NFL Week 13

Last night’s game between the Cowboys and Packers went almost as scripted. It was a high scoring game with Dallas moving the ball almost at will. When Brett Favre went out of the game I thought it would be a blowout but the Packers did a nice job getting back into the game before ultimately losing by 10. Before getting to the picks, the NFL Network’s play-by-play announcer Bryant Gumbel is among the worst I’ve ever heard. His voice is annoying to listen to and he doesn’t know the players’ names. He called AJ Hawk “Adrian” and worst of all, when the game was wrapping up I heard him say something about “Rick Romo.” That alone should get him fired. Onto the picks:

Dolphins -1
*Lions +4
Eagles -3
Texans +4
Jaguars +6.5
Bills + 5.5
Chargers -6
49ers +3
Rams -3
*Browns +1.5
*Broncos -3.5
Saints -3.5
Bears +1.5
Bengals +7
Patriots -

Dolphins -1 vs. Jets: I thought the Jets were lucky to win 10 games last year (mostly a product of their schedule) and predicted they would win around 6 this year. I didn’t think they would be this bad though. The 0-11 Dolphins have lost 6 of their games, including one in NY to the Jets, by 3 points. They have bad players and have been devastated by injuries this year but I think they will win at least one game this season. Luckily they get to play the Jets and finally get a win.

Lions +4 @ Vikings: The Lions have not played well over the last few weeks and have been dominated at the line of scrimmage. They still don’t run the ball and cannot protect Kitna. This week, however, not running the ball might help them as the Vikings are very good at stopping the run and have trouble in the secondary (not counting the 4 interceptions which were compliments of one of the biggest busts in the NFL – Eli Manning). The Lions finally get back on the winning side this week.

Eagles -3 vs. Seahawks: The Eagles played a fantastic game last week and came up just a little short vs. the Patriots. The Eagles have had problems this year with McNabb and with Andy Reid’s family troubles but they are still very good defensively and have Brian Westbrook on offense. This team has a tough road ahead if they want to make the playoffs but I think they will at least compete the rest of the season. The Seahawks are banged up and have no running game. Expect the Eagles to take advantage of many passing downs by blitzing all game and they get back to .500 on Sunday.

Texans +4 @ Titans: The Titans started off on the right track but since Albert Haynesworth went down with an injury they have been one of the worst teams against the run in the league. They lost their last three games by 15, 14, and 29 points and are in freefall right now. The Texans have their offense back together and should be able to score enough points to win this game. If not they will cover the 4 points.

Jaguars +6.5 @ Colts: With the division on the line this game figures to be a very physical and exciting game. The Colts easily beat the Jaguars earlier this year but have been banged up for the last month. Luckily for them they had some extra rest after playing on Thanksgiving. They will need it this week against one of the most physical teams in the league. Offensively, the Jaguars can run the ball and Garrard doesn’t make many mistakes. I think the Jaguars can keep this game close only because Manning does not have all of his weapons. I would take the Colts to win a game decided by a FG.

Bills +5.5 @ Redskins: This is a tough game to pick. The Redskins will be playing this game with heavy hearts after the passing of Sean Taylor earlier in the week. They might be able to come out and play hard early but the NFL is about preparation. There was no way this team was able to prepare for the Bills on Sunday and it will show late in the game.

Chargers -6 @ Chiefs: The Chiefs won 30-16 in San Diego in Week 4 in a surprising game and the Chargers look to return the favor this week. The Chiefs are normally a good team at home (13-3 the last 2 seasons) but have lost three straight games there and are now 2-4 this season at Arrowhead. I think it is time for the Chargers to put together some wins and take control of a bad AFC West division.

49ers +3 @ Panthers: The Panthers have lost five straight games and are 0-5 at home this season. 44 year old Testaverde is expected to start but it really doesn’t matter. The 49ers defense is good (despite giving up a ton of yards last week) and will show up to play this week after getting a win last week. Expect a very low scoring (and boring) game that should be decided by a FG. I think the 49ers will actually get it this week.

Rams -3 vs. Falcons: Bulger is questionable for this game right now but as long as Joey Harrington is on the field for the opposition the Rams will win. The Rams have played better as of late putting up 37 points against the Saints and almost beating the Seahawks last week. If Bulger were definitely starting this would be one of my locks but never bet on Gus Frerotte (fumbled snap on 4^th and goal with a chance to win last week) just in case he starts. I’ll pick against Joey Harrington once again.

