Sharpe Falls Short In Bid For Hall Of Fame
For the second year in a row, former Baltimore Raven and Denver Bronco tight end Shannon Sharpe was denied election into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. Sharpe made the first cut from 15 to 10, but was not in the final cutdown from 10 to 5 among the modern-era players who were eligible.
The news that Sharpe fell short was somewhat surprising, but when looking at the list of candidates who were eligible for this year’s class, not overwhelmingly so. Everyone knew that Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were locks to be inducted in the first year of eligibility for each. Also, Sharpe is in a pool of pass catchers that are also in line for induction: Andre Reed, Cris Carter and Tim Brown. Brown and Carter failed to make the first cut, while Reed fell short with Sharpe.
In addition, the Hall had a backlog of candidates that have been on the list for years and have been denied by candidates who were deemed more deserving. Some of those candidates finally were elected on Saturday. Russ Grimm had been eligible for years, and becomes the first member of the famed “Hogs” offensive line of the Washington Redskins of the ’80s and early ’90s to get into the Hall. Rickey Jackson, for years one of the best pass rushing linebackers for the New Orleans Saints and later the San Francisco 49ers had also been on the line for a few years. The same can also be said for the two senior candidates who were elected: Floyd Little and Dick LeBeau. With only a maximum of seven slots, there are going to be a number of candidates who are going to have to wait their turn. Sharpe just happens to be one of them.
I have no doubt that Sharpe, as well as Carter and Tim Brown, and perhaps even Reed will all eventually get in. It’s just going to take some time, particularly with a lot of deserving players on the list now and in years to come. Remember, in a few years Jonathan Ogden will be eligible. Will he have to wait a few years, or is he a first year lock to get in? Time will tell.
NFL Picks-Week 17
Filed under: AFC, Loser's Lounge, NFC, NFL, NFL Picks, football, playoffs, sports
Here we are at the last week of the NFL regular season, with teams fighting for spots in the playoffs, teams positioning for seeding in the playoffs, and those who are headed for the Loser’s Lounge. After today, twelve teams will move on to compete for the Vince Lombardi trophy and twenty teams head for the offseason.
As always, picks in bold:
Indianapolis at Buffalo: Only because I think the Colts will do what they did last week and rest the starters.
Jacksonville at Cleveland: Cleveland could win the game, but I think the three game win streak stops here.
Chicago at Detroit: Last week Jay Cutler showed he can be a competent NFL quarterback. He shows he can do it again this week.
San Francisco at St. Louis: Alex Smith needs another good effort to prove he’s the man for next season.
Pittsburgh at Miami: Pittsburgh has won when it had to, Miami hasn’t. The trends continue.
New York Giants at Minnesota: The Giants will play hard, but the Vikings need a win for their confidence.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay: Falcons are playing for consecutive winning seasons-that should be motivation enough.
New Orleans at Carolina: The Saints may give this one away, but recent results suggest a win would do more for them.
New England at Houston: I can only pick one maddening team this week. That team is Jacksonville, so I cannot pick Houston here.
Philadelphia at Dallas: The Eagles can clinch a first round bye with a win. I say they go out and get it, even though Dallas is now confident in late season games.
Green Bay at Arizona: Only because the Cardinals are at home. These two may play again next week.
Washington at San Diego: Even if the Chargers rest, the season can’t end soon enough for the Redskins. Jim Zorn hits the unemployment line immediately after the game.
Tennessee at Seattle: Chris Johnson goes for 2,000 yards today, and the Titans will do everything they can to get him there, including winning the game.
Baltimore at Oakland: To coin a phrase from Al Davis, the Ravens better “Just win, baby.” They should win, they can win, and I think they will win.
Kansas City at Denver: No Brandon Marshall today for the Broncos, but I don’t think they give up a game they can win that might push them into the playoffs. However, since their 6-0 start, the Broncos are 2-7 in their last nine games.
Cincinnati at New York Jets: If the Bengals had something to play for, they could beat the Jets. I think the Jets will get a second late Christmas present in the form of a playoff berth.
Last week 11-5. Season 161-79.
NFL Picks-Week 16
Filed under: AFC, AFC East, AFC North, NFC, NFL, NFL Picks, football, sports
First, a bit of housekeeping: Week 15’s Picking & Winning was a casualty of the holiday rush. To quickly recap: 9 up, 7 down. Not one of my better weeks. 150-75 for the season.
The time for teams to make the playoff push is rapidly dwindling. While the NFC picture is pretty clear, the AFC is extremely muddled. Seven teams remain in the hunt for what amounts to the two wild-card spots (the AFC North and AFC East divisions are still in doubt, but I doubt Baltimore and Miami can win and get enough help to overtake Cincinnati and New England, respectively). In the NFC, Green Bay and Dallas hold the keys to playoff destiny, with the New York Giants on the outside looking in. In the AFC, the Ravens and Denver need only win their games and playoff spots are locked up. But if they lose-then Jacksonville, the Dolphins, the New York Jets, Pittsburgh and even Houston still have a shot. That makes for quite a few games with playoff implications on the schedule for Sunday.
