Wildcard Recap

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The Wildcard games this weekend were really good, a lot of close games and teams moving on to the divisional rounds. I really thought the Jaguars and Eagles would win their matchups but we will have a new super bowl champion. Let’s update my predictions with results! My prediction winners I selected correctly will be bolded. 🙂 I am excited for the next round of games.

The matchups & My Predictions

Sat. Jan 10

Rams/Panthers – winner Panthers

Winner : Rams

Packers/Bears – winner Bears

Sun Jan.11

Bills/Jaguars – winner Jaguars

Winner: Bills

49ers/Eagles- winner Eagles

Winner: 49ers

Chargers/Patriots – winner Patriots

Mon. Jan 12

Texans/Steelers- winner Texans

This weekend will be the divisional round games to determine who make it to the conference championship games. Here are the matchups and my predictions!

Sat. Jan 17

Bills/Broncos- 4:30pm

Winner: Broncos

49ers/Seahawks-8:00pm

Winner :Seahawks

Sun. Jan 18

Texans/Patriots-3:00pm

Winner:Texans

Rams/Bears-6:30pm

Winner: Bears

It will be interesting to see how these games go. These are only my predictions. I will say I am rooting heavily for the Houston Texans. I really think this is their opportunity to go really far in the playoffs and make a deep run. A win against the Patriots will solidify them as a championship football team. Each round is only going to get tougher but I really believe they can do it. CJ Stroud is built for this and his team is ready.

As always let me know your predictions in the comments 🙂

Meet me here next week as work our way to the super bowl!

I appreciate my readers and supporters.

*Pics/Vids courtesy of google images/youtube*

NFL Playoffs: You Ready?

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If Sunday was any indication of how wild the playoffs may be then get ready for a fun ride.

The road to the super bowl begins this weekend with the wild card games.

The matchups & My Predictions

Sat. Jan 10

Rams/Panthers – winner Panthers

Packers/Bears – winner Bears

Bills/Jaguars – winner Jaguars

Sun. Jan 11

49ers/Eagles- winner Eagles

Chargers/Patriots – winner Patriots

Mon. Jan 12

Texans/Steelers- winner Texans

These matchups are going to be good to watch. The defending champ Eagles begin their quest to repeat.

The Bills/Jaguars game will be interesting, Trevor Lawrence is heating up and will definitely be giving his all. The Jags are on a win streak right now looking to make a huge playoff push.

The all eyes matchup will be the Texans/Steelers game on January 12.

Talk about a thriller of a game between the Ravens and Steelers coming down to the final 2 seconds. The Steelers captured the division title and the final playoff spot by the skin of their teeth but win and you are in right?

On the other hand, the Texans have been building momentum this season behind a great defense and smart decision making by CJ Stroud. I am really excited for him and his team.

I am going to keep this post short so I can come back and update it as the games finish.’

Let me know your predictions, who do you have winning and moving on to the divisional round games?

Comment below!

I will be back next week 🙂

Happy New Year! and I am glad to be back writing.

Meet me here next wednesday!

*pics/vids courtesy of google images*

NFL Draft: The Sanders Legacy

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Welcome back! It is very rainy this week in the DMV area but I wanted finish out this NFL Draft Series.

Of course I had to talk about the Sanders Family and the legacy continuing.

I know you have been waiting lol.

Let’s dive right in.

As social media has grown, there is always an opinion of something or where in this case Shedeur should be drafted.

Before we get to Shedeur & Shilo, I wanted to highlight their Hall of Fame Dad, Coach, Socialite Mr. Primetime himself Deion Sanders.

I was very young to remember Deion playing professionally in the MLB & NFL. By the time I started seeing him on tv to see who he was, he was an analyst for ESPN and doing a lot of tv shows. I do remember watching his family show that featured his children that is where I first met Shedeur and Shilo.

Well who was Deion Sanders?

Deion a Florida native, a multifaceted player made a name for himself by being able to play two sports professionally baseball & football. He attended Florida St. University. He is the only man to play in a Superbowl and World Series during the same week. How Crazy and Cool is that? Deion lived by the beat of his own drum. Primetime became his nickname rightfully so, he loved being in the spotlight and being able to juggle multiple professions at one time. Although he flourished in both football and baseball, Deion ultimately chose to solely focus on football and in 1989 he was drafted to the NFL.

