NFL Week 17: Happy New Year?

Happy New Year, everybody!!!! May all your dreams and wishes come true in this new year!!! Cleveland won a game!!!! It is the last week of the season, and we are a few games away from having the playoff picture set.  The AFC has all of its teams in order, and it is a forgone conclusion that New England will retain the number one seed, but if New England loses and Oakland wins, Oakland will get home field throughout the playoffs. Oakland and Kansas City are currently fighting for the number 2 seed and the AFC West title.  Denver and San Diego can play spoilers though. Pittsburgh, Houston, and Miami are more or less set for the playoffs, but Miami could throw a wrench in New England's playoff plans.

The NFC side is a bit more complicated.  Dallas is set at the #1 seed with home field throughout the playoffs. Atlanta is currently the #2 seed and can clinch the #2 with a win.  Now, Seattle has a chance at #2 if Atlanta loses, and they win.  Green Bay and Detroit are fighting for the NFC North today, and one of them may end up at the house for the playoffs.  Washington and Tampa Bay still have a chance to make the playoffs, but Tampa Bay needs about a thousand dominoes to fall correctly for that to happen.  New York has clinched a berth and can prevent Washington from entering the playoff fray with a win today.

It's not all good news around the NFL this New Year's Day.  Some cities may be losing their teams, looking at you San Diego and Oakland. Other teams are just losing their coaches.  Buffalo fired head coach Rex Ryan and his twin brother Rob.  The Saints may be playing their last game under Sean Payton's tutelage.  Gary Kubiak is likely to step down today in Denver due to health issues.  There are a number of NFL coaches keeping their fingers crossed that their names will not end up on  pink slip tomorrow. Good luck, guys.  

The Raiders are going to be without their starting quarterback Derek Carr for the near future as he broke his leg during last week's game. I hate Oakland, but I don't wish injuries on anyone. I prefer my team to beat them at their best, as they have, twice this year.  Marcus Mariota and Tyler Lockett also broke legs ending their seasons as well.  Good luck, gentleman!!

Did you see the Denver/Kansas City game on Christmas night?  Oh, man...Denver's defense, normally one of the best in the league, were...did they even get off the plane?  Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce had a night, both ripping off 70 yard and 80 yard TDs respectively.  Even, Alex Smith scored a touchdown in the game. But the pièce de résistance occurred in the waning minutes of the game, when the Chiefs brought in Dontari Poe for what most thought would be a run.  Poe instead lined up in shotgun formation and did a jump shot pass to Demetrius Harris for a touchdown. Andy Reid calls it the "Bloated Tebow Pass," but I call it the nail in Denver's coffin. Now, both teams from last year's Super Bowl have been eliminated from the playoffs.

Many fantasy leagues finished up their playoffs last week, including my two leagues.  Lucille Swings, my #1 team, spent most of the year in first place, but like the real NFL, any given Sunday, a team can be knocked from its top spot, as was the case with Lucille Swings.  Lucille swung and missed as I was upset by a forth place team.  122 points were not enough to overcome Brett's team (he put a lot of effort in that name), especially with Cam Newton and Larry Fitzgerald having lackluster days, and Spencer Ware leaving the game with a rib injury.  Brett's team had a field day thanks to Andrew Luck, Ezekiel Elliott, Le/Veon Bell, Doug Baldwin, and Jordy Nelson. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce tried, but Lucille Swings ended the year in second place.  My dumpster fire team Lochte and Loaded surprisingly won the consolation bracket and finished the year in third place. No championships this year, but I'll take a 2nd and a 3rd place.

Last week, I had a pretty decent pick week, and had San Diego and Tennessee did their one job, it could have been better, but I'll take 11-4.  My current tally stands at 153-84. Let's see how I do on this final week of the season.

Sunday, January 1, 2017
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals;  Baltimore
Houston Texans vs. Tennessee Titans:  Houston
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts:  Indianapolis
New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins:  New England
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings:  Minnesota
Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets:  Buffalo (Reggie Bush needs at least 3 yards to prevent him from setting a dubious record today.  He currently has -3 yards on the season.)
Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles:  Dallas
Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers:  Pittsburgh
Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Tampa Bay
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos:  Oakland (although for the first time in probably ever, I'm rooting for Denver.)
New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons:  Atlanta
Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers:  Kansas City (San Diego is playing for pride, but keep Antonio Gates out of the endzone. There is no need for him to break Tony Gonzalez's touchdown record today. NONE AT ALL!!!)
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers:  Seattle
Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams:  Arizona
New York Giants vs. Washington Redskins:  New York
Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions:  Green Bay

That's it, guys! Enjoy your New Year's celebrations and all the games!!! Until next week, "Today is where your book begins, the rest is still unwritten."-Natasha Bedingfield

NFL Week 14: Only One Quarter of the Season Left

Ladies and gentle, we are, as they like to say, into the home stretch. Three-fourths of the season is now behind us, and most of us are wondering how it passed by so fast. The 49ers, Jets, Browns, and Jaguars have been eliminated from playoff contention.  Other than the Niners, did anybody really give those other three teams a real shot? They are fighting for draft position now.

