The NFL Eightfold Path: AFC North

The AFC North review carries a different tone than most of the divisions we have covered. The two perennially elite teams have taken huge hits that suggest at least a minor regression this season. In Pittsburgh, the injuries are already piling up and picking up from where last season left off. Mendenhall, Redman, Harrison, Hampton, DeCastro, and Roethlisberger all enter the season at under 100% healthy. Even if nothing else goes wrong, this will be a tough season for them. The terrible offensive line play shows little hope for improvement and new offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s system may not get a fair chance because of it. In Baltimore, the defensive player of the year has been lost for the entire season (Terrell Suggs). Ray Lewis and Ed Reed are both one year older and are dangerously close to the end of their careers. Offensively, there is not much hope outside of Ray Rice and maybe the emergence of Torrey Smith. Joe Flacco depends on factors that are currently weakening before him. The biggest question is where the Bengals finish against two vulnerable veterans of the AFC North. The Browns are still worlds behind, but there is plenty up in the air between three major playoff contenders.

4. Browns: There is not much to analyze about a team among the NFL’s worst struggling to compete alongside some of the NFL’s best. Because of the comparative weakness of this conference as a whole, the next three teams are all actually legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Cleveland, on the other hand, has been in a rebuilding phase for as long as I can remember. Maybe Brandon Weeden is the answer at quarterback, Trent Richardson can be a beast that carries the offense, and Josh Cribbs finally establishes some consistency alongside his big play ability. However, even with these issues successfully addressed, the Browns do not have enough to compete with and eventually win this division. Maybe once the great Steelers and Ravens all retire they can make a run for it against Cincinnati, but Cleveland’s championship breakthrough does not look like it will come in the NFL, or anywhere for that matter.

3. Bengals: I cannot pretend to be sure about the order of the three quality teams in this division. The only reason I do not have the Bengals higher, despite the previously stated flaws of the remaining two teams, is because I just do not feel they have enough to make that leap forward. Andy Dalton, for whatever reason, seems more vulnerable to the classic sophomore slump than Cam Newton. Benjarvus Green-Ellis is a nice runner to have, but has never really been relied on as the primary source of offense. Despite Dalton and star receiver AJ Green’s production last season, the Bengals’ mindset was always run first. Coming from New England, I have not seen enough from Green-Ellis to trust that he can take that kind of workload. We may finally see his first professional fumble this year, along with a few struggles that come with being a true work horse like injuries or fatigue. If the offense responds to this by shifting to a more pass heavy system, my sophomore slump prediction then comes into play. With more responsibility and only Jermaine Gresham as a quality target to throw to once Green is double covered, Dalton may have more trouble this season. Their defense is healthy and capable but not elite or great enough to compare to even a limping defense from Baltimore or Pittsburgh.

2. Steelers: The tough playoff loss for my Steelers was an excellent preview of what things may be like in Pittsburgh throughout 2012-13. Injuries and age have hit this team harder than any other in football and somehow, they have yet to fully pay the price for it. Last season carried similar criticisms, especially for Dick LeBeau’s defensive unit, which somehow ended the season as the NFL’s number one defense. The Steelers, more than any other team, are defined by their system. Take their careless attitude towards losing talented players as a great example of how they do business. Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes were both arguably top ten receivers at the time of their Pittsburgh departure. Despite tough losses on the roster, they always come back just as good if not better than before. The Steelers are going through an interesting transitional phase with Todd Haley now calling the shots on offense, but I trust his system. Pittsburgh does not rebuild, they reload. So long as Big Ben is on offense and Troy Polamalu is on defense, the surrounding pieces will work something out well enough to maintain this team’s identity. The reason I cannot give my team the division title this season is mistakes. We are arguably the most mistake prone team in the NFL because our quarterback would rather die than admit defeat. Ben gets himself in way too much trouble by holding onto the ball for too long, eventually getting sacked and possibly injured. This is also accompanied by many fumbles and ill-advised passes that become interceptions. Another cause of these miscues is the pitiful offensive line. If our defense is the Steel Curtain, the high school level offensive line is the Teflon Curtain. Roethlisberger can outplay Joe Flacco any day and I may even argue that our defense is still superior to Baltimore’s as well, but the unforgivable mistakes will eventually unravel and dismantle my favorite team.

