Opening night of the NBA!  400 media credentials given out for the Celtics/Heat game.  Rightfully so.  Two powerhouse teams matched up to start the season.  Great planning by the NBA.  So how do they protect the ratings for this game?  They line up the defending champion Lakers against the Rockets – which no one will watch.  Good for the Lakers cause its an easy first win.  But really?  In every professional sport, they always put the champs on display on day one of the proceeding season.  Disrespectful to the Lakers as far as I’m concerned.  Writing them off is a big mistake, no matter how good a game this is tonight.  
 

Back to the NFL - Say what you want about Coughlin and his hard-ass ways.  He wins.  Watching lean mean Coughlin vs. mashed potatoes with a mouth Phillips is awesome.  Lots of talent in Dallas, lots of attitude in Dallas, no work ethic in Dallas.  Sad cause the rest of the state has no problem working hard for a paycheck.  You'd think some of that would transfer.  Wade Phillips is NOT Jimmy Johnson.  Watching Romo wearing a headset gives me great pleasure.  And have no doubt, Jerry Jones will waste no time declaring that Phillips is his guy.  He'll continue to say that until they lose their ninth game, and then Wade had better get his ass out of the Cracker Barrel and try to spice up his resume a little so he can get his job back as D-coordinator in San Diego. 

Some fun stats to ponder…

18 teams in the league have scored less points than the Detroit Lions.  11 teams have had more points scored on them than the Lions.  The Lions are 1-5.  You gotta feel for these guys. They are due for a win and once the first one comes, watch out. 

The Seahawks are very quietly becoming a solid defensive team.  Only the Jets and Steelers have had less points scored against them.  They are second in rushing defense behind the Steelers allowing a measly 77.5 yards a game.  Granted their competition leaves something to be desired, but you gotta play the schedule you have.  They’re not serious contenders, but it looks as though the division is theirs to be lost.  Hasselbeck commented a while back that the media pays no attention to them, and I’d have to say he appears to be right.  They’re 4-2 and only the Giants will have a better record.  Not bad ‘hawks.  Not bad at all. 

Chargers are first in total offense, first in total defense, first in passing offense, first in passing defense, third in rushing defense.  They are 2-5 and tied for last place in their division.  Why?  149 points scored against them, 22^nd in the league.  And they are 0-4 on the road.  Bolts are d.o.n.e.

 

The Hits - This week all the hoopla was about the nasty hits that have taken place so far this season, and particularly last week.  Here are my thoughts on the subject.  I think the number of concussions has gone up this season because there are finally specialists on the sideline who are trained to recognize them.  The concussions have been there all along, but players have played through them.  The number of nasty hits isn't any different now than it has always been.  But I agree that players are bigger, stronger, and faster than ever, and if the NFL wants to keep its ass out of court (cause lets be honest, this is less about player safety than it is preventing lawsuits) they needed to do this to prevent someone from dying.  I will say this though, the number of concussions and nasty hits was significantly down this week, and (surprise, surprise!) it was still just as fun to watch.  

As much as I dislike James Harrison, I think he was only speaking the hard truth when he said he is trying to hurt players.  All defensive players are trying to hurt offensive players.  There's no way to tackle another human being, even in pads, and have it not hurt.  Players are used to getting hurt 60 times a game.  It's just part of the NLF life.  Don't blame him for saying what most defensive players believe.  Pain and injury are two different things, and he was very clear in choosing his words. 

Next - Jerramy Stevens got cut from the Bucs today after his recent drug-related arrest.  Good.  He's been a useless punk for a long time.  It's no surprise something like this would happen, I'm just surprised it took this long. 

And of course my daily blast on Jay-Cut.  In his post-game interview he said if he could play the Redskins again today, he'd throw at D-Hall every time.  Pretty sure he already tried that.  Pretty sure we know how it worked out.  Jay - you're an idiot.  Soon to be an unemployed idiot if you're so arrogant you don't realize when you have serious work to do.  I commented today to a friend that Jay has found his new go to guy in D-Hall, and compared his number of completions to Hall to his numbers of completions to Greg Olsen over the last two weeks.  Here's a hint...Olsen has less.  Then I read Peter Kings column today referring to precisely the same thing.  Hester and Olsen combined have 8 receptions for 73 yards and 0 td's.  Hall has 4 receptions for 93 yards and 1 td.  Nice dude.  Keep throwin to him. 

