Wow, two Weekend Wrap-Ups in one weekend? I am either excited that I am getting better at writing or that I am depressed about a lack of life. Either way, it is your gain!
Let's start off with the Polls. Can we finally get the Coach's ballots out in the open? Until then, I am going to assume that Pete Carroll put USC #2 in his ballot and Oregon off the top 25. There is NO way USC should be ranked ahead of Oregon just a week after getting destroyed by 25+ points in Eugene. Sad part is, even USC has a gripe, because Ohio St. is somehow ahead of them in the polls. Such political bullshit.
We hope here at SportsTown that Cal RB Jahvid Best is alright. That was one of the more brutal falls I have ever seen. It is time for RB's to realize that vaulting 8 feet in the air over defenders is not exactly the best way to get into the endzone.
Georgia Tech's Paul Johnson just got my respect this week. In overtime, going for it on 4th Down and 2, when a chipshot FG ties the game took some serious minerals to do. Billy Raftery was somewhere in the US screaming out "ONIONS!".
The main game of the week was the LSU-Alabama clash that was a good physical game. Alabama was the better team of the two in the game, but Alabama was also very fortunate on two occasions. First, LSU stud CB Patrick Peterson getting hurt. Peterson had Julio Jones on lockdown and there is no way Jones gets the big touchdown if Peterson is on the field.
The second part was the refs blowing a clear interception by Peterson while Bama was driving in the 4th quarter around midfield. Now, we all know that the SEC referees have been working like they take an evelope from some guy in a trenchcoat named Guido, but then the replay Crew did not overturn it. NCAA rules state that one foot has to be inbounds. Peterson got both feet in. At least the SEC cannot fine me 30k for saying outloud how awful their officiating is.
Notre Dame loses to Navy. The lynch mob is back after Charlie Weis's neck. We already heard the Jon Gruden and Brian Kelly rumors, but ND fans should think about one thing. If Weis is canned, kiss Jimmy Clausen goodbye to the NFL. He might bolt to the NFL anyway, but there is no way Clausen sticks around for one season to learn a new playbook. Clausen stays, the Irish are a pre-season Top 5 program.
-Now, onto Week 9 of the NFL season. I have to get one thing off my chest before I get into any of the games, and yes, my hatred will be shown.
The Patriots showed how much of a cutthroat, classless organization they are when they mocked Joey Porter on the big screen at the end of their home game. It is one thing for Tom Brady to grab a mic from Rachel Nichols and trash Joey Porter. It is entirely different when a franchise is alright with publicly displaying how a certain player had a subpar game. An organization has to at least come off as appearing above nonsense like that.
Ladies and Gentleman... I called the Bengals being a tough team from jumpstreet. I did not think they would be 6-2 at the cut off point, but I knew they had a stingy defense that started showing up in the 2nd half of last season. Now, they are 4-0 in their own divison, smacked up the Ravens twice and have a win against the Steelers. Their offense is now rolling to the point where Chad Ochocinco is back having fun on the field. Watch out for this team...
I also said I thought the Texans would be the darkhorse team, and although they really should be, have failed me miserably. This team is actually 2 goal line stands and a missed FG from potentially being 8-1. They are just a team that cannot finish, kinda like Brian Fuentes looking like he just saw Freddy Kruger when taking the hill in the 9th inning of a postseason game.
How scary has this season been when the Giants looked like gangbusters and dropped like a middle aged woman's chest? They have looked awful, but the coaching might even be worse. They miss former Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Tom Coughlin is making some bonehead decisons in the Red Zone.
Hey, look at that, Vince Young is 2-0 as a starter this season. Making the Titans have to make a big decison in the offseason. Stay tuned to this one.
Finally, the game of the week was the Cowboys-Eagles tilt on Sunday Night. Whether the NFC East is perhaps on a down year or not, they always give a smashmouth game. I came out of watching this game thinking three things:
1. Andy Reid is the best dumb coach of all time. It is amazing that he has won this much, with the way he uses clock management, timeouts, and short yardage situations.
2. Tony Romo can win a big game. It looks like without TO, Romo can be himself and spread the ball out. It is working.
3. The Dallas defense is for real. Holding that high powered offense to 16 points on their turf is very impressive.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Weekend Wrap-Up-World Series of Poker Edition-Monday Night Football Prediction
We usually start with the football weekend, but I have to start off with a quasi non-sports story.