Did you see the Chiefs game in Atlanta?  I did, and man was it a nail-biter! Eric Berry and Tyreek Hill put on a clinic in the ATL, but boy was I nervous when the Falcons lined up for that two-point conversion. Thank goodness for Eric Berry who already had a pick-six and snatched another from Matt Ryan taking the Chiefs from a one point loss to a one point victory. Then, they turned around and played the Raiders at Arrowhead stadium.  The Raiders came in to the game in first place in the AFC West and left the game in second. Like Sunday's game, it wasn't a beautiful win, although Tyreek Hill was a highlight again, as was Travis Kelce who tied Tony Gonzalez's 4 game streak of 100 yards in a game, and did a wonderful impression of Raiders' punter Marquette King who retaliated with a tweet mocking Kelce's reality show.  The Chiefs lost LB Derrick Johnson to a ruptured Achilles. He was clearly missed in the second half of the game, and let's not even start on the turnovers and the lack of scoring by the offense in the second half.  Mad props though to the Chiefs Defense who also held the Raiders to only 13 points. The Chiefs may have played and ugly game, but a win is a win and now the Chiefs hold the tiebreaker in the AFC West and are in first place.

As it stands in the AFC, New England is the one seed, Kansas City is the two seed, followed by Baltimore at three and Houston at two. Currently, the two wildcard teams are both form the AFC West, Denver and Oakland.  That said, the Dolphins, Steelers, Colts, Bills, Titans, Chargers, and Bengals still have a chance.

On the NFC side, Dallas has already clinched a playoff berth and are pretty secure with the one seed, while Seattle is two, Detroit three, and Atlanta four.  The two teams hold the wildcards right now are New York and Tampa Bay.  Still in the running, the Redskins, Vikings, Packers, Cardinals, Saints, Eagles, Panthers, Rams, and Bears. 

The races are tight, and there are going to be some really good rivalry games ahead, including the Chiefs and Broncos rematch on Christmas night.  Congratulations are in order for Larry Fitzgerald who is now securely in third place on the NFL all-time receptions list.  He is behind Tony Gonzalez (number 2) and Jerry Rice (number 1).  Speaking of Tony G., Antonio Gates is closing in on his record for most touchdowns by a tight end. He is two touchdowns from catching him and three from passing.

Sorry about leaving out the Buccaneers/Chargers game last week, my bad, and I apologize, because I have no idea why I picked Jacksonville either. Even with those errors, I still had a pretty good week with a 10-4 record bringing my season total to 121-69.  Fantasy players: the bye weeks are over and for some of you the playoffs are beginning. Good luck!!! My Lucille Swings team slipped up last week, but held on to the 1st place position.  Lochte and Loaded finally ended their losing streak and the 4th place position.  

Sunday, December 11, 2016
San Diego Chargers vs. Carolina Panthers:  Carolina
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills:  Pittsburgh
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Cleveland Browns:  Cincinnati
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions:  Detroit
Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans:  Denver
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts:  Indianapolis
Arizona Cardinals vs. Miami Dolphins:  Arizona
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles:  Washington
Minnesota Vikings vs. Jacksonville Jaguars:  Minnesota
New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers:  San Francisco (but really, it's a coin toss)
Atlanta Falcons vs. Los Angeles Rams:  Atlanta
New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Tampa Bay
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers:  Green Bay
Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants:  Dallas

Monday, December 12, 2016
Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots:  New England (although I would love an upset here.)

Thursday, December 15, 2016
Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks:  Seattle

Saturday, December 17, 2016
Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets:  New York

Congratulations to Louisville quarterbakck Lamar Jackson on his Heisman trophy victory! That's it guys!! Until next week, "At its best, life is completely unpredictable."-Christopher Walken

NFL Divisional Playoffs 2016

Welcome, welcome, welcome! Happy Divisional Playoffs, and may the odds be ever in your favor! And then there were eight...the divisional round of the NFL playoffs begins today, and for the first time in a long time my Chiefs are still standing! Now, I'm not going to get excited because the Chiefs drew the Patriots in Foxborough. Sigh...