Browns pk @ Cardinals: I’ve been riding the Browns for 2 months now and I’m not going to stop until they prove me wrong. The Cardinals just lost a game where had they won they would be in the driver seat for the final playoff spot (own tie-breaker over the Lions). Instead they fell under .500 by poorly managing the clock in the final minutes for SF and missing a chip-shot field goal in overtime. The Browns impressed me defensively last week and if they can stop other teams they will win a lot of games. They are a game ahead of the Titans for the final AFC playoff spot and will continue to put up big numbers in Arizona.

Broncos -3.5 @ Raiders: Congratulations to the Raiders who finally got a road win last week against a division opponent. Now they are home to a Denver team that has semi righted the ship….that is until they couldn’t figure out how to punt the ball out of bounds and away from Devin Hester. Their defense has played much better but after Hester single handedly kept Chicago in the game last week, Denver’s defense imploded and allowed Rex Grossman to lead the Bears back and win the game. Denver is well coached and they hate the Raiders. I think the Raiders are going to have a very tough time scoring this week and Denver gets back to .500.

Saints -3.5 vs. Bucs: Jeff Garcia is hurt and probably will not play this week. When he went out of the game last week the Bucs had a lot of trouble moving the ball. The Redskins moved the ball but Jason Campbell turns the ball over in big spots all of the time. Without Garcia this week, I give the edge to the Saints to get back to within 1 game of the Bucs for the division lead.

Bears +1.5 vs. Giants: Eli Manning vs. Rex Grossman. Both quarterbacks are busts on mediocre teams. Grossman was already benched earlier in the year and the way Eli Manning is going, he should also be benched. Eli has been good at times this year but has been beyond awful in big games throughout his career – especially late in the season. Last week was one of the worst performances I witnessed this year. Eli single handedly gave 21 points to a Vikings team that has had trouble scoring points. To make matters worse, he looks like a little boy scout in his press conferences, he shows no toughness, and his GM referred to him as being “skittish.” This team might make the playoffs because of their schedule and because the NFC stinks but I can’t wait to bet against them come playoff time.

Bengals +7 @ Steelers: Here is what you need to know for this game: The weather forecast calls for lows of 32 degrees and an 80% chance of rain. If you saw the field last week you probably bet the “under 38” (or would have bet the under). The players could not get a footing to move around and it is nearly impossible to kick field goals from a distance farther than 25 yards. The Steelers have a huge advantage on this type of field over the Bengals because they can just run the ball the entire game. The Bengals can’t stop the run anyway and on this field they would not be able to move the ball. If the field resembled that of last week in any way expect another defensive struggle. Normally I would lay the points but who knows, it might just end 3-0 again.

Patriots -20 vs. Ravens: I love the Patriots in this game after escaping with a win last Sunday night. The Ravens will not score more than 10 points in this game, if that much, and the Pats will look to get back to blowing teams out. They don’t even try to run the ball anymore knowing that Brady completes more than 75% of his passes and moves the ball almost at will. I think the Patriots win this game by closer to 30 points (38-10).

The Real Jokers

A few years ago when the San Francisco 49ers took a turn for the worse I predicted they would be the next "Bengals" of the league and have at least a decade of mediocre to bad seasons. 4 years ago I nicknamed them the "49-Jokers" and they have pretty much lived up to that name. But what I just witnessed in tonight's Knicks vs. Celtics game was by far the worst professional sporting event that I have ever seen and the Knicks, who have been a circus act since Jeff Van Gundy quit the team a few years back, have finally hit rock bottom and are the real joke in sports.

Being the sports fan that I am I was very excited for both the football game and the Knicks game this evening. I watched the football game with family while pleading with everyone around me not to say the score in the Knicks game because it was being 'tivo'd' and I planned on watching it later at night. Fastfoward to 1:00 in the morning as I watched the Knicks finally trail by 50 points. Yes, 50 points. The Knicks ultimately lost by only 45 as Nate Robinson (the only Knick to score double digits in points with 11) hit a 3-pointer from half court at the buzzer. Marv Albert got all excited as the Knicks were able to avoid losing by their largest margin in team history.

Before the season began I saw the second preseason game vs. the Celtics and in the early going I saw games vs. the Jazz and Nuggets - all Knicks victories. As an optimistic fan I actually believed this team had a chance to win games and reach the playoffs. Now, unfortunately it is obvious that the Knicks are among the worst teams in the league with the worst coach in the league. They are a group of talented individual players who cannot play together and who show absolutely no effort whatsoever.

