Tag Archives: NFL

March 4, 2011

Here’s to Hoping For a Lockout!

By chappy81

I can’t say I totally understand what is going on with the NFL and NFLPA duking it out for the $9 billion pot. I know there are plenty of gripes on both sides as there are in any type of labor dispute. All the percentages and retirement funds make my head spin, and honestly I could really care less what ends up happening between the two sides when it’s all said and done. There are two things that I want to see come out of this. The first is that they get a team in Los Angeles. Not because I live here or would go to their games unless I got free tickets, but it makes sense. I’ve never been one that enjoys seeing the rich get richer, but as Charlie Sheen would say you win here you win there, WINNING! Putting a team in LA would be winning for both sides, because it’s a huge market that the players and league would all benefit from. Second, the retired players health. I couldn’t be more on the players side for this one, as the NFL really does need to have some kind of medical plan for the guys that bashed their brains in for the sport that made the owners more rich than they already were. It’s amazing to me how bad they treat their former employees. Almost all of the owners are really old, so you’d think they’d understand these types of problems that come with age. As Simmons points out in his article today, they just love money.

The real reason I wrote this was because I actually want to see this lockout happen. I know I’m in the minority with this view. Apparently today they’ve extended talks for another 7 days, but I don’t see much happening in that week. I’m not saying I would enjoy a fall without football (because I wouldn’t), but if these two sides can’t see that they are winning in nearly every phase, then I hope they lockout. My main reason is I’d love to see them lose some fans. We are the ones that fill their pockets by overspending on game tickets that you can barely even see the field from for $100 each, and while they do give us an amazing product that I thoroughly enjoy, they don’t really care about us, they just want to know how much they can make off us raising prices on everything (tickets, merchandise, parking, concessions, etc) in a national recession. Do they care that we buy licensed NFL products for hundreds of dollars when it cost them one dollar to make in China? No, and I do understand the capitalist point of view on it, but can’t fathom how there’s never enough. Every league is geared for the fans, but I feel like the NFL takes advantage of them a lot more than others, so by all means lockout and lose some of your fans!

That being said if there is a lockout the second football comes back on I’m positive I’ll be watching. I’d love to see a lockout that knocks the NFL down to the #2 or #3 sport in our country in the same way that baseball died after their strike. I’m thinking if it kills a fantasy season that will ultimately take some people away from the game. Would those fantasy players return to being fans of the league without that season? Hopefully not, and I can’t stand being at a bar listening to some guy talk about how his receiver needing 10 yards to take the lead in his matchup. That my friends is something I won’t miss. I can’t say I don’t fall into that trap from time to time, but I know I’d do just fine watching without fantasy sports around. I no longer like the casual fan that doesn’t really root for a team, and I feel like a lockout would kill some of them off. In an era where everything major going on is an open book in the media, I’d love to see them lockout. The league/owners would be crucified in public (rightfully so), and would see a decline in the sports popularity on some level. I wish we could go back to the days when most owners cared more about winning. That’s why I’ll never fault Al Davis for any of the moves he makes no matter how ridiculous they can be. He does them because he thinks it will make them win. You can’t say the same for many teams out there.

 

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

February 3, 2011

Doin Super Bowl Lines

By dyslecix

Dyslecix picks Green Bay (-2.5). I just really like the Packers’ playmakers on a fast track indoors. They aren’t a huge run team anyways, and I think the transition is harder for Pittsburgh early, getting use to that indoor turf and style… And by that I mean the Packers got a taste against the Falcons already and as we saw, it suited the team pretty well. 27-21 Packers….with a big 4th quarter push from the Steelers who were down early….

Chappy picks Green Bay (-2.5). There’s  four reasons why I’m picking Green Bay. One, Charles Woodson. He is possibly my third or fourth all time favorite Raider behind Tim Brown, Bo Jackson, and Howie Long. Woodson forced a game winning fumble that should have gotten the Raiders into the AFC Championship game. Yup, still hate the Patriots for that game. Second, I’ve been rooting for Aaron Rodgers since he went to Cal. I’d like to see him with the real Championship belt on.

Third, I just don’t like seeing rapists succeed. If Ben had served a little jail time, I would forgive him a little sooner, but it didn’t really feel like he was ever punished. Four games, whoopity doo-da. I’m sure he found out a valuable lesson about hanging around college kids in BFE. Fourth, I’m no longer liking how good this Steelers franchise is. I get tired of the same teams winning over and over. They do play a fun brand of football though. Maybe I just want there to be another New Orleans type story even though I know it can’t happen. Wisconsin is nice and all, but the storyline isn’t quite as good. Packers win 28-23

By picks Green Bay (-2.5). I’m still uncertain as to why Green Bay is the favorite here, yes the dome and artificial turf can be an advantage to Green Bay’s speed on the perimeter, but we’re talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers here folks, they’ll adjust.  If I do recall, it was the Steelers who just won a Super Bowl two seasons ago.  Not much has changed to their roster since then, maybe except for the fact that they’ve renewed their hunger for another ring.  I’m picking Green Bay here because I’m rooting for them, but in all reality I don’t expect them to win.  I don’t care what the odd makers are telling you, Green Bay is the underdog here, and if I’m a neutral fan, I root for the ‘dogs.  Actually, I’m not that neutral, I’m a big Cal fan and so I’ll be cheering for Aaron Rodgers to equal Brett Favre in Super Bowl victories.  I like pointing that out too.  The fact that if Aaron Rodgers wins on Sunday, he’ll be tied with Favre in Super Bowl victories.  Takes away from Favre’s “legend”.  Also, call me a glutton for pain, but as a 49ers fan, I enjoy how much it hurts to see how successful Aaron Rodgers has become knowing we passed on him for Alex Smith in ’05.  It’s like pressing on a bruise to yourself.  It hurts so good.  The x-factor in this matchup is Green Bay’s defense, specifically their secondary.  For as much hype as Nhamdi Awesome-Muah (yes that’s how I spell and pronounce his name) and Darrelle Revis get for being shut down corners, Charles Woodson is overlooked.  This despite him winning Defensive Player of the Year last season.  Green Bay’s offense is going to struggle for a better part of this game against the vaunted Steelers’ D, but if Green Bay’s D can keep it close, all bets are off and Rodgers and co. have a chance.  Here goes nothing, Pack 21 Steelers 17.

