Tag Archives: NFL

September 27, 2011

Romo The Scapegoat

By mceezy

I must admit, I didn’t catch much sports this weekend. Why? If I may quote the movie Grandma’s Boy, “maybe it’s cause I was with THREE chicks!” I missed the majority of sports this weekend while road-tripping 1,000 miles through Northern California, Nevada, and Oregon. After I returned, I was able to catch the Monday Night Football matchup between the Redskins and Cowboys. Despite a Cowboys win, Tony Romo has come under fire for everything from poor decision making to yelling at teammates, from not caring to wearing his hat backwards. The Cowboys are 2-1 after wins over the 49ers and Redskins, so why is Tony Romo taking so much heat the day after? The first thing I can defend is yelling at his center after his FOURTH bad snap of the game. If Tom Brady did that, he’d be called a leader. Romo, though, is a bad teammate. If my coworkers weren’t 40 and 50-something women, I’d be doing the same thing. He also makes bad decisions. True, that’s been his MO, but THEY WON THE GAME. He doesn’t care. Well, if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be yelling at his teammate for making crucial mental errors. Lastly, he wears his hat backwards. If I had the time and resources, I’d list every other QB who’s been spotted donning a backwards cap. Since I can’t, I’ll simply suggest that maybe he’s trying to observe the game better. After all, how can you see the entire field with a hat bill obstructing your view? I’d be the first in line to harp on the Cowboys, but what about all the other QB’s who have a sub-.500 record? Michael Vick complained that he’s being targeted and he’s catching less heat than Romo. Who’s talking about Donovan McNabb or Matt Cassell? Nobody. I’m not sure when Tony Romo became the most ridiculed QB in the NFL, but can’t we at least wait until Dallas isn’t playing well???

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

September 26, 2011

If At First You Don’t Succeed

By By

The old adage is, if at first you don’t succeed, try try again.

Perhaps we need to apply this saying towards the Detroit Lions draft methods of the early to late 2000’s.  It wasn’t long ago when Detroit was the laughing-stock of the NFL in terms of their draft decisions.  To put a long story short, they went receiver happy.  For three consecutive years starting in 2003, the Lions used their very first pick to pluck out supposedly, the best wide out that year’s draft had to offer.  None of those pics panned out for them.

2003 Carlos Rogers #2 overall

2004 Roy Williams #7 overall

2005 Mike Williams #10 overall

To their defense, all three of these wide outs were absolute beasts in college, and would have passed any eye test by an average football fan’s standards.  And to his credit, Roy Williams had his moments with the Lions albeit a short stint with them.

After taking a year off, in which they selected a line backer in Ernie Sims with the ninth overall pick in 2006, they hopped right back on that bike after falling several times, and tried again.  This time selecting Calvin Johnson with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft.  Bingo.  Boy did they ever get it right.  I won’t mention Calvin Johnson’s accomplishments in the NFL, we all know he’s a monster, but when you’re given the nick name “MEGATRON“, and rightfully so, it speaks volume to the type of player you are.  When Detroit finally got it right at receiver, it allowed them to sew up the other sexy positions on the roster.  Matthew Stafford in 2009, and Ndamukong Suh in 2010.  And while Stafford and Suh get all the jersey sales and glory out in the Motor City, I can’t help but think they wouldn’t be there had it not been for Detroit finally getting the proverbial monkey off their back with the Calvin Johnson pick.

I guess the moral of the story is, we shouldn’t laugh at David Kahn and his point guard infatuation just yet … he may have a Optimus Prime in the making.

8 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 23, 2011

Doin Lines Week 3

By chappy81

Chappy: Last week wasn’t bad, but not that great either. If it weren’t for a few scores late in games to keep them closer I could’ve gone undefeated this weekend. Unfortunately the Vegas betting gods weren’t on my side, and I ended the week at 2-3. It seems like the oddsmakers are making it tougher on the betting crowd, because this week is tougher than the first two combined in my opinion.

By:  I told Chappy prior to last week’s picks that the lines were one of the toughest I’ve ever seen.  The result, brutal.  My first donut ever.  More so than the tough picks, I feel that all the bragging I did after going 3-1 during opening week came back to bite me.  If karma’s a b**ch, make sure that b**ch is beautiful.  Mine was hideous.  To the lines ~

Note:  My picks are off parlay cards, so the spread might be different.

Overall [Chappy (5-3-1) By (3-5)]

Houston @ New Orleans (-4)

Chappy picks New Orleans (-4). The Saints offense is rolling. They put up 30 on the Bears who are supposed to be underrated, then overrated, then back to underrated again. Looking up and down the Saints roster, it seems like Sproles might have been their best signing this offseason! The one thing I’m positive on, is that the Texans defense isn’t nearly as good as the Bears or Packers D. Yes the Texans rebuilt their secondary, but this will be the first time they truly have their hands full with a great QB. I see a lot of scoring in this one, but the Saints will pull away like they usually do in front of their home crowd.

Miami @ Cleveland (-2.5)

By picks Miami (+2.5)  I like what the Browns got going with Colt McCoy, he’s shown me a lot these first two weeks of the 2011 season.  But he did play against the Bengals and Colts, two teams who will not be contending for a playoff spot, so I can’t read too much into that.  Across the way, Chad Henne has done some nice things against two division favorites, and so despite a bagel in the win column, I’m still slightly more impressed with Henne.  There’s a big question mark in the Dolphins back field, but overall Miami has more weapons than Cleveland, and win by at least six points.  Plus how can you root against a guy who wears shades every single minute of the day like Tony Sparano?

Detroit (-3.5) @ Minnesota

Chappy picks Detroit (-3.5). Detroit has given me two straight ATS wins in two weeks. I can’t remember the last any time I’ve been able to say that. They pulled out an impressive road win over the Bucs in week 1, which gives me the confidence to pick them to beat a division foe this week on the road. McNabb looked slightly better last weekend, but we still know the one thing the Lions really need to worry about, AP. If they bottle up AP, there’s noway the Vikings win. Minnesota also has a weak secondary, so expect a big day from Stafford and Megatron.

By picks Detroit (-6)  In my main fantasy league, I told my friends I wouldn’t draft a quarterback in the first five rounds because the position was deep this year.  I took Matthew Stafford in the sixth and told them all I just got a second round pick with the selection.  They all laughed, mainly because that’s what we do when anyone of us makes any pick, but still, who’s laughing now.  Offensively, Detroit is a handful for any team let alone the lowly Vikings.  Megatron, Jahvid Best and even the underrated Nate Burleson and Tony Scheffler present several match up problems in which the Vikes won’t have answers for.  But it’s Ndamukong Suh and the defensive line that automatically covers the spread.  McNabb has clearly devolved into a mediocre quarterback and AP can’t carry this team alone.  This game might be close early, but slowly but surely, the Lions impose their will on Minnesota.

Jacksonville @ Carolina (-3.5)

Chappy picks Carolina (-3.5). I don’t think Cam is the greatest thing since sliced bread like many seem to think, but I do believe in him more than the newly named QB of the Jaguars, Blaine Gabbert. He’s also better than I think nearly everyone expected. Hopefully he learned a few things against the defending champs last weekend. My rule of picking against rookies starting their first game applies to this one. Will Cam throw for 400 yards again? I’d say yes because this Jaguars secondary doesn’t exactly scare teams from throwing against them. If Carolina doesn’t win this game, they might be 0-6 before you know it!