Next week, the NFL is banishing the 49ers and Broncos to London.  Not a bad idea if you are hoping they just won't come back.  While you're at it, maybe send the Bills their way too.  I can't believe they're sending such an awful game overseas to try to promote their product.  And they're sending west coast teams?  As if the time difference wasn't bad enough.  Cut the strings guys, and admit the Europe thing was a bad idea. 

Just a little college ball sprinkled in here.  Auburn is a fake.  They're not bad, they're solid, and they play in the SEC so they play solid competition week in and week out.  But they are not a number 1. quality team.  We'll see that soon.  Oregon on the other hand is.  They will face a huge test against USC this week.  The over/under on the game should be 90 and I'd be tempted to take the over.  As team after team begins to fall, the likelihood that two one-loss teams will be playing for the title gets greater.  Sorry Boise State, I'm just not a believer. 

That's it for now.  Thanks for reading.

Sunday NFL thoughts

Good day!  First, I must say GO CHIEFS!!!  Good day for them.  Bowe is showing up and it matters.  The refs threw yett another phantom pass interference flag this week.  It's like they talk about it in meetings or something.  If it were questionable, or there was some back and forth pushing and shoving I wouldn't complain.  But two weeks in a row an offensive player has blatantly shoved off of a Chiefs defender with two hands, knocking him to the ground, and the refs have thrown a flag on the defender.  I just don't get it.  Haley went for it on 4th down a couple of times again.  Massive juevos.  He left 3 on the board at one point with only an 8 point lead and I thought I was going to reach through the tv and strangle him.  But the team pulled it out.  Nice!


Go Browns!  The Saints are really struggling this year.  The Browns took advantage and got a good win.  Peyton Hillis had better be in the pro bowl.  Seriously. 

My thoughts on the Miami/Pittsburgh game turned out to be dead on.  One point was the difference in the end.  I picked the wrong way, but it sure was a close one.  Same with Tampa Bay/St. Louis. 

I will now give public praise to the Raiders for the first and likely last time this year.  Good job.  Hanging 59 on any NFL team is no easy task.  Doing it on the road at Denver is a solid accomplishment. 

Jay Cutler.  I will say it again, and again, and again.  NOT THE ANSWER.  Wasn't the answer in Denver, not the answer now.  Please tell me how an NFL quarterback of ANY caliber is capable of throwing four...yes FOUR interceptions to the SAME DEFENDER IN ONE GAME!?!?!?!?!  Congratulations Jay; not even the worst qb's in all of NFL history have managed to pull that one off.  You are now in a class all your own.  The scary part is it was D-Hall.  He's their best corner, and maybe top 5 in the league.  Jay knew that going into the game.  And after getting picked by him twice, he kept throwing at him.  Pure ignorance...no wait...textbook insanity. 

Props to Buffalo for coming with it again.  They're gonna get a win soon.  Fitzpatrick lit it up today.

That's it for now.   We'll see how these night games go.  Should be fun to watch. 

Week 6 NFL picks...just in the nick of time

It's almost midnight Saturday night.  Should be in bed, but gotta do laundry.  Crap.  In any case this affords me the opportunity to make my picks.  Since it's late, I'm shootin from the hip this week.  No research, just gut picks based on what I know.  Lets see what happens when I listen to my heart and not my head...

Cincinnati at Atlanta - I still think Atlanta is an NFC powerhouse, even after last weeks debacle.  The Bengals might win this one if they were at home, but they're not.  Falcons win.

Steelers at Miami - The NFC east is loaded this year, and Miami is a solid team.  Steelers are amazing too and won't lose many games this year.  I kinda smell a trap here and I'm gonna go with my gut and say the Dolphins beat a superior Steelers team. 

