Welcome to the return of the almost weekly perspective of college football. For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season. Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.
Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Dak Prescott - So long as Mississippi State keeps winning, Prescott is the odds on winner should the Heisman go to a quarterback (which as of now is not likely).
Rising - Connor Holliday - Washington State - He has thrown for 3,052 yards - tops in the FCS (second place has 2,165), and in a year in which the running backs are dominating, Holliday's statistics make him a worthwhile Heisman candidate.
Falling - Marcus Mariota - Oregon - Still a phenomenal player having a great season, but the loss at home to Arizona knocks him out of the favorite's seat, especially in a year with running backs like those below.
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Todd Gurley -Georgia - He is 6th in the FBS in rushing yards with 773 and 8 touchdowns, but no player in the NCAA is more important to his team than Gurley. For those that are watching the game, he is easily the best player in college.
Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - Right now he will be second in the Heisman race if I had a vote. Third in the FBS with 871 yards (only 7 behind first place), and he is a difference maker on offense. Might have jumped Hurley this week if the Badgers didn't lose to Northwestern.
Ameer Abdullah - Nebraska - Leads the FBS in rushing yards with 878, but has not risen further than 3rd as he only gained 45 yards against a tough Michigan State defense in the Cornhuskers loss this weekend.
Sleeper - None - the top three are the top three. Period.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - Amari Cooper - Alabama - Second in the FBS in yards and receptions, and even though Alabama fell to Ole Miss this week, he still caught 9 passes for 91 yards.
Kevin White - West Virginia - Fourth in receptions and first in yards in the FBS, and is about the only person who could challenge Amari Cooper for the Biletnikoff Award.
Sleeper - None. Most of the quality receivers have already established themselves.
Defensive Edition
3. Hau'oli Kikaha - LB - Washington - The senior linebacker has 7 sacks on the season and is really making a name for himself in an offense-laden conference.
2. Vic Beasley - DE - Clemson - He is finally starting to live up to his pre-season hype, and his sack strip and fumble recovery-return for a touchdown of Jacoby Brissett is the type of play that makes everyone take notice. His last two or three games have been outstanding.
1. Gerod Holliman - S - Louisville - The sophomore had another interception this week, giving him 7 for the season, in only 5 games! He has had at least one interception in every game that he has played.
Player to Watch
Nick Marshall - QB - Auburn - Suddenly it is the Auburn Tigers who look in control of the SEC West, which should assure them a run into the playoffs. Of course, this division is so tough the winner could escape with two losses, and none of the toughest teams in the country make the final playoffs.
My New Favorite Player
JoJo Kemp - RB - Kentucky - He rushed for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns on only 17 carries as the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks. Despite the fact that the SEC East is hugely down this year, Mark Stoops is quietly building up a very good and athletic team in Lexington.
Players of the Week
This section will be more week specific as the season goes forward, but for the first week, it is hard to differentiate the players of the week from the players of the season, as the season has only lasted 1 week.
5. Melvin Gordon - RB - Wisconsin - He was at it again gaining 259 yards against Northwestern. Would likely be ranked higher if the Badgers were not upset.
4. Dax Prescott - QB - Mississippi State - So instrumental in the Bulldogs victory over the Aggies this week. He finished 20-26 for 268 yards and 2 Touchdowns passing, and 77 yards and 3 Touchdowns rushing.
3. Todd Gurley -RB - Georgia - He ran all over Vanderbilt gaining 163 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns in a 44-17 victory. His numbers would have been much higher if not for the fact that this game was over early.
2. Connor Holliday - QB - Washington State - He was 49-70 for 734 and 6 touchdowns. This was not a game for mere stat padding, however, as the Cougars needed every single one of those yards as they defeated Cal 60-59.
1. Mike Bercovici - QB - Arizona State - Although not as gaudy as Holliday's numbers, Becovici's 27-45 for 510 yards and 5 Touchdowns is more impressive given that the Sun Devils defeated the USC in Los Angeles.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Treon Harris - QB - Florida - Leads the Gators on two scoring drives to win 10-0 by day, gets himself into a situation where a sexual assault is being investigated with him as the suspect, leading to his suspension pending the investigation by night. I don't know if he did anything criminal, or even wrong, but has he not been paying attention the past year?!
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Brady Hoke - Michigan - Because they are awful, he gets the pick again this week.
Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups
Auburn (1) v. (4)Baylor/Michigan State (3) v. (2)Florida State
Auburn (1) v. Florida State (2)
I hate predicting rematches, but we could be on the route. I know that Ole Miss and Mississippi State are ranked higher than other teams right now, but they play each other and Auburn, not to mention other tough games. I have said it since Michigan State lost to Oregon opening weekend, that they are going to end up in the playoff. Notre Dame is the wildcard, and I am not sold on them yet. I probably should have them in Baylor's spot right now, but might as well take some chances.
Final Unbeatens
We have 10 unbeaten teams remaining, which means that we lost 7 this past weekend alone. Here is where I rank them (in terms of how I think the team is, not how long they will remain unbeaten).
1. Auburn
2. Florida State
3. Mississippi State
4. Mississippi
5. TCU
6. Baylor
7. Notre Dame
8. Arizona
9. Georgia Tech
10. Marshall
Rant(s) of the Week
How on earth do we have game-ending and game-winning plays where the snap occurs after the play clock hits zero? For the second time this season, the Florida Gators take the lead on a field goal in which the play clock is clearly 0 at the time the ball is snapped. Now, admittedly, the snap occurs very quickly after the clock hits zero during normal speed, but in replay it is obvious.
The official word from the NCAA is that the back judge watches the play clock, and then when it hits 0, he looks to the play. If the ball is then in motion, no penalty. Why not just have a buzzer or some apparatus in the hand of the back judge that vibrates the instant the clock hits 0, so that the back judge only has to concentrate on the snap of the ball, and he can supplement the buzzer by paying attention to the clock when necessary?
Kentucky and Tennessee each lost games because of this - although Florida would have had another opportunity, just from 54+ yards (plus an addition (6:20) this week to beat Tennessee.
Under Performance of the Week
Wisconsin - There is no way that the Badgers should have lost to Northwestern. Melvin Gordon had a great game, but the rest of the offense was nonexistent, as the team had 138 passing yards total for the game.
Last Week's Trivia Answer
The two colleges that each have three players start at quarterback this year in the NFL are:
North Carolina State: Mike Glennon, Phillip Rivers and Russell Wilson (as both NC State and Wisconsin claim him); and
Michigan State: Kirk Cousins, Brian Hoyer and Drew Stanton
Trivia Question of the Week
Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley, with his sack/strip/fumble recovery/touchdown this week has tied the Clemson career sack record with 28 sacks. With whom is he tied?
Match up(s) to Watch
Honorable Mention - West Virginia v. Texas Tech - Not because this is that important of a game, but because 145 points could conceivably be scored in this game!
4. Oregon v. UCLA - Two teams that in just one week went from playoff contenders to hoping to enter the Pac-12 Conference championship game. Both are offensive-minded, so a lot of points could be scored in this game. Which team rebounds the best?
3. Ole Miss v. Texas A and M - The second straight huge game for both of these teams against division rivals. The Aggies cannot afford their second conference loss, meanwhile the Rebels can continue their fantastic start to the season.
2. TCU v. Baylor - One of two top 10 match ups of unbeaten teams. TCU is a lot better than anybody really knows, and Baylor can score against anyone.
1. Auburn v. Mississippi State - The second straight big game at home for the Bulldogs. No doubt exists that this is the Game of the Week.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Rock You Like a Hurricane
As I prepared to watch the Miami-Nebraska game two weeks ago, I became all nostalgic for that 2001 Miami football team, which was easily the best college football team, EVER. I am not sure there is even a legitimate debate that can be had over that fact. Just go look at that 2001 Roster. Just the freshman alone on this team make other teams look pale by comparison. Plus, seeing how Miami's defense finally put together a full game against Duke, put me in full Hurricanes mode.
This got me thinking as to who would be members of the All-Time Miami Hurricane football team. Actually, I have been thinking about this for a couple of years, this week just gave me the impetus to actually sit down and do this. If you think your favorite school can match up with the Hurricanes, show me your 53 man roster, or tell me what team you want compared and I will make their 53 man roster.
The roster is based upon football ability, talent and production, not just at the college level. NFL production counts, and rather highly. Simply, which football players from Miami are the best. The roster is a 53 man roster, with roughly the same position breakdown as a typical NFL team. I will have to make decisions like keep a 9th offensive lineman, versus a pure returner that may not have another role. A 6th defensive end versus a 6th corner or safety, 2 or 3 QBs, etc.
Here is one man's look at the All-Time Miami Hurricanes football team with starters in bold and capital letters.
OFFENSE
QB (3) - JIM KELLY; Vinny Testaverde; Bernie Kosar
Surprisingly, not as strong of a position as you would have expected coming out of Miami, but the starter is still an NFL Hall of Famer.