By picks Carolina (-5). Camolina and company will finally get their first win under the Newton regime.  Again I admit, I did not think Cam Newton would be even remotely as effective as what he’s shown his first two games, but I am now eating my words.  He did throw three picks last week which was costly in an otherwise close game against the defending champs, but Newton’s been more than impressive nonetheless.  I feel the Jags are making the right move in starting fellow rookie Blaine Gabbert, but ultimately there’s some growing pains he’ll have to go through.  Not everyone is Cam Newton.  MoJo Drew will have his work cut out for him, but similar to the situation in Minnesota with AP, not one guy can carry his team solo.  The Panthers win, and win big at the end.

Atlanta (-1.5) @ Tampa Bay

Chappy picks Atlanta (-1.5). If Sunday’s late game didn’t convince you the Falcons are pretty good, then I don’t know what to tell you. Tampa Bay has a tough time stopping Michael Turner, I think he had a 200 yard 2 TD game against them last year (He was on my fantasy team). I like the Bucs, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to bet on them. I don’t even think having the Sportschump screaming his drunk ass off will help them overcome Matty Ice. Speaking of Ryan, it seems like he didn’t really get a lot of credit for leading his team to a comeback win, so big ups Matty.

Green Bay (-3.5) @ Chicago

Chappy picks Green Bay (-3.5). GB beat the Saints, the Saints destroyed Chicago = Packers winning by more than 4. I’m not sure why, but I kinda feel bad for Cutler. Did you see how many times he was laying on his back last week? Maybe the Bears need to do what Carolina is doing with Cam, and leave eight guys in to protect him. Usually these two teams play close games, but this feels a little different this year. The Bears are piling on injuries mixed with a little giving up on Martz and old age, which isn’t a good sign in week 3. I have a hard time seeing the Pack letting this game be as close as last weeks against Carolina.

Baltimore (-6) @ St. Louis

By picks Baltimore (-6). Similar to what happened last week when Pittsburgh hosted Seattle a week after being embarrassed by Baltimore, the Ravens will take out their frustrations from a disappointing loss on another NFC West team.  Baltimore definitely had a opening week hangover in week two.  The way they played against the Titans, is not the way you want to follow up a statement win.  I look for the Ravens to be angry as hell for their match up against the Rams, and with St. Louis possibly without Steven Jackson again, and leading pass catcher Danny Amendola, this game might get ugly quick.  I’m thinking 30-9, Ravens.

10 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 19, 2011

Why I Hate the NFL

By chappy81

This weekend I was treated to an amazingly competitive game Sunday morning between my Raiders and the Bills. I was proud to see the Raiders show some life after playing late Monday and flying across the country. I was at home watching the battle, and don’t own the NFL package because I’ve refused to give them any of my hard earned money when it could be better spent at a bar on a couple beers when my team isn’t on. Anyways, with the game on the line with :27 seconds left and the Bills facing a 3rd and 10 from the 15 yard line down by 4, what does CBS do? Oh lets switch to our contract obligation and show the SD-NE game instead of showing the last :27 seconds of this one. In hindsight, maybe I’m somewhat glad I didn’t see the winning score, but it pretty much ruined my Sunday either way. I had to go online and hit refresh 200 times to find out they scored, pathetic I know…

First off, when they switched from the game, the viewers were given three full minutes of straight commercials. What followed you may ask? Oh, just some player intros and some lame commentary about Phillip Rivers and Tom Brady. About five minutes of rambling about the two teams went on before they actually got to kickoff. How much longer did the Raider game last? Less than that first commercial break would be the correct answer. Is this the NFL I was so sad to see go?  The money hungry idiots pulling the plug on the game right before the most meaningful two plays of the game must be one of the biggest blunders I’ve seen in awhile. It’s a known fact that LA is Raiders country even with the team not playing here since 94′, and to switch from the game to a commercial is almost as bad as switching to Heidi in the middle of a game (Oh wait they already pulled that one on us Raiders fans). I was mildly surprised there weren’t some riots. How about this time instead of Heidi, we switch you viewers to watch your hated rival the San Diego Chargers instead? Either the guy on the switchboard hates Raiders fans, or he/she didn’t understand the magnitude of the moment, and actually followed the contractual agreement. At least give us the end of the third down play for Christ sake! It felt like I watched a movie for three hours, and the movie theatre all of a sudden decided that the next movie should start instead of finishing the action thriller I was watching. Maybe I will hit up a Raiders game this year, so I can actually see the ending…

Signed,

One Pissed Fan

13 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

September 16, 2011

Doin Lines Week 2

By chappy81

Chappy: Off to a terrific start to the gambling season, I mean NFL season, and I’m already feeling better than I did last year. I think we all learned more about teams in week 1’s 16 games than we did in all 60 preseason games combined. It seems like a thousand things happened in only one week of football, but that’s probably because we over analyze everything. Let’s keep all this good mojo we got going, and get on to the picks for week 2!

By: A quick blurb.  It’s week two, and I still feel so grateful that we are even watching football, maybe the effects of it won’t wear off at all this year.  People don’t realize how much they appreciate watching a game until it’s almost taken away from them.  Perhaps that’s the reason why Chappy and I were on fire during opening week, look at that winning percentage right there!  We got a good thing back with football, and we weren’t blowing picks on just any game.  We were focused.  We were determined.  We still are.  Although I must apologize ahead of time to Chaps, I think I just jinxed us for the rest of the season there … I guess we’ll find out soon enough.  On to the lines!

Last Week: Chappy (3-1-1) By (3-1)

Kansas City @ Detroit (-8.5)

Chappy picks Detroit (-8.5). Under normal conditions I’d never take the Lions to beat any team by more than a touchdown. I don’t think the Chiefs offense will be nearly as bad as they were against Buffalo as Bowe and Charles are bound to have better games, but their defense is awful. How do you let Ryan Fitzpatrick rip you a new one. I mean the Chiefs didn’t land at #32 in our power rankings for no reason! I don’t see the Chiefs having any answers for Megatron as he’ll knock the cornerbacks off him like nats without Eric Berry roaming the secondary. I see a close first half and a dominating second half for the Lions.

Arizona @ Washington (-4)

By picks Washington (-4). Am I really going with a team that has Rex Grossman running the show?  You bet your bottom dollar I am!  It’s not that I’m high on Grossman, but Arizona didn’t exactly impress me squeaking by Carolina at home last week.  Yes, Cam Newton went off, but what many are neglecting to ask is, how much of that was due to bad defense?  Cam Newton can’t really be that good, can he?  While not blown away by Washington’s opening performance, I did take notice.  Ultimately, my prediction is Grossman puts together a string of solid games to start the season, then returns to his “Hyde” form shortly after, throwing plenty of picks, and throwing away chances at wins along the way.  But for the time being, the Redskins ride their high all the way to their second consecutive home victory by at least 10 points.  Keep your eye on Tim Hightower as well, he’ll have a bit of a chip on his shoulder facing his old team.