Deion’s NFL Career

I am going to highlight quickly his career in the NFL.

Position: Cornerback

  • Atlanta Falcons- 1989-1994
  • 49ers- 1994-1995; Superbowl Champion, Defensive Player of the Year
  • Cowboys-1995-2000; Superbowl Champion, Released due to salary cap in 2000
  • Washington-2000-2001; signed a 7 year deal but aprubtly left DC and retired after 1 season
  • Ravens- 2004-2006; played every game in the 2005 season, Retired for good in 2006
  • Hall of Fame

Once Deion retired from the NFL, he was an analyst and displayed his post career family life including spouses, girlfriends, and children on tv for the world to see. What I could remember most about Deion especially post his NFL career, was that people didn’t care for him or his opinion. Deion is never afraid to speak his mind because he always backs up what he says.

He went to coach college football at Jackson St. & Colorado. His sons Sheduer and Shilo followed him.

Sheduer & Shilo

As the NFL Draft approached the coverage of shedeur and shilo became the main talking piece among analysts. Sheduer being the main player everyone was focused on and where he would ultimately be drafted. The discussion was Shedeur would go top 5 in the draft as a QB. Was he top 10 draft ready, will he actually be successful and can he put his ego to the side, humble himself and listen.

Once you declare for the draft, the NFL has control over what happens next for you to some degree.

Shedeur chose not to do the combine or have a pro day which allows for coaching staffs to take a good look at you and how you fit in with their team. Shedeur’s demeanor was also being spoken about anonymously by coaches as well. To keep it positive, what is meant for you will be for you and no one will stand in the way of it.

Draft day is here Round 1 completes, no shedeur yet; Rounds 2-4 complete no shedeur yet. The NFL was trying to send a message leave your ego at the door and be ready to learn, listen, become a professional athlete. Multiple teams passed over shedeur even the team that drafted him, but then it happened.

With the 144th pick in the NFL Draft, The Cleveland Browns Select Shedeur Sanders!

With his family by his side he puts on his hat and smiled so hard, dream come true to hear your name called. Since being drafted Shedeur has signed officially with the Browns. I want him to do well and I know he will. Congrats Shedeur and welcome to the NFL!

Shilo went undrafted but was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccanears! Congrats Shilo and Welcome to the NFL!

The legacy of Deion will continue to live on, I am excited to see how they acclimate from college to the pros but also being coached by different leadership outside of their father. Deion can finally sit back , relax and enjoy the fruits of his labor, sacrifice, and most importantly love. Like any parent, Deion just wants what best for his children but it is okay to let your children fly. You are alive and well to see them live out their professional dreams.

To that I say, job well done Mr. Sanders! Your legacy lives on 🙂

The upcoming NFL season is gearing up, it is going to be a fun summer.

We have some shining new faces ready to showcase their talent

Cam Ward, Travis Hunter ( who will be playing both sides of the ball at some point), Shedeur Sanders Shilo Sanders and a host of great talent who have made their dreams come true.

I can’t wait to watch!

This concludes the NFL Draft series 🙂

I appreciate all of my readers and subscribers, I have 14 now. I will continue to write.

Feel to share, drop a comment and follow me on social media:

X: @bballmypassion ( i post the links to the blog there)

IG:riah_3 ( i post the links to the blog there)

Next week, we head to the NHL Alexander Ovechkin makes history!

*pics/vids/stats courtesy of google images, wikipedia, espn*

Going #1: Cam Ward

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Welcome Back to all of my sports lovers! This week I will be beginning a 3 blog series covering the NFL Draft. Today we will celebrating the number 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward.

The NFL draft concluded this past week with the Tennessee Titans selecting Cam with the #1 overall pick.

With all of the hype around where Shedeur was going to end up, Cam wasn’t being talked about enough for me. I wanted to use this blog to not only celebrate his accomplishments but also talk about some of the guaranteed perks that comes with being taken first in a professional league draft.

Cam is from West Columbia, TX and comes from a sports family. His parents come from a sports background with his dad playing football and his mom coaching basketball.

In HS, Cam wasn’t recruited but still ended up going to 3 colleges to pursue his dreams. Cam had his breakout season when he transferred to Miami University where he solidified his NFL status.

