Day 1. Another Tuesday in SoFLo

NFL Sports:
So I promised myself I would get this blog started and focus the attention of this blog on the topics highlighted in the title. Well to start things off, Football season is right around the corner and the preseason has begun with Tennessee playing the Buffalo Bills in the Hall Of Fame Game. The game was won by the Tennessee Titans, but as most football fans will know, that success in the pre-season is worth about as much as K-Mart Stocks. Kerry Collins began the first half doing what Carolina does best and thats hand the ball, to their running back duo of Chris Johnson and Lendale White. Free Agent addition Nate Washington proved to be a valuable asset to Tennessee with a few nice catches displaying the break away speed Tennessee lacked for most of last season in regards to the receiving corps. Buffalo's run defense attacked and proved to be force with their blend of power and speed among the front seven. Since it is only the first exhibition game, I wouldn't worry too much if I were Buffalo, however two observations that make me wonder about Buffalo's success, are their Offensive and Defensive Lines.

Buffalo has some concerns among the front seven in the defense and along the offensive lines. At Left Guard, 2nd Round Draft Pick,Andy Levitre was bullrushed right into Trent Edwards causing a turnover and only giving Tennessee a increased advantage. It appears that Tennessee may have enough on offense and enough talent to rotate along the defensive lines that the loss of Alberty Haynesworth may not prove to have such a dramtic effect on the defense. The Offensive line has issues with protection and opening up running lanes, but with 3 exhibition games left, there's plenty of room for adjustments. On the postive end, Terrell Owens looked like T.O. and made a couple nice catches and looks to be a valuable asset in Buffalo's arsenal. The loss of Jason Peters, is going to sting, because I don't feel that '08/09 RT Langston Walker has the foot speed to handle the game's speedier, pass rushers. Brad Butler at Right Tackle, may work out, but only time will tell. Hopefully, for Buffalo, their young rookies will make the necessary adjustments to the speed and caliber of players in the NFL. Lastly, I question Buffalo's ability to rush the passer, since RE Aaron Schobel is coming off a second injury decimated season, and LE Chris Kelsay and Ryan Denney appear to be nothing more than serviceable backups. When the Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots are in the same Division, Buffalo will have their work cut out for them. Tennessee should be solid with 20-22 returning starters adding extra talent through FA and the draft.

NBA:
This offseason has seen the balance of power in the NBA take a shift in favor of the Eastern conference. Boston, Clevland, Orlando, and possibly even Toronto seem ready to have a bigger role in the playoffs and affect the playoff hopes of other NBA Teams. The one team that has done little to nothing this past offseason is the Miami Heat. With rumors of Lamar Odom, Allen Iverson, and Carlos Boozer all headed to the Heat, none have panned out. I may be one of the few out there who feel that Miami should still be a solid playoff bound team but still is a couple seasons away from contending for another championship. Jermaine O' Neal is coming back in much better shape and injury free(for now), Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers have added a year of experience to their young careers, and their is promise among the younger players such as F/G Dorrell Wright and G Daquan Cook. If healthy, and with the continued greatness of Dwayne Wade, the Heat should be solid if not spectacular,but time will tell. However, if Miami is able to land one of the free agent superstars of the 2010 offseason, their fate will change. The possbility of a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudamire teamed up with Dwayne Wade will have any opposing team sweating in despair, but nothing is certain. Miami still has to be successful enough this season to prove to Swayne Wade that the franchise is committted to winning and providing Wade with the best talent available so that a championship is within reach.