So here’s what I think will happen in this week’s games (picks in bold; I picked the Chargers to win Friday night so I am 1-0 for the week so far):
Buffalo at Atlanta: The Falcons are on a mission to have consecutive winning seasons, and this game offers them the opportunity to get to 8 wins, with one game remaining. Matt Ryan will play, and Michael Turner may not; regardless, I see an Atlanta victory over the Bills.
Kansas City at Cincinnati: Cincinnati gave a great effort with heavy hearts last week in their loss to the Chargers. I don’t think they will be so far down that a loss to the Chiefs is on the horizon. The added motivation: a win gives them the AFC North title.
Oakland at Cleveland: I’m picking the Browns, who have played better football of late. If JaMarcus Russell gets the start, I’ll definitely feel better about this pick. Yes I know the Raiders upset the Broncos with Russell at quarterback in the 4th quarter, but nothing prior to that suggests he can consistently quarterback this team to victory.
Seattle at Green Bay: There is nothing that suggests that the Seahawks will beat the Packers at Lambeau. Green Bay will shake off the last second loss to the Steelers and go out and inch closer to a playoff berth, or secure one if Dallas or the Giants lose.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh: These teams usually split the season series, which makes it the Steelers’ turn to win. A win by the Ravens would just about end Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes, but with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback for this one, you can bet the Steelers would love nothing more than to put a dent in Baltimore’s playoff dreams. I hope I’m wrong with this one of course, but it doesn’t look good.
Houston at Miami: Last week’s loss to Tennessee really hurt the Dolphins; this week they face another team with slim playoff hopes. I’ve been trying to pick Houston over the hump week after week, I just can’t do it this time. Dolphins will be a bit more desperate, so I give them the nod.
Jacksonville at New England: Two weeks ago, with Jacksonville sitting on a playoff spot and the Patriots reeling, I would have taken the Jaguars in an upset. But this Jaguars team is inconsistent and New England is playing for a division title. Plus they are at home, where they are tough to beat.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans: Saints should bounce back after suffering a defeat at the hands of the Cowboys last week. Tampa Bay got a win against Seattle last week, but I don’t see them getting a two game winning streak in New Orleans.
Carolina at New York Giants: Using the desperate team theory, taking the Giants. I think it will be a tough test for them though; Carolina is coming off its best win of the season-a beatdown of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. If Julius Peppers continues to play inspired football, he could make life miserable for Eli Manning; the Giants front line could give Matt Moore problems as well.
St. Louis at Arizona: Arizona should have no problems with the Rams at home. With the division wrapped up, the Cardinals are just waiting for the playoffs. When was the last time the Cardinals had back-to-back playoff seasons? I’m not even sure that has happened in my lifetime.
Detroit at San Francisco: The 49ers’ defense should control this game, while the offense should make enough plays to beat the Lions. Alex Smith has to play well to be considered in the mix for the quarterback’s job next year.
Denver at Philadelphia: Brian Hawkins returns to Philadelphia to face the hottest team in the NFC. It will be interesting to see how the matchups go in this one; I’m taking the Eagles because of the explosive offense, and trusting that the defense can do enough to keep the Broncos off-stride.
New York Jets at Indianapolis: Taking the Colts, but would not be surprised if the Jets won. Particularly if the Colts, in true organizational fashion, start resting the regulars for the playoffs. There truly is nothing for them to play for, having clinched everything needed to head into the playoffs…but if the players want to go for the undefeated season, then I think they can beat the Jets.
Dallas at Washington: Up until last week, the Redskins had been playing better football, and then they got their doors blown off by the Giants. That run of recent good play began with a close loss against the Cowboys. Dallas now has some December confidence, so I don’t see them losing this game.
Minnesota at Chicago: With all the Brett Favre-Brad Childress drama over the last week, you would think the Vikings were imploding. I just don’t see it. They will do enough to bounce back against a toothless Bear team.
Enjoy the games everyone!
NFL Picks-Week 15
Filed under: AFC, NFC, NFL, NFL Picks, football, sports
It has been crazy busy this week, so much so I didn’t even get to write the Picking and Winning Post for Week 14. For the record, I went 13-3, but inexplicably forgot to make my picks at the Ink Twinvitational. My picks have been made for this week though, and I am already 1-1-took the Colts on Thursday to remain undefeated, but my pick of the Saints on Saturday went down as Dallas won a December game by 24-17. So the path to perfection talk for New Orleans may now cease.
And on with the remaining games of the week (picks in bold):
New England at Buffalo: Apparently these aren’t the old New England Patriots-dissension in the ranks, Randy Moss may or may not have quit on the team, but I don’t see them losing against the Bills. It may not be pretty, and they needed a break or two to beat the Bills the last time, but I think they come out with a victory.