Oakland @ Buffalo (-3.5)

Chappy picks Oakland (+3.5). I’m never a big fan of picking my team especially when they are travelling to the eastcoast to play an early game when they just played a Monday night game, but I can’t help myself. I actually have hope they can win outside the division this year, and hopefully it will start this week. A lot has changed since their last match up three years ago. Jamarcus was our starting QB, Buffalo still believed in Marshawn. Now both these teams look somewhat competent coming out of the gates. I love the way the Raiders are trying to be the bullies they were back in their glory days. In the MNF game they tried to give Denver chances to win with many ugly penalties, but maybe they learned something (probably not). I see them at least covering the spread.

Tampa Bay @ Minnesota (-3)

By picks Minnesota (-3). The Vikings did everything in their power to lose their season opening game at San Diego.  They begged Philip Rivers to bring the Chargers back, and that’s exactly what he did.  The Chargers are also said to be contenders in the opinions of many.  Conversely, Tampa Bay, last season’s surprise, got flat out beat by Detroit at home.  This makes the Vikings loss the more impressive of the two, or the lesser between two evils.  To Tampa’s credit, a lot is expected from the Lions this season, but I said in last week’s predictions, that I felt Tampa would use this season as an opportunity to take two steps back from last season’s success, and nothing that happened in week one has me thinking otherwise.  It should be a close game late, until Tampa subjects to some growing pains, making some crucial mistakes, while AP goes nuts.  I have a strange feeling AP goes over 200 in this game.  Vikings by 6.

Baltimore @ Tennessee (+6)

Chappy picks Baltimore (-6). The Ravens were easily the most impressive team last weekend while destroying their division foes, but like Terell Suggs said “You’re only as good as your next game”. That kind of attitude has me believing in this team more than I thought I would. There’s nothing not to like about Ray Rice right now, He was snatched up just before my first pick in both my fantasy drafts. I see their defense being able to contain CJ and possibly making Rice the best running back in the game right now. If they can stay healthy, they are going to be tough for any team to beat. Hasselbeck had a decent game for Tennessee last week, but he’s always one play away from being out for the year. Baltimore can deliver those kinds of blows, and will rattle the veteran at some point during the game into a turnover or two.

Cincinnati @ Denver (-5)

By picks Denver (-5). Listen, I’m probably more pro Tebow than anyone outside of Jesus, but even I know Tebow isn’t Denver’s best option at quarterback yet.  The Broncos ran into a highly motivated, and talented Raiders team, that ran wild on them.  That’s not really Kyle Orton’s fault.  I don’t believe the Broncos are a playoff contender, but I do believe they have more to offer than what was shown last Monday.  It’s the fans in Denver that are making them seem worse than what they really are.  The Bengals won their first game by fluke, and when pitted against a team that would like nothing more than to shut their own fans up, Kyle Orton goes ape shit and adds another 400 yard game to the calendar, while the Bengals reveal their true stripes.  Denver by 14.

Green Bay @ Carolina (+9.5)

Chappy picks Green Bay (-9.5). Cam was spectacular in his debut. I’ll be honest, I didn’t see it coming. I thought he’d be okay this year, as in, better than Tebow, but not 422 yards good. While it was a nice story for week 1, he still lost, and the Packers are going to roll out a lot of defensive schemes that will make him look like the rookie he is. If AZ can put up 28 on Carolina’d D, there’s no reason to think the Packers can’t put up 50 without breaking a sweat. I wouldn’t be shocked to see this line jump to 10 before the weekend (I wrote this on Wednesday, and low and behold the line is 10!). Too many people betting on Green Bay I see, they still look plenty attractive with the adjusted half point to the line!

San Diego @ New England (-6.5)

Chappy: San Diego (+6.5). Whoa, four picks for the road teams this week. Hopefully this works out. It seems like everyone has the Chargers somewhere between 5-8 in their power rankings, yet the Patriots are a touchdown favorite for this game?!? It feels like this line should be more in the 4 range, because the last three times they’ve hooked up the games have been decided by 4 or less points. Granted the Patriots looked amazing in their opener, while the Chargers looked a little rusty, but both over matched their opponent throughout their respective games. One thing I think we can all agree on is that both these offenses are great. Another thing we can probably agree on is that the Chargers have the better defense, and a few recievers as big as Brandon Marshall with a better QB than Chad Henne throwing to them. I hope SD loses by six or less!

Philadelphia @ Atlanta (+3)

By picks Philadelphia

You didn’t think I was only going to pick teams with home games this week, did you?  You didn’t think I was going to turn my back on the Eagles, did you?  If you said no to those questions, you thought right!  Although if there’s one team that could steal away a vote from me towards Philly in a match up, it would be the Falcons.  Matty Ice, Roddy Roddy Piper White, Julio Jones, Tony Gonzalez and Burner Turner.  That’s a lot of weapons, and despite being held in check out in Chicago last week, no one expects this high octane offense to stall any further.  With that said, Mike Vick has been amazing since last season, and the balance on Philly’s offense, as well as the ability for the Eagles to hit a home run on any given play gives them the edge here.  I think the Eagles win by 6 in a barn burner, 40-34 in what will easily be the game of the week.  Vick returns to Atlanta too, drama …

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 15, 2011

Be Careful What You Wish For, Broncos Fans

By mceezy

I really don’t get the Coup d’eTebow going on out in Denver. Well, I do, but I don’t get how some fans can be so disillusioned to think that replacing Kyle Orton with Tim Tebow would turn the Broncos around. I wasn’t going to chime in when the fans were already chanting Te-bow in the season opener, but now I hear some wealthier fans are actually taking up billboards.  I don’t think the Broncos front office is trying to keep Tebow off the field. All the chatter at the beginning of training camp was that he would be the starter. Then he fell to number 2, then to 2B, next to Brady Quinn. Clearly Tebow played his way off the field. Surely the front office would LOVE to put their most marketable player out their on the field. Shoot, if he played even with Kyle Orton, they’d probably give him the nod. Obviously, playing Tebow is simply not a good football decision. It’d be like out here in Sacramento, if the NBA season ever starts, and the Kings weren’t playing Jimmer Fredette (which won’t happen). Fans would react the same, EXCEPT, they’d be smart enough NOT to call for him to play over Tyreke Evans. Fortunately in basketball it’s different and they can play together.

I got quite a heavy dose of Kyle Orton this past week, since the Broncos were opening the season against the Oakland Raiders. True, he can leave a little to be desired at times, but what I kept thinking to myself – especially in the second half, when the Te-Bow chants ridiculously started chiming on from the Mile High Crowd – was, would Tebow be making the plays that Orton isn’t? Not once did I say yes. The bad throws by Orton, I couldn’t see Tebow threading the needle any better. And even though Orton was sacked five times, Tebow, despite his well-documented scrambling skills, would not have evaded ANY of them. It’s not as though Orton was dancing around in the pocket getting chased down by 300 pounders. The Raiders defensive line (which I’m going to start calling the best in the NFL pretty soon) was simply bullrushing through the Broncos’ offensive line. Orton didn’t even have time to SEE them. What’s Tebow going to do in that situation?! I guess Denver fans want to find out. One day they probably will, and that’ll be the day the Tebow billboards will come down. Let’s just hope there’s a good-humored fan out there who’ll have the cash to replace it with a “IN with Quinn” billboard.

12 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

September 13, 2011

Doin NFL Week 1 Power Rankings

By mceezy

1. Green Bay Packers – They played on the biggest stage of Week One and arguably put on the greatest show. The defending champs opened the season with a win over one of their primary challengers. The throne is theirs until someone knocks them off.

