Another slate of games approaches and I can't help but feel that perhaps I'm just not meant to get all of these picks right. At least I have one constant ... the Lions will lose. It's almost comforting.
Bills over Jets - call it a hunch, but I think Favre is hurting. Seeing the replays of some of the picks the last couple weeks, it just doesn't look he's got the same velocity we're used to seeing from him. Buffalo is going to bounce back from a bad loss at home.
Bears over Lions - Another record passing day for Kyle Orton? Probably not ... he already set his career high against the Leos earlier this year. Detroit will keep this one closer, but not close enough.
Jaguars over Bengals - Cincinnati is the only team in the league I think Detroit could beat right now and they're facing a Jags team who are going to be hungry after getting totally stuffed on the run last week.
Ravens over Browns - Cleveland is on a bit of a roll lately and showing some of the promise that a lot of folks believed they had before the year started. I'm not completely confident on this pick, I just think that Baltimore is good enough to hold them off.
Titans over Packers - Tennessee was very impressive in playing it out Monday night, completely dominating the second half against Indy. There's no glitz or glamour to this team, just tough, hard nosed football being played on both sides of the ball.
Bucs over Chiefs - Tampa disappointed me last week, but even if they're not as good as I thought, they're plenty good enough to beat Kansas City. KC is on the third or fourth string QB after all.
Cards over Rams - This could be the first Western team winning a game travelling east (if you don't count NO winning in London ... but someone had to win that one!). The Rams have stepped up under the new coach, but I think Warner has a big day back in St. Lou.
Vikings over Texans - Houston can't win on the road. They just haven't got it figured out. Minnesota will be desperate to keep up with the Bears in the division and will have enough in them to win this one.
Broncos over Dolphins - I don't know what to make of Denver. They're a talented offensive team with not much going well on the other side of the ball. I think they have enough fire power to get past Miami though.
Falcons over Raiders - Matty Ice goes into the Black Hole and comes out a victor! It helps that the Raiders only two wins were total gifts.
Giants over Cowboys - When Romo went down with the busted pinky, Dallas had to be hoping to get through the Tampa / NY games even. They beat Tampa last week which is going to lead to a little let down against a Giants team that seems to be getting better each week.
Eagles over Seahawks - Seattle's twelfth man is not enough. Can they put out thirteen or fourteen? No? Okay then ... not enough fire power to win games for poor Mike Holmgren who's got to put up with this team as his last before "retirement".
Patriots over Colts - Game of the week! What's that? No Brady? Peyton's playing hurt? Okay then, maybe this one isn't the Sunday Nighter NBC was hoping for. It should still be a good game and Matt Cassel will do just enough to pick on a depleted Indy defense.
Redskins over Steelers - Pittsburgh is just too beat up right now and Washington is going to come out and lay another physical beating on them. The Skins almost got caught last week looking ahead, but still came away with the win in Detroit. They'll be better this game.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
ISU World Cup
After another miserable round of predictions this past weekend, I'm going to ignore football for this post and focus on the event I got to watch live on Sunday.
The ISU brought their World Cup Short Track Speed Skating circuit through town in a test event for the Olympics and tickets were not as popular as I expected. I was able, with just a few days of notice, to score a pair of seats pretty close to the ice for just $20 each! I thought this was a great vantage point to judge the speed and aggression of the skaters heading through the turns.
The event started with the quaterfinals of the men's and women's 500 m and 1,000 m races. This being my first opportunity ever to watch speed skating live, I was a bit confused by several aspects of the event that you don't actually get to see on TV every four years when they cover this during the Olympics. First of all, there are actually five tracks that get used. The little black markers on the ice that delineate the turn get moved for each heat to make sure that the ice is smooth and consistent. When they move the track, they also pour several gallons of water onto the ice and squeegee it into the ruts that get carved out by the skaters' blades. By the time they've gone through the five tracks, they can go back to the first and the water will have had time to freeze and create a new smooth, consistent surface for the skaters again. My next question, of course, was about the distance staying accurate with the track changing every heat, but they take care of that with five separate start lines for each corresponding loop. The five or six guys who take care of maintaining the track throughout the event get a serious workout skating around fixing the ice and the track all day!
After the quarterfinal heats, they cleaned the ice for real and prepared for the semifinals of the same four events. It was interesting to watch the strategies change from the 500 m races to the 1,000 m races. In the 500, it was essentially an all out sprint where the first person into the first turn more often than not came away with the victory. The 1,000 involved a lot more of the skaters playing cat and mouse with each other, getting through the first 2/3 of the distance without anyone really pushing it and waiting for someone to make the first move. Once the passes started happening, it was fast and wild to the finish.
The semifinal races generally each sent two skaters to the A final and two to the B final. From what I recall, B finals exist in case there are mass disqualifications in the A final, leading to the medals rolling down. I learned at the event that it's the responsibility of the skater trying to make a pass to avoid contact and it's that contact that leads to the DQ's. What I came to gather from watching though, is that some contact is clearly allowed. In fact, as the two Korean skaters in one of the 500 m semis squeezed a Canadian right out of the picture in the final turn, my outraged yelling for a DQ was met with inaction from the judges, but unkind reaction from the dozens of Koreans parked in the seats in front of me. Oops.
