros, having only been a September call up the season before. Now he's having a breakout season and well on his way to becoming an everyday MLB player. This was the story I wrote before all of that happened.

Sports Pro and the Average Bro get ULTIMATE!

It's everyone's favorite time of the year! Beach Trips and barbecues; swimming pools and sporting events! Nothing says summer like combining your beach trips and your sports into one. Football tosses, volleyball and wiffle ball on the beach are staples of the season, but nothing says summer like slinging a frisbee back and forth on the beach. But the frisbee isn't just for the beach anymore.

Most everyone has at least heard of the new sport called "Ultimate Frisbee". Two teams of seven try to move their disc down the field with limited steps and crisp passes. The game is a pretty big deal around college campuses or anywhere else that the youth of America hangs out (hollar to the youth of America!).

But the most pass heavy game on two feet is really starting to grow legs! I've known about Ultimate for years, but what I just found out (and I'm thinking a lot of the country will soon find out too) is that there is a professional Ultimate league. BOOM!

For the Love of Sports

My name is Kirsten, and I'm just your average girl who fell in love with a guy who fell in love with sports.  (Fortunately, it didn't take him too long to fall for me too.)  But first, let's talk about life before I met him.

 I grew up watching the games (mostly baseball and football) with my dad and grandpas on Sunday afternoons or at night before bed.  I grew up going to Phillies games and signing the national anthem at the Trenton Thunder stadium.  I even had season tickets for a few years with my Dad and some friends for the Philadelphia Wings, our indoor Lacrosse team.  I have always been around sports, and I even tried playing a few of them (though not very successfully).

 But even though I never excelled in actually playing sports, I have always enjoyed watching them.  Our Wings tickets were right behind the  penalty box and right down the row from the teams' most enthusiastic fan: "Chopper."  My best friend and I would get so into the action - especially being up that close to the field.  There's something about feeling like you're a part of something bigger than yourself... something about being on a team and feeling all of the emotions that go along with winning and losing.  So this is where I stood on sports.  They were fun to watch, and while I knew about my favorite teams and players, my sports knowledge was pretty limited.  I didn't know a whole lot, and I didn't really have a reason to... until my junior year of high school, that is.

The Madden Curse: Bringin' it back!

Last week, the average bro wrote about conspiracies in the NFL Draft. None of them came true. Today, guest blogger, Andrew Rago, brings us back to conspiracies. There's no doubting this one!

As any Maddenite knows, the privilege of gracing the cover of EA Sports Madden video game comes with a price. 

Eddie George was the first official  Madden cover-athlete in 2001(Garrison Hearst and Dorsey Levens made the cover on alternate versions before Eddie George). He went on to have arguably his best season, rushing for 1,509 yards and 14 touchdowns, but a bobbled pass in the playoff game against Baltimore was returned for a touchdown, and sealed Tennessee’s fate. Eddie George’s career was never the same, always hobbled by injuries. Eddie’s yards-per-carry for his next four seasons were a measly 3.0, 3.4 and 3.3 in his final two seasons as a pro. Many claim this to be the birth of the madden curse, but was it?

On the official Madden 2000 cover, John Madden is prominently featured, but there is a visible player in the background.

Behind Locker Room Doors: Conspiracies of the NFL Draft!

In just under a week, the NFL Draft will commence. This is a great day in the year for all NFL fans. Who will my team draft? Do they get a shiny new quarterback? Or a hardnosed offensive lineman? Do they get that one guy I saw play one time and heard a guy say that he would fit our system? Or are they dumb and going to pick some guy who I've never heard of?! Idiots!

Anyway, the one thing I'm shocked about every year, is that there isn't some wheeling and dealing going on. And I'm not talking about trades for picks and Mel Kiper trading inside information for hair gel. I'm talking about some real, back room conspiracies. Oh yes! You thought conspiracies only existed in politics but, no! The NFL has them too! And boy are they juicy! Here's a few of my favorites.