2. Baltimore Ravens -Wow, I’m on board with the Ravens after watching their dismantling of the Steelers to kick off the NFL Sunday season. Lewis, Suggs, and Reed all look like they’re still the same age as they have been the last 8 years. Who’s gonna stop the Ravens in the AFC?

3. Philadelphia Eagles – It looked like they were going be an average team for the first 20 minutes or so of their game against the Rams, but in the second half particularly, the Eagles showed they should have no problem living up to expectations as an elite team in the NFL this year.

4. New England Patriots – I watched the game with a couple of New England natives, and at one point I actually said, “I feel like the Pats promised someone they’d keep the game close.” That’s what it felt like. Even when they weren’t dominating the scoreboard, they were in control of the Dolphins the entire game. As usual, that’s how they’ll look for thirteen or fourteen of their games this year.

5. San Diego Chargers – The Chargers, thanks to their schedule, have every opportunity to start no worse than 4-1. They weren’t particularly overpowering in their defeat of Minnesota, but they capitalized on Donovan McNabb’s existence.
6.Chicago Bears – No one gave them a chance to win the opener against Atlanta. So, even though it’s just one win, it’s a win over another NFC contender that may prove valuable when it comes to playoff seeding.

7. San Francisco 49ers – Jim Harbaugh notched his first win as an NFL head coach. I’m not sure where the credit should lie, since the Niners didn’t do any one thing special. But anytime you can get 2 returns for TDs from Ted Ginn, I’m sure you like your odds

8. Washington Redskins – Washington took advantage of an injury-riddled Giants team and an uninspired Eli Manning. Rex Grossman was the better QB on Sunday, and the Redskins notched a much needed division win.

9. New Orleans Saints – Brees and co. didn’t disappoint, but the ground game was pretty painful. Not sure if it had anything to do with Reggie Bush, but I expected bigger things from the trio of Thomas, Ingram, and Sproles. There’s no shame in losing to the defending Super Bowl champs though.

10. Atlanta Falcons – Maybe it was just one game, but the Falcons did NOT look good in their opener. The offense is supposed to be their strength, so 12 points isn’t going to cut it – especially when your defense is going to give up 30 points to the likes of the Bears.

11. Buffalo Bills – So far the Bills have one more win than a lot people predicted they would have. Beating the Chiefs is no accomplishment, but putting up 41 points on offense is more than enough to get recognized. Especially when you do it with guys like Fitzpatrick, Jackson, and Johnson.

12. Cincinnati Bengals – The Bengals are only this high because most people picked them to be at the bottom of the league. I don’t think they’re going to be as bad as many predict though. Granted, their victory came at the expense of the Browns, so we won’t go pumping them up into the top ten just yet.

13. Detroit Lions – Matthew Stafford threw for 305 yards and 3 TDs leading the Lions to a week one win over a Tampa Bay team that was over .500 last year. The talent seems to finally be there in Detroit, but can they put it all together?

14. New York Giants – Expectations were fairly low after injuries ripped through the Giants roster in the preseason, but no one really expected them to lose to the Redskins. Lucky for them, the Cowboys couldn’t pull off the win against the Jets, so it won’t be too lonely at the bottom of the NFC East just yet.

15. New York Jets – Mark Sanchez doesn’t set the world on fire, but he seems to come through in the clutch more often than not, which is exactly the opposite of the guy he beat this weekend in Tony Romo. This didn’t look like the team that got to the AFC Championship game, but they didn’t look too bad either. 

16. Houston Texans – I’m not sure if the Texans won, or the Colts lost because they didn’t have their captain of the ship running the show, but they did win in convincing fashion. This could be their year to reign supreme in that division.

17. Miami Dolphins – Miami put up a respectable fight agains the Patriots Monday night, but they never really threatened to win the game. Not when you rely on Chad Henne to make throws, or Reggie Bush to be your primary back. He came out of the gates hard and then ran out of gas 4 min into the game! At one point, the Dolphins seemed like they were handcuffed – forced to throw exclusively at Brandon Marshall just to keep his evil personality from coming out.

18. Oakland Raiders – At the time Janikowski put his name in the NFL record books for his 63 yard field goal, it didn’t seem like that would be the difference in the game as the Raiders were dominating the Broncos. Still they have way too many penalties to consider them a contender just yet.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars – The Luke McCown era begins with a win, as the Save Jack Del Rio season gets underway. Home games against teams like the Titans are the ones the Jags will need to stay afloat this season.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Hopes are high this season for the Bucs coming off an impressive 2010 campaign. Kicking off the year with a home loss to the Lions will kill all that noise real quick…

21. Minnesota Vikings – Oh man, are we witnessing one of the greatest, fastest falls from the elite ranks of an athlete this decade? Where does this rank on the Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Ken Griffey, or Tiger Woods scale? Donovan McNabb threw for 39 yards in his Vikings debut. His first pass was  an interception that led to a San Diego TD.

22. St Louis Rams – Expectations are fairly high for Sam Bradford and the Rams, but no one can overlook their ridiculous schedule. They put up a decent (albeit futile) fight against Philadelphia, but things don’t appear to be looking up, as Steven Jackson will miss at least the next week, and Bradford has a banged up right index finger.

23. Cleveland Browns – The loser of the Cleveland-Cincinnati matchup gets an automatic invite to the bottom three in the league. Add the fact that they lost at home. But they were able to move the ball a bit, and managed to put 17 points on the board.

24. Tennessee Titans – The wannabe highest paid player in football rushed for 24 yards on 9 carries, and so went the Titans offense. They struggled to move the ball in a 16-14 loss to Jacksonville

25. Pittsburgh Steelers – They sure didn’t look like a team ready to go to war in week 1. It was more like the U.S. (Baltimore) taking on some third world country  with rocks as weapons in a war. It looked over by halftime as mistake after mistake happened to them. Maybe they got them all out in this opener…

26. Arizona Cardinals – The Panthers gave them all they could handle, but Kolb looked really good in his first game as a red bird. He better be good if they are going to be in shootouts with against a QB making his first start. I have very little confidence in this team going forward, because they need to make some major adjustments on defense.

27. Indianapolis Colts – Poor Indy. They’ve fallen so far in just one week of football. I’d like to see them go out and get someone not named Kerry Col lins. I feel like nobody in the locker room trusts the guy, and why should they?

28. Carolina Panthers – Wow, was Cam impressive. I couldn’t tell if it was terrible defense on Arizona’s part or if he was really tearing them up. Either way it looks like Carolina picked a heckuva player with the #1 pick this year. 

29. Seattle Seahawks – Losing to the 49ers in the fashion they did is reason for plenty of pessimism in Seattle. Despite lackluster performances from Alex Smith and Frank Gore, the Seahawks suffered a 33-17 defeat in San Francisco. At least none of their fans got shot.

30. Denver Broncos – They battled the Raiders, but never really looked like they could win the game. It was awesome to hear the crowd chant for Tebow at the end of the game. Maybe it was because they had no running game!?!

31. Dallas Cowboys – You didn’t think they’d be high on these rankings did you? Romo seems to do everything possible wrong in the moment. Maybe he tries too hard to make the big play, but he never makes the right one. They’ve got talent, but there’s many areas they need to improve on, like conditioning. They looked winded down the stretch this weekend.