MCeezy picks PITTSBURGH (+2.whocares) No spread needed… I think the Steelers will beat the spread because I think they’ll WIN. Everyone’s real high on the Packers right now, including me, but it doesn’t mean they’ll have success against the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s got too many big game players.  Green Bay’s almost there, but not quite. They’ll be back though. They will need to replace some receivers in the next few years, and they’ll continue to have a revolving door at running back, but they’ve got enough pieces in place to be a perennial postseason threat. This weekend though, will belong to the Steelers. I won’t be particularly thrilled about it, but I see the Steelers pulling away in the second half and winning decisively. Largely because my high school and college, and my beloved Oakland A’s, all donned the green and gold, I’ll be rooting for the Packers, but this one’s gonna be all black and yellow black and yellow black and yellow… Steelers 36 Packers 17

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

February 1, 2011

Whatever Happened to the Two Sport Athlete? Are They About to Make a Comeback!?!

By chappy81

I was reading this Rob Neyer article, and he was talking about how great Bo Jackson was. To this day he is one of my favorite all time Raiders. I loved his Tiger handheld game as well. He dominated Deion in the battle of the best two-sport athlete by a long shot. Unfortunately for Bo, and for us, his career ended far too early. It got me wondering why there aren’t more two sport athletes these days, but if you look at the salaries back then he wasn’t making close to what guys are today. Granted it was the early 90’s, and with inflation money was worth a little more than it is now, but his final year in Oakland he earned $1.6M, and in Kansas City he pulled in $2.6M.  I’m not saying this is chump change, but the crappy players weren’t quite to the point of getting paid ridiculous amounts of money during Bo’s days, and even the best players weren’t completely paid. So my thinking was that as contracts rose in EVERY sport the need to play more than one sport lessened. The last guy I can even think of that stood out in two sports was Charlie Ward being the general for Florida State’s offense in football and basketball, but even he didn’t play two sports professionally, which I think proves my point that athlete’s don’t need to play two sports anymore because the money is so ridiculously good in whichever one they choose. The closest thing we’ve had recently is a Nike commercial with Lebron blocking a field goal for the Cleveland Browns. With the very real possibility of a lockout for two of our sports (NFL and NBA), I wanted to throw out some ideas for guys and types of players that I think would try to make the jump to another sport either out of boredom or the need to support the $500,000 a month spending lifestyle. Continue reading

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

January 22, 2011

Doin Championship Lines

By chappy81

This football season sure has flow by. Maybe it’s because the Raiders were relevant for so long I kind of forgot what it meant to care about the regular season. I ended the year making good picks with three straight winning weeks, as soon as the playoffs started, I went down faster than a Charlie Sheen threesome culminating with last weeks 0-4 performance. What does this tell me about making picks in the playoffs, don’t listen to any of the hype. Pick the opposite of your instincts, and you’ll be okay. Maybe that’s not the best strategy, but I have to change it up since nothing I’ve done the first two weeks is working.

.500 in the playoffs, I’ll take it.  The bonus here is I successfully picked the biggest upsets in the playoffs thus far, Seattle over New Orleans and the Jets over the Pats, so I’m some what satisfied with my overall performance in terms of picking winners this post season.  Only problem is, I have no winnings to show for it.  Maybe I should stick to two spot parlays over four.  Well, there’s only two games this weekend …

Green Bay (-3.5) @ Chicago

Chappy picks Chicago (+3.5). I really don’t want to pick Chicago, and would much rather see Aaron Rodgers make his first Super Bowl appearance, but it’s opposite day with the picks, so I guess I’m rolling with Obama’s favorite team. In two games during the regular season the Bears held Rodgers to 27 total points. This looks like a different QB than the last time they played though as he tore through Philly and Atlanta, but I’m confident the Bears D can stifle him enough to keep the score close. The Bears are a much better defensive unit than those first two teams Rodgers faced. Even though the lowly Seahawks put up 24 points on the Beard D, that game wasn’t as close as it looked in the final score. I’m far from a Cutler fan, but his season has been pretty good, and whether I like to admit it or not, he is a franchise QB. He’s made the best from what he had, which isn’t much outside of Matt Forte on offense. He’s definitely prone to make some ill advised throws here and there, but overall Cutler has grown a lot since last year’s abysmal season. I can’t remember a home team that was the #2 seed, and won their division, and was still a dog. That point alone sold me on this pick.

I like the Packers defense and offense better than Chicago’s, but that doesn’t always win you games. I think a few turnovers, and some solid returns from Hester set the Bears up for a win. These divisional games are usually very close, so it’s impossible to not take the points.

By picks Green Bay (-3.5). Normally I’d be shocked to find that a team that barely made the playoffs (albeit through no fault of their own, 2010 Seattle Seahawks) would be the favorite on the road against a team who finished second in the conference.  But not if said team had Aaron Rodgers as their QB.  I was high on Atlanta all season, and despite the fact that they weren’t the Pittsburgh Steelers on defense, the Falcons still did enough to hold off opponents for wins.  But Aaron Rodgers absolutely destroyed them.  He’s been picking apart most of the defenses he’s seen for a minute now, and is easily the hottest QB heading into the conference championships.  Combine that with the opportunistic defense of Green Bay, and the Packers have a winning combination.  If “loosey goosey” Jay Cutler rears his ugly head at all this weekend, the Pack will get a few picks and send the Bears into hibernation.