Arizona at Detroit: One of these two will not look like they did last week in losing. Guess which one it is?
Miami at Tennessee: The Titans defense should put this in favor of the Titans. Vince Young may play, may be nicked up, may not play, but I think the Titans will win. Both teams will go in wanting to keep playoff hopes alive, however slim (Titans).
Cleveland at Kansas City: Based on the most recent performances, the Browns should get the nod here. They may win. But I don’t think so.
Houston at St. Louis: Now the Texans will string together some wins. Too late for them-when they needed wins to make a run for the playoffs, they couldn’t get them.
Atlanta at New York Jets: Jets all the way. Bad weather and superior defense carry the day.
Cincinnati at San Diego: The Bengals will come to play with heavy hearts after the passing of Chris Henry. In similar circumstances earlier in the season, they played well in a victory against the Ravens after assistant coach Mike Zimmer’s wife had passed during the week before the game. However, I think San Diego has been playing near perfect football for two months, and with the second seed in the playoffs on the line, I think the Chargers will do just enough to win the game.
Oakland at Denver: Chalk this one up for the Broncos. If JaMarcus Russell makes any kind of appearance in this game, it’s a wrap. You can tell how far he has fallen out of favor in Oakland when Charlie Frye is named the starter due to Bruce Gradkowski’s injury. Apparently, Raider management is convinced that Russell is not the answer at quarterback.
San Francisco at Philadelphia: Snow Bowl #1 should see the Eagles and their big-play offense get a test from San Francisco’s defense. The Eagles should win, but their defense could stand a bit of tightening up. No way they should be involved in a shootout with the Giants last week. The weather may make this one a bit more low-scoring than it would ordinarily be, but I think the Eagles will still win.
Green Bay at Pittsburgh: I expect the Steelers to give a great effort in this one. Jacksonville’s loss on Thursday kept Pittsburgh’s slim playoff hopes alive. You have to hope that they come out with a bit more fire than they did against the Browns. However, if the Packers play defense as they have lately, even the Steelers’ offense may have trouble getting points. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers lost, but I think they win.
Chicago at Baltimore: Now that the Ravens sit in possession of the last playoff spot, they need to focus on winning each game. Last week was a gift from the schedule maker; so is this week. Snow Bowl #2 should feature a lot of the three-headed monster and just enough Joe Flacco to keep the defense honest. If the Ravens team that showed up last week shows up this week, this will be a Ravens win.
Tampa Bay at Seattle: Will anyone be watching this game? I won’t. But still gotta make a pick, and the Seahawks get the call.
Minnesota at Carolina: The Vikings suffered their second loss the last time they were on Sunday Night Football. Look for them to get a win tomorrow night, particularly since now a win brings them within a game of the Saints for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
New York Giants at Washington: The Redskins have looked like the better team over the last few weeks, but they don’t have the victories to show for it. I don’t think the removal of Vinny Cerrato will translate down to the playing field, and with the Giants in desperation mode, I’m going with them to hang on to their fading playoff hopes. The game will be much closer than the opening day beatdown they gave the ‘Skins in the Meadowlands.
Enjoy the games everyone!
Picking & Winning-Week 13
Filed under: NFL, Picking And Winning, football, sports
Some bad picking in the late Sunday games dragged down my score this week…so did anyone have the Raiders beating the Steelers? Anyone? Didn’t think so. As far as the wife and I, I will keep the mentions to a minimum so she will continue to follow the game. Don’t want her giving up on one of (if not the best) sport on the planet.
My results (with my picks in bold, as usual):
Philadelphia 34 at Atlanta 7: Yes the Eagles won. The only memorable thing about this game is that Michael Vick got some run and finally made some plays. One rushing touchdown and one touchdown pass. Falcon fans apparently were so starved to see good quarterbacking, even from a former player, that they chanted for Vick during the game.
St. Louis 9 at Chicago 17: You gotta love Stephen Jackson. He’s playing his heart out for a team that isn’t very good. The Bears aren’t much better, but that win will lower the volume on questions about the team for a few days.
Detroit 13 at Cincinnati 23: Chad Ochocinco brings out yet another unique TD “celebration.” His wallet was uniquely hit for $30,000. The punishment certainly does not fit the crime here, but I guess they think by fining him more they will stop his shenanigans. News flash: he doesn’t care! He’s just having some fun; the NFL could lighten up just a bit.
Tennessee 17 at Indianapolis 27: So the Vince Young express stops at a team that had an even longer winning streak than theirs. Won’t be long though until the Colts shut it down for the regular season; with a three game lead in the conference with four games to play, they will be resting up starters fairly quickly (or after one more win to clinch home field throughout the playoffs).
Denver 44 at Kansas City 13: Boy was I wrong. Not about the pick, but about the dominance. Denver looked like the team that went 6-0 to start the season in this one, but the Chiefs helped them out-which is why the score was so lopsided. A couple more wins and the Broncos will sew up a playoff spot. If anyone can beat the Chargers, they may have a shot at a division title.
