uh, ditto
the ravens will walk in this one
and i hate the nfl network
Thursday, November 30
Wednesday, November 29
Last week:
Ryan: 3-5 (15-25), my picks were right on my average, leaving DISMAL so far this year, oh well, they're still the playoffs
John: 7-1 WOAH (22-18), john jumps above .500, not too shabby
combined: 3-1, (pretty f'ing sweet) 9-13 on the rise!!
so, i'm thinking playoff pick'em, and john's superior record allows him to pick the games HE wants to pick first, leaving me with the harder games, is this making sense? or we could just pick 'em all (gotta pick 'em all, Pick-e-mon)
i guess we're both glad we didn't pick the panthers game, it would have hurt in all three categories, unless john ended up letting war eagle sway him over.
College Basketball Thoughts (yes, yes, this is more than a NFL pick 'em blog)
Duke - wow, they look beatable, and not just aginst a fired up, young, athletic Marquette on a neutral floor, but an average (I tried to look up Indiana's Big Ten pre-season rank, but apparently the Big Ten only publishes the top 3, and Indiana wasn't one of them) Indiana team, at home, playing slowed down basketball Duke normally dominates. I'm not comparing Paulus to Felton, well, I am, but NO BYRON, DON'T CLOSE THE WINDOW, just stick with me for a second, but only in importance to the team. Just like in 2004 and 2005, we had no reliable PG behind Felton, no Melvin Scott doesn't count. In the games that Felton got into foul trouble early, we obviously struggled. Paulus means as much to Duke as Felton did to those Tar Heel teams, and with only freshmen behind him, no one can run the team quite like Paulus. SO, in light of this, i suggest teams attack Paulus by driving, and forcing him into foul trouble, it might be the easiest way to get to Duke.
Maryland - move over Duke, move over BC, move over UNC? Maryland is playing good solid Gary Williams basketball, with perhaps their least talented team in the past 3 years. I guess Gary can still coach 'em up with the best. Maryland is playing the best basketball in the ACC right now, hands down, no debate. They have clearly replaced Duke and BC as the co-favorites to run with UNC for the ACC title (and thats based on pre-season opinions 1.UNC 2a. Duke 2b. BC). And along with BC struggling, Maryland looks to be moving on up in the world, oh boy, I can't wait for Md at Cameron (hmmm, Feb 28th, things might look a LOT different then). Speaking of, is Maryland peaking too early? Lets check the past few years in search of teams that peaked early after being initially ranked outside the top 25.
2006 - Washington started ranked #26 (technically), and 10-0 before cooling off, but i all ended up OK (#1 seed in tourney, elite 8), then again, they play in a weaker bball conference, and probably weren't tested as severely in conference
2005 - Iowa starts off hot and rockets into the top 25, only losing to UNC in Maui (correct me if i'm wrong), however, they cooled back off and fell out of the rankings, did they suspend someone or something? I feel like one of their players got in trouble around new years, oh well.
OK, thats all i'm going to look into for now, i mean, its kinda hard to do clicking around on ESPN and without the actual schedule results, just records and weekly top 25s. That and i think the professor is noticing that i haven't looked up in like 25 minutes. Anyways, thanks to Dr. Styers for giving a lecture that would inspire me to post. God, i hope this stuff isn't on the final.
PS: State, impressive, that was a quality win, for State basketball this year at least, Injun going down reeks of Ewing theory
PPS: JAKE IS THE QB, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR WHINING, HE IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 2 MORE YEARS, TOUGH, SUCK IT UP.
that is all.
PPPS: oh yeah, PLEASE POST, call me an idiot, call me a genius, call me a UNC back stabber for saying UMD>UNC, whatever, just say something.
snake? SNAAAAAAAAKE!!?!?!!?
Ryan: 3-5 (15-25), my picks were right on my average, leaving DISMAL so far this year, oh well, they're still the playoffs
John: 7-1 WOAH (22-18), john jumps above .500, not too shabby
combined: 3-1, (pretty f'ing sweet) 9-13 on the rise!!
so, i'm thinking playoff pick'em, and john's superior record allows him to pick the games HE wants to pick first, leaving me with the harder games, is this making sense? or we could just pick 'em all (gotta pick 'em all, Pick-e-mon)
i guess we're both glad we didn't pick the panthers game, it would have hurt in all three categories, unless john ended up letting war eagle sway him over.
College Basketball Thoughts (yes, yes, this is more than a NFL pick 'em blog)
Duke - wow, they look beatable, and not just aginst a fired up, young, athletic Marquette on a neutral floor, but an average (I tried to look up Indiana's Big Ten pre-season rank, but apparently the Big Ten only publishes the top 3, and Indiana wasn't one of them) Indiana team, at home, playing slowed down basketball Duke normally dominates. I'm not comparing Paulus to Felton, well, I am, but NO BYRON, DON'T CLOSE THE WINDOW, just stick with me for a second, but only in importance to the team. Just like in 2004 and 2005, we had no reliable PG behind Felton, no Melvin Scott doesn't count. In the games that Felton got into foul trouble early, we obviously struggled. Paulus means as much to Duke as Felton did to those Tar Heel teams, and with only freshmen behind him, no one can run the team quite like Paulus. SO, in light of this, i suggest teams attack Paulus by driving, and forcing him into foul trouble, it might be the easiest way to get to Duke.
Maryland - move over Duke, move over BC, move over UNC?
2006 - Washington started ranked #26 (technically), and 10-0 before cooling off, but i all ended up OK (#1 seed in tourney, elite 8), then again, they play in a weaker bball conference, and probably weren't tested as severely in conference
2005 - Iowa starts off hot and rockets into the top 25, only losing to UNC in Maui (correct me if i'm wrong), however, they cooled back off and fell out of the rankings, did they suspend someone or something? I feel like one of their players got in trouble around new years, oh well.