Jim Kelly is easily the most decorated professional quarterback to come out of the University of Miami. A four time Super Bowl participant, and he was essentially the forerunner to all of today's version of the hurry-up offense that you see all over college and seeping into the NFL via Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. Except now is 2014 and Kelly was doing this back in the 1980's and 1990's. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002 in his first year of eligibility.
Vinny Testaverde quietly has some serious numbers in the NFL with over 46,000 passing yards.
One of the toughest decisions was not who would be the third string quarterback, but rather if the team was going to carry three quarterbacks. For now, that answer is yes and the person is Kosar. The only other real possibility was Steve Walsh, although I understand the love that Canes fans have for Ken Dorsey and his fantastic collegiate won-loss record of 38-2. Kosar makes the team because of his brilliance on the filed. The Dallas Cowboys signed him after Troy Aikman became injured. The first week that he was on the team, the coaches condensed the playbook so that it would be easier for him to learn all the plays to be called that week. In the very first game the coaches accidentally called a play that had not been practiced all week. Kosar threw a 40 yard completion.
RB (5) - EDGERRIN JAMES; Clinton Portis; Willis McGahee; Frank Gore; Ottis Anderson
James finished his NFL career with over 12,000 rushing yards and 80 touchdowns, all the while still being a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield and pick up blitzes to protect the quarterback. His skills allowed the Colts to get rid of Marshall Faulk and not miss much production from the position. With an expected high-flying offense, this squad will start one RB, and three WRs, thus only James is the starter.
Portis finished just shy of 10,000 yards rushing with 75 touchdowns, while McGahee finished just shy of 8,500 yards rushing with 65 touchdowns. Gore has just over 10,000 yards, and still counting, and holds the San Francisco rushing yardage record (10,033+) and touchdown record (60+).
The last spot came down to Ottis Anderson and Alonzo Highsmith, but Anderson takes the spot due to his 10,283 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns, compared to Highsmith's NFL career which was cut short due to knee injuries. Anderson was big in big games, gaining 193 yards in his rookie debut to show the league that he was a running back to whom defenses had to pay attention, and he was named the MVP in Super Bowl 25, gaining 102 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown. He is one of four running backs to have scored touchdowns in multiple Super Bowls and win a Super Bowl MVP. And if you needed any more convincing, he is from my hometown.
WR (5) -MICHAEL IRVIN; REGGIE WAYNE; ANDRE JOHNSON; Santana Moss; Eddie Brown
Other than Quarterback and Middle Linebacker, this might have been the easiest position to select the starters. It was made easier by the fact that I chose to start 3 wide receivers. The college and professional careers of Irvin, Wayne and Johnson easily outpace those of their counterparts. Irvin is in the Hall of Fame, Wayne has over 1,00 receptions and 13,000 yards, and still going, while Andre Johnson is a seven-time Pro-Bowler with 933 receptions and counting, and is the only player in NFL history with 60+ receptions each of his first 8 seasons.
Moss has had a deceptively good NFL career with 722 receptions for 10,167 yards and 66 touchdowns in his 13 NFL seasons. Brown only played 7 years with the Cincinnati Bengals, but he amassed 363 catches for 6,134 yards and 41 touchdowns. A speedster, he had 1,273 yards on only 54 receptions, for an average of 23.5 yards per catch, a record that still stands for receivers that have caught at least 50 passes in a game.
Randall Hill, Yatil Green, Sinorice Moss, were other potential choices, as could be Leonard Hankerson if he somehow blossoms a bit in the NFL, but for now, the wide receiver slots are full.
TE (3) - JIMMY GRAHAM; Jeremy Shockey; Greg Olsen
I must admit, when I first went into this, I thought for sure that I had three and only really three tight ends from which to choose. But when I thought about it, I had to change my mind. Although it is still a fairly easy position to select, with really only four players possible for the three spots. But if I have to justify why Graham is starting, He has 309 catches for 3,945 yards with 42 touchdowns, while Shockey is at 547/6,143/37 . I initially thought that Kellen Winslow would be far and away the third TE, with his 469/5,236/25, however, Olsen will have about the same number of catches after this year is completed (he has 381 now), will be close in yards by the middle of next year (he has 4,180), has already eclipsed Winslow in TDs with 36, and Olsen has a much better attitude. Plus, I need at least one member of the Seventh Floor Crew on this team.
