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NCAA Tournament Running Diary: Day 1, Afternoon Games
“The first four days of the NCAA Tournament are a marathon, not a sprint.”
I’m sure somebody said that before but I’m going to claim it as my own for now. It’s no secret the first round (second round?) of the NCAA Tournament is the greatest four day weekend on the sports calendar. So naturally I’ve decided this momentous event deserves to be logged in real time.
This year, four others join me in the living room: my brother Grant, O’Con, Chef Lefty, and Shorts. Props to Chef Lefty for the Belgian waffles for breakfast.
11:12 a.m. (CST): Clemson-West Virginia about to tip off in about three minutes. How good did Clemson look Tuesday against UAB? Good enough for me to take them in the classic 12-5 upset.
11:17: Clemson wins the tip and we’re underway! We get our first look at how CBS has set up their on-screen graphics this year. We have the upcoming games at the top of the screen along with what channel the game is on. I like it.
11:19: Clemson extends their lead to 4-0.
O’Con: “This game is over.”
11:24: A Clemson foul takes us to the first commercial break of the day. Two years ago we created the “Commercial Game”. Basically you guess what commercial will come on next. It is a wildly entertaining distraction that gets you through the prison that is March Madness commercials. The first commercial of the 2011 tournament: “Bud Light Home Makeover”. If memory serves, I’m fairly certain this was the first commercial of Super Bowl XLV, also.
"Bud Light Home Makeover"
11:29: Clemson leading 10-4. Looks like they’re picking up right where they left off Tuesday night. I figured one team would win their “Second Round” game after coming out of the “First Four”. Clemson looks to be that team.
11:33: I almost forgot to comment on how today’s games are considered the “Second Round”. How silly is that? How many announcers will inadvertently refer to their game as a “First Round” matchup? I can’t wait!
11:37: During another commercial break, Grant switches the channel for the first time to truTV. I’m interested to see what kind of ratings they get in the next four days. Biggest weekend of the year for truTV. Old Dominion-Butler about to tip off.
11:42: After a slow start, West Virginia looks like they’ve settled in. A Mountaineer three cuts the deficit to four, 24-20.
ODU-Butler tips off in Washington, D.C. Apparently ODU is one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Rebounds are important, so I’ll take them over the Bulldogs.
Some bad news, I’ve been told ODU has a tough time scoring. Some more bad news, I just remembered they beat Notre Dame in Round 1 last year. Why do I think they’ll win again this year?
11:48: With commercials on both channels, the “Commercial Game” is back on. Nobody has gotten anything right since O’Con guessed “Bud Light” before the very first commercial. Correction: I’ve just been told that O’Con’s “Bud Light” pick has been voided. Apparently “Bud Light” wasn’t specific enough. Everyone tied at zero.
11:50: The breakdown of who has who: Grant, Chef Lefty, and I have Clemson over West Virginia. O’Con and Shorts are backing the Mountaineers. In the other game, Grant, Chef Lefty, and I have ODU, while O’Con is taking Butler.
Shorts: “I don’t know.”
11:56: Clemson-West Virginia is turning into a pretty entertaining game. Underrated sub-plot: What relation is Clemson’s Jerai Grant to former NBA player Horace Grant?
Everyone here: “I think he’s his nephew.”
Clemson continues to lead, 35-27 with 3:35 to play in the first half.
Horace Grant's nephew?
11:59: Back on truTV, ODU has opened up a 5-point lead over Butler. truTV has a show called “Big Brian and the Fortune Seller”. Good for Big Brian.
12:04: The NCAA Tournament always introduces college basketball fans to new players. More importantly, the tournament also introduces fans to cool/funny names. So far, the best name of the day: West Virginia’s Dalton Pepper.
12:07: Ian Eagle: “What do you call a team of CIA operatives who defy Intelligence? CHAOS! CBS this spring.
Chef Lefty: “I call it three episodes and canceled.”
Meanwhile, West Virginia has cut the lead to 40-37 just before halftime. They hold for the last shot and Kevin Jones nails a three to cap off a 9-0 run. 40-40 at the break.
12:12: Butler has come back to lead ODU with 4:38 to play in the first half. The “Commercial Game” isn’t getting much play this year. I suppose that’s a good thing, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.
12:16: Grant flips over to TBS in preparation for the Louisville-Morehead St. game. Surprisingly TBS is airing a classic episode of “Family Guy”. I believe it’s called “McStroke”. “WHY ARE WE NOT FUNDING THIS?”
12:20: WVU-Clemson still at halftime. It feels like ODU-Butler has been on commercial for the past five minutes. Can’t wait until the next game starts in 20 minutes.
12:22: Update from O’Con: “Jerai Grant is Horace Grant’s nephew. They were talking about it today on ESPN.”
The mystery was better than the payoff.
12:25: ODU-Butler tied at 27 with the first half coming to a close. Looks like ODU will hold for the final shot. An out of control drive to the basket ends in a terrible miss, followed by ODU getting the offensive rebound and taking the lead. I’m starting to think that’s how ODU scored a lot of their points this year.
CHAOS! This April, on CBS.
12:32: Things are pretty quiet in the living room. Clemson-WVU second half begins. WVU takes their first lead of the game at 42-40.
“Commercial Game” standings:
Grant – 0
O’Con – 0
Chef Lefty – 0
Shorts – 0
Me – 0
You can imagine how exciting it gets when somebody scores.
12:39: WVU has continued their hot play into the second half. They lead 46-41 as my upset pick begins to look worse and worse. The Mountaineers are on a 15-1 run continued from the first half. Clemson’s Demontez Stitt breaks the run with a bucket. Add him to the list of names.
12:43: The third game of the day is underway! Kenneth Faried gives Morehead St. the 1-0 lead. Every year it seems there is a random 13 or 14 seed you would never expect to win. Morehead State fits the mold quite nicely. Random teams since 2005:
2005 – (14) Bucknell, (13) Vermont
2006 – (14) Northwestern State, (13) Bradley, (12) Montana
2007 – None
2008 – (13) Siena
2009 – (13) Cleveland State
2010 – (14) Ohio, (13) Murray State
12:52: WVU has opened up a big lead over Clemson. In Denver, Louisville can’t score as they trail 7-0 to Morehead State. The best game right now is ODU-Butler as the Monarchs lead by two. This Clemson game is even more disappointing considering how well they played for 80 percent of the first half.
12:57: WVU on a 28-7 run since they trailed 40-31 in the first half. I think there’s a lid on the Clemson hoop right now. After staying quiet for much of the first half O’Con and Shorts are letting us know how good West Virginia is.
Chef Lefty on WVU big man, and foreign born Deniz Kilicli: “Do you think he can open cans with his nose?”
Deniz Kilicli: A nose used for more than just smelling.
1:01: Morehead has extended their lead to 15-2. Meanwhile, Clemson is trying to stick around, but WVU can’t miss at this point. ODU leads Butler by a bucket with 14:12 to play. Hopefully Clemson can come back and make it an exciting finish.
1:08: With Clemson pretty much out of it, ODU-Butler should get television priority the rest of the way.
1:12: Update on Louisville-MHS: MHS leads 19-13 with 7:30 in the first half. Not surprisingly, everybody here has Louisville. Penn St.-Temple just tipped off moments ago. Grant, O’Con, and Shorts have Penn State, while Chef Lefty and I are taking Temple. I say there is no way the Owls play as poorly as they did last year.