OK, thats all i'm going to look into for now, i mean, its kinda hard to do clicking around on ESPN and without the actual schedule results, just records and weekly top 25s. That and i think the professor is noticing that i haven't looked up in like 25 minutes. Anyways, thanks to Dr. Styers for giving a lecture that would inspire me to post. God, i hope this stuff isn't on the final.
PS: State, impressive, that was a quality win, for State basketball this year at least, Injun going down reeks of Ewing theory
PPS: JAKE IS THE QB, I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR WHINING, HE IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 2 MORE YEARS, TOUGH, SUCK IT UP.
that is all.
PPPS: oh yeah, PLEASE POST, call me an idiot, call me a genius, call me a UNC back stabber for saying UMD>UNC, whatever, just say something.
snake? SNAAAAAAAAKE!!?!?!!?
Sunday, November 26
Wolfpack Releases Chuck Amato
We all knew State fans liked kicking Chuck around, but according to gopack.com, it appears that "NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler has announced that head football [sic] Chuck Amato will not be retained for next season."
Wolfpack Club members have made it abundantly clear that losing to UNC three years in a row is absolutely unacceptable, no matter what else goes their football coach does (take Phil Rivers, for example).
We all knew State fans liked kicking Chuck around, but according to gopack.com, it appears that "NC State Director of Athletics Lee Fowler has announced that head football [sic] Chuck Amato will not be retained for next season."
Wolfpack Club members have made it abundantly clear that losing to UNC three years in a row is absolutely unacceptable, no matter what else goes their football coach does (take Phil Rivers, for example).
Ok, I'm not sure if I remeber the games to pick
12:45:27 AM johannimhaus: jags/bills
12:45:30 AM johannimhaus: steelers/ravens
12:45:37 AM johannimhaus: bengals/browns
12:45:39 AM johannimhaus: falcons/saints
12:45:48 AM johannimhaus: and bears/pats $$
All that, plus the 2 we already picked for turkey day, that starts me at a 1 game hole (Dolphins>LIONS, Broncos>CHIEFS) anyways, I'm gonna change it up a little, new formatting (home team in caps, winning team first, example above) and pick solely based on my gut instinct because, well, I've gotta turn it around.
jags > BILLS: umm yeah, even if they did have willis, no one would be picking the Bills here, not sure why the line is so low, David Gerrard WINS GAMES
RAVENS > steelers: yeah, i've been wrong on every steelers game, ever. so, i'm just putting that out there, but i think the Ravens' D will bottle up the run game and force angry pass happy Big Ben to show up, which spells doom
bengals > BROWNS: i like picking the Browns on occasion, they're a decent team, but today is a points-fest, and the Browns can't keep up with the Bengals during a points-fest, over-under 58.
FALCONS > saints: the Falcons are a confusing team with two certainties, 1) they play well when motivated and 2) Micheal Vick passes well against poor defenses. BOTH are true today, so i'll take the Falcants
bears > PATS ($$$): ok, i lied, i did some research, when i read about this game earlier in the week FO said that the Bears are the best defense in the NFL against all receivers except WR1's, this indicates that it takes skill as a reciever to beat them (ie steve smith), that is something that the Patriots severely lack, and i think the Patriots are overrated, well I think the Bears are too, but the Patriots more
side note: we tossed out Giants/Titans, because thats shooting fish in a barrel, and we don't cop out around here, and if you don't believe us just check out our records, that should be proof enough
12:45:27 AM johannimhaus: jags/bills
12:45:30 AM johannimhaus: steelers/ravens
12:45:37 AM johannimhaus: bengals/browns
12:45:39 AM johannimhaus: falcons/saints
12:45:48 AM johannimhaus: and bears/pats $$
All that, plus the 2 we already picked for turkey day, that starts me at a 1 game hole (Dolphins>LIONS, Broncos>CHIEFS) anyways, I'm gonna change it up a little, new formatting (home team in caps, winning team first, example above) and pick solely based on my gut instinct because, well, I've gotta turn it around.
jags > BILLS: umm yeah, even if they did have willis, no one would be picking the Bills here, not sure why the line is so low, David Gerrard WINS GAMES
RAVENS > steelers: yeah, i've been wrong on every steelers game, ever. so, i'm just putting that out there, but i think the Ravens' D will bottle up the run game and force angry pass happy Big Ben to show up, which spells doom
bengals > BROWNS: i like picking the Browns on occasion, they're a decent team, but today is a points-fest, and the Browns can't keep up with the Bengals during a points-fest, over-under 58.
FALCONS > saints: the Falcons are a confusing team with two certainties, 1) they play well when motivated and 2) Micheal Vick passes well against poor defenses. BOTH are true today, so i'll take the Falcants
bears > PATS ($$$): ok, i lied, i did some research, when i read about this game earlier in the week FO said that the Bears are the best defense in the NFL against all receivers except WR1's, this indicates that it takes skill as a reciever to beat them (ie steve smith), that is something that the Patriots severely lack, and i think the Patriots are overrated, well I think the Bears are too, but the Patriots more
side note: we tossed out Giants/Titans, because thats shooting fish in a barrel, and we don't cop out around here, and if you don't believe us just check out our records, that should be proof enough
Saturday, November 25
Here are the Week 12 picks (we're only picking five now, since we already picked two for Thanksgiving):
Jacksonville over Buffalo. The Jaguars, while quite inconsistent, have looked dominant recently.
Baltimore over Pittsburgh. Big Ben's going to have a bit tougher time against the Ravens' D than he has in the past two weeks, so I can't convince myself to take a gamble on riding the Steelers' coattails to victory for three straight weeks.
Cincinnati over Cleveland. The league's third-best offense will run roughshod over Cleveland's 29th-best offense.