Cam taking advantage of the NIL process in the NCAA, he was able to improve his draft status and ultimately became ACC Player of the year, Manning Award Winner, and a Heisman Trophy Finalist.

Ward was drafted by the Tennessee Titans! A dream come true but also the dedication, hard work, sacrifice. A great pickup by the Titans as they begin to rebuild. With being drafted #1, Cam not only gets a signing bonus but a guaranteed rookie salary as well. I am sure sponsorships and endorsement deals are on the way as well. Too Exciting!

Cam brings his arm mobility, the ability to make plays and make not only him but his teammates around him better. I am excited to watch him play! I hope he gets tons of coverage, he has earned it!

Congrats Cam and welcome to the NFL, you are going to do amazing things.

Next week, I will talk about the draft in it’s entirety. Can you guess how many players from Ohio State were drafted? (find out next week)

As always thanks for reading!

Leave me a comment ❤

*pics/vids courtesy of google*

Favorite Sports Moments! :)

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SPORTS

Thinking back on some of my favorite sports moments! I love sports and the energy you get watching your favorite athlete compete. Let’s take a walk down memory lane…

Favorite Sports Moment #10- Serena Williams winning the US Open in 2008 and reclaiming the #1 ranking!

Favorite Sports Moment #9-Gabby Douglas Winning Gold 2012..shocking the world!

Favorite Sports Moment #8-Peyton Manning and the Colts win the Superbowl, s/o Tony Dungy!!

Favorite Sports Moment #7-Dwyane Wade coming back from a rib injury to help his team win in the playoffs against the pistons to force a game 7..”Fall Down 7 Get up 8″(2005 playoffs)

Favorite Sports Moment #6- Dwyane Wade wins his 1st NBA Title June 2006!!!

DALLAS – JUNE 20: Dwyane Wade #3 of the Miami Heat celebrates winning the NBA Championship after the won 95-92 against the Dallas Mavericks during Game Six of the 2006 NBA Finals June 20, 2006 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2006 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)

Top 5…..HERE WE GO….keep in mind the bottom 5 are all great moments in sports for me, no moment is better than the other.lol

Favorite Sports Moment #5- UCONN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL…domination..need I say Moore! HA- see what I did there lol 🙂

Favorite Sports Moment #4-Ohio State beating Michigan-LOL…:) Go Buckeyes!!!

Favorite Sports Moment #3- Watching my friends dominate in flag football :)..Lots of fun and lots of memories! s/o to team District 5!

AHHHH…Top 2..Top2..can you guesss?!!!

Favorite Sports Moment #2- Candace Parker and the Lady Vols- CHAMPS!!!..the original CP3 HAHA! 🙂

#1 is always hard to pick..sooooo two people get it…..

Favorite Sports Moment #1(a)- Kobe Bryant! His entire 20 year career on and off the court! He will be forever missed! Congrats on the Hall of Fame.. We miss you Bean!

Favorite Sports Moment #1 (b)- Michael Phelps!!!!!! my favorite swimmer and one of the most decorated olympians EVER!!! 🙂

There are sooo many sports memories that I have witnessed with the world, I could write countless blogs about it. So with that being said there will be another installment with more sports memories from around the world! I hope you enjoy this blog and going down memory lane with me.

Stay Safe, Stay Home, and relive some of the best moments in sports history!

*Athlete photos courtesy of Google Images*

*FXA photos courtesy of my phone :)*

Until next time!!

Patience, Faith,Results

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In my life, I am constantly reminded that I am not alone. 2019 has been a year of ups and downs as well as lots of thoughts about my future. Knowing that God is in full control and often protecting me from things keeps me going but it also makes me wonder why. I am a good person, I treat people better than myself and yet I am always treated less than. Seeing positive stories helps me to remember the bigger picture and that I will be okay.

I am taking life one day at a time, it’s all I can do.

Lamar Jackson is a true testament to having patience, faith and seeing ultimate results. From his time at Louisville, to being 32nd in the NFL draft, Lamar hasn’t been negative but has used it as an opportunity to fuel him and his team. Since being in the NFL, he has turned the Baltimore Ravens into a superbowl team while making history for himself. In a short period of time he passed Michael Vick for the most rushing yards. He is the leading MVP contender with his ultimate goal of winning a superbowl.