1:15: Clemson finally manages a defensive stop. Demontez Stitt gets fouled and goes to the line for Clemson. I hope he makes the first, misses the second, rebounds and hits a three… he misses the first and makes the second. 72-64 WVU.
1:19: Back on truTV, ODU-Butler is still close. The Bulldogs lead by two with just under 10 minutes to play. MHS still leads Louisville and Penn St. has opened a small lead over Temple. Clemson has cut the lead to six. Maybe we can get a solid finish out of game one.
1:24: With 1:49 remaining Clemson cuts the lead to three. WVU’s Joe Mazzulla picks up his dribble across half court, falls to the floor and draws the foul. What an awful call! The refs bailed him out after he made the bonehead play of the day. Gotta love the officiating in the Tourney! WVU goes on a 6-0 run after the gift call. See ya Clemson.
1:30: A minute remains in Clemson’s season. Butler and ODU are still close. Louisville has finally cut into the MHS lead.
I’m still mad about the officiating in the Clemson-WVU game. That game could have been an excellent finish but we’ll never know what would have happened if they had just let them play.
1:36: WVU finally puts Clemson away, 84-76. Needless to say Grant, Chef Lefty, and I are already bitter about the day. It could get worse as Butler leads ODU by two with three minutes and change to play.
1:39: With ODU-Butler coming to an end, the conversation shifts to lunch. Chef Lefty is preparing to make Philly Cheese Steaks.
Grant: “His cheese steaks are the best tasting food in the world.”
1:43: ODU-Butler coming down the wire. Butler leads by four with under two minutes to play. Blaine Taylor, the head coach of ODU, looks a lot like Stan Van Gundy of the Phoenix Suns.
Chef Lefty: “He looks like a cross between Saddam Hussein and Stan Van Gundy.”
We’ll go with that.
ODU head coach Blaine Taylor.
1:48: ODU has the ball down two with 0:36 seconds to play. Kent Bazemore is fouled and steps to the line for the Monarchs. He calmly knocks them both down. Butler holds for the final shot as Shelvin Mack drives and gets tripped up, falls down and throws up a prayer. The ball is tipped and falls into the hands of Butler’s Matt Howard who lays it in with 0.2 seconds remaining. Butler takes down ODU as Grant, Chef Lefty, and I fall to 0-2 on the day.
1:54: Everyone is taking a break as Louisville-MHS is tied at the half. PSU-Temple is a close game with 1:00 to play in the first half. Philly Cheese Steaks are coming right up. Admittedly I’m not a fan of the famous sandwiches from Philadelphia. I’ve taken a lot of heat for that.
2:00: Louisville is starting to take control of the game. Morehead State had a 15-2 lead at one point. I realize there was a lot of game left, but I can’t imagine it feels very good to squander that kind of lead. Louisville leads 38-37 with 16 minutes to play.
2:10: Not much action right now. Princeton-Kentucky just tipped off on CBS. I think it’s surprising that CBS is willing to share the ratings of these First Ro… I mean “Second Round” games. Obviously they had to have made a lucrative deal with Turner to broadcast every game. Still, the NCAA Tournament is one of those things CBS will never give up, so it’s surprising they decided to share the wealth.
2:16: It has been halftime in the PSU-Temple game for 15 minutes.
Grant: “Wait, Penn State is losing.”
2:25: I’ve been taking a slight break. For lunch I’ve settled with Wendy’s while the rest of the crew enjoys their sandwiches. Morehead State trails 48-47 with 8:14 to play. Louisville fans have to be horrified. Give MHS credit for not going away. On a related note, that may be the biggest cliché I’ve used all day.
2:37: Terrance Hill nails a three for MHS to increase their lead to 57-52 with 5:16 to play. The MHS players are really getting into it! This game is getting into “Get Back Guy” territory. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, the “Get Back Guy” is a member of a team, usually a big underdog, who doesn’t really play at all. Whenever his team makes a great play, you will see the “Get Back Guy” celebrate before instinctively extending his arms away from his body to make sure his teammates don’t flood out on to the court.
Things you look for in a “Get Back Guy”:
1. How often does he play? The best “Get Back Guys” only step on the court during pregame and halftime warm-ups.
2. Is he still wearing his warm-up gear late into the second half? (This usually coincides with #1)
3. Does he have a towel around his neck or on his shoulder?
4. Does he have an above average wingspan?
*Number 4 isn’t a requirement, but is definitely preferred.
Simply put, Morehead State has extreme “Get Back Guy” potential right now.
2:40: MHS has 18 offensive rebounds to only five for Louisville. How does that happen to a Big East team? 57-56 MHS with 2:50 to play.
2:47: Peyton Siva drives and dishes off for a dunk as Louisville extends their lead to 61-57 with over a minute to play.
O’Con: “Wow, dirty drive.”
Chef Lefty: “He should get tested after that drive.”
2:50: Louisville misses the first free throw of a 1-and-1. MHS gets the rebound and takes a timeout with 0:25 seconds left. Will they play for the last shot, or try and go quick in case they miss?
How tense is this? We aren’t changing the channel to another game during the commercial timeout. 61-59, Louisville.
2:53: MHS sets up a play for Demonte Harper to isolate his defender one-on-one. Instead of driving he steps back and drills a go-ahead three! MHS takes a 62-61 lead with 3.6 seconds remaining. Timeout Louisville. The refs put time back on the clock. 4.2 seconds for Louisville to get a shot off. Peyton Siva is immediately trapped after taking the inbounds pass. He is able to get a pass down to the other end for a last second 3-point attempt. Kenneth Faried blocks the shot as Morehead State continues the trend of weird, random teams advancing to the Second Ro… err, “Third Round” of the NCAA Tournament! The exciting finish drops Grant, Chef Lefty, and I to 0-3 on the day. O’Con and Shorts lose their first game to drop to 2-1.
Kenneth Faried and Morehead State are the latest 13-seed to pull an upset on Day 1.
2:59: Our sights shift to the ending of the Temple-PSU game. Temple leads 58-57 with 3:00 to play. The living room is quite somber right now. In other action, Pittsburgh leads UNC-Asheville 26-17 late in the first half. And in Tampa, Kentucky is edging Princeton 34-33 at the half.
3:05: Temple leads 62-61 with 56.9 seconds remaining. The Nittany Lions have the ball as they look to drop my record to 0-4 on the day. Excellent stop by Temple as Lavoy Allen is waiting in the lane to reject a Penn State drive. Juan Fernandez steps to the line for Temple after a PSU foul. He makes the first free throw before a timeout is called. “Commercial Game” is still pretty much dead and buried. It’s a shame, really.
Chef Lefty: “He’s going to make this free throw and then Taylor Battle will make a tying three for Penn State.”
Back to action as Fernandez makes the second free throw. Taylor Battle makes a tying three for Penn State to tie the game at 64. Ridiculous.
3:10: 11.4 seconds remain as Temple inbounds the ball.Fernandez dribbles just inside the three-point line, endures the double-team and makes an awkward jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining. Chef Lefty and I finally pick up that elusive first win of the day.
Grant: “I have not tasted sweet victory yet.”
After four games, the standings look like this:
O’Con – 2-2
Shorts – 2-2
Chef Lefty – 1-3
Me – 1-3
Grant – 0-4
3:13: Watching replays of Temple’s final game winning shot and we have found our first “Get Back Guy” of the day.
Chef Lefty: “Not one person was getting on that court. He could have held back the entire arena.”
Grant: “He knows why he’s on that bench. Everyone else came to play. He did too.”