New Orleans over Atlanta. Michael Vick just looks terrible right now.
And the money pick...
New England over Chicago. Gutsy call, but I'm manning up and sticking with the Pats after an initial pre-stat-check pick. And if Ryan's luck is any good at predicting who will win, this one's money in the bank for me. Hey, if Miami can do it...
Jacksonville over Buffalo. The Jaguars, while quite inconsistent, have looked dominant recently.
Baltimore over Pittsburgh. Big Ben's going to have a bit tougher time against the Ravens' D than he has in the past two weeks, so I can't convince myself to take a gamble on riding the Steelers' coattails to victory for three straight weeks.
Cincinnati over Cleveland. The league's third-best offense will run roughshod over Cleveland's 29th-best offense.
New Orleans over Atlanta. Michael Vick just looks terrible right now.
And the money pick...
New England over Chicago. Gutsy call, but I'm manning up and sticking with the Pats after an initial pre-stat-check pick. And if Ryan's luck is any good at predicting who will win, this one's money in the bank for me. Hey, if Miami can do it...
Friday, November 24
I have the HOLIDAY HAWK on my side! It promises a winning record at the end of the season in addition to serenading me with holiday melodies!
Thursday, November 23
wow, ryan's picks, AKA seeking new depths
last week: 2-6, on the year: something horrible (12-20)
john's:
last week: 4-4, on the year: something better than horrible (15-17)
combined: 1-3, 6-12 ugh
and in the kasparov vs. big blue showdown:
John: 10-6
Ryan: 8-8
Big Blue: 8-8
not too bad, especially since the lines were remarkably low this week (9 under 4 points)
This next week, I move to just void the Thursday games, unless you want to post before they start tomorrow john (just post and I'll know)
Miami (-3) @ Detroit
Tampa (+11.5) @ Dallas
Denver (+1.5) @ Kansas City
if we end up using these, my picks are in bold, have a good weekend everyone
last week: 2-6, on the year: something horrible (12-20)
john's:
last week: 4-4, on the year: something better than horrible (15-17)
combined: 1-3, 6-12 ugh
and in the kasparov vs. big blue showdown:
John: 10-6
Ryan: 8-8
Big Blue: 8-8
not too bad, especially since the lines were remarkably low this week (9 under 4 points)
This next week, I move to just void the Thursday games, unless you want to post before they start tomorrow john (just post and I'll know)
Miami (-3) @ Detroit
Tampa (+11.5) @ Dallas
Denver (+1.5) @ Kansas City
if we end up using these, my picks are in bold, have a good weekend everyone
Sunday, November 19
so, there at 6 games that definitely count this week (line 3 or less)
Bills/Texans
Skins/Bucs
Lions/Cards
Seahawks/Niners
Colts/Cowboys
Chargers/Broncos
Now, here's where it gets interesting, 3 games area at 3.5:
Vikings/Dolphins
Saints/Bengals
Falcons/Ravens
so, let's pick the game we all got right: Atlanta v. Baltimore, or we can do it randomly, advice?
Bills/Texans
Skins/Bucs
Lions/Cards
Seahawks/Niners
Colts/Cowboys
Chargers/Broncos
Now, here's where it gets interesting, 3 games area at 3.5:
Vikings/Dolphins
Saints/Bengals
Falcons/Ravens
so, let's pick the game we all got right: Atlanta v. Baltimore, or we can do it randomly, advice?
Okay, we're picking all the games this week, so here goes (one-liners to come, maybe)
Kansas City over Oakland.
New Orleans over Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh over Cleveland.
Philadelphia over Tennessee.
Baltimore over Atlanta.
Carolina over St. Louis.
Houston over Buffalo.
New England over Green Bay.
Washington over Tampa Bay.
Chicago over New York.
Miami over Minnesota.
Detroit over Arizona.
Seattle over San Francisco.
Dallas over Indianapolis.
San Diego over Denver.
Jacksonville over New York.
Kansas City over Oakland.
New Orleans over Cincinnati.
Pittsburgh over Cleveland.
Philadelphia over Tennessee.
Baltimore over Atlanta.
Carolina over St. Louis.
Houston over Buffalo.
New England over Green Bay.
Washington over Tampa Bay.
Chicago over New York.
Miami over Minnesota.
Detroit over Arizona.
Seattle over San Francisco.
Dallas over Indianapolis.
San Diego over Denver.
Jacksonville over New York.