32. Kansas City Chiefs – Yikes, losing by 36 to the Bills!?! If you thought they took a step in the right direction last season, then this must be three steps backwards. Getting blown out by those proportions and getting beat in every phase of the games lands you last in the ol power rankings!

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

September 9, 2011

Doin Lines Week 1

By chappy81

Chappy: It feels like football crept up on us quickly. It feels like just yesterday they were locked out and crying over spilt milk. Now that my fantasy teams are set it’s time to take a look at some of the bets to make this weekend to avenge my losing trip to the Del Mar horse races last weekend. I feel like week 1 is always the toughest to pick, and this year it feels a little tougher to pick with the extremely shortened offseason, and not knowing exactly where all the free agents landed. I’m looking for a bounce back year with my picks. I didn’t have a whole lot of luck last year which might have evened out my extremely successful 2009. Anyways we’re on to year three in the Doin Lines picks, and I think it’s going to be a good one!

By: Doin Lines is back!  Woot a mother f**king woot!  I’m so excited to yet again, give you all my idiotic thoughts, opinions and overall predictions for another season!  I really don’t have much to say as far as an intro to our picks, I’m just so happy and excited that football is back!  We all know the NFL is king in terms of sports ratings, so with that being said, LONG LIVE THE KING!  Glad the suits were able to get together with the hard hats and hash it out!  Now … let’s get this show on the road!

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore (+2.5)

Chappy picks Baltimore (+2.5). Wow starting the year with a pick that I don’t really want to go with, but it’s going to be a great game, so I couldn’t resist. Anytime these two teams meet up, you know it’s going to be close. I feel like Big Ben might have his best season of his career this year, but that might have to start after week 1. I really like taking the points when (A) the home team is the underdog and (B) said home team is looking for some revenge from the season before. I’m scared of this pick because the only time the Ravens did beat them last year was during Big Ben’s four game suspension, but that won’t stop me from throwing them in a parlay.

Detroit @ Tampa Bay (+1.5)

By picks Detroit (-1.5)

It’s tough to pick the unproven Lions, who are led by an unproven and often injured quarterback to open the season with a win on the road against an upstart Tampa team, but … that’s exactly what I’m going to do here.  My mouth salivates thinking about all the weapons Detroit has at its disposal, from Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, to Jahvid Best (who is also injury prone).  If this team can stay healthy, watch out.  Aside from the potential explosiveness from Detroit’s offense, their defensive line is equally ferocious.  Anchored by the fiery Ndamukong Suh, they’re an opposing quarterback’s nightmare, just ask Tom Brady.  Plus, I have a gut feeling the Bucs are going to fall into the category of “one step forward, two steps back” from last season to this, and it starts with week one.

Chappy picks Detroit (-1.5). I think the Lions meaningless undefeated pre-season record talked me into this one. Yeah, I get it, preseason means about as much as my opinion, but I feel like Detroit is going to be good this year as long as Stafford can stay on the field. Megatron should have his breakout year pretty soon as he enters his physical prime. I was disappointed in Tampa’s offseason as they seemed to forget to spend some of their money when they had a ton left under the cap. I’m a big Freeman fan, but I just don’t see this one ending in the Bucs favor.

Philadelphia @ St. Louis (+6)

By picks Philadelphia (-6). Although the Eagles haven’t exactly set the world on fire during the pre-season, it is, still … pre-season.  Some experts now have Dallas as the favorites out of the East … seriously?  What has Tony Romo done to sway their predictions?  Anyway, this is about Philly and how they’ll dominate St. Louis.  As oppose to listing reasons as to why the Eagles will cover, I’ll ask a few questions.  Once you answer them in your own head, you’ll understand.  Who on St. Louis will stop Mike Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and Brent Celek?  That’s to name a few.  Can you see how easily Philly can spread the field?  Now, does St. Louis have enough on offense to pose a threat to this stacked Eagles d?  Bare in mind, Nnamdi Asomugha will erase half the field. Not sure why the spread is so low, Eagles big.

Cincinnati @ Cleveland (-6.5)

Chappy picks Cleveland (-6.5). I have few rules with my betting in week 1, but this is one I’ve always stood firm by. Bet against any rookie QB starting their first game. This holds even more true after a lockout, and while I don’t have anything against Dalton, I don’t think he’s had enough time to guide this team to a victory in week 1, plus Cincy is far from a contender. Not that Cleveland is, but they looked pretty legit down the stretch last year under Colt (I wish the Raiders picked him) McCoy. If Cincy has a tough time scoring early, Cleveland covers easily.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville (-3)

Does this look like the face of a guy you want leading your team?

By picks Tennessee (+3). To be honest, I don’t even know who Luke McCown is, and I’m not even going to Google him.  He’s probably just keeping the quarterback seat “luke” warm for Blaine Gabbert anyway.  See what I did there?  If I stated Matthew Stafford is unproven earlier, then what does that make McCown?  And with that being said, that is why I’m going with Tennessee here.  It’s crazy how quickly people have pushed aside Matt Hasselbeck.  He may not be the Hasselbeck of 2005, but the guy can still sling the rock.  Plus there’s some good targets out there in Tennessee, Kenny Brit, Jared Cook.  Oh by the way, having Chris Johnson in the backfield is not a bad thing.  Long story short, the Titans load the box and force McCown to win the game, which he won’t.  Tennessee 21, Jacksonville 10.

Carolina @ Arizona (-7)

Chappy picks Arizona (-7). My week 1 rule applies twice to my picks. Always pick against a rookie making his first career start, and you can count on me parlaying the two rookies in the loss column. I have little to no confidence in Arizona, but of any team in the NFC West, for some reason I think they are the best. They should be able to handle last years worst team. Cam will throw a couple picks and Beanie Wells will run over their terrible defense. Yeah, I just said Beanie Wells is going to play well this weekend, and that will probably be the only time you hear me say that.

NY Giants @ Washington (+4)

By picks NY Giants (-4). This is a situation in which I’m not so much in love with one team, as much as I am in hate with the other.  Experts expect big things from the G Men, but I’m still skeptical.  Yes, Eli Manning is the best Manning right now, but obviously that’s by default.  To this day I don’t believe he has what it takes to win a Super Bowl, and that’s with him already winning a Super Bowl!  I know, it doesn’t make sense, right?  Yet, it kind of does, huh?  But the Giants have plenty of weapons to make up for a sub par quarterback performance where as the Redskins have nothing.  Literally … nothing.  ‘Nuff said.

New England @ Miami (+6.5)

Chappy picks New England (-6.5). Even though we’ve seen Miami hang tough against the Pats a few times, I don’t see it happening Monday Night. Bellichick had a whole off-season to prepare for this game, and that’s never a good thing for the competition. I feel like Brandon Marshall and Devon Bess could have big games after they are getting blown out against a weak Pats secondary, but that’s a crappy consolation prize. I’m pretty excited to see Daniel Thomas in the backfield for Miami, dude looked like he had some skills in college.

19 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Sports

September 6, 2011

Was Garrard The Face Of The Jaguars’ Franchise?