1. Baltimore: In contrast to my last point about Pittsburgh, this Ravens team never seems to make any mistakes. They can be beat by a team that simply has more positives, but Baltimore commits next to zero negatives, which is a huge advantage. While they may not have as many strengths as their rivals, three things keep the Ravens from losing games. First of all, I may look down on Flacco’s ability as a quarterback but he does know how to not screw up. He traditionally does his job well enough for their others pieces to win him the game. The second reason, Ray Rice, is by far the division’s best playmaker. He can carry the Ravens’ offense, hold onto the ball, and consistently make things happen for them so their underwhelming passing game has plenty of leniency. The third factor that brings home this victory is their outstanding offensive line, which is among the league’s best. They prevent the pressure that causes offensive mistakes. While I do have faith in Roethlisberger, everything seems to be working against him and he may or may not survive any given game. Baltimore, however, plays mistake free football and can make enough plays to let a strong defensive effort win games for them. Even without the elite pass rush from Suggs, Lewis and Reed will keep that Ravens defense together and strong enough to win this powerful but limping division.

It seems odd to have no change in the order of last season’s AFC North standings after an offseason in which this division saw so much change. Despite the many moving pieces, I do not feel that any one team made significant enough strides to overtake another. The most likely leap frog would be Cinci taking the runner up spot away from Pittsburgh, but I am not buying Andy Dalton as much as most people are after his promising rookie year. What we may see is a similar order within the AFC North but the division as a whole will not stack up so well against AFC teams with rising stock like the Texans or Broncos. Because the North is traditionally the AFC’s best division, losing ground may only level the playing field. Teams in other divisions will work hard to limit them to only one playoff team this season. While I still believe two will make it, the Steelers and Ravens have a lot to worry about.

The NFL Eightfold Path: NFC North

Round three of our NFL Eightfold path includes, in my opinion, the league’s strongest division. ESPN the Magazine’s latest issue predicted a perfect 19-0 championship season for the Super Bowl favorite Green Bay Packers. Whether or not this is even close to true, having a team with the NFL’s highest projections does bring a huge advantage to the NFC North when it comes to comparing football’s divisions. In addition to the heaviest of heavy hitters, each remaining team has plenty of reasons to be better than last season. The NFC North is the only division that produced multiple playoff teams last year and still has the opportunity to see each of its four teams improve this season (that includes the 15-1 Packers). It is a strong enough group to produce three playoff teams, but the NFC as a whole is just too good to let that happen. It is likely that Detroit and Chicago will fight for the last playoff spot if neither manages to overthrow Green Bay. If so, take a mental note of the week 17 matchup between the Lions and Bears because that may be the regular season’s most significant game in terms of the NFL playoff bubble. Also, for you fantasy players with a week 17 championship, I am sure that Megatron, Stafford, Marshall, Forte, and others involved in such a game want their team in the playoffs.

4. Vikings: Minnesota’s line between mediocre and terrible will be defined by Adrian Peterson’s health. Unfortunately, this variable means more to fantasy football than the NFL. With or without the league’s most talented runner, the Vikings do not have enough to compete with their three division rivals. In order to even capture third place here, Peterson would have to return to full health and Christian Ponder would have to significantly improve from last season with a sub-par receiving core. Defensively, even an improvement would not be enough to baby their young QB. Typically, first or second year starting quarterbacks need an elite defense to flourish, or at least one that comes close. Think of Roethlisberger, Sanchez, Flacco, or how the Bengals were close enough to elite to help out Dalton. Cam Newton is a freak, so this did not apply. Ponder, on the other hand, needs many peripheral aspects of this team to go very well, which is not likely. Jarred Allen can only do so much, even leading the league in sacks does not seem to be enough. Outside of a potentially miraculous recovery from Peterson, which is not guaranteed, nothing provides much of a silver lining for the Vikings. Of course, being better than last season’s 3-13 finish is not a huge task. An improvement does not mean a playoff berth and something as small as staying competitive or spoiling a rival’s season may be all they need to call 2012-13 some form of success. Winning, for example, six games instead of three should be entirely possible, but these next three teams won’t make it easy. Minnesota will have to pile up wins outside of division rivalries if they want to avoid another three win season.

3. Lions: The space between Detroit and Chicago is microscopic, but a few factors swing the decision in favor of the windy city. First of all, the Lions and Raiders have a monopoly in the discipline department, or lack thereof. They led the league in penalties last season together, and the Lions took their violating talents off the field to lead the league in arrests in this off-season. A team trying to win this division cannot afford those mental mistakes. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson have evolved into the league’s best quarterback-receiver combination, narrowly edging out Brady and Welker in my book. A questionable running game, however, makes their offense somewhat one dimensional. Jahvid Best is a valuable weapon who was great when he played last season, but concussions continue to plague his injury ridden career. As a pure cannon, Stafford’s arm is the NFL’s best. With everything else factored in, he is still in the top five at his position. This offense will be great with or without a running game, but their defense keeps them from reaching an elite status as a complete team. Suh and company can rush the passer, but Detroit’s pass coverage and tackling is atrocious. The only chance Detroit has of being a championship defense is if opposing quarterbacks never have a chance to throw the ball, which is unlikely. Suh’s defensive leadership takes a hit because of his immaturity. As a Steelers fan, it would be hypocritical to pretend I do not love huge hits and violent defensive playmakers. However, liking my team taught me the difference between violent and dirty. I hate most roughing the passer calls and side with the pass rushers who more or less have no legal way to go about their business. However, when you go so far as to intentionally step on people, you have crossed the line. Suh’s extracurricular activities take away from his potential and limit his focus. If he fine tunes his style of play, he can lead the way towards better team defense. The Lions’ ceiling is sky high, but most of their team is well behind Stafford and Megatron in the race to excellence.