Saturday, November 18
Ryan's Picks (here we go, making Byron look sillier than MICHIGAN did yesterday)
| Baltimore over Atlanta: this one was close, no ray-ray, but Vick has been horrible lately, he'll have to make a vast improvement to beat this defense | |||
| Houston over Buffalo: i almost had to think about this game, then i realized the bills don't have McGahee | |||
| Chicago over N.Y. Jets: yeah, Benson, 2 TDs, and still on my bench, maybe i'll put him in for Tatum | |||
| New Orleans over Cincinnati: yeah, they shot their wad last week, time for an emotional letdown and more yelling at teammates | |||
| Miami over Minnesota: solid defense stops the excuse for a run game that the Jets have, and when you can't run you can't win | |||
| New England over Green Bay: three in a row? ha, not for the street urchin | |||
| Kansas City over Oakland: this is the one Byron will flip "Oakland" and be sorry he challenged John and I | |||
| Cleveland over Pittsburgh: the upset is really tempting here, not sure why, what the hell, you only live once right, GO BROWNS | |||
| Carolina over St. Louis: gotta go with the home team, that and Pep will OWN this rook playing in place of Orlando Pace, too bad Lucas isn't playing or I'd be starting the Panther's D in fantasy | |||
| Philadelphia over Tennessee: McNabb of the past vs. McNabb of the future, i'll take the experience | |||
| Tampa Bay over Washington: yeah, Washington couldn't beat Duke right now, they can't run, can't pass (not yet with Jason Campbell), and can't defend ANYone | |||
| Detroit over Arizona: its hard to pick a game between two equally erratic equally and hard-luck teams | |||
| Seattle over San Francisco: well, i think i'd pick Seattle even without Hasselbeck and Alexander, who might be back | |||
| Indianapolis over Dallas: apparently Dallas isn't going to alter their gameplan for the Colts, what a joke, lets NOT drop 6 on every play and force them to run and pound the ball down their throats like Tenn and Buff did, god Parcells is a genius | |||
| MONEY GAME Denver over San Diego: its at Denver, i don't care if the ghost of Gale Sayers was playing against them, or if Jim Brown 30 years ago, or Barry Sanders crossed with Gale Sayers, or Ryan Houston, people don't score on Denver in Denver Jacksonville over New York: no pass rush no win for the Giants, the Jags defense is staunch as usual |
Friday, November 17
Last week, upon Byron's learning (yes we had to tell him, no he doesn't read the blog) that our picks were a paltry .500 on the year, he laughed at us, and suggested he could do better with a quarter or computer randomizer. We took his challenge, and so far we're all tied at 1-0 (we all picked the Panthers over the Bucs). Now, lets see what and increased sample size will do. This week we're going to pick ALL the games to prove our point that we're smarter than a random coin. However, don't worry, we'll still keep tabs on our top-7 and the money game of the week (gotta be denver/san diego). The only problem is that Byron is "in absentia" visiting the cold and soon to be depressed Ann Arbor campus for med school interviews. Never fear, for we can use Byron's computer, which he left, to predict the games, since that's what he'd use anyways. Ok, enough talk, on to the schedule:
sorry folks, turns out I was jumping the gun a tad, and we have MULTIPE ELIGIBLE GAMES!!! There are 8 games that have a line of <4, (including SD/Den) so that means that John and I actually pick this week. I'm also throwing in Baltimore/Atlanta b/c its 4 points. And Tampa/Wash is still blank, but if i had to guess the line will be close. FYI, the eligible games are bolded, and we'll figure that out later. Looks like Byron lucked out and may have a better shot than we thought with so many close games.
UPDATE (5:10 PM): 2 more games added, Wash/TB is within the margin as per Bill Simmons' column and apparently so is Seattle @ SF, should be a fun week
| Atlanta at Baltimore | |||
| Buffalo at Houston | |||
| Chicago at N.Y. Jets | |||
| Cincinnati at New Orleans | |||
| Minnesota at Miami | |||
| New England at Green Bay | |||
| Oakland at Kansas City | |||
| Pittsburgh at Cleveland | |||
| St. Louis at Carolina | |||
| Tennessee at Philadelphia | |||
| Washington at Tampa Bay | |||
| Detroit at Arizona | |||
| Seattle at San Francisco | |||
| Indianapolis at Dallas | |||
| San Diego at Denver $$$ New York at Jacksonville |
sorry folks, turns out I was jumping the gun a tad, and we have MULTIPE ELIGIBLE GAMES!!! There are 8 games that have a line of <4, (including SD/Den) so that means that John and I actually pick this week. I'm also throwing in Baltimore/Atlanta b/c its 4 points. And Tampa/Wash is still blank, but if i had to guess the line will be close. FYI, the eligible games are bolded, and we'll figure that out later. Looks like Byron lucked out and may have a better shot than we thought with so many close games.
UPDATE (5:10 PM): 2 more games added, Wash/TB is within the margin as per Bill Simmons' column and apparently so is Seattle @ SF, should be a fun week
Monday, November 13
BUTCH DAVIS
The secret hiring of Butch Davis has finally been announced! The week long wait for homecoming to be over so that no one will be stepping on Bunting's toes has passed, and the word has come down from on high (Baddour's office), that Davis is indeed the next football coach of the Tar Heels. According to reports 2 members of the new offensive triumvirate (Houston & Paulus) have reconfirmed their commitment to UNC football with Davis at the helm, with no word yet from Dwight Jones (on a side note, 194 yds 3 tds for Houston in a first round playoff win). Hopefully all the cogs will remain in place to keep together this top-15 recruiting class.
in other news:
-UVa upsets #10 Arizona to open their new arena
-Greg Paulus has already returned from his broken foot
-"kid bro sweets' crew" has been renamed "the '85 DeLoreans" and has started building for the future after the loss of star RB Bro Sweets for the season
-i have a paper due tomorrow, so expect 3 more posts tonight, including an analysis of the top 25 college football teams headed down the stretch
The secret hiring of Butch Davis has finally been announced! The week long wait for homecoming to be over so that no one will be stepping on Bunting's toes has passed, and the word has come down from on high (Baddour's office), that Davis is indeed the next football coach of the Tar Heels. According to reports 2 members of the new offensive triumvirate (Houston & Paulus) have reconfirmed their commitment to UNC football with Davis at the helm, with no word yet from Dwight Jones (on a side note, 194 yds 3 tds for Houston in a first round playoff win). Hopefully all the cogs will remain in place to keep together this top-15 recruiting class.
in other news:
-UVa upsets #10 Arizona to open their new arena
-Greg Paulus has already returned from his broken foot
-"kid bro sweets' crew" has been renamed "the '85 DeLoreans" and has started building for the future after the loss of star RB Bro Sweets for the season
-i have a paper due tomorrow, so expect 3 more posts tonight, including an analysis of the top 25 college football teams headed down the stretch
Saturday, November 11
Week 10 picks:
Kansas City over Miami. It's not that the Dolphins looked all that great last week; the Bears just looked terrible.
San Diego over Cincinnati. The Chargers, my midseason Super Bowl champions pick, just look dominant right now. I don't see them losing another game this season.
Minnesota over Green Bay. Toss-up on this one, but the Vikings have more quality wins, so I'm going with them.