The starting 5: Zack Randolph, while a solid double-double type player, is a hog. He cannot pass and he turns the ball over often. He also has only 1 offensive move going to his left and if I were a foot taller and 250 pounds, he would not be able to score on me. Eddy Curry is soft, cannot defend or rebound, and is a turnover machine. Crawford is a good player on a bad team. Q-Rich is an old man with a bad back who lost his shooting touch and therefore, shouldn't play. He is also the idiot who made negative comments before the game about the Celtics which KG said was posted on the bulletin board and motivated the team. Marbury is a good talent but a terrible point gaurd and leader.

The bench: Isiah must think he is coaching hockey and likes to go to his second line early in the game. The combination of Nate Robinson, Fred Jones, Renaldo Balkman, Jared Jeffries, and David Lee make up the Knicks 'defensive unit." As Charles Barkley said, "these players play hard but they just ain't very good." Who is the scorer in this lineup? Jeffries is terrible as is Fred Jones. Nate, Lee and Balkman should be regularly subbed with the starters to mix and match for defensive purposes and for energy minutes. To sub all 5 or even 4 of the starters at one point is just plain stupid.

As bad as the team has been in recent memory it seemed as if the players still played hard for Isiah and really cared about winning. It is now evident that the players have quit which means Isiah should be fired tomorrow. Its one thing to be a bad coach but you have a major problem when your players don't come out and play with any bit of effort in a nationally televised game vs. a division rival, especially against a team that is considered among the best in the league.

I was sitting at home watching this game and I was embarrased. I know every other Knicks fan watching felt the same way. I hope Jim Dolan spent a few hours watching this disaster and realizes that this is the end of the line for Isiah. The stories are getting old and the season is almost lost. How much lower can the Knicks sink before that idiot does something to fix it?

NFC Championship Game – Part I

If you’re a football fan this game is a must watch. I’ve heard all week how people don’t have the NFL Network and can’t watch the game. Give me a break. If you don’t have DirecTV then go to someone else’s house that does. There are also thousands of bars in the city or places to watch the preview of the NFC Championship Game. Both of these teams are head and shoulders better than the other NFC teams with the other potential playoff teams being the Seahawks, Bucs, Giants, and possibly the Saints, Lions, Eagles or Cardinals. None of those teams match up with the Cowboys or Packers and would lose in the playoffs by double digits. For the Championship Game, this game is for home field advantage - something that would be much more valuable to the Packers than the Cowboys.

This game is very interesting because the Cowboys are the better team but the Packers match up very well. (I also think the Packers match up extremely well against the Patriots if they were to play them in the Super Bowl but that’s not for now). Here’s why……

When the Cowboys have the ball:
Look for Dallas to attack downfield early and often. The coaching staff knows they need to get TO involved early in the game and will also get Patrick Crayton back from injury. Jason Witten is one of the top tight ends in the league and he will be used down the middle of the field. Marion Barber III is a beast and a tremendous weapon out of the back field. The Packers, however have an excellent defense. They rush the passer extremely well and have very quick linebackers. Most importantly they have two very physical and very good corners to play bump and run. (Woodson is not 100% healthy but he will play tonight.) While they certainly won’t stop the Cowboys receivers they could slow them down, take away some big plays and cause Romo to make some mistakes.

When the Packers have the ball:
Statistically Brett Favre is having his best season as a Pro and that is saying a lot. More importantly, the Packers have never started a season 10-1 and Favre to this point would be my vote for league MVP. Despite being a wild gunslinger at times throughout his career, over the past five games (all wins) he has minimized his mistakes while passing for 13 TDs and only 2 interceptions. The Cowboys can rush the quarterback but the Packers can counter that by throwing screen passes – something they do often. The Packers have a running game now as well with Ryan Grant rushing for over 100 yards in three of his last five games. Where the Packers can really take advantage is throwing the ball downfield. Dallas has recently done a better job defensively but they are still vulnerable in the secondary, especially since Roy Williams simply cannot defend the pass.

The Packers will be in this game because they have an above average defense and of course Brett Favre. I certainly would not be surprised if the Packers won but the Cowboys can score with anyone and as long as Romo doesn’t make bad decisions they will win tonight.

Cowboys 30 – Packers 24
(Packers +7, Over 51)