NFL Wild-Card Weekend Picks By Jesse Jane

Who needs ESPN when we got Jesse Jane picking this week’s slate of NFL Playoffs Wild-Card Weekend games here?

Jesse Jane gives us the picks straight up.  Yes, that Jesse Jane.  Enough said.  Now on to this week’s schedule …

Bengals at Texans | Sat 4:30pm ET

Vegas Texans -4 | Jesse’s Pick: Bengals

Lions at Saints | Sat 8pm ET

Vegas Saints -10.5 | Jesse’s Pick: Saints

Falcons at Giants | Sun 1pm ET

Vegas Giants -3 | Jesse’s Pick: Giants

Steelers at Broncos | Sun 4:30pm ET

Vegas Steelers -8.5 | Jesse’s Pick: Steelers

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Note: Odds lines are from Caesar’s Palace and The Mirage in Las Vegas.  Odds lines were current as of print time Saturday Morning.

The UFL Is Set To Invade NFL Wild-Card Weekend

Thursday, January 5, 2012 - Former United Football League players and coaches are in Wild Card action this weekend as the NFL enters the postseason.

On Saturday, January 7, at 4.30pm ET, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator JAY GRUDEN, who was the head coach of the 2010 Florida Tuskers and the team's offensive coordinator in 2009, will travel to at Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texas.

This season within Gruden's offensive system, quarterback Andy Dalton finished in the top five among rookies all-time with 20 touchdown passes (T-4th) and 3,398 passing yards (5th), wide receiver A.J. Green recorded 1,057 receiving yards, the most by a rookie in team history and his 65 receptions were the second-most by a Bengals rookie.  Dalton and Green became the first rookie quarterback-wide receiver duo in NFL history with 3,000+ passing yards and 1,000+ receiving yards.

Safety QUINTIN DEMPS played for the Hartford Colonials in 2010 and ended the 2011 NFL regular season with a total of 23 tackles for the Texans and is joined on the Texans roster in the postseason by former Omaha Nighthawks quarterback JEFF GARCIA.

On Sunday, January 8, at 1pm ET, offensive tackle TONY UGOH (Las Vegas 2011) will line up for the New York Giants in Atlanta, where the Falcons feature kicker MATT BRYANT.  The former Florida Tuskers standout made six extra points and tagged on a 20-yard field goal last weekend as the already playoff-bound Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45-24.  On the season, Bryant ranked sixth among NFC kickers in field goals, making 27 of 29 attempts with a long of 51 yards and split the uprights with all 45 extra point attempts.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Denver at 4.30pm ET on Sunday, former Sacramento Mountain Lions safety DA'MON CROMARTIE-SMITH will be in action against the Broncos.  Having signed to the Steelers' active roster on December 10, he posted three tackles during the regular season.

Two former UFL kickers made their way into the record books during the 2011 NFL season.  2010 UFL Special Teams Player of the Year NICK NOVAK (pictured, Florida 2010) converted a team-record 12 field goals of 40 yards-or-longer this season for the San Diego Chargers and GRAHAM GANO (Las Vegas 2009) had a 59-yard field goal in Week 9, the longest in Washington Redskins team history.

Former Hartford Colonials head coach CHRIS PALMER enjoyed success as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator as Matt Hasselbeck became the second quarterback in franchise history to reach 3,500 passing yards in a season as he threw for 3,571 yards.  Also under Palmer's tutelage, running back Chris Johnson joined Pro Football Hall of Famers Earl Campbell and Eddie George as the only players in club history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in four consecutive seasons and became the third player in franchise history to reach 5,000 for his career.

About The United Football League: The UFL provides high-quality professional football during a traditional fall season while embracing innovation and fan interaction. The UFL serves its local communities with pride and dedication, and aims to provide every fan with an exciting and memorable game experience. The inaugural 2009 champion Las Vegas Locos won a second championship in 2010, lifting the William Hambrecht Trophy with a second win over the Florida Tuskers. The 2011 season champion Virginia Destroyers defeated the Locos in the Championship Game.  The four-team competition featured the Locos, Destroyers, Omaha Nighthawks and Sacramento Mountain Lions. The UFL is led by Commissioner Michael Huyghue and is funded by a consortium of private investors. For season tickets, more information and to interact with passionate football fans, please visit UFL-Football.com.

Sporting KC Unveils 2012 MLS Season Schedule

Sporting Kansas City revealed their 34-game regular season schedule on Thursday for the club’s 2012 Major League Soccer campaign, highlighted by seven nationally televised matches at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park.

For ticket information, contact the Sporting Kansas City ticket office at 888-4KC-GOAL or visit SportingKC.com.

Sporting Kansas City, a charter member of Major League Soccer, will begin its 17th season on Saturday, March 10th at D.C. United, returning to RFK Stadium where Sporting KC closed out the 2011 regular season by securing first place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-0 win.