Detroit over San Francisco. The Lions looked pretty good last week over the Falcons in a surprising victory. This one won't be surprising, as they'll dominate the 49ers.
Pittsburgh over New Orleans. This one should be a great game; Big Ben looked great last week throwing for a career high in yardage - over 400 yards. The Steelers win a close one.
St. Louis over Seattle. The Rams avenge their earlier loss to the Seahawks and pull the upset.
Carolina over Tampa Bay. Everything will click on Monday night for the Panthers as they absolutely dominate the Buccaneers in a blowout.
And the money pick:
Chicago over New York. This one is shaping up to be one of the better games this season, but the loss of Toomer just hurts the Giants too much.
Kansas City over Miami. It's not that the Dolphins looked all that great last week; the Bears just looked terrible.
San Diego over Cincinnati. The Chargers, my midseason Super Bowl champions pick, just look dominant right now. I don't see them losing another game this season.
Minnesota over Green Bay. Toss-up on this one, but the Vikings have more quality wins, so I'm going with them.
Detroit over San Francisco. The Lions looked pretty good last week over the Falcons in a surprising victory. This one won't be surprising, as they'll dominate the 49ers.
Pittsburgh over New Orleans. This one should be a great game; Big Ben looked great last week throwing for a career high in yardage - over 400 yards. The Steelers win a close one.
St. Louis over Seattle. The Rams avenge their earlier loss to the Seahawks and pull the upset.
Carolina over Tampa Bay. Everything will click on Monday night for the Panthers as they absolutely dominate the Buccaneers in a blowout.
And the money pick:
Chicago over New York. This one is shaping up to be one of the better games this season, but the loss of Toomer just hurts the Giants too much.
My Weakly Picks (more explanation later if I find the time)
Chiefs over Dolphins: This week the Dolphins go back to being the Dolphins
Lions over Niners: Kevin Jones has a MONSTER day here
Vikings over Packers: the Vike's defense is at home in the dome
Chargers over Bengals: hmmm, good RB, poor run defense, lemme think...
just imagine if the Panthers had kept on running the ball agains the Bengals
Saints over Steelers: upset pick number 1? maybe, i just don't have faith in the Stellars anymore, no team talking to the media about quitting can concievably win a game
Rams over Seahawks: upset pick number 2? again, maybe, the Rams' offense has looked solid, and their defense should be able to hold the 'hawks B-team that's starting right now
$$$ Game (based on many counted absentee fan ballots)
Bears over Giants: weak secondary allows Grossman to get back in the swing of things, and Benson scores 2 TDs from my bench just to spite me
Chiefs over Dolphins: This week the Dolphins go back to being the Dolphins
Lions over Niners: Kevin Jones has a MONSTER day here
Vikings over Packers: the Vike's defense is at home in the dome
Chargers over Bengals: hmmm, good RB, poor run defense, lemme think...
just imagine if the Panthers had kept on running the ball agains the Bengals
Saints over Steelers: upset pick number 1? maybe, i just don't have faith in the Stellars anymore, no team talking to the media about quitting can concievably win a game
Rams over Seahawks: upset pick number 2? again, maybe, the Rams' offense has looked solid, and their defense should be able to hold the 'hawks B-team that's starting right now
$$$ Game (based on many counted absentee fan ballots)
Bears over Giants: weak secondary allows Grossman to get back in the swing of things, and Benson scores 2 TDs from my bench just to spite me
Friday, November 10
So, um, yeah, we've kinda fallen asleep at the switch here. I'll just update the football standings:
John: 4-4 (7-9 overall)
Ryan: 3-5 (7-9 overall)
combined: 3-5 (all weeks, $$$ game counts as 1)
and in other news, GO RUTGERS, who saved my title game prediction last night by beating Louisville
the eligible games of the week:
Chiefs @ Dolphins
Bears @ Giants
Rams @ Seahawks
Chargers @ Bengals
(now we get out of the +/- 3 pt spread range)
Packers (+5.5) @ Vikings
Saints (+4.5) @ Steelers
Niners (+6) @ Lions
money game, any suggestions?
John: 4-4 (7-9 overall)
Ryan: 3-5 (7-9 overall)
combined: 3-5 (all weeks, $$$ game counts as 1)
and in other news, GO RUTGERS, who saved my title game prediction last night by beating Louisville
the eligible games of the week:
Chiefs @ Dolphins
Bears @ Giants
Rams @ Seahawks
Chargers @ Bengals
(now we get out of the +/- 3 pt spread range)
Packers (+5.5) @ Vikings
Saints (+4.5) @ Steelers
Niners (+6) @ Lions
money game, any suggestions?
Sunday, November 5
short and sweet today:
Chiefs over Rams - LJ too much for revamped Rams' D
Ravens over Bengals - defense regains its poise, Palmer throws 3 picks
Saints over Bucs - repeat of 3 weeks ago
Packers over Bills - cold weather? cold weather doesn't bother the GREATEST QB EVER
Cowboys over Redskins - yeah, i wish Clinton would go for 120 and 2 touches, but its doubtful
Steelers over Broncos - upset special, Steelers stop the run, and Jake regains old form
and the $$$$$ game of the week:
Patriots over Colts - yeah, yeah, yeah, but Peyton's still a better QB (Maroney/Dillon tag team run for 300+ combined yards)
Last week: Ryan 4-4, John 3-5, combined 0-1
Chiefs over Rams - LJ too much for revamped Rams' D
Ravens over Bengals - defense regains its poise, Palmer throws 3 picks
Saints over Bucs - repeat of 3 weeks ago
Packers over Bills - cold weather? cold weather doesn't bother the GREATEST QB EVER
Cowboys over Redskins - yeah, i wish Clinton would go for 120 and 2 touches, but its doubtful
Steelers over Broncos - upset special, Steelers stop the run, and Jake regains old form
and the $$$$$ game of the week:
Patriots over Colts - yeah, yeah, yeah, but Peyton's still a better QB (Maroney/Dillon tag team run for 300+ combined yards)
Last week: Ryan 4-4, John 3-5, combined 0-1
My Week 9 picks:
Kansas City over St. Louis. Seems to be an even matchup, but that Rams defense is terrible.
