2012 San Diego Chargers Offseason Needs

After dominating the AFC West in recent years, it seems as though the San Diego Chargers are finally ready to bow down in favor of the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. The Chargers won four straight division titles from 2006-2009, but they were never able to capitalize on their success with a Super Bowl appearance. While they may no longer be the front-runners in the West, they still have enough weapons on both sides of the ball to make the playoffs. Here are some of the Chargers' big additions and subtractions sofar in this young offseason, plus a breakdown of their biggest needs heading into the draft.

Additions:

Super Bowl 2012

WR Robert Meachem

FB Le'Ron McClain

SS Atari Bigby

DE/OLB Jarret Johnson

WR/KR Eddie Royal

WR/KR Roscoe Parrish

WR/KR Micheal Spurlock

Subtractions:

WR Vincent Jackson

G Kris Dielman

RB Mike Tolbert

OT Marcus McNeill

SS Steve Gregory

Top 5 Needs:

1. Outside Linebacker

Although the Chargers were able to sign Jarret Johnson away from the Baltimore Ravens, the team still needs to look for another pass rush specialist. Although Johnson will definitely help the defense, he had just 20 sacks in 143 games with Baltimore. Antwan Barnes emerged as the Chargers' best sack artist, going for 11 sacks in 2011. Shaun Phillips, however, was a huge disappointment. Phillips had just 3.5 sacks last year, after racking up 11 the year before. San Diego desperately needs someone who can team up with Barnes to form a great duo against the quarterback on passing situations.

2. Offensive Tackle

Starting left tackle Marcus McNeill was curiously cut by the Chargers, but they were able to re-sign Jared Gaither. However, Gaither missed all of 2010 and was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs in the middle of the season. San Diego definitely needs to add a security option for Gaither. Aside from that, the team also needs an upgrade over right tackle Jeromey Clary. The best thing that could happen for the Chargers is for Gaither to return to form and start at left tackle while they bring in someone who can challenge Clary for the starting spot.

3. Cornerback

While Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason form a serviceable duo at corner, Jammer turns 33 in June and there are some talks about moving him to safety. The Chargers added free agent Atari Bigby to team up with Eric Weddle at safety last year, but there is no doubt that the team needs to find a suitable replacement for Jammer.

4. Guard

When Kris Dielman announced his retirement, the Chargers' offensive line suffered a major blow. Now that he is gone, they must figure out a way to fill his spot. Besides possibly shuffling current players around, the team needs to add some more depth to this position. Although Tyronne Green and Stephen Schilling are capable players able to come in and get the job done, some new blood will certainly help lend some fire to this downtrodden team.

5. Running Back

Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert might have formed a pretty good 1-2 punch in the running game last year, but there is no doubt that the loss of Darren Sproles' big-play ability out of the backfield really hurt the Chargers' offense. Now that Tolbert has signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, this has become an even bigger need for the Chargers. This need should be addressed at the upcoming draft and I wouldn't be surprised if the team chooses Oregon's LaMichael James when it picks in the third round.

2012 San Diego Chargers Offseason Needs

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Ten Reasons the World Will NOT End in 2012

The world will Not End in the year 2012. I have interviewed a number of very famous and well known fictional mediums. And they all have told me that the world will not end in the year 2012.

The top ten reasons are below.

Nfl 2012

1. Microsoft is putting out a new version on windows in 2012. (We all know how well they keep a schedule)

2. The Cowboys will WIN the NFL Championship that year. That big crackling sound we will hear will be Hell freezing over, not the world ending.

3. That Guy who wrote the Mayan Calender, well... He was a Cowboys fan.

4. They discovered that drinking red wine will make you live longer. I figure I will be around well into the next century.

