Last season, McCoy was the one consistent player on an otherwise unpredictable, and often unproductive, Eagles’ offense and emerged as one of the top running backs in the NFL.  Due in large part to his ability to elude defenders by moving laterally, McCoy broke the franchise record for rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns in a season by collecting 17 touchdowns on the ground and 20 total (both records were held by Hall of Famer Steve Van Buren who had 15 rushing touchdowns and 18 overall in 1945).  Since his debut three years ago, McCoy has continued to take on a larger role in the Philadelphia offense and it appears he will be a central piece for years to come.

The deal seems to be a win-win for the Eagles and McCoy.  As a running back who has continued to get better each season and was among the top rushers in the league last season, McCoy deserved an extension worth a lot of money.  Furthermore, the Eagles have made large investments in players such as Michael Vick and DeSean Jackson, and McCoy is the final piece to what could be a very explosive offense.

The one flaw in the deal could be the fact that it stretches over 5 years.  With McCoy turning 24 in July, it means he will be 29 at the end of his contract and the magic number for running backs seems to be 30.  After the age of 30, and sometimes even a year or two earlier, running backs who have had a significant workload each season have seen a drop off in production.  In the NFL, running backs take a pounding each week and smaller backs, such as McCoy, are at an even higher risk of wearing down quickly.

With that being said, I still believe this is a good deal.  As mentioned, McCoy will be 29, not 30, so it is more likely that he will be able to perform fairly well even in the last year of his contract.  Furthermore, the Eagles, and Andy Reid in particular, seem to have a limited window to win a Super Bowl.  This could very well be, and should be, Andy Reid’s last season if he does not win a Super Bowl.  With a great deal of pressure on the team, it is crucial that they have the best offensive player from last season playing without any distractions.  Finally, McCoy has proven to be equally explosive offensively as wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who received a long-term contract earlier in the off-season.  Since McCoy has been less of a distraction and a more consistent performer, it is only logical that he receive a long-term contract.

The future certainly looks bright for the young running back out of the University of Pittsburgh.  With a big contract secured, McCoy can focus on playing football as a Philadelphia Eagle for years to come and winning a Super Bowl.

The Eastern Conference picture changed dramatically when Derrick Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 against the 76ers. Without Rose the Bulls can’t compete with the Heat, and it would have been very difficult for them to make the NBA Finals. But then Joakim Noah sprained his ankle in Game 3, and the Bulls blew a big lead after he left that game. The Bulls obviously are not the same team without those players, and the 76ers became the second 8th seed in two years to knock off the top team in the conference.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers

Season Series: 76ers won 2-1

Key Player: Rajon Rondo

The Celtics are easily the better team in this series, but they are also a much older team too. Boston barely pulled out the first game in this series and as the series continues they will only wear down more. If Rondo continues to get triple-doubles it will be very difficult for the Sixers to win, but the Sixers defense is great and will be able to slow him down in some games. Keep an eye on Evan Turner, who is playing the best he has all season. He can cause some match up problems for Boston. Road wins will be hard to come by in this series, and I think  that this series will go 6 or 7 games. The Sixers will not want the series to go to 7 because it will be almost impossible for them to win Game 7 in Boston.

Prediction: Sixers win in 6 games.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Indiana Pacers

Season Series: Heat won 3-1

Key Player: Roy Hibbert

The Pacers are the biggest threat to the Heat in the Eastern Conference, and it is because of their size. The weakness in Miami is their big men, and that is exactly what Indiana has in David West and Roy Hibbert. Now that Chris Bosh may be out for an extended amount of time, as the result of his MRI caused Miami to declare him out indefinitely, the Heat could be in trouble with all of the size and depth that Indiana has down low. Hibbert is a great defender, but with Wade and James driving so much to the basket, he will have to avoid foul trouble in this series. But the biggest factor in this series is experience. Even though LeBron has not won an NBA Championship, he has been there twice. Wade has also been there twice, and he has won one title. These two will be just too much for the Pacers to handle. I expect all of the games to be tightly contested, and even though the series may not be that long, the quality of the games will be very high.

Prediction: Miami wins in 5.

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) San Antonio Spurs vs. (5) Los Angeles Clippers

Season Series: Spurs won 2-1

Key Player: Tony Parker

How happy were the Spurs as they watched the Clippers defeat the Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday? The Grizzlies defeated the Spurs last year in the first round when Memphis was the 8th seed, and I am sure that the Spurs probably weren’t looking forward to playing the Griz again. So now they have the Clippers in the second round. The Spurs have had a lot of rest since their last game against the Utah Jazz, but that isn’t always bad. The Spurs are an older team, and the more they can rest guys like Ginobili and Duncan, the better I think they are as a team. The Spurs lost to the Clippers once in the regular season, but Tony Parker was not in that game. In that game Chris Paul had 36 points, and Mo Williams also added 33 points. Parker has arguably been playing as well as any point guard in the league, and it will be very fun to watch him and Chris Paul against each other. If the two point guards cancel each other out, this series will be a joke, and possibly even a sweep. And if the Clippers are losing by 26 at any time during a game, don’t expect the Spurs to blow that game like the Grizzlies did in Game 1 last series. The Spurs are just too good, and the Clippers are just not physical enough. I hope I don’t see Blake Griffin crying every time down the court, because this is playoff basketball. Griffin is accustomed to receiving every call, and his “superstar” status does grant him a lot of calls, and it especially gave him a lot of calls in the last series. But he is not going to get those calls against the Spurs, and it will be a very long series for him.

