Favorite Spread Underdog 4 Best My Pick Reason
GIANTS 6 ½ Falcons * Falcons If G-Men win at all, will be close
PATS 10 ½ Jets Jets If Jets don’t cover, I’ll cry
LIONS 3 Browns LIONS Browns show no good signs
JAGS 9 Bills Bills New coach, new effort?
Steelers 10 CHIEFS Steelers Steelers embarrassed by Bengals
Colts 1 RAVENS Colts I like beans, not Rice
PACK 6 ½ 49ers * 49ers 49ers like the Midwest
VIKES 10 ½ Sea VIKES Vikes like to cover
BOYZ 11 Skins * Skins Aw, c’mon man…11?
Saints 11 ½ TB TB Bucs have found themselves
Cards 9 RAMS Cards That’s about it for Rams
Bengals 9 ½ OAK OAK Bengals too high, win close
BRONCS 3 Chargers Chargers Bolts keep flashing
Eagles 3 BEARS * Eagles McNabb has a field day
TEXANS 5 Titans TEXANS Titans pass defense, convince me..
Things are really lookin’ good the last several weeks. Week 10 yielded a 9-5 record and cumulative now stands at a pretty healthy 54-40 (or fight). I don’t pick Thursday games and from the lineup I’ve seen, I won’t be missing much. Best bets though suffered once again, a result of the Cowboys and Saints miserable performances.
I must say I took it on the chin for the Saints pick big-time. My brother, the Rams expert, let me know what a horrible pick it was before the game so I’m humbled. He does have a knack now and then, and it’s never a secret.
I keep thinking I’m due for a bad week, so bet with your head……yada yada. I’m half-expecting SHRINKAGE, in my cumulative record that is..
The G-Men haven’t won in quite some time. I’ll be happy if they win by 1. 6 ½ seems kind of optimistic. I mean, really. Just exactly which Giants are going to come to the fore, with all that pressure at home. Even if they’re good, the defensive coordinator will screw it up.
The Niners have really done pretty well when they’ve played in the Midwest and after the Niners last week’s paltry offensive performance and the Pack’s great showing against the Cowboys, I’m expecting a return to form.
Meanwhile, I know the game’s in Big D but this is one of those classic NFC East matchups and the Skins have been looking way better than they had in the early season. They have a lot of making up to do and I think this might be the spot for it.
My Eagles pick is more of a slap at the horrid Bears and their equally horrid coach than it is some kind of affirmation for the Eagles. But somebody has to play some pass defense and the Bears have shown no inclination to do so.
Aside from football, I’m really happy for Michelle Wie finally breaking out and not becoming the Anna Kournikova of golf. And I’m glad she pulled out of her most recent tournament after shooting a 72. When you’re hurt, you’re hurt. Especially if you happen to be 19 years old.
The Mets haven’t made a move yet and spent less on the amateur draft than everybody else. That can’t be good.
Why can’t I get into the NBA this year? And it’s not just the Knicks and Nets being awful, it’s the whole damn thing. Lebron, Kobe, ad nauseum still and why can’t rookies get a break? In what other sport do rookies have no chance at all? Why was I ever watching this stuff? Well, maybe it was Jason Kidd.
The Yanks are supposed to be looking at getting Mark DeRosa. If so, it would be an excellent move. With age all over the place on that roster, it can’t hurt to have better backups. Ask the Mets.
Oh, and I still want Matt Holliday over Roy Halladay. I hope Omar was saving his money for him first. The pitching is shaky but the lineup is very very weak. What if Wright doesn’t break out of his power slump? What if Beltran’s now chronic knee problems continue?
Okay, that’s enough of the quick hitters. And speaking of quick hitters, there’s a fella named Figgins who’s one. What if Reyes can’t come back strong…or healthy…or fast?
Friday, November 20, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Getting Serious in the NFL
It’s been one of those days here hard by the Short Hills Arboretum as chimney cleaners scurry in and out, up and down, all around la casa. Then the sofa we never needed arrived, the delivery people for it avoiding the chimney sweeps and their ladders by just inches. And all of that happened only after some tedious negotiation and Web searching made it all seem worthwhile.