New Orleans 33 at Washington 30 (OT): For the third week in a row, the Redskins were close to victory. For the third week in a row, the Redskins tasted defeat. Jim Zorn may be gone at the end of the season, but his players are not quitting. They were ready to play, but they gave the Saints too many chances to stay in the game.
Tampa Bay 6 at Carolina 16: The Panthers won. On to the next one…
Houston 18 at Jacksonville 23: The one thing that I was mad about on Sunday was that I picked the Texans to win this game. Any other pick that I got wrong I could live with. This was inexcusable. I give up. I can’t figure out either one of these teams. I have probably gotten more games wrong involving these two teams than anyone else in the league.
Oakland 27 at Pittsburgh 24: Can somebody tell me what is going on in Pittsburgh? Please? Though I may have been happy to see the Steelers lose, I certainly didn’t think they would go down like this. If that was the unleashing of hell, I can’t wait to see what they bring Thursday night. Oh, they are playing the Browns? THAT will be the unleashing of hell, right? Right?
New England 21 at Miami 22: Okay, maybe there is something wrong with the Patriots. They aren’t as good as everyone thinks they are. First, they can’t win on the road. Second the defense is less than stellar. And if a Tom Brady led team can’t put away the Dolphins, something is very wrong indeed.
San Diego 30 at Cleveland 23: The final score looks closer than the game actually was. At any rate, the Chargers keep rolling.
San Francisco 17 at Seattle 20: So much for seeing the Vikings again in the playoffs, 49ers. There aren’t going to be any playoffs for you. Not if you lose games like this.
Dallas 24 at New York Giants 31: The Giants have life…a season sweep of the Cowboys makes it so. Date of game: December 6th. Cowboys cruelest month. I pick them to win anyway. Should I pick against the Cowboys the rest of the season?
Minnesota 17 at Arizona 30: So Brett Favre actually had a bad game, and the Vikings went down to the resurgent Cardinals. If Kurt Warner is the quarterback and the defense plays well, you can ‘t count the Cardinals out. That is what I learned from this game-and the fact that maybe the Cardinals are ready to make their move. It helps though, that they play in a weak division.
Baltimore 14 at Green Bay 27: I was right on this one, but oh am I sorry I was. The Ravens looked out of it for most of the night, save a stretch in the third quarter where it actually looked like it might be a winnable game. Too many mistakes doomed the Ravens yet again. And still, they aren’t out of the hunt for a playoff spot. They’ll have to re-discover how to win games though, to get one.
Week 13: 10-6. Season to date: 128-64.
Thursday night’s game: I’m taking the Steelers. They may not unleash hell, but certainly they should beat the Browns. If they lose, I won’t know what to say.
NFL Picks-Week 13
And so we head on into the final weeks of the NFL regular season. The tension ratchets up as teams fight for playoff positioning, and even for spots just to get into the postseason tournament. But it’s not just for teams looking to get into the playoffs. Teams that have no shot at playoffs have players playing for jobs-if not with their current team, then somewhere else in the NFL.
Picks in bold:
Philadelphia (7-4) at Atlanta (6-5): Chris Redman saved the Falcons last week against Tampa Bay, but can he do it again against the Eagles? Even with the game at home, I don’t see the Falcons beating Philadelphia unless they get an otherworldly effort from their defense. Or Andy Reid outsmarts himself, which is possible.
St. Louis (1-10) at Chicago (4-7): The Bears have to win to have any shot at the playoffs; it may already be too late. That said, they should be able to beat the Rams at home. If Lovie Smith’s job isn’t already on the line, a loss here may turn up the temperature on the hot seat.
Detroit (2-9) at Cincinnati (8-3): Cedric Benson returns to share carries with Larry Johnson, who had his best game of the season in last week’s victory over the Browns. Cincinnati has to keep winning to have a chance at a first round bye for the playoffs.
Tennessee (5-6) at Indianapolis (11-0): Tennessee needs to win, and they need the game more than the Colts. Yet I think even Vince Young’s dream run has to end somewhere…but if Chris Johnson continues to get loose, the Titans can certainly win. I just don’t think they can outscore the Colts.
Denver (7-4) at Kansas City (3-8): The Chiefs were thoroughly dominated by the Chargers last week; while Denver appears to be on the right track again after four straight losses, I don’t see that kind of domination by the Broncos here. They will do more than enough to win though.
New Orleans (11-0) at Washington (3-8): The Redskins have come close the last two weeks, only to lose late. I hear a lot of talk about “trap game” for the Saints, but I think even on a short week, they will have too much for Washington. Skins have to hope for a lot of turnovers to have any chance; and if it’s one thing the Redskin defense has not done, it’s cause turnovers.