NY Jets @ Pittsburgh (-3.5)

Chappy picks NY Jets (+3.5). Should we start calling him the Sanchize again? He’s already graduated from my nickname earlier in the year the SanCheckdown. I may have fallen prey to the media surrounding Sanchez, because he never can do enough to get love from the writers, me being one of them. He has had a good year, but this weekend against the league’s best rush defense he is going to have to step up. I don’t see him going for over 300 yards or anything, but his ability to pick up third downs will be the difference in the game. We know the Jets will run whether they gain yards or not, so it’s going to be up to Sanchez to find ways to convert those third and longs. I think the Steelers will win, but since it’s opposite day I have to stick with the Jets. Plus, I don’t really like that everyone calls the Steelers Americas team. It’s better than Dallas being called Americas team, but nobody outside of the Saints last year should have that label, because is America really rooting for the Steelers? Laughable if you ask me…

By picks N.Y. Jets (+3.5). As much as I think Alex Smith could easily be Mark Sanchez if it were he riding the coat tails of that tremendous Jets’ defense, I must admit, that scoring drive to answer New England’s, culminating in a beautiful touchdown grab by Santonio Holmes was quite impressive.  Impressive considering what was at stake.  If they don’t score, I truly believe New England’s momentum carries them to a come back victory.  But Sanchez nipped that in the bud.  The Steelers are a wholenother monster.  Sanchez will not perform so eloquently against the best defense in the business.  But he won’t have to.  I think Sanchez has developed a comfort level in being the game manager/clutch timely passing QB.  His 4-1 playoff record would back that statement up.  As good as a defense is, you need someone who can make the plays when it counts on offense.  If Sanchez could be the equivalent to the 2000 Trent Dilfer, then by all means Jets fans, take it.  I think he’s almost there.  When everything’s said and done, I believe the Steelers are by far the better team.  But if I have to go with my gut instinct, I think the Jets pull this out.

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

January 16, 2011

NFL Weekend Wrapup Part II

By mceezy

Steelers Rally Back On The Ravens – Well this game certainly didn’t disappoint. After the Steelers got on the board first, Baltimore ran off three straight touchdowns to take a 21-7 lead into halftime. As the title suggests though, the Steelers rallied back and ended up winning 31-24. I still don’t like the holding call on that potential go-ahead punt return, but of course this game was going to have it’s share of close calls. The real interesting part in this game for me was the winner would be who I’d root for to come out of the AFC, since they’d likely go on to play the Patriots the following week. ……or would they?!?!

Packers Run Away From The Falcons – It’s a pretty fine line between whether the Falcons played that bad or the Packers played that good. The pivotal second quarter was the difference maker, where Matt Ryan killed both of Atlanta’s drives with costly interceptions. Aaron Rodgers became the star of the Joe and Troy Show. Buck and Aikmen displayed a level of mancrush that I haven’t seen on a broadcast since Brett Favre was in Green Bay. But honestly, why wouldn’t they? Rodgers is the only quarterback in the NFL who was fortunate enough to come from Chico, California, home of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. The only other big headline here is this sets the stage for a possible NFC Championship IN Seattle, home of the 7-9 Seahawks.

Bears Shut Down Seahawks – This game wasn’t nearly as close as the 35-24 score suggests. It was 28-3 after three quarters, and Seattle had to punt on their first 8 drives. At least they weren’t turning the ball over! The best part about this game being a blowout was it gave me a chance to make the hour drive back home from Walnut Creek in time to catch the start of the late game. It also gave me some time to reflect on the night before, where I paid my last respects to one of my favorite clubs in San Francisco, Gravity, on its last night in operation. I guess it’s fitting that the Bay Area backfield of Marshawn Lynch and Justin Forsett seemed to have an extra dose of gravity, and never really got off the ground, combining for just 11 rushing yards.

Jets Shock The World – Or me, at least. I gave the Jets zero chance to win this game and I was thoroughly impressed with their overall performance. They didn’t necessarily come out of the gate rolling, but they controlled the ball and once they pushed across two touchdowns, they never looked back. Sanchez seemed to be on a pretty tight leash to start the game, but he finished with a solid game of 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. He may just be the ultimate game manager, since he boasts an impressive 4-1 postseason record in his two year career. Not taking away from a solid Green Bay – Chicago showdown in the NFC, I can’t wait for this Jets-Steelers matchup next weekend. If you didn’t know from my Adrian Murrell RFP of the Day a while back, I was a huge Jets fan from 1995-1997. Having said that, I’m really excited to see Neil O’Donnell’s former teams battling it out. I’ll probably even have to bring out the Keyshawn #19 jersey…. again.

4 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Sports

January 15, 2011

Doin Divisional Lines

By chappy81

0-2 on Saturday 2-0 on Sunday. I’ll take it since I hit one parlay at least. Wild card weekend is always fun, but the real matchups start in the Divisional round, and what better way to have it play out than two games with divisional rivals! Stat of the week for the divisional round. The home teams are 10-10 in the divisional round over the last five years. So, I guess I have to take two road teams this week to keep that trend going. I’m loving all the trash talking going on this week, which just gives us a few more things to watch over the weekend.

2-2 last week, not bad, but I could do better.  I do feel I deserve some bonus points for predicting the Seattle upset. Anyway, as Jay-Z would say “On to the next, on on to the next one”.


Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-3)

Chappy picks Baltimore (+3). I’ve been leaning on the Ravens and Steelers all season with my picks, and have declared it the best division in football from time to time. It’s really a coin flip when these two teams hook up, because they are basically the same team built the same way. I honestly think the Steelers will win, but I usually pick this match up wrong, so this time I’m going with the team that’s getting points. The road team won both games this year when they matched up, so I’m hoping that trend continues with this pick. If Polamalu is the Steelers best player, and he isn’t 100% then I feel like it might be one of those injuries that makes him ineffective. Kind of like when Freeney was hurt in the Super Bowl last year. He was on the field, but not really there, which is a huge blow to the heart of the D. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is the first time we see the new overtime rules tested.

By picks Baltimore (+3). This is the first of three tough match ups this weekend (not including the spread), can you guess which one is the odd game out?  Pittsburgh is a legit contender, and given the fact that they’re at home this weekend should be enough for me to pick them.  But there’s something I don’t like about the Steelers that I can’t quite get my finger on in this match up, and therefore I choose the Ravens.  Perhaps I just get the feeling Baltimore’s destined to make a trip to Texas come February, and I’ve done a pretty decent job with going with my gut instincts this season.  Also, I can’t root against a Harbaugh right now.

