The Super Bowl is right around the corner, again, and as such I am gambling on it. At the end of this post I will list everything I bet on, and they're all really smart bets so you should probably tail me. Want to know more about the Super Bowl this Sunday? Check Sportbet.com for more news and odds.
The whole deflated football controversy is complete nonsense, although watching people get all twisted up inside about it is hilarious on both sides. It's not really that hard to figure out. The Patriots probably did something semi shady but also likely not strictly prohibited by the rules. Many other teams probably do many similar things. Or, more likely, it was something like the refs didn't really check the balls or something even more innocent. Really, who cares if a ball is slightly deflated, do we really think it makes that much of a difference? Morons, the lot of you.
As far as the game, I really don't know but I think and expect it to be close. I think both teams will try to establish the running game, and if New England can get Blount going it's going to be a rough day for Seattle, because if they start having to commit to the run Brady should be able to pick them apart with some play action and short stuff. The other way I see New England winning is getting ahead early, because Russell Wilson just isn't the kind of QB who can come back from a big deficit. I know they came back against Green Bay but that had nothing to do with Wilson and if you think it did it's because you love him so much and want to marry him. Green Bay screwed themselves at least three different ways. God you Wilson lovers are the worst. I don't even like the Patriots and I'm just praying that they win. Anyway, here's my bets:
Due to a combination of a Patriots future I made last week at 2-1 to win and a whole bunch of teasers I'm guaranteed to make a profit on the game no matter what because somehow I've nailed every teaser (leaving one side of the Super Bowl) I made last week. Best case scenario is a Patriots win by less than 7 or a Seahawk win by less than 7. I make money even if one team blows the other out, but if the game stays close we're going Sizzler.
Props:
Seattle First Penalty called
Katy Perry first song Roar
Ovechkin shots on goal over Wilson TD passes
Arsenal/Aston Villa total goals over Brady TD passes
Delon Wright points over Seattle first half points
Wilson TD passes over Sidney Crosby points
Blount under 4.5 receiving yards
Collins under 8.5 tackles
Revis under 2.5 tackles
Chung under 5.5 tackles
Wilfork under 2.5 tackles
Wagner u 9.5 tackles
Ninkovich u 4.5 tackles
Hightower u 7.5 tackles
Chancellor u 6.5 tackles
Thomas u 5.5 tackles
Wright u 6.5 tackles
McCourty u 4.5 tackles
Sherman u 3.5 tackles
New England longest kick return
Blount MVP
Blount first TD
Blount over 62.5 yards rushing
No defensive or special teams touchdown
Longest TD of the game under 44.5 yards
First punt over 42.5 yards
No roughing the passer penalty
Belichick wearing blue hoodie
Belichick wearing hoodie with sleeves cut off
Katy Perry with Brown/Black hair
No, you have a gambling problem.
Showing posts with label Patriots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patriots. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Friday, February 3, 2012
Friday Stuff
I realize it makes more sense to have this post up Friday morning rather than Friday night because I can't imagine anyone other than the deranged and the incredibly lonely read this blog on the weekend, particularly Super Bowl weekend, but I really didn't feel like writing before now. I passes several very fun offers of things to do tonight to write this for you, so you better read it. Also I lied just now. My Friday plans are pretty much set in stone every week and it's called put the kids to bed, have a drink while watching some stupid tv show, and go to bed early. I'M A DYNAMO!
First order of business would be a preview for Sunday's game against Nebraska, but I don't really feel like making an entire post about the crap factory that is Tubby Smith's squad. According to Loretta8 from Sippin' on Purple, whose Northwesterners just beat them by 10, their big men didn't do anything against David freaking Curletti, they have a couple of ok guards who can get hot from three, and they play terrible defense. Sounds great. Kenpom.com confirms they aren't a very good defensive team, Bo Spencer is a guy who can get way hot and possible win a game on his own, and even though Jorge Brian Diaz is their center who was supposed to take the leap in his third season he's actually regressed to the point where he's averaging a career low in minutes and only played 18 against Northwestern.
Sounds like a game the Gophers should win, but after that debacle against Iowa I don't see how you can possibly trust this team. You could just say they're completely terrible, but then again they won at Indiana so you can't just write them off on the road. The Gophers are officially your crazy cousin who lives in New York and once showed up at Thanksgiving in a Misfits t-shirt with those weird plug things in her ears and pink hair and a boyfriend with a face tattoo with news she dropped out of college to play the harmonica for an underground thrash band, but then showed up for Christmas in a prim and proper button up pink sweater driving a Honda Civic and announced she had just enrolled at Moody Bible College and then stayed up all night playing cribbage with your mom and drinking green tea. I have no idea what to expect. Still, Wikipedia tells me Nebraska is a terrible program and I can't quite bring myself to quit on this season even though Tubby probably has. Gophers 65, Huskers 61.
- I suppose the other big news is that there's the Super Bowl this weekend and everybody keeps bugging me to know my pick. Well fine, my bet to win the Super Bowl at TopBet is the Giants, although the smart money is on Giants +3. New York's offense isn't that much worse than New England's, but their defense is infinitely better. Of course, I'm pretty sure my opinion on this is not to be trusted because the only thing I hate more than Boston/New England fans are people who wear stupid hats and listen to Coldplay. Honestly if somebody told me that I could choose who wins this Super Bowl and if I choose New England all hunger and poverty in the world would be wiped out I'd need like 48 hours to decide. So yes, my opinion is slightly skewed but I think it's a legit thought.