5. Marissa Tomei will win an Academy Award in 2013. (Don't say It Couldn't Happen.)

6. An unknown virus will infect Washington DC and wipe out all the politicians, Who will survive?... We Will.

7. L Ron Hubbard hasn't scheduled the spaceship to get here until 2014.

8. There will still be plenty of comic books that haven't been made into bad movies.

9. The warranty on my new car will expire Jan 1 2013.

10. Christian Bale F-ing said it wouldn't.

One for Grand-daughter came home and she had heard something at school about the world ending. This has started to get out of hand. The talk of the world ending is a serious rumor and maybe you are one of the believers,

Do your research and weigh all the FACTS. Don't depend on just a couple of articles that you read online.

I intend to be here for many many years to come.

Ten Reasons the World Will NOT End in 2012

Roy Merrill is One man living at home with his girlfriend, two daughters and six Grand daughters. Life for him is never boring. Follow him at his blog.

1man9women

Sport Video Games That No One Speaks About Nowadays

As we get to the top of the college basketball period and transition into the magnificence of the 2011 baseball season, I conclude it truly is only fitting to think about several of the most unforgettable, yet forgotten sports games of all-time. Some of these were set aside thanks to politics, others were shelved just because people happen to be far too fickle to give them a chance (pun intended).

Nonetheless, this is my list of the most unforgettable sports games that nobody discusses anymore. Well, we will change that right this moment...

Nfl 2012

NHL HITZ

NFL blitz meets NHL 2k in this amazing game. This game is not as forgotten as some, bragging a fairly solid cult following of individuals familiar with the likes of the Shark Tank, Circus Rink, and the ever imposing Disco Arena (a tough location for any challenger to go into) yet you would nevertheless be challenged to find it. The game play is definitely fantastic and truly quite solid for a game that's meant to be over the top. Here's a secret, do anything you could to get out to an early lead, and set your defense to zone and "less aggressive." And who could forget the quarrels? Evidently, so many people. The game survived only 2 years.

Barkley Shut Up And Jam

Barkley Shut Up and Jam! This is sure to be a somewhat controversial option, as several will argue that it already has a reboot and is not that forgotten about. But the video game was solid. Basically, everything you should understand about the video game is on the front cover. It features Charles Barkley and lots of dunking. This video game offered something that most games don't provide nowadays: simplicity and the ability to commit a flagrant foul any time you wanted. Travel the nation, taking on the likes of D-Train from Watts and Funky D from Oakland, chain nets, 360 dunks, and awesomely lame music. What else can you ever want in a basketball game?

ESPN NFL 2K5

All hell broke loose when this video game was launched for the incredibly low price of .95. Madden had to respond with a 40% price decrease of their own, marking their version of the video game all the way down to .99. The series was initially unveiled when Madden made the decision not to produce a version of its series for Dreamcast. But, even Madden could not match the game play which NFL 2K5 offered, a game that felt extremely realistic and set the tone for Madden's "Truck Stick" having its maximum tackle element. Its franchise and "career mode" just weren't nearly as deep as Madden, and yes it had several useless features like first person football as well as the Crib (which NCAA Football eventually stole for the "dorm room') yet who can forget draft mode with Mel Kiper, and the SportsCenter cutaways? A solid game that for 20 bucks was the steal of the century. EA's legal rights to the NFL, as well as the ESPN license ends in 2012, which ought to open the market back up for this excellent series.

Sport Video Games That No One Speaks About Nowadays

The Jace Hall Show is an online reality show that covers video game news and personalities as well as interviews with film/TV/sports celebrities. It also has articles that features sport video games and classic sports video games.

Nevada Football Season Preview for 2012

Hall of Fame head coach Chris Ault has done a masterful job at Nevada in 27 years with the team. He has guided the Wolf Pack to a combined 226-103-1 record in three separate stints as head coach. In the past eight years, Ault has led Nevada to seven bowl games.

The Wolf Pack had a record 7-6 last year, including a 17-24 loss Southern Miss in the Hawaii Bowl to end the season. With just 12 starters and 31 lettermen coming back, there isn't a whole lot of experience returning in 2012. But they do have some interesting talents on this roster, especially offensively.