So I’m already worn out but I did want to throw my two cents in for Rex Ryan, who had a darker day and week than I’ve had. Rex managed to leave ‘em laughin’ after firing his long-time friend and defensive line coach, parrying what had to be annoying questions as to his talented yet brash quarterback and all the time mindful that his audience knew full well that he had cried in front of his team in a post-game meeting, the game that all but broke the Jets’ backs in the AFC playoff picture.
Dick Vermeil made it okay, if not quite fashionable, to cry in front of your players. When you show somebody how much you care, you tend to make them care, and that can’t hurt results at all. Of course, Vermeil was also a hell of a football coach. And while we can’t be quite sure yet whether Ryan is or isn’t, we can be quite certain any failures won’t be because he doesn’t care.
The G-Men had their bye week and all you hear is how players are coming back from injury and hopes are higher for a playoff spot after losses by Dallas and Philadelphia. The Eagles especially will find some tough going without Brian Westbrook and the Boyz looked bad in their loss to the Packers. Roy Williams couldn’t make a big catch or three and the Pack must’ve found at least a partial answer for Miles Austin.
Atlanta lost too, I know, but I still can’t get too excited about the possibility of backing into the playoffs. I want to see them beat Atlanta this Sunday and then beat the Broncos on Thanksgiving. Then I’ll be happy. Let me see that big horse Jacobs finally start running over some people. Let me see Manning go back to Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham for some big gainers. Let me see a hurried opposing QB throw some picks. Then there might be some hope for a meaningful playoff game.
Serious teams replace their injured players before it’s too late to make any difference. The Bengals are a perfect example. Cedric Benson went down and they replaced him with Larry Johnson. When Kenny Phillips, the Giants starting safety, was lost for the season, the Giants did nothing. Only when C.C. Brown stunk the place out for two games did the G-Men decide to do anything. And Aaron Rouse may be the answer, but it may not be a strong affirmative one.
I was actually kind of dumbstruck to learn that C.C. Brown was never considered a coverage guy but that he could tackle. Hell, anybody can tackle. Those guys are all over the place. You expect a secondary player to be able to cover a wide receiver. If he can’t do that, he belongs on special teams….only.
That big hole the G-Men allowed to go unfilled for two weeks makes me wonder a bit about the seriousness of their intent. They’re playing the season to get by, to not look totally foolish out there on the field. But that attitude didn’t beat the Chargers, in the final analysis, and it may not be good enough to beat the Falcons or Broncos either.
The G-Men may have caught a break when Falcon RB Michael Turner went down with a high ankle sprain, though, and Jerious Norwood, his backup, is out too. The Giants may be able to throw some extra defensive backs (not that they have them) in there to stop Matt Ryan, as I don’t see the Falcons running a lot.
Then the Broncos’ Kyle Orton went down too in Week 10 and, while he may be the starter against them on Thanksgiving in Denver, he may be hampered some. And we all know what that seemed to do to Eli when he was hurt. Chris Simms would otherwise go for the Broncos and Mr. Simms hasn’t really been lighting it up.
Word in Denver is that even Orton couldn’t have had good numbers with their banged-up offensive line. Well, that’s a bit specious, I think, since Orton did throw two TD passes in the first quarter before he was hurt. But, in any event, with a banged-up Orton and a rusty Simms, the G-Men’s chances seem really good. Of course, they’ll still have the same defensive coordinator. (Just one more dig won’t hurt).
But do ya think Roddy White and Brandon Marshall might take advantage of that secondary, especially if there’s no pressure from the defensive front? I think so, no matter who’s at quarterback.
Okay, that’s enough about the local contingents. They’ve made their beds and they’ve been lying in them. And they didn’t add any support when the springs sort of fell apart. It’ll be hard to feel sorry for them when they find themselves sleeping on the floor, so to speak.
A couple of other NFL teams got serious this week. Buffalo’s head coach Dick Jauron won’t be circlin’ the wagons anymore and the Skins staff will have Sherm Lewis staring over their shoulders throughout. That’s in addition to the Jets parting ways with their defensive line coach. It’s a tough league and at least some teams are making tough choices.
The next tough choice might be made in Cleveland. Our own Eric Mangini (if he was ever truly one of us), has been hugely ineffective there and his GM has already bitten the dust. You know he’ll start getting very serious indeed (assuming he has ever been anything else.
Week 11 should start answering whether the Giants and Jets have been serious enough.
