Category: Uncategorized

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 18th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

AHHHH the most glorious time of the football season is here, the NFL playoffs. 32 teams battled through concussions, Thursday Night football, and being coached by Hue Jackson to eliminate 20 teams and leave us with 12 remaining teams, any of whom besides the Bills Titans Eagles or any other team who sustains a major injury during the playoffs can win the Super Bowl. The teams that are remaining have worked very hard to be playing in January and will come out battling because it all could be over any week. I will take the same approach when watching these games. This is what we’ve worked all season for and we need to bring our A game. We’ve got only 11 professional football games left before we are left in the darkness for 2 months waiting for March Madness to start.

Before we get to the games for this weekend I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the 20 teams who did not make the playoffs. For these teams, their season is a failure. They are all losers who don’t deserve to put on pads for another 8 months. They should all hang their heads in shame as they sit on their couches like the rest of us watching the playoffs.

Many of these teams fired coaches or personnel which I’ve said before is wrong. Most coaches in sports are let go too quickly. Rich Owners who know nothing about football always need someone to blame for the reason their team isn’t perfect and that always falls on the head coach. With that being said Black Monday is always very interesting in the NFL, but this Monday fell on New Years day. The most hungover day in the American Calendar just got worse for some NFL head coaches as 5 teams will have different head coaches next year. The predicted number of coaches fired was actually around 7 or 8. Now its tough to say that someone should lose their job but with that being said, there are plenty of people in professional football who are not good at their jobs. In a perfect world there would be plenty of different people fired besides just the coaches let go Monday. If I were king of the NFL, here’s who I’d be letting go at the end of the season.

1. Whoever is responsible for trading Jimmy Garoppolo: If there is any downside to the NFL playoffs starting its not being able to bet on Jimmy Garoppolo every week anymore. All he does is win games, week in and week out. How is it possible that this dude was traded for only a 2nd round pick? Friday morning ESPN dropped a bombshell report saying there is infighting in New England, and in part it is due to Jimmy Garoppolo being on the roster as Brady’s successor. Its still unclear who’s idea it was to get rid of Jimmy G in New England but regardless whoever is responsible needs to be fired immediately. The Pats had an Ace up their sleeve and threw it away.
2. Mark Davis Raiders Owner: The Raiders were one of the teams to fire their coach on Black Friday and it was immediately speculated that former Raiders coach and ESPN resident crazy color commentator Jon Gurden would replace Jack Del Rio as the Raiders head coach. This stupid for a couple reasons, 1, Gruden is and has always been overrated as a coach. His career winning percentage is not great and he’s ridden the glory of a super bowl win of a team he inherited from a much better coach, Tony Dungy. 2, the Raiders are going to pay Jon Gruden 100 million dollars over 10 years?!?! What?!?! So the Raiders are going to pay Gruden and Carr a combined 225 million dollars. Nevermind I don’t want to fire Mark Davis because this train wreak is going to be too exciting the next couple years as the Raiders go from Oakland where everyone now hates them, to Las Vegas where no one cares. What could go wrong.
3. Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, anyone else associated with the Ravens: Everyone’s hot pick to make noise in the AFC playoffs somehow didn’t even make the playoffs because they couldn’t stop Andy Dalton on 4th and 12? Nothing is more embarrassing than making Andy Dalton look good. The Ravens should also be disgusted letting Tennessee and Buffalo take their playoff spots. Now the rest of us have to watch the Bills and Titans get smacked on Wild Card weekend. Shame on you Ravens why did you do this. Why did you let Andy Dalton and the Bengals look good. Speaking of…
4. Andy Dalton, Marvin Lewis, anyone else associated with the Bengals front office: How is it possible that the biggest play of Andy Dalton’s career is the fact he won a game in week 17 that sent his team to a 6-10 record and knocked a division rival out of the playoffs? Andy Dalton is 0-4 in the playoffs and he may never win a playoff game so this could be the biggest moment we will ever remember from Andy Dalton. Send him to Buffalo they love him there. Marvin Lewis on the other hand got a contract extension? The coach who constantly underachieves is better than actually spending money and getting anyone else? Why does the Bengals owner hate anything that resembles change?
5. Anyone who decided putting NFL teams in LA was a good idea: You wanna go to the Rams game Saturday? Want to sit anywhere in the stadium? Want to bring 10 of you closest friends? All of these things are still possible because LA people hate football. I’ve already wrote about this before but LA sports fans are the worst. How are their still this many tickets available for the first Rams playoff game in over 25 years?
6. Jerry Jones: Would Jerry Jones just retire and go live in Florida like most people his age. No one causes his own team more problems than Jerry. Jason Garrett still has a job as Coach of the Cowboys and not because he’s good at his job but because he does the job of taking blame away from who’s really to blame about the team that’s won one game in the playoffs since the 90’s, Jerry Jones.
7. Hue Jackson: Hue Jackson is going to have a job coaching professional football in 2018. That sentence is nothing short of a miracle. Jackson is 1-31 in 2 seasons with the Browns. I will admit I am not a talented person. I have very few redeeming qualities. But I am 100% confident if I was able to coach a professional football team for 2 seasons, I could coach them to 1 win. 100% confident.

 

Wild Card Playoff picks

All lines used from Las Vegas Westgate Superbook

Chiefs -8

Falcons +6

Jaguars -8.5

Panthers +7

Chiefs -8

The Andy Dalton memorial wild card weekend Saturday Afternoon game this year is brought to you by the awkward elephant in the room of Jon Gruden. Next season Gruden will be the head coach of the Raiders, who play in the Chiefs division. Somehow for 3+ hours Gruden will have to find things to say that don’t make it onto the Chiefs bulletin board next year when he comes to town as the Raiders HC. The teams actually playing this game are the Chiefs and Titans both of whom have had stretches this season where they made it impossible to bet on them. For the simple fact the Chiefs are playing at home I will confidently lay the TD and a point on them to beat an inferior opponent at home. Don’t Screw this up Andy Reid.

Falcons +6

My Falcons have not played their best football all season. The drop off from Kyle Shanahan has been drastic. The Rams look like the Falcons from a year ago, scoring 30+ points every week with ease. However, I believe in the Falcons for a couple reasons. First they do have a huge experience advantage. Almost no one in LA has played a playoff game and fewer fans have seen a playoff game. The Falcons know what it takes to win these games. Second, LA is not a true homefield advantage. There are still tickets available for the game in LA because LA sports fans suck. Last reason I like the Falcons, Steve Sarkisian is coming home to the Coliseum where he was the head coach of the USC Trojans. Sark has been the Falcons problem all year and maybe the friendly confines of home will help Sark get his grove back. Hey maybe you start drinking again Sark! Just a couple to loosen up, whatever works.

Jaguars -8.5

I’ve been on the Jacksonville bandwagon all year. I don’t care if this spread is Jags -85 I’m taking them. The Jags have the best defense in the le.. Blah Blah Blah, I’ve been over this all before. If the Jags can get a lead, especially at home, its game over. Unless Sackonville and other teams won’t be able to move the ball. The Jacksonville crowd is going to be insane seeing their first home game in 10 years (because unlike people in LA, people in Florida live for football.) And most importantly the Bills only real weapon, Lesean McCoy is not healthy and even if he plays he won’t be 100%.

Panthers +7

The Panthers limped into the playoffs after barley putting up a fight in week 17 against the Falcons. A game if they would have won, could have given them a home game this week. The Saints also beat the Panthers twice in the regular season, but this line is crazy! Two division rivals facing each other for a third time in the playoffs? How is one team a full TD favorite? I really expect this game to be a defensive battle and really close going down to the wire. Carolina could definitely win this game but if not they should play New Orleans very close.

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 17th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

“This year I just wanna go on adventures. Be around good energy. Connect with people. Learn new things. Grow.” – Nick Saban.

We are in the last week of football for the 2017 year. What a bittersweet time, there are only mere weeks left before we enter the dark time between the end of football and March Madness, aka sports hell. Sports hell can be a scary time for anyone so if you know a loved one that is struggling with this reality I’m sure there is a 1-800 number you could call. The good news is 2018 is starting off with bowl games on New Years day followed by the NFL playoffs. SPORTS HELL ISNT HERE YET!!

This last week of the year isn’t just a great time to spend all day in front of the tv watching football, its also a great time for personal reflection. Not for personal growth, knowledge or relationship building, but how many predictions you got wrong. So here is my personal reflection on all the things I got wrong in 2017.

1. Falcons would win SB51: lets just not even go there.
2. UCLA would make the final 4: LONZO HOW COULD YOU COME UP SO SMALL IN AN ELITE 8 GAME AND LAVAR SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND TEACH YOUR SON TO PLAY SOME DEFENSE.
3. Oregon basketball would win the national title: this one was so close, if Jordan Bell boxes out one time...
4. Russ vs KD was going to be the playoff matchup of the decade: turns out if one player scores all the points, passes for all the assists, and gets all the rebounds; the team ends up not being very good.
5. The Cavs were a lock to cover +3 at home in game 3 of the NBA finals: Lebron failing to cover as a home dog down 0-2 in the Finals should be grounds to strip at least one of his titles.
6. The Big 12 would be the worst power 5 conference for football: not the first time doubting Baker Mayfield cost me. Also preseason I made a vow to not bet on Big 12 football and it lasted a whole week.
7. The Chargers would be the worst team in the AFC West and go under 7.5 wins: who woulda thought a team that plays in a soccer stadium with half the crowd rooting against them. Also thanks Broncos and Raiders for massively underachieving.
8. Jameis Winston and the Bucs were in for a break out year: I drank the hard knocks kool aid. I drafted Jameis as my fantasy QB. I bet the Bucs over 8 wins. Now I have to eat my W.
9. The Buffalo Bills were tanking the season after trading every good player right before the season and would go under 6.5 wins: I swear no team was luckier than the Bills in 2017 when it came to getting turnovers. I watched every stupid Bills game all season and every game they would have the opposing teams receiver drop a pass and it fall right into a Bills players hands.
10. The Patriots would cut Tom Brady and name Jimmy G the starting QB: Now I was wrong about this prediction, but its starting to look like they should have listened to me…
11. Trevor Siemian is the Broncos answer at QB: Wow was this one bad. After 2 games I was all in on the Broncos. A few weeks later Siemian looked like he wouldn’t have been able to start for a Big 10 team. How does a HOFer like John Elway go into the season thinking he had a QB on the roster capably of leading his team to an above .500 record?
12. I bet on the Browns 3 times: There should be a therapy group for people stupid enough to keep betting on the Browns. THE ONLY COVERED THE SPREAD 3 TIMES ALL YEAR. I know 0-16 looks bad but I promise you 3-12 ATS is much worse.

So I was wrong a lot this year. You’d think someone who claims to know as much about sports as I do would be right more often than not. If you are laughing at my inability to predict things trust me I feel much worse about all of these, as each of these cost me various amounts of money.

Another tradition people tend to practice this time of year is resolutions. That thing where you promise to finally go on a diet, or exercise every morning; or stop putting your ex girlfriend’s name and address down for more information and visits from Jehovah’s Witness groups and signing her email address up on websites that are advertising for potential Porno actors, or writing her personal cell number on the wall of bathroom stalls saying ‘call for a good time’; you know silly things like that. This year I don’t need to make any resolutions because I am basically living a flawless life to this point. But I do have some advice for NFL teams heading into the playoffs and what their resolutions should be.

Philadelphia Eagles fans:

Stop believing in Nick Foles. Sorry Eagles fans but its not happening this year. Yeah your team is good, and yeah you have the best record in the NFL. But Nick Foles is not going to lead you to a Super Bowl. The Eagles Super Bowl chances died with Carson Wentz’s ACL. Don’t go into 2018 thinking this is the year. Nick Foles might be able to beat the Giants on the road but he’s not making a playoff run. Your team is solid, and Carson Wentz will come back healthy next year and hopefully for many years to come.

LA Rams fans:

How about you actually show up to your teams games? You have a team that is one of the most exciting to watch in the league. Todd Gurley might end up winning the MVP and he’s out here asking fans to show up to games. Start appreciating what you have in this team or they might end up leaving you like they did 30 years ago. The Rams might not even want to host a playoff game because their worried more fans of an opposing team will take over the stadium. Just appreciate what you have Rams fans, actually show up to the games in the playoffs and don’t make your team use the silent count at home in the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans:

Stop criticizing James Harrison for signing with the Patriots. The man is the all time sack leader for your historic franchise. How about show him some respect and remember all the great years he gave you. Most likely he won’t even play much for the Pats and they will end up cutting him a week before the Super Bowl.

While we’re at it, James Harrison, how about you make a resolution to not sign with your teams biggest rival again. You might think this is very specific for this year but James Harrison actually signed with the Bengals back in 2013. No one is right in this situation.

New England Patriots fans:

How about chill out with the ‘Roger Goodell hates the Pats and the league is out to get us’ shtick. After deflate gate last year all Pats fans do is complain about how much the league office hates the Patriots. That’s in the past and now the Patriots have benefited from the league’s stupid catch-no catch rules in back to back weeks. Sure does seem like the officiating and league rules favor the Patriots in the last couple weeks and just pushed the Pats to yet another year of home field advantage. So give it a rest how the league office and Roger are rooting against you, they aren’t! Just the rest of the country is rooting against you.

And speaking of Roger…

Roger Goodell:

How about in 2018 Roger you just try to be consistent. When you suspend a player one game for diving at a defensless players head, you can’t suspend a different player next week 2 games for a much lighter hit just because you can. We all know you have too much power Roger but how come your use of power never makes sense. Also concussions are real, and playing football causes them. If I were you I’d probably start looking more into that. Please stop telling fans there isn’t evidence that playing football causes concussions, it definitely does. You can pee in the face of every NFL fan, just don’t tell us it’s raining.

Week 17 NFL Picks:

All Lines Used from the Las Vegas Westgate Supercontest.

Broncos -4

49ers -4

Colts -5.5

Broncos -4

Week 17 is a wonky time. Almost every game is meaningless for a majority of people involved. Also it takes place on New Years Eve so after  the games everyone is gonna get drunk and forget any of the games even happened. Let’s start with the Broncos who are trying desperatly to prove Paxton Lynch wasn’t the worst 1st round QB Pick in the last 5 years. Denver has had a terrible year but that doesn’t mean they can’t win a final game at home against the Chiefs JV squad who is resting players for next weeks Wild Card round.

49ers -4

Oh Jimmy G, please forgive me for betting against you last week as a home dog. I honestly thought the Jags were about to steam roll over the rest of the league. Somehow I forgot Jimmy G is undefeated as a starter. The road for future Hall of Famer Jimmy Garoppolo actually gets easier this week as he takes on a division rival who is also sitting its starters to rest up for next weeks Wild Card round. Chalk up another meaningless win for Jimmy and a worse draft spot for the Niners.

Colts -5.5

Wow the Colts have had a bad year. It started with the entire organization lying to itself saying Andrew Luck was going to be able to make it back for the start of the year, and it ended with uncertainty if Andrew Luck will ever be able to throw a football again. The Colts really are horrible and will continue to be if they don’t start making changes this offseason. You wanna know who’s even worse than the Colts? The Texans. If you haven’t payed attention to the last few weeks, the Texans are really really bad. So bad they’ve started recruiting rappers to play QB. The Texans have been outscored 79-13 in their last 2 games. How were they able to even score 13 points in those games? Deandre Hopkins is a freak that’s why. The problem is Hopkins isn’t playing Sunday like so many other super stars. Will the Texans even be able to get a first down without him? Maybe. Either way the Colts are winning this game.

Record to date: 22-24-2

Thank you to everyone for reading. Happy end to the regular season everyone its been a blast. Come back next week for picks on every Wild Card weekend game. Until then please remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

 

 

 

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 16th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

"Beware of barking at Underdogs; don't fight with people who have nothing to lose" - Santa Claus.

Only 2 weeks left of regular season football and the playoff picture is becoming much clearer. Week 15 held the biggest matchup of the regular season with the Patriots traveling to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. The winner would most likely get home field advantage throughout the playoffs and drastically increase their odds of going to the Super Bowl. A huge game with huge implications, but instead of the game coming down to a Tom Brady Hail Mary or a last second field goal; all of America is left wondering what is or isn’t a catch. Pittsburgh had appeared to score the game winning TD, the points were taken off the board after a review showing the ball moved a centimeter and hit the ground after crossing the goal line. Two plays later, Big Ben throws an INT and the game is over. Now I was not angry at the time because I picked the Patriots -3 last week, but now I am furious.

How could the most important game of the year come down to such a stupid rule. Now the Patriots will most likely get home field advantage in the playoffs. And most likely the Patriots will play the Steelers again the New England. And most likely the Patriots will win and go to the Super Bowl, again. All because of some dumb rule that says if the ball even moves a centimeter as the receiver is catching the ball then its incomplete. Forget that the Steelers dropped an INT in the last drive that would have ended the game. Forget that Big Ben was too stupid to just spike the ball and go to OT and instead he threw a pick. The game should have been over because he caught the ball. This is what a majority of Americans believe, but what if nothing that happened in that game matters at all. What if the best team in the AFC isn’t the Patriots or the Steelers? Because here’s the reality, the Jacksonville Jaguars defense is good enough to get them to the Super Bowl are going to the Super Bowl.

This past weekend my brother and I flew to Florida to watch the Falcons and Bucs on Monday night football. As most of you know I’m a crazy Falcons fan, and much like Muslims are called to travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime; I am called to travel to at least one Falcons game per year. Because the Falcons were playing in Tampa on Monday night we decided to drive to Jacksonville to watch the Jags take on the Texans on Sunday. Going into the Sunday I expected it to be a boring game. The Texans are on their 3rd string QB, and aside from Deandre Hopkins, have no one really interesting to watch.

I’ve been to a few NFL stadiums and with the way tickets are sold on the internet now, the average game you can expect anywhere from 15-30% of the fans to be for the opposing team (except for LA where where the opposing teams fans are so loud the home team can’t hear the snap count.) I figured Jacksonville would be about the same, especially since the Jaguars have been perennial losers for the past 20 years. Wow was I wrong, the game was 99.9% Jaguars fans besides one idiot in a JJ Watt jersey. The Jags fans were as fired up as I’ve ever seen a football stadium. I assumed since the Jags have never made a playoff run or won any significant playoff game ever their fans would be terrible. The last time the Jags made the playoffs the United States had never even had a black President yet. The Jags fans seemed so happy their team is finally good, they showed up to the stadium to give their team a real home field advantage. The Jags destroyed the Texans 45-7 and even with the game in hand the entire second half, no fans were leaving the stadium early. The place was still packed late into the 4th quarter with Jags fans celebrating the Jags first trip to the playoffs in over 10 years. I was totally buying into the idea of a Jags playoff run while Jags fans chanted “super bowl” in the 4th quarter. I really thought the Jags fans knew what they were talking about until some of them chanted MVP at Blake Bortles.

If you’ve been following this blog all season then you know I already liked the Jaguars for most of the year. I’ve picked them to cover more than any team in the NFL this year. What really opened my eyes before traveling to Jacksonville was watching their defense destroy the Steelers in Pittsburgh, a team many people were picking to go to the Super Bowl before the season. What allowed the Jaguars to win in Pittsburgh is exactly the reason the Jags have a chance to win any game against any team in the NFL, their defense is the best in the league. Maybe not just the best defense in the league, but one of the best defenses in recent memory. Years from now we might look back and say 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens, 2015 Broncos, and 2017 Jaguars. The nickname Sacksonville almost seems too perfect because the Jags front 7 is loaded with Calais Campbell, and a ton of other great players because they play for the Jaguars so no one has ever really heard of them. Just remember this, these guys you’ve never heard of are mostly top draft picks. After years of being terrible the Jags have finally taken advantage of their top picks and put together an all time defense. Aside from their front 7 that leads the NFL in sacks, Jacksonville also has the best cornerback duo in the league and its not even close. Jalen Ramsey and AJ Bouye, are two of the top 5 corners in the league and you probably didn’t know that because again they play in Jacksonville. Now I could list of bunch of stats and numbers that suggest the Jags defense is the best in the league, but just know this. If you switched this Jags teams defense’s jerseys with the Steelers, we would have already enducted them each into the hall of fame. Instead of getting the treatment like the Steel Curtain, the Teal Curtain continues to not get the respect they deserve.

People who follow the NFL know the Jags have a good defense, but so what? You have to score points to win games right? So have have the Jags been able to outscore teams this season? QB Blake Bortles is having a career year. For his entire career Blake Bortles has been a punchline. Even some analysts said Bortles is worse than every backup in the NFL. Even with all the criticism, Blake Bortles is having a better year than 80% of QBs in the NFL.

What is even more amazing about Bortles season is he is throwing to no name receivers. In the past Bortles has has thrown to such huge names like Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson. Bortles could have had a number one receiver in Justin Blackmon but it’s tough to catch passes when you’re so drunk you see 3 different balls coming at you. This season Bortles is working with absolute no namers. He threw 2 TDs last Sunday to a guy who was literally sleeping in car a few months ago. Every in football was ready to bury Blake Bortles at the end of the bench when the season started and he’s responded with the best season of his career. The last month his team is undefeated and he is leading the NFL in TDs competition % and yards per attempt. Even with Bortles eye popping numbers and undefeated record he still gets no respect. After the 45-7 win over the Texans last Sunday, Jadavon Clowney said Bortles is still trash. No respect at all! Jags fans responded by mailing trash cans to the Texans facility. Blake Bortles has even combined with Tom Brady for 13 Pro bowls 4 Super Bowl MVPs and 2 NFL MVPs. And even then no respect. Blake Bortles and the Jags are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL. No matter how great they are, they still get no respect.

The Jags have the defense to make a super bowl run. Blake Bortles is playing well enough to get them there. Maybe after the Jags make their playoff run people will start taking the Teal team in Florida seriously. If you blindly looked at Bortles number from this season not knowing it was his stats you might think they were Ben Roethlisberger. If the Jaguars defense switched jerseys with the 2015 Broncos I don’t think anyone would notice. Its the Jags who are the biggest threat to the Patriots in the AFC, not the Steelers. And they might just have the fire power to take down anyone.

Week 16 NFL Picks

All lines used from the Las Vegas Westgate Supercontest

Seahawks +4.5

Browns +6.5

Jaguars -4

Christmas Special: 7 Point Tease, Steelers -2 Eagles -2

Seahawks +4.5

Last week I took the Seahawks as -2 point favorites at home over the Rams and the proceeded to get demolished 42-7, it was over by halftime. The Seahawks looked like a team that had given up on the season, not a team that was fighting to make the playoffs. The media has let the Seahawks have it this week, proclaiming them done and finished. On the flip side Jared Goff and Sean McVay of the Rams have been media darlings all week after slaying the mighty Seahawks in Seattle.

The Seahawks go to Dallas this week to play the Cowboys who are getting back their best player Zeke Elliot off a suspension he really doesn’t want to talk about. It seems obvious that the Cowboys should easily win this game as they are fighting with Seattle for this final playoff spot. When anything seems obvious in the NFL, the unexpected usually happens. I love the fact the media burred Seattle this week.  I love that the majority of Vegas bets coming in on this game are for the Cowboys. When Russell Wilson’s back is up against the wall he always goes down swinging. The reality is this line is 2 points too high. The Cowboys only won by the width of an index card last week against a Raiders team who is not very good. Seattle looked really bad last week but I am willing to die on this Seahawks hill. Give me the better QB in this matchup, fighting for his season getting a few extra points.

Browns +6.5

We’ve been down this Browns rode a few times this season. Most every sports fan realizes the Browns are a terrible laughing stock of a franchise but I don’t think the average football fan realizes just how terrible of a team the Browns are. The Browns have only covered this season 3 times. ONLY 3 TIMES THEY HAVE COVERED THE SPREAD ALL SEASON. The Browns have been underdogs in almost every game all year and they can’t even keep games close enough to cover. But this week is different. THIS IS THE BROWNS SUPER BOWL. The last time the Browns actually won a game was in Week 16 when they played on Christmas Eve in a similar spot. This week they are at Chicago where the Bears have no business being almost a full TD favorite over anyone in football. Next week the Browns are at Pittsburgh with almost no chance of winning. Its now or never for the Browns if they want to not go 0-16 this year. One last chance for Hue Jackson to match last years 1-15 record. Please at least keep it close Cleveland.

Jaguars -4

The Jags are flying across the country to take on the hottest team in football, the 4-10 San Francisco 49ers. Ever since Jimmy Garroppolo has taken over as the starting QB for the Niners they have looked great. I’ve picked Jimmy G and the Niners every week since he’s started and felt very confident in the fact he hasn’t lost a game as a starter in the NFL. That’s all about to change this week. Sure I love picking Jimmy G when he’s playing the Bears or the Texans, but HE’S ABOUT TO PLAY THE BEST TEAM IN FOOTBALL. Sure Garoppolo has been great but the Niners really don’t want to win this last 2 games. They need to put CJ Bethard back in to get the best draft pick possible. The Jags need to win their last 2 games to still have a shot at number one seed in the AFC playoffs. I still love Jimmy G, but the Jags defense should shut him down and control this one easily.

Christmas Special: 7 Point Tease, Steelers -2 Eagles -2

What could be a better way to spend time with your loved ones on this special day than to take a 2 team teaser with two teams who really need wins to keep pace in the playoffs and really need a win. Steelers kick the day off in the afternoon and by the time you’ve already seen a Christmas Story twice you can watch TJ Yates try to not shoot his eye out against the Steelers. In the evening when you’ve had a full turkey dinner and a few glasses of egg nog you can sit on the couch feeling groggy and watch the groggy Raiders try to look like they care about keeping Jack Del Rio’s job in Philly. Both these games could get ugly so why not take advantage on this beautiful holiday and remember the true spirit of the season. Hitting the final legs of some NFL teasers.

Record to date: 20-24-2

Thank you to everyone for reading. We only have one week left to enjoy regular season football. Merry Christmas and Happy Week 16 everyone and remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 15th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

"For unto you is born this day in the City of Cheese a Savior, which is Aaron the Rodgers. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the QB wrapped in an arm sling, and lying in a blue medical tent."

Week 15 is a time when teams tend to know their fate. Some teams like the ones I wrote about last week are trying their best to lose as many games as possible to secure a top 5 pick. Others are trying to win as many games as possible in order to secure a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Some are stuck somewhere in between, win down the stretch and you’re in, lose out and you’ll have a good draft pick. At this point in the season the most interesting teams are the ones who are stuck in the middle, season in the balance. A win could mean playoffs, a loss could mean your season’s over. Now most of these teams have no shot at the Super Bowl because there’s a reason they’re in the middle of the pact, that’s where they belong. However there is one team who currently sits at 7-6 just looking outside of the playoff picture, the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers season has been up and down. They started the year off 4-1 with impressive wins over Seattle and Dallas, but then Aaron Rodgers broke his collar bone. Since he’s injury the team has been just trying to stay afloat. If they could somehow stay in the playoff contention until Rodgers is healthy, the stage is set for him to go into a phone booth, come out with a cape on and save the day. The Packers put their team in the hands of Brett Hundley, a young and unproven QB. Since the Rodgers injury Hundley did what he was supposed to do, beat teams with losing records. After managing to win the game not lose the game at Cleveland this week, the Packers are ready to bring back Rodgers to save the day. But should they bring him back?

Before we can decide if the Packers should bring back Rodgers this late in the season we first have to look at the owner making this decision, the good people of Wisconsin. For starters every other team in the entire world has an owner. A rich dude in a suit who was always picked last for every team in PE growing up. A man who never accomplished anything athletic in his entire life until he decided to buy a professional sports team. That’s how its always been and that’s how it’s supposed to be. The only place in the entire universe who does not abide by these rules are the folks in Wisconsin. The Packers are owned by the public, some 360 thousand people who have a piece of laminated paper hanging on a wall in their trailer above their Brett Favre shrine proclaiming they are an owner of the Packers.  So when thousands of cheese eating hillbilly’s are allowed to make the decisions for the team, what will they decide? Play Aaron Rodgers coming off an injury and risk him doing farther damage? Or realize the chances of making the playoffs are very slim and resting Rodgers would prevent the future of the franchise from being in danger.

Before I go on bashing the state of Wisconsin I should clarify, I have never actually been there. There are a couple reasons for this. First I have a fear if I step foot in the state of Wisconsin I will be brain washed into becoming a Packers fan. 90% of Packers fan I’ve ever met have the same story when asked why they are Packers fans. Its always a story about some obscure family member or acquaintance who is from or visited Wisconsin and that’s how they became a Packers fan.

“Well my great grandpa had a friend that traveled to Wisconsin once so that’s why my whole family are Packers fans.”

This leads me to believe in two possibilities. 1. Either all these people jumped on the bandwagon of a spoiled fanbase who has won multiple Super Bowls and has had 2 of the greatest QBs consistently for the last 25 years. Or 2. anyone who steps foot in the state of Wisconsin is immediately brain washed into liking the Packers. Probably the first one is true but just in case they really are brain washing people up there I refuse to visit. On top of the fact that its cold and probably has nothing interesting to do or see; even the slightest chance of becoming a brain washed Packers fan will keep me from crossing the state line into Wisconsin for the rest of my life.

So even though I’ve never been to Wisconsin I’ve met plenty of Packers fans and they really are a spoiled fanbase. Old Packers fans will tell you about a time when players were calling timeout in the middle of the game to have a smoke break, and some players were bankers and construction workers in the offseason. A time when only white people played football in leather helmets. These days of much lesser degree of football is what Packers fans call the “glory days.” Back in those only white people playing football days, the Packers won the first 2 Super Bowls and ever sense then have declared themselves “titletown.” It would probably be more appropriate to call it “better than the other white players only, who smoked at halftime, town”

Since the Packers “glory days” the new generation of Packers fans have also been blessed. 25 years ago the Packers had one of the greatest QBs of a generation fall in their lap, Brett Favre. In 1991 Favre was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round. The coach of the Falcons at the time, Jerry Glanville, did not want Favre but management did. Favre didn’t make it easy for the coach to play him either. He was notorious for drinking and partying as he was only 21 when he was drafted. At the end of the 1991 season the Falcons traded Favre to Green Bay and the rest is history. So why was Green Bay able to take advantage of a HOF QB falling in their lap? When Favre was in Atlanta he couldn’t stop partying enough to improve his game and earn the starting job, he was basically a 1991 version of Johnny Manziel. As soon as he gets to Green Bay he suddenly stops partying and becomes a legendary QB. The reason for this must be Green Bay is such a boring city there is nothing to do besides play and watch football. The only reason Brett Favre became a legendary QB is Green Bay is such a lame place Favre had no choice but to get his act together and play football. That was never going to happen in a fun place like Atlanta.

After they lose the legendary QB Brett Favre to an unfortunate cell phone picture incident, who do they find to replace him? None other than golden arm Aaron Rodgers. Going from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers would be like divorcing Scarlett Johansson only to marry Blake Livley. This is where the Packers fan base has truly been spoiled. Many teams have great QBs but never does a team have the best QB of a generation and follow it up by drafting an even better QB. Aaron Rodgers has been the best QB in the league since 2010 when he won the Super Bowl. Regardless of how bad the Packers defense or recievers or running game has been; every year since then the Packers have the ability to win any game possible because they have Rodgers at QB. Any time people begin to doubt Rodgers abilities he seems to come up with some stupid catchphrase that Packers fans won’t stop repeating as he leads them on a winning streak. Rodgers has put the team on his back countless times over the past 7 years and dominated the NFC. Its no wonder Packers fans treat him like he walks on water.

Its easy to see why Packers fans love Rodgers. He cheers for the local Wisconsin Badgers even though he went to Cal. He runs a charity for children with cancer. But most of all when a game seems lost he always has the ability to come back and get the Packers a W. However, after his injury Packers fans got a taste of what every other NFL fans Sunday is like. Without Rodgers the Packers a suddenly a mortal team. Now instead of Rodgers making throws no other human is capable of making, Packers fans have to watch Brett Hundley attempt to throw the ball to the guys wearing the same color jerseys as him. Welcome to real life Packers fans. I’m not gonna lie, I have LOVED watching Packers fans squirm the last 8 weeks realizing they probably aren’t gonna win games every week. This is how a majority of football fans feel every Sunday. Most teams don’t have a golden arm playing QB who can bail a team out of any situation.

Packers fans haven’t grown accustom to life without Rodgers. Now that he’s been medically cleared to play, Packers fans are wanting to throw him back in there without hesitation. He is their savior. The guy who is going to magically come in late December and make up for all their wrongdoings. The savior who will lead them to the promisedland. The problem is Rodgers is not a God, he isn’t invincible. He is coming off an injury that was supposed to keep him out all season. But because Rodgers is the Savior of Wisconsin he is being put out to the world to sacrificed to soon. If I were the Packers I wouldn’t even put him back out their this season with such a slim chance of making the playoffs. And if he somehow does play Sunday and lose to Carolina? Then I would definitely shut him down for the season. Another QB Tony Romo came back too soon from a collar bone injury and ended up leaving the game on a stretcher.

Rodgers might be the savior of the Packers season, but he might also do farther damage to his throwing shoulder and hurt his team next season. He may also be the savior of many more Packers championships to come, but if they don’t play it smart this year, he might never have the chance. Oh well, even if he get injured he still have a loving family and movie star Girlfriend to go home to. (OH WAIT NO HE DOESN’T CAUSE HIS FAMILY HATES HIM AND HIS GIRLFRIEND LEFT HIM LOL DID YOU THINK I WAS GONNA WRITE THIS MUCH ABOUT AARON RODGERS AND NOT MENTION HIS FAMILY HATES HIM LOL PEOPLE DONT FORGET.)

Week 15 NFL Picks

All Lines used from the Las Vegas Westgate Supercontest

Seahawks -2

Patriots -3

Packers +3

Seahawks -2

This is a huge game between 2 teams fighting for the NFC West. The winner of this game will probably win the division. Seattle won the first matchup between these 2 teams in LA but now they are without 2 key members of their defense Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Even though the Seahawks are banged up they still have managed to stay in the playoff hunt. The Seahawks have been amazing at home in the Russell Wilson era but especially in December. Add in the Seahawks lost last week and need a W to stay alive in the playoff hunt. I expect Seattle to play like a desperate team with an MVP playing QB.

Patriots -3

The only game bigger than Rams Seahawks this weekend is Pats Steelers. This game will most likely decide who gets home field advantage in the AFC playoffs. Both these teams have had this game circled on their calendars all season. Who else do you trust more in big games? Tommy Brady and Bill Belicheat of course. Add in the Pats lost last week and need a W this week. The Patriots are 18-4 ATS in the Belicheat era following a straight up loss. I expect the Pats to take back control on the AFC playoff race.

Packers +3

I know I bashed the Packers in their fans above but who I am kidding I’m just as stupid as they are CAUSE RODGERS IS BACK AND THE PACKERS ARE WINNING THIS GAME. Ok maybe I’m not the biggest believer in the Packers, but I am definitely not a believer in the Panthers. Carolina is coming off a huge win against the Vikings last Sunday and are due for a let down. The return of Aaron Rodgers doesn’t only give the Packers an advantage on offense it also gives the team a huge moral boost. Not only will the stupid Packers fans be fired up for this game but the Packers players will be fired up to have the return of the savior of the cheese city. It will be a Christmas Miracle when the underdog Packers go into Carolina and upset the Panthers. Merry Week 15 to all and to all a good night.

Record to date: 20-22-1

Thank you to everyone for reading. We only have a few weeks left to enjoy football and come back next week for more NFL. Happy Week 15 everyone and remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 14th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

"Winning is a habit, Unfortunately so is losing" - Matt Lauer

Our country is facing a difficult time where the majority of people are not happy with the current leadership. We’ve had it so good for some long but for the first time in a long time people are beginning to think the future will be worse than the past. The current leader in charge seems to be disliked universally, with many people questioning how he even came into power in the first place. The only thing that could possibly be worse is 4 more years on the same leadership. Then Wednesday afternoon the unthinkable happened… that leader will now be around for at least 4 more years.

I’m talking of course about none other than Roger Goodell. (What? Who else could I have been talking about?) Wednesday morning it was announced the Goodell will be around until 2023 making 40 million dollars a year. It seems to be a year in the NFL where there have been a lot of questions about leadership, where is the league headed? How will the league handle social justice issues? What is the league doing to improve player safety? After all this questioning, debating, and criticism. The league continues to win at the end of the day. What failing business do you know that is giving its boss and 40 million dollar raise.

On the football side of things we are down to the final 4 weeks of the season and things are really starting to take shape. The Steelers, Patriots, Eagles and Vikings each are 10-2 and have pulled away from the rest of their conferences to take the top to spots in the AFC and NFC. Over the next 4 weeks these teams will look to set themselves apart from the pack and grab a buy in the first round of the playoffs. The last 4 weeks won’t just be important for the top teams in the playoff picture, it will also be very important for the bottom teams in the league standings.

Now it may seem like for many teams these last 4 weeks are like a slow walk to the chopping block as they limp to their fate. Teams like the 49ers, Colts, Giants seem like they are dead men walking with absolutely no chance of making the playoffs, but these next 4 weeks will end up determining who gets the top draft picks in April. The NFL is not the NBA, the team with the worst record will get the first overall pick, and so on and so forth. Meaning if the Giants decide to with 3 of their last 4 games they will go from 2nd overall pick to possibly the 8th overall pick. Want to know what kind of difference that makes? 6 years ago the Washington R-words traded away 3 first round picks and a 2nd round pick to move into the 2nd overall spot to draft their franchise QB Robert Griffin III (what a bargain that trade was, amazing how everyone hates their owner).

Like my man Herm Edwards once said, YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME, HELLO!??!! Maybe if Herm’s Jets or Chiefs teams would have gotten better draft picks he would have coached in the league longer. I know players in the NFL never play a game with the intent to lose but they should. If your team has no chance at the playoffs, why not try to set yourself up for the best possible draft pick. These losses could mean the difference between drafting the next Peyton Manning and drafting the next Ryan Leaf. Lets look at what the bottom feeders need to do to secure the best possible pick.

Indianapolis Colts 3-9

The Colts sit at 3-9 with 4 games remaining. I wrote at the begining of the year how badly the Colts have mismanaged Andrew Luck’s health and it showed when they went into the season with Scott Tolzien as the starter. The Tolzien era lasted all of 1 half, and if it would have lasted all season the Colts would most likely be 0-12 and looking at a number one pick, but no. The Colts went out and traded for a competent QB in Jacoby Brissett who actually isn’t terrible. It was a great move if the team were trying to win games, but unfortunately for them they forgot the rest of their roster was trash too. Jacoby Brissett basically walked onboard the Titanic and managed to keep it from sinking for a few extra hours, truly impressive. Fortunately for the Colts they shut down Andrew Luck for the season. If Luck were healthy he probably would have carried this team to 7-9 or 8-8; ruining another top pick. The Colts are looking like they will get a top 5 pick if they lose out and maybe now they can start to fix their trash bag roster before Luck comes back next year. If I were Jim Irsay: Start Scott Tolzien, sacrifice him behind those dumpsters they call an offensive line, get a top 5 pick and get Andrew Luck some help for once!!

Chicago Bears 3-9

The Bears are coming off a huge loss on Sunday to the 49ers. They masterfully let Jimmy Garoppolo drive down the field in the 4th quarter and kick a game winning FG to lose to the 1-10 Niners. Now the Bears are only 1 game back behind the Niners and Giants in draft order. Ever since Mitch Turbisky became the starting QB one thing has become apparent. The Bears offense can’t score. Every year we hear the question “could Alabama beat the Browns.” Which obviously can’t happen because Alabama’s payroll is too steep it would go over the NFL’s salary cap. But if Trubisky and the Bears faced off against the Alabama defense, The Bears would score under 30.  Every game the Bears have won this year their defense has scored at least one TD. Good thing the Bears traded up to take a QB last year only to watch him average under 17 PPG. Good News is they have John Fox so I’m sure whatever he does the next 4 weeks should put them in great position to take a star receiver Turbisky can overthrow next year.

Denver Broncos 3-9

Two games into the season I declared that the Broncos had fixed their 2016 issues and Trevor Siemian was set up to have a great year behind a real OL and a great running game. Ever since then the Broncos are 1-9, Siemian has been benched and then forced back into action due to injury to Paxton Lynch and Brock Osweiler looking like Brock Osweiler. The Broncos are on a 8 game losing streak and looking like a team that really wants that top 5 pick. Their defense which carried them to a super bowl two years ago looks someone who finished a marathon and then tried to turn around and run the course backwards. The Denver D could only carry the terrible offense for so long. What will be interesting is what the Broncos do if they get a top 5 pick. Will they take one of the top QBs on the board? Just two years ago they traded into the first round to take Paxton Lynch who only has started 3 career games. Do they let coach Vance Joseph have another year? or do they bring in a new offensive minded coach to fix their QB issues. I think the best QB is actually in the front office and ole John Elway should put on the pads one more time and see if he can still sling it. GOOD FOR YOU BUD. 

New York Giants 2-10

A week after I wrote about how terrible of a football coach/human being Ben McAdoo is he went and benched Eli Manning. Now this was a perfect move if he had the intention of losing as many games as possible the rest of the season and getting a top 3 draft pick. The New York media did not agree. McAdoo was buried by the press highlighted by Mike Francesa calling out McAdoo for being a coward. The Giants went on to take another L and promptly fired Ben McAdoo Monday morning. As much as I disliked McAdoo, now that he’s gone I think I’m gonna miss him. No one was as good at making a team look like they were tanking than Ben McAdoo. Which is the reason this move by the Giants was a terrible one for their future draft pick. If the Giants really had their futrue in mind they would have let McAdoo do whatever that thing was that he considered coaching and loss the next 4 games, assuring their top 3 draft pick. Now with an interm coach and Eli starting again the Giants may mess around and win themselves out of the top 3.

San Francisco 49ers 2-10

The Niners spent a majority of the season looking like the tank train was full speed ahead. What I really respected about the Niners tank was the complete lack of shame. They let CJ Beathard start 7 games this year! They should be taking home the tank gold medal this year! But then they went and screwed it up at the trade deadline. The Niners went out and traded for Jimmy Garoppolo, giving them a competent NFL QB. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was smart though, he kept Jimmy G on the sidelines saying “he needed time to learn the offense.” Nice move Kyle, we all know that meant “we need to keep losing to get a good draft pick next year and Jimmy is too good he might win us some games.” However, much like Kyle Shanahan’s play calling in last years Super Bowl, his tank plan for this season is blowing a 28-3 lead (reminder I am allowed to make Falcons jokes because I am the one suffering from that heartbreak. No one else is allowed to make jokes about it, its still too soon.) The Niners started the year 0-9 but now have won 2 of their last 3 games, including last Sunday when Jimmy Garoppolo started his first game because CJ Beathard was injured. Starting Jimmy G the rest of the season would be a mistake. He might actually be good, and the Niners might win 2 or 3 more games dropping themselves out of the top 3. If I’m Shanahan I bench Jimmy Garoppolo for some phantom injury and immediately sign my old buddy RG3. I hear he’s available and surely he can lead the Niners to an 0-4 finish.

Cleveland Browns 0-12

What can I say, they are the masters. Hue Jackson and the Browns are set the bar for NFL tanking. Week after week they get the job done. They are the anti Patriots. The Browns are 0-12, and not going anywhere besides the top 3 of the NFL draft. Bravo Browns these other teams above could learn a lot from you on how to lose. Now if only the Browns could figure out how to draft anyone good at all they’d be going somewhere.

Week 14 NFL Picks

All lines used from the Las Vegas Westgate Supercontest

Eagles +1

Chiefs -4

49ers +3

Eagles +1

The game of the day is Sunday afternoon in LA where two of the top teams in the NFC will play in front of a crowd that could be close to 50/50 Rams fans and Eagles fans. Philly has been out on the west coast since playing Seattle on Sunday night football last week. The Eagles are coming off only their second loss of the season last week and the Eagles were not outplayed. A few plays like Carson Wentz fumbling in the back of the endzone and Russel Wilson converting a 3rd and long on an illegal lateral really swung the game for Seattle. Chances are the Eagles won’t have terrible luck 2 weeks in a row. The Rams meanwhile have Seattle coming up next week for a chance to seal the division title. The Rams could be looking ahead to next week and let Philly come in and beat them in LA this week.

Chiefs -4

Kansas City has lost 6 out of their last 7. They are on a full blown downhill spiral. They probably should be included in the group fighting for a top 5 draft pick, but because of their division are somehow sitting in first place in their division. Sunday is a must win for KC if they want to have a chance to win the division. Luckily for them the Oakland defense has been terrible this season and the Chiefs should be able to score at will. Earlier this season when these teams met the Raiders pulled out a win 31-30. Neither of these teams have been playing defense lately and I expect this game to be another shootout with the advantage to the Chiefs being home in Kansas City.

49ers +3

I took the Niners last week as the underdog and Jimmy G came through and pulled the upset. This week the Niners travel to Houston to take on a team who is still starting Tom Savage at QB and THE NINERS ARE STILL THE UNDERDOG IN THIS GAME. I can’t believe this line. Does Vegas think Deshaun Watson is still healthy? Like I said last week, the Niners have 5 games this season they have lost by 3 points or fewer. And also like I said last week, finally the Niners are playing in games where they have the advantage in the QB matchup. This is going to be a close game, and in a close game I’d much rather have Jimmy G than Tom Savage. Another huge advantage in close games is special teams, especially kickers. I don’t even know the name of the Texans kicker but I know he missed 2 kicks last week and blew his team’s chance to cover. The Niners meanwhile had veteran Robbie Gould who went 5 for 5 to win the game for his team. The Niners are going to have a chance to win this game and screw up their draft pick even more but if they don’t win they will at least cover the +3.

Record to date: 1-0 when Jimmy G is starting

Thank you to everyone for reading. We only have a few weeks left to enjoy football and come back next week for more NFL. Happy Week 14 everyone and remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

 

 

 

"Hollywood has a way of making everything seem like an overnight success." - Dean Spanos

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 13th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

Welcome to Week 13 in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles are unbeatable and there’s absolutely no chance they choke in the playoffs and their fans are all incredibly disappointed. Bill Belicheat waved a magic wand and suddenly the Patriots defense, which was ranked dead last in yards allowed after Week 5, is somehow the best in the AFC. And Jerry Jones has all of a sudden vanished out of the public eye and stopped making headlines after his team has taken a dump on the field the last 3 weeks.

This really is the time of the season when the contenders separate themselves from the pack. Teams that will make the playoffs trending upward (the Chargers) teams that will miss the playoffs and are an embarrassment to their city and their fanbase, trending downward (the Chiefs). The usually suspects are looking to represent the AFC with the Patriots and the Steelers. While the NFC has at least 7 contenders who would not be a surprise to win the conference. One surprising thing about the NFL playoff picture after 12 weeks is, it looks like both teams from Los Angeles will make the playoffs. If this were to happen it would truly be an embarrassment to every other NFL city besides Cleveland. How could a city that could care less about professional football end up with two teams in the playoffs?!

For years Los Angeles has been the place every NFL team threatens to move to. If an owner wasn’t getting a good deal on a new stadium? Threaten to move the team to LA, and boom there’s a new stadium deal. After years of empty threats, two NFL teams up and moved to LA. First the Rams moved making Stan Kroenke the most hated man in the state of Missouri since Jesse James. Then the Chargers followed making Dean Spanos the most hated man in San Diego since Ron Burgundy said “Go F*** yourself San Diego” Both of these teams are playing to undersold, sub par stadiums with the promise of one day building a 2.6 billion dollar stadium, that LA fans can fail to fill to capacity.

This season the Rams have been a surprise to the league from the start. They hire Sean McVay this offseason, a coach so young he probably still get ID’ed going to an R rated movie. With the help of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, Mcvay and the Rams are leading the NFC West with a 8-3 record. Still the Rams have yet to even compete attendance wise with college football in LA . The Rams have a flashy offense that can put up 30 points on anyone in the league, and a defense led by a future hall of fame coordinator and one of the best linemen in the league, Aaron Donald. At this pace the Rams will be hosting a playoff game over Wildcard weekend, and most likely there will be tickets available.

The Chargers also moved to LA at the start of this season after only a short move from San Diego. Unlike the Rams, the Chargers had no plans on where to play and just sort of asked the Rams if they could play in the new 2.6 Billion dollar stadium once its built. The Chargers owner Dean Spanos decided to move the team north when the city of San Diego refused to give him enough money for a new stadium. So because he didn’t have a new stadium in San Diego he moved his team to LA where he also doesn’t have a new stadium, but his friend Stan Kroenke has one so he’s gonna borrow his. Basically Dean Spanos is an 18 year old who just graduated high school and asked his parents to buy him a new house. When his parents refused to buy him a new house he decided to move to LA with his buddy Stan and ask him if he can stay in his house. Stan agrees but Stan’s house won’t be ready for another 3 years. Instead of tucking his tail between his legs and returning home to live in his parents basement until Stan’s house is finished, Dean decides he’d rather live in a cardboard box on the street in LA than move back in with his parents in San Diego. What is this cardboard box Dean Spanos is living in? The Stubhub center. Which is a 25,000 seat arena made for a professional soccer team. Each week in LA the Stubhub center is filled with over 50% of fans of the other team. For a game against the Eagles this year the Chargers actually had to use a silent snap count, something that is usually done on the road in a hostile environment. This horrible lack of planning means the Chargers are stuck in a cardboard box of a soccer field that is filled with fans of the other team for another 3 seasons. What a great football town LA is!

Before I go on any farther trashing the city of Los Angeles I should say, I do not know much about it. About 90% of what I know about LA comes from watching all 8 seasons of Entourage and the Entourage movie. Based on that information I understand LA is a gigantic city where everyone looks like an underwear model, famous people from movies and tv shows are constantly running into each other, and beautiful women are easily willing to get naked at any moment. Other than that, the other thing I noticed about LA while watching Entourage; there is a lot of activities to do in LA that don’t involve watching football. Never once during the entire 8 seasons of Entourage did Vince and the guys decide to stop what they were doing to head down to the LA Coliseum to watch some USC football. They usually were too busy drinking and partying with extremely attractive women.

But why would anyone in LA want to go watch a professional football game? A huge city, right by the beach, that offers any activity imaginable. Los Angeles is home to museums, concert venues, amusement parks, movie tours, national parks, dozens of beaches, all of which are can be done in weather that is 70-100 degrees, 12 months a year. On a December weekend in LA there are dozens of different activities to do that don’t involve spending 4 hours in traffic to watch a game for 3 hours then drive 4 hours back in traffic. Wanna guess what there is to do on a December weekend in Pittsburgh? Sit next to a fire and try to stay warm until the Steeler game starts. If you’re lucky you know a guy who knows a guy and can get you a ticket to Heinz Field for less than $200 so you can freeze your butt off outside watching the game. If not you can sit by a fire and watch the game because they probably don’t even have indoor heating in Pittsburgh. The people of Pittsburgh aren’t obsessive about the Steelers because they are crazy maniacs. They’re obsessive because there isn’t anything else to do in Pittsburgh besides stay warm and watch the Steelers.

Its impossible for people to be truly passionate about sports when they live in a city that has perfect weather year round and is right next to a dozen beaches. The LA fans don’t care about the Chargers or the Rams because they don’t HAVE to care about the Rams or the Chargers. People in Pittsburgh HAVE to care about the Steelers, they have nothing else. As long as LA has 365 days of sunshine a year and endless amounts of activities that don’t involve football; it doesn’t matter if the undefeated Chargers are playing the undefeated Rams in the Super Bowl, people in LA would rather go surfing than watch.

LA is a bad sports town and it will never be good. I would bet any amount of money that if you took a survey of fandom LA sports fans, 50% of them would think Kobe Bryant still plays for the Lakers. If there is one thing LA sports fans are known for its supporting the Lakers. Even if it means ignoring the fact that their most beloved player in the last 25 years was accused of committed rape. This season the LA Lakers are retiring not one but both of Kobe’s former numbers. If there ever were a perfect ending to a narcissistic, ball hog, who’s teammates all hated him’s career it would be to have more than one number retired. I guess in the end the one redeeming quality about LA sports fans is their ability to forget. Like how they forget they have 2 professional football teams and forget to attend their games every week. Or they forget their most beloved basketball player was accused of committed rape.

(did you really think I was gonna write a whole blog about the city of Los Angeles and not mention the fact that Kobe Bryant was accused of committed rape?!?! LOL people dont forget Kobe is a horrible person and overrated.)

NFL Week 13 Picks

All lines used from the Las Vegas Westgate Supercontest

49ers +3.5

Falcons -3

Seahawks +5

49ers +3.5

The Jimmy Garoppolo era finally begins! At the beginning of the year I thought it would be in New England but apparently avocado Ice Cream turns you into superhero who can play into your 50s. Either way the most handsome QB of all time, Jimmy G is finally getting his chance.. for the 1-10 Niners. Regardless of how bad the Niners have been this season, any time a change is made at QB, there can be a momentum spark for the team. That momentum can be bad, in the case of the Giants who look to be giving up on the season. In the case of the 49ers it looks to be good as clearly Jimmy G is the best QB on their roster. This will be the first time all season the Niners will have the better QB in a matchup. Chicago has been good at home this season but the Niners have been amazing at keeping games close on the road. The Niners have had 4 games on the road this year where they lost by 3 or less. Sunday the Niners and Jimmy G are gonna have a chance to win this game and if they don’t they will at least keep it close.

Falcons -3

I don’t like to bet on my Falcons. Last season I stayed away from them every week while they did nothing but destroy teams every week in December en route to a Super Bowl run. It was a magical season for me as a fan but what did I have to show for it? 0 dollars that’s what. Not this year. My Falcons have won 3 in a row and are starting to look like the team that steam rolled through the NFL last year. This Sunday they are at home against the Vikings who are having a magical season of their own. The Vikings defense may be one of the top 3 in the league but I feel very comfortable going against Case Keenum on the road. I’ve said before, Case Keenum has to start playing bad eventually. I refuse to believe on a neutral field Matt Ryan v Case Keenum would be a pick em. Give me the Falcons, Matt Ryan, and Julio Jones at home any day over the Vikings, Case Keenum, and Adam Thielen any day. (Side note: its a guarantee me getting confident in the Falcons at this point in the season will lead to me being sad and disappointed in the future, stay tuned)

Seahawks +5

The 10-1 Eagles have been the best team in the NFL all season. At home, on the road, indoors, outdoors, morning games, primetime games, running the ball, passing the ball, offense, defense, 1 fish, 2 fish, red fish, blue fish. The Seahawks on the other side are 7-4 and without two of their best players on defense Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. On offense the Seahawks can’t run the ball and their leading rusher on the season is QB Russell Wilson. This game on paper looks like another easy W for the Eagles. But this will be the biggest test the Eagles have faced all season. Seattle is still the toughest place to play in the league. Also even with injuries the Seahawks still have their most important players on each side of the ball Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner. Wilson has put the offense on his back all season. He always seems to keep his team in games or even in plays. With a tough home crowd behind him on Sunday night I expect Russell Wilson to put his team in position to win the game. Even if he doesn’t win I expect Seattle to keep it closer than a TD.

Record to date: who cares the Falcons are going back to the Super Bowl

Thank you to everyone for reading. Be sure to check out Bart’s Best Bets for college picks and come back next week for more NFL. Happy Week 13 everyone and remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

Holy cow, it’s already week 13?! Where has the time gone? We had ourselves a nice 3-2 record last weekend and hope to continue the success this weekend. Rivalry week is super fun to watch, but so tough to handicap because there are a ton of external factors to consider. I didn’t find a ton of value in the slate this week, but I think I found a few gems. A lot of gut feels this week and not a lot of research, but that’s the way I like it. Enough nonsense, let’s get to the picks.

Before we get to the picks, just a quick reminder, I don’t actually gamble real money, because gambling is illegal in Nebraska. If I could gamble legally, these would be the picks I would go with. All of the lines and totals are set at time of publishing (odds coming from oddshark), and will not change as the week goes on. So get’em while their hot! Here we go,  Bart’s Best Bets Baby!

Friday, November 24th

Navy (+5) @ Houston

I watched the entire Navy v. Notre Dame game last weekend and was very impressed with how Navy controlled the majority of the game. They obviously didn’t win, but they covered the 20 point spread and it was never in doubt. Houston has been unpredictable all year, which is why I’ve stayed away from them, but I think this a good time to pick against them. Service academies always play with pride and discipline, and I think that will put them over the top in this one. Give me Navy +4.5.

Saturday, November 25th

Ohio State (-12) @ Michigan

Ever since getting crushed by Iowa, Ohio State has been on fire and I think they continue to keep that up. Urban Meyer is on a mission to get to the College Football Playoff and I would be very scared for any team in his way. I’m not sure what Meyer’s record in November is, but I bet it’s dang good. I consider Michigan dead after their last stand last week against Wisconsin. Their quarterback play has just been getting worse as the season has gone on. I love Harbaugh, but I think he’s already looking towards next season, and Ohio State still has a ton to play for. I have an odd feeling Ohio State is going to win their way into the CFP and this game will be a big reason why. The Buckeyes will roll in this one.

UTEP @ UAB (-20.5)

I’m sorry guys, but I’m addicted to the UAB Blazers and I cannot quit them, especially after last week’s stinker against Florida. UTEP is 0-11 this season and they definitely aren’t getting their first win here. UAB bounces back big here and wins by 30+.

Alabama @ Auburn Under 47.5

I really wanted to pick the spread in this game, but I think they have it right on at Alabama -4.5, so I needed to pick something else here. I took a long look at the total and decided I like the under 47.5. These are two great football teams with excellent defenses. They both had their cupcake week 12 game last week to get healthy and focused for this game. Both teams have been preparing for this game for two weeks now and I think that helps the defense way more than it helps the offense. Points will be at a premium in this one. I think this game ends with a score of 24-17 and I’ll let you pick the winner.

Wisconsin @ Minnesota (+17.5)

Ah yes, the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe, my favorite Big Ten Trophy Game. This is the ultimate “I’ve got an odd feeling about this one” game. Wisconsin is coming into this game undefeated and are rolling opponents lately. Minnesota just got rocked by Northwestern 39-0. So why am I picking Minnesota in this one? I have no idea, I guess my love for PJ Fleck is blinding me from being a logical human being. Feel free to fade me here and take Wisconsin, but something is telling me that Minnesota is going to win this game and ruin Wisconsin’s year. Seriously though, how epic would it be to see Coach PJ running off the field with Paul Bunyan’s Axe? Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. ROW THE BOAT!

Bart’s Best Bets YTD: 32-26-2 (24-20-2 ATS, 8-6 O/U)

There you have it, folks, Week 13 of Bart’s Best Bets. We had a nice 3-2 week last week, but that doesn’t matter anymore. We’re on to Week 13. I hope you enjoyed reading and enjoy my picks this week even more. Have a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend of family, friends, and football watching, and don’t forget to check out DaveCh999’s NFL Week 12 picks!

“Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired” – Charlie Rose

Quick question: What’s better than skipping church, sitting on the couch in a dark room watching the Red Zone channel for 12 hours avoiding all real world responsibilities, and gambling on grown men who probably have CTE? Doing it for the 11th straight week. Welcome to NFL Sunday.

"Do you know what my favorite part of football is? The opportunity to play." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The NFL is officially in ‘playoff picture’ mode. Every day if you tune into a show discussing football chances are you’ll see a graphic that shows teams records, who would be in the playoffs at this moment. Which is very important information in the instance our President tweets one too many times about the leader of North Korea and they decide to start a nuclear war. If that scenario were to play out the NFL would probably suspend the season and then you would need to know who would have made the playoffs after Week 10. Other than the nuclear war scenario it really doesn’t matter who’s in the wild card slot after week 10.

If our country did happen to get into a nuclear war between now and Sunday one of the teams who would make the playoffs would be the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings started the season on Monday night football demolishing the Saints 29-19. In that game their offense looked great, with QB Sam Bradford looking like the former number one overall pick he was supposed to be. Rookie RB Dalvin Cook broke the Vikings record for most yards in a debut, formerly held by future hall of famer Adrian Peterson. However after that game things changed for the Vikings dramatically, Sam Bradford hurt his (insert any possible injury here) and is done for the year, and Rookie Dalvin Cook tore his ACL and is done for the year. Two huge injuries like this would derail most teams seasons, but somehow the Vikings are on a 5 game winning streak thanks to their amazing defense who has carried the team week in and week out the unlikeliest of heroes, Case Keenam.

The window to win a Super Bowl can open and close quick on a franchise. Ask the Denver Broncos, 2 years ago had the best defense in the league, a defense who could have carried a team to multiple superbowls. Now they are looking to maybe have an 8-8 season. The Vikings believe they have a defense who is able to carry them to a superbowl. Which is why last season when starting QB Teddy Bridgewater went down with a terrible knee injury, the Vikings went out and traded for Sam Bradford. This trade solidified the believe that the team was ready to make a playoff run. Last season it didn’t happen, but the Defense is still there for Minnesota, their window is not closed. Case Keenam has kept the window open while Teddy Bridgewater heals from an injury that was so awful it had teammates puking on the sidelines.

Case Keenam is a classic journeyman NFL QB about as average as they come. Case Keenum scored an 18 on his ACT. Case Keenum drives exacly 2 miles over the speed limit no matter how late or early he is. Case Keenum only uses Mild sauce at Taco Bell. Case Keenum is in bed no later than 9:45 on the weekends even if he’s not tired. Case Keenum has no idea who 21 Savage is. Case Keenum waited until he’s 21st birthday to have his first beer. Case Keenum knows who was the winner of the last season of the Voice. Case Keenum prefers the middle seat on airplanes. Case Keenum has never been late on his taxes. Also among all these things Case Keenum also plays QB in the NFL.