Of course, on the other side is that everyone, and I mean everyone, loves the Giants +3 and usually when something like that happens you're wrong because people are idiots. And they have Gronkowski, who is probably not even hurt and even if he is like it will matter. They'll give him some of that Bud Kilmer magic juice and he'll rack up 3 TDs in the first half. Gronky for MVP. You heard it hear first.
First order of business would be a preview for Sunday's game against Nebraska, but I don't really feel like making an entire post about the crap factory that is Tubby Smith's squad. According to Loretta8 from Sippin' on Purple, whose Northwesterners just beat them by 10, their big men didn't do anything against David freaking Curletti, they have a couple of ok guards who can get hot from three, and they play terrible defense. Sounds great. Kenpom.com confirms they aren't a very good defensive team, Bo Spencer is a guy who can get way hot and possible win a game on his own, and even though Jorge Brian Diaz is their center who was supposed to take the leap in his third season he's actually regressed to the point where he's averaging a career low in minutes and only played 18 against Northwestern.
Sounds like a game the Gophers should win, but after that debacle against Iowa I don't see how you can possibly trust this team. You could just say they're completely terrible, but then again they won at Indiana so you can't just write them off on the road. The Gophers are officially your crazy cousin who lives in New York and once showed up at Thanksgiving in a Misfits t-shirt with those weird plug things in her ears and pink hair and a boyfriend with a face tattoo with news she dropped out of college to play the harmonica for an underground thrash band, but then showed up for Christmas in a prim and proper button up pink sweater driving a Honda Civic and announced she had just enrolled at Moody Bible College and then stayed up all night playing cribbage with your mom and drinking green tea. I have no idea what to expect. Still, Wikipedia tells me Nebraska is a terrible program and I can't quite bring myself to quit on this season even though Tubby probably has. Gophers 65, Huskers 61.
- I suppose the other big news is that there's the Super Bowl this weekend and everybody keeps bugging me to know my pick. Well fine, my bet to win the Super Bowl at TopBet is the Giants, although the smart money is on Giants +3. New York's offense isn't that much worse than New England's, but their defense is infinitely better. Of course, I'm pretty sure my opinion on this is not to be trusted because the only thing I hate more than Boston/New England fans are people who wear stupid hats and listen to Coldplay. Honestly if somebody told me that I could choose who wins this Super Bowl and if I choose New England all hunger and poverty in the world would be wiped out I'd need like 48 hours to decide. So yes, my opinion is slightly skewed but I think it's a legit thought.
Of course, on the other side is that everyone, and I mean everyone, loves the Giants +3 and usually when something like that happens you're wrong because people are idiots. And they have Gronkowski, who is probably not even hurt and even if he is like it will matter. They'll give him some of that Bud Kilmer magic juice and he'll rack up 3 TDs in the first half. Gronky for MVP. You heard it hear first.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Weekend Review
WHO WAS AWESOME:
1. Gopher Football. Nice to finally be able to put them up in this category instead of down below, but they belong here after a very nice win at Illinois on Saturday. I won’t even emphasize how the Illinois were pretty much able to move up and down the field at will, and basically did everything in their power to give the game away and still managed to almost win. Instead, I’ll focus on the Gophers’ ability to make the big play when needed, whether the big run by Eskridge or VanDeSteeg getting after The Juice and causing yet another Illini turnover. Any way you want to slice it, this is a huge win for the program, and it really shows that they have come along way, even since last season. Although let’s not start talking Rose Bowl just yet, nerds. For a better breakdown on the game, check out Buck Bravo and The Gopher Football blog's takes.
2. Baseball Playoffs. How awesome are the baseball playoffs? It’s this time of the year when I really don’t understand those folk who dislike baseball. I can kind of get it during the regular season, since it is quite long with the 162 games – even though it’s perfect to me. But during the playoffs here? The awesome fun of the couple of extra inning games already? Watching Evan Longoria in his first playoffs, leading the young, awesome, fun Rays against the dirty evil Red Sox. Watching Cole Hamels and Dice K slice up the opposing batters, and just the whole overall dynamic where every game means so much. It’s just so awesome.
3. Andre Johnson. Speaking of awesome, did you see how the incredible and uncoverable Andre Johnson run around the Miami Dolphins secondary like they were children? The guy is just straight up amazing. Ten catches for 178 yards and a TD and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying. So good.
4. Penn State. Maybe the Big Ten does have an actual good team this year, just not the one everyone thought it would be at the beginning of the season. The Nittany Lions dismantled Wisconsin 48-7 over the weekend in Madison, running their Big Ten record to 3-0. With a win in the books over Illinois as well, they only have a game at Ohio State and a home game against Michigan State left to deal with. After everything else that happened this weekend, Penn State is up to #3 in the country and has a shot to end up in the National Title Game. Woo hoo! Go Big Ten!
5. Indianapolis Colts. If you're going to make a statement, why not make it against a top defense when your starting running back gets hurt after just two carries? Peyton shredded the overrated Ravens defense to the tune of 271 yards and 3 scores in a 31-3 Colts' win that ended up pretty much being a game of call your own score.