So I’m already worn out but I did want to throw my two cents in for Rex Ryan, who had a darker day and week than I’ve had. Rex managed to leave ‘em laughin’ after firing his long-time friend and defensive line coach, parrying what had to be annoying questions as to his talented yet brash quarterback and all the time mindful that his audience knew full well that he had cried in front of his team in a post-game meeting, the game that all but broke the Jets’ backs in the AFC playoff picture.
Dick Vermeil made it okay, if not quite fashionable, to cry in front of your players. When you show somebody how much you care, you tend to make them care, and that can’t hurt results at all. Of course, Vermeil was also a hell of a football coach. And while we can’t be quite sure yet whether Ryan is or isn’t, we can be quite certain any failures won’t be because he doesn’t care.
The G-Men had their bye week and all you hear is how players are coming back from injury and hopes are higher for a playoff spot after losses by Dallas and Philadelphia. The Eagles especially will find some tough going without Brian Westbrook and the Boyz looked bad in their loss to the Packers. Roy Williams couldn’t make a big catch or three and the Pack must’ve found at least a partial answer for Miles Austin.
Atlanta lost too, I know, but I still can’t get too excited about the possibility of backing into the playoffs. I want to see them beat Atlanta this Sunday and then beat the Broncos on Thanksgiving. Then I’ll be happy. Let me see that big horse Jacobs finally start running over some people. Let me see Manning go back to Hakeem Nicks or Mario Manningham for some big gainers. Let me see a hurried opposing QB throw some picks. Then there might be some hope for a meaningful playoff game.
Serious teams replace their injured players before it’s too late to make any difference. The Bengals are a perfect example. Cedric Benson went down and they replaced him with Larry Johnson. When Kenny Phillips, the Giants starting safety, was lost for the season, the Giants did nothing. Only when C.C. Brown stunk the place out for two games did the G-Men decide to do anything. And Aaron Rouse may be the answer, but it may not be a strong affirmative one.
I was actually kind of dumbstruck to learn that C.C. Brown was never considered a coverage guy but that he could tackle. Hell, anybody can tackle. Those guys are all over the place. You expect a secondary player to be able to cover a wide receiver. If he can’t do that, he belongs on special teams….only.
That big hole the G-Men allowed to go unfilled for two weeks makes me wonder a bit about the seriousness of their intent. They’re playing the season to get by, to not look totally foolish out there on the field. But that attitude didn’t beat the Chargers, in the final analysis, and it may not be good enough to beat the Falcons or Broncos either.
The G-Men may have caught a break when Falcon RB Michael Turner went down with a high ankle sprain, though, and Jerious Norwood, his backup, is out too. The Giants may be able to throw some extra defensive backs (not that they have them) in there to stop Matt Ryan, as I don’t see the Falcons running a lot.
Then the Broncos’ Kyle Orton went down too in Week 10 and, while he may be the starter against them on Thanksgiving in Denver, he may be hampered some. And we all know what that seemed to do to Eli when he was hurt. Chris Simms would otherwise go for the Broncos and Mr. Simms hasn’t really been lighting it up.
Word in Denver is that even Orton couldn’t have had good numbers with their banged-up offensive line. Well, that’s a bit specious, I think, since Orton did throw two TD passes in the first quarter before he was hurt. But, in any event, with a banged-up Orton and a rusty Simms, the G-Men’s chances seem really good. Of course, they’ll still have the same defensive coordinator. (Just one more dig won’t hurt).
But do ya think Roddy White and Brandon Marshall might take advantage of that secondary, especially if there’s no pressure from the defensive front? I think so, no matter who’s at quarterback.
Okay, that’s enough about the local contingents. They’ve made their beds and they’ve been lying in them. And they didn’t add any support when the springs sort of fell apart. It’ll be hard to feel sorry for them when they find themselves sleeping on the floor, so to speak.
A couple of other NFL teams got serious this week. Buffalo’s head coach Dick Jauron won’t be circlin’ the wagons anymore and the Skins staff will have Sherm Lewis staring over their shoulders throughout. That’s in addition to the Jets parting ways with their defensive line coach. It’s a tough league and at least some teams are making tough choices.
The next tough choice might be made in Cleveland. Our own Eric Mangini (if he was ever truly one of us), has been hugely ineffective there and his GM has already bitten the dust. You know he’ll start getting very serious indeed (assuming he has ever been anything else.
Week 11 should start answering whether the Giants and Jets have been serious enough.
