NBA Season Preview - The Western Conference

If you were looking for a NBA Western Conference preview, you’ve come to the wrong place.  Mustache Sports only provides playoff prediction sort of things.  Remember, I’ve got lots to do at work so I can’t write up detailed previews for every single team.  But what I can provide is an opinion on the West will shape up this season. 

Here’s how I think the top 8 seeds will look come playoff time. 

1.  Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have the best 1-2 punch with Durrant and Westbrook in the West and baring an injury to those two, the Sonics should win what looks to be a weaker Western Conference.  Anytime you get a chance to watch this team play, it’s worth your 2.5 hours.  James Harden and Serge Ibaka are two of my favorite players in the entire league.  The Oklahoma City Thunder are the Chicago Bulls of the West. 

2.  San Antonio Spurs

Despite everyone hollering about the Spurs being too old, they won the most regular season games in the West last year and held the number one seed.  I don’t sleep on Greg Popovich and what he does as a coach.  If he’s saying DeJuan Blair and James Anderson are good at basketball, then I’m going to believe him. 

3.  Los Angeles Clippers

Lob City baby!  What gets lost in all the CP3 talk is the fact that the Clippers have a really nice team.  Caron Butler and Chauncey “Mr Big Shot” Billups were excellent pieces that will fit in nicely with Griffin and CP3.  This team will get into some trouble if DeAndre Jordan gets into foul trouble but I could see them making a move by dealing Mo Williams for a backup big that can chew gum and walk at the same time come February. 

4.  Memphis Grizzles

Resigning Marc Gasol, a top 5 center, was big in keeping the momentum generated in last year’s playoff run.  A healthy Rudy Gay will make all the difference in this year’s campaign.  If OJ Mayo steps up and turns into the superstar he has the ability to become, you could possibly see this team upset OKC and represent the West in the Finals this year. 

5.  Denver Nuggets

This is my favorite Western Conference team to watch.  They score tons of points and have a lot of likeable players (Ty Lawson, Nene, Danilo Gallinari, and Aaron Afflalo).  It wouldn’t surprise me if this team ended up finishing with the second best regular season record in the West.  It goes to show that you can trade a superstar and get pieces back that make you competitive.  I do think that the lack of a genuine superstar will be their demise come May. 

6.  Los Angeles Lakers

People are really down on the Lakers this year because of the Lamar Odom deal and Kobe turning 33 (in basketball years, he’s almost 50).  But it’s still the Lakers and they still have, in any matchup, 3 of the best possible 5 players on the floor with Gasol, Bryant, and Bynum.  I think they will go as far as Bynum takes them in the playoffs but this team isn’t deep enough to legitimately contend for a title. 

7.  Dallas Mavericks

It’s hard to envision an NBA Champ taking this kind of fall but after watching them get blown out on Christmas and the day after Christmas, I don’t know how you put them ahead of the teams already mentioned.  I know they still have Dirk, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd, but this team just looks like it’s missing something.  That something, Tyson Chandler, JJ Barea, and Caron Butler.  It’s only two games so this may be an overreaction but this is a shortened season and with the scheduling being the way it is, older teams are going to have a harder time. 

8.  Golden State Warriors

Mark Jackson wants his team to play defense and I honestly believe him.  I just don’t know if he has the personnel to establish that identity.  But the Warriors can put up some points and outrun the best of them.  I think they sneak into the playoffs this year ahead of Portland and…..wait for it…….the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Worst Teams to Watch

I wouldn’t pay money to go watch the Utah Jazz.  But other than that, the rest of the non-playoff teams, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Hornets, Portland Trailblazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns, all give me a reason to tune in.  I guess maybe the Suns, I could see them being pretty boring when Nash sits on the bench. 

Playoff Predictions

Thunder over Warriors in 6

Spurs over Mavericks in 5

Lakers over Clippers in 7

Grizzles over Nuggets in 7

Thunder over Grizzles in 6

Spurs over Lakers in 6

Thunder over Spurs in 6

See you tomorrow when I hand out some NBA awards and predict who wins the NBA Finals.  To quote Bart Scott, “Can’t Wait!”

NBA Season Preview - The Eastern Conference

With the NBA back, and Mustache Sports taking notice, I think it’s time we provide you with a preview of how we feel this season will play out.  I’m not talking about giving you a team by team breakdown, but maybe just a playoff prediction sort of thing?  Will that work?  Good, thanks for understanding, I’m at work and although it is pretty slow this week, I still have stuff I need to get done. 