This clip that I found on YouTube was taken during the preliminaries on Friday or Saturday, but shows a pretty exciting race from World Record holder, and Canadian, Michael Gilday ...
The finals were pretty exciting with several Canadians spread through the races. None of them came up with golds, but Gilday got a silver in the men's 1,000, Remi Beaulieu took bronze in the same, Francois Termblay took silver in the men's 500, and Marianne St. Gelais won her first world cup medal, a silver in the women's 500 m. Looking through the list of people on the Candian team, it was clear that I am already way over the hill to take up short track speed skating, and apparently not french enough either!
After the individual finals were all complete, they really ramped up the excitement with the relay finals. It began with the women's 3,000 m relay which had five teams in the final due to an advancement due to DQ in the semis. This meant that there would be 20 skaters on the ice, all interchanging every lap and a half, trying to stay out of each other's way but not give any room for a pass. As the teams started to spread out a little it became dizzying just trying to watch and difficult to keep track. The excitement grew and the tight race eventually went to the Chinese over the Koreans and the third place Canadians. The men's 5,000 m relay was similarly dizzying, though with four fewer guys on the ice, a little easier to keep track of. The Canadians pushed extremely hard, but got edged out in the end by the Americans by about 0.8 seconds.
It was a great new experience to see live and something I would definitely recommend if you ever get a chance. I know I'll be trying to get tickets again when they come back to town, whether that be for another World Cup race, or the Olympics in 2010.
The ISU brought their World Cup Short Track Speed Skating circuit through town in a test event for the Olympics and tickets were not as popular as I expected. I was able, with just a few days of notice, to score a pair of seats pretty close to the ice for just $20 each! I thought this was a great vantage point to judge the speed and aggression of the skaters heading through the turns.
The event started with the quaterfinals of the men's and women's 500 m and 1,000 m races. This being my first opportunity ever to watch speed skating live, I was a bit confused by several aspects of the event that you don't actually get to see on TV every four years when they cover this during the Olympics. First of all, there are actually five tracks that get used. The little black markers on the ice that delineate the turn get moved for each heat to make sure that the ice is smooth and consistent. When they move the track, they also pour several gallons of water onto the ice and squeegee it into the ruts that get carved out by the skaters' blades. By the time they've gone through the five tracks, they can go back to the first and the water will have had time to freeze and create a new smooth, consistent surface for the skaters again. My next question, of course, was about the distance staying accurate with the track changing every heat, but they take care of that with five separate start lines for each corresponding loop. The five or six guys who take care of maintaining the track throughout the event get a serious workout skating around fixing the ice and the track all day!After the quarterfinal heats, they cleaned the ice for real and prepared for the semifinals of the same four events. It was interesting to watch the strategies change from the 500 m races to the 1,000 m races. In the 500, it was essentially an all out sprint where the first person into the first turn more often than not came away with the victory. The 1,000 involved a lot more of the skaters playing cat and mouse with each other, getting through the first 2/3 of the distance without anyone really pushing it and waiting for someone to make the first move. Once the passes started happening, it was fast and wild to the finish.
The semifinal races generally each sent two skaters to the A final and two to the B final. From what I recall, B finals exist in case there are mass disqualifications in the A final, leading to the medals rolling down. I learned at the event that it's the responsibility of the skater trying to make a pass to avoid contact and it's that contact that leads to the DQ's. What I came to gather from watching though, is that some contact is clearly allowed. In fact, as the two Korean skaters in one of the 500 m semis squeezed a Canadian right out of the picture in the final turn, my outraged yelling for a DQ was met with inaction from the judges, but unkind reaction from the dozens of Koreans parked in the seats in front of me. Oops.
This clip that I found on YouTube was taken during the preliminaries on Friday or Saturday, but shows a pretty exciting race from World Record holder, and Canadian, Michael Gilday ...
The finals were pretty exciting with several Canadians spread through the races. None of them came up with golds, but Gilday got a silver in the men's 1,000, Remi Beaulieu took bronze in the same, Francois Termblay took silver in the men's 500, and Marianne St. Gelais won her first world cup medal, a silver in the women's 500 m. Looking through the list of people on the Candian team, it was clear that I am already way over the hill to take up short track speed skating, and apparently not french enough either!
After the individual finals were all complete, they really ramped up the excitement with the relay finals. It began with the women's 3,000 m relay which had five teams in the final due to an advancement due to DQ in the semis. This meant that there would be 20 skaters on the ice, all interchanging every lap and a half, trying to stay out of each other's way but not give any room for a pass. As the teams started to spread out a little it became dizzying just trying to watch and difficult to keep track. The excitement grew and the tight race eventually went to the Chinese over the Koreans and the third place Canadians. The men's 5,000 m relay was similarly dizzying, though with four fewer guys on the ice, a little easier to keep track of. The Canadians pushed extremely hard, but got edged out in the end by the Americans by about 0.8 seconds.