Tampa Bay (1-10) at Carolina (4-7): With Jake Delhomme out, I see a chance for Tampa Bay to win, but it will have to play great defense and contain the Panthers running game. I don’t see that happening.
Houston (5-6) at Jacksonville (6-5): In one of those I have no idea why I’m picking this team games, I have the Texans, losers of their last two, beating a team with a current hold of a playoff spot at home. The Texans had two chances to prove they were on the rise; they failed both times. And still I pick them. I will hate myself if Jacksonville wins.
Oakland (3-8) at Pittsburgh (6-5): I’ve heard that hell will be unleashed by the Steelers this month. If that’s the case, it’s bad news for Oakland. The Steelers are in a precarious position: on the outside looking in at the playoffs and needing to win as many games as possible just to get in. It starts here, because a loss to the Raiders will be severly damaging.
New England (7-4) at Miami (5-6): Last week’s loss by the Dolphins put a major dent in their playoff chances. I don’t see them getting back on track by beating the Patriots, who have to be in a bad mood after being destroyed by New Orleans last Monday night. I look for the Pats to win big.
San Diego (8-3) at Cleveland (1-10): Will the weather play a factor? That’s about the only thing questionable about this one. Chargers should roll.
San Francisco (5-6) at Seattle (4-7): San Francisco needs a win here to keep its playoff hopes on course. The defense will do well, but will the offense? If the offense can generate points, give the victory to the 49ers.
Dallas (8-3) at New York Giants (6-5): This game looks like the Giants last stand. The Giants beat Dallas earlier in the season, but I don’t think anyone thinks they are the better team now, even though they are playing at home. Of course December is the cruelest month for the Cowboys; perhaps this is the year they do well in the last month of the season.
Minnesota (10-1) at Arizona (7-4): If Kurt Warner returns, this might have the makings of a shootout. For that to happen, the Cardinals offensive line has to find a way to keep Jared Allen and his mates blocked, or it will be a long afternoon for Arizona. Even so, I think the Vikings keep rolling behind the near-mistake free quarterbacking by Brett Favre.
Baltimore (6-5) at Green Bay (7-4): I really want a reason to pick the Ravens, but the fact that they are 2-0 in primetime games this season isn’t enough. It’s not that I don’t think the Ravens can win, but I’m not convinced they can get enough pressure on Aaron Rodgers to keep him from picking them apart. If my prediction holds true, the road to the playoffs gets a whole lot tougher for the Ravens.
Picking And Winning-Week 12
Filed under: NFL, Picking And Winning, football, sports
I know, it’s late. Too late. But here are the result of my Week 12 picks (picks in bold):
Green Bay 34 at Detroit 12
Oakland 7 at Dallas 24
New York Giants 6 at Denver 26
Tampa Bay 17 at Atlanta 20
Miami 14 at Buffalo 31
Cleveland 7 at Cincinnati 16
Seattle 27 at St. Louis 17
Carolina 6 at New York Jets 17
Washington 24 at Philadelphia 27
Indianapolis 35 at Houston 27
Kansas City 14 at San Diego 43
Jacksonville 3 at San Francisco 20
Arizona 17 at Tennessee 20
Chicago 10 at Minnesota 36
Pittsburgh 17 at Baltimore 20 (OT)
New England 17 at New Orleans 38
That’s 11-5 for the week. 118-58 for the season. Sorry for the lack of commentary, I’ve been a bit under the weather. I’m taking the Jets tonight over Buffalo.
NFL Picks-Week 12, Part 2
Following Thursday’s 2-1 showing (got the early games right), I focus my efforts on the remaining games of a pivotal week of NFL football (picks in bold):
Tampa Bay (1-9) at Atlanta (5-5): It’s beginning to look as if the Buccaneers are in some sort of disarray. Now the defensive coordinator has been demoted or fired. This after the offensive coordinator was fired at the beginning of the season. Josh Freeman may be providing a spark for the Bucs, but Atlanta is in desperate straits and need this win. I think they get it.
Miami (5-5) at Buffalo (3-7): Buffalo’s run defense is going to get a heavy dose of Ricky Williams, at least for as long as he can hold up. Buffalo’s offense is in search of offensive linemen…and I’m not sure Ryan Fitzpatrick will hold up against Miami’s defense. Dolphins are the pick here to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Cleveland (1-9) at Cincinnati (7-3): I think the Bengals, having been sufficiently humbled by their loss to Oakland, will bounce back this week against the hapless Browns. Brady Quinn will have plenty of confidence after his performance against the Lions; but the Cincinnati defense is quite a bit better than Detroit’s.
Seattle (3-7) at St. Louis (1-9): It would be easy to say St. Louis will lose because Kyle Boller is the starting quarterback for the Rams. I don’t have a lot of confidence in this pick, because Seattle isn’t much better than St. Louis at this point. Yet I’ll take the Seahawks.