Prediction: It may be a long series for Griffin, but not for the Clippers. Spurs win in 5 games.

(2) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (3) Los Angeles Lakers

Season Series: Thunder won 2-1

Key Player: Russell Westbrook

This is the series to watch in this round. You have the top two scorers in the league in Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, as well as Metta World Peace playing against James Harden again, and Derek Fisher playing against his old team. Kobe is running out of time for that 6th title, and this may be his best opportunity. Bynum is healthy, Metta World Peace is still a great defender, and if Pau Gasol can play like he did in Game 7 against the Nuggets it will be difficult for them to lose. But looking back at the series against the Nuggets, Ty Lawson completely destroyed the Lakers’ defense and Ty Lawson is not on the same level as Russell Westbrook. Sessions will have trouble covering Westbrook, and World Peace will struggle with Durant.

Prediction: Oklahoma City in 6.

Eastern Conference

1] New York Rangers vs. 6] New Jersey Devils

Rangers:

In the first two rounds, the New York Rangers were pushed to the brink of elimination by the eighth-seeded Ottawa Senators and the seventh-seeded Washington Capitals, but were able to advance both times by winning the decisive game seven by a score of 2-1.  Through the first 14 games of the playoffs, the Rangers have played in 11 one-goal games, four of which were overtime games, including a triple overtime thriller against the Capitals.  The Rangers are no stranger to close games, and this should come as little surprise since the Rangers are a defensive team that relies on timely goal-scoring and superb play from Henrik Lundqvist.  Lundqvist has continued his strong play from the regular season, coming up with crucial saves in close games against some of the top forwards in the league, and the team has gotten timely goals from Brad Richards, especially in the last few games.

Devils:

In the first round, the Devils went to seven games with the Florida Panthers and were able to advance with a 3-2 double overtime win on the road.  Then, the Devils dominated the Philadelphia Flyers and defeated their Atlantic Division rival in five games to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.  Veteran goaltender Martin Brodeur was inconsistent in the first round and faced fewer shots through the second round, but still showed flashes of brilliance at times.  The Devils play a defensive style of hockey and have shown the ability to capitalize on turnovers from their opponents.  The team feeds off the energy and play of captain Zach Parise and will look to Ilya Kovalchuk to score goals.  Head Coach Peter DeBoer has pushed all the right buttons and has gotten the most out of his players to this point in the playoffs.

Prediction: The New York Rangers know how to win close games and have a bit more talent than the New Jersey Devils.  Rangers in 6 games.

Western Conference

3] Phoenix Coyotes vs. 8] Los Angeles Kings

Coyotes:

The Coyotes have simply found ways to win games in the first two rounds.  After beating out the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division Title, the Coyotes earned home ice and defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.  Then, the Coyotes took advantage of a Predators team that had players miss time due to off-the-ice issues.  The Coyotes won the series in five games and goaltender Mike Smith played as well as, if not better than, Pekka Rinne.  After a few non-impressive seasons in Tampa Bay, Mike Smith has emerged as an elite goaltender in Phoenix (at least for this season) and is the main reason the Coyotes have been able to advance this far in the playoffs.  The forwards in front of Smith have been successful because they play well defensively and do not make many mistakes.  Veteran forward Antoine Vermette, who was acquired from Columbus before the trade deadline, has been the top goal scorer for the Coyotes and has provided offensive support for captain Shane Doan.  The fans are excited in Phoenix and will provide a tough atmosphere for the Kings.

Kings:

To the surprise of many, the Kings have been the most consistent, and most dominating, team in the playoffs.  After knocking off the Presidents’ Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks in five games, the Kings then swept the second-seeded St. Louis Blues, winning all four games by at least two goals.  As is the case with the other three teams remaining in the playoffs, the Kings have been led by outstanding play in net and timely goal-scoring.  Goaltender Jonathan Quick has the lowest goals against average (1.55) and the highest save percentage (.949) of any goaltender remaining.  While the Kings could not score consistently during the regular season, various players, including captain Dustin Brown, have put the puck in the back of the net in the playoffs.  Finally, it is important to note that the team plays very physical and wears down opponents by the end of the game.