Baltimore over Cincinnati. Ravens win by two touchdowns.
New Orleans over Tampa Bay. This one's a lot more lopsided than people seem to think it is. Our boy Reggie gets two touchdowns today - one rushing, one receiving.
Green Bay over Buffalo. Favre lights up the Bills' poor defense to the tune of five touchdowns.
Dallas over Washington (not Atlanta, as Ryan seemed to think earlier). This one's also a lot more lopsided than people seem to think it is; the Cowboys win handily.
Denver over Pittsburgh. This one should actually be pretty close, because Roethlisberger should be getting over that concussion by now.
And the money pick:
New England over Indianapolis. Horrors! This one will be fun to watch. Peyton's totally the better quarterback (I do love laser, rocket arms), but all signs point to the Patriots right now.
I'm pretty sure Ryan and I will agree on most of these...these games, though with similar spreads, aren't nearly as close matchup-wise as last week's games.
Kansas City over St. Louis. Seems to be an even matchup, but that Rams defense is terrible.
Baltimore over Cincinnati. Ravens win by two touchdowns.
New Orleans over Tampa Bay. This one's a lot more lopsided than people seem to think it is. Our boy Reggie gets two touchdowns today - one rushing, one receiving.
Green Bay over Buffalo. Favre lights up the Bills' poor defense to the tune of five touchdowns.
Dallas over Washington (not Atlanta, as Ryan seemed to think earlier). This one's also a lot more lopsided than people seem to think it is; the Cowboys win handily.
Denver over Pittsburgh. This one should actually be pretty close, because Roethlisberger should be getting over that concussion by now.
And the money pick:
New England over Indianapolis. Horrors! This one will be fun to watch. Peyton's totally the better quarterback (I do love laser, rocket arms), but all signs point to the Patriots right now.
I'm pretty sure Ryan and I will agree on most of these...these games, though with similar spreads, aren't nearly as close matchup-wise as last week's games.
Saturday, November 4
Gold Glove Debate, NL
P
Winner: Greg Maddux (2.83/1.000/2)
Maddux was the clear winner with the best Range Factor at his position in the third-most total chances, with a perfect fielding percentage.
1B
Winner: Albert Pujols (10.55/.996/25)
Pujols also was the clear winner here, with the highest Range Factor at his position in the second-most total chances, with a stellar .996 fielding percentage.
2B
Winner: Orlando Hudson (5.47/.984/42)
Wow! 3-3 so far on clear winners. His closest competitor was Jamey Carroll, who also had 42 FRAR in some 300 fewer total chances (Carroll actually had a higher FRAR overall, but only 42 came as a second baseman).
SS
Winner: Omar Vizquel (4.18/.993/20)
Should have won: Pretty much anyone else. The best fielding shortstop this season, no surprise, was Adam Everett, posting a 4.74/.990/39 line. Other candidates include Rafael Furcal (32 FRAR), Jimmy Rollins (31), Jack Wilson (27), and Craig Counsell (25).
3B
Winner: Scott Rolen (3.06/.965/24)
Should have won: Freddy Sanchez (3.31/.981/30)
Uh-oh. Falling off the wagon on clear choices here. This one wasn't as bad as the 19-point FRAR difference between Vizquel and Everett, but come on, guys.
OF
Winners: Carlos Beltran (2.81/.995/31), Mike Cameron (2.70/.984/21), Andruw Jones (2.61/.995/14)
Should have won: Willy Taveras (2.77/.986/33), Beltran, and Randy Winn (2.68/.992/25)
Cameron was an okay selection; Andruw wasn't. Just two errors this season, but his range isn't what it used to be. There were a number of better candidates over his 14 FRAR.
C
Winner: Brad Ausmus (7.94/.998/30)
The Astros continue to play Ausmus and Everett for their gloves instead of their bats, and it seems to be working out okay, as both continue to excel at their position.
Not bad for the NL, either; SS, 3B, and an OF should have had different winners this year, with Vizquel and Andruw being the only terrible selections.
P
Winner: Greg Maddux (2.83/1.000/2)
Maddux was the clear winner with the best Range Factor at his position in the third-most total chances, with a perfect fielding percentage.
1B
Winner: Albert Pujols (10.55/.996/25)
Pujols also was the clear winner here, with the highest Range Factor at his position in the second-most total chances, with a stellar .996 fielding percentage.
2B
Winner: Orlando Hudson (5.47/.984/42)
Wow! 3-3 so far on clear winners. His closest competitor was Jamey Carroll, who also had 42 FRAR in some 300 fewer total chances (Carroll actually had a higher FRAR overall, but only 42 came as a second baseman).
SS
Winner: Omar Vizquel (4.18/.993/20)
Should have won: Pretty much anyone else. The best fielding shortstop this season, no surprise, was Adam Everett, posting a 4.74/.990/39 line. Other candidates include Rafael Furcal (32 FRAR), Jimmy Rollins (31), Jack Wilson (27), and Craig Counsell (25).
3B
Winner: Scott Rolen (3.06/.965/24)
Should have won: Freddy Sanchez (3.31/.981/30)
Uh-oh. Falling off the wagon on clear choices here. This one wasn't as bad as the 19-point FRAR difference between Vizquel and Everett, but come on, guys.