Carolina (4-6) at New York Jets (4-6): The most noise coming out of the Jets this week concerned the benching of Kerry Rhodes. In a game with two turnover-prone quarterbacks, I’m taking the one playing at home. I wonder if a Jets victory will start the talk back up.
Washington (3-7) at Philadelphia (6-4): Eagles need a win to stay within a game of the Cowboys in the NFC East. They get a Redskins team they handled a few weeks back, this time at home. The Redskins defense will attempt to keep them in the game, but the Redskins offense figures to have problems with the Eagles defense.
Indianapolis (10-0) at Houston (5-5): The Texans suffered a painful loss last Monday night to the Tennessee Titans, and to get over that loss, the schedule calls for the unbeaten Colts. The going may only be slightly easier for Indy than it has been the last two weeks; Houston needs a win to keep pace for a possible playoff spot.
Kansas City (3-7) at San Diego (7-3): The Chargers seem to be rounding into form, and are beginning to look like the team people expected to see at the start of the season. Kansas City is coming off a big win over Pittsburgh, but I don’t think they make it two in a row here. Not with the way the Chargers have been playing.
Jacksonville (6-4) at San Francisco (4-6): I’d like to think that San Francisco will rise up and win this game, and they could. I still don’t have a whole lot of faith in the Jaguars, but I’m taking them again this week. I can’t even tell you why. Of course, the last time they traveled to the west coast, they were drilled by the Seahawks.
Arizona (7-3) at Tennessee (4-6): Can the Vince Young express roll on for another week? After four straight wins, it’s hard to go against them at home against an Arizona team that may or may not be in top form. Yet I’m picking against the Titans anyway. Foolish, I know-but I have a hunch that Arizona will come to play, and will play to win.
Chicago (4-6) at Minnesota (9-1): I just can’t find any reason to pick the Bears in this one. A season that was thought to have so much promise with a brand new playmaking quarterback is going down fast for Chicago. The old man will keep the Vikings rolling.
Pittsburgh (6-4) at Baltimore (5-5): If Ben Roethlisberger were playing, my pick would more than likely have been the Steelers. Now that it has been reported that he’s out, I’m taking the Ravens. Even so, it’s still a shaky pick. Baltimore needs the game more, but the Steelers really cannot afford to lose either in a crowded AFC field. Right now they hold one of the two wild-card slots in the conference, but who’s to say they will after the Week 12 games have all been played?
New England (7-3) at New Orleans (10-0): It is hard to pick against an unbeaten team at home, but that’s what I’m doing here. I just think New England will do just enough to slow the Saints offensive juggernaut, while the Saints defense won’t do quite enough to stop Tom Brady and the Patriots. I’ll be looking forward to hopefully a very entertaining game on Monday night.
Enjoy the rest of the games, everyone!
Picking & Winning-Week 11
Filed under: AFC, AFC West, NFL, Picking And Winning, football, sports
I was in need of a great week after some middling performances, and I got one. 12-4 for the week isn’t too shabby. There were two upsets I don’t think very many people would have taken that came to pass, or this week could’ve been even better. Tied with the wife; she had a 12-4 also, but I’m ahead for the season by a fairly good margin. Barring a total collapse, I think I’ll beat her this year. Of course, there are six weeks left in the season so maybe I shouldn’t feel so confident.
Results (picks in bold):
Miami 24, Carolina 17 Ricky Williams, at least for one game, proves he can be the workhorse back with Ronnie Brown out for the season. Miami’s win puts them at 5-5 for the season, just outside the wild card race in the competitive AFC.
Cleveland 37, Detroit 38 I said this would be the game of the day, but I was joking. Turns out, it was the game of the day and I didn’t see a minute of it except for the highlghts. After looking so pedestrian in his last game, Brady Quinn lit up the Lions for four TD passes. Unfortunately for him, Matthew Stafford matched him, and his fourth TD pass proved to be the game-winner. A gutty performance by Stafford, who threw that pass with a separated shoulder.
San Francisco 24, Green Bay 30 A great win for Green Bay following the win over Dallas, but a high price to pay for victory. Aaron Kampmann and Al Harris, two stalwarts of the defense are both lost for the season after sustaining ACL tears. It will be interesting to see if the Packer defense weakens in their upcoming games.
Pittsburgh 24, Kansas City 27 (OT) Surprise #1 of the day. I watched the game in the short cuts replay on Monday, and through three quarters the game was going according to plan. The Steelers were dominating the game, but for the opening kickoff they had surrendered no points. Then they got sloppy and the Chiefs took advantage. Both Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch were hurt in this game leaving the QB position very much in doubt in a crucial upcoming matchup against the Ravens.
Washington 6, Dallas 7 If the Redskins offense could put points on the board, they could have won this game. The defense played well enough to win but for one late fourth quarter drive. Not exactly an exciting game, but the Dallas offense has to be concerned. Only two touchdowns in two weeks.