Prediction: In a low-scoring match-up of strong goaltending, the Kings find any way they can to score and Jonathan Quick outplays Mike Smith.  Kings in 6 games.

Entering the game in the 9th inning with his team holding a 5-4 lead, Axford allowed Ian Stewart on base on an error by Aramis Ramirez to lead the inning. After Stewart advanced to second, David DeJesus logged his 5th RBI of the night with a triple that plated Stewart, tied the game, and ended Axford’s save streak. What followed after the blown save was wild and exciting as well.  The Cubs added 2 more off Axford in the 9th, and a home run in the bottom of the 9th from Corey Hart forced extra innings.  Four innings later, in the 13th, with both bullpens nearly empty, Hart hit an RBI single with the bases loaded to give the Brewers the 8-7 win.

Prior to Saturday’s blown save, Axford had not blown a save since April 18th, 2011, when he blew a save against Philadelphia.  Before that, Axford couldn’t convert on a save on the opening day of the 2011 season in Cincinnati and there were questions about Axford’s future as the Brewers closer.  He had not had a full season as the closer at that point, he had only taken over for Trevor Hoffman in the middle of the prior season, and he had not established a track record to that point. Axford could have been a blown save or two away from losing his job in April of 2011.  Instead, 13 months later, the blown save in Philadelphia in April of 2011 was his last prior to Saturday night, and he has put himself among the leaders in baseball history in consecutive saves.

Axford didn’t come into the major leagues as a closer; rather, he was positioned as a one or two inning setup man.  He also was throwing in the low 90s in the minors, and before escalating to the majors changed his delivery to add an extra 3-4 miles per hour.  Now Axford throws anywhere from 95-97 miles per hour with good break on his offspeed pitches.

John Axford has become one of the best (and most underrated) closers in all of baseball in under 2 years as a closer at the major league level.  He took over for arguably the greatest closer of all-time, Trevor Hoffman, two years ago, and then saved 49 consecutive save opportunities from April of 2011 until yesterday.  With the likes of Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, Francisco Rodriguez, and even Heath Bell dominating the closer headlines in recent years, John Axford has been under the radar in terms of MLB closers, but his streak of 49 consecutive regular season saves as well as his role in the resurgence of the Brewers franchise should not be overlooked.

The Dodgers have benefited from a favorable schedule to this point in the season.  Of the team’s first 28 games, 22 have been against teams with a record below .500.  Since it is early in the season, I understand that some of the teams the Dodgers have faced are only a few games below .500, so this stat may appear misleading.  With that being said, the reality is that many of the Dodgers’ wins have come against teams that are not going to be in the playoff hunt late in the season, such as the Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres.  In fact, the team has had the advantage of playing seven games, and earning six victories, against the last-place San Diego Padres.  The schedule also shows that the team plays better at home than on the road.  The Dodgers are 10-2 at home and 8-8 on the road.  Most recently, the team went 2-4 on a six-game road trip that included two series against the Colorado Rockies and the Chicago Cubs.  In order to remain atop the division, the team will have to play better on the road.

The Dodgers play in a wide-open National League West with three teams having a legitimate shot at winning the division.  Looking at the rest of the schedule, the Dodgers will face their division rivals many times throughout the season.  Therefore, the Dodgers will not have as challenging a schedule as a team such as the Baltimore Orioles, that play in the American League East, and will have the opportunity to take the NL West.  However, the Dodgers will be competing with a strong, experienced pitching staff from the San Francisco Giants and a strong offense from the Arizona Diamondbacks as well as a Colorado Rockies team that has shown the ability to get hot during the second half of the season.  So while the Dodgers have a legitimate chance to win the division, they do not have the talent to simply run away from these other teams.

The truth is that the Dodgers have talent.  The team has one of the best starting pitchers in the league and arguably the best all-around player in the league.  In addition, the team has a player that can get very hot throughout the season in Andre Ethier and a young, speedy shortstop in Dee Gordon.  Finally, the starting pitchers behind Kershaw, such as Ted Lilly and Chris Capuano, have been outstanding in the first month of the season.  However, that team also has flaws.  The offense has gaps and the team will need more production from players like Dee Gordon and James Loney.  The depth of the starting pitching is concerning because Aaron Harang has struggled and Chris Capuano has a losing career record.  In addition, the team has struggled to win games in late innings, especially since the second half of April.  Closer Javy Guerra has blown multiple saves to go along with a 1-3 record and a 5.84 ERA.  Playing in tight games against division rivals, the Dodgers will need better pitching in the late innings.

The truth is that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a good team with the potential to make the playoffs, especially with the addition of another wildcard spot this season.  With the combination of injuries and off-the-field issues last season, the team struggled to remain a playoff contender.  The early success this season has been quite a turnaround from last year, but the Dodgers still have flaws.  While the team will be in the playoff hunt in September, let’s wait and see exactly what we have with the Los Angeles Dodgers.