2. Bears: The Chicago Bears will have something this season that revolutionizes an awful tradition of bad receivers. Brandon Marshall goes from good to fantastic when teamed up with Jay Cutler, who develops tunnel vision as soon as Marshall enters the game. Usually, this is a bad thing for quarterbacks, but this team could use one dominant guy to inhale nearly every target. The Bears have had seven 1,000 yard seasons from receivers since 1970. If the history between these two players is indicative of their future as a couple, Marshall will have more targets than any other receiver in the NFL. His biggest competition will be Welker, who now loses many of his passes to Gronkowski. Calvin Johnson will be up there, but Stafford likes to get other receivers involved despite the obvious talent gap. Guys like Titus Young and Brandon Pettigrew will see plenty of action for Detroit as well. If Marshall’s drops remain a problem, he may still lead the league in receptions. The reason I continue to emphasize the importance of this pair is because while Stafford and Johnson are better as pure players, do not be surprised if the production of this Chicago duo is not far behind. Their chemistry in Denver should continue this season, which is enough to match the efforts of any other aerial connection. What then elevates Chicago over Detroit is both their running game and defense. Matt Forte is one of the NFL’s best and most versatile running backs. His injury kept him from being among the league leaders in yards from scrimmage, but a full recovery should pave the way for a big year. Michael Bush was a great backup who inherited a starting role after McFadden’s injury in Oakland. He has proven that he is a more than capable runner who will likely take most of Chicago’s goal line carries and can cash in on most of them. Defensively, Urlacher’s knee procedure is a concern, but the team and Urlacher continue to insist that the injury is a minor one. All in all, Chicago is a more complete team than Detroit and has the best chance to take down the kings of this division.

1. Packers: I wanted to go bold and pick Chicago to win this division. After all, they manage to give Green Bay great games even when they are not as good a team. A fully loaded Bears could possibly overtake the Packers. However, I remembered a mistake I made during this year’s March Madness. I overthought a way to take down Kentucky and quickly realized that overthinking for the sake of going bold is not healthy. In this case, let’s not overthink it. The Green Bay Packers mocked the regular season in 2011-12 and had to be taken out by the team that absolutely no one should want to face in the playoffs by now. The main reason I feel the Packers will hold off these two huge threats is their defense. Last season, they gave up over 22 points per game and were the league’s 19^th ranked defense in points allowed. In yards allowed, they were 32^nd (dead last). The Packers actually presented, statistically, the worst pass defense in history last season. My recurring theme here is that the Packers were terrible on defense last year. However, a similar defensive roster had average ranks over the previous two seasons of 4.5^th in points allowed and 3.5^th in yards allowed. If you judge this Packers’ defense by its entire body of work, it is actually an elite defense. I believe that Clay Matthews and company became complacent and dependent on the MVP performance they were receiving from Aaron Rodgers and his high flying offense. Facing Drew Brees’ Saints in the season opener was the worst thing that could have happened to them because it made Green Bay too used to playing in shootouts. The results of their games did not discourage this either, so they never really focused on defense and eventually paid for it. A spoiled defensive unit lost their fire and suffered an uncharacteristically pathetic season. This time, however, there is nothing to rest their laurels on. Saddled with the “worst pass defense ever” title, I fully expect this group to rebound and at least come close to the effectiveness of the Green Bay offense, which is a scary thought for opponents.

The NFC North is outrageously high powered and has more dynamic playmakers than any other division. Their defenses all have a few issues to fight off but, as a whole, I do believe it is the best division in football. The NFC East is in that conversation as well, but we will get to them much later. After all, the hometown heroes and world champions deserve the closing act. Our next destination on this NFL Eightfold Path leaves me with more frustrating confusion than football enlightenment. My head takes on my heart in a heated self-debate and I have no idea how that will end up. These teams once made up a division that could compete among the NFL’s best, but each may be taking a huge step backwards.