OF
Winners: Carlos Beltran (2.81/.995/31), Mike Cameron (2.70/.984/21), Andruw Jones (2.61/.995/14)
Should have won: Willy Taveras (2.77/.986/33), Beltran, and Randy Winn (2.68/.992/25)
Cameron was an okay selection; Andruw wasn't. Just two errors this season, but his range isn't what it used to be. There were a number of better candidates over his 14 FRAR.
C
Winner: Brad Ausmus (7.94/.998/30)
The Astros continue to play Ausmus and Everett for their gloves instead of their bats, and it seems to be working out okay, as both continue to excel at their position.
Not bad for the NL, either; SS, 3B, and an OF should have had different winners this year, with Vizquel and Andruw being the only terrible selections.
Gold Glove Debate, AL
Let's start with Derek Jeter, since he's always the first person to jump to anyone's mind when shortstop defense is discussed. Jeter posted a 4.14 Range Factor, a .975 Fielding Percentage, and 30 Fielding Runs Above Replacement. Not bad overall, but he takes a backseat to two other shortstops in the league: Jhonny Peralta and Michael Young. Peralta posted a 4.90/.977/46 line, while Young put up 4.86/.981/44. Fairly equivalent stats, and both clearly above Jeter, but to be fair, Jeter has put up MUCH better fielding numbers the last few years than he has in the past (since 2000: 2, 2, 2, -3, 18, 36, 30).
Pitcher
Winner: Kenny Rogers (2.29/.912/1)
Should have won: Jake Westbrook (3.11/.986/4)
1B
Winner: Mark Teixeira (10.09/.997/20)
Teixeira was the clear choice here, with his closest competition coming from Lyle Overbay, who had 13 FRAR.
2B
Winner: Mark Grudzielanek (5.13/.994/30)
Wow. Gruddy was actually the clear winner at second (I know, I couldn't believe it either). His closest competitor, Mark Ellis, had 24 FRAR.
3B
Winner: Eric Chavez (2.98/.987/30)
Should have won: Mike Lowell (3.17/.987/33)
Each a consistent third baseman, but Lowell deserved it this year over Chavez by a hair.
OF
Winners: Ichiro (2.40/.992/23), Torii Hunter (2.56/.989/20), Vernon Wells (2.34/.988/13)
Should have won: Curtis Granderson (2.66/.997/38), Brian Anderson (2.87/.994/26) and Ichiro.
How did Granderson's 38 FRAR get overlooked? Don't like that fancy statistic? What about the fact that he made one error while having the second-most total fielding chances in the league? Wells had four errors with 49 fewer chances.
C
Winner: Ivan Rodriguez (6.82/.998/37)
Rodriguez posted the best numbers; his closest competitor was Jorge Posada (7.33/.990/34)
Overall, just four spots had undeserved gold gloves (pitcher, shortstop, and two outfield spots). Not bad, considering how badly these awards have been handed out in the past. The pitcher spot I really don't care about all that much; it's just a 3-FRAR difference. Not that big of a deal. The fact that neither Young nor Peralta took home the shortstop Gold Glove and the fact that Granderson managed to get overlooked in favor of Wells were really the only qualms I had with this year's selections for the AL.
Let's start with Derek Jeter, since he's always the first person to jump to anyone's mind when shortstop defense is discussed. Jeter posted a 4.14 Range Factor, a .975 Fielding Percentage, and 30 Fielding Runs Above Replacement. Not bad overall, but he takes a backseat to two other shortstops in the league: Jhonny Peralta and Michael Young. Peralta posted a 4.90/.977/46 line, while Young put up 4.86/.981/44. Fairly equivalent stats, and both clearly above Jeter, but to be fair, Jeter has put up MUCH better fielding numbers the last few years than he has in the past (since 2000: 2, 2, 2, -3, 18, 36, 30).
Pitcher
Winner: Kenny Rogers (2.29/.912/1)
Should have won: Jake Westbrook (3.11/.986/4)
1B
Winner: Mark Teixeira (10.09/.997/20)
Teixeira was the clear choice here, with his closest competition coming from Lyle Overbay, who had 13 FRAR.
2B
Winner: Mark Grudzielanek (5.13/.994/30)
Wow. Gruddy was actually the clear winner at second (I know, I couldn't believe it either). His closest competitor, Mark Ellis, had 24 FRAR.
3B
Winner: Eric Chavez (2.98/.987/30)
Should have won: Mike Lowell (3.17/.987/33)
Each a consistent third baseman, but Lowell deserved it this year over Chavez by a hair.
OF
Winners: Ichiro (2.40/.992/23), Torii Hunter (2.56/.989/20), Vernon Wells (2.34/.988/13)
Should have won: Curtis Granderson (2.66/.997/38), Brian Anderson (2.87/.994/26) and Ichiro.
How did Granderson's 38 FRAR get overlooked? Don't like that fancy statistic? What about the fact that he made one error while having the second-most total fielding chances in the league? Wells had four errors with 49 fewer chances.
C
Winner: Ivan Rodriguez (6.82/.998/37)
Rodriguez posted the best numbers; his closest competitor was Jorge Posada (7.33/.990/34)
Overall, just four spots had undeserved gold gloves (pitcher, shortstop, and two outfield spots). Not bad, considering how badly these awards have been handed out in the past. The pitcher spot I really don't care about all that much; it's just a 3-FRAR difference. Not that big of a deal. The fact that neither Young nor Peralta took home the shortstop Gold Glove and the fact that Granderson managed to get overlooked in favor of Wells were really the only qualms I had with this year's selections for the AL.
Friday, November 3
EMERGENCY POST
According to ESPN.com, Butch Davis has been "tacitly" offered the coaching job at UNC. Rumor has it that he has assembled a coaching staff who has been asking around about a variety of topics, from conditions of facilities, to ability to win at UNC. This would be an excellent hire in my opinion. Butch Davis restored Miami to power (that Coker is losing hold of apparently) and should be the number one name on our list (perhaps tied with Rodriguez). My only hope is that he keeps Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator and Houston, Jones, and Paulus as recrits.