Green Bay @ Atlanta (-2.5)

Starks is the key on Saturday

Chappy picks Atlanta (-2.5). I think I’ll be rooting for the Packers in this one. Mostly because I’ve had a mini-mancrush on Rodgers for a while, but that doesn’t mean I think they will win. The Falcons are one of the few complete teams top to bottom. They might not be flashy or have a true identity like everybody wants them to have, but they get the job done. I think this is going to be a close game, and if the Falcons show any rust after having a week off, the Packers need to take advantage of it early. I still just can’t talk myself into Starks having two big games in a row out of nowhere. The Packers D has been great lately, but they haven’t faced as balanced of a team as Atlanta in a while. Turner’s running should neutralize Clay Matthews pass rush a little bit as the game goes along. The Falcons have given up 18 points or fewer and gotten two takeaways in all of their last four games. If they hold the Packers under 18 points, I see them winning.

By picks Atlanta (-2.5).  This is difficult pick for personal reasons.  I’m a huge Cal fan, as my girlfriend is an alumni, so Aaron Rodgers is among my favorite signal callers to cheer for, and aside from where he went to school, he throws a pretty ball, which I admire.  But for some reason, I’ve become a ginormous Matt Ryan supporter, and I can’t bail ship on him and the Falcons now.  Plus I still think the Falcons have too many weapons on offense to be contained over four quarters.  Atlanta in this one.

This isn't Qwest Field, Seattle.

Seattle @ Chicago (-10)

Chappy picks Seattle (+10). I can’t remember the last time I saw a double-digit line in the second round of the playoffs. I’m almost positive the Bears will win, because they know how to tackle better than the Saints, but feel like it will be somewhat close. The Bears like to keep games close with all those negative plays they rack up. Did you know that Forte and Cutler have combined for a whopping 134 negative plays!?! I didn’t until Skip Bayless just told me. The Seattle defense looked great against the Saints. I think they will look equally as good against a lesser offense. Take the points in this one even if you don’t really believe in Seattle.

By picks Chicago (-10). Giving up ten points in a divisional playoff game is tough, but two reasons why I think the Bears cover are:  A)  Seattle isn’t going to sneak up on anybody now and B)  They won’t have the twelfth man behind them in this one, which was a huge advantage for them last week.  In fact, being that they’re going to be playing out in the cold, I give Seattle little chance to crack double digits in points here.  Chicago big.

New York Jets @ New England (-9)

BB vs RR

Chappy picks New England (-9). Did I already say I loved the trash talking going on this week? Okay, just checking. Cromartie said he hates Tom Brady. When asked about it again he didn’t pull a Lebron and take back what he said, he re-enforced it saying he’s hated him since 2006. I guess I just like to throw in Lebron jabs where I can. Anyways, this game is the one I’m least looking forward to. Actually, I’m not really that excited about the Sunday slate overall, but hopefully I’m pleasantly surprised with some good football. This game should be cool if you’re a Patriots fan. Belichick always has his guys ready, and with an extra week they probably have a brand new playbook. Brady knows how to score points on the Jets, and with them missing their talented safety Jim Leonard, the Patriots will be hitting their tight ends all game long. The only way the Jets stay close enough to pull out a miracle is if they dominate the time of possession. I’m thinking a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 ratio in their favor is their only hope.

By picks N.Y. (+9). Not sure why New England’s giving up nine here, are the Jets that bad?  Would the odd makers give the Colts nine.  Anyway, enough with the talk, let’s get it on!  I can’t wait for this game to start.  I do feel an upset brewing though, the Jets may talk a big game, but they’re also in a position where they have nothing to lose.  No one expects them to win, I mean they’re nine-point dogs for crying out loud.  Rex Ryan will motivate these guys come Sunday and at the very least they’ll cover.

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

January 7, 2011

Doin Cali Storylines

By chappy81

Jim Harbaugh is going to be the 49ers new coach for the next five years. Great signing for a guy who is forever embedded in California going all the way back to High School, to coaching Stanford, and now his newest job as the 49ers head coach. Solid move by the coach for choosing the Niners over the Dolphins. It was a great move to stay where his family is, and even more so because he decided to go with the NFC West over the AFC East. I think he liked beating Pete Carroll so much in college in Pete’s last year at USC, he wanted the chance to do it twice a year in the pros. I’m not a big Niners or NFC fan, so that’s all I have to say about that, maybe By will have a post on it sometime later breaking it down, because it is the biggest thing they’ve done since they beat the Giants in the playoffs.

The Raiders fired Cable a couple of days ago as Mceezy already told us. I’ve let the feelings I had on the firing set in a little more over the last couple of days, because originally, I was pretty mad since the Raiders players seemed to respect Cable so much. Now, I’m not quite as mad as the initial shock of the announcement. I’m thinking that Al hired on Hue Jackson as the OC last year, because he wanted to groom him into the next HC. Hue improved the offense by leaps and bounds this year by actually getting them into the endzone last season. I remember last year, we went through a three game stretch where all we managed were field goals, and watching the offense was painful more times than not. They might have scored a TD in that three game stretch, but it was a defensive one.

Anyways, my theory goes like this. Al was going to roll with Cable this year, and see how Hue did with getting the offense functioning like a real offense again. Both were reasonably successful, so no changes were made for the first half of the season. Al probably would’ve kicked Cable to the curb if had a crappy record at the bye week, but that wasn’t the case. Since they were still in the hunt, Al decided to let the year play out and waited through December to see if Cable could get them to the playoffs. He didn’t, and when Cable emphatically said after the season finale win over the Chiefs “we aren’t losers anymore”, that probably pissed Al off more than anything, and was the final straw in a tenure that had him switching QB’s, punching assistants, and receiving battery charges from ex-girlfriends. If they don’t hire/promote Hue Jackson who has the players respect already, then it will be another one of Al’s crazy decisions that I will never understand. The players overall were outspoken against the firing, but I think having a familiar face leading them next year would negate some of that negative energy. So the moral of this rant, if Al hires Hue then I’ll believe he really had a plan. If Al hires someone else, he’s should be checked back into the insane asylum.

The A’s new ballpark. The Oakland City Council approved spending  ¾ of a million dollars into looking at a site in downtown Oakland for a new baseball only park for the A’s. I’m not really sure what this means, but I know there isn’t going to be a stadium anytime soon. I think this was a counter to San Jose trying to find a place to put the A’s, which Lew Wolff has longed for. It’s sad that the MLB still hasn’t concluded their research to decide where is the best fit for the A’s new park if there is one, after only two years of research. If they put me on that committee, I bet I could figure it out faster than two damn years!