Monday, November 16, 2009
An NFL Upside Down Day
The world turned upside down yesterday. I didn’t even notice until I saw a team that was behind trying not to score against a team that was ahead trying to let them score. Then I watched a press conference that kicked off with the subject presenting a statement that outlined the key points of the game, followed by his implication that no further questions could be expected after his fine exposition.
Then, as if to reaffirm a ridiculous point, I watched a good defensive team with a 6-point lead go for a 4th and 2 from their own 28 yard line with just a little more than 2 minutes left on the clock. The team’s gamble went down the tubes as their delighted opponent scored a touchdown and extra point, leaving their bewildered opponent just 13 seconds to do something about it.
Of course, everybody knows what I’m talking about. The Jets defense, blah blah blah, wonders of the modern football world, whose spokesman just about a month ago asked how the media could dare to ask a question that didn’t hint at his team’s greatness, were trying their best to allow the Jaguars to score.
The Jags were down by two points with time swiftly running down. They were driving through the Jets defense as if they were seashells caught in a wave from a Nor’easter. They couldn’t stop the run and they were clueless against the pass, a team on the run, a beaten defense whose best option was to concede the touchdown quickly so that their offense would have time left to score.
Of course, they screwed that tactic up too. The Jags, immediately detecting the ruse and needing just a field goal to win, proceeded to fall down at the one, and then run around in circles for a few downs so as to totally run out the clock as they kicked the winning field goal.
Witnessing this whole thing was disgusting if you had any good feeling for the Jets at all after their high-mindedness of the preceding weeks. That they could continue their braggadocio even after having lost several games in every conceivable fashion seemed unreal. They were a team in denial.
Well, they know who they are now. Thank all the football gods. They found out who they were in that last Jacksonville drive when they went belly up. Their self-proclaimed great defense had no thoughts of forcing a fumble or getting a pick, or stopping the Jags dead in their tracks to force a long field goal. They just gave up.
Yeah, I know all about the strategy. I know it could have worked out, as unlikely as that seems to me now. But I hate the whole idea. It stinks, it smells bad. If I were a true Jets fan, I’d be embarrassed by the very notion.
A team has to have a personality. The Jets personality had become that of a strong defensive team. After three undefeated weeks followed by strong defensive efforts in several unfortunate losses, that personality was still largely intact….but not after yesterday. Now, they’re just a bad team, no good on offense, no good on defense and certainly no good on special teams.
The theme I kept hearing after yesterday’s disgraceful exhibition was that the team needed to finish, meaning that they had to stop losing games in the fourth quarter. And while that is certainly true, it isn’t the whole story. The Jets need better discipline all around. They need better communications before, during and after the game. They need to somehow accommodate for their lost presence in the middle of their defensive line. And they need to catch the ball.
They probably can’t accomplish all those things this season. But what they can do is try to re-establish a personality, even if it’s that of a brash but formidable defense. The Jets can either fortify that defensive line or change their schemes somewhat to make up for that weakness. They’ll then be something again, that something being a strong defensive team.
I won’t mind terribly if the Jets have a losing season. I rather expect one now. What I would mind is to see a team that is lost, a team that doesn’t know what it is or what it is trying to be. Yesterday’s tactics smelled of that.
As unlikely as it seems to me, Bill Belichick was guilty of the same mistake. He drank whatever Kool-Aid Peyton Manning was handing out and decided that the probability of his offense making a fourth and two exceeded that of his defense stopping Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts offense on a final drive.
By doing so, he fired up the Colts defense and, unavoidably really, alienated his own defense. That may play into the hands of the Jets or some other opponent down the road for the Pats. If he punted, he may still have lost the game. But Manning would have had to be great once again against a strong defense. And he’d have had to take his Colts a long way, probably around 65 to 70 yards.
But he didn’t give his defense that opportunity. It’s too bad really. It’s out of character too. A man noted for his brilliant defensive schemes decided to gamble it all away on one offensive play, and in so doing, he challenged another good defensive team to be great. It was upside down, inside out and backwards, for anyone really, but especially for Bill Belichick.
And that’s probably the reason it didn’t work.
I’d like to see the world righted again. Rex Ryan should have a dominant defense and so should Belichick. A rookie quarterback shouldn’t be dictating terms to the media, even if he were a good quarterback, which Sanchez so far hasn’t really shown.