Bubba Franks deserves an honorable mention, so it turns out the position was deeper than I expected, but for now, the TE position was still easy to select, but loaded nontheless.
OL (8) - BRYANT MCKINNIE (T); LEON SEARCY (G); JIM OTTO (C); CHRIS MYERS (G); ERIC WINSTON (T); Orlando Franklin (T-G); Brandon Linder (G); Vernon Carey (T-G)
This was more difficult than I thought, because do I go with the greatest 5 linemen to start, or should I try to pick an actual line? I went with a combination platter. I wish that I could include Ed Newman, as he went to law school at Miami, but that didn't seem right since he played for Duke.
Otto was a no-brainer, easily the best center from Miami of All-Time. He made 12 All-Star appearances, was a 13 time All-Pro, a member of the All-AFL team and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. McKinnie starts because he has had a solid NFL career, including a Pro Bowl appearance and a Super Bowl championship. He might also have been the greatest offensive lineman in college history. Winston is the other tackle because he has had a solid, if not stellar, career, pacing an offensive line that has opened holes for the likes of Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles. Searcy, a longtime left tackle, slides over to guard because I think he has that type of ability to do so. Searcy was elected to a Pro Bowl. At the other guard spot is Chris Myers. Yes, Chris Myers is a center - and a damn good one having been to 2 Pro Bowls already, but he started off a guard. He excelled once moved to center, but his interior blocking ability is something this team needs. His ability to play center should something happen to Jim Otto is key as well.
Orlando Franklin is a behemoth of a man that started off as a right tackle, but was recently moved to left guard by the Denver Broncos. The move was not because Franklin could not handle being a tackle, as sometimes happens with players, but simply because the Broncos felt they needed to get bigger and tougher on the line, and they had three tackles they needed to start - including Franklin - so they found somewhere to put him. Linder is interesting because he has only played in 3 NFL games, starting all of them. This might be my one and only "reach" pick, but this team is short on lineman, and Linder is a starter in the NFL. Vernon Carey had a 8 year NFL career at Tackle and Guard, so we have more flexibility for the squad. An interesting statistic for Carey is that he has 8 fumble recoveries in his career.
DEFENSE
DT (5) - JEROME BROWN; WARREN SAPP; Cortez Kennedy; Vince Wilfork; Russell Maryland
This is easily the strongest position on the team, with all due respect to the running backs. Brown was the heart and soul of a tremendous Eagles defense that included stars like Reggie White, Clyde Simmons and Andre Waters. Had he not been killed at age 27 we might be talking about him as the best defensive tackle ever. Even in a short time in the league he had 29 1/2 sacks and 3 interceptions. Sapp, who ran at 4.69 from the DT position, was a 7 time Pro-Bowler, a 6 time All-Pro, Defensive Player of the Year in 1999 and made the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 1990's AND 2000's. Needless to say he is in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Kennedy was just as good as anybody at his position. He was an 8 time Pro-Bowler; 5 times an All-Pro. He was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992, made the NFL's All-Decade team for the 1990's, and if he had not toiled in relative obscurity because of his position and location (Seattle), would likely have been much more decorated. He is also in the Hall of Fame. Wilfork is the absolute definition of the current nose tackle, and is a 5 time Pro-Bowler and a 5 time All-Pro. He has 23 pass deflections in his career to date. Maryland was the first overall pick in the 1991 draft, and led the way for the new-look Jimmy Johnson Dallas Cowboys that focused on speed. Statistically not at the same level as the other four, but he is a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time Super Bowl champion, while being much, much more than just a contributor to all of those squads.
DE (5) -TED HENDRICKS; CALAIS CAMPBELL; Dan Stubbs; Olivier Vernon; Allen Bailey
OK, so I cheated with Ted Hendricks a bit, in that he played primarily linebacker for the Oakland Raiders, but he did play defensive end at Miami, and could easily play end in a 4-3 or outside linebacker in a 3-4. This also gives the team a lot of flexibility. Think of a 3-4 with Wilfork as the nose, Kennedy as a strong side end and Sapp as a weak side end, with Hendricks lining up outside of Kennedy for pass rushing capability. Hendricks is an 8 time Pro-Bolwer and a 9 time All-Pro, and a 4 time Super Bowl Champion, not to mention that he is in the NFL Hall of Fame. Campbell is a legitimate contributor on a darn good defense for the Arizona Cardinals. He has 36.5 sacks since 2008, but his real specialty is batting down passes. Admittedly he is not that strong of a player for an "All-Time" team, but this is generally a position of weakness for the Hurricanes.