The one quality I appreciate and admire the most about Lamar is his positivity and smile. He owns up to his mistakes but also lets his work speak for itself. I often think back to the top right picture and draft night. Lamar wasn’t picked until later in the NFL Draft, so many people who knew of his skillset, talent and yet passed him by.

Patience,Faith and knowing that everything will work itself out is what I am striving for.

Lamar is now in the position to be the best Quarterback in NFL history. It is a pleasure to watch him play and I can’t wait to see what is to come.

The right opportunity will present itself, I just have to keep having patience, strong faith, and the results will come.

Go Ravens! lol..Do you think they will win the superbowl?

Leave your comments below!

I appreciate you guys for reading 🙂

New Coach…..New Chapter?

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emoji

I have been trying to blog since Thursday….I haven’t been busy, just needed the motivation to do it this week. I found some…so let’s dive right in…

jay gruden

It has been one of those weeks for the Redskins, as we all knew it was coming. October 7, 2019 Jay Gruden was officially fired as Head Coach. The Skins went 0-5 for the first time since 2001.  A lot of times team dysfunction is in place well before coaches get there but the blame is often placed on them, especially when the team is losing. In this situation,I think the blame can be placed on the owner and GM. This is only my opinion but ever since Dan Snyder took over as the Owner and Bruce Allen as GM, the Skins haven’t been a team but a dollar sign business. Coaches, QB’s, top notch players all come and go without being able to fully establish themselves. The last good Redskins team we had was in 2012, and then unfortunately RG3 got hurt and the story wrote itself, he was on his way out. In the Gruden situation, it brings up questions for the Redskins future.

  1. Did the Skins wait too long to let Gruden go? Any hopes of restoring a future for skins now takes longer because he was longest tenured coach with no recent success.
  2. Will things get better or worse for the Skins?  At this point only time will tell what happens, but I hope it gets better. As a fan I am tired of seeing them lose year after year. We are honestly a joke of the NFL and until something is done in the front office, we will continue to be.  I will always be a fan but something has to come from this coaching change, yet again.
  3. Who is really to blame for the dysfunction for the Redskins? You can place on the coaching staff, players, performance but in most companies a lot of the mess and drama comes from the owner and trickles down. Believe it or not, the NFL is a workplace and workplace dysfunction is real. Ultimately, you will have to be honest with yourself and if you want success and to rebuild your name, then on the inside it starts with you to change it. We will see going forward what is to come. I just hope for positive success. 🙂
  4. Lastly, what does the future hold for the Redskins?

NFL: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

To answer this last question, the Redskins have started to look towards the future. Moving Bill Callahan as Interim Head Coach. Bill worked with the offensive line and with looks of it is bringing back team on team aspect in practice. What goes down must come up right? I’m hoping Bill can help get this team back on track, one game at a time starting with the Dolphins. He has already announced Keenum as starting QB and Haskins as backup QB. The future for Haskins, I think is bright, I hope we get to see more of him. He is talented and I know will do well, the Skins just have to believe in him.

I guess we will have to wait and see…..

Thanks so much for reading!

We shift gears next week..How about those Nats?.. baseball I am coming for you!

Pics/Videos courtesy of Google Images/Youtube*

Case Keenum

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case keenum

For as long as I could remember, I have been a Washington Redskins fan. I have gone through the highs and lows with the many changes this team has gone through. The Redskins have gone through so many quarterbacks, that each time there is a glimmer of hope and then each time there is a let down.

From Mark Brunell to Jason Campbell to Rex Grossman to RG3 to Kirk Cousins to Colt McCoy to Alex Smith to Case Keenum, so many different era of players and each in their own right have left their mark.

In Keenum’s position he is most remembered for his 2017 run with the Minnesota Vikings and leading them to a 12-1 record and game winning touchdown drive by Stefon Diggs to beat the Saints. Keenum had a lot of promise and then he was traded to DC.  For as long as I have been watching football, fans have so much hope with each quarterback change and always expect this quarterback to be the one who will lead us out of the trenches and back into the playoffs.