It was a great new experience to see live and something I would definitely recommend if you ever get a chance. I know I'll be trying to get tickets again when they come back to town, whether that be for another World Cup race, or the Olympics in 2010.
Friday, October 24, 2008
What to Watch?
Another weekend is upon us and I seek to determine the most exciting events to watch! Will it be baseball? Well, it is the World Series ... but there's threat of a rainout tomorrow and the series can't end this weekend regardless, so I'll have to say no. Hockey? There's an excellent slate of games Saturday night with every team in the league in action! But I still don't think that's it. NFL? There are a couple of intriguing games to watch including whether Europe will see a decent game between the Saints and the Chargers in London, and whether Pittsburgh or NY can show dominance between AFC and NFC leaders. Still though, neither of these games have huge implications for playoffs or much else. What's left? Ah yes ... there it is ... Saturday night at the Horseshoe! Penn State visiting Ohio State. God I hope JoPa's boys can kick some Buckeye tail! There's nothing better than watching OSU lose.
As for those NFL games, I do have some thoughts. Let's see if I can crack double digits for a change. I'm going with a lot of home teams in the hope that that might actually help this week. Here we go ...
Texans over Bengals - I just think Cincinatti is nearly as hopeless as Detroit. Houston is going to look like they're on a roll after this, but their recent opponents provide that deception.
Bucs over Cowboys - This is a bit of a toss up for me, but I think Dallas is spiralling out of control and the injuries and suspensions aren't going to let them get any better quickly enough.
Redskins over Lions - I've stated here before that I think the Leos are going to go 0-16 this year. Detroit's games now become automatic in my picks the rest of the way.
Bills over Dolphins - so yeah, I said I was liking the home teams this week and this is my third road pick in a row. Believe me, I'm getting to the homers.
Patriots over Rams - see? Home team. St. Louis is not good enough to win three in a row, even under the guidance of a new coach.
Chargers over Saints - okay, technically, this is another road pick ... but the game's in England! Aren't they both on the road? I just hope that San Diego brings the team that beat up on the Pats instead of the one who stunk up the joint in Buffalo.
Jets over Chiefs - Herm Edwards has got to feel down about leaving a decent Jets team to coach a lousy KC team with some fourth string QB trying to beat Favre in NY this weekend.
Eagles over Falcons - This one's going to be close. I'm pleasantly surprised watching Matt Ryan flourish this year the way rookies so rarely do. He's a lot of fun to cheer for. But I don't think he's got enough talent around him to win this game.
Panthers over Cardinals - no team from the Pacific or Mountain time zone has won a game outside their time zone yet this year. Don't expect this to be the first.
Ravens over Raiders - don't expect this to be the first either!
Jaguars over Browns - Jacksonville should be better than 3-3 right now. This is a playoff caliber team that needs to get the ball rolling and I think they'll do it at home against a weak Cleveland team.
Steelers over Giants - As discussed above, this should be a really good test of two top teams. With both sitting 5-1, we'll find out how much the Giants' record might have been helped by playing a lot of crappy teams so far and how ready they are to defend their title.
49ers over Seahawks - two crappy teams coming together here. I'm going to take San Fran mostly because they'll be motivated to perform after the coaching shake up.
Titans over Colts - this should also be a really good Monday night game this week. I like the Titans to remain undefeated because their defence could really do damage against a poorly performing Colts offensive line and make it a long night for Captain Pants's boy Peyton.
Enjoy the weekend! I'll be off Sunday to watch a far lesser observed sporting event, the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating event here in Van City. Go Canada!
As for those NFL games, I do have some thoughts. Let's see if I can crack double digits for a change. I'm going with a lot of home teams in the hope that that might actually help this week. Here we go ...
Texans over Bengals - I just think Cincinatti is nearly as hopeless as Detroit. Houston is going to look like they're on a roll after this, but their recent opponents provide that deception.
Bucs over Cowboys - This is a bit of a toss up for me, but I think Dallas is spiralling out of control and the injuries and suspensions aren't going to let them get any better quickly enough.
Redskins over Lions - I've stated here before that I think the Leos are going to go 0-16 this year. Detroit's games now become automatic in my picks the rest of the way.
Bills over Dolphins - so yeah, I said I was liking the home teams this week and this is my third road pick in a row. Believe me, I'm getting to the homers.
Patriots over Rams - see? Home team. St. Louis is not good enough to win three in a row, even under the guidance of a new coach.
Chargers over Saints - okay, technically, this is another road pick ... but the game's in England! Aren't they both on the road? I just hope that San Diego brings the team that beat up on the Pats instead of the one who stunk up the joint in Buffalo.
Jets over Chiefs - Herm Edwards has got to feel down about leaving a decent Jets team to coach a lousy KC team with some fourth string QB trying to beat Favre in NY this weekend.
Eagles over Falcons - This one's going to be close. I'm pleasantly surprised watching Matt Ryan flourish this year the way rookies so rarely do. He's a lot of fun to cheer for. But I don't think he's got enough talent around him to win this game.