The NFL Eightfold Path: AFC West

Our second stop on the NFL Eightfold Path is in the west as well, but this time we will discuss the AFC’s Wild West. What I love about this division is that, in my opinion, it is the only NFL foursome in which any of the teams can capture the division title. Injuries seem to be a bigger factor in this division that any other, and may determine the fate of all teams involved. Peyton Manning’s questionable health and ability to bounce back will be the story in Denver. In San Diego, the loss of Ryan Matthews could cost a team that is already known for slow starts. Darren McFadden was among the elite playmakers last season prior to an injury that crippled his season, which will be an ongoing concern in Oakland. Lastly, Kansas City more or less lost their entire team to injuries. We may not know what to expect from any of these teams, but I can at least take a stab at where they will finish in a division that can really go either way. There is immense talent and potential in the AFC West, but anything resembling last season would be a huge letdown.

4. Chargers: Speaking of high talent and disappointing results, the Chargers have been the NFL’s biggest disappointment when it comes to the ability/production ratio throughout the past decade. There were zero Super Bowl appearances for a team that consistently matched the Patriots and Colts blow for blow on their depth charts. Predicting that the perennially dominant team in this division is actually the worst of the four feels strange, but there is plenty of reason to believe it. Phillip Rivers is following arguably his worst season as a professional, especially considering where he should have been at that point in his career. As if it had not ended already, any debate that the Giants should have gone with him instead of Eli back in 2004 was over after last season. This year, the Chargers enter the regular season without their longtime best receiver, Vincent Jackson, who has moved on to Tampa Bay. In addition to this loss, Ryan Matthews should miss approximately six more weeks with his broken clavicle. This leaves Rivers with no choice but to pull a Peyton and make something out of a nothing offense, something I am not convinced he can do after his last campaign. Their defense, for lack of a better description, is terrible. With a crippled, shaky offense and a defense that cannot keep the flood gates shut, I believe San Diego will be almost irrelevant in this division for the first time in a long time.

3. Raiders: Another year, another head coach. It seemed like Hugh Jackson had a good thing going in Oakland last season, but management did not agree. The Raiders definitely have a potent offense that carries more potential than any other in this division (that does include Peyton’s Broncos). If everything went well for the Raiders, they would win this division. The only problem is, there is little to no chance that every coin-toss issue will end in a favorable outcome for the Black Hole. Carson Palmer was once elite but may not have much left in the tank. Their receivers are all dynamic, but have not shown enough consistency to be reliable enough for Palmer to flourish in this system. McFadden is a guaranteed home run but if he runs into any injury trouble, the wheels on the Raider machine immediately fall off and every teammate would suffer in his absence. The departure of Michael Bush takes away the security blanket of a second great runner as an insurance plan. I think their pieces are enough to surpass the dysfunctional Chargers, but are not reliable enough to match the efforts of our next two teams.

2. Broncos: These last two were really a tossup for me and I think that despite the AFC West disappointment from last season, we will see two playoff teams from this division. The Broncos’ acquisition of Peyton Manning made the sky the limit for this team. While his condition does not guarantee them anything, there is still no game he cannot win. If Rivers has another bad season, Peyton is by far the best quarterback in this division. They have a strong defense that had to put up with the leading three-and-out QB of last season, Tim Tebow. This season, they will have someone who makes big throws on third downs to extend drives and give them some rest for once. With the powerful pass rushing outside linebackers Elvis Dumervil and Von Miller, Denver can terrorize opposing quarterbacks who try to outgun Manning. Also, Champ Bailey is still in the NFL and is somehow an elite corner at age 34. Offensively, their weapons are still pretty underwhelming to me, but Peyton has always been able to negate mediocrity from his wide receivers. There are not many things that make me believe Manning and company will not win this division, but the team’s age is concerning enough for me to doubt that they will be in one piece from weeks one to seventeen.

1. Chiefs: Any team led by Matt Cassel is a longshot to win a competitive division. This is the only division in which I think the worst quarterback’s team will come out on top. Just two seasons ago, a similar Chiefs team did win this division with superb athleticism and young guns at nearly every position. I expect Jamal Charles and Peyton Hillis to both rebound from last season, which would immediately create the best thunder and lightning running back combination in the NFL. Bowe and Baldwin are two huge receivers who have the potential to dominate the red zone and should make Cassel’s job a lot easier. Defensively, they have a similar situation to the description I gave of the Rams defense in my NFC West preview. The Chiefs have one outstanding player on each level of defense, but have a better defensive supporting cast than Saint Louis to back their elite guys up. Tamba Hali’s pass rash off the line (after his brief suspension), along with Derrick Johnson’s play at linebacker and Eric Berry’s everything at safety, may blow opposing offenses away. My best and briefest reason for the Cheifs’ success is simply too many weapons on both sides of the ball. I am going against San Diego’s team experience in this division and Peyton Manning’s experience as a player for a bunch of players who I just do not think other players can catch up to. Because there is no sure thing in our previous three teams, my vote goes in favor of pure explosiveness.