The World Series of Poker held their final table for the Main Event on Saturday night. Now called the "November Nine", you would think that this is where you would find the best skill level involved in the game.
No chance of that.
Long story short, the two players that made the worst moves on the table for 18+ hours, were rewarded by going against one another tonight Heads-Up for the bracelet. Darvin Moon and Joe Cada both literally sucked out and got gifts put into their laps to advance for the multi-million dollar first prize, and immortal fame in the poker world.
Cada, who could wind up being the youngest person to win the Main Event, two times played a hand over-aggressive Pre-Flop, had his tourney on the line against an overpair, and hit his own set. That right there is roughly 60-1 to happen. He also got a gift, from Moon.
Moon, who obviously is the ultimate "dead money" player to ever hit the Final Table, somehow survived in a tourney that is mostly skill and some luck. Well, Moon proved that it can be mostly luck and no skill. Moon's play had most pros shaking their heads, and even got Phil Gordon to say about one of Moon's hands as, "That was a gift.", and others whispering "That's about the worst play I've ever seen".(BTW, excellent coverage by the ESPN.com guys on the blog for the final table.)
Poker hit the mainstream a few years back when a string of ameteurs started to win the Main Event, starting with Robert Varkonyi, and of course, Chris Moneymaker. This is the first year that the WSOP could of really hit a higher level of popularity, if Phil Ivey (The Tiger Woods of poker), was at least heads up in the event or even won it all. It has been awhile since a top pro won it all, and would of given Poker a real superstar, excluding Phil Hellmuth of course, who is the best self-promoter since Muhammad Ali.
Prediction for the Heads-Up? Well, Cada does know how to play the game. He just sometimes is way over-aggressive, which is a trait most online players have. That will also be his major advantage over Moon one on one. Cada also has the chip lead. Barring a meltdown by Cada, I cannot see Moon beating the 21 year old kid on skill alone.
Cada the winner of the bracelet, breaking Peter Eastgate's record from last year.
Monday Night Football Prediction:
I will give the full Weekend Wrapup late tonight, but I had to give the game tonight. Should be a smashmouth game. Both defenses are top 5, and can expose the other offenses weaknesses.
The Steelers should give a healthy dose of Rashard Mendenhall tonight, and make Kyle Orton play from behind.
Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Denver Broncos 13
The World Series of Poker held their final table for the Main Event on Saturday night. Now called the "November Nine", you would think that this is where you would find the best skill level involved in the game.
No chance of that.
Long story short, the two players that made the worst moves on the table for 18+ hours, were rewarded by going against one another tonight Heads-Up for the bracelet. Darvin Moon and Joe Cada both literally sucked out and got gifts put into their laps to advance for the multi-million dollar first prize, and immortal fame in the poker world.
Cada, who could wind up being the youngest person to win the Main Event, two times played a hand over-aggressive Pre-Flop, had his tourney on the line against an overpair, and hit his own set. That right there is roughly 60-1 to happen. He also got a gift, from Moon.
Moon, who obviously is the ultimate "dead money" player to ever hit the Final Table, somehow survived in a tourney that is mostly skill and some luck. Well, Moon proved that it can be mostly luck and no skill. Moon's play had most pros shaking their heads, and even got Phil Gordon to say about one of Moon's hands as, "That was a gift.", and others whispering "That's about the worst play I've ever seen".(BTW, excellent coverage by the ESPN.com guys on the blog for the final table.)
Poker hit the mainstream a few years back when a string of ameteurs started to win the Main Event, starting with Robert Varkonyi, and of course, Chris Moneymaker. This is the first year that the WSOP could of really hit a higher level of popularity, if Phil Ivey (The Tiger Woods of poker), was at least heads up in the event or even won it all. It has been awhile since a top pro won it all, and would of given Poker a real superstar, excluding Phil Hellmuth of course, who is the best self-promoter since Muhammad Ali.
Prediction for the Heads-Up? Well, Cada does know how to play the game. He just sometimes is way over-aggressive, which is a trait most online players have. That will also be his major advantage over Moon one on one. Cada also has the chip lead. Barring a meltdown by Cada, I cannot see Moon beating the 21 year old kid on skill alone.
