By: Kevin Cottrell Jr. 

Just A Thought…PLAN ACCORDINGLY…If life was as easy as clichés no one would need experience for advancement but life isn’t that simple. It’s been said that the early bird gets the worm. So, we all know the importance of preparation and timeliness in order to do our best at whatever task that is in front of us. But what if being early made one late? What if being early was viewed as disrespect? All things should not be approached the same. Sports are no different. No matter what a team game plans before facing an opponent because one tactic that is effective against team A may not work against team B. So yes it’s been said that the early bird gets the worm but remember the second mouse gets the cheese! Plan accordingly.

NBA News & Notes: 

This time next week we’ll all be glued to our flat screens tuned in to the first week of NBA on TNT. Believe it or not the NBA is back (and so our its Refs!) So will the Lakers defend their title? Can the Magic return to the Finals after revamping its roster? Will the Celtics have the luck of the Irish? Can the Bulls build on their magical first round series? Will the Hawks finally win 50 games? And who will win MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and most of all who win rein supreme in June? Look no further here are my Sure Fire predictions for the 2009-10 NBA season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE (predicted order of finish)

1. CELTICS- A healthy KG and motivated ‘Sheed equals danger for the East!
2. CAVALIERS- LBJ wants to redeem himself after failing to reach the Finals
3. MAGIC- One of the deepest teams in the NBA, first 10 games w/o Rashard.
4. HAWKS- With Jamal Crawford Atl will be tough to defend down the stretch
5. WIZARDS- Arenas is healthy and the core is in place. Surprise team of season
6. BULLS- Noah’s Arc team of the NBA: 2 deep at every position
7. RAPTORS- Turkoglu will make a good 1-2 punch with Bosh.
8. HEAT- Tough to count out Dwyane Wade (plus it’s a contract year!)

WESTERN CONFERENCE (predicted order of finish)

1. LAKERS- Kobe+Artest=the toughest set of wings in the NBA!
2. SPURS- Quietly got deeper w/McDyess/Jefferson (and a healthy Manu)
3. NUGGETS- Denver has confidence after Conf. Finals run but is it enough?
4. MAVERICKS- Dirk is fresh and added depth in front court makes them better
5. BLAZERS- On paper Blazers can win a lot of games but chemistry needs work
6. HORNETS- CP3 makes them a playoff team but
7. JAZZ- As long as Sloan is the coach this team will compete
8. SUNS- The 8^th spot will be tough to secure but the Suns should run and get it!

NBA Superlatives & Finals Match Up

Sixth Man of Year: Jamal Crawford (Hawks)

Rookie of Year: Blake Griffin (Clippers)

Defensive Player of Year: Dwight Howard (Magic)

Coach of Year: Flip Saunders (Wizards)

Most Improved Player: Brook Lopez (Nets)

Most Valuable Player: LeBron James (Cavaliers)

NBA FINALS: LAKERS OVER CELTICS

NFL: PICK 6! WEEK 7 Predictions: I had a rough week 6 after witnessing my Bears first hand shooting themselves like Plaxico Burress! Good thing it was in Atlanta because they will get a second chance unlike Plaxico…Okay enough about my boys let’s take a look at this week’s schedule. (Bye Week: Broncos, Lions, Titans, Seahawks, Jaguars and Ravens)

1. (3-2) CARDINALS @ (5-1) GIANTS- After a slow start to the season the Cardinals have bounced back after a big win in Seattle. The Giants were rolling winners of 5 straight before being brought back to reality by the Saints in the Superdome. So what will give? The Giants are at home and will do their best to get their running game going. Eli and his receivers have been clicking thus far but their defense will have to pick themselves as they get set to face another explosive passing offense. With Anquan Boldin nursing a sore ankle the Cards may be primed for a let down. Look for the G-Men to get things going early and run away with the win. Prediction: Giants by 8

2. (4-1) FALCONS @ (3-2) COWBOYS- For those who still think Matt Ryan and the Falcons aren’t a serious contender in the NFC then tune in this Sunday. The Falcons have one of the most balanced attacks on offense with Turner/Norwood in the backfield and Roddy White/Tony Gonzalez downfield. But the Cowboys are coming off a bye week and getting healthy as RB Marion Barber and DE DeMarcus Ware both look to return from injury. Dallas has made some changes benching Patrick Crayton in favor of Miles Austin but that still may not be enough to defeat the dirty birds. This game will be very entertaining but if I had to pick the biggest difference in the game it would be the play of Matt Ryan vs. Tony Romo. I’d rather have Ryan! Prediction: Falcons by 3