Here’s how I think the top 8 seeds will look come playoff time. 

1.  Miami Heat

Through two games, the Miami Heat look really, really good.  If they were playing the full 82 game season, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took a run at the 1996 Bulls 72 win record.  Norris Cole can ball (thank the Bulls for dealing him last draft day) and might be the answer at PG.  Shane Battier will help them in the locker room and in crunch time situations with his defense and ability to not be an offensive liability.  I’ll go on record right now and say that the Heat will win the NBA title this year.  I’m not at all trying to jinx them into a season ending Lebron/D Wade knee injury, I’m serious.  There, if you don’t like basketball, you can stop reading.

2.  Chicago Bulls

I’m super stoked to watch the Bulls when they get everything going.  Derrick Rose is great and the addition of Rip Hamilton is going to be HUGE the last 6 minutes of close games.  The Bulls have the best 10 man rotation in all of the NBA.  The only problem being, they will have to beat the Miami Heat in the playoffs and I don’t think D Rose has enough help to get that done.  I will say that IF Carlos Boozer plays like an All-Star and stays healthy, and IF Joakim Noah gets better and stays healthy, and IF Luol Deng turns into Tony Allen on defense, they have a chance of taking the Heat to 7 games and anything can happen in a game 7.  So yes, I guess I’m telling you there is a chance. 

3.  New York Knicks

After watching them get outscored by 27 points in a 17 minute stretch against the Celtics and still end up winning that game, I think they are the 3^rd best team in the East.  Anytime you have a scorer like Carmelo “Slap and Run” Anthony, a versatile big like Amare Stoudemire, and defense in the middle with Tyson Chandler, you are going to win close games.  The Knicks look good right now, but I still think they are missing a point guard and although I do like Toney Douglas, I think the Eastern Conference Semi’s is as far as they go. 

4.  Indiana Pacers

As a Bulls fan, I got to watch them a lot late last year and then some early this season.  The Pacer roster is very nice and I think they become, along with the Knicks, the team that surprises people this season and take that leap into the “teams we follow closely in the East” category.  Danny Grainger needed some help last year and I think with the development of Paul George, Roy Hibbert looking like a top 5 Center, Tyler Hansbrough getting better, and the addition of David West, he got it.  Look for these guys to make a move at the deadline and possibly win a playoff series this year. 

5.  Boston Celtics

It’s crazy to look at a ranking of the East and see the Celtics getting ranked at 5.  Especially since they haven’t had Paul Pierce these first two games and almost won both of them (against teams ranked higher nonetheless).  But I think you will see KG and Pierce not play in 100 combined games this year and I just don’t see enough scoring on the team to make up for them being out.  The lockout schedule with its 7 games in 10 nights is going to hurt older teams and the C’s are no exception.  Brandon Bass looks like a great pickup, but Keyon Dooling, Marquis Daniels, Jermaine O’Neal, and Sasha Pavlovic will all play significant minutes this year and they are not very good at playing basketball. 

6.  Orlando Magic

This prediction is all predicated on Dwight Howard staying in Orlando for the entire season.  If he gets dealt, then I get a pass.  Deal?  Thanks. 

7.  Atlanta Hawks

Losing Jamal Crawford may not have been a horrible thing for the Hawks but they didn’t do anything to replace the scoring he provided.  I like Josh Smif (he looks like The Game if you’ve never heard that before, go ahead, google it), Joe Johnson is nice, I like Al Horford, and Jeff Teague is a fun player to watch, but they start Marvin Williams at the 3 and Tracy McGrady is in their 8 man rotation.  I think they will finish around .500 and lose to the Bulls in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs. 

8.  Philedelphia 76ers

Out of the bottom 10 teams in the East, Philly serves to have the most depth and most well rounded roster.  They have a lot of assets with Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Specer Hawes, Lou Williams, Evan Turner, and Jodie Meeks, but they need to turn those assets into a superstar and I just don’t see a realistic scenario out there right now where that happens.  They remind me a lot of those Kirk Heinrich, Ben Gordon Bulls teams.  Fun to watch and root for, shows signs of promise, but are stuck in NBA Purgatory…….no legitimate superstar, will always pick between 10-16 and have a lot of really nice role players. 

Worst Teams to Watch

In no particular order, the Bobcats, Bucks, Raptors, and Pistons are all really bad and really boring.  Conversely, the Cavs, Wizards, and Nets are really bad but for reasons I won’t go into, could be worth watching on a random Tuesday night. 