WHO SUCKED
1. Vikings. Wow, just wow. And not in a good way. A 13 point favorite at home against a team that is bottom five in the league in passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and points allowed and you manage to come up with 12 points, 10 by the offense? And pretty much need to be bailed out by the refs to end up winning this game? Might was well forget about the playoffs at this point. Sure it’s a win, but this can’t be a proud day for that weirdo we saw at the Fridley Legion Saturday night wearing a Vikings hat, Vikings shirt, and Vikings pants. Yes, Vikings pants.
2. Patriots. I guess at least the Vikings won, unlike New England, who embarrassed themselves all over national TV against the Chargers last night, going down 30-10. I guess Tom Brady is pretty important to that team after all, especially since, with the exception of one long TD against Miami, Randy Moss has pretty much turned into Bobby Wade with Cassel running the show. Or maybe the problem last night was that Maroney was hurt? That's probably it.
3. Top 4 Ranked College Football Teams (Except Alabama). Now, as Snacks mentioned to me, some of these probably shouldn't be called "upsets", but three of the top four teams went down hard (insert your own joke) this weekend. #1 Oklahoma lost to Texas, #3 Missouri lost to Oklahoma State, and #4 LSU got beat by Florida. The only real upset here was the Mizzou loss, particularly being at home. Losing to Texas at a "neutral" site or losing at Florida is nothing to be ashamed of and shouldn't really be considered at upset, but because college football's way to crown a national champion is so awesome, these teams are probably screwed now. I LOVE THE BCS!!!!!!11
4. Josh Beckett/Scott Kazmir. I was all excited to watch this big Kazmir/Beckett matchup on Saturday night, expecting a nice, tight, low scoring game, probably well under the post Over/Under of 8 runs. Instead I got Livan Hernandez vs. Carlos Silva. Kazmir "outdueled" Beckett, both not even getting out of the fifth, Kaz giving up five runs, Beckett eight. Beckett was pretty much the opposite of his big-time playoff pitcher reputation, getting absolutely smashed, while Kazmir, an excellent strikeout pitcher (led AL in K/9) suddenly turned into Nick Blackburn*, continually getting two strikes on guys and then letting them hit the ball very hard where there wasn't a fielder or sometimes even over the fence like that little weiner nerd Dustin Pedroia. Anyway they both sucked. And why the hell is the Tampa/Boston game at 3:30 today? Super irritating.
5. The DWG Jinx. I'm not exactly sure if this is awesome or sucks. Sometimes it happens to teams I actually like and/or talk up and it sucks, but to have this kind of power is pretty awesome. Last week, I mentioned Missouri, Vanderbilt, and the NFC East all as being awesome. Both Missouri and Vandy lost to inferior teams, while the Cowboys were upset by the Cardinals and the Skins gave the Rams their first win. Previous version of the Weekend Review talked up CC Sabathia who then got bombed in the playoffs, Scott Baker and the Twins who then lost to the White Sox, and East Carolina who were then upset by a crappy team to kill their BCS hopes. Now, I'm not saying this is all proof of a DWG Jinx or anything, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. And let me just say, The Red Sox are totally awesome and will kick the crap out of everyone.
* comparison originally made by Snacks
1. Gopher Football. Nice to finally be able to put them up in this category instead of down below, but they belong here after a very nice win at Illinois on Saturday. I won’t even emphasize how the Illinois were pretty much able to move up and down the field at will, and basically did everything in their power to give the game away and still managed to almost win. Instead, I’ll focus on the Gophers’ ability to make the big play when needed, whether the big run by Eskridge or VanDeSteeg getting after The Juice and causing yet another Illini turnover. Any way you want to slice it, this is a huge win for the program, and it really shows that they have come along way, even since last season. Although let’s not start talking Rose Bowl just yet, nerds. For a better breakdown on the game, check out Buck Bravo and The Gopher Football blog's takes.
2. Baseball Playoffs. How awesome are the baseball playoffs? It’s this time of the year when I really don’t understand those folk who dislike baseball. I can kind of get it during the regular season, since it is quite long with the 162 games – even though it’s perfect to me. But during the playoffs here? The awesome fun of the couple of extra inning games already? Watching Evan Longoria in his first playoffs, leading the young, awesome, fun Rays against the dirty evil Red Sox. Watching Cole Hamels and Dice K slice up the opposing batters, and just the whole overall dynamic where every game means so much. It’s just so awesome.
3. Andre Johnson. Speaking of awesome, did you see how the incredible and uncoverable Andre Johnson run around the Miami Dolphins secondary like they were children? The guy is just straight up amazing. Ten catches for 178 yards and a TD and it doesn’t even look like he’s trying. So good.
4. Penn State. Maybe the Big Ten does have an actual good team this year, just not the one everyone thought it would be at the beginning of the season. The Nittany Lions dismantled Wisconsin 48-7 over the weekend in Madison, running their Big Ten record to 3-0. With a win in the books over Illinois as well, they only have a game at Ohio State and a home game against Michigan State left to deal with. After everything else that happened this weekend, Penn State is up to #3 in the country and has a shot to end up in the National Title Game. Woo hoo! Go Big Ten!
5. Indianapolis Colts. If you're going to make a statement, why not make it against a top defense when your starting running back gets hurt after just two carries? Peyton shredded the overrated Ravens defense to the tune of 271 yards and 3 scores in a 31-3 Colts' win that ended up pretty much being a game of call your own score.