Speaking of San Jose, how does the San Jose Hornets sound? It wouldn’t be possible till 2014 (when CP3 is gone), but Larry Ellison easily has the funds to buy the Hornets from the league and the wherewithal to make that move happen. He might do it just because he got punked when he was trying to buy the Warriors. It would be a pretty bold move to try to steal them away to San Jose, especially since the Warriors have as strong a fanbase as any in the league. I wonder if he’d just do it to take money and value away from Lacob and Gruber who bought the Warriors? Probably, because I think this guy HATES losing at anything, and I’m sure losing out on buying the Warriors is still eating at him. Five NBA teams in California seems like a little much, especially when three are in Northern California. I guess we will see how it all plays out, but I thought it was an interesting rumor nonetheless. The Kings are the most likely to move of the current teams here, so maybe there would still only be four teams in Cali if Ellison bought the Hornets.

The Lakers shenanigans leading to losing. I always love when Lakers fans start panicking after a few loses. I’m sure if I was a fan of theirs I’d be a little worried, but seriously, they still have the third best record in the west, so stop bitching Laker Nation. Even though their players are missing practices because of their IPhones, Ron doesn’t like the way Phil yells at him, and Odom is convincing teammates to sign waivers to be on his reality show, they shouldn’t be worried. They’ve gone through much worse with Kobe and Shaq, so they will right the ship. Last year just before the playoffs started, they played some of their worst ball of the season, and that sure didn’t seem to stop them from winning a championship. December and January isn’t the time to worry about the Lakers. This is a team that has been to the finals three years in a row. Sometimes you probably get bored during the season. I think that’s what is happening here more than anything…

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

January 6, 2011

Doin Wild Lines

By chappy81

6-0 last week. I can’t believe it took me all season to finally have a perfect week, but it actually happened! What was even better about the perfect week is that it put me over.500 for the season for the first time all season. It’s been a fun this year having By around to keep me motivated on making all these picks. Plus, it’s much more fun than caring about the Starbucks logo changing. Hopefully next year I can take By down!! Also, this week we were joined by Ryan Meehan from First Order Historians. I made the same picks over on his site if you want to check out even more reasons why I picked these teams check it out here.

I must admit, I’m a bit jealous Chaps had a perfect week, something that I was striving for all season long.  But I can’t complain about a 42-35-5 record on the season, the first time I’ve made picks in which I could reflect back on from a whole season’s worth.  It was real fun joining Chaps this season, and I definitely look forward to next (if there is one).  According to Roger Goodell, there will be.  But for now it’s money time, onto the playoffs!

Week 17 (Chap 6-0, By 2-2) Overall (Chap 48-47-3 By 42-35-5)

New Orleans (-10.5) @ Seattle

Chappy picks New Orleans -10.5. Is there any question on this one? Seattle shouldn’t be in the playoffs, and the Saints will show us all why. I understand that Drew Brees hasn’t had a career year, and has thrown quite a few picks this year, but you know what makes up for a subpar season? Winning in January. He’s shown he can do that, and I think he’ll open up a few big plays against a not very impressive Seahawks defense. Plus, the Saints have had the same problems as two other playoff teams during the regular season, injuries to the offense (Packers and Colts), but were good enough to still win 10 games. I feel like injuries were the reason the Falcons are widely conceived to be a much better team. Now, Brees has most of his weapons back at the right time, so we will soon see who is best, I think they’d play next round.

By picks Seattle (+10.5). What!?  I stated how much I hate Pete Carrol before right?  So why the contradiction here?  Why would I pick his team to win?  Quite simply put, this game can only head in one of two directions.  Either the Saints completely mop the floor with the Seahawks winning by some 40 points, or the Seahawks pull off one of the greatest upsets in playoff history by dethroning the champs.  There’s no in between in my eyes.  There’s no Seahawks lose a tight one.  And as much as I love Drew Brees and despise Cheat Carrol, I’m hoping Seattle shows some NFC West pride and represents our division well.  Otherwise the NFL might have themselves a BCS like controversy in terms of how they decide playoff participants going forward.  Seahawks have nothing to lose here, which makes them dangerous, I like their chances.

Meehan picks New Orleans -10.5.   The Seahawks ended the year with a -79 point differential, and to make matters even more depressing, lost every one of those nine games by 15 points or more.  Yikes.  Later on, I’ll discuss why this upsets me so much.  The Seahawks shouldn’t get their “12th man” advantage, because this game should be in New Orleans.  They didn’t beat anybody good and all of the good teams they played they got smoked.  Now, I’m picking the Saints, but I will say that if an upset this weekend has to happen it’s this one here. Prediction:  New Orleans Saints 32, Seattle Seahawks 15

NY Jets @ Indianapolis (-2.5) Continue reading

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

January 4, 2011

Tom Cable Out in Oakland

By mceezy

ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted that the Raiders have informed Tom Cable they won’t be picking up his option. Don’t worry everyone, I don’t follow Schefter, or anyone for that matter, on Twitter. I just happened to catch it on their tweetfeed…..

Does that mean Hue Jackson will be taking over or are the Raiders going in a completely nonsensical different direction? Nothing would surprise me at this point….

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

December 31, 2010

Doin Lines Week 17

By chappy81

Actually, "We'll" Be Back!

We made it through another season of picks, and fortunately now all we have left after this one is the playoffs which is much easier since there aren’t nearly as many games. I can’t lie, I thought I’d do better this year, and after last week’s ugly 2-5 there’s no chance of hitting .500 on the year. Oh well, maybe the new year will bring me better picks for the playoffs.

Happy New Year’s to all our readers out there!  May 2011 bring you plenty of success and happiness!  I went 2-3 last week, and I’m actually quite happy about it being that I was on track for an 0-5 week.  My main goal is to not screw anything up and stay above .500 on the year.  Then I’ll ride that momentum into the playoffs.

Oakland @ Kansas City (-3.5)

Chappy picks Oakland +3.5. KC doesn’t have much to play for. It looks like they will be hosting the Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Oakland feels like they have something to play for as they want to be the first team to sweep their divisional games and not make the playoffs. Great record to have I guess. Cable will be coaching for his job, and an 8-8 finish might just keep that in tact.