Playoff Predictions

Heat over 76ers in 4

Bulls over Hawks in 5

Knicks over Magic in 6

Celtics over Pacers in 7

Heat over Celtics in 6

Bulls over Knicks in 7

Heat over Bulls in 6

See you tomorrow when I do this EXACT same thing for the West!  I know, I’m excited too.  

Group Fail

Four weeks ago, the Bears were 7-3 and well on the way to their second consecutive trip to the playoffs.  Four weeks later, after consecutive losses to Oakland, Kansas City, Denver, and the Seahawks, hope has faded, and the Bears have been exposed for exactly what they are.

The deciding factor in the of the Bears early season success was the combination of Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.  For the first time in recent memory, the Bears were getting ridiculous levels of production from both their running back and quarterback at the same time. Their concurrent success served as the perfect band-aid for the multitude of inadquecies in Bears roster . The offense was putting up points, the offensive line was effective with Jay on the run, and Forte’s ability to both run and catch kept opponents off balance. With them gone, it has become painstakingly obvious how fragile this team truly is.

Make no mistake about it; this four game losing streak is much more than a team reeling from the loss of a star QB and RB. The fact that these games were all so winnable, despite our injuries, makes it even more obvious. How would these games played out if we hadn't wasted money on guys like Manemaluena, Chester Taylor, Roy Williams, Todd Collins and Brandon Merriweather? What would have happened if we could have picked up a backup QB based on talent, versus sticking with a bad QB because of a system? The truth is, the Bears losing these last four games is a culmination of a decade worth of bad hires, bad draft picks, bad contracts, and desperation moves on so many levels.

So whose fault is it? Just like with any awful situation, there is never one cause, never just one person to blame.

Bear with me for a moment, put coaching and player development aside, and just focus on the roster. Who messed it up? Jerry Angelo? Yes, but the situation we find ourselves in (again, roster only) runs much deeper than that.

Chicagoans, with our recent experiences in watching the Hawks, Cubs, and Sox, have become acutely aware how necessary it is for a GM to have an effective macro view; a core philosophy (specifically for drafting, trading, and free agent acquisitions) that focuses on the long term sustainability of a franchise. Without it, you have chaos. You have jobs with unclear roles. You have the Bears.

The GM of a football team is supposed to be the boss. No doubt there has to be some level of synergy with the coaching staff, but the bottom line is that the GM should make the roster and coaches should adapt to their roster.

Top GM’s like Green Bay's Ted Thompson, make decisions in the draft purely on talent. The Packers hired a leader that they trust, who in turn, has developed footballl philosophy that is the guiding factor in all decisions. His coaches and their subsequent schemes clearly are separate from his job of amassing talent. Whereas coaches and schemes change, talent is constant. The right talent can fit any scheme.

Can you imagine Ted Thompson trading one of his early round draft pick “hits” (like the Bears did with Greg Olsen) to appease his offensive coordinator? Not only did Jerry do just that, but he made matters worse by making a decision with long term ramifications in order to fit a scheme and offensive coordinator with a very uncertain future. This Bears move typifies the ineptitude we have come to expect. It is the antithesis of what you see from other successful organizations. The short term benefit was minimal or non-existent and the potential for regretting that decision in the long run, especially as Martz departs is huge.

If Ted Thompson fails to provide Mike McCarthy with players to effectively do his job, you would know exactly who is to blame. With the Bears dysfunctional system of "leadership", placing blame isn’t so simple.

To equate it to the Cubs, their future success or failure all rides with Theo. A big part of being a GM, regardless of the sport, is not only being willing to take on that responsibility, but to embrace that. This responsibility has escaped the Bears and is the main reason change has been so slow to come.

Ted Phillips deserves blame for hiring a GM that failed to take ownership of his position. Jerry is to blame not only for his bad personnel decisions, but also for  empowering the coaching staff and allowing them to affect far too many decisions with long term consequences. Not only that, but this involvement of Lovie and his staff, whether chosen or not, removes the convenience of them being able to simply blame Jerry. Their Input and schemes played integral roles in many of the awful decisions.

Despite the failures on all levels, it is unrealistic to think that Mike McCaskey is going to clean house from top to bottom. That said, what certainly must go is the codependency between the coaching staff and GM. Our current system of making major decisions fosters groupthink and muddies the water just enough to make sure no one is held accountable.