I love the NCAA Tournament.
All he's missing is the towel.
3:21: Princeton looking to match Morehead State with another 13 over 4 upset. They lead Kentucky 36-34 early in the second half. Vandy-Richmond about to tip off in what is probably the most popular 12-5 upset pick. I took Vanderbilt because it’s hard for me to imagine Vanderbilt being upset in the “Second Round” two years in a row. Well, I guess last year it was actually the First Round. Whatever.
4:06: Apologies. I took a huge break, and by huge break I mean I gave up on the diary because my bracket sucks right now and nothing was really going on. Well things have gotten interesting as the Kentucky-Princeton game is tied at 57 with 0:20 seconds to play. Kentucky has the ball and is trying to hold for the last shot. Brandon Knight drives the lane and floats a layup into the hoop. Kentucky leads by two with 0:02 seconds remaining. What a bummer for Princeton. The March Madness gods will only allow one 13-seed to win in one day.
During the long break, the living room crew changed “buzzer beaters” to “Howies” after Matt Howard’s buzzer beater earlier for Butler. I don’t like it.
Princeton can’t convert the half court “Howie” as Kentucky survives.
4:11: Pitt-Asheville, Vandy-Richmond, and SDSU-N. Colorado are the final three games remaining. Vanderbilt leads Richmond by five with plenty of time to play.
Grant: “I finally taste victory.”
4:30: I’ve been surfing the internet for the past 15 minutes. Nothing much going on in terms of games. Pittsburgh is taking care of UNC-Asheville, while SDSU is leading Northern Colorado 30-24 at the half. Vanderbilt leads Richmond 35-32 at the half.
I feel a lot better now about Pittsburgh. They were struggling against Asheville early, but they’ve taken control with 2:30 to play. I have the Panthers in the Final Four, which I’m not too terribly happy about.
4:32: “Commercial Game” is still a no-go. Everybody has lost interest in everything that’s going on. At least commercials have taught us the only car 16-year-old girls can drive is a Subaru.
You, You there! It's called a "Howie" now!
4:38: Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery are back for the second half of Vandy-Richmond. Right out of the gate Richmond hits a three and gets fouled. The ref who made the call emphatically counted the bucket by pumping his fist in a downward motion. He’s got Richmond in the Sweet-16.
4:42: Vanderbilt scores to make it 44-37.
Verne Lundquist: “And that’s a nine-nothing Vanderbilt run! … err, I beg your pardon.”
Both teams had traded baskets for the previous four possessions.
4:44: Chef Lefty and Shorts decide to pass the time by using their phones to reflect sunlight into people’s eyes. 48-42, Vanderbilt.
4:48: Windows Phone can do pretty much everything. Why would you want Netflix on your phone? I can’t imagine that’s good for battery life.
4:52: Richmond’s Kevin Anderson scores six straight points on back-to-back threes to tie the game at 48. The Spiders have injected some much needed life into this game.
5:15: Me talking about Vandy-Richmond: “Both these teams are shooting the lights out.”
Chef Lefty: “I’m surprised the court is still illuminated.”
O’Con: “They’re using the backup generators now.”
Vanderbilt hits one of two free throws to cut the lead to one. Richmond leads 64-63 with under four minutes to play in Denver.
5:19: We’ve decided the “Napa Know How” commercial is the best of the day. You know you’ve made a funny commercial when it still makes you laugh after five viewings.
5:26: Richmond-Vandy may be coming down to another “Howie”. Everybody immediately starts to pay attention when Vandy gets possession down two points. Lance Goulbourne goes to the line for Vandy after he is fouled. He makes one of two as Richmond takes over.
5:40: Richmond pulls off the upset after Vandy’s weak last second 3-point attempt falls short.
Me: “Another Vanderbilt choke job in March. They suck.”
Grant: “They would be good as a 12-seed.”
The first eight games are in the books. The standings:
O’Con – 6-2
Shorts – 6-2
Chef Lefty – 5-3
Me – 4-4
Grant – 3-5
NFL Conference Championship Picks
Its Conference Championship weekend and only three NFL games remain on the schedule. This is a bittersweet time of the year with the Super Bowl being close enough to touch while Week 1 of next season remains nine months away. Another downside to Round 3 of the NFL Playoffs is no Saturday games. On a side note, I heard/read somewhere that Seattle beat New Orleans a couple weeks ago because the game was played on a Saturday, and everybody knows Pete Carroll does his best coaching on Saturdays (Kudos to whoever said that). Luckily for the Bears the NFL scheduled the ‘Hawks/Bears game on a Sunday, rendering Pete Carroll’s talents irrelevant.
"Hey Pete, thanks for giving me the easiest road to the NFC Championship game ever." "You got it bro."
Other thoughts from Round 2 of the NFL Playoffs
1. I don’t think the Ravens/Steelers game was as close as the 31-24 score led us all to believe. Baltimore was extremely fortunate to score all three of their touchdowns. They were the beneficiaries of a bad pass interference call on 3rd and 15, a weird fumble return touchdown when everybody on the field thought the play was over, and another Pittsburgh fumble that gave Flacco and the Ravens the ball at the Steelers 16-yard line. Are you aware that Baltimore managed to gain a measly 126 yards of total offense? Are you kidding me? Obviously some weird things had to happen for them to score 24 points.
2. It was kind of weird watching the Packers blast Atlanta after everybody actually predicted Green Bay to win. Don’t games like that usually go the other way? Just so I can sound as generic as everybody else in the media: “Atlanta had absolutely no answer for Aaron Rodgers.” I kind of feel bad for Atlanta fans. I mean, the Falcons went 14-2 this year. 14-2! And they were humiliated at home by the 6th seeded Packers. I’m sure the Atlanta faithful would have rather seen…
3. The Seahawks come to town. The Bears were lucky enough to not jump Atlanta for the top seed in the NFC. Their gift was a home game against the worst NFL playoff team of all-time. Congratulations! Chicago did what they should have done against a sub-.500 team at home. A Bears loss would have been even more embarrassing than what the Saints had to endure one week earlier.
4. After watching the Pats/Jets game, I felt like everybody in the entire world had overrated New England. Going into the game everyone (including myself) thought they were the class of the playoffs. For the record, I did mention in my December mailbag that I was worried about the Patriots defense in the playoffs. Well, Jets Offensive Coordinator Brian Schottenheimer exposed their defense and called a fantastic game. He put Mark Sanchez in great situations usually involving quick, 3-step drops that never gave New England a chance to get at the quarterback. As for the Jets defense, where was this unit all season? Do they not really care during the regular season? Do they even watch film and game plan before the playoffs? Rex Ryan has them playing with ridiculous confidence and when you combine that with really good players you’re usually going to get a shut down unit.
Cheer! Cheer for me! Cheer for your quarterback who is slightly better than Trent Dilfer!
Before I get to my picks, I’d like to admit that I’ve flipped flopped for the past three days. There are just too many different scenarios that I can see panning out this weekend. Here are the Super Bowl matchups that I have considered, but ultimately dropped.
Packers vs. Steelers
Way too easy, right? To regrettably use a tired cliché, if the games were played on paper this weekend, this would be the Super Bowl matchup. I mean, Green Bay and Pittsburgh should just win this weekend, it makes the most sense. The Packers have split with the Bears this year but they gave away the Week 3 matchup when they committed 18 penalties and only lost by three on the road. The Steelers lost in Week 15 to the Jets, but New York got a kickoff return touchdown, a safety, and Mark Sanchez played a near flawless game. Pittsburgh was without Troy Polamalu and Roethlisberger was still one play away from winning the game in the end.