By picks Oakland +3.5. Being that K.C. has locked things up in the AFC West, the Chiefs don’t have much riding on this game.  I wish there were more at stake for this game because the Raiders/Chiefs rivalry is always a good one when both teams are playing well.  With that said, the Raiders would like nothing more than to end 2010 with a good win and look forward to 2011.  I think they get it done.

Miami @ New England (-4)

Chappy picks New England (-4). I’m scared the Pats will rest players, but going back to their (almost) perfect season they didn’t rest guys, so I don’t see them doing it this week. If this was in Miami I might take the points, but since it’s in Foxboro not sure how you couldn’t roll with the Pats. They haven’t really had a close game since they played the Colts in week 11, no reason for this one to be close.

Jacksonville @ Houston (-3)

By picks Houston (-3). Well Houston once again followed the same pattern of years past.  Fast start, slow finish.  It’s a shame a team with this much potential’s season highlight will be officially eliminating a banged up Jags team from playoff contention.  Pocket Hercules is not at 100%, and without him, the Jags can’t compete.  In fact, is Pocket Hercules even playing?  In fact, even if he was I still like the Texans by 10.

Cincinnati @ Baltimore (-9.5)

Chappy picks Cincinnati +9.5. This has been a terrible season for Cincy, but they do cover a lot of spreads. Last week they even beat SD without their duo of diva receivers. Baltimore is in no matter what, and has to count on a Pittsburgh loss to win the division. I think Baltimore wins this game, but when they pull all their starters Cincy works its way back within a TD.

Brett who?

Minnesota @ Detroit (-3)

Chappy picks Minnesota (+3). Last week convinced me that the Vikes are still a decent team when they have a QB that doesn’t turn the ball over. Can’t say I really knew who Joe Webb was last week, but after seeing him play Tuesday he looks like he could lead this team to another victory. They have a short week to prepare, and Detroit is on a two game winning streak, so they are bound to come back to earth. Plus the Lions need a higher draft pick, so no need to try this weekend.

New York Giants (-4) @ Washington

By picks New York (-4). Similar to last season, the Giants have had a bit of a let down in 2010.  They’ll win impressively this week, as the Redskins are along the lines of Carolina, woeful, but New York still misses the playoffs.

Carolina @ Atlanta (-14.5)

Chappy picks Atlanta (-14.5). This pick scares me. The Falcons could have this one locked up at halftime, and when they are up by 28 they could pull their starters which would give the Panthers a chance to cover. Fortunately Claussen is one of the worst passers in the league, and will save this bet with a few pick sixes to keep the Falcons lead growing. If there’s one guy that needs to have a good game its Claussen, to prove to the team that they don’t need to draft Luck #1 overall, but that’s not going to happen, and Luck will be the unlucky Panthers QB.

St. Louis (-3) @ Seattle

Hi, I'm Pete, please punch my face.

By picks St. Louis (-3). Well somebody has to win this s**t division, and St. Louis’ is as worthy as anybody.  I might have picked Seattle at home had Matt Hasselbeck not been injured, but without their leader the Seahawks have no chance.  Plus I hate Pete Carrol and would rather see the Rams do a one and done post season run than Seattle.  St. Louis by 10.

San Diego @ Denver (+3.5)

Chappy picks San Diego (-3.5). SD had the top ranked defense and top ranked offense for a good portion of the season. Do they want Norv to stick around. If they don’t I could see them tanking this game, but I don’t think they will against a division rival. SD doesn’t want to have a losing season, and they won’t let Tebow do what he did to Houston’s horrible D. Tebow gets pummeled, and everyone questions whether he’s really a true QB all offseason.

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

December 24, 2010

Doin Lines Week 16

By chappy81
I'm Rick James Bitch!

I'm Rick James Bitch!

4-2 last week has the .500 benchmark more reachable since week 3. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy finally having back to back winning weeks. Between Christmas shopping, traveling, and all the other holiday stuff I don’t  really have a lot of time to think about and/or look at what is going on with a lot of these games with injuries and kind of stuff, so hopefully I’ve gained enough knowledge over the season to get me through this week without reading any previews, and go on an actual win streak.

3-2 last week, once again above the .500 mark which has been the norm for me as of late.  Like Chappy said, the holiday’s have gotten the best of me time wise, and aside from some news tickers I’ve read, I don’t know what’s going on in football as of late.  Going with the gut instincts again this week.  Happy holidays everyone from the Doin Work crew!

Week 15 (By 3-2, Chap 4-2) Overall (By 38-32-5, Chap 40-42-3)

Minnesota @ Philadelphia (-14.5)

Chappy picks Philadelphia (-14.5). Let’s see. Explosive offense meets a team that just got blown out by the Bears. This game might be a little watchable if Favre was in there. Actually these past few weeks when I’ve seen Favre on the field it was almost painful to watch. I have no idea why Favre is even still trying to play out the season when it looks like it hurts when someone touches him. I guess he’s a football addict. Anyways, this should be a lock for a 28 point win for the Eagles. They do everything better than the Vikes, and if AP is out still, there’s zero chance of them staying close.

Washington @ Jacksonville (-7)

Chappy picks Jacksonville (-7). Regardless of who the Redskins start in this game at QB, one thing has become clear to me. The Redskins are divided. This never bodes well for any team when half of them don’t want to do anything for the coach, and can you really blame them? I’d quit too, which makes me want to take the Jags who still have a chance to make the playoffs if the Colts slip up.

By picks Jacksonville (-7). This was not the season I envisioned for the Redskins after they acquired Donovan McNabb and Mike Shanahan this off-season.  I figured they’d be right in the mix for NFC East supremacy, or at least in the Wild Card hunt.  Instead, with the benching of McNabb and the “Fat” Albert Haynesworth saga, the Redskins have become the ugly siblings of the division.  They’re a train wreck to look at.  The Jags will most likely be without their “Pocket Hercules” this week, but I still they take care of the ‘Skins rather easily.  Bare in mind the Jags are still very much in contention for their division crown.