WHO SUCKED
1. Vikings. Wow, just wow. And not in a good way. A 13 point favorite at home against a team that is bottom five in the league in passing yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, and points allowed and you manage to come up with 12 points, 10 by the offense? And pretty much need to be bailed out by the refs to end up winning this game? Might was well forget about the playoffs at this point. Sure it’s a win, but this can’t be a proud day for that weirdo we saw at the Fridley Legion Saturday night wearing a Vikings hat, Vikings shirt, and Vikings pants. Yes, Vikings pants.
2. Patriots. I guess at least the Vikings won, unlike New England, who embarrassed themselves all over national TV against the Chargers last night, going down 30-10. I guess Tom Brady is pretty important to that team after all, especially since, with the exception of one long TD against Miami, Randy Moss has pretty much turned into Bobby Wade with Cassel running the show. Or maybe the problem last night was that Maroney was hurt? That's probably it.
3. Top 4 Ranked College Football Teams (Except Alabama). Now, as Snacks mentioned to me, some of these probably shouldn't be called "upsets", but three of the top four teams went down hard (insert your own joke) this weekend. #1 Oklahoma lost to Texas, #3 Missouri lost to Oklahoma State, and #4 LSU got beat by Florida. The only real upset here was the Mizzou loss, particularly being at home. Losing to Texas at a "neutral" site or losing at Florida is nothing to be ashamed of and shouldn't really be considered at upset, but because college football's way to crown a national champion is so awesome, these teams are probably screwed now. I LOVE THE BCS!!!!!!11
4. Josh Beckett/Scott Kazmir. I was all excited to watch this big Kazmir/Beckett matchup on Saturday night, expecting a nice, tight, low scoring game, probably well under the post Over/Under of 8 runs. Instead I got Livan Hernandez vs. Carlos Silva. Kazmir "outdueled" Beckett, both not even getting out of the fifth, Kaz giving up five runs, Beckett eight. Beckett was pretty much the opposite of his big-time playoff pitcher reputation, getting absolutely smashed, while Kazmir, an excellent strikeout pitcher (led AL in K/9) suddenly turned into Nick Blackburn*, continually getting two strikes on guys and then letting them hit the ball very hard where there wasn't a fielder or sometimes even over the fence like that little weiner nerd Dustin Pedroia. Anyway they both sucked. And why the hell is the Tampa/Boston game at 3:30 today? Super irritating.
5. The DWG Jinx. I'm not exactly sure if this is awesome or sucks. Sometimes it happens to teams I actually like and/or talk up and it sucks, but to have this kind of power is pretty awesome. Last week, I mentioned Missouri, Vanderbilt, and the NFC East all as being awesome. Both Missouri and Vandy lost to inferior teams, while the Cowboys were upset by the Cardinals and the Skins gave the Rams their first win. Previous version of the Weekend Review talked up CC Sabathia who then got bombed in the playoffs, Scott Baker and the Twins who then lost to the White Sox, and East Carolina who were then upset by a crappy team to kill their BCS hopes. Now, I'm not saying this is all proof of a DWG Jinx or anything, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on. And let me just say, The Red Sox are totally awesome and will kick the crap out of everyone.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Weekend Review
NOTE: The Gophers have signed PG Justin Cobbs, meaning my dreams of Eric Bledsoe are not to be. I will write more on this at some point probably.
WHO WAS AWESOME
1. USA! USA! Nice win for the US team to take back the Ryder Cup for the first time in a hundred years or something. The entire tourny was a good watch, with the US jumping out to a big lead on the morning of Day 1 and never looking back. Special note goes to Hunter Mahan, who led the US team in total points, and Anthony Kim, who beat Ryder Cup superstar Sergio Garcia in the first match of singles play and set the tone for the US on Sunday.
2. Ian Poulter. It wasn't just about the Americans this weekend, as Poulter let everyone know he is for real, going 4-1-0 to lead all players in points. When Poulter was taken by Faldo as one of his captain's picks there was a lot of second guessing, wondering if he should have gone with an established Ryder player like Darren Clarke or Colin Montgomerie, but Poulter certainly shut up all those second guessing commies. He may be ready to take a big step forward in his game next season.
3. BYU. Don't look now, but the fighting mormons are 4-0 and kicking the piss out of the less pious teams in their way. The won 44-0 over Wyoming this weekend, following up a 59-0 whooping of UCLA. They have a tremendous offense, lead by QB Max Hall, who is completing 75% of his passes so far, with 15 TDs to just 2 INTs. The defense isn't too shabby either, only allowing five TDs in their four games thus far. They could very easily end up going undefeated and ending up in a BCS game, with their toughest game being the season finale against the fellow unbeaten crazy mormons of Utah U.
4. Gopher Football. I suppose if I'm mentioning 4-0 football teams, I should bring up the mighty mighty Gophers. I didn't watch the game, mostly because they suck and are boring, but it sounds like a thorough ass-whooping of a revenge game. Things area about to get very real in a hurry for our beloved Gophers, as next Saturday the head on over to Columbus to take on THE Ohio State University. It ain't gonna be pretty.
5. Gus Frerotte. He certainly wasn't a superstar, but threw for over 200 yards and led the team to victory. How crazy was it to see someone actually know how to play quarterback wearing purple? I actually saw him look both right and left, it was crazy. I swear T-Jax was playing some version of call your field when he dropped back. Nice to see an actual professional back there.