When an organization is structured so that nobody is to blame, everybody is to blame, and that certainly seems to be the case with the Bears.

Mustache Thinking With Sef Sam Holy

I’m really excited for the NBA to start and even more excited to see what Bulls roster we see on Christmas day against the Lakers.  My NBA enjoyment involves player movement discussion and hypothetical trade situations.  I’m not Bill Simmons on the ESPN Trade Machine, I just like to bounce my ideas around in discussions/emails/blog posts.  The NBA may not be the best sport to watch on TV, but it’s the best sport to talk about with other people that love the NBA. 

I don’t have the sports bandwidth to pay attention to everything sports related.  I have a wife that I love, and love to hang out with, so I don’t make her suffer and keep sports on my TV 24/7.  With that being said, I have to consciously not pay attention to certain sports.  One of those sports is college basketball.  Don’t hear me wrong, I love Championship Week and big Saturday games during January and February.  I love filling out a bracket and watching as much March Madness as I can, but I don’t watch college hoops at this point in the year.  However, I did DVR the Kentucky Indiana game from this past weekend and it was unreal.  I don’t have a breakdown of it for you, but it really got me excited for when I do start watching college basketball.  I really want to catch a game in Indiana one day, let’s put that on my sports bucket list.

I saw the ESPN 30 for 30 on The U last night and it made me hate Miami even more than I do now. 

If Florida State loses to Notre Dame on December 29^th, I’m going to start thinking Jimbo Fisher is a Ron Zook/Dabo Sweeney type of college football coach.  He’s shown to be a great recruiter, but he doesn’t know how to win football games.  I really, really hope the Noles beat the Irish so I don’t have to think about something like this going into a year in which the Seminoles will bring back almost every one of their starters/players that contribute, and should be ranked in the top 10 to start the year.  There is no easier path to the BCS National Championship game than Florida State’s schedule next year and with the talent they will have on their roster, I expect Fisher to get there. 

Am I the only Bears fan that is rooting for them to lose out so that they get the best pick possible in the NFL Draft this April?  The only difference between finishing 9-7 and 7-9 is 8 draft spots.  Here’s my abbreviated “if I was the Bears GM” plan I have.  Finish 7-9, get the 12^th pick in the draft.  Let Matt Forte walk, save the $40mil against the cap, and get the compensatory 2^nd round pick.  Trade Devin Hester to whatever team is willing to give you a 3^rd round pick for him.  With my 5 picks in the first 3 rounds of the draft, I take Michael Floyd first and with the rest of those picks, draft an offensive lineman, a linebacker, a running back, and a cornerback.  With my final 4 picks, I get another offensive lineman, another linebacker, and a tight end.  There, I just fixed the Bears for the rest of the Jay Cutler era. 

I might get a Tim Tebow jersey with the Christmas money I get. 

Don’t bring up the White Sox this week, let’s talk about something else.  

Dwight Howard and the Bulls

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is in 15 days and I couldn’t be more jacked up.  I have two Christmas parties next week (one at my place, you are more than welcome to come) and one at work that I’m actually planning.  I like decorating Christmas trees, hanging lights at my place, Christmas shopping, opening presents, listening to Christmas music, getting fat, having days off from work, the snow outside, just really everything “commercial” about Christmas.  It’s a great time of the year and this year isn’t any different.  I’m a Christmas guy, not Clark Griswold Christmas guy, but pretty close.

This year Christmas is going to be extra special because I get to watch NBA basketball for the first time since Dallas beat Lebron/Wade/Bosh last June.  With the Chris Paul trade, and then subsequent no trade, I started my getting excited for the NBA.

I, like most Bulls fans, am really optimistic about this 2012 shortened season.  I’m stoked to get to watch Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, and the rest of the Bulls play hard every night, win a lot of games, and be a scary team come playoff time.  There is no doubt that the Bulls have a legitimate shot at winning an NBA title this year. 

The only question I have about where the Bulls are right now is this, why didn’t they go after Dwight Howard and give up whatever Orlando wanted to get him? 

Looking at the Bulls roster, I see a better package for Dwight than what any other NBA team (at least any other team in which Howard would want to sign an extension with) could offer.  Noah, Gibson, Brewer, 2012 first round pick, and Charlotte’s top 9 protected number one in 2012 (or top 3 protected number one in 2013) for Dwight Howard. 