According to ESPN.com, Butch Davis has been "tacitly" offered the coaching job at UNC. Rumor has it that he has assembled a coaching staff who has been asking around about a variety of topics, from conditions of facilities, to ability to win at UNC. This would be an excellent hire in my opinion. Butch Davis restored Miami to power (that Coker is losing hold of apparently) and should be the number one name on our list (perhaps tied with Rodriguez). My only hope is that he keeps Frank Cignetti as offensive coordinator and Houston, Jones, and Paulus as recrits.
ok, so this week in the NFL is officially "Blowout Sunday", as only 6 games meeting our preset "no cop out " policy of the line having to be less than or equal to 3 points. thus we are forced to include the Bills Packers game, with a current line of 3.5 points. if for some reason the line goes crazy (like, Brett Favre gets kidnapped for the betterment of society) then i vote we throw this game out and just go with 6 this week. Anyways, the games are:
Chiefs @ Rams
Bengals @ Ravens
Saints @ Bucs
Packers @ Bills
Cowboys @ Redskins
Broncos @ Steelers
and the money pick (drumroll please) based on all of your votes:
Colts @ Patriots
i know, we're going to recieve a lot of flack for that pick, it was a dead heat between that game and the Packers Bills Brett Favre rejuvination game, but we're sorry. if you would like to complain, please use the form below:
"I think your choice of <team A> vs. <team B> for money game of the week, was a <insert biased, short-sighted, or a total cop out> since its obvious that <game you wanted to see us pick> is a much harder game to pick and far more important in the grand scheme of things."
you know, thats just to get you started, if you wanted to complain about such things.
PS: i hate the Bobcats, 10 pt lead heading into the 4th, then lose the 4th quarter 36-13. same ol' same ol'. what's not the same is the lopsided hustle stats, Bernie's Bunch was taken out back on the offensive glass (19-5), thus erasing the 35.6 to 47.1 FG% advantage they owned. on the bright side, one ravi sanghani can shut the hell up about us needing to draft Rudy Gay over Adam Morrison:
Gay: 0-4 for 2 pts in 13 mins.
Morrison: 8-15 for 21 pts in 30 mins.
(they both had similarly low boards, assists, TOs, etc)
Chiefs @ Rams
Bengals @ Ravens
Saints @ Bucs
Packers @ Bills
Cowboys @ Redskins
Broncos @ Steelers
and the money pick (drumroll please) based on all of your votes:
Colts @ Patriots
i know, we're going to recieve a lot of flack for that pick, it was a dead heat between that game and the Packers Bills Brett Favre rejuvination game, but we're sorry. if you would like to complain, please use the form below:
"I think your choice of <team A> vs. <team B> for money game of the week, was a <insert biased, short-sighted, or a total cop out> since its obvious that <game you wanted to see us pick> is a much harder game to pick and far more important in the grand scheme of things."
you know, thats just to get you started, if you wanted to complain about such things.
PS: i hate the Bobcats, 10 pt lead heading into the 4th, then lose the 4th quarter 36-13. same ol' same ol'. what's not the same is the lopsided hustle stats, Bernie's Bunch was taken out back on the offensive glass (19-5), thus erasing the 35.6 to 47.1 FG% advantage they owned. on the bright side, one ravi sanghani can shut the hell up about us needing to draft Rudy Gay over Adam Morrison:
Gay: 0-4 for 2 pts in 13 mins.
Morrison: 8-15 for 21 pts in 30 mins.
(they both had similarly low boards, assists, TOs, etc)
Wednesday, November 1
alright, in an attempt to flaunt my sports knowledge of another sport over john, its time for NBA Pick'em!!! ok, yeah, thats not happening, however, its time for predictions of the season to come, i mean, thats the whole point of this blog right? to show our sports genius by providing accountability for our predictions, so here goes:
West Suprise Team
+Houston Rockets: solid line-up, and all it takes is yao and t-mac healthy for the season
(Clips, runner up, but i think eveyone expectes them to succeed)
-NO Hornets: CP3 year two, he won't sneak up on anyone this year, come May they'll find themselves closer to Greg Oden than to the playoffs
West Champ: SA Spurs
East Suprise Team
+Milwalkee Bucks: new uniforms colors = good karma, its already started as Andrew Bogut will be back ahead of schedule, add his development to fleecing Toronto out of Chuck Villenueva and they'll be better than expected
(close runner up the Nets, but i think they're expected to be good, so i dunno if this should count)
-Miami Heat: don't get me wrong, they're playoff caliber especially in the East, but they won't run away with things, like many suggest (expecially if Halloween Shaq shows up all year)
East Champ: Bulls (as 3 or 4 seed in the playoffs, its all about defense that time of year)
NBA Champ: SA Spurs
West Suprise Team
+Houston Rockets: solid line-up, and all it takes is yao and t-mac healthy for the season
(Clips, runner up, but i think eveyone expectes them to succeed)
-NO Hornets: CP3 year two, he won't sneak up on anyone this year, come May they'll find themselves closer to Greg Oden than to the playoffs
West Champ: SA Spurs
East Suprise Team
+Milwalkee Bucks: new uniforms colors = good karma, its already started as Andrew Bogut will be back ahead of schedule, add his development to fleecing Toronto out of Chuck Villenueva and they'll be better than expected
(close runner up the Nets, but i think they're expected to be good, so i dunno if this should count)
-Miami Heat: don't get me wrong, they're playoff caliber especially in the East, but they won't run away with things, like many suggest (expecially if Halloween Shaq shows up all year)
East Champ: Bulls (as 3 or 4 seed in the playoffs, its all about defense that time of year)
NBA Champ: SA Spurs
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