San Francisco @ St. Louis (-2.5)

By picks San Francisco (+2.5). It’s been a rare occasion this season, when the 49ers were not favorites.  This could be one game in which I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.  The NFC West is so god awful that if you had to place them in a college conference, they’d be in the WAC.  Because that’s what they are, wack.  With that said, the 49ers still have a chance to make the playoffs with a 7-9 record, and at this point, I think it would be funny if they did.  Troy Smith, the better Smith is back at the helm for S.F., which means we have a puncher’s chance.

Seattle @ Tampa Bay (-6)

Chappy picks Tampa Bay -6. Not sure why, but the Seahawks are still in the hunt for the NFC Worst. They probably wont even lose any ground with a bad game this weekend. I’m still not completely sold on Tampa, but they are about 50 times better than Seattle is. I think Pete should look into getting Baloo from Tailspin to check out this seahawk, because it been going downhill.

N.Y. Jets @ Chicago (-1)

By picks the N.Y. Jets (+1). What better way to show your support for your coach’s foot fetish, than to give the Bears a good ass kicking?  And to kick that ass, you need a foot.  All joking aside, this game has bore fest written all over it, unless you’re a fan of low scoring, unimaginative offenses.  The Bears do try to open things up on occasion, but they won’t have success this week.  Not against that stingy Jets’ D.  As far as the Jets offense, Mark Sanchez couldn’t consistently hit an open receiver if they were in a sparring match.  Yet, the Jets find a way to win close ones.  If the spread is -1 for Chicago, the Jets should win by 2.

Indianapolis @ Oakland (+3)

Chappy picks Oakland +3. The Raiders show up more when they are the underdog with less to play for. They can’t seem to play big when it counts. Call this one the shocker of the weekend as Jacksonville gets closer to representing the AFC South. Plus I’m a homer, and when in doubt go with your team when they are getting points at home!

By picks Indianapolis (-3). Sorry Chappy, Matt, and all Raider Nation faithful out there, but I don’t care if this game is being played in Oak Town, the Colts finally find themselves in the driver’s seat in the race for tops of the their division, and I expect them to put the pedal to the metal.  For what it’s worth, I believe the Raiders will put up at least 24 points against the Colts, and Darren McFadden will continue to beast it up.  But Manning and company will drop no less than 35 points against the silver and black.  Sorry buddies 😦

San Diego @ Cincinnati (+7.5)

Chappy picks San Diego -7.5. Easiest pick of the day. The Chargers rule December, and VJ looks like he has his swagger back. Who needs Gates right now the way this offense is moving the ball. Cincy is about as bad as it gets. The team By and I dubbed the most woeful in the league (Carolina) looks better than this bunch right now. TO is out for the year, so I see the whole team mailing it in!

New Orleans @ Atlanta (-2.5)

Chappy picks Atlanta (-2.5). No reason to think Atlanta can be slowed down now with home field on the line. The Saints have had as good a season as you can have coming off a Super Bowl win, but since they couldn’t beat the dirty birds in their own house I don’t see them doing it in Atlanta. I’m hoping for some offensive explosions from both these teams that seem to put up big numbers week in and week out. Is it weird that no body mentions Matt Ryan in the discussion for MVP? Sure his numbers aren’t eye popping, but he’s leading a 12-2 team!

By picks New Orleans (+2.5). I can’t believe I’m going against Matty Ice, but the Saints win this week.  Trust me, it won’t be anything Matty Ice does wrong, he’ll be the smooth, silky assassin he’s been all season.  I just think Drew Brees will be playing like a man possessed this week.  Division title hopes are still on the line, coming off a tough loss in Baltimore, Drew Brees has a lot at stake, and we’ve seen how he plays when a lot’s at stake.  This match will be the opposite of the N.Y. Jets/Chicago game, a high scoring slug fest.  Saints squeak by.

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

December 19, 2010

Dodgeball

By mceezy

Alright…. this has gone too far. It’s gone too far, and we’re not even to the NBC Sunday night game. But this Matt Dodge kid is getting thrown under the bus pretty hard today. At some point during both Jets-Steelers and Raiders-Broncos, the CBS coverage crews were dumping on him pretty hard. Now, ESPN Sportsnation is getting a few kicks in with their latest poll. Who do you blame more, the Giants defense or MATT DODGE? Do we really believe he was told deliberately not to punt to Desean Jackson, and he just munsoned it? I’ve got to give him more credit than that. This one’s on the coaches if you ask me. In every operation, you’ve got people in charge of making decisions, and it’s their job to put certain people in the right situations. If you’re getting paid to run the show, then you should probably make a point to make sure your punter knows to not punt to Jackson. It’s just a simple lack of preparation. We all do it, but damn, they’re really letting this kid take the fall for it this time. Just because he’s the league leader in blocked punts doesn’t mean he’s an idiot. Not sure why I’m defending this guy – I’d never even heard of him before today. The Legend of Michael Vick just grew a whole nother chapter though…..

Which makes me want to weigh in, for the first time really, on Michael Vick. Chris Berman said (overdramatically) that players didn’t want to let Vick down. This is true because a lot of players could have been dragged down with him, but he basically took the fall for the whole league. He didn’t run a dogfighting ring; he bred dogs. He bred them and sold them to his colleagues. Naturally they wanted badass dogs that could fight and his business evolved. He made some costly decisions, but in the end, he took the fall for a lot of other people’s actions – and never threw anyone under the bus in the process. As a result, the majority of the NFL is going out their way to have his back in return for him having theirs. If there is a way for the Eagles to play in Atlanta against the Falcons in the playoffs, sign me up. That’s looking like the likely NFC Championship game right now.

In West Coast news, Tim Tebow made his first NFL start – in Oakland. The most Christian player in the league has to make his debut in the Black Hole, with demons and skeletons everywhere. It brought a smile to my face last night when I heard the news he was getting the start. Much to my delight, the Raiders pulled away in the second half and came away with a 39-23 win. That’s a total of 98 points on the Broncos this year in two games. Shanahan would’ve never stood for this, but he’s got his own share of problems right now. As for the Raiders, they’ll host the Colts next week, in a game that’s unfortunately important for Indianapolis. Oakland is now 2 games back with two to play. The upside is that they’re really only one game back from a winner-take-all showdown in Kansas City. The possibility of the Chiefs losing to Tennessee just got a little more promising today with the Titans showing signs of life and beating Houston. The Colts game is one the Raiders really have no business winning, but it makes the game worth watching, and those are two words I haven’t used to describe a Week 16 Raiders game in a long time.