Atlanta 31, New York Giants 34 (OT) The Giants outlasted the Falcons, but only after blowing a fourth-quarter lead. Wonder if the Giants will have enough to mount a playoff charge; they still don’t look like the team that went 5-0 to start the season, but they looked much better than they did the last four games. Atlanta has some serious work to do if they want to make a return trip to the playoffs.
New Orleans 38, Tampa Bay 7 New Orleans started slow, but then took control and cruised home. Big matchup on Monday with the New England Patriots upcoming. Not real sure what’s going on with the Bucs; Jim Bates, the defensive coordinator was demoted after the game. This after the offensive coordinator was fired prior to the start of the season. If Tampa Bay is turning it around, it doesn’t look like it from here.
Buffalo 15, Jacksonville 18 Don’t look now, but the Jaguars are 6-4 and in control of a playoff spot (if the season ended today). I still think they are too inconsistent to keep that spot. Buffalo is mired in bad luck. Coach Dick Jauron was fired mid-week, Trent Edwards was benched, T.O. had his best game as a Bill, and they still lost.
Indianapolis 17, Baltimore 15 I wish I was wrong about this one. The Ravens racked up 354 yards of offense, but could only manage 5 field goals. If your defense can hold the Colts offense to 17 points, and somehow manage to move the ball up and down the field on their defense, you have to finish the drives to win the game. No doubt that the Colts are the class of the AFC at the moment.
Seattle 9, Minnesota 35 Brett Favre is turning back the clock. An almost flawless performance against the Seahawks on Sunday proves that the Vikings will be tough to beat come playoff time, and that Seattle is really not very good. Is this the same team that beat Jacksonville 41-0? Sure doesn’t look like it.
Arizona 21, St. Louis 13 Kurt Warner took half the game off and the Cardinals had more than enough to hold off the St. Louis Rams. Matt Leinart’s performance may not have been inspiring, but the Cardinal defense did just enough to bring home the win.
San Diego 32, Denver 3 The Broncos appear to be in free fall, having now lost 4 in a row after winning their first six. Meanwhile, the Chargers keep rolling along-five straight wins-and they have taken control of the AFC West. They are beginning to resemble the team people thought they would be at the beginning of the season.
Cincinnati 17, Oakland 20 Surprise #2. Apparently, you should never pick the Bengals when they come off two big wins. Fresh from sweeping the Ravens and Steelers, they go out west and give this performance against a team that just benched it’s number one quarterback. They basically gave the game away in the last two minutes. A chance to really put some space between its division rivals was lost.
New York Jets 14, New England 31 Time for the Jets to sit down and shut up until they start winning some games. This performance from Mark Sanchez was especially putrid-4 picks and a fumble. While the defense did what it could with Tom Brady and the Patriots offense, the offense never gave the Jets a chance. That week 2 win over New England seems a very long time ago now.
Philadelphia 24, Chicago 20 The Eagles get a much needed win over a Bears squad that isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Jay Cutler was better than his last outing against the 49ers, but it still wasn’t good enough to get a W.
Tennessee 20, Houston 17 The Vince Young resurrection tour continues; four wins and counting since he became the starter. Do you think Jeff Fisher wonders what might have been if he started Young from the beginning of the season? I’m not sure that Chris Johnson isn’t more important to their winning streak, but has been playing lights out since young became the starter.
Week 11: 12-4; Season to date 107-53.
NFL Picks-Week 11
Filed under: AFC, AFC North, NFL, NFL Picks, football, sports
Ten weeks down, seven more weeks to go. It only gets harder from here; but you’d never know from some of the games on the schedule. Some of them appear to be downright easy. One of the now common cliches begins with “On any given Sunday…,” which means that you know as much as I do on which team will show up and claim victory from week to week. Hopefully last week’s 9-6 is the start of a great run…each season I have a week where I go 14-2, 12-4 or 15-1 (yes, they’ve actually happened). I haven’t had one of those this season…yet. But there’s still time, and maybe this week is that week. But it will have to be 15-1; I’ve already dropped one game as the Carolina Panthers went down to Miami on Thursday. So I start with an 0-1.
The rest of the picks (picks in bold):
Cleveland (1-8) at Detroit (1-8): Someone’s gotta win, right? I like the Lions; they are at home, and their one win came at home. I think they have a bit more talent than Cleveland. The Browns have issues on offense, though they might look better against the Lions. Who knows, this may be the most entertaining game of the day. I don’t think I’ll be watching it though.
San Francisco (4-5) at Green Bay (5-4): For one week at least, the Packers seemed to have a handle on how to play a Dom Capers defense. Couple that with the fact that Green Bay has a better offense (if it can keep Aaron Rodgers from getting killed), and I like the Packers. If the Packers’ D plays like it did against the Cowboys last week, Alex Smith and the 49ers are in for a long day.
Pittsburgh (6-3) at Kansas City (2-7): With or without Troy Polamalu, I think the Steelers will be too much for the Chiefs. Coming off a hard-fought loss to the Bengals, Pittsburgh will be looking to keep pace with the AFC contenders.