Bears vs. Steelers
Honestly the only reason I considered this matchup is because of Lovie Smith and Mike Tomlin. The only other time Lovie Smith was in the Super Bowl he coached against his mentor, and fellow black head coach, Tony Dungy. It was the first time two black head coaches faced off in the Super Bowl. Wouldn’t it be fitting if Lovie was involved in the second matchup of two black head coaches? In the end, I decided this wouldn’t really be as big of a story as it was the first time, therefore it probably won’t happen. Note: This match-up would also produce talk of the ’85 Bears defense vs. the Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970s.
Bears vs. Jets
Wouldn’t it be great if both underdogs rose up and took down the favorites to play for it all in Super Bowl XLV? Well, most of America would probably say “NO”. I can’t imagine most people wanting to watch a Super Bowl that featured Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez. There were a couple reasons, however, that made me consider this matchup. I liked the idea of Rex Ryan, son of former Bears Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan, taking on his dad’s old team in the Super Bowl. I also like the idea of New York beating Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger in consecutive games leading to a meeting with the abominable Jay Cutler. If those three quarterbacks can’t figure out the Jets, how would Cutler?
Obviously there is one more possible matchup left. On to the picks.
Packers (-3.5) over BEARS
There are a bunch of reasons to go against Green Bay in this game:
1. They looked a little too good last weekend indoors and now they’re traveling outside to play a better defense.
2. Everybody is picking the Packers this week. Usually when everybody is going one way, you should go the other.
3. The Bears are familiar with Green Bay as opposed to Atlanta who had only played the Packers three times in the last five years.
4. I’m sure the Bears aren’t too happy about being an underdog in a conference championship game at home.
5. These teams played three weeks ago in a pseudo-playoff game for Green Bay, therefore Chicago has film of the Packers pulling out all of the stops in a must-win game.
"Yes, I am grateful that I'm an awesome NFL quarterback. And yes, I do realize if I wasn't I would be cast off as a mullet pariah."
All of those reasons still don’t sway me to pick against Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay. Like I mentioned earlier, the Packers should win this game simply because they are better on paper. There is a reason the odds makers are favoring this team on the road. If this game was being played at Lambeau Field the Packers would be favored by at least 6-7 points.
There’s one more reason why I like Green Bay to win this game. Somehow Aaron Rodgers was left off of the Pro Bowl roster. Now usually I don’t care at all about the Pro Bowl, but when I found out he didn’t make the team I had to investigate. The NFC quarterbacks are Drew Brees (Okay), Mike Vick (That makes sense), and… Matt Ryan (Huh??). For the record, Aaron Rodgers had the best quarterback rating in the NFC. Basically he should be the starting quarterback in Hawaii with Vick and Brees/Ryan filling in as the 2nd and 3rd string. This is the biggest All-Star snub since… this summer when Joey Votto was left off the National League All-Star team. Of course the fans ultimately voted Votto into the game, but the NFL has no such vote for the fans. So what does this have to do with this weekend? I think the Packers winning the game will be kind of a “make up” for Rodgers not making the Pro Bowl. You see, he wouldn’t have gone to the Pro Bowl anyways because Green Bay would be prepping for a trip to Jerry World in Arlington, Texas.
Jets (+3.5) over STEELERS
The first two weekends of the NFL playoffs haven’t gone as everyone expected, so why would this weekend? The main reason I’m taking the Jets is because the playoffs have been pretty much unpredictable up to this point. Doesn’t at least one of the underdogs win this weekend? There are two reasons I like the Jets chances of winning more than the Bears: Rex Ryan has them believing they can beat anybody, and their defense has been dominant against two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in back-to-back weeks. We’ve all heard about Pittsburgh’s depleted offensive line. Well, if that’s true, shouldn’t the Jets absolutely have their way with them up front? Ben Roethlisberger is very good, but there is only so much you can do with little to no time to throw. This is not me taking Mark Sanchez to beat Ben Roethlisberger. That would be ridiculous. This is me taking the Jets defense to continue their strong play and beat up another elite quarterback.
Packers/Jets won’t be the sexiest Super Bowl of all-time, but it will be a Super Bowl. And it would be better than Giants/Ravens, which we can all agree is the worst Super Bowl matchup of the last 10 years.
Last Week: 3-1
Playoffs: 4-4
Overall: 65-45-2
The Sports Generals – January 14, 2011
Back and Better Than Ever!
In the first episode in two years, The Sports Generals wrap up Auburn’s win in the BCS National Championship Game and make NFL playoff picks for the Divisional Round.
NFL Divisional Playoffs Picks
The NFL Playoffs are only one week old and I already give up. Wildcard Weekend was like the ending of The Sixth Sense. It was shocking to find out Bruce Willis had always been dead, but the clues are pretty obvious with a second viewing of the film.
–And no, I didn’t forget a SPOILER ALERT. The movie came out 12 years ago. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m surprised you were able to stumble onto the internet.
I see Roman Harper getting burned for another long touchdown.
I went 1-3 last week, failing miserably and questioning my own abilities. I felt pretty confident going into the weekend, but after watching Seattle curb stomp the Saints I felt scared and alone (just like after watching The Sixth Sense). Of course I felt great when New Orleans jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Then John Carlson hauled in a touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck after a nice drive to cut the deficit to three. But hey, there was Drew Brees and the Saints driving for another touchdown to lead by 10 again. What a relief, no way were the Seahawks going to put back-to-back scoring drives together. Right??
Of course Seattle did just that, capping off the drive with John Carlson “falling down” at the line of scrimmage before getting up and catching another touchdown pass. When has the “Tight End fakes like he’s blocking and pretends to fall down before getting up and catching the touchdown” play not worked? I think it has been about as successful as the “QB rolls one way before throwing back to the Tight End/Wide Receiver who is always wide open for a touchdown” play (Which Seattle ran a week earlier against the Rams).
A few other thoughts on Seattle’s win:
-Matt Hasselbeck played excellent. It shouldn’t be that surprising considering he played pretty well earlier in the year against the Saints.
-The Saints defense is awful. How do you allow 41 to that team? The Seahawks have absolutely no playmakers on either side of the ball. New Orleans was gashed by Mike Williams, John Carlson, and the Ghost of Marshawn Lynch. Way to watch film and prepare for that one guys.
-The final touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch was really cool. Don’t know if you heard, but the run caused a minor earthquake. That makes it even cooler. But I have to say, the more times I see it, the less cool it gets. That was just really bad tackling. Like, the worst tackling in the NFL this season. Probably ever.
-John Carlson should never be allowed to spike the ball again. (See clip above)
I felt like a fool at the end of the game. Why would I take the Saints laying 11 points when they don’t even play that well on the road? Remember last week’s column? I even pointed out four reasons why taking the Seahawks was a smart play. This is where we come back to The Sixth Sense. I was surprised watching the Saints play so poorly against Seattle, yet in the end I wasn’t that surprised. All the ingredients were there for a Seahawks win, yet I ignored them because the story was about the Saints being way better than Seattle. M. Night Shyamalan gave us all the clues in the film, yet they were easy to ignore because the story was about the kid, not Bruce Willis. What have we learned here? Probably that Seattle is a one hit wonder just like M. Night Shyamalan. Unless of course you think any of his other movies are good. Which I don’t.
On to the picks. Home team in Caps.