I know what you are thinking, that’s a lot to give up for one player, but that’s what the NBA is now.  For as much as I love everyone else on the Bulls, nobody but D Rose is a superstar and if you are going to win a title in this league, you have to have more than one superstar. 

I sort of contradicted myself in what I said earlier about the Bulls having a legitimate shot at winning a title and then saying they need another superstar to do it, but hear me out. 

The Bulls can win a title this year but a lot of things need to go their way in order for them to do so.  First off, D Rose needs to play like an MVP again, but more so, he needs to do it in the playoffs.  Carlos Boozer needs to play like an All-Star, but more so, play like one in the playoffs.  Luol Deng needs to shut down Paul Pierce/Lebron James and Joakim Noah needs to outplay whatever center he plays in any playoff matchup (but especially Miami) more than he did last year.  The Bulls are a talented team but if they win, it will be because everything went their way and they outplayed a more talented team.

By getting Howard, the Bulls may lose a lot of their depth, and maybe some of their identity, but they instantly become the best the team in the NBA when they send out their starting 5.  Howard, Boozer, Deng, Bogans, Rose…….yikes!  Everything doesn’t have to go your way in the playoffs (and during the regular season) to win a title with that group, you just need to have everyone healthy.  Without Howard, you still need everyone to be healthy, so that contingency is a wash. 

I’m not pointing out anything that most of you don’t already know (the Bulls with Howard are a better team) but I’m just throwing out the question as to why we didn’t hear more about them being a bigger player in this whole situation.

So here we are, Dwight Howard looks like he’s going to the Nets. 

The Bulls are still in need of a swingman that can play during the last 6 minutes of a game, not be a defensive liability and make big shots.  With the Heat signing Shane Battier, Phoenix inking Grant Hill, and Brandon Roy retiring, I’m not sure a whole lot is out there.  You just suggesting Jamal Crawford made me throw up in my mouth a little bit, no thanks on that guy.

My hope is that the Bulls package something together for OJ Mayo.  Last year Memphis agreed to a deal to send Mayo to Indiana for Greg Hibbard.  I don’t think it’s crazy to suggest the Bulls send Omar Asik (as long as Noah is on the Bulls, Asik is only playing 10-13 minutes a game as a backup center), Ronnie Brewer, and a 2012 first rounder for the former USC star.  I think he has superstar potential and while he’s available, the Bulls should take advantage. 

The NBA is about superstars and because the Bulls have one in D Rose, and play in Chicago (a big market players want to play), they need to not stand pat and aggressively try to take advantage of obtaining Rose some help when they have the assets to do it.  The 2012 NBA Championship is up for grabs and I’d like the Bulls to go out there and get it.    

What are the White Sox doing?

What are the White Sox doing? 

Kenny Williams can tell me he’s “rebuilding,” but I see through that and know he’s just trying to lower expectations and make things easier on first year skipper Robin Ventura. 

9 months after I have “All In” thrown at me, I’m seeing the White Sox turn into something I hate watching as a sports fan and that’s an organization that’s not moving towards winning a championship. 

His World Series Championship still holds water, Williams won a title in this new era of Boston/New York spending $160-$200 million on their teams.  However, in the years since, I’ve watched him develop an identity crisis.  Is he a shrewd general manager that sells a fifty cent pieces for three quarters?  Or is he the GM that overpays people to play for him? 

What is Kenny Williams doing?

I don’t mind dealing players you don’t intend to sign for younger players in order to replenish your farm system.  But there should be a plan in place to keep players that work out the way you wanted them to when you originally traded for them. 

Let’s take John Danks for example. 

When the Sox traded Brandon McCarthy for him back in December of 2006, they were getting back a left-handed starter that scouts said had ace potential.  After a rough rookie campaign in 2007 (as a 22 year old), Sox fans have watched him develop into, although not an ace, a legitimate number 2.  He’s going to be a pitcher that will throw 200 innings every season, give you a chance to win 18-22 of the games he starts, and can win a big game or two (see game 163 against the Twins in 2008).  Now granted, he didn’t turn into the ace some thought he might be, he’s still a valuable piece to a team that’s going to contend for a championship.  I don’t understand why the White Sox wouldn’t give him a 5 year deal at market value (see what CJ Wilson signs for this year).  I completely understand why teams like the Brewers, Royals, or Rays need to let guys like Danks go, or deal them for players that can contribute on the cheap, but I don’t understand why the White Sox have to.  Chicago isn’t a small market and the White Sox spend more than 80% of the teams in baseball.  I digress.