Cada the winner of the bracelet, breaking Peter Eastgate's record from last year.
Monday Night Football Prediction:
I will give the full Weekend Wrapup late tonight, but I had to give the game tonight. Should be a smashmouth game. Both defenses are top 5, and can expose the other offenses weaknesses.
The Steelers should give a healthy dose of Rashard Mendenhall tonight, and make Kyle Orton play from behind.
Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Denver Broncos 13
Sunday, November 8, 2009
NFL Picks for Week 9
I put this up late because I got all caught up and involved with a crazy sports day. Ranked teams in College Football dropping like flies, including 3 Top 10 teams, two good boxing events, and some guy named Fedor beating the snot of another guy on CBS. Then, I doozed off, but the picks are here!
Atlanta Falcons 24, Washington Redskins 13 - The Falcons will bounce back today after a tough loss on Monday Night to the Saints that they stayed in the entire time. I love Washington's defense (3rd in Total Yards, 5th in PPG), but the offense is just ripped apart by injuries, and moronic Quarterback play.
Green Bay Packers 45, Tampa Bay Bucs 13 - We all know that the Pack can ascore at will on a defense as stiff as the Bucs, but does anyone realize that the Packers defense is top 10? They cause a ton of turnovers, which does not bode well for Josh Freeman's first start in the NFL. This WILL get as ugly as a Nick Nolte mugshot.
Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Kansas City Chiefs 20 - Can someone finally hammer Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley for having the 2nd most pathetic playbook in the NFL after Cleveland? Everything is a run or a dump off less than 10 yards. Advice for Haley, you have a physical freak of a WR in Dwayne Bowe. USE HIM!!
Arizona Cardinals 31, Chicago Bears 23 - What an egg the Cardinals put on us last week against the Carolina Pick 6's. Funny thing is, Cards play better on the road, and should expose a poor pass defense of the Bears. Have fun trying to run today Matt Forte.
Baltimore Ravens 24, Cincinnati Bengals 21 - This Bengal team has me believing. They are good on all sides of the ball. I just cannot see the Ravens losing a revenge game after smacking the Broncos in the mouth like they did last week. That Bye was exactly what the Doctor ordered.
Houston Texans 34, Indianapolis Colts 31 - UPSET SPECIAL!! I was going to predict the Colts by 10, until I saw that most of the Colts secondary is out for this game. Matt Schaub and company can tear apart any secondary in football, especially backups. And to think, if the Kubiak/Jr. Shannahan combo did not have such a love affair for Chris Brown at the goal line, they could of been tied for the divison with Indy after this game.
New England Patriots 41, Miami Dolphins 20 - Hmmm... Belichick after a bye week and at home. That is an equation I want no part of picking against. The weather is suppose to be bad at Foxboro today as well, which would favor the Dolphins run attack. I just cannot see the Pats losing this game, knowing that the schedule after today goes like this: @ Indy, Jets, @ Saints, @ Fins.
Tennessee Titans 23, San Francisco 49ers 20 - Bill Simmons of ESPN hit this comment right on the head. 49ers -4 is the fishiest line of the year. It really does show how scare the oddsmakers are of Chris Johnson, and they have a great deal to be worried about. When in doubt of the game, look at how Vegas figures it. They are the experts.
New York Giants 38, San Diego Chargers 31 - This is going to be a shootout of two teams that had a reputation for defense. It is all a myth now. This is the game Brandon Jacobs runs wild, as the Bolts will sorely miss Jamal Williams in this game. Rivers will carve up the Giants secondary, but it will not be enough.
Seattle Seahawks 34, Detroit Lions 23 - When he is healthy, Matt Hasselback always exposes horrific defenses. Expect a monster day from our favorite bald spokesperson. Lions do get Megatron Johnson back for this game, and they will at elast try to keep it close, but the Lions defense is swiss cheese.
New Orleans Saints 41, Carolina Panthers 17 - Impressive win by the Panthers in the desert last week, but the Saints will put 8-9 players in the box and take away the run game. That will leave Delhommme the Donkey to throw against a secondary that is ballhawk crazy. Over/Under on Delhomme Ints- 2.5, Over/Under on Delhomme Pick 6's- .5. Take the Over on both.