Panthers over Cardinals - no team from the Pacific or Mountain time zone has won a game outside their time zone yet this year. Don't expect this to be the first.
Ravens over Raiders - don't expect this to be the first either!
Jaguars over Browns - Jacksonville should be better than 3-3 right now. This is a playoff caliber team that needs to get the ball rolling and I think they'll do it at home against a weak Cleveland team.
Steelers over Giants - As discussed above, this should be a really good test of two top teams. With both sitting 5-1, we'll find out how much the Giants' record might have been helped by playing a lot of crappy teams so far and how ready they are to defend their title.
49ers over Seahawks - two crappy teams coming together here. I'm going to take San Fran mostly because they'll be motivated to perform after the coaching shake up.
Titans over Colts - this should also be a really good Monday night game this week. I like the Titans to remain undefeated because their defence could really do damage against a poorly performing Colts offensive line and make it a long night for Captain Pants's boy Peyton.
Enjoy the weekend! I'll be off Sunday to watch a far lesser observed sporting event, the ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating event here in Van City. Go Canada!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Sad Sack Lions
Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking about the ignominy of 0-16 this year. Don Banks is grateful that among all of the parity and unpredictability in the NFL these days, the one thing we can count on is the Lions total ineptitude. Check it out in this article.
At least Detroit has the Red Wings to cheer for.
At least Detroit has the Red Wings to cheer for.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Weekend Wrap Up
Another week, another pathetic first quarter for the Lions. The Leos have now been outscored 54-0 in the combined first quarters of their six losses. With the worst record among their next six opponents being the 3-3 Jaguars, I like the odds of this team running their record to 0-12 on Thanksgiving!
In better news, I beat the coin this week. My eight correct predictions going into the Monday nighter, while still not great, dramatically outshone random chance this week. Let's hope the Pats can make it 9 for me tonight.
I suppose some sports fans might also be interested in the fact that baseball is finally going to wrap things up shortly. While the TV executives were praying for the LA-Boston final, the action on the field managed to give them Tampa Bay - Philly. There should be about six people tuning in to watch this series ... that is if any of them can stay up until 1 am on the east coast to watch the games finish. Let's just say that even with the benefit of being three time zones over, I'm more excited about the chance to go watch the short track speed skating World Cup race that's coming to town next weekend as a test run for the Olympics.
In better news, I beat the coin this week. My eight correct predictions going into the Monday nighter, while still not great, dramatically outshone random chance this week. Let's hope the Pats can make it 9 for me tonight.
I suppose some sports fans might also be interested in the fact that baseball is finally going to wrap things up shortly. While the TV executives were praying for the LA-Boston final, the action on the field managed to give them Tampa Bay - Philly. There should be about six people tuning in to watch this series ... that is if any of them can stay up until 1 am on the east coast to watch the games finish. Let's just say that even with the benefit of being three time zones over, I'm more excited about the chance to go watch the short track speed skating World Cup race that's coming to town next weekend as a test run for the Olympics.
Friday, October 17, 2008
NFL Week 7
Here we are again, heading into the weekend, trying to figure out what on earth the surprises will be in the NFL. And speaking of surprises, I've now watched the Red Wings' two home games so far against Toronto and Vancouver, and I can't figure out why Detroit isn't working harder. There's a clear talent divide between the Wings and those two teams, yet Detroit got out hustled both times and lost because of it. Last night against the Canucks, Detroit even game up two goals including the game winner by not reacting fast enough to bounces off the lively boards that they should be well and truly used to by now. It seemed to be another case of Vancouver just wanting it more and winning the little battles within the game. Of course, it wasn't hard to predict that Vancouver was going to come out jumping after their absolutely pitiful performance two nights earlier in Washington.
In any case, we'll move on now to the NFL picks for week 7. Again, I will pit my clear lack of predicting abilities against those of a coin to see if I can catch up after losing 8-6 last week. Here we go ...
Bills over Chargers - San Diego has to travel across the country after an emotion filled Sunday night win last week. Buffalo has won four years in a row coming off their bye week. Sounds to me like a Bills win.
Bears over Vikings - I'm not really sure which of these teams is worse, but at least Chicago had less trouble beating up on Detroit and it's in the Windy City. The pick has to be the Bears.
Steelers over Bengals - Cincinnati will remain winless and keep the Lions company in the cellar, especially with Pittsburgh coming off a bye.
Titans over Chiefs - On the flip side, Tennessee will remain undefeated by beating up on the lovable losers from Kansas City.
Cowboys over Rams - Romo or no, depleted secondary, trouble all over the place, and I still think Dallas will win this game on the road. They're lucky to have drawn St. Louis during this time of trouble.
Dolphins over Ravens - call me crazy, but I'm starting to believe in these Dolphins. It's not just that Wildcat offense either ... their defense has really been stepping up. They'll manage to keep Baltimore and their rookie QB in check.