By mceezy

Perhaps it’s a sign of nothing else going on, but the top story out of the NFL today was the release of quarterback David Garrard by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Some are wondering how it will affect the Jags’ locker room. Others are wondering if it was poor timing, just five days before the regular season begins. I can’t speculate on how they’ll fare with Luke McCown under center, because quite frankly, I couldn’t tell you the difference between Luke McCown and Josh McCown, or even Cade McNown for that matter. The question I keep asking myself today is, is David Garrard the face of the franchise for Jacksonville. Your first instinct is probably to say, without a shadow of a doubt, NO. But when you dig a little deeper, you might realize that Garrard had a pretty good run with the Jags. They’ve really only had three quarterbacks in franchise history, and Garrard was the second longest tenured of the three. But that itself may be an indication that the longest tenured QB, Mark Brunell, may in fact be the answer to this question. There’s actually two other guys who you’d have to put ahead of Garrard as well, and there’ll be another in the next year or two. So forgive me when I say I never really considered Garrard to be the G.O.A.T. in Jacksonville, but it does make for a pretty fun poll…..

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Sports

August 12, 2011

AFC Over/Under Predictions

By chappy81

It’s that time of year again, and Vegas has released the props for projected win totals in the NFL earlier this week. We all took a crack at how we thought each AFC team would fare against the over/under totals, so read the teams you care about or all of them if you like our opinions that much. For the 2010 season, we were right on for 68% of our picks!

Patriots (11.5 wins)

Dre – Over.  This might be the easiest bet on the board.  The Pats won more last year, and have added an offensive weapon in 85 (said in Spanish) and a defensive stud-when-he-wants-to-be in Haynesworth.  These deals always work out for the Pats. I can see 14 again easy.

Chappy – Over, I think the Pats are ready after letting all those young players grow last year. 14 wins with a mismatched cast last season has me felling confident with this pick.

By – Over.  As much as I hope this team fails to live up to their expectations, the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, with the additions of The Human Tweet and Albert Haynesworth should be more than enough to cover.

Chargers (10 wins)

Dre – Push.  Last year’s was in inter-division fluke.  And slow starts seem to plague this franchise.  Before their week 6 Bye: 4-1 (Ws: Min, KC, Mia, Den. L: NE).  And there will be no freak sloshball game that KC just barely wins, the 31-0 whoopin in game 2 was the truth. 

Chappy – Push, not that they can’t win more than 10, but their schedule is rough this year with games against the reining champs, and the AFC East. They were abused by their division mates last year as well, so this isn’t a lock at all.

MCeezy – Under. The window has officially closed for the Chargers. They have virtually no running game, Floyd and Jackson seem to care more about money than anything else, and Philip Rivers is a meltdown waiting to happen.

By – Over.  San Diego is still the measuring stick in the AFC West, and I haven’t seen anything done from the other teams in the division to change that.  Plus, it’s a quarterback driven league and last I checked, Philip Rivers is still one of the highest rated qb’s as well as douche faces in the NFL.

Steelers (10.5 wins)

Dre – Over.  By plenty.  The Steelers will again be the class of the North, with their only competition coming from the Ravens twice, Pats and Colts.  Otherwise they match up with the NFC West this year, not tough at all.

Chappy – Over, their schedule starts off a little tough, but after week 9 against Baltimore, they might be able to win their last six games without much challenge. I guess we’ll know if this prediction is going to workout by mid-season.

By – Over.  I dislike the Steelers.  They have more Lombardi Trophies than the 49ers, so I was uberly excited when they fell short to Green Bay in the Super Bowl last season, add to that it was to Cal’s Finest, woot woot!  But let’s face it, the Steelers aren’t going anywhere and if anything, they’re even more motivated to return to the top.

Colts (9.5 wins)

Dre – Over.  I wish I could say Peyton’s health could be an issue, and while it’s his neck and not legs he’s rehabbing, he’ll be out there by the second week of September to lead the Colts to victory.  He’s Peyton Manning.  Nuff said.

Chappy – Over, I don’t think a Peyton led team has won less than 10 games in a good decade. I’ll give it to them on that fact alone.

MCeezy – Over. The lockout is going to help the Colts as much as anyone. They’ve never been the best team on paper, but always know how to execute and get the job done. Manning’s discipline alone will probably carry the team to 12 wins.

By – Over.  Yes the Colts don’t seem to be the sexy pick anymore, but on the strength of Peyton Manning alone, over.

Ravens (10.5 wins)

Dre – Over.  I truly believe the Ravens will get the Steelers this year.  Another easy schedule, like the Steelers, but the Ravens have a chip on their shoulder after the playoff loss to their rival.  Either way, they’ll probably match up again in the divisional round.

Chappy – Under, They cleared a bunch of cap space, but didn’t do anything with the money. This fairly old defense has to break down eventually right? I wonder if the crime rate will go up as a result of them losing more games than last season?

MCeezy – Over. Let’s hope so at least. I’d hate to see a mellow Ricky Williams forced to endure evil, which we call crime.

By – Under.  I like the Ravens, I really do, but their window has closed.  Or I should say, Pittsburgh never let them open it.  Baltimore will still be a force to be reckoned with throughout the league, but they’ll also still play second fiddle to the black and yellow up North.

Titans (6.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  A gigantic question mark at QB is not the way to start a season, with Hassel’s back giving out periodically and a rookie who doesn’t know how to run out of bounds or slide to avoid contact.  Should be an exciting year in Tennesse.

Chappy – Under, Chris Johnson is holding out. I can barely name anyone else on their team outside Finnegan and his fight night attitude. Hasselbeck should’ve stayed in Seattle imho.

By – Under.  Chris Johnson is holding out.  Even if he does sign, the Titans have no threat at wide receiver to keep defenses honest.  Well, I take that back, there’s potential, but still.  Like Chappy said, I can’t really name any other player on this team aside from the aforementioned.  That usually means a losing record.

Dolphins (7.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  Four losses within the division to start.  Then a tough schedule after that, with an unproven QB and a rookie RB taking the ball.  Marshall will be ineffective, and the addition of Reggie Bush will be a bust.  Yeah I said it.

Chappy – Under, replacing Ronnie Brown and Rickey Williams with Reggie Bush isn’t the recepie for success. I do like the Marshall and Bess combo in the recieving core, but that isn’t enough in such a tough division.

MCeezy – Under. The Dolphins seemed like they were on the way back to contention, but I’m just not convinced they’ll be able to gel on the field this year. Unless, Jason Taylor has one more great season up his sleeve.

By – Under.  Pretty much what Dre said, although I do like Marshall to be a little better than “ineffective” but not by much.  Perhaps the term “somewhat useful” works better for me.

Texans (8.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  Shouldn’t this line be 8 even?  Everyone knows this is an 8 win offense and an 8 loss defense.  I didn’t see enough in the additions of Joseph and Manning to the secondary to change that.

Chappy –  Over, even though they didn’t improve this porous defense, they have a relatively easy schedule, so I see them topping 9 win mark. This might be one of my least confident picks.

By – Over.  Why do I always fall for the Texans Pre-Season hype?  This year there isn’t as much hype, but still, new season, same story for me.  I just really like Houston’s offense.  If Houston’s offense had a Facebook page, I would become a fan of it and like it.  I hope it’s enough to squeeze out 9 wins.

Jets (8 wins)

Dre – Over.  This seems pretty low considering the success this franchise has had the past two years.  They didn’t lose a lot on offense, besides Braylon’s droppsies, and their defense is oh so strong.