Nfl 2012

Offense

Nevada has put up offenses that have regularly been among the best in college football year in and year out. They have averaged over 31 points and 500 yards in four consecutive seasons, including the 31.7 and 507 they put up last year. Ault is an offensive maestro, but he's handing the keys to the offense to new offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich, who was at Hawaii the past two years.

Sophomore QB Cody Fajardo earned Freshman WAC Player of the Year honors for his efforts last season.

The Wolf Pack lose their top two rushers from a year ago in Lampford Mark and Mike Ball. talented freshman Tony Knight will slide into the starting position. Junior Stefphon Jefferson will earn his fair share of carries as well.

This unit should continue to be good despite losing their leading receivers in Rashard Matthews and Shane Anderson. That's because both senior WR Brandon Wimberly and senior TE Zach Sudfeld comes back after missing almost all of last season due to injury. Coming back as well is sophomore WR Aaron Bradley and junior TE Kolby Arendse. They add JUCO transfer Nigel Westbrooks at receiver as well.

The offensive line should be just as strong coming into 2012 with three starters and 75 career starts returning. First-team All-WAC guard Chris Barker and second-team All-WAC tackle Jeff NAdy lead the way.

Defense

The defense gave up a respectable 25.2 points and 369 total yards per game last season. The Wolf Pack return six starters on this side of the ball, but lose their top two tacklers, and many of their best players.

Their biggest loss may be up front where DT Brett Roy has departed. Their only returning starter is junior DT Jack Reynoso. JUCO transfer Cortez Woods should dominate alongside Reynose at defensive tackle. Both sophomore DE's Jake Peppard and Tyler Houk are still quite raw and they may not be ready to be big contributors in 2012.

The linebacker position loses their #1 and #2 tacklers in Brandon Marshall and James-Michael-Johnson. Both players were taken in the NFL during the offseason. Former DE Albert Rosette moved to MLB in the spring. Also coming back is senior SLB Jeremiah Green, and JUCO transfer Jon McNeal's ready to start at the WLB position.

The secondary played exceptionally well last year, allowing just 48.3% completions and 222 passing yards/game to opposing quarterbacks. This unit should once again be their bread and butter on the defensive end as seven of their top eight players are back. They lost first-team All-WAC CB Isaiah Frey to the NFL, but return three starters in senior CB Khalid Wooten, senior SS Duke Williams, and senior FS Marlon Johnson.

Mountain West Prediction - 2nd Place

The Wolf Pack move from the WAC to the Mountain West this season. While the MWC used to be very strong, it appears to be down this season with the departure of TCU, and a lot of inexperience from most teams in the conference. Boise State is even expected to be down this year. The Wolf Pack certainly has the talent to compete for a conference title in their first year in the MWC. Their schedule is also quite manageable facing teams on the road that are winnable, while all their toughest games will be played at home. Their game against Boise State at home at the end of the regular season could be the deciding factor on whether or not the Wolf Pack can win the conference.

Nevada Football Season Preview for 2012

Jack Jones provides his football picks each Saturday at Betfirms.com and NCAAFootballFreePicks.com.

Sports Betting Shortcut

If you ask the average sports bettor what percentage of their bets they needed to win in order to profit, I would bet that 98% of them would say 52.4%, or some other number like that. It is not coincidental that statistics show 98% of all sports bettors lose money. If you think you have to win half of your bets to make money, you don't know what game you are playing.

The truth is, you can win substantially less than 50% of your bets and still pocket some nice profits. If you need proof, check out Best Sports Picks Today. If you look at the lifetime history of the site, I am the All Time leader by 11 units over the number 2 handicapper and almost 20 units over number 3.

Nfl 2012

My lifetime record as of April 30, 2012 at BSPT is 70-93 (.429) with a profit of +3210 since September of 2011. Every sport, the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL has been bet during this time with equal success. The same strategy was used for each sport, and I have shown a profit every month with the exception of February 2012.