The match will mark the seventh time in club history the two teams have met in Sporting Kansas City’s season opener, the most of any Sporting Kansas City opponent. Sporting KC is 10-4-2 all-time in season openers, the best record for First Kick matches in MLS, with only one loss in the past 10 seasons.

Sporting Kansas City’s 2012 home opener will be played one week later on Saturday, March 17 when they host the New England Revolution on St. Patrick’s Day. The highly anticipated first home match of 2012 will be one of 10 regular season MLS matches to be held on a Saturday at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park. The remaining regular season home MLS schedule features three Friday and three Sunday matches, all of which will be nationally televised, leaving the lone mid-week home date for the regular season finale on Wednesday, Oct. 24.

For a breakdown of other notable matches on Sporting KC’s 2012 schedule, including the team’s first match against expansion club Montreal Impact on May 5th, visit SportingKC.com. Fans may also access downloads later today on SportingKC.com to import the schedule into their personal calendar and display the schedule as a wallpaper on their personal computer.

Season tickets, including the newly introduced Providence Family Plan, are currently available for supporters to secure their seats at all 17 home MLS matches at the team’s state-of-the-art stadium in Kansas City, Kan. Packages also include tickets to additional marquee matches, which will be announced at a later date.

Season ticket prices for the 2012 season start as low as $260 in the Members’ Stand, one of three seating sections with reduced season ticket prices from last season.

Fans interested in the popular premium seating areas at LSP are encouraged to join the waiting list for an opportunity to purchase seats in the Field Club, Shield Club and Suite-Level areas.

Single-game tickets will be available beginning with exclusive pre-sales on Feb. 13.  

The 2012 regular season schedule sees Sporting Kansas City play all nine teams in the Western Conference once, with home fixtures against three of the conference’s top four finishers from a year ago, including the LA Galaxy on Saturday, April 7 on ESPN2.

In Eastern Conference competition, Sporting KC will play the Philadelphia Union and D.C. United twice, coupled with three meetings scheduled against all other clubs in the East.

The eight-month season features an evenly-balanced distribution of home and away matches, with Sporting KansasCity playing no more than two consecutive road games at any point in the regular season. The club will welcome a season-high three-game homestand from Aug. 26 to Sept. 14, headlined by nationally televised matches against the New York Red Bulls and Houston Dynamo.

Sporting Kansas City will receive bye weekends during Week 8 (April 28-29) and Week 35 (Oct. 27-28) of MLS play and the club will not play during FIFA’s official international match dates (June 1-5, June 8-12 and Sept. 7-11).

Sporting Kansas City's local television schedule will be announced in the near term. 

Sporting Kansas City finished with a 9-2-6 home record in 2011 during the inaugural season at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, which will also host the 2012 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament elimination rounds on March 31 and April 2.

Series tickets for those international matches go on sale at 10am CT on Monday, January 09 for Sporting Kansas City Season Ticket Members and will be made available to the general public at 10am CT on Wednesday, January 11.

Three OKC Barons Named To AHL All-Star Team

OKLAHOMA CITY – The American Hockey League announced the rosters for the 2012 AHL All-Star Classic and three Oklahoma City Barons were named to the Western Conference All-Star team; goaltender Yann Danis, forward Philippe Cornet and defenseman Alex Plante.

Danis, of Lafontaine, Quebec, is playing in his eighth season of professional hockey, his first with the Barons. Through 21 games, Danis has a 14-5-0-1 record.  His win total (14) and goals against average (2.20) put him fourth in the league while his saves percentage (.924) puts him fourth.  This is Danis’ second AHL All-Star Game appearance.  He was named Co-MVP of the 2006 AHL All Star Game.

Cornet, of Val-Senneville, Quebec was a 5th round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers in 2008 and is in his second season of professional hockey, both with the Barons. Cornet is tied for fourth in the league with 16 goals in 27 games. Cornet has 19 points on the season and ranks fourth in the league with seven power-play goals.  This is Cornet’s first AHL All-Star selection.

Plante, of Brandon, Manitoba, was a 1st round draft choice of the Edmonton Oilers in 2007 and is in his third year of professional hockey, including the last two with the Barons.  Plante has played in 28 games for the Barons and ranks ninth in the league in plus-minus at +13.  He has also scored one goal and 10 assists.  Plante is currently on call-up with the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL.  This is Plante’s first AHL All-Star selection.

These three players will join Barons Head Coach Todd Nelson at the AHL All-Star Classic.  Nelson was named Head Coach of the Western Conference All-Stars on January 1st for having guided the Barons to the best record in the Western Conference on that date.

The 2012 AHL All-Star Skills Competition starts at 2 p.m. Central Time on January 29th. The AHL All-Star Game will begin at 6 p.m. Central Time on January 30. The AHL All-Star Classic will be held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Friday evening the Barons visit Toronto to take on the Marlies at 6pm (CT).  The Barons wrap up their recent road trip on Sunday, they take on the Hamilton Bulldogs at 2pm (CT).