WHO SUCKED
1. Minnesota Twins. I have no doubt there are those of you out there still holding out hope and believing in the crap face team, but they pretty much blew their final chance only getting a split against Tampa. They managed to squeak out the first game by getting crazy lucky, and finished out the series with a gem from Liriano, but in between they looked like total ass. The Sox have done everything they can to give the division to the team, winning just 2 out of their last five, but they continue to refuse to take it. Down 2.5 games with just six remaining, it's not mathematically over, but this team sucks so brutally bad I don't see any possible way this is happening.
2. East Carolina. Wasn't that long ago I was writing here about how the Pirates were awesome, and now the suck after dropping an easy win against NC State over the weekend. Look, a team like ECU from a conference like C-USA pretty much needs to go undefeated to have a chance at a BCS game. The Pirates were in great shape to do so, and with wins over VA Tech and WVU already were a shoo-in for a BCS Bowl. Now? They'll probably end up playing the Gophers in the Poulan Weedeater Independence Bowl.
3. New England Patriots. Yikes. I guess if you're going to end your 21 game regular season winning streak at home against the crappy Dolphins, getting rolled by 25 is the way to do it. I thought Cassell might be able to handle his business, but now it looks like the Pats are in trouble in a big way. Suddenly those of us who traded for Randy Moss from panicked owners in our fantasy leagues have become panicked owners ourselves. Think they've called Culpepper yet?
4. Cleveland Browns. Oh oh, everyone's happy little sleeper team has turned out to be a giant pile of crap. Derek Anderson was a pro bowler last year, but suddenly has turned into Tavaris Jackson without the running part. And my guy, Braylon Edwards, is looking to shatter the NFL record for drops. Um, he's not so much my guy anymore. And speaking of horrible predictions....
5. Houston Texans. WORST. SLEEPER. PICK. EVER.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Weekend Review
I'm going to try to do this every Monday now. Odds are, it won't be very consistent. Oh well.
WHO WAS AWESOME:
1. Michael Turner. Jumped head first into his new starting gig, leading all rushers with 220 yards and 2 TDs and jump starting all three of my fantasy teams to victory. Scored a 66 yd TD on one of his first few carries and it was all easy from there. On a related note, the Lions tackle like the Gophers
2. Gopher Football. Speaking of the Gophers, awesome might be a tad strong for it but they are certainly better than I expected. Let's not pretend Bowling Green is the world's greatest opponent, but I figured they were set up to blow the Gophers out of the water, especially at home. The defense turned the Eagles over five times, and the offense was good as expected. Maybe there's a little life in these guys. They should go into the Big Ten season at 4-0 now, and could easily squeak out two wins and head to a bowl. A great accomplishment this season.
3. Willie Parker. I thought he was done. A lot of people did, possibly including his own team after drafting Rashard Mendenhall. Parker served notice that he's still the man, going for +100 yds and three TDs, while Mendenhall got ten carries, mostly in garbage time, and did pretty much nothing. Pittsburgh looks very, very good, and suddenly my sleeper pick of the Texans has me worried, Andre Johnson awesomeness (10 catches, 112 yards).
4. Camilo Villegas. Pretty much lead the BMW the whole way, and didn't fold in the end despite having Jim Furyk take the lead in the final round. Came back and held off Anthony Kim in a duel that was fun to watch to take his first ever PGA tour victory.
5. Britney Spears. Watched the VMAs. She's hot again.
WHO SUCKED:
1. Tom Brady. Well, sucked is maybe not the right word, but getting hurt for the season certainly sucks for Brady, the Patriots, all of New England, all the girls (and boys) who would like to make sweet, sweet love to Mr. Brady, and several million fantasy owners (suck it, Dharma Bum). Personally, I'm bummed. I want the Patriots to fail with no excuses, not have a built in reason for failure. At least they won for me in my survivor pool.
2. Indianapolis Colts. Sorry Sidler, and if you'd like to expound on this, please do, but they looked god awful. I know the Bears are a solid-to-great defensive squad, but that was embarrassing. I have no idea if it was because Peyton was out all preseason and their timing is screwy or what, maybe it's the new stadium. I don't know, but it was awful. With them looking awful, the Chargers playing poorly, and Brady's injury, the Steelers are looking like a good pick right now.
3. Ted Ginn. I know he's not exactly a great player yet, but I was expecting a bit of a splash. 19 total yards and a fumble is not a way to take a step forward in your career. I don't know, maybe I'm just an idiot.
4. West Virginia. This is more of a pro-East Carolina thing, but I already have five positives above. The Pirates have now beaten two ranked teams in West Virginia and Virginia Tech, and with a pretty easy CUSA schedule in front of them could be in line for a BCS bowl bid. As for the Mountaineers, they have a schedule left that leaves them plenty of opportunity to get back in the BCS picture, but it's pretty clear that Pat White is no Major Harris.
5. The Twins. Way to keep sucking bullpen, great job.
MINI RANT:
Why, why, why do people lie about insignificant things nobody cares about? Here at work we have six people, most of whom get in between 7:30 - 9:00 every morning. I'm one of these. We have one guy who always tells people how he gets in before 7, usually by 6:30. Now, with a baby, no matter how genius-level her intelligence, she does some weird things in her sleep schedule and sometimes I'm up really early so I just head into work. In the approximate 100 days I've worked this job, I've ended up going in before 7 probably ten times. You know how many of those times this guy has been there when I arrived? Zero. Dude, you aren't here every day by seven. Sure, maybe sometimes. Maybe most of the time, but I find it pretty suspicious that you haven't been in even once when I get here early. Why lie? It makes no sense. Just say you try to get in before seven, ass. Nobody is impressed, and you're a damn dirty liar.