The AFC West may be a better division than our last stop in its NFC counterpart, but there are even more question marks here. Any AFC West team can emerge above the others for one reason or another, a trait that is untrue anywhere else in the NFL. There are so many red flags on each team, mostly because of injuries, that each team does not have to lie to their players in the week one pregame when head coaches gather their players to say that they really can make the playoffs. From that point, as we know, anything can happen. This weekend, we will follow our path of NFL enlightenment and head up north to visit what I may call the best division in the NFL.

The NFL Eightfold Path: NFC West

In a search for NFL enlightenment, I am covering each division individually before the Giants kick off against Dallas in New Jersey. For our first stop, I figured it would be best to walk before we can run. The NFC West is traditionally the worst division in football, and this year appears to maintain that reputation. A closer look will make this interesting, but I would rather quell some of the suspense before we get started and reinforce the common belief that the NFC West is definitely the worst group offered by this year’s regular season. There are some bright spots, however, which restore some pride to the once proud west. For the first time in almost a decade, the NFL’s laughing stock enters a season with a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Arizona gave them a nice surprise a few years ago, but not since Seattle’s glory days has the NFC West been in the big picture from day one. San Francisco may have been one ball to the knee away from taking on New England in February. Thanks to their efforts and potential success in the near future, the road to the Super Bowl could possibly go through this troubled division. The other aspect of the NFC West that is so appealing is how least talented sometimes means most competitive. This division has become unpredictable in recent years, therefore the results are usually up in the air throughout the season. The wildcard race may be severely affected by whether or not one team is able to seize possession of the second spot in this division. Here, we will take a look at each team to determine who is in the best shape to win this division.

4. Cardinals: The most mediocre quarterback controversy may not lie in New York after all as Kevin Kolb and John Skelton play hot potato with the starting job. Neither performs well enough to keep it but the other never plays well enough to take it. While the duo of Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams is capable at the running back spot, they are hardly enough to make Arizona a traditional ground and pound team. If the Cards are going to win, it will have to be with significant contributions from a position that is currently failing. Their defense, while competitive, would likely break under the pressure of their struggling teammates on offense. I never was a fan of Kolb, who did not do nearly enough in Philly to justify drawing that much value in a trade. However, Skelton seems to have potential and can turn his game around with more experience. With decent runners and one of the league’s best receivers, Skelton’s transition would immediately move Arizona up this list. I just do not see any evidence to suggest this will happen and it is too much of an unlikely outcome to rely on. The Cards played well throughout the latter stages of last season with Skelton at the helm, and that team would have enough to give the 49ers a run for their money. Despite similar personnel, this team just looks like a mess to me.

3. Seahawks: Despite arguably having even lesser talent at the quarterback position, there are other aspects to Seattle’s game that make them very competitive. In contrast to the point made about Arizona’s running game, Marshawn Lynch is more than enough to compensate for the Seahawks’ aerial struggles. Their defense is also much better than Arizona’s in terms of playmaking, potential turnovers, and fundamental tackling in general. So far, Russell Wilson has the lead in their QB race, which provides an additional threat of quarterback mobility to an offense that could use more playmakers. I do not want to put too much weight on the signing of Terrell Owens, but it is worth noting that TO can still fly past an opposing secondary and find the end zone if he can manage to not drop the ball. The possibility of Seattle outplaying Arizona only became possible when the Cardinals’ QBs sank to mediocrity. If all quarterbacks involved remain nothing to speak of, Seattle has the edge when it comes to the surrounding pieces that make their respective systems tick.

2. Rams: This is as bold as I get when it comes to the NFC West. Like I said earlier, underwhelming divisions have a very level playing field and a team that has been the worst in recent years can rise above teams that fail to make improvements. The main reason I see a Rams improvement is Sam Bradford, who can do a lot of damage if he has enough time to survive in the pocket. Steven Jackson has essentially been the entire Rams offense, but Bradford is ready to lead if his linemen are as well. Danny Amendola is quietly an excellent receiver if he can stay healthy. Last season I said that if he had ended up in New England instead, he would have every accomplishment Wes Welker now has because given the right opportunity, he can be just as good. I also felt Bradford was the best NFC West quarterback last season, which clearly did not make a huge difference. There has to be a lot more going for the Rams than their few weapons on offense. New head coach Jeff Fisher was the first moving piece that made me think this season’s team would be a significant improvement from previous years. Fisher’s influence should be a strong one that I think will most notably improve Saint Louis’ defense. While they may not have eleven great defenders, the Rams have one very good player at each level of defense. Chris Long is a beast on the defensive line, James Laurinaitis is a rock at linebacker, and Cortland Finnegan is the playmaker they have so desperately needed in the secondary. These players may make up a small percentage of the entire defense, but having one leader by example at each level may produce great results. And if nothing else, they get to play a combined six games against the winners of the Arizona and Seattle QB competitions and Alex Smith.