Before we get to the games, the coaching carousal has begun. Chip Kelley leaves the East coast for the West coast taking the 49ers head coaching job. Hue Jackson has landed in Cleveland, Adam Gase is the newbie in Miami, Dirk Koetter is replacing Lovie Smith in Tampa Bay, and Ben McAdoo is headed to Jersey to coach the Giants. There is the all but the signing on the dotted line of Chiefs' offensive coordinator Doug Pederson headed to Philadelphia.


To the games. Last week, I went 3-1. I wanted to pick Green Bay, but honestly, they have had some sketchy play recently.


Saturday, January 16, 2016
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots-Sigh, I really, really want to pick the Chiefs. Every body knows Tom Brady and Belichick have been formidable opponents for everyone for years. It frightens me when everyone picks my Chiefs. So, I'm going way out on a limb here picking my Chiefs to win. Please, please, please...*fingers crossed*


Green Bay Packers vs. Arizona Cardinals-Remember when I picked the Pack to go to the Super Bowl, but not to win last week. That hasn't changed. Now, look I know that Seattle drop-kicked the Cards in the mouth in their last game, and Green Bay showed a spark last week against Washington. Flipping a coin...Green Bay. Of course, Arizona will prove me wrong. 


Sunday, January 17, 2016
Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers-I'm not going to even pretend to dwell here. I'm picking Carolina. I hated every moment of that Seattle/Minnesota game, and while Seattle has shown sparks of greatness this year, I believe Carolina is the better team.


Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos-My sister is one of those weirdo fans who has two favorite teams in the same conference. These are her two teams. Pittsburgh is playing with multiple injuries after that MMA game they played with Cincinnati last week.  Denver has rallied around the returning Peyton Manning. Sigh, makes me sick to say...Denver.


This past week, we lost two giants in the entertainment industry David Bowie and Alan Rickman. I was a fan of both-David Bowie, because of his music and his willingness to be the weirdest person imaginable thus making your feel comfortable in your own skin, and Alan Rickman, because he made you believe he was every character he ever played, and how I loved his bad guys, especially Severus Snape. Until next week-"Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened."~Theodor Seuss Geisel

NFL Week 17 Picks

It is the last week of the regular season (where did the year go?).  We will be saying goodbye to a lot of teams tomorrow, while we will be waiting to see which teams will take those final spots in the playoff race.  San Diego, Chicago, Green Bay, Miami, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Arizona, and Dallas are all vying for those coveted last spots.

Not only will we be bidding some of these teams adieu, we will also be seeing the end of the awesome career of Tony Gonzalez who will be taking the field for one final time at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

He will enter the game on Sunday with 15,071 receiving yards (one of only 5 players in the 15K club and the only TE).  He has a reception in 210 straight games (one of only 2 players with that stat).  His 1321 receptions are second only to Jerry Rice, and his 111 career touchdowns put him 2 better than Barry Sanders and 1 from tying Shaun Alexander at number 14. He holds practically every single record for a tight end. The G.O.A.T. We'll miss you, TG.

Tony Romo had surgery on Friday, so the Cowboys are looking to Kyle Orton to help them defeat the Eagles.  The Packers are welcoming back Aaron Rodgers whose collarbone was finally cleared for action in time to meet Bears.  The Panthers, Saints, and 49ers are all vying for the #2 seed in the NFC. Tomorrow will definitely be and interesting day.

Congratulations to my Chiefs who are in the playoffs and are sending 8 players to the Pro Bowl.  Chiefs Pro Bowlers include Jamaal Charles, Tamba Hali, Justin Houston, Brandon Albert, Eric Berry, Brandon Flowers, Dexter McCluster, and Dontari Poe.  Now, Andy Reid and the boys just need to get over that first round hump...

Last week, I pushed my weekly record to a little better than .500 going 9-7 bringing my total to date to 132-104. 

Sunday, December 29
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons: Atlanta
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings: Detroit
Washington Redskins at New York Giants:  New York
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals:  Cincinnati
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts: Indianapolis
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins:  Miami
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers:  Pittsburgh
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans: Tennessee
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals:  Arizona
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears: Green Bay
St. Louis Rams at Seattle Seahawks: Seattle
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints: New Orleans
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots: New England
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders:  Denver
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers: Kansas City
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys:  Philadelphia

Within us there is someone who knows everything, wills everything, does everything better than we ourselves.
Hermann Hesse
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hermann_hesse_2.html#PrC7icg36cGhsgjq.99

Until next time, “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.” ― Dr. Seuss

Within us there is someone who knows everything, wills everything, does everything better than we ourselves.
Hermann Hesse
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hermann_hesse_2.html#PrC7icg36cGhsgjq.99

Within us there is someone who knows everything, wills everything, does everything better than we ourselves.
Hermann Hesse
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/h/hermann_hesse_2.html#PrC7icg36cGhsgjq.99