Monday, February 4, 2008
I Don't Even Like Basketball Anymore
I've been trying to summon the strength to recap yesterday's debacle against the hated Badgers, and I just can't do it. My will to be a fan is waning. I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise, they haven't won a single game where they were the underdog, at least not in the Big Ten. At least they have been beating the teams they are supposed to, but I miss the Gopher teams that would knock off superior opponents at Williams. Maybe next year.
Just a thorough ass-kicking. Why does Dan Coleman always disappear against good teams? Why does Al Nolen keep turning the ball over? What is the deal with McKenzie? Why did Tubby use a lineup of DJ, Jon Williams, Nolen, Hoffbauer, and Shamala in the first half? Why couldn't anybody stop Trevon Hughes from getting to the rim? Why can't Shamala move fast enough to stop Brian Butch from breaking the press using the dribble? Why does Travis Busch wear a shooting sleeve? Why do fans constantly have to bitch about the refereeing every time their team loses, and think there's some kind of conspiracy? Stupidity? Homerism? Inferiority complex?
The questions are endless. The answers are maddening. I can't take it, I just can't take it.
At least the faggy Patriots lost, so the day wasn't a complete ruin.
Marquette -3.5 vs. Louisville
St Joe's -4.5 vs. Villanova
Gonzaga +3 @ St. Mary's
Kansas -18 vs. Missouri
Yesterday: 2-1
Season: 285-254
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Patriots v. Colts
Here is it, the world's most important football game, and who better to break it down nerd-style, than my good buddy The Sidler. I introduced him a bit here, and here he breaks it down:
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It is the game of the century...until the media declares some other game as the game of the century in a few years. But this is the latest meeting of undefeated teams in the modern NFL era and features the two teams that have clearly put themselves head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
Before I dive into my preview, know a few things:
1. I have been a Colts fan since the Mayflower landed in Indianapolis in 1984
2. The Patriots are like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Nick Punto wrapped into one--I hate them
3. I'm going to use FootballOutsiders.com 's statistics, primarily DVOA (defensive value over average), which is similar to Baseball Prospectus' VORP that WWWWWW has used before.
Check this out for more information: Football Outsiders.
The Patriots, simply put, have been a juggernaut through the first half of their schedule.
How good have they been? Looking at DVOA in the last 10 years, only 10 teams have posted a +40% rating through the first eight weeks. The top two are facing off Sunday, but the Patriots 70.6% rating is 13.6 POINTS(!) better than the Colts. The key to their rating is the offense, which has essentially been twice as good as the third-best offense in the league (Dallas) and provided about 70% of the Patriots' overall value. Of course, their defense is the third best in the league, according to DVOA, putting them merely in the "great" category instead of "otherworldly." And they've done it without Richard Seymour. Great. Almost forgot special teams—thanks to Gostkowski's booming kickoffs, they have the 5th best so far.
Colts DVOA rankings: Offense: 1; Defense: 6; Special Teams: 13
It is worth pointing out that the Colts rankings are impacted by their 4th quarter performance, which has included kneel-downs, a lot of running, and even Jim Sorgi. Great article by the Boston Herald pointing some key differences, including the Pats outscoring the Colts 86-57 and attempting 25 more passes than the Colts. Which leads me to…
One final category that the Patriots are completely dominating—the all-important douchebag rating. Belichick has cranked it to 11 in his personal quest to give the entire league the middle finger for enforcing its rules. And that's not even taking the general douchebaggery of their fans (led by ultimate Pats apologist Bill Simmons) into account. When they went for it on 4th and 2 last week against the Redskins, New England crossed that imaginary line in many people's heads. Unfortunately the Redskins simply bent over and grabbed their ankles, otherwise I'd be writing about how awesome it was that Marcus Washington and Sean Taylor combined to tear the ACL of either Tom Brady or Randy Moss.
As a Colts fan that had to endure numerous articles calling the Patriots a classy, dreamy franchise over the past 5 years, it is at least refreshing that the Pats are making it easy for the sports media to question their sportsmanship. Of course they're a few years late; while Belichick and Brady have been great frontrunners, they instantly turn into pouty little bitches once someone has the temerity to defeat them. Witness Brady walking away from the podium or not showing up after two recent losses to the Colts and Belichick's inane barking following any loss. Manning might have thrown a teammate under the bus after a loss, but at least he's man enough to answer every question. And for f*cks sake, the NFL has a bigger problem with coaches wearing suits than they do Belichick dressing like a homeless man every week.
Enough about what is probably the best 8-game stretch ever in the NFL, it is time to talk about the game itself. I'll use the traditional "when X has the ball…" format that the Star Tribune used to love.
When the Patriots have the ball…
The passing game gets all of the attention, but did you know the Pats rank 8th in the league in rushing yards per game? F*ck me. On paper, that's the biggest mismatch—the Pats solid run game against the worst-rated unit taking the field, the Colts' 13th ranked rush defense. Maroney, if healthy, should be able to find openings around the edges and turn them into fairly big gains. Part of me wonders if Belichick is going to pull a complete 180 and play old school power football on Sunday; I think it would work.