Stubbs finished with 51 1/2 sacks in his 11 year career on generally pretty good defenses with the 49ers, Cowboys and Bengals. Vernon and Bailey have both shown promise in their limited time in the NFL, but Vernon has really started to come along in his second year in the league.
LB (6) -RAY LEWIS; DARRIN SMITH; JESSIE ARMSTEAD; Jon Vilma; DJ Williams; Rocky McIntosh
For a school that is much more of a linebacker school than it has ever been given credit for (I mean Penn State is called "Linebacker U", really?), this lineup may seem somewhat of a surprise. But let me break it down for you a bit.
Lewis is obvious, and he will hold down this middle spot for as long as he wants. 2,061 tackles in his pro career, 41 1/2 sacks with 31 interceptions have led to 13 Pro Bowls, 10 All-Pro teams, 2 Defensive Player of the Year awards and 2 Super Bowl championships. This was easy. Smith and Armstead are probably the shockers, but we need players that can play outside linebacker. Smith is a weakside linebacker that finished his NFL career with 788 tackles, 24 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 2 Super Bowls. Armstead was called upon to play everywhere in his career, mostly with the New York Giants, and he finished with 991 tackles, 40 sacks, 12 interceptions and 2 Super Bowls as well. That is 6 Super Bowls among the starting linebackers. Plus Armstead played on that Dallas Carter team that defeated Odessa Permian in Friday Night Lights. He also stated that he went to Miami because out of all the big schools recruiting him, they were the only team that had the number 1 jersey available for him to wear. That story epitomizes a great Hurricane.
Now with the backups, Miami alums just don't have the flexibility to have 2 middle, 2 strong-side and 2 weak-side backers, since most of the talent was in the middle. So Vilma and Williams make the team. Vilma should be obvious, with his 871 tackles, 10 1/2 sacks, 12 interceptions, 3 Pro Bowls and 1 Super Bowl. He was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2004 and led the entire NFL in tackles in 2005. Williams has been much better than you probably thought. So far he has 852 tackles, 22 1/2 sacks and 2 interceptions, and will likely make a run at 1,000 tackles next year. Plus, playing middle linebacker for the Bears, as he has the past two years, is a pretty coveted position. He could probably move outside if he absolutely had to.
McIntosh is likely the head scratcher for you. His numbers are good, not great, with 530 tackles, 9 sacks and 4 interceptions in his 9 years, but only started two games his rookie year, so he basically lost a bit of time there. What also makes him a good pick is that he played outside in a 4-3, and inside in a 3-4 defense, so the team has some flexibility with him on board. We could also move Ted Hendricks back to outside backer if the team needed to do so.
But Pepster, what about all the other great linebackers from Miami? How come they aren't on the team. Well, Jon Beason is making a run at the squad, with his 676 tackles in one less season than McIntosh, but his 2010 season was his worst statistically, and that season was when he had to shuffle between inside and outside linebacker. This team needs more than just inside linebackers, as Lewis, Vilma and Williams are already on the team, so "Big Beast" didn't make the cut. I guaranty that if their is an injury at linebacker, Beason will be promoted. Dan Morgan was simply hurt too much to have an effective NFL career, and it looks like Colin McCarthy, who was good but by no means a standout in college, is heading down the same route. Michael Barrow was productive as a middle linebacker, but never stayed more than 4 seasons at any club. Dan Conners was second team All-AFL.
So while there is talent that does not make this team, I am sticking with the six I chose, Lewis, Smith, Armstead, Vilma, Williams and McIntosh.
CB (5) RYAN MCNEIL; SAM SHIELDS; Phillip Buchanon; Antrel Rolle; Duane Starks
This is probably the weakest link of the team, and probably also leaves you with several questions. I will start with the starters. I admit, when thinking of doing this column I had forgotten all about Ryan McNeil, which is weird because he played in the same high school conference as my high school (I was not there at the time). He played 11 seasons in the NFL, amassing 696 tackles and 31 interceptions. He led the league in interceptions in 1997 and was selected for 1 Pro Bowl. Shields is currently a starting cornerback for the Green Bay Packers, and is in only his 5th year, but has already made 13 interceptions to go along with 163 tackles. Shields is interesting because he primarily played WR at Miami, converted late to CB, went undrafted, and is basically still learning the position.
Buchanon had 388 tackles and 20 interceptions in his 10 years in the NFL, and Starks had 345 tackles and 25 interceptions in his 10 years in the league.