The Bracket Battle Comes to a Close

Well Pros and Bros, it was an exciting run but the Tournament has come to an end. Remember all the fun? Remember all the laughs? Remember that one guy with the leg and the ...never mind. Can't think about it. Ughh!

Anyway, what a great tournament. The Louisvillle Cardinals won it all and cut down the nets. What an exciting time for all those involved. Every student and faculty member and blah blah blah.

Yeah, Congratulations Louisville. Good for you. But for the rest of us, only one thing mattered at the end of this tournament: The Sports Pro and the Average Bro Bracket Battle!!!

Bracket Busted? I feel your pain

Well Pros and Bros, the First big wave of the NCAA Tournament has come to a close. It was upset city in the early rounds and my bracket felt it...hard.

How did you do? Did you ace the upsets and survive with minimal damage? Is your Final Four still flawless and read for the battles this weekend?

Or does your Western Region look like it went sunbathing too long due to all the red? Was Georgetown in your final four? Was Gonzaga your national champion?

Yes.
Yes.
AND ...Yes. I mean who steps out of bounds the second the ball is in bounded in THAT situation!?!? SERIOULSY!?

Deep breaths. I will get through this. And that's what this is all about. I will get you through this.

Thanks all you Pros and Bros!

I want to wish a special thank you to everyone who submitted their bracket to the 3rd Annual Sports Pro & the Average Bro Bracket Battle! You join a field of 32 others which is more than ever before! (I think ... I don't really keep track of these things). Our returning champion has already put forth his prediction that he will repeat as the Bracket Battle Champion! Crazy! I'm so happy to have you all with us for this exciting March Madness season! Its gunna be fun and prize filled...can't beat that!

Stay Tuned to the blog for lots of March Madness Articles and insight. Head over to the twitter and make sure to tweet you best March Madness jokes/facts/pictures/nonsense to @ProsandBros or with the hashtag #SPABmadness!

So far here's my insight: Tom Izzo is insane and Bucknell really should try to spread the floor. Like seriously they haven't been on the left side of the court all game! I guess they just want to be closer to the camera so the girls will see their sweet jerseys!

That is all.

Did I hear Bracket Battle? YOU SURE DID!!!

THAT'S RIGHT!

Hey there Sports Pros and Average Bros out there! It's that magical time of the year again! The NCAA Tournament!

"But Average Bro! That tournament is so long and I don't go to (enter college with a good basketball team here)! Why should I watch and have a rooting interest?"

Well Mr. Question pants! I have an answer for you!

The NCAA Tournament ALSO means it's time for the 3rd Annual Sports Pro and the Average Bro Bracket Battle!

Patooooo! Patoooo!

That's right! Selection Sunday is coming up and that means its time to fill out your brackets and put them into the running with other similarly minded sports pros and average bros alike!

Click here and you'll be directed to the awesome page on ESPN where you can enter your bracket! The password is: Prosandbros




What? You're still here?

"Yeah Average Bro! I'm not sure if I want to enter your Bracket Battle even though it only takes a minute and I'd be totally lame not to! Why do you think I should enter?"

What kinda question is that!? You got some nerve you know that?! You're asking for it question guy!

So anyway, you want some reasons for joining into this battle? (other than it being super awesome and competitive and ohmygoodnessgracious just do it!). Here are a few:

1. PRIZES!!!

That's right boys and girls! Prizes! Do you like Prizes? Of course you do!!! What kind of prizes you ask? ALL KINDS! Who know's what they will be!? T-Shirts? Maybe! Trophies? Could be! Cash? Probably not, but whatever makes you join! You could get prizes for winning or losing or even...

2. TWEET WARS!!!

YEP! New to this years Bracket Battle is the TWEET WAR! Got something funny to say about the tournament? Got some awesome stat that we've never heard before? Got a picture of you putting Duke Coach Mike Sha-Shev-ski (I refuse to google how to spell it) in a headlock? Tweet it with the hashtag #SPABMadness! If we like it better than anyone else's you'll earn a point for that round! Will the winner of the Tweet War get a prize too!? Maybe! Only one way to find out!!!