What happened in February?

Let me tell you a little story, that, had it not happened to me I would probably not believe it could happen. Still, it did happen. In February 2012, I went 0-18 in my betting for the month. That's right. I lost every single bet I placed for the entire month. I won my bet on January 31, and I won my bet on March 1, and lost every single one in between. Fortunately, I was Expert of the Month in January with +1250 units so my 20 unit bankroll was never down more than 5.5 units.

That streak is included in the numbers from BSPT shown above, and I am still by far the biggest winner. In spite of that 18 unit catastrophe in February, I am in 4th place for all of 2012 with over 10 units of profit. My record for the year is 29-49 (.371) through April, +1175.

I tell you these things for two reasons.

First, I needed to get February off my chest and fess up to the world how fallible I can be. Who would really want to claim an 0-18 record? But, since I do sell my systems and strategies, I owe it you to come clean about even the worst of times.

During that stretch, even I questioned my systems and strategies. Maybe I was just lucky in 2011. I was the biggest winner of the year at BSPT. Maybe that Expert of the Month award in January was my peak. Maybe, the thought occurred to me, that I was not as good as I thought. It took me March and April to recover the losses, but I did. My faith was shaken, but never broken.

The second reason is to show you proof that you don't need to win more than 50% of your bets to win money. In fact, you don't need anywhere close to it if you bet right. Most people do not bet right.

Carolina Capper, the current leader for the year at BSPT, is hitting 64% on 53 bets. I tip my hat to the man. He has far and away the best winning percentage, but still, he is only 1.5 units ahead of me right now while I have won only 37%.

How about for just the last two months?

DIY Sports Betting Systems

19 14 +1725

CarolinaCapper

30 16 +1260

Carolina Capper made 1260/46 = 27.39 per bet. I made 1725/33 = 52.27 per bet. That is a BIG difference in betting styles. If I were to lose my next five bets and my percentage dropped to 50%, we would be even and I would only be down to 45.39 per bet.

The point is, winning percentage is nowhere near as important as winning money. If you are betting with a strategy that requires you to win more than 50% of the bets you place to profit, you are almost certain to lose in the long run.

I submit for your consideration that it is insane to risk more than you can win on any game. Still, that is the way most people do it. They will take negative bets all the time. I have seen top handicappers pick teams at -190 or even more. They are crazy enough to put two units up on a baseball game, when the best they can hope to do is win one. And people pay to receive these picks.

Even betting on point spreads at -110 is a losing proposition in most cases. The books charge you 10% just for the privilege of betting on their best guess at what constitutes a 50-50 chance against the spread. Yet many supposedly skilled bettors do it all the time. My view is that if a team needs the points it is not worth betting on.

If you want to win money betting on sports, don't worry about trying to win more games. Instead, focus your attention on winning more money on every game you do win. Instead of churning away your bankroll on point spreads, learn to pick money line winners that pay out +150 or more.

Sports Betting Shortcut

DIY Sports Betting Systems lead you to the games that show the most profit potential, then give you the tools you need to decide if it is really a good bet.

Learn more at the link below.

http://www.diysportsbetting.com

Social Media Command Centers: What Are They and How Can They Help Your Business?

The new term buzzing around the business world is "social media command center." Tech stuff changes so rapidly, it's hard to even keep up with. But, fortunately, we're here to help you keep on top of the latest trends in the industry.

So, What is a Social Media Command Center?

Super Bowl 2012

Larger businesses, institutions, and universities have stumbled onto the idea of creating these. One specific example was used for the most recent Super Bowl in 2012, held in Indianapolis. A team of 20 professionals staffed a 2,800 square-foot space in downtown Indianapolis for 15 hours per day for the two weeks leading up to, and including, the event. Managers, content developers, analysts, strategists, and a few volunteers made up the team.