Starks and Shields have won Super Bowls, as did Antrel Rolle. Rolle is an interesting pick because he never flourished in the NFL until he was moved to safety. However, no other corners really deserve to make this team, and having Rolle on the squad means we can carry one less safety, allowing us to keep an extra offensive lineman, and extra linebacker, or even an extra special teams player. This selection is about roster flexibility, but it is also about talent. And Rolle has talent, with 714 tackles, 23 interceptions, 3 Pro Bowl appearances and 2 All-Pro selections to his credit.
Although not selected to the team, a special mention needs to be made to Jim Dooley. Dooley played both ways at Miami, receiver and cornerback, something he also did in the pros. His professional career would have been better, but he spent two years of his prime serving in US Air Force. Upon completion of his playing days, he became a coach for the Chicago Bears where he was known for his innovative "Dooley Shift". All the Dooley Shift did was bring in a third cornerback on obvious passing downs. Yep, that's right, Dooley invented the nickel package.
S (4) - ED REED; SEAN TAYLOR; Bennie Blades; Darryl Williams
I know that I do not have to justify Ed Reed at all, but he had 643 tackles, 64 interceptions, 11 forced fumbles and 13 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl 9 times, to the All-Pro team 8 times, won the Defensive Player of the Year in 2004, and won a Super Bowl.
Taylor on the other hand, needs some justification. Given the parameters that I was selecting Miami's best players, not just the best at Miami, means that NFL play is very important in this selection process. Taylor only had 4 seasons due to his untimely murder. But anyone who saw him play instantly knew how great he was. In his 4 seasons he made 2 Pro Bowls and 1 All-Pro team. More importantly he was named to the Redskins Ring of Honor as well as named one of the 80 greatest Redskins of all time. That is enough for me.
The only primary argument that can be had is Bennie Blades over Sean Taylor as a starter. Blades finished his career with 772 tackles, 14 interceptions and 11 fumbles. He also made a Pro-Bowl. Blades was fantastic, he just was not Sean Taylor.
Darryl Williams is the forgotten man of this secondary. In his 10 NFL seasons, he finished with 876 tackles, 31 interceptions, 9 1/2 sacks and made 1 Pro Bowl and 1 All-Pro team.
Normally a team would carry at least 5 safeties, but because of Antrel Rolle's versatility, this team will only carry 4, because Rolle can slide into a safety role in need be. This gives me flexibility in naming an additional player. I have not decided who that will be yet, but it will either be a 9th offensive lineman, an additional special teams player, or I might just go with the best player not selected. Stay tuned.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K (1) CARLOS HUERTA
Huerta is the only kicker as far as most Hurricanes and Hurricane fans are concerned. Even though he did not have much of an NFL career (4 of 7 FGs with 2 XPs), he did have a pretty stellar, albeit short, career in the CFL, where he finished the 1995 season with 228 points, including 5 field goals in the Grey Cup victory. He still holds Hurricane records for most extra points, most field goals and points.
P (1) JEFF FEAGLES
Feagles played 22 seasons in the NFL - participating in each and every game during that time - finishing with records for the most punts, most punting yards, and most punts inside the 20. He is a 2 time Pro Bowler and was once an All-Pro to go along with a Super Bowl Championship. Perhaps Pat O'Donnell can make a challenge to this position in a decade or so, but until then - it is all Feagles.
RET (1) DEVIN HESTER
Was there ever any doubt? The NFL's all-time leading returner in terms of kickoff returns for touchdowns, punt returns for touchdowns and total return touchdowns. Enough said.
MISCELLANEOUS (1) - Jon Beason
Thanks to the roster flexibility afforded to us by Antrel Rolle and the fact that Santana Moss and Eddie Brown could easily return kicks if necessary (as could Phillip Buchanon), we have an extra roster spot left over. I initially thought that could go to a 9th offensive lineman, but there was not a 9th lineman that deserves to be on this team, and since multiple lineman can play multiple positions, we don't need an extra lineman. We also could of gone with a 6th defensive end, but Bill Hawkins and his 5 sacks in 4 years, Greg Mark or Kevin Fagan didn't seem to be the right caliber either.
But there is one person not on this team that easily belongs, even if I could not make him fit into the initial 52. And that is "Big Beast". C'mon, those who know me already knew I could not leave out a member of the Seventh Floor Crew if he was otherwise deserving.
Sing it with me: What's your name? Big Beas. What you do? Skeet skeet. How you do it? ....