3. (5-0) SAINTS @ (2-3) DOLPHINS- This is a trap game for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints seem unstoppable right now and the only way to keep Brees out of the end zone is by keeping him on the sideline! Then comes the Wildcat offense. The Dolphins only have 2 wins on the season but their Wildcat offense has been so effective those 3 wins by the opposition were earned down the stretch of those games. If Miami protects the ball and continues to run the wildcat effectively this could be the upset of week 7! This is just an alert because I still have to go with the Saints until they prove otherwise. Prediction: Saints by 1

4. (3-2) BEARS @ (4-2) BENGALS: This is a unique match up because of the game within the game. Sure both teams are coming off tough losses and both teams need the win to position themselves for a potential playoff run but the true game (within the game) is between RB Cedric Benson and the Bears front 7. For the past few weeks the Bears have had to answer questions from the media about the success of Benson and they’ve all applauded his early season efforts. But the ex-Bear Cedric Benson has had nothing but negative things to say about the team that drafted him. If Benson finds himself trying to prove a point on the field it could backfire by a stingy Bears defense forcing him to turnover the ball. Both Palmer and Cutler have looked great at times and average at other times so the team to win the turnover battle will win the game. Good luck Ced, your mouth wrote a check let’s see if your running will cash it! Prediction: Bears by 4

5. (6-0) VIKINGS @ (4-2) STEELERS: This should be the game of the week. The defending champs are at home and will welcome in one of the hottest teams in the NFL in the Vikings. Both teams sit atop their perspective divisions and would love to walk away with the win to remain there. Both teams defense is very tough against the run but the difference will once again be the play of the QB’s. Big Ben has always been tough to bring down and Favre uses his cannon as an equalizer. When two teams are evenly matched (as these two titans) the edge normally goes to the home squad. Things should go as history tells us. Prediction: Steelers by 3

6. (3-2) 49ERS @ (3-3) TEXANS: The first three weeks of the season the ‘Niners seemed to be a true force in the NFC. But then things changed and they are in jeopardy of slipping back into mediocrity. As for the Texans they have one of the most explosive offenses in the AFC but can’t seem to stop anyone! Any game involving these two teams are tough to call so with them facing one another things are even tougher. If the Texans can get to Shaun Hill early and limited the ‘Niners possessions, Matt Schaub & Company should have no problem doing the rest. Prediction: Texans by 1

NFL: QUICK PICKS (For the Office Pool Players!)

**SURE FIRE PICKS**

EAGLES OVER REDSKINS

PATRIOTS OVER BUCCANEERS

PACKERS OVER BROWNS

COLTS OVER RAMS

**EVEN STEVENS**

BILLS OVER PANTHERS

JETS OVER RAIDERS

CHARGERS OVER CHIEFS

III. SAY WHAT!!! (Tweets of the Week)

OGOchoCinco @jaycutler6 tell your defense I'm gonna run circles around them, I'm mad we lost, peanut Tillman is gonna kiss da baby along with the rest

JayCutler6 @OGOchoCinco it's only Monday. Already starting?

OGOchoCinco @JayCutler6 damit Jay I have to get a jump on yall, on a serious note tell Lovie to put Tillman on me all game with safety help, please!!!!

JayCutler6 @OGOchoCinco Peanut on you with safety over top. You got it. Anything else you would like me to pass on?

OGOchoCinco @JayCutler6 well after I embarass the secondary I want your jersey after game , that's all for now

JayCutler6 @OGOchoCinco double coverage all game might be difficult. Don't you think?

JayCutler6 Signed a 2 year extension. Thanks to the Bears, the McCaskey family and all the Bears fans for the support.

OGOchoCinco @JayCutler6 they gave you an extension so you wouldn't tweet me back, damn I just got you paid, congrats.

JayCutler6 @OGOchoCinco haha...thanks man. I owe you.

END ZONE (PIC of the Week)