STEELERS (-3) over Ravens
I can’t find any logical reason to take the Ravens. Baltimore is in the Divisional Playoff round for the third time in three years. They beat the Titans in 2008 before eventually losing to Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship Game. Last year, the Ravens fell to the Colts after beating New England in the Wildcard Round. What does this all mean? The Ravens lose road playoff games to teams that are better than them. Simple, right? The Titans weren’t really very good in 2008 (Probably one of the worst 14-2 teams ever). The Steelers, however, were really good in 2008. Like, good enough to win the Super Bowl. Of course last season the Colts were really good, too.
The Steelers are better than the Ravens this year. Of course this is only my opinion, but I think Pittsburgh with Roethlisberger and Polamalu is pretty tough to bet against. Especially in the playoffs.
Packers (+1.5) over FALCONS
I don’t think this game will be very close in the end. I like the Packers to win comfortably. I felt like a fool last weekend after I went against Aaron Rodgers and the Pack. Green Bay would have run away with that game if James Jones doesn’t drop a sure touchdown at the end of the first half. I have been a big Packers believer all year, and for some reason I jumped off the bandwagon last weekend. Well, I’m jumping right back on.
Seahawks (+10) over BEARS
There is no way I’m laying 10 points with Jay Cutler playing quarterback. I’m also done picking against the Seahawks. I’ve gone against Seattle the last two weeks and I’ve been burned twice. For the record, the Bears should win this game easily. Even though Seattle played awesome last weekend they are still a really bad football team. Chicago isn’t great by any stretch of the imagination, but they are much better than the Seahawks (But so were the Saints). It’s hard to imagine Matt Hasselbeck playing that well again, especially against a Bears defense that isn’t awful like New Orleans’. Take away their Qwest Field advantage and throw in the fact that no .500 or worse playoff team has won two playoff games, and I like the Bears chances.
Well, that’s all great, but I’m still not picking Chicago. Give me the Seahawks and the points.
Jets (+9) over PATRIOTS
I admit that I’m buying into the Jets keeping this game close. I was very impressed by their defensive performance against the Colts last Saturday. Rex Ryan backed off on the blitz which allowed his team to be in better positions to defend passes from Peyton Manning. I envision a similar game plan against Tom Brady and the Patriots.
It seems like New York is in the same situation they were in last year, which is trying to win playoff games despite Mark Sanchez. Obviously Bill Belichick was probably licking his chops after watching film of Sanchez against Indianapolis. I think the Jets quarterback will surprise some people this week and make a couple of plays. The Jets keep it close and may even pull off the upset, which would be even bigger than Seattle over New Orleans. In the end, however, I can’t pick against New England winning straight up.
Based on last week, these picks are probably garbage and should be disregarded immediately. My credibility took a huge hit with a 1-3 weekend. I’d like to think there is no way I do that badly again. (Fingers crossed)
OU Hockey Club Radio
ACHA Hockey – OU vs. Colorado State – 10/22/10
OU scored six goals in the first period in rout to a 9-4 victory over Colorado State. Seven players scored for the Sooners who upped their record to 9-4 on the year.
Play-by-Play: Lee Benson
Color: Joe Rigazzi
NFL Wildcard Weekend Picks
Wildcard Weekend!
The other surprising playoff participant is the Kansas City Chiefs. They started the season hot and managed to keep up the momentum on their way to winning the AFC West. I thought the Chargers would ultimately take the division, but the Bolts decided to finish 9-7 with the No. 1 defense and the No. 1 offense in the NFL. Only one other team in NFL history has finished with the top offense and defense and missed the playoffs, the 1953 Eagles.
The other six teams playing this weekend have been in this position before. For the sake of argument, let’s rank the remaining playoff teams from best to worst:
1. Patriots
2. Steelers
3. Falcons
4. Saints
5. Ravens
6. Bears
7. Jets
8. Colts
9. Packers
10. Eagles
11. Chiefs
12. Seahawks
What a difference a few weeks can make. Philadelphia was probably the No. 2 NFC team after they came back to beat the Giants in the New Meadowlands. Since then they were beat up by the Vikings and lost to the Cowboys. The Eagles limp into the playoffs with a lot of doubters, and it doesn’t help that they have to play the suddenly red-hot Packers.
As for the other teams, I don’t think the top-5 can be debated. You may disagree with the order, but those are the five best teams in the NFL right now. The next four teams could be flipped upside-down and I wouldn’t argue much. The Bears can be really good if Jay Cutler doesn’t play like a bum, but they can be really bad if he does. The Jets can be really good if Mark Sanchez plays as well as Colin Cowherd and Trent Dilfer thinks he can, and they can be really bad if he doesn’t. The Packers are really hot right now, but they’ve been wildly inconsistent this year. The Colts have Peyton Manning, but they are missing a lot of receivers and their defense is average at best.
I touched on the Eagles above, so that leaves our two newcomers, the Chiefs and Seahawks. Obviously Seattle is the worst team still alive. Their stats suggest they should be 4-12. They’re 27th in total defense, 28th in total offense, and minus-9 in turnover differential. The Seahawks are simply awful. The Chiefs are tough to figure out after they were destroyed by Oakland last weekend. It’s not like they were playing a meaningless game. KC could have locked up the 3-seed with a win, as well as finish the season a perfect 8-0 at home. The Raiders looked like the team playing for the 3-seed, not the Chiefs.
Alright, that’s all out of the way, on to the picks. Home team in Caps.
Saints (-11) over SEAHAWKS
Fist pumps for sucking!
You gotta love the NFL Playoffs. If this game was being played in New Orleans it would be a 14-15 point spread. On paper, Seattle has absolutely no chance at even coming close to winning this game. Fortunately for the Seahawks, the flawed NFL playoff system has given them a home game against a team with four more wins.
All week I’ve been looking for reasons to take Seattle and the points. Did you know the Saints haven’t beaten anybody by more than 11 points on the road since Week 9? Did you know since 2005, Drew Brees is 2-6 in his career when the kickoff temperature is below 45 degrees? (Saturday High Temp in Seattle: 44 degrees) Did you know Matt Hasselbeck is 4-1 at Qwest Field in the postseason? Did you know the Saints have never won a road playoff game? If Seattle wins, it will be because of those obscure stats that shouldn’t really matter in this week’s game. And why shouldn’t those tidbits matter? Because New Orleans is miles better than the Seahawks in every conceivable way.
Full disclosure, I think Seattle has an excellent shot to not only cover the spread, but actually win this game straight up. The reason I refuse to take the ‘Hawks is because there is no way I can bet on the worst playoff team in NFL history. The Rams were a replay review and a couple dropped passes away from possibly beating Seattle last week. I just don’t see how the home team can bottle up Brees and that offense for four quarters.
COLTS (-3) over Jets
Here we go again. I’ve made my disdain for the Jets (specifically Mark Sanchez) pretty clear throughout the year. On the flip side, I’ve clearly conveyed my idolization of Peyton Manning and what he does for the Colts. That is, shockingly enough, the basis of my pick. I had faith that Manning would figure out the vaunted Jets defense last year, and I have faith that he will figure it out again this year. I feel much better because the Jets D isn’t nearly as solid right now as it was during the playoffs last season. Once again, on the flip side, I’m discouraged by the absence of Austin Collie and Dallas Clark.
Hey did you hear?! We don't have to play the Chargers! YEEEAAAHHH!!