Giants over 49ers - I almost feel sorry for San Francisco having to travel out to face a Giants team feeling ashamed of their last performance. They have no chance in this contest.
Saints over Panthers - I've had trouble picking NO games right this year, but I'm putting faith here in Drew Brees. His numbers don't lie and I love that Reggie is finally getting in on the action.
Texans over Lions - This was one of those games that I circled on the calendar before the start of the season thinking the Leos could get a W. Not so. There aren't any circles on that calendar anymore.
Colts over Packers - Would the real Peyton Manning please stand up? Is it the guy who lit it up last week? Or the one who stunk for the first four? With the revelation that he actually had a second knee surgery during the summer, I believe that he's finally starting to feel healthy again and what we saw last week was for real. Indy in a close one.
Jets over Raiders - Brett's only other visit to Oakland was the day after his father died and he put up almost 400 yards on the Raiders. This one will be less emotional, but this Oakland team is even less talented. Favre will win this one easily.
Redskins over Browns - I'm looking again at turnarounds. Washington played lousy last week and are going to be looking strongly to bounce back. Cleveland, however, came up big on Monday night over the G-men. With a letdown in emotion and a short week, I don't give Cleveland much of a shot on the road.
Bucs over Seahawks - Seattle is just bad. There's no sugar coating it. Now they have to travel as far as they possibly could (unless they draw the really short straw some year and get sent to Europe for a game; see: New Orleans vs San Diego next week). Tampa in a walk.
Patriots over Broncos - The Pats got embarassed last week too and are going to be looking to rebound. I think Denver will be a good team for them to let Matt Cassel open up against on Monday night. Should be a good game, anyway.
And now for the picks that you would be more wise to trust ... the coin toss! Heads for the home team, tails for the road. Results are: Chargers, Bears, Steelers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Dolphins, 49ers, Panthers, Lions, Packers, Jets, Browns, Seahawks, Broncos. I like my chances.
In any case, we'll move on now to the NFL picks for week 7. Again, I will pit my clear lack of predicting abilities against those of a coin to see if I can catch up after losing 8-6 last week. Here we go ...
Bills over Chargers - San Diego has to travel across the country after an emotion filled Sunday night win last week. Buffalo has won four years in a row coming off their bye week. Sounds to me like a Bills win.
Bears over Vikings - I'm not really sure which of these teams is worse, but at least Chicago had less trouble beating up on Detroit and it's in the Windy City. The pick has to be the Bears.
Steelers over Bengals - Cincinnati will remain winless and keep the Lions company in the cellar, especially with Pittsburgh coming off a bye.
Titans over Chiefs - On the flip side, Tennessee will remain undefeated by beating up on the lovable losers from Kansas City.
Cowboys over Rams - Romo or no, depleted secondary, trouble all over the place, and I still think Dallas will win this game on the road. They're lucky to have drawn St. Louis during this time of trouble.
Dolphins over Ravens - call me crazy, but I'm starting to believe in these Dolphins. It's not just that Wildcat offense either ... their defense has really been stepping up. They'll manage to keep Baltimore and their rookie QB in check.
Giants over 49ers - I almost feel sorry for San Francisco having to travel out to face a Giants team feeling ashamed of their last performance. They have no chance in this contest.
Saints over Panthers - I've had trouble picking NO games right this year, but I'm putting faith here in Drew Brees. His numbers don't lie and I love that Reggie is finally getting in on the action.
Texans over Lions - This was one of those games that I circled on the calendar before the start of the season thinking the Leos could get a W. Not so. There aren't any circles on that calendar anymore.
Colts over Packers - Would the real Peyton Manning please stand up? Is it the guy who lit it up last week? Or the one who stunk for the first four? With the revelation that he actually had a second knee surgery during the summer, I believe that he's finally starting to feel healthy again and what we saw last week was for real. Indy in a close one.
Jets over Raiders - Brett's only other visit to Oakland was the day after his father died and he put up almost 400 yards on the Raiders. This one will be less emotional, but this Oakland team is even less talented. Favre will win this one easily.
Redskins over Browns - I'm looking again at turnarounds. Washington played lousy last week and are going to be looking strongly to bounce back. Cleveland, however, came up big on Monday night over the G-men. With a letdown in emotion and a short week, I don't give Cleveland much of a shot on the road.
Bucs over Seahawks - Seattle is just bad. There's no sugar coating it. Now they have to travel as far as they possibly could (unless they draw the really short straw some year and get sent to Europe for a game; see: New Orleans vs San Diego next week). Tampa in a walk.
Patriots over Broncos - The Pats got embarassed last week too and are going to be looking to rebound. I think Denver will be a good team for them to let Matt Cassel open up against on Monday night. Should be a good game, anyway.
And now for the picks that you would be more wise to trust ... the coin toss! Heads for the home team, tails for the road. Results are: Chargers, Bears, Steelers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Dolphins, 49ers, Panthers, Lions, Packers, Jets, Browns, Seahawks, Broncos. I like my chances.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
And then there were two
The random coin toss out-picked me 8-6 this weekend. I think I should perhaps give up trying to get the selections right, and just go on tossing the coin.