Chappy – Over, I’m sure Rex is pissed at this win loss prediction that Vegas gave them. I almost went for a push with this one, but I bet they will be better than a .500 team. At least they have the AFC West on their schedule this year.

MCeezy – Over. How are they going to go back to .500 after such a solid year last season. We saw what Michael Vick did for Philly last year fresh out of jail, you mean to tell me adding Plaxico won’t propel them to an AFC East title this year?

By – Over.  Not sure why the o/u is so low on this one, didn’t the Jets make the AFC Championship Game last season?  They’ve only gained experience since then, and this team really responds to Rex Ryan and his antics.  They might get swept by the Pats in the division this season, but 9 wins shouldn’t be too difficult for Gang Green.

Bills (5.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  The Bills are still the Bills. Tough schedule this year between their division games and being matched up with the NFC east.  Add on the Chargers and Chiefs, and it’s not looking promising.

Chappy – Under, I don’t even know what direction this team is going, but it’s not up. Being in the strongest division in the league won’t help them one bit either.

MCeezy – Under. The Bills are the equivalent of a triple-A team in the NFL. Nick Barnett and Shawne Merriman would have formed an amazing LB duo, but I’d prefer to have Poluzsny. I just can’t believe Lee Evans is still there. Is he the longest tenured player in Buffalo since Andre Reed?

By – Under.  They can only compete with one team in their division, and that one team is still better than them.  Add to that, they’ve got tough out of division match ups, and a 5 win season would be something to celebrate in Buffalo.

Browns (6.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  Even being matched up with the NFC West won’t help as they’d be lucky to split.  Their division is rough, and their veteran QB likes to give the ball back to the other team.  No Bueno.

Chappy – Over, They did some good things last year, and I think they will improve again. They play the AFC and NFC West this year, which should help them get to 7 wins on the season.

By – Under.  I do believe in the Madden curse.  If anything happens to Peyton Hillis, the Browns are in big trouble.

Broncos (5.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  I hope Kyle Orton keeps his job, but either way I don’t think the Broncos have enough talent to get past their own division and a tough rest of schedule.  No defense is not how to win games, even with a nice draft on that side of the ball.

Chappy – Under, I’m iffy on this pick, as I think the return of Elvis Dumervil will help them a lot on defense where they were terrible (up front), but that won’t be enough unless the Tebow issues get sorted out.

MCeezy – Over. I hope, for the Raiders’ sake, it’s the under, but I think Denver rebounds from a disappointing season, and Kyle Orton plays with a little extra fire, after many wrote him off before training camp. I also think John Fox has a rejuvenating year and guides this team back to the playoffs.

By – Under.  Despite Kyle Orton being the firm starter at quarterback, if adversity arises, the fans will be calling for #15, as they should!  Give Tim Tebow the damn ball and let him lead you to the promise land Denver!  Since I don’t see that happening soon, Denver won’t be visiting any promise lands soon.

Jaguars (6 wins)

Dre – Push.  Another QB situation up in the air.  Will they let David Garrard go out there before they hand the keys over to their 1st round pick Gabbert?  Is MJD completely healthy?  If so, they get to 6 wins. Otherwise they will be drafting very high next season.

Chappy – Under, Any team on the brink of moving doesn’t seem to do that well. They were a nice story last season, but this year their schedule is much tougher. I feel like MJD is going to get hurt this year too…

By – Push.  6 wins hinges on Pocket Hercules’ health.  If he stays healthy, the Jags can get to 6 wins, despite being in a very tough division.  Big question is will David Garrard finish the season as the starting quarterback, or will future cornerstone Blaine Gabbert take over?

Chiefs (7.5 wins)

Dre – Over.  The Chiefs are up and coming, and they have made strides on both sides of the ball.  Their defense improved at each level, and their passing attack may comes close to rivaling their great running game.  They will be better than .500.

Chappy – Under, I wouldn’t be shocked if I got this pick wrong. They have a great running game, and their special teams is second to none. Like I said with the Chargers, the AFC West has a tough schedule this year outside the division.

MCeezy – Over, but when I say over, I mean 8 wins. Last year was huge for the Chiefs, and they’ve kept their roster mostly intact. It’s too bad Mike Vrabel retired, but the additions of Steve Breaston and Le’Ron McClain should give them some much needed depth.

By – Under.  What the Chiefs did last season was amazing, great turn around for a historic franchise.  I’m just not ready to believe they are legit.  I hope they prove me wrong, they have great pieces in place and are exciting to watch at times.  

Raiders (6.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  Sorry Raiders fans, but still no solid passing game (Campbell, really?) means regular 8 man fronts to stop Run DMC.  Everyone was shocked to see the Raiders have success last year.  There will be no shock this year, don’t worry.

Chappy – Over, obviously this a “hoping/homer” pick. They won 8 games last year, and even though they lost Nnamdi, the Raiders were 2-2 in games he didn’t play due to injury. Hue Jackson has the respect of this team, so hopefully he can take advantage of it.

MCeezy – Over. They lost their two most productive players in Nnamdi Asomugha and Zach Miller, but it’s a team game, and Hue Jackson seems poised to have the Raiders playing like a team once again. Richard Seymour led the defense last year, and he’s back. Darren McFadden has a broken face, but there’s no way he doesn’t come back strong this year, as he enters the prime of his career.

By – Under.  Sorry Chappy, sorry Matt.  Don’t worry, I’ll be much more cruel to my Niners.  Just don’t see anything positive going on for the Raiders. 

Bengals (5.5 wins)

Dre – Under.  This could be a sad year in Cincy.  I’m not sure what Carson Palmer is thinking.  Guess he’s just a quitter.  They are in a tough division and their schedule isn’t that bad, but they seriously downgraded at QB and their stud rookie WR AJ Green will go mostly unused.

Chappy – Under, this feels like a lock, although getting Ochocinco’s side show away from the team might help. The fact remains they are a team stuck in reverse.

MCeezy – Over. I don’t know what to make of this team, but just for the sake of argument, I’ll say they reach 6-8 wins. Most people see the loss of Ochocinco, and a huge dark cloud of uncertainty around Carson Palmer. On the flipside, they’ve also had an aggressive offseason, adding guys like Nate Clements, Bo Scaife, Thomas Howard, and Manny Lawson.

By – Under.  It seems impossible for a team to succeed when the players act like they don’t want to be there.  Well in the case of Carson Palmer, there is no acting involved!  A dysfunctional situation in a black and blue division leads me to believe the Bengals will have very few dubs this season.

9 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Sports

August 2, 2011

Going Backwards In The Bay

By mceezy

It’s been a disappointing offseason out here in Northern California for the two storied, but recently troubled Bay Area football teams. While many teams are out making aggressive moves, taking advantage of the unusually wide open free agent pool, the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders have not only stood pat, but they’ve both seemed content to lose their players.