The team monitored the major social media to make sure they extended a friendly hand to everyone arriving in the area. It also monitored various social media conversations in the interest of public safety, and combined with other command centers, so that if an emergency arose, the response would be widespread and instantaneous. The third objective was to create regular content and keep people engaged in the event. Finally, the team was to make the positive experience fans had even more intense than usual.

That's how it worked in a nutshell for the Super Bowl. But, the question you are probably really interested in is...

What Can Social Media Command Centers Do to Help Your Business?

Say your company launches a new advertising campaign. Let's say you want new content developed for that campaign as it evolves. The team manning your social media command center could get that new content out to all of your followers, and additional distribution channels, within the same day.

When you need to perform customer service for your products and services, instead of having people call, wait, or perhaps attempt to navigate their way through the maze of phones at your company, they could send a direct message to your social media account. With multiple people managing the account, it would be possible to respond to customer inquiries in a much more efficient manner.

You can also use them to listen to your customers. Ask a question about your product or services (make sure it's yes/no), and see what people say. Hold a contest, which can reveal different ways people are using your product. The point is that you receive a free method for conducting market research!

Would a Social Media Command Center be Right for Your Business?

Now that you know of the advantages of social media command center, how do you think they would add value to your company's bottom line?

Social Media Command Centers: What Are They and How Can They Help Your Business?

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2012 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Predictions

Under head coach Kirk Ferentz, Iowa has put together a number of successful seasons. In his first 13 years on the job, he has led the Hawkeyes to at least seven wins in nine of the past 11 seasons. This year, another 7 win season is definitely within reach.

Iowa could just have easily won nine games last year if it wasn't for some very close contests that they let slip away in the form of an Iowa State overtime loss and one point heartbreaker against Minnesota. The schedule once again seems to favor the Hawkeyes, but they need to adjust to new coordinators Greg Davies and Phil Parker.

Nfl 2012

The changes to the coaching staff might just work out well for Iowa since they had gotten stale and predictable on both sides of the ball.

Offense

Senior quarterback, James Vandenberg might very well be the best pure passer in the Big Ten. He threw for 3,032 yards with 25 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2011. While he will certainly miss Marvin McNutt's excellent play as the school's all-time leading receiver, the presence of Keenan Davis will still make life easier for Vandenberg. Davis caught 50 passes for 713 yards and four scores last season.

Sophomore wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manly seems to be coming into his own, showing flashes of brilliance last year. Look for him to be even more productive in 2012 in a larger role.

With Iowa being known for having good tight ends, it looks as though C.J. Fiedorowics might just be the latest player to be added on that list and have a bright future with the NFL on the horizon.

Iowa's offensive line might be decimated with the loss of three starters, and they will definitely miss the play of All-Big Ten left tackle Riley Reiff.

Coming into the new season, the running back position seems to be the biggest area of concern for the Hawkeyes. Last year's leading rusher, Marcus Coker, has left the program and the guy that was supposed to replace him, Jordan Canzeri, had a debilitating knee injury that will sideline him for the season. Now it seems as though Damon Bullock, the unproven sophomore, will get the starting job.

Defense

Iowa was a regular fixture among the elite defensive teams in the nation for a number of seasons until they drastically fell off last year. The Hawkeyes finished just eighth in the Big Ten in both total and scoring defense with 378.9 yards and 23.9 points allowed. Their struggles were even more apparent against the pass as they would repeatedly fail to mount much of a pass rush.

Parker is expected to blitz more to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but he'll also be counting on end Dominic Alvis and tackle Steve Bigach to get penetration.

Big Ten Legends Prediction: 4th Place

Iowa has had years where they overachieved and 2012 could prove to be one of those years. The Hawkeyes have very little chance to win the Legends division but they could finish as high as second with a relatively easy schedule.

2012 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Predictions

Jack Jones posts his football picks at Betfirms.com as well as FootballFreePicks.com.