The Colts have the best pass defense in the league, which is surprising considering how often the team has had the lead and both starting CBs from the 2006 team left via free agency. Also a surprise and major area of concern—the Colts are allowing QBs to complete over 65% of their passes while a team like the Steelers (#4) allow under 58%. This shows me that the secondary and LBs are keeping plays in front of them (giving up a league-low 7 pass plays of 20+ yards) and preventing other teams from racking up big YAC numbers.
So who wins this matchup—the best passing offense or best passing defense? Unfortunately, I don't think the Colts can stop Brady unless Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis set up shop in the New England backfield. Stallworth is the kind of WR that the Tampa 2 can neutralize, but there is simply no answer for Randy Moss or Wes Welker, unless…Marlin Jackson can be extremely physical with Moss at the line of scrimmage and Bob Sanders can get in Moss Mania's head, causing the old alligator arms to make an appearance.
But remember where you heard it first—I think there's a decent chance New England comes out and tries to grind out the game with Maroney, Faulk, et al.
When the Colts have the ball…
Here's a question—is the Patriots #5 rushing defense ranking being caused by their offense or defense? They have given up 4.2 yards/carry and are the only team in the top 10 to give up more than 3.8. If Colts' left tackle Tony Ugoh can play, the stretch play that direction could be the key to the game for the Colts offense. Ugoh is much more athletic than Tarik Glenn was, allowing him to get to the second level on the stretch play, opening up huge lanes for Joseph Addai. The Patriots LBs are slow (and getting slower) and they know it, which is why Adalius Thomas was brought in during the offseason. But I think Thomas is going to have his hands full with Dallas Clark (more on that next), so Bruschi, Seau, Colvin, and Vrabel will need to react quickly to get outside in time.
Adalius Thomas has gone from a devastating pass rushing LB in Baltimore to a do-everything LB and has the ability to neutralize Dallas Clark, the key to Colts passing game so far this year. Expect to see him glued to Clark all afternoon, taking away Manning's safety valve. Ben Utecht will need to step up from the TE2 position, but he'll probably fumble and get hurt instead.
There are two big questions about the Colts passing game:
1. Will Marvin Harrison play? The Colts have managed to be effective without him, but they haven't faced a secondary as good as the Patriots yet.
2. Can they keep the Patriots out of the backfield? Ugoh playing will be a big help, but I'm sure we'll see the usual array of blitzes and the Colts to have some problems with them in the first half.
Ultimately, I expect both offenses will prevail, but it will probably take the Colts a couple drives to get everything sorted out before they find a way to work Wayne and Harrison into the downfield passing game. Rodney Harrison has lost a step and the Colts first round pick, Anthony Gonzales, has the speed to expose him if the Colts can force that matchup.
Prediction time
The Colts can't afford to wait for the offense to get everything sorted out. The Patriots roll from the opening kickoff, jumping out to an early 14-3 lead that will prove to be insurmountable.
Hold on, I just threw up and need to clean up my keyboard.
OK, I'm back. If the Colts are going to win this game, a few things need to happen:
1. +2 in the turnover battle
2. Control the first half with Addai and Kenton "Hands of Stone" Keith
3. Get tons of pressure on Brady and force the passing game out of rhythm
One thing is a near certainty—if the Patriots take control of the game, they will relish running up the score on their most heated rival.
Patriots 38
Colts 31
-----------------------------------------------------------
I disagree, but then again, I'm not a Wabash educated young man. Thanks Sidler. Go Colts! F the Patriots (except Randy Moss).
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It is the game of the century...until the media declares some other game as the game of the century in a few years. But this is the latest meeting of undefeated teams in the modern NFL era and features the two teams that have clearly put themselves head and shoulders above the rest of the league.
Before I dive into my preview, know a few things:
1. I have been a Colts fan since the Mayflower landed in Indianapolis in 1984
2. The Patriots are like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Nick Punto wrapped into one--I hate them
3. I'm going to use FootballOutsiders.com 's statistics, primarily DVOA (defensive value over average), which is similar to Baseball Prospectus' VORP that WWWWWW has used before.
Check this out for more information: Football Outsiders.
The Patriots, simply put, have been a juggernaut through the first half of their schedule.
How good have they been? Looking at DVOA in the last 10 years, only 10 teams have posted a +40% rating through the first eight weeks. The top two are facing off Sunday, but the Patriots 70.6% rating is 13.6 POINTS(!) better than the Colts. The key to their rating is the offense, which has essentially been twice as good as the third-best offense in the league (Dallas) and provided about 70% of the Patriots' overall value. Of course, their defense is the third best in the league, according to DVOA, putting them merely in the "great" category instead of "otherworldly." And they've done it without Richard Seymour. Great. Almost forgot special teams—thanks to Gostkowski's booming kickoffs, they have the 5th best so far.