I’ll start with the Niners, since I care less, and they seemed poised to be bigger players in the free agent market. Their lone acquisition is a guy who doesn’t even exist according to ESPN. I tried to see what this Madieu Williams guy is all about, but he doesn’t even have a player profile on espn.com. Word on the street is they’ve also signed David Akers, but I don’t know if kickers count, so I won’t bother to confirm that. On the other side of the coin, the 49ers have seemed to lose another player each day. Granted, for the most part, they were considered expendable, though I’m not sure why in many cases. They let Nate Clements walk – he went to Cincinnati. Takeo Spikes’ run in SF was widely considered to be over, so he headed south to San Diego. However, Manny Lawson, David Baas, and particularly Aubrayo Franklin, seemed to still have a place on this roster. Instead, they sat on their thumbs while those three departed for the Bengals, Giants, and Saints, respectively. The one guy they bothered to re-sign, and thus give a seventh chance, is quarterback Alex Smith. Jim Harbaugh is the savior, so surely he can be the one to tap Alex Smith’s unharnessed potential, right? The sole consolation on the West side of the Bay is that the Niners haven’t let go of any of their core players. Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, and Michael Crabtree are all still there. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing about the team across the water in the biggity-biggity O (that’s Rappin 4-Tay in Playas Club for anyone who missed it)

Over on the warmer side of the Bay, the Raiders have also stood on the sidelines while other teams took their players. They actually voided the contract of possibly their best player, Nnamdi Asomugha, so that at least softened the blow when he ultimately signed with Philadelphia. At least we knew he wasn’t coming back. After that, at least the losses of Bruce Gradkowski and Thomas Howard to Cincinnati and Robert Gallery to Seattle won’t be crippling the team necessarily. They did re-sign Michael Huff and Sam Williams, among others, as well as throwing about $50 million at Kamerion Wimbley to keep him in Oakland. But, all of that can’t overcome the loss of tight end Zach Miller. I wasn’t the hugest fan of the guy, but there were more than a few games when he was the only guy producing on the entire team. Obviously a few other guys have to deliver in order for the team to move the chains, but more often than not, the guy with the ball when it crossed the first down marker was Miller. With the unestablished receiving corps that consists of Louis Murphy, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Jacoby Ford, the nimble tight end was almost always the guy to find some open space for whatever quarterback the Raiders have in dodging uncontested pass rushers. Part of me wants to find solace in the fact that Al Davis isn’t out there throwing money at whoever the best players on paper are, but the majority of me wonders if they can overcome the loss of such an integral part of their offense (if you can call it that).

3 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

August 1, 2011

Retired in California

By chappy81

If you somehow don’t feel bad for Bengals fans, maybe this mashup song will change your tune. Seems like instead of not having Carson play anywhere, they’d just trade him for a draft pick or two and move on, but that’s not the case with Mike Brown run front office. It’s funny that a team can terminate a contract at anytime, and have been all week, but players aren’t allowed to do the same. It’s one of the most hypocritical kinds of deals out there. Ever since Barry Sanders retired early because he was sick of being on crappy Lions teams, and they wouldn’t trade him saying he had to play for them or retire. We were all robbed of a couple more years with Barry at his prime. I’m not nearly as sad about losing out on seeing Palmer in action, but if it keeps happening with other players we might need to start an uproar against some of these owners.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Sports

July 26, 2011

Goodluck Nnamdi

By chappy81

The NFL lockout is over which I’m sure you heard. Here’s an Icky Shuffle video to celebrate. Although I wanted to see them miss some regular season games, losing them money and fans, I guess I don’t mind the NFL’s coming back now. It would’ve been tragic to be without the NFL and NBA this winter. I mean, actually having conversations with the family on Thanksgiving instead of watching football sounds completely ridiculous. It’s no secret, the top free agent in the ocean sized free agent pool seems to be Nnamdi Asomugha as they’ve been talking about him a lot the past week. I pretty much know for a fact he won’t be back with the Raiders, or he and Al would’ve worked out a deal or Al would’ve honored the rest of his contract instead of terminating it last season. It’s sad to see the Cal star turned Raider heading out of the Bay Area, but sometimes you need a change in your life. I will continue to root for him to succeed wherever he goes (as long as it’s not the Patriots).

Nnamdi was an interesting Raider. Since we drafted him in 2003, he was pretty much the lone bright spot on teams that sucked year in and year out, which you can point to a number of reasons, but none were his fault. Normally the Raiders have the dysfunctional head cases or cast offs playing for them, but he was a different breed of Raider. He liked community work even going back to his days at Cal. If you met him you’d probably think he’s some slick businessmen instead of a football player. I’d actually elect him as the NFLPA rep as soon as he retires. He continues to do talks to college kids about the importance of education on his own time. He even fly’s around the country to help recruits understand what they are getting into, and takes the time to debate with our former president showing everyone his expertise isn’t only football. He’s pretty much everything you’d want in a star player. Humble enough to work hard. Smart enough to put the film time in, and just like on Sunday, he’s never in trouble aka bringing bad PR.

Is he worth $20M+ per year? That’s a double edged sword right there as a few of our readers don’t think he’s worth it from what I remember. I didn’t feel like the Raiders overspent when we signed him to the contract making him the richest CB in the league, and most deemed the contract ridiculous at the time, but he produced. Hell, our Deangelo Hall signing was 100 times worse. I would say Nnamdi as the whole package is worth the $20M+ per year. You get a shut down corner that opposing teams don’t throw at. Of the 474 passing plays ran the last two seasons against Oakland, only 7% of those plays targeted Nnamdi. A combination of blanket coverage and respect of his talent forced opposing QB’s to look the other way. He’s also out of the Charles Woodson mold when it comes to tackling, which I feel is one of his most underrated attributes. Cornerback might be the hardest position to evaluate, and while I understand why some argue that getting a ball-hawking corner like Antonio Cromartie for a third of the price makes some sense. On the other hand, a guy like Cromartie is a huge liability, and can’t even remember his kids names. Also, how much did Cromartie benefit from having Revis across the way from him. If Nnamdi had someone half as good as him on the other side, I would be willing to bet you he’d have more picks. Anyways, wherever he lands, be happy you got him. He’s well worth the money. My prediction: Baltimore….

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March 31, 2011

Football Vs. Futbol

By chappy81

http://www.sportsmanagementcolleges.net/

 

 

 

5 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Random, Sports

March 28, 2011

The NFL Gives Out Compensation Picks?

By chappy81

I saw that there were compensatory picks handed out to some NFL teams on Friday including one’s like a 3rd rounder to Carolina, and a 4th rounder to Green Bay and Tennessee. I guess this is the second year they’ve done this, and last year I must’ve missed it or not cared, probably a little of both. I checked out the rule a little closer and found out what it meant. If you lose a player from your team, and don’t sign as good a player to fill in for them you get a pick, and depending on the value gap you could end up with a pick in rounds 3-7. I’m confused as to why this was ever put in place. Instead of signing a veteran player to a long term deal, the team dumps the player, and they get a pick for compensation of being cheap? Doesn’t feel like something a team should get rewarded for in any scenario. I understand that Carolina sucks, but should they get an extra 3rd rounder because of not caring to re-up the roster a little more? I understand why teams get extra compensation picks in baseball for losing star players, because there is  no way for small market teams to compete with the top half of the league when it comes to spending power. Believe an A’s fan, you’d love to see your team be able to over spend instead of getting some compensation picks for a player about to enter their prime. Since the NFL has a salary cap, why should teams get hooked up for cutting salary? Compensation picks in the NFL are a joke. As a fan I’m offended.

In case you were wondering what I thought of the NFL rule change of moving the kickoff up 5 yards. I care about it as much as I care about the WNBA…

18 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports