It has been a heck of a week in the NFL. The week began with the folly that was the Ray Rice suspension. Most fans thought the 2 game suspension for knocking out his then girlfriend was a joke, but apparently, the NFL needed to see the graphic footage that they claim they could not get (yet, TMZ could) before they realized that it was a round house that knocked out Janay Rice. Baltimore dropped Rice, and the league suspended him indefinitely. This is one of the things about the NFL and other leagues that I do not care for. Ray Rice was not the first, and he probably won't be the last. There have been two more incidents since that February night. My team the Chiefs have had to deal with these issues, too. There was Larry Johnson who seemed to have an inability to control his temper around women, and the worst possible case of Jovan Belcher and the murder of his girlfriend Kasandra Perkins almost two years ago. The revamp of the policy is a step forward, but there needs to be so much more done to prevent these incidents from happening.
There is one more they don't even talk about-Darren Sharper. I'll admit that I was a fan of Sharper during his time in the league, but the league fired Sharper and has barely made mention of the fact that he may have been a serial rapist while employed by the league's network.
Then, there is Adrian Peterson. For the past few years, Peterson has been one of the faces of the NFL, but after this weekend, who knows. Peterson was charged and booked on child abuse charges in Texas. Peterson claims he just gave his son a "whooping" to discipline him. Now, I'm the product of corporal punishment, but there comes a point where you cross the line. Peterson crossed the line. I've seen the pictures, and as a teacher, I would have had to report him too. He is deactivated this week. Just another crack in the NFL armor.
There are days that I regret being a fan...
Last week, I had a bad one, 7-8. Sigh, this is half-hearted right now.
Sunday, September 14
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills: Miami
Atlanta Falcons at Cincinnati Bengals: Cincinnati
New England Patriots at Minnesota Vikings: New England
Jacksonville Jaguars at Washington Redskins: Washington
New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns: New Orleans
Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants: New York
Dallas Cowboys at Tennessee Titans: Dallas
Detroit Lions at Carolina Panthers: Detroit
Seattle Seahawks at San Diego Chargers: Seattle
St. Louis Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tampa Bay
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos: Denver
New York Jets at Green Bay Packers: Green Bay
Houston Texans at Oakland Raiders: Houston
Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers: San Francisco
Monday, September 15
Philadelphia Eagles at Indianapolis Colts: Indianapolis
Thursday, September 18
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Sunday, September 7, 2014
NFL Week One: The 2014 Edition
Hey, hey, everybody! Wow! I can't believe that I haven't written a post since February. Yikes! It's been a rather busy time folks. The end of the school year, summer, a school trip during the summer, preparing for school to start, and of course, the first days and weeks of school. A teacher's job is never done. Oh, well...So much happened during the past off-season that I don't feel right just skimming over it, but the Chiefs signed Alex Smith, Michael Vick is a Jet, Mark Sanchez is an Eagle, and Jimmy Graham will remain a Saint and a tight end (and pay $30,000 for his dunks over the goal posts). Just scratching the surface. I won't even go into the Ray Rice fiasco. Suffice it to say, 2 games, no way...
This will be the first time in 17 years that I will not get to see my favorite player play. Tony Gonzalez retired after 17 seasons. He will be appearing every Sunday and some Thursdays on CBS's NFL Today. I would like to take a moment to thank CBS for firing Shannon Sharpe, not because I'm a Shannon Sharpe hater (and I am), but because I never have to hear James Brown call his name again, which is why I switched to FOX's pregame. Good Luck, TG!!
So here are my predictions that will fail miserably by the middle of the season. I have not consulted any preseason shows, because yeah, busy...
NFC East-Washington
NFC South-New Orleans
NFC North-Green Bay
NFC West-SeattleWildcards-San Francisco and Chicago
AFC East-New England
AFC South-Indianapolis
AFC North-Baltimore
AFC West-Denver
Wildcards-Pittsburgh and Kansas City
NFC Champs-Seattle AFC Champs-Denver
Week 1 picks. Every one is a 0-0 except Seattle who took out the Packers on Thursday night.
Sunday, September 7
New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans
Minnesota Vikings at St. Louis Rams-Minnesota
Buffalo Bills at Chicago Bears-Chicago
Washington Redskins at Houston Texans-Washington
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens-Baltimore
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs-Kansas City
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins-New England
Oakland Raiders at New York Jets-New York
Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles-Philadelphia
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers-Pittsburgh
San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys-San Francisco
Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Carolina
Indianapolis Colts at Denver Broncos-Denver
Monday, September 8
New York Giants at Detroit Lions-New York
San Diego Chargers at Arizona Cardinals-San Diego
That's it everybody until next week,
That's it everybody until next week,
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Much Ado About Nothing-One Fan's defense of Tony Gonzalez
It all began rather innocuous enough. ESPN dropped a few little tidbits from a profile that Seth Wickersham had compiled on Tony Gonzalez after following him throughout the 2013 NFL Season.
Tony Gonzalez to @SethWickersham: "Matt's an excellent quarterback. But he's not elite. He's THIS close." #CubaIssue #Falcons
— ESPN The Magazine (@ESPNMag) February 6, 2014
Okay, this tweet was sent out, and it seemed as if briefly anyone who was remotely a fan or writer around the Atlanta Falcons had collectively lost their minds. I, like many sports fans, receive notifications from ESPN with updates about my favorite teams. When it popped up on my iPad, I kind of laugh, thinking, TG is just saying what many of us have known for a while now. Matt Ryan is an excellent quarterback, but he is not elite. Now, come on ,everybody, including Falcons fans themselves have been saying the same thing all year. So Tony Gonzalez says it to a reporter, and you guys are already rip down all references to him in Atlanta? Really?! One blog post was even entitled "Why Gonzalez has become a Locker room Cancer for the Falcons."
Matt Ryan is not an elite quarterback
Duh, we all know this, but for argument's sake, here is the quote in it's entirety,
"Now he's questioning everything. "Matt's an excellent quarterback," Gonzalez says. "But he's not elite. He's this close," placing his thumb near his index finger. "He'll get there, but he has some learning to do."
So, what's the problem? Oh, that's right Matt Ryan is now going into his seventh season, and like the aforementioned Tony Romo, he cannot lead his team through a run in the playoffs. Don't get me wrong, Ryan has great numbers, and he is a really, really good quarterback, but he's not elite. Don't believe me? See Ben Roethlisberger or for that matter Eli Manning. Both of these men have two, count them, two Super Bowl rings. Neither one is considered elite. Heck, Eli has one more ring than brother Peyton, and Peyton is considered elite, but Eli, not so much. So why did the Falcons fans get upset? Because TG said it on the way out, and some of them saw it as a slight to Ryan. Nope, guys it's a fact, besides he didn't say it on the way out the door. He said it, according the article, after the loss to the New England Patriots. So much for that.
"On a double date with Matt and Sarah Ryan, Gonzalez says, "Maybe, if the team is hot in November, 9-2 or something, I could come back for the last two months."
I don't believe this for one red hot minute as a legitimate thing. Here's how I saw this quote- A joke. Why do you say that? Well, I was one of the 12 people who watched the Pro Bowl pregame show. Marshall Faulk asked TG was he finished. He answered yes. Faulk then asked if a team were to call him up midway through the season would he come back. TG answered that he would never say never, but pretty much guaranteed that he wouldn't begin the season with anybody. Why did this anger people. They see it as being "wishy-washy" and giving too much privilege to one player (hence, the cancer article). Look guys, this doesn't just happen in football. I know, you guys are so desperate to call him Bret Favre, but let's look at the Bret Favre thing for a minute. I was like you guys with ole Bret, but really, wasn't it the media with nothing else to report on to insatiable NFL fans that made Bret news? Tony and Bret both are not unlike many other people who "retire." I know plenty of teachers who retire and are back in the classroom a few months into the next year. Why? Many reasons: boredom, money, I like it. Why do you care? Yes, they often get privileges that other teachers don't get. So, what? I feel like they've earned it. Get over it. IF you had the same opportunity, and somebody called you up, you would take it, too. By the way, the article ends with Matt Ryan,
"Hats off to you," Ryan says. "Hell of a career. We wish you the best."
As everyone starts to clap, Ryan says, "And if we're 10-0 next year, maybe we'll have you back."
Yeah, I can see how this could be cancerous to a locker room.
This quote came during Gonzalez's last address to the team the night before the last game of the season. Here's the quote in context
Sure enough, Smith asks him to talk. Gonzalez stands before the team at ease, without notes, as if he's waited all his life for this moment. "I've been through this before," he says. He tells them about how the fear of failure led to his "obsessive-compulsive" routine and how he learned the hard way how thin the line is between wins and losses. "It made me the player that I am," he says. "I wouldn't be standing here if that didn't happen."Yep, cancerous...he's that drama guy alright...yeah, right.
He looks his teammates in the eyes. "A lot of you don't know how to work," he says. "Whether you think you know it or not, it wasn't good enough. Look at the season." It's the most devastating statement he's ever delivered. There's no telling how it is going over, but he doesn't care. "Don't waste this losing," he says. "Don't waste this season. You grow the most when you face this type of stuff."
His speech lasts about 10 minutes. At the end, Gonzalez begins to choke up. He doesn't notice, but several teammates are beginning to cry too, including Ryan, from wounded pride, from guilt, from the sight of a future Hall of Famer showing his heart. Gonzalez ends by saying, "Thank you for the opportunity to play with you."
They give him a standing ovation.
Then, there are those bitter KC fans. It's been 5 seasons guys. LET IT, GO! It's been almost two years since the goal dunking incident. LET IT, GO!!! I love my Chiefs don't get me wrong, but TG had floundered there for 12 years. TWELVE YEARS!!! During those 12 years, the Chiefs had six different quarterbacks, five winning seasons, four different coaches, and zero playoff wins. I don't think he, we, or anyone else saw Tony Gonzalez playing 5 more years, yet he did. Should he have had to play out those five years waiting for this year that may or may not have happened? No, and none of us would have stayed on a job with such poor performance results. I didn't have a problem with him leaving. Still don't. LET IT, GO!!! FYI, he can't come back to the Chiefs. The Falcons own his rights for one more year.
Of all the football players that I have had the privilege of watching play over my over 30 years of football fandom, I never thought in a million years that I would have to come to my page to defend Tony Gonzalez. I mean, really, Tony G? You guys have a problem with Tony Gonzalez?
Nothing in that article made me change my mind about Tony. Those who read the entire thing should realize by now that most of it was really taken out of context. I wish Tony G's career would have ended on a better note. The Falcons season was an atrocity. He played out the entire season, started every game, and even played on a bum foot that kept him out of most of the final practices at the end of the year-a year where he finished 4th among all tight ends, second among receivers on his own team, and y'all think he phoned it in? He is not, Tiki Barber and should not be treated as such.
At this point, I don't think either the Chiefs or the Falcons deserve his services with these attitudes. So, TG...thank you for all the great things you did for my team that could never seem to get out of it's own way. Thank you for entertaining all the NFL fans with all of your spectacular plays over your 17 seasons. Play out the next five years for team Gonzalez before joining the Hall of Fame team in Canton. I look forward to seeing you on FOX, NFL Network, or CBS, but not ESPN...stay away from there if at all possible.
Until next time, "Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale."― Peter S. Beagle
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Super Bowl Sunday
Well, ladies and gentleman, it is time for the biggest oxymoron of the year-The Super Bowl!!! An oxymoron, you say, why yes, because it is the game we have waited for all year, but it also marks the official end of the 2013-2014 NFL season. That's right, at the expiration of the clock tonight, we will not have another meaningful football game until Thursday, September 4, 2014 or a mere 214 days. Of course, football has become a year round sport, and we will continue to hear about this season until then. Sigh.
Last week was the Pro Bowl. I didn't really see the point of making predictions for an all-star game. It was, however, one of the more entertaining Pro Bowls. It was different seeing teammates tagging each other on the field, like Derrick Johnson, who was also crowned Defensive MVP during the game, nail teammate Jamaal Charles. At first, I was not sure how to go about rooting for a team considering there were 5 Kansas City Chiefs on each team. J-Charles was on team Sanders, and Alex Smith was on team Rice, but we also got a chance to see the great Tony Gonzalez lace up the cleats one final time, and since Gonzalez was on team Rice, so went my loyalties. TG had 3 receptions for 50 yards playing for Team Rice who squeezed out a victory against an astonished Team Sanders. Cool fact-The last reception of Tony Gonzalez's illustrious career was from a Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback.
Let me take a side not here for a moment. A poster on an article commented that the only reason that Tony Gonzalez was in the Pro Bowl was that it was a retirement present. Really? If we were going on stats alone, the only category Vernon Davis beat TG in was touchdowns: TG-8, VD-13. He had one more touchdown than Jordan Cameron. He had 10 more receptions, 8 more yards and the same number of touchdowns as Jason Whitten. Enough to have him ranked 4th in Tight Ends this year according to YahooSports. So poster, your argument is invalid.
Last night was the NFL Honors. Congratulations to Kansas City Chiefs player Jamaal Charles (who was robbed for MVP) who was NFL.Com Fantasy Player of the Year. Peyton Manning, of course, won MVP, Offensive MVP, and FedEx Air Player of the Year. Bah...
Now for the Super Bowl, which from all of the media stories is the Peyton Manning versus Richard Sherman Bowl. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I really don't care for either of these teams. I've hated the Broncos for 35 of my 39 years. I mean, I have always been a fan of Peyton Manning, but man, why did he have to choose the Broncos. Meanwhile, the Seahawks all have great stories, yet I can't stand them. Ever since that game last year with the Falcons, I've been a little off put by the Seahawks. Russell Wilson by all accounts is a great guy. I know he's a good and will be a great quarterback, but there is something about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Not a fan. Putting all that aside, isn't this really the match up practically everybody expected. The best offense versus the best defense in the city with the best night life, East Rutherford, New Jersey. So after a week of Marshawn Lynch avoiding the media, Peyton Manning explaining Omaha, the prognosticators discussing Pey-Pey's legacy, and Richard Sherman being Richard Sherman, it is time for the inevitable "Put up or shut up." That said, I'm picking the Broncos, even though the very idea of saying that makes me want to throw up.
That's it for my football dishing. Until next season, "Every game I've ever played, regardless if it was pre-season or Super Bowl, meant the same to me, and I laid it all on the line."-Brett Favre
Last week was the Pro Bowl. I didn't really see the point of making predictions for an all-star game. It was, however, one of the more entertaining Pro Bowls. It was different seeing teammates tagging each other on the field, like Derrick Johnson, who was also crowned Defensive MVP during the game, nail teammate Jamaal Charles. At first, I was not sure how to go about rooting for a team considering there were 5 Kansas City Chiefs on each team. J-Charles was on team Sanders, and Alex Smith was on team Rice, but we also got a chance to see the great Tony Gonzalez lace up the cleats one final time, and since Gonzalez was on team Rice, so went my loyalties. TG had 3 receptions for 50 yards playing for Team Rice who squeezed out a victory against an astonished Team Sanders. Cool fact-The last reception of Tony Gonzalez's illustrious career was from a Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback.
Let me take a side not here for a moment. A poster on an article commented that the only reason that Tony Gonzalez was in the Pro Bowl was that it was a retirement present. Really? If we were going on stats alone, the only category Vernon Davis beat TG in was touchdowns: TG-8, VD-13. He had one more touchdown than Jordan Cameron. He had 10 more receptions, 8 more yards and the same number of touchdowns as Jason Whitten. Enough to have him ranked 4th in Tight Ends this year according to YahooSports. So poster, your argument is invalid.
Last night was the NFL Honors. Congratulations to Kansas City Chiefs player Jamaal Charles (who was robbed for MVP) who was NFL.Com Fantasy Player of the Year. Peyton Manning, of course, won MVP, Offensive MVP, and FedEx Air Player of the Year. Bah...
Now for the Super Bowl, which from all of the media stories is the Peyton Manning versus Richard Sherman Bowl. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I really don't care for either of these teams. I've hated the Broncos for 35 of my 39 years. I mean, I have always been a fan of Peyton Manning, but man, why did he have to choose the Broncos. Meanwhile, the Seahawks all have great stories, yet I can't stand them. Ever since that game last year with the Falcons, I've been a little off put by the Seahawks. Russell Wilson by all accounts is a great guy. I know he's a good and will be a great quarterback, but there is something about him that I can't quite put my finger on. Not a fan. Putting all that aside, isn't this really the match up practically everybody expected. The best offense versus the best defense in the city with the best night life, East Rutherford, New Jersey. So after a week of Marshawn Lynch avoiding the media, Peyton Manning explaining Omaha, the prognosticators discussing Pey-Pey's legacy, and Richard Sherman being Richard Sherman, it is time for the inevitable "Put up or shut up." That said, I'm picking the Broncos, even though the very idea of saying that makes me want to throw up.
That's it for my football dishing. Until next season, "Every game I've ever played, regardless if it was pre-season or Super Bowl, meant the same to me, and I laid it all on the line."-Brett Favre
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Championship Weekend Picks
It's Championship Weekend! We are down to the Final Four and a mere two weeks until Super Bowl XLVIII. We get Brady vs. Manning 15 and The Young Guns 2 - Kaepernick vs. Wilson. These should be two really good games. Yet, I'm having a hard time rooting for anybody. It is no secret that I have no love for Brady and the Pats, but I always liked Peyton Manning until he became a Bronco, and therefore, public enemy #1. Kaepernick is captaining the team that use to be my favorite team, but I don't really care for him nor his coach. Then, there are the Seahawks. I'm beginning to hate everything about this team-Their logo, their uniforms, their coach, their quarterback, their corners, their rabid fans. Granted, Russell Wilson has done nothing really for me to dislike him, nor has Colin Kaepernick, but there is something, I can't put my finger on it, that makes me think they are a little sketch. Maybe, it's the hater in me, but, yeah...not fond of them.
Three more teams, not Cleveland, finally have head coaches. Jim Caldwell replaces Jim Schwartz in Detroit, Ken Wisenhunt for Mike Munchak, and Jay Gruden for Mike Shanahan. Good luck, gents! Speaking of the Redskins, what did you guys think about RGIII's Facebook response to fans. He complains that he doesn't want publicity as he garners more publicity with this response. I think he has been spending too much time perusing through the Kanye West playbook on how to handle the media.
So, last week was the first week in a long time that I didn't mention the now former tight end of the Atlanta Falcons. Well, that's to The Big Lead, there are rumors going around that my favorite player of all time is in discussion to work at either at CBS or FOX. Word on the street is that CBS wants to shakeup their cast on the NFL on CBS. Let me digress for a moment here. I use to be a fan of the NFL on CBS, but with James Brown inanely yelling "Shay-non," every single time he had to address Shannon Sharpe (whose speech has not gotten better), Dan Marino mannequinesque demeanor, and Boomer Esaison's apparent exclusion in all things, I changed the channel. I went to ESPN, but seriously, it's like watching a Football version of Grumpy Old Men. I watch GameDay morning on NFL Network, but seriously, my pregame favorite is the NFL on FOX. Now, while the NFL on FOX doesn't want to mess with the chemistry on their show, and CBS is interested in possibly replacing Shannon Sharpe. I want to go on record saying I like the choices here: FOX which would give me a daily dose of Tony Gonzalez or CBS which is a weekly dose-win-win.
Last week, I was 3-1 thanks to the Panthers dropping the ball. Last pick before the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers handled the Panthers on the Panthers home field, and they have had the hot hand like New York a couple of years ago. The Seahawks looked a little sketch even at home last week against the Saints. I'm not going to even start with Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham. It's hard to go against Seattle in the Emerald City with the 12th man riding shotgun, but I'm going with my old favorite-49ers.
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
In the two teams I dislike the most bowl, we see Tom Brady and Peyton Manny meeting for the 15th time. Tom Brady has the most victories in this rivalry with 10. It's...yeah, you have heard all of the rhetoric this week about these two...blahdy-blahdy-blah-Broncos. Man up, Manning.
Well, that's that...Happy 205th Birthday to Edgar Allan Poe, "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."-Edgar Allan Poe
Three more teams, not Cleveland, finally have head coaches. Jim Caldwell replaces Jim Schwartz in Detroit, Ken Wisenhunt for Mike Munchak, and Jay Gruden for Mike Shanahan. Good luck, gents! Speaking of the Redskins, what did you guys think about RGIII's Facebook response to fans. He complains that he doesn't want publicity as he garners more publicity with this response. I think he has been spending too much time perusing through the Kanye West playbook on how to handle the media.
So, last week was the first week in a long time that I didn't mention the now former tight end of the Atlanta Falcons. Well, that's to The Big Lead, there are rumors going around that my favorite player of all time is in discussion to work at either at CBS or FOX. Word on the street is that CBS wants to shakeup their cast on the NFL on CBS. Let me digress for a moment here. I use to be a fan of the NFL on CBS, but with James Brown inanely yelling "Shay-non," every single time he had to address Shannon Sharpe (whose speech has not gotten better), Dan Marino mannequinesque demeanor, and Boomer Esaison's apparent exclusion in all things, I changed the channel. I went to ESPN, but seriously, it's like watching a Football version of Grumpy Old Men. I watch GameDay morning on NFL Network, but seriously, my pregame favorite is the NFL on FOX. Now, while the NFL on FOX doesn't want to mess with the chemistry on their show, and CBS is interested in possibly replacing Shannon Sharpe. I want to go on record saying I like the choices here: FOX which would give me a daily dose of Tony Gonzalez or CBS which is a weekly dose-win-win.
Last week, I was 3-1 thanks to the Panthers dropping the ball. Last pick before the Super Bowl.
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers handled the Panthers on the Panthers home field, and they have had the hot hand like New York a couple of years ago. The Seahawks looked a little sketch even at home last week against the Saints. I'm not going to even start with Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham. It's hard to go against Seattle in the Emerald City with the 12th man riding shotgun, but I'm going with my old favorite-49ers.
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos
In the two teams I dislike the most bowl, we see Tom Brady and Peyton Manny meeting for the 15th time. Tom Brady has the most victories in this rivalry with 10. It's...yeah, you have heard all of the rhetoric this week about these two...blahdy-blahdy-blah-Broncos. Man up, Manning.
Well, that's that...Happy 205th Birthday to Edgar Allan Poe, "All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."-Edgar Allan Poe
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Divisional Playoff Weekend Picks
I am thoroughly depressed. I realize that it has been over a week since Wildcard Weekend, but I'm still bitter about the Chiefs loss to the Colts. The Chiefs' bad omens began in the first half when they loss running back Jamaal Charles to a concussion. Most people, including myself, now saw 1/3 of the Chief offense sitting on the bench, but Alex Smith didn't see it that way and gave every Chiefs fan a false sense of hope by jumping out to a 38-10 lead. Chiefs' fans were ecstatic! We were 30 minutes away from seeing our beloved Chiefs end a 20 year playoff drought, but alas, it was not to be. The 28 point lead disappeared along with injuries to five more players. Andrew Luck and the Colts stabbed Chiefs fans in the heart with a one point 44-45 victory. Sickening...just...sickening.
Saturday, January 11
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
In a rematch of their Week 13 meeting, the Saints travel to Seattle to try to avenge the 34-7 drumming at the hands of the Saints. I want to pick the Saints, but I think Russell Wilson and the 12th man will be too much-Seahawks
Sunday, January 12
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
This is one of those weekends where I almost hope I go 0-4. I really don't care for a single team I picked, but alas, they are the stronger teams going in. Enjoy your Divisional Playoff Weekend!
Until next time, good luck to your teams and "May the odds be ever in your favor!"-Suzanne Collins.
The other games provided just as much excitement, not San Diego and Cincinnati, but the Saints, Chargers, and 49ers are now moving on to the Divisional rounds to take on the teams who were relaxing during their bye weeks. My picks were a mediocre 2-2 thanks to Kansas City and Green Bay where the wheels fell off of the band wagons...
New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
In a rematch of their Week 13 meeting, the Saints travel to Seattle to try to avenge the 34-7 drumming at the hands of the Saints. I want to pick the Saints, but I think Russell Wilson and the 12th man will be too much-Seahawks
Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots
This is the only game in which the teams did not play this year. Me thinks young Mr. Luck's fortunes may not fall his way today at Gillette-Patriots
San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers
Young guns Colin Kaepernick and Cam Newton will battle for the second time this season. The week 10 game saw the Panthers topping the 49er at Candlestick. I'm looking for a repeat of that game (hopefully with a better score)-Panthers
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos
Philip Rivers and the Bolos, I mean, the Bolts are traveling back to Denver for a third meeting with the Broncos. The Chargers and Broncos split the season series with the Chargers winning the last match up at Mile High. The Chargers are on a roll, but I'm going to have to go with Pey-Pey-Broncos.
Until next time, good luck to your teams and "May the odds be ever in your favor!"-Suzanne Collins.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Wild Card Weekend Picks
It's Wild Card Weekend, everybody!!!! The playoffs are upon us!!! We had to wave good-bye to 20 NFL teams last weekend who packed their bags for an early off season. We also saw the ax fall upon the jobs of 5 coaches-Rob Chudzinski (Cleveland), Mike Shanahan (Washington), Leslie Frazier (Minnesota), Jim Schwartz (Detroit), and Greg Schiano (Tampa Bay). On a positive note, Lovie Smith was hired to replace Schiano in Tampa Bay.
My back-up Chiefs almost beat the 1st string San Diego Chargers. Had it not been for the refs messing up, Ryan Succop may have gotten a second chance to make that field goal which would have eliminated San Diego and launched Pittsburgh into the playoffs.
The NFL said goodbye to two tremendous competitors this past weekend as well-London Fletcher and Tony Gonzalez. Sadly, both were on teams who ended their nightmarish seasons with a loss. Both of these guys deserved a better end to their great careers. I have a feeling one or both will still grace our television screens when football season returns, and Tony Gonzalez, most definitely, will be entering the hall in a few short years. For my money, London Fletcher should, too.
At the beginning of the season, I made my annual "Predictions sure to go wrong." I didn't fair too badly...
I did manage to pick 8 of the 12 playoff teams. Who really saw Atlanta and New Orleans dropping to Carolina? My Chiefs Pick was more wishful thinking, but for one bright shining moment, it was almost the truth. The AFC West is sending 3 teams to the playoffs. Now, did any of us see that coming? Seattle and San Francisco were more or less a given. Houston and Washington, wow...those teams were just a mess. Now, Denver, New England, Seattle, and Carolina get to sit back, watch, and wait to see who their opponents will be next week.
Last week was one of my best pick weeks of the year with a 11-5 tally. My end of the year tally was 143-109 not a bad record. Now for my wild card picks...
Saturday, January 4
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts
It seems as if every time the Chiefs make the playoffs their opponent is the Colts. Four of the Chiefs last six playoff appearances have been against the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs have lost all four. The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game was January 16, 1994. Joe Montana was quarterback, Marcus Allen was running back, Tony Gonzalez was a senior in high school, Bill Clinton was president, and Miley Cyrus was a one year old named Destiny Hope. It has been, a long, long, long time since the Chiefs won a playoff game. Twenty years!!! I'm picking my Chiefs and let the chips fall where they may. Go Chiefs!!!!
New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham are amazing. They do amazing things when they connect with one another. However, it seems as though, things do not always fall their way on the road. Philadelphia did not begin the year looking like a playoff team, but boy did they end it looking like one. This is going to be a tough game especially in the bad weather headed that way, but I'm picking the Saints, because I'm a homer. Geaux Saints!!!
Sunday, January 5
San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Let's preface this by saying that I have little faith in either of these teams. San Diego almost lost to the Chiefs second string last week, and Cincinnati has been up in down all season. Cincinnati won the last time they played in December. I'm flipping a coin. San Diego.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
This will be a tough game. San Francisco's defense vs. Aaron Rodger's offense. No, I have not forgotten about Colin Kaepernick. I have no horse in this race, but I find it very hard to pick against Aaron Rodgers at home. Green Bay.
Alright everybody, I will probably be 0-4 next week, but that's the way it goes. Until next week I leave you with one of my favorite Jim Mora quotes, "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game."
My back-up Chiefs almost beat the 1st string San Diego Chargers. Had it not been for the refs messing up, Ryan Succop may have gotten a second chance to make that field goal which would have eliminated San Diego and launched Pittsburgh into the playoffs.
The NFL said goodbye to two tremendous competitors this past weekend as well-London Fletcher and Tony Gonzalez. Sadly, both were on teams who ended their nightmarish seasons with a loss. Both of these guys deserved a better end to their great careers. I have a feeling one or both will still grace our television screens when football season returns, and Tony Gonzalez, most definitely, will be entering the hall in a few short years. For my money, London Fletcher should, too.
At the beginning of the season, I made my annual "Predictions sure to go wrong." I didn't fair too badly...
My Pick
|
Actual Winner
|
|
AFC East
|
New England
|
New England
|
AFC North
|
Cincinnati
|
Cincinnati
|
AFC South
|
Houston
|
Indianapolis
|
AFC West
|
Kansas City
|
Denver
|
Wild cards
|
Denver/Baltimore
|
Kansas City/San Diego
|
NFC East
|
Washington
|
Philadelphia
|
NFC North
|
Green Bay
|
Green Bay
|
NFC South
|
Atlanta
|
Carolina
|
NFC West
|
San Francisco
|
Seattle
|
Wild cards
|
Seattle/New Orleans
|
San Francisco/New Orleans
|
I did manage to pick 8 of the 12 playoff teams. Who really saw Atlanta and New Orleans dropping to Carolina? My Chiefs Pick was more wishful thinking, but for one bright shining moment, it was almost the truth. The AFC West is sending 3 teams to the playoffs. Now, did any of us see that coming? Seattle and San Francisco were more or less a given. Houston and Washington, wow...those teams were just a mess. Now, Denver, New England, Seattle, and Carolina get to sit back, watch, and wait to see who their opponents will be next week.
Last week was one of my best pick weeks of the year with a 11-5 tally. My end of the year tally was 143-109 not a bad record. Now for my wild card picks...
Saturday, January 4
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts
It seems as if every time the Chiefs make the playoffs their opponent is the Colts. Four of the Chiefs last six playoff appearances have been against the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs have lost all four. The last time the Chiefs won a playoff game was January 16, 1994. Joe Montana was quarterback, Marcus Allen was running back, Tony Gonzalez was a senior in high school, Bill Clinton was president, and Miley Cyrus was a one year old named Destiny Hope. It has been, a long, long, long time since the Chiefs won a playoff game. Twenty years!!! I'm picking my Chiefs and let the chips fall where they may. Go Chiefs!!!!
New Orleans Saints vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham are amazing. They do amazing things when they connect with one another. However, it seems as though, things do not always fall their way on the road. Philadelphia did not begin the year looking like a playoff team, but boy did they end it looking like one. This is going to be a tough game especially in the bad weather headed that way, but I'm picking the Saints, because I'm a homer. Geaux Saints!!!
Sunday, January 5
San Diego Chargers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Let's preface this by saying that I have little faith in either of these teams. San Diego almost lost to the Chiefs second string last week, and Cincinnati has been up in down all season. Cincinnati won the last time they played in December. I'm flipping a coin. San Diego.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
This will be a tough game. San Francisco's defense vs. Aaron Rodger's offense. No, I have not forgotten about Colin Kaepernick. I have no horse in this race, but I find it very hard to pick against Aaron Rodgers at home. Green Bay.
Alright everybody, I will probably be 0-4 next week, but that's the way it goes. Until next week I leave you with one of my favorite Jim Mora quotes, "Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me? Playoffs? I'm just hoping we can win a game, another game."
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