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Picks of the Week
I knew that I should not have been bragging about my successful picks two weeks ago, as that made last week's debacle even doubly worse. Nevertheless, the season goes on and it is time to play catch up. As a reminder, each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will pretend that I bet $100 on each game, with one game each week going for $250. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig, which just makes the math that much simpler. Now, on to the picks.
Minnesota Vikings +8 at Green Bay Packers
Despite what the Packers did to my Bears last week, they are still a flawed team, especially on defense. I know that Teddy Bridgewater may be hindered by his ankle, but he seems to have given the Vikings a spark. Plus, Thursday games are always weird.
Chicago Bears +2 1/2 at Carolina Panthers
The Bears DID move the ball against the Packers, and even though the Panthers defense is much better than Green Bay's, I expect that the Bears can move against anybody. The Bears defense has been susceptible to the run in the past (and the pass last week), but Carolina is down to its fifth running back, unless Johnathan Steward plays hobbled this week. I do like the Cam Newton to Kelvin Benjamin combination, though. Since I have to hang my hat on something, Chicago is 2-0 on the road this year.
Dallas Cowboys -6 1/2 v. Houston Texans
The quintessential strength versus strength game, in which Dallas's potent office goes against the stingy Houston defense. Although I would love to take Harvard's Ryan Fitzpatrick and the points, Tony Romo seems to be healed and has the Cowboys rolling like a well-oiled machine.
Buffalo Bills +7 at Detroit Lions
I do not think the Bills will necessarily win this game, but changing from E.J. Manuel to Kyle Orton might just be the spark the offense needs to keep this game close. They do have weapons, including Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and Sammy Watkins, plus a veteran may know how to get them the ball.
Indianapolis Colts -3 1/2 v. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens have turned out to be much better than I expected, and given the Colts problems on defense, I do expect the Ravens to have some big plays. But that being said, the Colts offense is playing as good as any unit in the NFL, and Andrew Luck is as good as advertised.
Pittsburgh Steelers -6 v. Jacksonville Jaguars
C'mon. Even with Blake Bortles, this is still Jacksonville.
New Orleans Saints -10 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I really, really hate this bet.
New York Giants -3 1/2 v. Atlanta Falcons
The Giants are playing as good as anybody, especially offensively, and the Falcons have yet to win on the road this year. They way these two offenses have been playing, this could be a 45-41 shootout.
St. Louis Rams +7 at Philadelphia Eagles
The Rams defense is still pretty tough. Even if they lose the game, they will keep Eagles offense close. The Rams do need to find an offensive playmaker though.
Cleveland Browns +1 at Tennessee Titans
Nobody wins in this game. I just think Cleveland's defense is a bit better than Tennessee's offense or defense, and Charlie Whitehurst is not good.
Arizona Cardinals +7 1/2 at Denver Broncos
This just in - as nobody seems to have noticed in the past couple of years - the Cardinals are good. Defensively they are great. Denver likely won't be able to run up the score against the Cardinals like they can against other teams.
Kansas City Chiefs +6 at San Francisco 49ers
I do not think that this is an overreaction to last week's annihilation of the Patriots, but rather that this will be a game fought by two tough, run oriented teams which should keep it relatively close. Therefore, I will take the 6 points and the Chiefs.
Cincinnati Bengals -1 at New England Patriots
The Bengals defense is very talented, and the Patriots offense is not. The Bengals offense is very talented, while the Patriots do have some talent on defense. This leads me to believe that the Bengals will be victorious. I must say, I picked Dallas to beat New Orleans last week, because I feel that New Orleans is through their window of excellence (please ignore this week's pick when reading this sentence), then I went on to posit that New England is the New Orleans of the AFC. I then picked the Patriots anyway. What an idiot.
Seattle Seahawks -7 at Washington Whatever Their New Name is Going to Be
As we know, I do not like giving points on the road, but we saw the Redskins in their last prime time game, and it was not pretty. Seattle is better than that Giants team.
BIG BET OF THE WEEK
San Diego Charges -6 v. New York Jets
The Jets have a great defensive line, but their secondary is horrible. Phillip Rivers is definitely going to exploit the Jets defense, and the Chargers defense is much, much better than the Jets horrific offense. The Chargers in a rout!
Year to Date: 29-32
Big Bet Last Week: 1-0
Big Beat Year to Date: 3-1
Winnings (Losses) Last Week: ($440)
Winnings (Losses) Year-To-Date: ($335)
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
NFL Wrap-Up
Here are my thoughts from Week 3 of the NFL season, based purely on what I was able to see. I finally was able to secure a spot at a local watering hole with lots of friends and lots more football fans, so I was able to take in portions of almost every game!