Here’s what I have decided about the Jets and Mark Sanchez: They have a ton of confidence mostly stemming from their head coach. Sanchez is better than I usually give him credit for, and he has certainly improved a lot from year one to two. That being said, I don’t have confidence in Sanchez winning a game by himself. I have a feeling the Colts will force Sanchez to beat them by working extra hard to stop the running of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Other reasons why I think the Colts will win:
Peyton Manning’s record against Rex Ryan is 5-1. I know this has been a popular topic of discussion this week, but that’s because it’s a really good stat. The only loss for Manning was last year’s debacle when Jim Caldwell benched the starters, ultimately costing Indy a chance at a perfect 16-0 season. Manning has shown over time that he can figure out Rex Ryan’s scheme. It will be interesting to see if Ryan makes some adjustments and throws some new looks at Peyton.
Finally, I must thank Grant, former host of The Sports Generals (and my brother), for this last tidbit:
“Since the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2006, the only AFC team to give them trouble in the playoffs is San Diego. It was crap in 2008 when the Colts were 12-4 and had to play at San Diego who was 8-8. The Chargers aren’t in the playoffs, so the Colts shouldn’t have to worry much.”
Of course this year the Colts are on the positive side of the flawed NFL Playoff system. They get to host the Jets, even though New York has a better record.
Ravens (-3) over CHIEFS
I must admit that I was really confident about the Chiefs in this game until I looked at one stat: Kansas City’s schedule. Did you know the Chiefs have played one team all year with 10 wins? That was against the Colts in Week 5 when they managed only 9 points and 261 total yards of offense.
Arrowhead needs to have 79,000 of this guy if they want a chance against Baltimore.
But they went 7-1 at home! They are awesome at Arrowhead!
2010 Kansas City Chiefs Home Schedule:
San Diego (9-7)
San Francisco (6-10)
Jacksonville (8-8)
Buffalo (4-12)
Arizona (5-11)
Denver (4-12)
Tennessee (6-10)
Oakland (8-8)
Combined Opponents Record: 50-78 (.390 %)
In comparison, the Ravens have played six teams with 10 or more wins including Pittsburgh twice. Baltimore played four of those games away from M&T Bank Stadium, winning two. When it comes to the playoffs I favor battle tested teams. As much as I don’t particularly like the Ravens, I dislike the Chiefs even more. This is the third year in a row the Ravens are playing away from home on Wildcard Weekend. They’ve won the past two, including a convincing win over New England last year. I think they can handle Kansas City.
EAGLES (-3) over Packers
Too many people taking the Packers in this one. It makes sense (as I pointed out earlier), but I’ll be the contrarian and go the other way. The main reason why I don’t like the Pack is because I don’t trust them. They have been way too inconsistent this year and I don’t like their chances away from Lambeau Field in hostile territory. I know the Eagles are only 4-4 at Lincoln Financial this year, but that is better than Green Bay’s 3-5 mark away from Lambeau. While we’re on the subject of records, it should be pointed out that Andy Reid is 7-2 all-time in the playoffs at home. Furthermore, the Eagles haven’t lost a home Wildcard game since Reid took over in 1999. For the Packers, Mike McCarthy has coached three playoff games during his tenure, winning only one (home against Seattle in 2007).
I have poor clock management skills, but I seem like a good guy and I win first round playoff games. Life is good.
There are a few other reasons why I like the Eagles. First of all, Green Bay can’t run the ball. This hasn’t really slowed them down much this year, but I have a feeling it will be an issue on the road in the playoffs. Secondly, Mike Vick had a good amount of success against the Packers in Week 1. Obviously a bunch of time has passed by and the Packers will be more prepared this time around; But I think the week off for Vick to get rested, coupled with all the doubters will give him the necessary motivation to succeed. The third thing I like about Philadelphia is DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy. And finally, remember the last time Vick faced the Packers on Wildcard Weekend?
I would be lying if I said I was extremely confident with these picks. Come on, I didn’t take one underdog to cover, or win outright. The chances of going 4-0 are slim to none, but this is how I see Wildcard Weekend playing out.
Last Week: 10-6
Overall: 61-41-2
Year End Mailbag
Caution. This column may contain insensitive and vulgar comments. That is all.
Up until this point the only thing I have written about is the NFL. I get numerous emails asking why I don’t write about college football, or the NBA, or college basketball, etc. Well, this column has been designed to hit on all of the other sports topics I have failed to touch on since this blog was created in early November. So, without further ado, lets get to the letters!
Q: Your blog is clearly a wannabe attempt to rip off Bill Simmons from ESPN. You should quit now and never write about sports again. You suck.
— Jon, Dallas
Thanks for taking the time to comment Jon. To answer your question, er, comment, I must say that Bill Simmons is certainly an inspiration to me. However, I am in no way trying to rip him off. In fact, my goal is to be a million times better than Simmons. I mean, all he really cares about is the Patriots, the Red Sox, and the freaking NBA (He wrote books over the last two). You see, I won’t be writing about the NBA at all on this blog (unless, of course, something happens that is impossible to ignore). The reason for this is because the NBA is absolutely awful. The only time I have the slightest bit of interest is in April when the playoffs start. So that basically leaves six months of NBA basketball that I couldn’t care less about.
And by the way Jon, you should quit writing me emails. Your criticism isn’t very constructive and I don’t appreciate you disrespecting your father like that. That’s right, I’m your dad. I banged your mom.
So what is the deal with all of the NFL columns? Do you even like any other sports? You probably don’t even like college football. Hey guy, the NFL isn’t the only sport!
— Mike, Vancouver
Thanks for writing Mike, and on behalf of America, let me say I’m sorry that you have to live in Canada. But to address your questions, yes I do like other sports. I’m actually a pretty big fan of college football. The reason why I write NFL rankings columns is because the NFL doesn’t have a BCS to rank all of the teams. And speaking of the BCS, I really hate it now. I used to like the BCS but now I’m one of the countless people who want a playoff.
I also enjoy college basketball (but usually only in March), hockey, and I jumped on the soccer bandwagon this summer during the World Cup. If you didn’t enjoy watching the USA in the World Cup, you can go straight to Canada and join Mike.
I read your blog every week to find out your NFL picks. I don’t know why I do this. I don’t really care what you think about the NFL. I guess I’m just bored and I have nothing to do during the day. Hey, do you want to hang out sometime? We can chill and watch the NFL. It will be fun. Why don’t you return my phone calls?
— Tommy, Napes, FL
Hey Tommy, you’re creeping me out. Please stop calling me. I’m pretty sure I filed a restraining order against you seven years ago. In fact, yes… yes I did. That is why you are currently living in Naples, Florida. Please stay there and never come near me again. But hey, keep reading, I really appreciate it. Seriously.
Hey dude, who are you taking in the BCS National Championship Game? I like Oregon because their offense is awesome and they have sweet uniforms.
— Tad, Eugene, OR
You would have Oregon winning, Tad. Seriously? Is that a fake name?
Anyways, I like Auburn to win the title game. History has shown that “high flying” offenses usually don’t play well in these National Championship games. I think Auburn will use all 346 days of preparation to realize Oregon’s offense isn’t that special. I’m pretty sure they only run, like, seven plays. Oregon hasn’t seen a good defense all year and they seriously only scored 15 points against Cal. I don’t think Oregon has any business winning this game. By the way, I’m not saying Auburn’s defense is the ’85 Bears or the Steel Curtain, but it is better than Oregon’s. And anything from the Pac-10 for that matter.