Coming to a new team, is like starting a new job. You have to feel everyone out and learn the system and procedures. If you want my honest opinion, I feel that the Redskins should have started McCoy for the first few games if he was healthy enough, which would give Keenum a little more time to learn the system. With quarterbacks, there is always high expectations and if you don’t meet those expectations, the fans will let you hear it. All in all this is a learning experience for everyone and I hope once everyone is healthy that the Skins can get some wins and hopefully a quarterback we can rely on and believe in again.

I always have hope for any team I root for, I just hate watching us lose. So I’m keeping an open mind that Keenum can potentially be that guy for us but we need some wins and we need to communicate. Now all we can do is watch, wait, and see. It is still a bunch of games left for the Skins, but their schedule only gets harder but I still have hope. Go Skins! Let’s get back in the WIN column. 🙂

Thanks to everyone who reads my blogs! Please feel free to leave any comments/feedback below or tweet me @bballmypassion….

See you next week!

*Pics/Videos courtesy of google images*

Sports Recap

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cropped-bball

It has been a little over a month since my last post….. with the NFL, College Football underway and the NBA season on the way, the content will be back and more consistent. I just have to stay disciplined to post once a week, sometimes it is good to step back and reflect. I have been going through and re reading my posts trying to find some inspiration to write.

So if you are reading this short blog and have some suggestions on what you would like me to write about please feel to comment or tweet me @bballmypassion or dm me on instagram @riah_3.  I am open for anything!

But since I have you here, I figure why not give you a sports recap 🙂

NBA- The USA Basketball team finished in 7th place during the FIBA World championships over the summer. Spain won the tournament, but it posed the question if the dominant USA team of old is gone or if they are just waiting for the Olympics. We all know that the Olympics are a big deal and I am sure that key players such as Lebron, Steph, Klay will show up and show out for our country. Only time will tell but I am excited for next summer’s olympics. A time to come together and support each other.The

NFL- The NFL is in full swing and we are seeing teams struggle and dominate. Three key teams that are struggling right now : Steelers, Redskins, Broncos all are trying to find their way due to injuries and just lack of communication and growing pains of changes. Hopefully they will work out the kinks and get some wins on the board. I still have hope!

College Football- OHIO STATE! has been dominating! 5-0 with an impressive win over Nebraska 48-7 and Miami(OH) 76-5. I love my buckeyes and I have a feeling they will be in a very good position to win the national title. I know we are only 5 games in but they offense and defense of the buckeyes is telling and as long as they stay healthy they will go very far. 🙂

Sports Season is fun! Who are your favorite teams? What are you looking forward too from them? Let me know 🙂

I appreciate all my readers! I’m back…so be on the lookout for most posts!

Next Week: Highlight on Case Keenum

*Pics/Vids courtesy of Google Images/Youtube*

 

 

 

 

NFL Preseason…The Pregame

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landon collins

August is here! which means end of summer and football!

It’s seems as though we just finished watching the Super Bowl.

I look at the preseason as the pregame because it is the final push for some players to prove they belong on their team. It is also the preview of some new look teams like the Cleveland Browns or teams that are rebuilding like the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Giants.

The NFL is also under the microscope again with the fight against injustice in regards to minority players and how they are treated. News broke this week that Jay-Z has partnered with the NFL, after saying he wouldn’t perform at the super bowl. I think at this point in order to push change and make a real splash you have to “get in the game”. Most people and even some NFL players are disowning Jay-z for his decision because it looks as though he is out for money. Sometimes when you are trying to change a system that has been so rigged, you have to get off the bench and play. You have to get in good with the decision makers and become a decision maker yourself. It’s same way with Meek Mill’s Reform foundation. He partnered with Patriots owner Kraft, who a lot of people aren’t fond of but with his money and his platform, he can at least try to evoke change.

Most people think big change…HAPPENS OVERNIGHT or in an instant. Once we realize that it takes time and small steps everyday, you then will see the results. You shouldn’t stop fighting for something you really believe in even when you can’t see the big picture in the beginning.

I’m sure this will story throughout the entire NFL season, so I am going to definitely continue to read and follow up on this.

This is just the pregame getting us ready for the real game….It’s going to be a good one!

Let me know your thoughts..Who will be the top NFL team? How do you think the NFL will adapt to Justice Reform?… Did Jay-z make the right decision?

I appreciate everyone who  been reading!

Have a great week!

*Pics/Vids courtesy of Google/Youtube*