Buffalo at Baltimore - Please.  Baltimore, not even close. 

Jags at Chiefs - picking the Chiefs didn't seem to work for me last week.  But apparantly the refs weren't working either.  Worst PI call ever cost them the game.  Jags don't stand a chance in KC.  Chiefs win. 

Browns at Saints - Browns aren't as bad as their record.  Neither are the Saints.  Saints win at home. 

Redskins at Bears - Finally have a chance to pick against the Bears.  Last week they got exposed as I expected they eventually would.  This week they lose again.  Skins win. 

Niners at Carolina - Niners win their second in a row against a team that is hell-bent on proving that the Bills aren't the worst team in the league.  Wait til Gruden is coach next year. 

Rams at Bucs - Ok, so this is an impressive game.  Two underachievers who are overachieving.  I'm on the Rams boat this year.  Rams win on the road. 

Eagles at Titans - This should be an amazing game, but I don't believe in Collins.  Eagles win. 

Arizona at Seattle - Coin flip..............Seattle. 

Pats at Chargers - I take great pleasure in watching the Chargers record actually reflect their sad destiny for the first time in a long time.  Pats crush em.  YES!!!

Oakland at Denver - Well, the good news is one of these teams has to lose.  The bad news is one of them has to win.  Not fair, man.  Tie game? ....ugh....Broncos win. 

Minnesota at Green Bay - Prime time drama kids.  This is when the big boys play.  Two bad ass teams sluggin it out in the cold.  Wish it were in December.  Pack is good but beat up.  Rodgers can't win close games.  Farve (usually) can.  Minnesota is on an up-slide to the NFC championship game.  Vikes win. 

Giants at Dallas - Opposite of the Rams/Bucs.  Two teams that should be good, but mostly suck.  Giants have been on fire though lately.  Here is where we see some polar opposites at play.  Coughlin's super-strict discipline vs.  Phillips lazy-ass coaching.  Go Giants.

Well that's it for this week.  We'll see how it goes.  Happy Sunday all. 

NFL Picks....

It's official - The NFC is making me crazy.  No one has any idea who they are.  The teams that are supposed to be good are bad, and vice-versa.  That's making my picks this week harder than usual.  So lets see what I can come up with.


Dolphins at Packers - Packers D is beat up and if Matthews can't go they'll struggle, but in their house Miami can't get it done. 

Chargers at Rams - Ok, so the Bolts are a MESS this year.  A loss to the Raiders didn't help things.  But it was a division game and these things happen sometimes.  If they lose this game to the Rams, their season is officially over.  The Chargers are superior in every way except for special teams (where I'm pretty sure they couldn't be worse even if they failed to field a team.)  Chargers win.

Ravens at Patriots - GREAT GAME.  The Ravens are the better team.  Period.  And the inexperience the Patriots have on offense could really show up against the Ravens D.  But honestly, the x-factor here is the Mad Scientist.  Coming off a bye, the Pats simply don't ever lose.  Ever.  Give Bellichek two weeks and there's pretty much nobody he can't beat.  I hate it, but I think the Pats win with an inferior team. 

Cleveland at Pittsburgh - So the Steelers get Roethlisberger back and he is desperate to take out months of pent up anger on someone.  For him, no one better than the Browns.  The numbers say this should be a blowout, but the Browns always play the Steelers close.  This is their superbowl every year.  HUGE trap game for the Steelers this week, even though the players should know better.  The energy in that place will be incredible, and I think it will tip the scales in their favor.  Steelers win.  Ugh.  I hate that. 

KC at Houston - I usually decline to comment on these games for fear of...well...I don't know, I just do.  But this week I'm goin out on a limb.  Chiefs have the better defense, special teams, and coaching.  They play teams hard every week.  Chiefs win on the road.  There, I said it.