Hey it’s the end of the year and all I see on TV is countdowns and programs remembering what happened in 2010. What is your most memorable moments of 2010?
— Jill, Vermont
Thanks for writing Jill. I hate to disappoint you, but seriously, who cares about the most memorable moments of 2010? I certainly don’t. I hate the countdown programs, the ESPN top plays, the “Biggest News Makers of 2010”, etc. All of that stuff is basically filler because nobody wants to do any actual work the final 2-3 weeks of the year.
Here’s the deal Jill, since you were the only female to write I’ll answer your question. My favorite sports moments of 2010:
7. Boise State losing to Nevada
6. Mike Vick playing well and actually coming off as a mature/rehabilitated person
5. Mark Buehrle’s sweet between the legs flip on Opening Day
4. The ridiculous amount of No-Hitters/Perfect Games in MLB (5 in regular season, 1 in the post-season, and 1 that should have been)
3. OU football winning first Bowl Game in four years
2. USA in the World Cup (most notably Landon Donovan’s goal to beat Algeria)
1. USA Hockey in the Olympics (excellent Gold Medal game against Canada)
My least-favorite sports moments of 2010:
7. Football treating concussions like ACL tears
6. Vuvuzelas at the World Cup
5. Immediately changing my opinion about LeBron James from “awesome basketball player and okay guy” to “awesome basketball player and huge jerk”
4. Saints somehow beating the Colts to win the Super Bowl
3. Alabama blowing a 24-pt lead at home to Auburn (biggest choke job of the year)
2. Everything about the Winter Olympics that wasn’t hockey (seriously who cares about ice skating and curling?)
1. Every mention of Brett Favre
I’m sure I missed a bunch of stuff, but that’s what I can think of off the top of my head.
I saw the sign that said “Joe Webb = Joe Montana” (mentioned in last week’s Picks column here) and it got me thinking. You wondered if anyone has ever compared a black athlete to a white athlete, but has anyone ever compared a white actor to a black actor? I racked my brain for five minutes trying to think of an example. Can you think of any?
— Shane, New York
Great question Shane. By the way, before I answer your question, I’d like to point out one other white/black player comparison. Apparently an NFL GM described Cam Newton as the black Ben Roethlisberger. Here’s my question: Would Cam Newton be mad if he heard this? On one hand the GM used race in his assessment, but on the other hand he compared him to a really good NFL quarterback. Who knows?
Okay, back to your question about actors. I can’t think of any comparisons either. The only real issue with acting and race I can think of is the Academy Awards and the Best Actor/Actress award. Only two men have won Best Actor, Sidney Poitier (1967) and Denzel Washington (2001), while Halle Berry is the only woman to win Best Actress (2001). This is a weird topic. I don’t think you’ll ever hear anyone say, “Wow, I really think Denzel Washington is the black Tom Hanks.” It just doesn’t make sense.
Hey, I see your rankings and picks every week but you never predict who is ultimately going to win the Super Bowl. What’s the deal with that?
— Don, Flagstaff, AZ
I just haven’t gotten around to doing that yet, Don. That’s a fair question though. At this point Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, and Philadelphia have made the playoffs in the NFC. I picked Seattle to win the NFC West from the beginning, but I don’t think they’ll beat the Rams this week. As for the final Wild Card in the NFC, I like Green Bay to sneak in over the Giants and Tampa Bay. In the AFC, New England, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, and the Jets have clinched playoff spots. The Colts should clinch the final spot Sunday against Tennessee.
Who do I like in the Super Bowl? Well, as much as I hate to admit it I really like the Saints in the NFC. I think Philadelphia was the trendy pick two weeks ago, but we have seen that a solid defensive line can give Vick and the Eagles problems. In the playoffs, most of the teams will have fast defenses able to contain Vick. The easy pick in the AFC would be New England, but I really don’t like their defense. I know that unit has played particularly well of late, but I have a weird feeling they will struggle in the post-season (but probably not). I like two teams in the AFC, the Steelers and Colts. I know Pittsburgh is banged up and they aren’t flashy, but I really like them in the playoffs, especially if Troy Polamalu can get healthy. As for the Colts, they are basically the only team I can see matching the Patriots score for score. I think they would have trouble playing against a smash-mouth team like Pittsburgh. I’ll take the Steelers for now.
In a battle of teams who have played in and won recent Super Bowls, I would give Pittsburgh the slight edge over New Orleans. For the record, I do not want this match-up to actually happen. I don’t necessarily like the Saints or the Steelers. If it were up to me I would like a rematch of Super Bowl XLI with the Bears exacting revenge on Peyton Manning and the Colts. That would be awesome.
Hey, I just wanted to let you know I was flipping through channels when I came across an old episode of CSI. I watched for about five minutes until I remembered that CSI sucks like pretty much every other show on CBS. Obviously watching that crappy show made me think of your crappy website. I bet you enjoy shows like CSI, NCIS, Survivor, and Two and a Half Men. I actually just drank three shots of Jack in hopes of erasing that crappy show from my memory.
— Jerry, Boston
Your email leaves me with mixed feelings. I’m happy that you chose to write me, but I suppose I’m not thrilled you think my website is crap. Anyway, I actually don’t like any of the shows you mentioned. In fact, I think pretty much everything on CBS is awful as well. Apparently you and I are in the minority because CBS, like, kills the other networks in ratings year after year. For God sakes a show called “Mike and Molly” gets like 9-10 million viewers in the 9:30 time slot.
That is all the letters for now. Make sure to check out my Week 17 Power Rankings and Picks on the right! Happy New Years!
Email the blog: benson2306blog@gmail.com
OU vs. UCO Hockey – Dec. 4, 2009
On “Student Night” at Blazers Ice Centre, two in-state rivals squared off. OU’s Austin Miller scored the tying goal with only seconds remaining to force OT. Keith Denton scored the eventual game winner for OU in the shoot out.
Reporting – Lee Benson
Originally Aired – OUr Sports Pad, 12/7/09, Cox Channel 124 in Oklahoma City
Week 16 NFL Picks
Home Team in Caps
COWBOYS (-7.5) over Cardinals
Ever since Jason Garrett has taken over the Cowboys have played like a top-10 team. Their only question mark has been their defense. They have given up a ton of points, but it’s hard to play shut down defense against New Orleans, Indianapolis, and Philadelphia. John Skelton hasn’t shown any signs that he is capable of carving up the Dallas secondary the way Rex Grossman (gulp) did last week.
Speaking of Rex, I’m actually rooting for him to do well in Washington (at least for the rest of the season). I have never been a big fan of Donovan McNabb, and I’m happy to see a guy like Rex Grossman play better in one week than McNabb has played the entire season for the Redskins.
"So you lost the Super Bowl to Tom Brady, huh? It's cool, Peyton Manning beat me."
DOLPHINS (-3.5) over Lions
Detroit won their first road game in, like, 27 years. There is absolutely no way they win two in a row away from Ford Field, let alone extend their winning streak to three games (that may be a franchise record). Throw in the fact that Miami has alternated wins over the last ten weeks and they lost to Buffalo last week. I’ll take the Fins.
JAGUARS (-7) over Redskins
Shame on everyone who jumped on the Jaguars bandwagon last week. There was absolutely no way they were going into Peyton’s house and winning a regular season “playoff” game. That being said, Jacksonville still has a shot at the post season and their schedule is pretty easy the rest of the way. They should beat Washington because there is no way Rex Grossman plays back-to-back good games. That guy is just way too inconsistent. Didn’t I just root for this guy a couple sentences ago?