1. 49ers: I may not believe in as successful a season as the last San Francisco campaign, but there is no reason to see the 49ers losing their position atop the NFC West. The order of the previous three is close to unpredictable, but none of them have shown enough to win this division. When we analyze the 49ers, it is less about whether or not they are the best in the division and more about once they make the playoffs. I fear that a young and impressionable team led by an impulsive and overly enthusiastic coach may take on the immature characteristics displayed by their own leadership. The two biggest concerns I have are an offensive simplicity that other elite teams will be able to shut down and a defensive complacency that may come as a result of this division’s poor simulation of playoff football. The defense has to be elite again to even give this team a chance, and the offense has to be better. Randy Moss can make a big play, but he is just as likely to walk off the field. With Frank Gore, the perennial heart of this offense, on the decline, Alex Smith simply has to be better in order to make the 49ers more than just the best of the worst.

Along our NFL eightfold path, we will cover every remaining division in a similar manor. Fortunately, there are much tougher calls to be made in what lies ahead. The NFC West has worked hard for a bad reputation but with San Francisco leading the way, the teams behind them have the opportunity to elevate this division’s standards to those the excellent NFC divisions that surround them. As we progress through the NFL’s eight divisions, we will move closer to home and closer to the defending champions. Until then, each division and each article will illustrate just how difficult defending the title will be this season.

London 2012 Top 10

Tonight marked the end of the London 2012 Summer Olympics. Other than some strange colonial and Mary Poppins moments in the opening ceremonies, London ran an excellent show. As great as the host city was, the athletes themselves created the stories and made these games a guaranteed success. Our United States proudly finished atop the medal count with 104 total medals, 46 of which were gold. The Olympics are unlike any other sporting event. Because most of America, even sports fans, is out of touch with the not so mainstream Olympic sports, it is a learning experience for everyone. We get a look at sports that are less familiar to us and check in on athletes that most of us only see perform once every four years. There is always more of a personal touch added to Olympic athletes. We get a break from contract disputes and league lockouts to see a more pure form of sports. The excitement on the faces of not only winners, but people who are just happy to make it there is unlike anything else that sports have to offer and is a breath of fresh air.

Another interesting aspect of Olympians is how young they are; this is my first Olympic cycle in which I am older than a large percentage of the athletes. As a result, I have so much more of an appreciation for what they have all accomplished at such early ages. This has successfully made me feel like I have done absolutely nothing with my life, but I am sure I am not the first or last fan to feel dwarfed by the accomplishments of the world’s finest athletes. At first I was going to try haphazardly stumbling through all the high points of these 2012 Olympics but, much like my last article, this idea built for a countdown. The Olympics, like most sports, is continuous action defined by individual moments. Here are, in my opinion of course, the ten best moments from these 2012 games.

10. USA Basketball: After the Miami Heat’s latest championship, I raised the question of whether or not they impressed you. Not whether or not they were a good team, or the best for that matter, but whether or not we should be impressed by what they did considering how they positioned themselves in the 2010 off-season. It would be incredibly hypocritical to not raise this same question against team USA just because this time, it involves a team that I root for. Seeing both our men and women go undefeated this summer was amazing but expected. Leaving our stranglehold on the sports of basketball off this list would be a crime, due to the nature of that accomplishment, but I cannot give a spot better than ten to an outcome that was so obvious. I suppose that without Howard, Wade, and Rose because of injuries, Team USA had some adversity, but their talent was still miles ahead of the competition. Despite our women scoring more style points in their gold medal game, I still consider the teams even because the men faced tougher competition from around the world. For this same reason, the 2012 Team USA is not as far behind the 1992 Dream Team as most people believe. Both teams were dominant and maintained, but did not elevate, USA basketball supremacy.

9. Melissa Jeanette Franklin: Better known as Missy Franklin, our newest swimming phenomenon embodies what I mentioned earlier about youth and enthusiasm. In a sport with plenty of competition, living up to standards set by the American swimming program and its previous legends is no easy task. In the midst of what was, at that time, a fierce race for Olympic domination against the Chinese, Missy exploded onto the Olympic scene and was a driving force that helped lead our nation’s athletes throughout the first half of the 2012 games. Missy was one Call Me Maybe parody away from being my favorite female athlete of London’s 2012 Olympics and it will be great to have her representing the USA for years to come. She ended up with four gold medals, one bronze and a couple of world records. Franklin and Michael Phelps were the only Olympians to capture four gold medals in 2012. Not bad for an Olympic debut.