Washington (3-6) at Dallas (6-3): I don’t see the Redskins continuing the winning streak. They did play better against Denver than they had all season to that point, but this won’t be a repeat of last year’s victory on the road against the Cowboys. Despite last week’s loss, November is Tony Romo’s month.
Atlanta (5-4) at New York Giants (5-4): I really want a reason to pick the Falcons here, but the Giants are coming off the bye week, and they should realize that their season is on the brink. A five game winning streak, followed by a four game losing streak has put the Giants in a hole. Losses by the Cowboys and Eagles last week brought the division back to them, but they’ve got to start winning again. I think it begins here.
New Orleans (9-0) at Tampa Bay (1-8): Saints should win, even though they are banged up in the secondary. Chris McAlister, the former Raven was signed this week by the Saints mostly for insurance. They may not need it this week, but if they remain in bad shape, they’ll definitely need it for next week. The Patriots come to town then.
Buffalo (3-6) at Jacksonville (5-4): Last week I said I didn’t think Jacksonville was going on a roll. Well they beat the Jets giving them a two-game win streak. Buffalo is in turmoil, having fired the coach and switching quarterbacks again. Should be three wins in a row for the Jags after this one.
Indianapolis (9-0) at Baltimore (5-4): I want the Ravens to win. Do I think they are going to? Eh…next question. Let me say right away I’ll be glad to be wrong on this one, but Peyton and his boys have had the Ravens’ number for awhile now, and that was with a healthy Terrell Suggs. Now Suggs is out and we’ve seen how the Ravens D has performed when the other quarterback has downfield weapons. I can’t find a reason to pick the Ravens. A Ravens loss makes next week’s game against the Steelers (gulp!) a must-win.
Seattle (3-6) at Minnesota (8-1): Vikings should prove to be too much to the Seahawks. Injuries on defense will make it difficult for Seattle to keep pace with Minnesota.
Arizona (6-3) at St. Louis (1-8): Rams will play hard, and Steven Jackson will do all he can, but I think the Cardinals get the victory here. Kurt Warner returns to the scene of his early greatness; he’ll be looking to put on a show and keep the Cardinals in the win column.
San Diego (6-3) at Denver (6-3): Chargers are hot, Denver has cooled off. Going with the hot hand, and hoping Ed Hochuli is not the referee for this game. Kyle Orton may or may not play in this one after getting hurt in last week’s loss to the Redskins. If Orton doesn’t go, Chris Simms has got to play better than he did last week for Denver to have a chance.
Cincinnati (7-2) at Oakland (2-7): The schedule eases up for the Bengals, who have now taken control of the AFC North. They shouldn’t have any problem with the Raiders, who have now benched JaMarcus Russell. Good luck Raiders. This game will see how and if the Bengals can handle success.
New York Jets (4-5) at New England (6-3): After hearing all week how Bill Belichick cost them a victory against the Colts, the Patriots will come out firing to prove they are one of the best teams in the AFC. Too bad for the Jets they were the next team on the schedule, and the Pats have extra motivation-making up for the loss earlier in the season at the Meadowlands.
Philadelphia (5-4) at Chicago (4-5): The Eagles need a victory here; so do the Bears. Couple of sure things: Philadelphia will try to be more balanced than they were against the Chargers last week, and it will be stressed to Jay Cutler that you can’t throw five picks and have a good chance to win, like he did last week against the 49ers. The Eagles should make a few more plays and escape with a victory.
Tennessee (3-6) at Houston (5-4): The Texans look to stop Vince Young and the Titans 3 game winning streak. Chris Johnson has been practically unstoppable since Young took over, so Houston’s improved run defense has to be aware of him also. If the Texans want to be considered a playoff contender, they have to win this game. Johnson is on record as saying the Titans will run the table the rest of the season. We’ll see if it continues here, but I don’t think so.
Enjoy the games everyone!
Twitter: @mindpinball
- @tat2dsteelergal good move, sweetie. Enjoy. Have one for me...better yet, just drink for yourself.
- @steelergurl then u better win then LOL
- @steelergurl there ya'll go...bettin' on stuff.
- @MDSteelerGal Hey...thanks for my Y&R update! Don't know whether it's good or bad that you can go away for awhile and catch up in minutes.
- @ay52 FW is a nice guy or so I am told, but I won't miss the laundry in the secondary whenver he's around.
- @BigDubz damn, you living right. Fish one night, steak the next...
- Sizing Up The Terrapins’ Chances: First of all: GO TERPS! (and having got that out of the way)-here is my opinion ... http://bit.ly/b5SZWa
- Some Thoughts About The Bracket: Well, all the talking of strength of schedule, Top 25 wins, Top 50 wins, RPI, roa... http://bit.ly/dr2xJU
- @DemetriusHall from one of those u smashed, sorry for your luck. I thought u would run the table.
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