With the Texans and the Rams getting their first wins of the season, only Cincinnati and Detroit remain with doughnuts in the win column. Detroit had a real solid chance to break out of that, of course, but for Dan Orlovsky's boneheaded safety in the first quarter against the Vikings. If you haven't seen it already, check it out here.
Adding to the ineptitude that has invaded Detroit area sports, the new vintage Wolverines managed to lose to Toledo on Saturday with a missed chip shot field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Then to add insult to injury, Michigan grad Braylon Edwards, after helping his Cleveland Browns beat the Giants last night, did his postgame interview wearing a Penn State t-shirt. This, as Michigan gets ready to face PSU this coming weekend. Braylon's got some explaining to do!
With the Texans and the Rams getting their first wins of the season, only Cincinnati and Detroit remain with doughnuts in the win column. Detroit had a real solid chance to break out of that, of course, but for Dan Orlovsky's boneheaded safety in the first quarter against the Vikings. If you haven't seen it already, check it out here.
Adding to the ineptitude that has invaded Detroit area sports, the new vintage Wolverines managed to lose to Toledo on Saturday with a missed chip shot field goal that would have sent the game to overtime. Then to add insult to injury, Michigan grad Braylon Edwards, after helping his Cleveland Browns beat the Giants last night, did his postgame interview wearing a Penn State t-shirt. This, as Michigan gets ready to face PSU this coming weekend. Braylon's got some explaining to do!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Slackers
It was a pretty pathetic performance put in by the Red Wings last night. Uncharacteristic giveaways time after time ultimately cost them the Leafs' third goal, but the turnovers did a lot more to derail Detroit's offense than anything else. They didn't win the battles for the puck and they got outskated.
Hopefully they will learn from last night's game that having a lot more talent than the other guys isn't going to be enough this year. The work ethic has to be there too. Win the races. Battle like they did in the playoffs last year. And take advantage of opportunities. That's what it's going to take.
On the other side of the game last night, I think the Leafs are going to be able to hang around in more games than anyone expects. Ron Wilson has them playing hard and buying into the system. The trap is going to make them horribly boring to watch all year, but if Wilson can keep their effort levels up, they might have some hope at seeing the playoffs again.
Hopefully they will learn from last night's game that having a lot more talent than the other guys isn't going to be enough this year. The work ethic has to be there too. Win the races. Battle like they did in the playoffs last year. And take advantage of opportunities. That's what it's going to take.
On the other side of the game last night, I think the Leafs are going to be able to hang around in more games than anyone expects. Ron Wilson has them playing hard and buying into the system. The trap is going to make them horribly boring to watch all year, but if Wilson can keep their effort levels up, they might have some hope at seeing the playoffs again.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Raising the Banner
Big night in Detroit tonight. Put on your jersey and break out the wing nut
Tonight we celebrate this ...
By beating up on this ...
Can't wait to check it out! LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!!
Tonight we celebrate this ...
By beating up on this ...
Can't wait to check it out! LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!!!Wednesday, October 8, 2008
How Strange Will This Week's Games Be?
Another week of picking dawns, and it's been pointed out that perhaps I would do better if I just flipped a coin. So, after I've made all of my carefully calculated picks, I will do just that and see how I fare versus fate. I'm not optimistic that this will end well for me.
Bears over Falcons - Is Kyle Orton for real or does he just wish he could beat up on the Lions every week? Tune in to find out.
Ravens over Colts - This is a pick where I could happily just flip a coin. Ultimately, I think the Ravens' D is too good and I think the Colts' two wins have both been fluky. I'll take the more solid team even though they're on the road.
Vikings over Lions - Minnesota's win on Monday night was also very fluky, but A.Pete could run for more than 200 yards against this porous Detroit defense. Look for it to be 21-0 at halftime like every other game the Lions have played.
Saints over Raiders - the Raiders are just as dysfunctional as the Lions. New Orleans is going to come out with something to prove after pissing away the game Monday night.
Jets over Bengals - it should be a high scoring affair and I think Cincy will remain winless, especially having to go on the road and face Brett.
Panthers over Bucs - tough game to pick. Both defenses are playing great and neither offense has stepped up, so it should be low scoring. I picked Carolina because no one knows how the QB carousel will land in Tampa.
Redskins over Rams - St. Louis is the only team in the league that might (and I emphasize the might part) be as bad as Detroit. Washington is going to pound them.
Texans over Dolphins - Houston has seemed cursed so far this year, but with Miami coming off back to back wins over New England and San Diego and having to go on the road, I think this might just be a week they could be caught napping. With Schaub back to health, Houston will take the doughnut out of their win column.
Denver over Jacksonville - I get both the Broncos and Jaguars games wrong every week. Pay no attention to this pick.
Cowboys over Cardinals - and so begins my picking of road teams the rest of the week. Dallas is too good for Arizona and they won't be caught off guard like Buffalo was last week.
Eagles over 49ers - Philly needs this game to keep their season on track. Donovan will have the boys jumpin'.
Packers over Seahawks - Green Bay will bounce back against a Seattle team that isn't nearly as good as everyone expected this year.
Patriots over Chargers - really tough pick after both just got burned by Miami's "Wildcat" offense. I think SD's pass defense looks susceptible and Philip Rivers has been too eratic to make plays to bail the defense out.
Giants over Browns - could I possibly get a Monday Night game right this week? The G-men should prove to be reliable.
Finally, here are the picks from the random number generator ...
Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, Oakland, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Houston, Denver, Arizona, Philadelphia, Green Bay, San Diego, Cleveland.
That's right ... the random number generator picked every winless team. And it will probably do better than me.
Bears over Falcons - Is Kyle Orton for real or does he just wish he could beat up on the Lions every week? Tune in to find out.
Ravens over Colts - This is a pick where I could happily just flip a coin. Ultimately, I think the Ravens' D is too good and I think the Colts' two wins have both been fluky. I'll take the more solid team even though they're on the road.
Vikings over Lions - Minnesota's win on Monday night was also very fluky, but A.Pete could run for more than 200 yards against this porous Detroit defense. Look for it to be 21-0 at halftime like every other game the Lions have played.
Saints over Raiders - the Raiders are just as dysfunctional as the Lions. New Orleans is going to come out with something to prove after pissing away the game Monday night.
Jets over Bengals - it should be a high scoring affair and I think Cincy will remain winless, especially having to go on the road and face Brett.
Panthers over Bucs - tough game to pick. Both defenses are playing great and neither offense has stepped up, so it should be low scoring. I picked Carolina because no one knows how the QB carousel will land in Tampa.
Redskins over Rams - St. Louis is the only team in the league that might (and I emphasize the might part) be as bad as Detroit. Washington is going to pound them.
Texans over Dolphins - Houston has seemed cursed so far this year, but with Miami coming off back to back wins over New England and San Diego and having to go on the road, I think this might just be a week they could be caught napping. With Schaub back to health, Houston will take the doughnut out of their win column.
Denver over Jacksonville - I get both the Broncos and Jaguars games wrong every week. Pay no attention to this pick.
Cowboys over Cardinals - and so begins my picking of road teams the rest of the week. Dallas is too good for Arizona and they won't be caught off guard like Buffalo was last week.
Eagles over 49ers - Philly needs this game to keep their season on track. Donovan will have the boys jumpin'.
Packers over Seahawks - Green Bay will bounce back against a Seattle team that isn't nearly as good as everyone expected this year.
Patriots over Chargers - really tough pick after both just got burned by Miami's "Wildcat" offense. I think SD's pass defense looks susceptible and Philip Rivers has been too eratic to make plays to bail the defense out.
Giants over Browns - could I possibly get a Monday Night game right this week? The G-men should prove to be reliable.
Finally, here are the picks from the random number generator ...
Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, Oakland, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Houston, Denver, Arizona, Philadelphia, Green Bay, San Diego, Cleveland.
That's right ... the random number generator picked every winless team. And it will probably do better than me.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Woebegone Lions
Stat of the day courtesy of Peter King's MMQB column ...
Detroit's seven first-half possessions ended in a punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt and punt -- and none lasted longer than 99 seconds.
Could this team possibly be any worse? They are truly going to threaten that perfect 0-16 record this season. The only hope they might have is playing the Saints and the Packers at the end of the year if either of those teams already have playoff berths locked up. And the way those two teams are going, that's no lock either.
And speaking of bad teams, how terrible is Kansas City, losing even worse (34-0) than the Lions this weekend? What do you think Denver is thinking right now after giving up 33 to the Chiefs in last week's loss?
Finally, my picks were bad again this week. 8-5 going into tonight's game. I'm optimistic that one of these weeks I'll hit double digits again in the win column. Perhaps if things like Denver's choke job last week and San Diego's this week stop happening I might be able to figure out what's going on in this league!
Detroit's seven first-half possessions ended in a punt, punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt and punt -- and none lasted longer than 99 seconds.
Could this team possibly be any worse? They are truly going to threaten that perfect 0-16 record this season. The only hope they might have is playing the Saints and the Packers at the end of the year if either of those teams already have playoff berths locked up. And the way those two teams are going, that's no lock either.
And speaking of bad teams, how terrible is Kansas City, losing even worse (34-0) than the Lions this weekend? What do you think Denver is thinking right now after giving up 33 to the Chiefs in last week's loss?
Finally, my picks were bad again this week. 8-5 going into tonight's game. I'm optimistic that one of these weeks I'll hit double digits again in the win column. Perhaps if things like Denver's choke job last week and San Diego's this week stop happening I might be able to figure out what's going on in this league!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
NFL Week 5
I'm uncertain about several of the picks this weekend and I'm not buoyed by my weak performance in week 4. However, with the beginning of the MLB playoffs in the books and Chicago overwhelmed with baseball fever (though they'll certainly be hoping for better outcomes shortly), I'll begin with Chi-town's other important sports event this weekend ... the disheartening destruction of the Detroit Lions (pardon the alliteration).