I’m quite sure Belichick would have punted against the Jets.
And Horse of the Year should be a tie. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra proved their greatness.
.
Then, as if to reaffirm a ridiculous point, I watched a good defensive team with a 6-point lead go for a 4th and 2 from their own 28 yard line with just a little more than 2 minutes left on the clock. The team’s gamble went down the tubes as their delighted opponent scored a touchdown and extra point, leaving their bewildered opponent just 13 seconds to do something about it.
Of course, everybody knows what I’m talking about. The Jets defense, blah blah blah, wonders of the modern football world, whose spokesman just about a month ago asked how the media could dare to ask a question that didn’t hint at his team’s greatness, were trying their best to allow the Jaguars to score.
The Jags were down by two points with time swiftly running down. They were driving through the Jets defense as if they were seashells caught in a wave from a Nor’easter. They couldn’t stop the run and they were clueless against the pass, a team on the run, a beaten defense whose best option was to concede the touchdown quickly so that their offense would have time left to score.
Of course, they screwed that tactic up too. The Jags, immediately detecting the ruse and needing just a field goal to win, proceeded to fall down at the one, and then run around in circles for a few downs so as to totally run out the clock as they kicked the winning field goal.
Witnessing this whole thing was disgusting if you had any good feeling for the Jets at all after their high-mindedness of the preceding weeks. That they could continue their braggadocio even after having lost several games in every conceivable fashion seemed unreal. They were a team in denial.
Well, they know who they are now. Thank all the football gods. They found out who they were in that last Jacksonville drive when they went belly up. Their self-proclaimed great defense had no thoughts of forcing a fumble or getting a pick, or stopping the Jags dead in their tracks to force a long field goal. They just gave up.
Yeah, I know all about the strategy. I know it could have worked out, as unlikely as that seems to me now. But I hate the whole idea. It stinks, it smells bad. If I were a true Jets fan, I’d be embarrassed by the very notion.
A team has to have a personality. The Jets personality had become that of a strong defensive team. After three undefeated weeks followed by strong defensive efforts in several unfortunate losses, that personality was still largely intact….but not after yesterday. Now, they’re just a bad team, no good on offense, no good on defense and certainly no good on special teams.
The theme I kept hearing after yesterday’s disgraceful exhibition was that the team needed to finish, meaning that they had to stop losing games in the fourth quarter. And while that is certainly true, it isn’t the whole story. The Jets need better discipline all around. They need better communications before, during and after the game. They need to somehow accommodate for their lost presence in the middle of their defensive line. And they need to catch the ball.
They probably can’t accomplish all those things this season. But what they can do is try to re-establish a personality, even if it’s that of a brash but formidable defense. The Jets can either fortify that defensive line or change their schemes somewhat to make up for that weakness. They’ll then be something again, that something being a strong defensive team.
I won’t mind terribly if the Jets have a losing season. I rather expect one now. What I would mind is to see a team that is lost, a team that doesn’t know what it is or what it is trying to be. Yesterday’s tactics smelled of that.
As unlikely as it seems to me, Bill Belichick was guilty of the same mistake. He drank whatever Kool-Aid Peyton Manning was handing out and decided that the probability of his offense making a fourth and two exceeded that of his defense stopping Peyton Manning and the rest of the Colts offense on a final drive.
By doing so, he fired up the Colts defense and, unavoidably really, alienated his own defense. That may play into the hands of the Jets or some other opponent down the road for the Pats. If he punted, he may still have lost the game. But Manning would have had to be great once again against a strong defense. And he’d have had to take his Colts a long way, probably around 65 to 70 yards.
But he didn’t give his defense that opportunity. It’s too bad really. It’s out of character too. A man noted for his brilliant defensive schemes decided to gamble it all away on one offensive play, and in so doing, he challenged another good defensive team to be great. It was upside down, inside out and backwards, for anyone really, but especially for Bill Belichick.
And that’s probably the reason it didn’t work.
I’d like to see the world righted again. Rex Ryan should have a dominant defense and so should Belichick. A rookie quarterback shouldn’t be dictating terms to the media, even if he were a good quarterback, which Sanchez so far hasn’t really shown.
I’m quite sure Belichick would have punted against the Jets.
And Horse of the Year should be a tie. Both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra proved their greatness.
.
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