8. Gabby Douglas and the Fab 5: What were we doing at age 16? Our youngest top ten performer took the gymnastics world by storm on the two biggest stages. Douglas won gold in the team finals and became the coveted all-around champion. Some speculation suggests that she faded after the peak of her accomplishments. Her underwhelming 7^th and 8^th place finishes in her Olympic events were somewhat anticlimactic after what we grew to expect from her. However, I think her performance was less about her game decreasing over time than it was elevating her performance at the biggest moments. In the two most important events, Gabby Douglas stepped up and proved to be the world’s best gymnast when it mattered most. Douglas and her supporting cast of Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Kyla Ross made up quite possibly the best USA gymnastics team ever assembled, even more so than 1996’s Magnificent Seven.

7. Andy Murray: Speaking of stepping up on the biggest stage, Great Britain’s best tennis player has never won a Grand Slam event and has historically struggled when matched up against the world’s best. Facing Roger Federer, one of the greatest of all time, in the gold medal match seemed like a perfect setup for another heartbreak. However, given the support of his home crowd and the pressure of the Olympic stage, this was a very different experience. He defeated Federer, and it was not by any means close. The adrenaline rush was felt throughout a nation that, by that time, was surprisingly making a lot of noise at its own games. Great Britain finished among the elite at the 2012 Summer Olympics, and this was one of their crown jewels of a very successful season. The silver medal he received in the doubles competition can be easily forgotten but was also a big accomplishment for this summer’s British dominance of tennis.

6. Felix Sanchez: The 400 meter hurdles champion won the Domican Republic’s first medal of the 2012 games, but that is hardly the story here. Sanchez is among the only athletes in history to wear a name more important than the one of his own country. On his cleats, “Abuela” had been written in memory of his grandmother. The 2004 Summer Olympics were held in Athens, which is where Sanchez won his first gold medal in this event. Four years later in Beijing, he found out on the day of 400 meter hurdles qualifying that his grandmother had passed away that morning. After making the tough decision to stay in the competition, he dedicated his performance to her. That day, he finished with the 22^nd place time out of 25 qualifying runners. Four painful years passed and Sanchez entered the 2012 London Olympics at 34 years old. Remember, Olympians age in dog years so this attempt would be a longshot. In the finals, Sanchez completed the most emotional Olympic performance I have ever seen. He blew away the competition for his second career gold medal. After he crossed the finish line, he pulled a picture of his abuela from his jersey and placed it on the track. What followed was the most moving moment of these 2012 Olympics, and I strongly suggest that you find video of it somewhere if you have not seen this already.

5. Jessica Ennis: It takes the peak of athletic greatness to top that last moment, which is all that lies ahead. If Andy Murray is what kept London’s excitement going, this is what started it. Ennis suffered a stress fracture in her right foot in 2008 that kept her out of the Beijing Olympics. This proved to be a career threatening injury as Ennis lost multiple world titles and her status for this year was questionable for some time. In preparation for 2012, she learned to long jump leading with her non-dominant foot. In London, the crowd went wild as she made the final turn of the 800 meter run and captured the gold medal in the heptathlon by a sizable margin. By most unbiased standards, this accomplishment makes Jessica Ennis the most athletic woman on Earth. Her versatility and excellence in each event support his claim. This is a woman who can high jump a foot taller than her own height. In more ways than one, Ennis is a great face for team Great Britain. Her success was a shot in the arm to GB’s athletics and started the British gold rush that solidified their spot near the top of the standings. Among many great moments for the home team, this was Britain’s greatest time to shine.

4. Oscar Pistorius and Kirani James: The “Blade Runner” from South Africa is as inspirational as it gets in sports. Pistorius became the first double amputee to run on an Olympic track, but not before controversy struck from inexperienced science. Pistorius was previously banned from Olympic competition because the people in charge actually believed that his prosthetic legs were a competitive advantage against able-bodied runners. I should not have to explain why this decision was eventually overturned, but they eventually realized that having no legs is actually not beneficial when it comes to running. The nature of his prosthetic legs is not bionic, they merely act as a support system that allows the rest of his body’s movements. His essential running muscles and upper legs are still there and are the force behind his speed and stamina. When Pistorius qualified for the 400 meter semi-finals, all eyes were on him to see if the impossible could become history. In this same heat was gold medal favorite (and eventual champion) Kirani James. James won convincingly and moved on to the finals, where he would win gold and capture Grenada’s first ever Olympic medal. Pistorius, on the other hand, finished in last place of this semi-final heat. After the race, however, James approached Pistorius and the two traded name tags, the equivalent of soccer’s jersey trading tradition between great players. This act of sportsmanship between a champion of sport and a champion of life is already an iconic moment in Olympic history and embodies what Olympic competition is all about. Pistorius will compete in future Paralympics as well, where I imagine his competition is in serious trouble.

3. Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings: These last three moments are pretty interchangeable because each carries a “greatest of all time” title. Misty May and Kerri have dominated beach volleyball for a long time now, but this last championship run would be the most challenging. The strong Brazilian team entered the competition as the number one ranked team in the world, and the Kessy-Ross American team was expected to be almost just as good as our legendary combination. Misty and Kerri actually lost a set for the first time in their Olympic career and faced tough competition on their way to the top, but the two eventually recaptured their rightful place on top of the world. In a delightful all-USA gold medal match, Treaner and Jennings won decisively and completed a three-peat and the perfect Olympic career. This gold and silver combination was the turning point for the USA overtaking and running away from China in the medal count. Misty and Kerri literally accomplished as much as they could have on the Olympic stage and will likely retire now among the greatest Olympians of all time. No one has dominated their respective sport for as long as these two women have, and going undefeated over a span of twelve years is an accomplishment that will be remembered forever.

2. Usain Bolt and Jamaica’s dominance: Usain Bolt became the first man in history to win consecutive gold medals in both the 100 and 200 meter sprints. He holds the world record in both events, and has dominated sprinting in a way that is almost comical. From mid race celebrations to an outgoing off the track personality, Bolt has crossed the threshold between hometown hero and worldwide superstar. He is admired here in America and all over the world, and he deserves it. What I love about track is that unlike football, baseball or other sports, the greatest of all time can be determined by simply looking at the numbers. Quarterbacks naturally throw for more yards now and baseball seasons have more games. In track, you have to be the fastest to travel a given distance on foot. That’s it, and Bolt has become the fastest man to do so. He is without a doubt the fastest man of all time, and managed to do it in style. These Olympics were different because while he was probably still the odds on favorite, some expected him to lose his throne to teammate Yohan Blake, who beat Bolt in both races during Olympic qualifying in Jamaica. However, it was business as usual for Bolt who, by track standards, won both events by a large margin. The USA actually put up a great fight in the always exciting 4X100 meter relay, but the Jamaicans were just too good. With Bolt as the anchor for the first time, we finally saw him finish a race at full speed, and it was beautiful to watch.

1. Michael Phelps: The most decorated Olympian of all time now has 22 Olympic medals. There is no analysis that can describe his accomplishments better than simply stating the truth. He has 22 Olympic medals, 18 gold medals, 13 individual medals, 11 individual gold medals. After winning a record eight gold medals in Beijing, he quietly won four more in London. He is 6’4” with a 6’8” wingspan and his build is custom made for Olympic swimming. He decisively outperformed teammate Ryan Lochte, who was expected to dethrone Phelps and become the world’s greatest swimmer. Lochte has taken criticism from the Twitter nation for underperforming at these Olympics, but I think that his participation made history possible. His victory over Phelps and the rest of the world in the 400 meter medley to kick off the Olympics was the wakeup call Phelps needed to become the Michael Phelps we all wanted to see. His reaction to that loss came in the form of six medals over the next week. If Michael Phelps sticks to his retirement plan, he will most likely go down in history as the single greatest Olympian of all time. While I selfishly hope he comes back for one more, the way he ended things this summer was pretty perfect.

I do not want to ruin the magic of these stories by complaining too much, but it would be a disservice to anyone reading if I did not criticize NBC’s terrible coverage of these Summer Olympics. They claim that the reasoning behind the eight to twelve hour delay between the actual event and their coverage was to show the biggest events in primetime (8pm eastern standard time). However, anyone who followed these 2012 games closely knows what came on at 8pm. Diving. Every night was diving. Sometimes synchronized, sometimes individual, but there was always diving on at 8pm. The events that they advertised (swimming, gymnastics, etc.) would not actually come on until 11 or 11:30pm. They cannot expect 21^st century Americans to bury their heads in the sand and hide from the news so they can be surprised at midnight. I gave up on them pretty early on and started streaming live British coverage. The two things NBC could have done well was show events live in timely fashion or during American primetime. They did neither, and even once the events were on they were mediocre. Andrea Kramer has no idea how to interview someone who has just lost, which is an art. Luckily, America did a lot of winning, but watching her basically ask Ryan Lochte how it felt to lose was painful. Bob Kostas was giving highlights of a qualifying USA men’s basketball game that I missed. He showed us two highlights of Lebron dunking and then moved on to diving. He never gave a final score and I had to look it up on espn.com. There is a noticeable difference between ESPN coverage, an actual sports network, and NBC’s entertainment over sports approach. I heard ten times how Missy Franklin is going to a Justin Bieber concert, but the emotional video of her high school gathering to watch her win gold was only shown once.

Despite NBC’s many efforts, nothing can take away from London’s great 2012 Summer Olympics. I will forever remember the stories listed here and the memories that the world’s greatest athletes created for viewers everywhere. I can only imagine the pressure that comes from the Olympic stage and the glory that comes from their performances, their heart, and the pride of an entire nation.