3. BECOME A VERY-VERY-SUPER-MINOR SPORTS BLOG CELEBRITY!

Winning a Bracket Battle of this magnitude is not easy. It takes time and effort and great know how. Actually it just takes an internet connection and some clickin' fingers...BUT STILL! If you win, that must mean that you're life is super terribly interesting! The Sports Blog world should know about you! That's why the winner of the Battle (in addition to fabulous prizes beyond your most below average dreams) will get a sit down/email/skype/carrier pigeon interview with the Sports Pro and the Average Bro themselves! It's the perfect time for you to promote your business or tell the world how awesome you are or propose to your girlfriend! If you get your story told by this mediocre not very highly trafficked sports blog...the possibilities are literally ENDLESS*!

*(Possibilities subject to change.)

Join now: http://games.espn.go.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/en/group?groupID=15621&entryID=186434 Password: Prosandbros

If you've gotten this far and you still haven't submitted your Bracket then I don't know what to tell you. If none of this entices you then you must be a zombie with limited interest in college basketball or minor stardom. (Also, if a zombie submits their bracket, they get a prize automatically) If you still need a push here are some awesome celebrity testimonies!

LeBron gives it the "thumbs up"!

Finally something they can agree on!

The real reason behind the signing!

Leave it to A-Rod to find the silver Lining!

We didn't want to use him but he just kept on calling!

There you have it pros and bros! Now join! Here's the link if you forgot! (or you can only scroll down):

AWESOME BRACKET BATTLE COMPETITION OHEMGEEE! PASSWORD: PROSANDBROS !

The "Fixer" Breaks Down: Doug Collins in 2013

Doug Collins, the once great savior of the Philadelphia 76ers organization, has become a very polarizing figure in the past couple of months. Beginning with the team's fall back into obscurity, and iced off by his post game rant after getting beat by Orlando, he's dug himself a bit of a hole (no pun intended).

I must admit, I knew very little about Doug Collins when he first came to Philly. I had heard that he had been the coach of some good teams before they became great. I knew he was a former Sixer. Add those things in with the fact that he was a new breath of fresh air and I was ready to welcome him with open arms.

Then in April of 2011, I found I liked him even more than I knew. Sports Illustrated featured a large article, by Michael Rosenberg, about Collins entitled "Sixer Fixer". The article described a man who had a basketball brain. I'm not talking about knowing the game and understanding it's nuances. I mean the man's right brain was a basketball stat book and his left brain was a constant game film reel replaying games from the past 40 years down to the last detail. It told of a man who calculated the outcome of basketball decisions constantly in the seconds of his life. It told of a man who has been constantly short changed in his sport and was hungry to make something big out of all the knowledge and skill he possessed. Everything from his passion to his drive to his faith intrigued me. It made me say, "this guy is a man to be admired and looked up to." And better than all of that, this man was the coach of my (then impressive and rising) 76ers. What could be better than that?

SPAB BIG Question! Andrew Bynum and the Sixers

Welcome to the Sports Pro and the Average Bro BIG Question! You ask us your big question, and we'll  pretend we know what we're talking about! Let's get right on with it!

Today's question: Where would the Sixers be if Andrew Bynum was playing right now?

Anyone who's a Sixer's fan or who has watched them play will tell you: They flat out stink! They're horrible! Good teams come in to Philly and either trash the team to pump their stats (because they know they can) or they do what Lebron and the Heat did and play the game like it should be in that situation, fun and casual. Like you're playing a pickup game at the neighborhood courts.

It's no secret that the Sixers were expected to be much better this year thanks to the blockbuster trade for one Andrew Bynum. The team gave up a decent amount in rookie Moe Harkless, center Nik Vucevic and defensive specialist Andre Iguadola. Anyone who says they were against this trade at the time is either lying or a Wizards fan. To this point, however, they have seen nothing in return.

So this begs the question: With the awful dreck the Sixers trot out onto the court night after night, would one play make that much of a difference? Could Andrew Bynum be the piece this team needed to put them in competition with the Pacers, the Knicks, and the Heat?