Dallas Cowboys 28, Philadelphia 27 - I really like how the Cowboys have been playing the past few weeks. The defense is playing at a high level, and they are getting big Special Teams play. The NFC always gives us a curveball. This is it. Miles Austin continues his insane play in this one.
Last Week: 9-4 (Also hit the World Series game) Bonus Game: 1-0
Season: 72-43
Atlanta Falcons 24, Washington Redskins 13 - The Falcons will bounce back today after a tough loss on Monday Night to the Saints that they stayed in the entire time. I love Washington's defense (3rd in Total Yards, 5th in PPG), but the offense is just ripped apart by injuries, and moronic Quarterback play.
Green Bay Packers 45, Tampa Bay Bucs 13 - We all know that the Pack can ascore at will on a defense as stiff as the Bucs, but does anyone realize that the Packers defense is top 10? They cause a ton of turnovers, which does not bode well for Josh Freeman's first start in the NFL. This WILL get as ugly as a Nick Nolte mugshot.
Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Kansas City Chiefs 20 - Can someone finally hammer Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley for having the 2nd most pathetic playbook in the NFL after Cleveland? Everything is a run or a dump off less than 10 yards. Advice for Haley, you have a physical freak of a WR in Dwayne Bowe. USE HIM!!
Arizona Cardinals 31, Chicago Bears 23 - What an egg the Cardinals put on us last week against the Carolina Pick 6's. Funny thing is, Cards play better on the road, and should expose a poor pass defense of the Bears. Have fun trying to run today Matt Forte.
Baltimore Ravens 24, Cincinnati Bengals 21 - This Bengal team has me believing. They are good on all sides of the ball. I just cannot see the Ravens losing a revenge game after smacking the Broncos in the mouth like they did last week. That Bye was exactly what the Doctor ordered.
Houston Texans 34, Indianapolis Colts 31 - UPSET SPECIAL!! I was going to predict the Colts by 10, until I saw that most of the Colts secondary is out for this game. Matt Schaub and company can tear apart any secondary in football, especially backups. And to think, if the Kubiak/Jr. Shannahan combo did not have such a love affair for Chris Brown at the goal line, they could of been tied for the divison with Indy after this game.
New England Patriots 41, Miami Dolphins 20 - Hmmm... Belichick after a bye week and at home. That is an equation I want no part of picking against. The weather is suppose to be bad at Foxboro today as well, which would favor the Dolphins run attack. I just cannot see the Pats losing this game, knowing that the schedule after today goes like this: @ Indy, Jets, @ Saints, @ Fins.
Tennessee Titans 23, San Francisco 49ers 20 - Bill Simmons of ESPN hit this comment right on the head. 49ers -4 is the fishiest line of the year. It really does show how scare the oddsmakers are of Chris Johnson, and they have a great deal to be worried about. When in doubt of the game, look at how Vegas figures it. They are the experts.
New York Giants 38, San Diego Chargers 31 - This is going to be a shootout of two teams that had a reputation for defense. It is all a myth now. This is the game Brandon Jacobs runs wild, as the Bolts will sorely miss Jamal Williams in this game. Rivers will carve up the Giants secondary, but it will not be enough.
Seattle Seahawks 34, Detroit Lions 23 - When he is healthy, Matt Hasselback always exposes horrific defenses. Expect a monster day from our favorite bald spokesperson. Lions do get Megatron Johnson back for this game, and they will at elast try to keep it close, but the Lions defense is swiss cheese.
New Orleans Saints 41, Carolina Panthers 17 - Impressive win by the Panthers in the desert last week, but the Saints will put 8-9 players in the box and take away the run game. That will leave Delhommme the Donkey to throw against a secondary that is ballhawk crazy. Over/Under on Delhomme Ints- 2.5, Over/Under on Delhomme Pick 6's- .5. Take the Over on both.
Dallas Cowboys 28, Philadelphia 27 - I really like how the Cowboys have been playing the past few weeks. The defense is playing at a high level, and they are getting big Special Teams play. The NFC always gives us a curveball. This is it. Miles Austin continues his insane play in this one.
Last Week: 9-4 (Also hit the World Series game) Bonus Game: 1-0
Season: 72-43
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