Using the logic that seems to be in place with John Danks (trade him because you aren’t willing to sign him when he hits the open market), what’s the goal in dealing him?  Getting back a player that will develop into a player you will have to trade when he becomes too good?  Is this just a cycle of trading good players that become expensive for players you hope to be good when they are cheap?   

That’s what leaves me asking the question, what are the White Sox doing?  Are the Sox a big market team that competes for the best in free agency and fills holes by trading prospects for productive pros?  Or are they a moneyball team that is always dealing overpaid players for prospects that will overperform and give them 3-4 years of solid service at a discount? 

As the general manager, Kenny Williams needs to pick a philosophy and, pardon the pun, go “all in” with it. 

I’m ok with the White Sox wanting to go young, shed some bad contracts, and deal players that they have no intention of resigning when they hit the open market for prospects that make their farm system better.  But if that’s the direction we are going, I would hope to see some more money invested in the draft and player development.  And I hope our 2^nd best prospect isn’t Nestor Molina, a guy the Sox traded for a day ago.

I’m also ok with the Sox spending money on the right free agents and dealing prospects for proven major league talent in an attempt to win every year.  The AL Central won’t be bad forever, so while the Twins, Indians, and Royals are horrible, I’m all for trying to take advantage of that.  I’m all in for going “all in.” 

So now we are back to where we started, what are the White Sox doing? 

The trade of Sergio Santos (for more information on that, and anything else White Sox, check out my boy Jim Margalus on South Side Sox) started something that inevitably points to Kenny Williams trying to lower fan expectations of the 2012 White Sox.  John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Carlos Quentin are all being rumored to being moved and we are left to trust that Kenny Williams is doing what’s best for the Chicago White Sox. 

My hope is that KW’s plan of moving the White Sox towards winning another World Series title starts to make some more sense to me so I can stop asking, “what are the White Sox doing?” 

I Uh, I Did Not KNOW That - Part 2

With 4 weeks left to play in the 2012 NFL season, and the Bears falling apart, I’m starting to not care about football.  But what I do love about all sports, and football in particular, is statistics, especially statistics that aren’t discussed everywhere you look.  I wrote about this after week 7 (link after the jump) but here you go, another installment of, “I uh, I did not KNOW that.”

If anything, this information, if memorized, will make you seem interesting to talk to for about 5 minutes.

http://mustachesports.blogspot.com/2011/10/and-were-back.html

Quarterbacks

Eli Manning has more passing yards (3,705) than anyone not named Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees.

Tavaris Jackson has more passing yards (2,255) than Michael Vick (2,193).

Cam Newton leads the league in rushing TD’s with 13.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has more passing TD’s (20) than Philip Rivers , Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, and Michael Vick.

Tom Brady has thrown more interceptions (10) than Curtis Painter

Runningbacks

Maurice Jones-Drew leads the league in rushing with 1,137 yards.

Matt Forte has more rushing yards (997) than Michael Turner, Frank Gore, Ray Rice, Arian Foster, and Adrian Peterson.

Beanie Wells has more rushing yards (916) than Chris Johnson.

LeSean McCoy has more rushing TD’s (12) than Maurice Jones-Drew and Frank Gore, combined.

Darren Sproles has more receiving yards (522) than Reggie Bush and Chris Johnson, combined.

Wide Receivers

Victor Cruz has more receiving yards (1,076) than Mike Wallace, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, and Hakeem Nicks.

Johnny Knox has more receiving yards (675) than Stevie Johnson.

Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson are tied for second in the NFL with 9 TD’s and they play on the same team.

Wes Welker has 24 more catches (93) than any other WR in the NFL. 

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham has more receiving yards (1,046) than Mike Wallace, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, and Hakeem Nicks.

Rob Gronkowski has more TD catches (13) than Calvin Johnson.

Fred Davis has more receiving yards (796) than Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Jermichael Finley, and Antonio Gates.

Kickers

Phil Dawson has made 7 field goals of 50+ yards. 

Mason Crosby has kicked more extra points than Phil Dawson, Josh Brown, and Adam Vinatieri combined.

Defense

The 49ers defense has only allowed 159 points this season (13.25 ppg).

The Colts defense has allowed 340 points this season (28.33 ppg). 

The Ravens have 41 sacks this season. 

The Bills have 17 sacks this season.

The Packers have intercepted 23 passes this year.

The Colts have intercepted 5 passes this year.