He has been a member of the Rams and the Texans each twice. He’s started 31 games for 3 different teams but never as the Plan A, primary starter. His name is often thrown around with guys like Brian Hoyer, Matt Schaub, or the Mccown brothers. But Case Keenum is not your average journeyman QB. Unlike those other guys Case Keenum had an unbelievable college career. At the University of Houston he threw for over 19,000 yards, and 155 TDs. How good are those numbers? If I quit my job and played Madden every day for 6 months (which I dream about doing every night before I go to sleep) I still wouldn’t be able to put on numbers like that on a video game. Keenum knows what its like to dominate a game at the college level. Its that skill set that is the reason he has led the Vikings to this current 5 game winning streak.

Now the Vikings have to answer the tough question. Teddy Bridgewater is healthy and was active last Sunday. Do the Vikings stick with Case Keenum who led them to a 7-2 record and has been on fire in that stretch? Or do they switch over to Teddy Bridgewater who has a first round pick and has the ability to lead them on a playoff run.

Absolutely the Vikings need to stick with Keenum. Case has been an underdog his whole career. Finally Minnesota gave him a shot at the starting job and he did not disapoint. The Vikings believe in Case Keenum and have played like it recently. Last week Case Keenum threw for 4 TDs and over 300 yards! He looks like a franchise QB and the Vikings should treat him like one. Give him the reigns to the offense and let him take you to the playoffs. If a team as hot as the Vikings were to switch QBs in the middle of the season and things began to go South there is no going back. The players in the locker room may start questioning why the coaches would make a change when things were going so well for the team. Mike Zimmer and his coaching staff could be in danger of losing the locker room if they don’t keep Keenum as the starter. They have a good thing going right now why change it.

Teddy Bridewater is the savior of football in Minnesota. Teddy needs to start for the Vikings immediately if they want to have any shot at making a playoff run. Teddy was drafted in the first round for a reason, to be the franchise QB for the Vikings. Minnesota has been gifted the opportunity of a lifetime, Aaron Rodgers is out for the year and the division is theirs for the taking. If you’re Mike Zimmer you can’t blow this chance with such a great defense by starting an average guy like Case Keenum when you have a first round talent like Bridgewater on your bench. Keenum didn’t even play that well last Sunday, in the second half he threw 2 picks and almost blew the lead! Stop messing around coach Zimmer. The fans are happy with Case leading the team to a 7-2 record but if the Vikings are going to be taken seriously as playoff contenders they need to get their offense in gear and that starts with Teddy Bridgewater. 

Ok so to be honest no one knows what the right move is in this situation. Bridgewater is clearly the better talent but Keenum has played really well and has earned the right to keep the starting job. No matter what Coach Mike Zimmer decides to do he knows he can rely on his defense to carry him. Without Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay the Vikings path is clear to win the NFC North. What they do after that could very well come down to who the Vikings decide to put their faith in. The journeyman QB who got them this far, or the First round pick who is on a comeback mission after a seemingly season ending knee injury.

Week 11 NFL Picks

All lines used from the Las Vegas Westgate supercontest

Eagles -4

Rams +2

Patriots -6.5

Eagles -4

I was way off on the Cowboys last week. I didn’t think the absences of Zeke or the injuries on the offensive line would matter but it very much did. This week Zeke is still out, starting left tackle Tryon Smith is out again (last week his replacement gave up 6 sacks) and now the Cowboys best defensive player Sean Lee is out for multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys are in bad shape and to make matters worse they are playing the team with the best record in the league the Philadelphia Eagles. All the Eagles have done this season is run over teams en route to an 8-1 record. I like the Eagles big in this game.

Rams +2

I really do believe in Case Keenum’s ability…. to throw some bad picks, lose the game this game; then making Mike Zimmer’s decision to bench Keenum for Bridgewater much easier. If Keenum and the Vikings are going to blow a game at home, it will be this one. The Rams are in town and the Rams are for real. The LA Rams are the number one scoring offense in the league and if any team is going to be able to put up points on the Vikings defense it will be the Rams. The reason I like the Rams the most is they are the number one team in the league in DVOA. Have I figured out what DVOA is yet or how it’s calculated? Absolutely not. Am I blindly trusting a stat I don’t fully understand? Pretty much. It’s amazing my record is so bad this year.

Patriots -6.5

The Patriots and Raiders in Mexico City, what a weird game. Mexico City supposedly has a very high altitude, and Bill Belichick being the cheater he always is, had his team stay in Colorado this week after their game last Sunday vs the Broncos to get acclimated to the altitude they will face this week in Mexico City. But this game has nothing to do with the air. This game could be played on the moon and I’d like the Patriots. Tom Brady has this offense rolling, and they face a Raider Defense that gave up 24 points to the Dolphins, 21 points to the Jets, 30 points to the Chiefs, and 34 points to the Bills. Based on those facts I’m expecting Tom Brady and the Patriots to score 90 on the Raiders defense. Can Derek Carr and the Raiders score 84 to cover the spread? Probably not. (also never forget this game is a matchup between two teams who played in the infamous Tuck Rule game that was the single most unfair ruling on a play in the history of football and allowed the Patriots to start a string of cheating that led them to some Super Bowls, never forget the Pats are cheaters never forget.)

Record to date (when games are being played in Mexico): 1-0

Thank you to everyone for reading. Be sure to check out Bart’s Best Bets for college picks and come back next week for more NFL. Happy Week 11 everyone and remember don’t let your life get in the way of your football. 

 

 

 

Boy, did we have ourselves a nice weekend or what? I told you The U is officially back! Michigan State put up a stinker in the first game, but I swept the rest of the board for a great 4-1 Week 11 of College Football. Here’s the deal guys, my life is getting very busy and will stay very busy for the rest of the college football season. Because of this, my blog is going to be short and to the point. I promise to stay committed to providing you with my five favorite picks for the weekend. I love this blog and I love you guys. Here we go.

Before we get to the picks, just a quick reminder, I don’t actually gamble real money, because gambling is illegal in Nebraska. If I could gamble legally, these would be the picks I would go with. All of the lines and totals are set at time of publishing (odds coming from oddshark), and will not change as the week goes on. So get’em while their hot! Here we go,  Bart’s Best Bets Baby!

Saturday, November 18th

UCF (-14) @ Temple

One of my biggest regrets so far this year is not making UCF a blog pick yet. I am definitely late to the party, but I am finally taking UCF in week 12. UCF has the best scoring offense in the nation. That’s a good enough reason right? Temple might put up a fight for awhile, but I think Scott Frost and the UCF Knights will pull away in the 2nd half of this game and win by 20+ points.

Kentucky @ Georgia (-21.5)

It’s officially basketball season in Kentucky and the Wildcat fans have forgotten about the football team. Georgia is coming off a tough loss against a great Auburn team and needs a large win to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. I did a little trend searching and I found some nice ones for this game. Kentucky is 1-5 ATS in the last 6 games and 0-5 ATS in the last 5 games on grass. Georgia is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games coming off a loss. I love all those trends, and I love Georgia to put up a big number against Kentucky on Saturday afternoon.

UAB (+10.5) @ Florida

I had this game picked before the line was posted. I am fully addicted to the UAB Blazers. They have won three straight games and are on fire. On the other side, the Florida Gators have lost five straight games and fired their coach a couple games ago. The only thing going for Florida in this game is that it is a home game for them, and I honestly don’t think that will help them here. Florida has quit on the season and this is UAB’s superbowl. UAB +10.5 is one of my favorite picks of all time. I would highly consider putting a nice “sprinkle” on the UAB moneyline here.

Navy (+18) @ Notre Dame

18 points is way too many points to give to this Navy football team. They are just a team that you aren’t going to win. Notre Dame could control this whole game and only win by 10. Navy runs an offense that is so hard to prepare for, and Notre Dame has really only had this week to focus on it since they were so locked into Miami last week. I know Notre Dame is coming off a tough loss and has a lot to prove on Saturday, but I don’t see them beating Navy by more than two touchdowns. Navy is a very discipline team that does not defeat themselves. I think they put up a good fight.

UCLA @ USC Over 71.5

I’m going to be real honest with you guys right now. It’s currently way past my bed time, so I can’t really think straight. One thing I do know is that I LOVE PAC-12 OVERS! I didn’t pick a total last weekend so I feel obligated to have one this week. USC clinched the Pac-12 South last week in their win against Colorado, so I don’t know how motivated their defense will be. UCLA doesn’t have much going for them except for their quarterback who is trying to make a case for a top 5 NFL draft pick. Oh yeah, USC has a pretty good QB as well. This one looks and smells like a high scoring affair. I’m happy to take the over 71.5 here.

Bart’s Best Bets YTD: 29-24-2 (21-18-2 ATS, 8-6 O/U)

There you have it, folks, Week 12 of Bart’s Best Bets. We had a GREAT 4-1 week last week, but that doesn’t matter anymore. We’re on to Week 12. I hope you enjoyed reading and enjoy my picks this week even more. Have a GREAT weekend of football watching, and don’t forget to check out DaveCh999’s NFL Week 11 picks!