Colts DVOA rankings: Offense: 1; Defense: 6; Special Teams: 13
It is worth pointing out that the Colts rankings are impacted by their 4th quarter performance, which has included kneel-downs, a lot of running, and even Jim Sorgi. Great article by the Boston Herald pointing some key differences, including the Pats outscoring the Colts 86-57 and attempting 25 more passes than the Colts. Which leads me to…
One final category that the Patriots are completely dominating—the all-important douchebag rating. Belichick has cranked it to 11 in his personal quest to give the entire league the middle finger for enforcing its rules. And that's not even taking the general douchebaggery of their fans (led by ultimate Pats apologist Bill Simmons) into account. When they went for it on 4th and 2 last week against the Redskins, New England crossed that imaginary line in many people's heads. Unfortunately the Redskins simply bent over and grabbed their ankles, otherwise I'd be writing about how awesome it was that Marcus Washington and Sean Taylor combined to tear the ACL of either Tom Brady or Randy Moss.
As a Colts fan that had to endure numerous articles calling the Patriots a classy, dreamy franchise over the past 5 years, it is at least refreshing that the Pats are making it easy for the sports media to question their sportsmanship. Of course they're a few years late; while Belichick and Brady have been great frontrunners, they instantly turn into pouty little bitches once someone has the temerity to defeat them. Witness Brady walking away from the podium or not showing up after two recent losses to the Colts and Belichick's inane barking following any loss. Manning might have thrown a teammate under the bus after a loss, but at least he's man enough to answer every question. And for f*cks sake, the NFL has a bigger problem with coaches wearing suits than they do Belichick dressing like a homeless man every week.
Enough about what is probably the best 8-game stretch ever in the NFL, it is time to talk about the game itself. I'll use the traditional "when X has the ball…" format that the Star Tribune used to love.
When the Patriots have the ball…
The passing game gets all of the attention, but did you know the Pats rank 8th in the league in rushing yards per game? F*ck me. On paper, that's the biggest mismatch—the Pats solid run game against the worst-rated unit taking the field, the Colts' 13th ranked rush defense. Maroney, if healthy, should be able to find openings around the edges and turn them into fairly big gains. Part of me wonders if Belichick is going to pull a complete 180 and play old school power football on Sunday; I think it would work.
The Colts have the best pass defense in the league, which is surprising considering how often the team has had the lead and both starting CBs from the 2006 team left via free agency. Also a surprise and major area of concern—the Colts are allowing QBs to complete over 65% of their passes while a team like the Steelers (#4) allow under 58%. This shows me that the secondary and LBs are keeping plays in front of them (giving up a league-low 7 pass plays of 20+ yards) and preventing other teams from racking up big YAC numbers.
So who wins this matchup—the best passing offense or best passing defense? Unfortunately, I don't think the Colts can stop Brady unless Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis set up shop in the New England backfield. Stallworth is the kind of WR that the Tampa 2 can neutralize, but there is simply no answer for Randy Moss or Wes Welker, unless…Marlin Jackson can be extremely physical with Moss at the line of scrimmage and Bob Sanders can get in Moss Mania's head, causing the old alligator arms to make an appearance.
But remember where you heard it first—I think there's a decent chance New England comes out and tries to grind out the game with Maroney, Faulk, et al.
When the Colts have the ball…
Here's a question—is the Patriots #5 rushing defense ranking being caused by their offense or defense? They have given up 4.2 yards/carry and are the only team in the top 10 to give up more than 3.8. If Colts' left tackle Tony Ugoh can play, the stretch play that direction could be the key to the game for the Colts offense. Ugoh is much more athletic than Tarik Glenn was, allowing him to get to the second level on the stretch play, opening up huge lanes for Joseph Addai. The Patriots LBs are slow (and getting slower) and they know it, which is why Adalius Thomas was brought in during the offseason. But I think Thomas is going to have his hands full with Dallas Clark (more on that next), so Bruschi, Seau, Colvin, and Vrabel will need to react quickly to get outside in time.
Adalius Thomas has gone from a devastating pass rushing LB in Baltimore to a do-everything LB and has the ability to neutralize Dallas Clark, the key to Colts passing game so far this year. Expect to see him glued to Clark all afternoon, taking away Manning's safety valve. Ben Utecht will need to step up from the TE2 position, but he'll probably fumble and get hurt instead.
There are two big questions about the Colts passing game:
1. Will Marvin Harrison play? The Colts have managed to be effective without him, but they haven't faced a secondary as good as the Patriots yet.
2. Can they keep the Patriots out of the backfield? Ugoh playing will be a big help, but I'm sure we'll see the usual array of blitzes and the Colts to have some problems with them in the first half.
Ultimately, I expect both offenses will prevail, but it will probably take the Colts a couple drives to get everything sorted out before they find a way to work Wayne and Harrison into the downfield passing game. Rodney Harrison has lost a step and the Colts first round pick, Anthony Gonzales, has the speed to expose him if the Colts can force that matchup.
Prediction time
The Colts can't afford to wait for the offense to get everything sorted out. The Patriots roll from the opening kickoff, jumping out to an early 14-3 lead that will prove to be insurmountable.
Hold on, I just threw up and need to clean up my keyboard.
OK, I'm back. If the Colts are going to win this game, a few things need to happen:
1. +2 in the turnover battle
2. Control the first half with Addai and Kenton "Hands of Stone" Keith
3. Get tons of pressure on Brady and force the passing game out of rhythm
One thing is a near certainty—if the Patriots take control of the game, they will relish running up the score on their most heated rival.
Patriots 38
Colts 31
-----------------------------------------------------------
I disagree, but then again, I'm not a Wabash educated young man. Thanks Sidler. Go Colts! F the Patriots (except Randy Moss).
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