RAMS (-3) over 49ers
This game is basically a pick ’em. I’ll take the Rams simply because I predicted an eight-win season back in August. Another reason why I like the Rams: Although they have lost back-to-back games against solid opponents (New Orleans and Kansas City), they’ve beaten the last two mediocre teams they played (Denver and Arizona).
On the flip side, there are just as many reasons for me to take the 49ers. San Francisco has won their last three games against NFC West opponents, including a 23-20 win over the Rams in mid-November. The Niners are starting Troy Smith this week who had a huge game last time against the Rams. Stay away from this game.
Patriots (-9) over BILLS
After the “scare” against Green Bay last week, I can’t see the Patriots allowing the Bills to keep this one within 10 points. Plus, a win gives New England home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The weather forecast shows a chance of snow, which means the Patriots will probably play ridiculously well.
BEARS (-1) over Jets
I’m a little worried about taking the Bears again at home against a good AFC East opponent (see the New England debacle). That being said, the thought of an injured Mark Sanchez trying to work against the Bears defense makes me feel a little better. I know the Jets are 6-1 on the road this year, but the win last week over Pittsburgh is their only quality victory of note. Before beating the Steelers, New York’s road wins looked like this:
Miami (7-7)
Buffalo (4-10)
Denver (3-11)
Detroit (4-10)
Cleveland (5-9)
That is a combined record of 23-47. Gross. You know what else is gross? This.
"Psst... can I see your feet later?"
The Bears are beginning to look a lot like the 2006 team who made it to the Super Bowl. Similarities include excellent special teams play including the reemergence of Devin Hester. However, the current Chicago defense isn’t as good as that Super Bowl contender. But the offense looks to be in better shape with Mike Martz calling the plays. As long as Jay Cutler is put in favorable situations, he should be able to avoid the colossal game killing mistake. Of course, just when you think Cutler has matured as a quarterback he’s bound to throw a couple of picks and resort back to his usual self.
Ravens (-3.5) over BROWNS
I know the history. Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore in 1996, ultimately taking football away from Cleveland until 1999. Browns fans will certainly want blood this Sunday as the Ravens come to town. Still, it is very hard for me to trust Cleveland after they’ve dropped two straight to the Bills and Bengals. Colt McCoy has played well in limited time, but the Ravens have a lot to play for after the Steelers win Thursday. I’m not super confident taking the Ravens, but I’m most certainly not taking the Browns.
CHIEFS (-5) over Titans
I really want to take Tennessee. In fact, I would take the Titans if this game was played at LP Field in Nashville. The thing is, Kansas City has been just too dominant at home this season. I realize their last home game was a rather pedestrian 10-6 victory of lowly Denver, but I’ll chalk that up as an anomaly. This is virtually a must win game for Kansas City as the Chargers continue to creep from behind. The Titans have been playing very well of late, but they haven’t won a road game since Week 6. It’s really difficult imagining them stealing one from the Chiefs.
Colts (-3) over RAIDERS
Merry f*****g Christmas!!
Wow, I haven’t picked a dog yet. The streak continues with the Colts over Oakland. Once again I’m taking the Colts solely because of Peyton Manning. The Raiders have been wildly inconsistent over the past month and they played pretty well last week against Denver. I’m hoping the inconsistent trend continues against the Colts.
The Raiders certainly will be motivated in this one because they still have an outside shot at the playoffs. I like Indy, but I would certainly not bet this game. I can’t help but envision a Peyton Manning pick-6 followed by shots of Raider fans jumping up and down going nuts. Yeah, that could definitely happen.
Texans (-2.5) over BRONCOS
Count me in as excited for the Tim Tebow era in Denver. Not that I’m a Tebow fan, but because I can’t wait to see how his game translates to the NFL. He played okay against Oakland, but he only completed eight passes and was the beneficiary of maybe the luckiest touchdown pass of all-time. If Kyle Orton were playing I’d probably take Denver because of Houston’s atrocious pass defense. Well, now that Tebow is in, I’ll take the Texans. Tebow isn’t going to pick apart Houston’s secondary and the Broncos are the worst team the Texans have played in weeks.
GOD BLESS!
BENGALS (+7.5) over Chargers
It’s going to be cold and possibly snowy in Cincinnati. I like San Diego to win, but I think the Bengals can cover the spread. The Chargers have played pretty much flawless the last two weeks, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they aren’t as sharp this Sunday. If you’re keeping score at home, yes, that is two straight weeks I’m taking the Bengals.
Seahawks (+6) over BUCCANEERS
Call this just a hunch. Tampa Bay pretty much had their playoff hopes squashed when they lost to the Lions in overtime. As for Seattle, they are still alive in the playoff race and a road win over a quality opponent is just what they need to propel themselves to a NFC West title. For the record, I picked the Seahawks to win the West before the season, so I have a vested interest in their success. I’ll ride them until they are officially eliminated (which should have been weeks ago along with every other team in the NFC West).
PACKERS (-3) over Giants
Aaron Rodgers is back. Green Bay is at home. They have to win to stay alive and I think this Packers team is too good to miss out on the playoffs. Still, if they do miss the post-season, they have only themselves to blame (bad losses to Detroit, Washington, and Miami).
As for the Giants, I don’t like the idea of New York just “shaking off” that gut wrenching loss to the Eagles. I mean, they should have won the game. The NFC East should be their’s to lose right now. Well, they blew it and I think it’s all down hill from here.
Vikings (+14.5) over EAGLES
What have we seen from the Vikings recently that should make us believe they can beat the Eagles let alone stay within two touchdowns? Well, nothing really. But I have a feeling that Minnesota has the defensive line to contain Vick and limit his explosive plays. I don’t think the Vikings win, but 14.5 points is a little much.
"Ha ha, what?... and then you actually sent it to her?"
Did anyone else see the sign during Monday Night Football that read: “Joe Webb = Joe Montana” (or something to that effect)? Is this the first time a white player has been compared to a black player? I feel like this is a big deal. We need Stephen A. Smith to comment on this.
Saints (+3) over FALCONS
I know Matt Ryan is like 123-1 in the Georgia Dome, but I have a weird feeling the Saints will pull this one out. Maybe it’s because the Saints should have beaten Atlanta back in Week 3. You remember that game? The one where Garrett Hartley missed an easy field goal to open the door for the Falcons to win in overtime? That win may have set the tone for the entire rest of the season for Atlanta.
I like the Saints because of how they played last week at Baltimore. They lost, but the teams looked pretty evenly matched. The Ravens snapped the Saints six game winning streak, and I think New Orleans will snap the Falcons’ streak at eight.
This Week:
1-0
Last Week:
9-7
Overall:
41-30-2
Week 15 NFL Picks
Quick picks for NFL Week 15.
RAMS (-3) over Chiefs
Texans (+1.5) over TITANS
COLTS (-4) over Jaguars
Cardinals (+2.5) over PANTHERS
BENGALS (PK) over Browns
Bills (+5.5) over DOLPHINS
GIANTS (-3) over Eagles
COWBOYS (-9) over Redskins
BUCCANEERS (-4) over Lions
RAVENS (-2) over Saints
Falcons (-6) over SEAHAWKS
STEELERS (-4) over Jets
RAIDERS (-8) over Broncos
Packers (+14) over PATRIOTS
Bears (-7.5) over VIKINGS
THIS WEEK: 1-0
LAST WEEK: 7-7-1
YEAR TO DATE: 32-23-2
The Stance 