Lions at Giants - I'm still not convinced that the Giants are the real deal, but they're playing like it lately and I suspect that could continue this week.  But the pesky Lions are due to win a big game.  They barely lost to Chicago, Philly, and Green Bay (10 points total.)  Then last week they CRUSHED the Rams.  They're confident and can play with the big boys, and the Giants are inconsistent.  I think the Lions pull this one out. 

Atlanta at Philly - Kolb is not the answer.  Falcons are the closest thing the NFC has to a contender right now.  Falcons win

Seahawks at Bears - SOMEONE has to win the NFC west, and I think it actually might be me at this point.  The 'hawks have no idea who they are as a team.  They beat SF (dumpster fire) and SD (dumpster fire) but lost to the Broncos (dumpster fire) and Rams (just young.)  The Bears keep winning games but are a total fraud of a football team.  When will that finally be proven in their record???  Beats me.  My guess is not this week.  Bears win.  Barf.

Saints at Bucs - Here is one interesting game.  Division game.  A rising talent that people still question vs. the reigning champs that are on a downhill slide.  This is an AWESOME game I think.  Tampa Bay wins and they are officially on the map, but Saints lose and its time to seriously reevaluate what the hell is goin on.  They have no run game is a big part of the problem.  The Bucs beat Cleveland, Cincy, and Carolina who are a collective 3-12 and got destroyed by the Steelers.  The Saints have beat solid football teams, but are in close games every single week.  I think they recover from the Cardinals loss and beat the Bucs on the road.

Jets at Broncos - Jets win.  Broncos probably don't even score.

Oakland at San Fran - Battle of the Bay.  Big game in Frisco this week.  I will (again) pick the Niners to win.  Please don't let me down boys, it's gettin old. 


Dallas at Minnesota -  Which team with superbowl dreams gets officially taken off the map this week?  It's gonna be one for sure.  I think the answer is Dallas.  Once Sidney Rice went down, Farve's deep threat was gone and his game couldn't flourish.  Moss fixes that problem.  Minnesota wins at home and the Cowboys are Lindsay Lohan.  Awesome!!!!


Indy at Washington - Indy is for real (but barely) and Washington is trying hard but they get a bad break this week.  Colts win on the road. 


Tennessee at Jacksonville - Someone please tell me how this got to be the Monday night game???  Dallas and Minnesota, Ravens and Patriots....who scheduled this crapfest???  In any case, I don't care how many games the Jags win, they are frauds.  Tennessee is solid and they win it fo sho.

Some random stuff from today

First - NBA.  So I'm hearing that the new tech foul rules are pretty much ridiculous.  I totally agree.  I also agree that this is absolutely the wrong time to make these kinds of changes.  First of all, refs are in the spotlight now more than ever.  MLB is under scrutiny for crappy calls and the fan demand for replay is ramping up.  Football, which has replay, is still having a hard time dealing with refs getting crap for making the right calls just because the rules are crappy.  Fans everywhere are tired of the refs determining the outcome of games.  The NBA is diving head-first into a giant sh**storm if they allow technical fouls for players reacting to calls in the game.  Second, as I mentioned in a previous post, the NBA is about to have the best season they've had in 15 years.  People are going to actually want to watch the games.  Don't ruin the momentum by shifting the focus to the refs.  Let these amazing teams play.  Don't give them techs for whining.  We don't care and neither should you.

Second - Aren't the MLB playoffs happening right now?  Pretty sure they are.  There are some amazing pitchers hitting the mound this weekend, but we seem to care about is Vikings vs. Cowboys.  Interesting. 

Finally, some NFL - Why are people making such a big deal about the Favre thing?  First, the gal who supposedly received the text messages and pics from Favre wasn't even the one who reported it.  And it has been two years since it happened!  Further, who the hell cares?  What if he did send her dirty messages and pics.  Let him and his wife duke it out.  ESPN needs to stay the hell out of it.  I blame it on Tiger.  Either way, the commissioner would look like an idiot if he suspended Favre for this.  Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault twice in nine months.  That's reason for suspension.  Some dirty text messages is no reason to get involved.  Let his wife kick his ass. 

That's it for now.  This weeks NFL picks are on their way soon. 