Bears over Lions - I was very impressed by the goal line stand against Philly (even though I needed Philly to get in for my picks). The Bears won't have to do anything nearly as difficult to beat Detroit.
Packers over Falcons - both have two wins, but Atlanta's were against KC and Detroit, so I don't value those much. Both lost to the Bucs, but Atlanta lost worse. I look for GB to bounce back from a couple of poor games. I'm a little worried about Rodgers' sore shoulder though.
Chargers over Dolphins - SD is a last second play and a bad call by the ref from being 4-0. There's no way the Fins beat them, even in Miami.
Giants over Seahawks - it's almost too easy picking the better team at home with the other guys flying across the country.
Eagles over Redskins - this is a tough pick to me. Philly should have won last week but as stated above, couldn't punch it in on three tries from the goal line. Washington seems to be pulling it together after a bad first week. But injuries will play a role and Philly is getting healthier while Washington is going the other way.
Panthers over Chiefs - KC's win was a one off. Won't happen two weeks in a row ... especially not against a great defensive team.
Titans over Ravens - I hate picking so many road teams, but I just can't overlook how well the Titans' defense is playing. Baltimore's D almost won them the Monday-nighter though. I think I'll take the team with an extra day of rest.
Colts over Texans - in Peyton I trust. Off the bye week Indy might get some of those banged up bodies back and they should certainly be a better team than Houston.
Bucs over Broncos - another tough one and I'm going to go with the road upset because defense wins ball games. Denver's record is inflated and I don't see them continuing to win with offense alone.
Cowboys over Bengals - this Cincy team is exceptionally bad. Dallas struggled with the game planning last weekend, but they would be hard pressed to blow it against the Bengals.
Cardinals over Bills - I would really like to pick Buffalo to be 5-0, but I still just can't believe in them. Look for them to lose a game they shouldn't this week and come back to the division a little bit.
Patriots over 49ers - I'm nervous about this pick too. However, Bellichick probably tried to hang himself after the colosal failures against the Dolphins and then he had extra time through the bye week to prepare for this one. The Pats should walk away from SF with the win.
Jaguars over Steelers - Pittsburgh was lucky to win Monday night (14 points in one bad minute by Baltimore sure helped them out) and I don't see them escaping what will be a very physical game against Jacksonville on short rest with the injuries they suffered.
Saints over Vikings - this will be another high scoring Monday Nighter if the Saints hold to form. I like them to win a shootout as Drew Brees continues to put up the most yards in the league this year.
Bears over Lions - I was very impressed by the goal line stand against Philly (even though I needed Philly to get in for my picks). The Bears won't have to do anything nearly as difficult to beat Detroit.
Packers over Falcons - both have two wins, but Atlanta's were against KC and Detroit, so I don't value those much. Both lost to the Bucs, but Atlanta lost worse. I look for GB to bounce back from a couple of poor games. I'm a little worried about Rodgers' sore shoulder though.
Chargers over Dolphins - SD is a last second play and a bad call by the ref from being 4-0. There's no way the Fins beat them, even in Miami.
Giants over Seahawks - it's almost too easy picking the better team at home with the other guys flying across the country.
Eagles over Redskins - this is a tough pick to me. Philly should have won last week but as stated above, couldn't punch it in on three tries from the goal line. Washington seems to be pulling it together after a bad first week. But injuries will play a role and Philly is getting healthier while Washington is going the other way.
Panthers over Chiefs - KC's win was a one off. Won't happen two weeks in a row ... especially not against a great defensive team.
Titans over Ravens - I hate picking so many road teams, but I just can't overlook how well the Titans' defense is playing. Baltimore's D almost won them the Monday-nighter though. I think I'll take the team with an extra day of rest.
Colts over Texans - in Peyton I trust. Off the bye week Indy might get some of those banged up bodies back and they should certainly be a better team than Houston.
Bucs over Broncos - another tough one and I'm going to go with the road upset because defense wins ball games. Denver's record is inflated and I don't see them continuing to win with offense alone.
Cowboys over Bengals - this Cincy team is exceptionally bad. Dallas struggled with the game planning last weekend, but they would be hard pressed to blow it against the Bengals.
Cardinals over Bills - I would really like to pick Buffalo to be 5-0, but I still just can't believe in them. Look for them to lose a game they shouldn't this week and come back to the division a little bit.
Patriots over 49ers - I'm nervous about this pick too. However, Bellichick probably tried to hang himself after the colosal failures against the Dolphins and then he had extra time through the bye week to prepare for this one. The Pats should walk away from SF with the win.
Jaguars over Steelers - Pittsburgh was lucky to win Monday night (14 points in one bad minute by Baltimore sure helped them out) and I don't see them escaping what will be a very physical game against Jacksonville on short rest with the injuries they suffered.
Saints over Vikings - this will be another high scoring Monday Nighter if the Saints hold to form. I like them to win a shootout as Drew Brees continues to put up the most yards in the league this year.
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