 

 

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

December 17, 2010

Doin Lines Week 15

By chappy81

3-2 last week was okay. I guess it’s better than a losing week, but not by much. The season is getting interesting as we head down the home stretch, but after my Raiders lost last week it made me not pay attention to the happenings going on in the NFL during the week. I’ll call it a mini-depression that only comes when your team’s hopes are dashed. I guess there’s a little hope, but not much, so for now I’m hoping they can sweep their divisional games for the first time in decades.

Don’t have much to say as a prelude to my picks but look at that overall record.  I’m smiling from ear to ear considering where I stood in the early part of the season.  The best part about my picks these past few weeks is they’ve actually won me some coin.  Being that we just finished our “Naughty” or “Nice” list, and Christmas is around the corner I think it’s only right I ask Santa for one thing.  No 2011 NFL lock out.  And no 2011-2012 NBA lock out.  O.K. sorry Santa, that’s two things.  I got greedy.

Week 14 (By 3-1-1, Chap 3-2) Overall (By 35-30-5, Chap 36-40-3)

Houston @ Tennessee (-1.5)

By picks Houston (+1.5).  This might be fool’s gold being that Matt Schaub hasn’t exactly been the model of consistency this season, but take away that horrible decision to pass it to the wrong team in extra innings, and Schaub played a spectacular game against the Ravens last Monday, which is why I’ll take Houston this week.  Both teams aren’t going anywhere this season, but the Texans have to do enough for us to believe that next year is “their” year.  And so a good showing on the road versus a division rival should suffice.  For the Titans, my advice to them would be tank the season and hit rock bottom.  That way a mediocre 2011 (if there is a season) would be enough to satisfy the Tennessee fans.  I think they’ll take my advice.

Arizona (-2.5) @ Carolina

Chappy picks Carolina (+2.5). This might be one of the crappiest match ups in recent memory. I haven’t really watched either of these teams much this year, because they haven’t been worthy of three hours of attention. Carolina has been running the ball a little better with Stewart finding some holes, and Steve Smith being back might help the offense a little more. That being said they still suck. The Cardinals are in last place in the NFC Worst, but for some inexplicable reason are still in the playoff hunt. This is the first time all year I’ve picked Carolina, so I had to take them at least once, right!?! Arizona is going across the country to play a morning game, and with bad teams that’s a big deal.

By picks Carolina +2.5. Like Chappy said, this possibly is the worse NFL match up all season.  Scratch that, dare I say, all time?  It’s hard to believe the Arizona Cardinals were one or two plays from hoisting the Lombardy Trophy two years ago.  A lot of things have factored into their down fall since then, but the main reason is obvious.  Cutting Matt Leinhart.  What were the Cards thinking!?  All jokes aside, all this Cardinals losing has strengthen Kurt Warner’s case towards Canton.  I don’t know of one thing the Cards do well besides lose, and so despite the Panthers sucking major balls too, I’ve got to go with Carolina at home here.  I guess Jonathan Stewart’s been running well lately.  There.  That’s a better reason to go with the Panthers.

Jacksonville @ Indianapolis (-5)  Continue reading

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

December 9, 2010

Doin Lines Week 14

By chappy81

A 2-4 week has me thinking I will never crack the .500 mark this season. Luckily I hit a parlay to break even money wise, but I’m sure you all could care less about that. I think everyone has found this season a little strange in that there aren’t a ton of contenders that cover the spread every week, and looking through the lines I was shocked to see that there wasn’t one double digit favorite. What does this mean? Even the odds makers are a little befuddled by this season! The highest spread is New Orleans -9 at home. Speaking of NO, is it just me or are they the least hyped defending champs ever? I don’t hear the morning FOX, CBS, or ESPN gangs raving about anything the Saints are doing, and aren’t they the champs until someone knocks them off? I guess not in this Twitter age. The Patriots and Jets must be the only teams worthy of our attention, so the networks have led me to believe. I just can’t get over how many people were on their bandwagon last year and now, no love at all. What gives?!?

What gives is right!  As in, what gives with a 2-3 record last week!?  Well I am a firm believer in karma, or getting your “just dues”, and the way I was approaching my picks last week, like it was some sort of guaranteed 5-0 event, let’s just say I got what I deserved with those results.  Time to get myself back on the positive side this week.  On a side note, the Bo Sox just signed Carl Crawford!?  Looks like Bean Town’s the new “Evil Empire” in baseball …

Week 13 (By 2-3, Chap 2-4) Overall (By 32-29-4, Chap 33-38-3)

Indianapolis @ Tennessee (+3)

By picks Indy (-3). I will beat this horse dead, but I’m not going to stop riding it.  Wait, does that even make sense?  I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m not jumping off the Peyton Manning ship just yet, especially in a must win scenario at a division rival.  As horrible as Manning has been these past three weeks, he’s still one of the greatest QB’s to ever play the game, which in my book, means something.  He will right the ship this week and trust his guys more.  On the other side of the ball, Tennessee is a mess.  Vince Young, Randy Moss, need I say more?

Oakland @ Jacksonville (-4) Continue reading

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

December 5, 2010

RAIDERS!!!!

By mceezy

I don’t really have any analysis on the game, since I was busy putting up Christmas lights at my parents’ house, but what a win for the Silver and Black today! I really didn’t see much hope for the Raiders to sweep the season series against a San Diego team that hadn’t lost in December since Philip Rivers became the most maligned player in the NFL, so I didn’t go out of my way to catch. I’ve wasted too many Sundays watching games like the ones against Miami and Pittsburgh. A December showdown AT San Diego didn’t really seem like one worth catching. But alas, the GOOD Raiders showed up once again and dominated the Chargers en route to a 4-0 division record – for the first time since 1990, which could prove huge with Kansas City leading the way just two games ahead. The two teams still have a matchup looming on the schedule. All I know is, being in the hunt at 6-6 this late in the season may be the best thing going for an Oakland fan these days. Even if they end 6-10, you can’t take away the fact that they won both games against the team that had won the division for the last I-don’t-know-how-many years.

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