Last minute week 5 picks

It's been a long week so I haven't had a chance to get my picks up until now.  Here they are, in short form.

Jags at Bills - Bills are winless no more. 

Broncos at Ravens - Are you kidding me?  Ravens. 

Chiefs at Colts - I respectfully decline to pick this game.

Pack at Redskins - Ya know, I think the Packers are gonna win, but the Skins could pull this one out of their grass.  (do they play on grass or turf? hmmmm....)

Rams at Lions - Why does this seem like the game of the week?  Two teams that are desperate and better than their crappy records show.  Stats show a close game but the Rams just don't allow opponents to score.  Rams win again.

Bears at Panthers - ugh.  Bears.  I guess.

Bucs at Bengals - Bengals win, but ugly I think.

Falcons at Cleveland - Sorry Brownies, love ya but this one's gonna hurt.  A lot.

Giants at Texans - Close game, but Texans are at home and they get Cushing back.  Texans win.

Saints at Cardinals - I smell a trap.  Big time.  I hope the Saints don't fall into it.  Saints I think. 

Titans at Dallas - I love the Titans on paper cause they just find ways to win, and Vince is playin in his home state, but the Cowboys need this one and I think they get it. 

Chargers at Raiders - Mcfadden is out.  Chargers win easy. 

Eagles at Niners - I love the Eagles....healthy.  They are in a bad way right now and the Niners will use this week to pick up their first win. 

Vikes at Jets - Superbowl preview?  Jets get Santonio Holmes, Vikes get Randy Moss....how the hell are we supposed to pick this game?  Jets have, like, 200 1st round draft picks starting, and Vikes have 7 pro bowlers just on OFFENSE.  Monday night?  Jets are at home but Vikes are talented and desperate.  They drop another game and their season could be d.o.n.e.  Tie game.  I say Vikes with my heart, even if my head says Jets.  Yep.  Vikes.

NBA thoughts...

For the first time in quite some time the NBA has some watchable teams.  And not just one or two.  The Lakers, Celtics, Heat, Magic, Bulls, and Thunder all have strong teams with genuine superstars.  The amount of firepower on these squads will make for regular season that is finally watchable, and dare I say even exciting!  It sucks being a fan and having to slug through 80+ games, begging for the playoffs to start so that you can actually see your team play like they care.  With this much competition, the regular season games will actually matter.  And I will predict that the NBA Finals ratings (which have SUCKED for a very long time) will actually skyrocket and begin to rival the great series' in the 90's.  Good for the NBA, good for the fans.  Buckle up kids cause this season is going to be one to remember. 

Seriously?

So I'm watching ESPN and they are taking a poll that asks "Now that the Vikings have acquired Randy Moss, which team is the best in the NFC North?"  The results - 1% Lions, 11% Vikings, 42% Packers, 46% Bears.

Huh?  I'm sorry, but I'm not sure which is more surprising - that the Lions somehow mustered up 1%, or that the Bears were in the lead!  I live in the midwest now, and I know my fellow Bears fans are passionate, but seriously, you can't honestly think that the Bears are a better team than the Packers.  Just because they won a game against them does not mean that they are the better team.  That's ridiculous.  Certainly the Vikings are better now with a new weapon.  Yes, the Bears will have a decent record because their schedule is weak, but at the end of the day, barring injury to Favre and Rodgers, the Bears will at BEST be second in the division, and most likely third.  They are not an awful team, but they're not much better than average - at best.  To think anything else is delusional.   

The Rich get Richer

Brian Cushing, Santonio Holmes, and Big Ben return to their teams today.  Three championship caliber teams have been winning without them.  How good will they be when they all get elite caliber players back on their rosters?  Sheesh.  It just got a lot harder to win in the AFC this week. 

Early results.....

Early games are in the books and though I picked Cleveland and Baltimore to lose, I'm really glad they both pulled out close wins.  Rams were impressive.  I still feel for the Lions and Niners.  Both teams aren't near as bad as their records show, they just seems to never get the break they need.