Game of the Week
Miami Dolphins 38 v. Oakland Raiders 14 (in London). Only because the NFL requires me to make this the Game of the Week due to its being played in London. Just kidding, the NFL lets us all do what we want to do. Right?
San Francisco 49ers 26 v. Philadelphia Eagles 21. Two playoff-looking teams in a dogfight, with San Francisco just needing (and wanting) it a bit more. San Francisco held the vaunted Eagles offense scoreless in the second half, to come back from a 21-13 deficit to win the game. I don't think San Francisco is as good as they have been the past two years, but if they can survive until Game 10 (when Aldon Smith returns) they could make some waves late in the season.
Best Team Performance
New York Giants. In a game between two teams that looked like the had finally turned the corner coming in, the Giants absolutely annihilated the Washington Whatever their Name is Eventually Going to Be. Eli Manning looked, dare I say, "Elite" in carving up Washington's secondary, and Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams both had their way with the defense as well.
Least Impressive Team Performance
Tennessee Titans. Normally there would be nothing wrong with losing a game on the road to the Indianapolis Colts, but the Titans looked like they didn't even show up. Perhaps it was because they had to play the entire game with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback, but having Whitehurst lead the team in rushing also evidenced just how unimpressive this performance was by Tennessee.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)
Phillip Rivers, QB - San Diego Chargers- Another total annihilation of the Jaguars, in large part because Rivers went 29-39 for 377 with 3 TDs. Yes the Jaguars are horrible, but Rivers did exactly what you are supposed to do to bad teams. Honorable mention to Demarco Murray of the Cowboys.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)
Husain Abdullah, FS - Kansas City Chiefs. He did some of everything on the defensive side of the ball for the Chiefs in their defeat of the New England Patriots. He had 8 tackles, 3 passes defensed, a QB hit and the interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)
Dustin Colquitt, P - Kansas City Chiefs. Once again, his booming punts kept filed position in the Chiefs' favor all game. Averaged 45 yards a punt, only two of which were returned - for a total of 10 yards.
Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)
Chelsea. Defeated Aston Villa 3-0 to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League Table with 5 wins and a draw in 6 matches. In addition, Chelsea managed to get 3 goals passed Brad Guzan, the goalie that most experts believe had been playing the best to start the season.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)
Edin Dzeko - Manchester. Dzeko scored a brace against Hull City, the second being the go-ahead goal as City defeated Hull 4-2.
Goat of the Week
Brad Wing, P - Pittsburgh Steelers - After the Steelers were unable to gain a game-winning first down after getting the ball back up 4 with 1:44 remaining in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brad Wing shanked a 29 yard punt giving the Buccaneers the ball at Pittsburgh's 46 with 40 seconds left, which Tampa used to score the game-winning touchdown.
Goat of the Week (Premier League)
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United - After scoring an opening goal, Rooney proceeded to earn a straight red card, which also results in him missing this weekend's clash at home against Everton.
Hit of the Week
Jason Garrett, Coach - Dallas Cowboys - For his hits on Cowboy Wide Receiver Terrence Williams after Williams caught his second TD pass of the game.
Breakthrough Performance
Travis Kelce, TE - Kansas City Chiefs. After showing promise earlier in the year, Kelce broke out with an 8 catch 93 yard performance that included a touchdown. Much more important than just the stat line was that Kelce looked like the type of tight end that could be a primary receiver, catching the ball, creating mismatches, running after the catch and making people miss.
Finally
Jacksonville Jaguars - They lost, and badly, but they finally gave the start to rookie Blake Bortles, who looks to have the skills and demeanor to be a real quality quarterback in the NFL.
Impact Injury
DeAngelo Williams, RB - Carolina Panthers. To a team that relies primarily on running the ball and its defense, this injury really hurts, especially when added to the list of other injured running backs, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker.
Team Rising
New York Giants - Perhaps the problem with the Giants was not that they were terrible, it may just have taken time to get used to the new offensive coordinator and his system, but boy have they ever. They host the Falcons, and are at divisional rivals the Eagles and Cowboys before the bye week, so we will learn a lot about the Giants in October.
Team Falling
New England Patriots - Every sports talk show was asking if the Belichick-Brady dynasty is over.
Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be top ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records).
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. San Diego Chargers
Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records)
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Oakland Raiders
30. Tennessee Titans
29. Cleveland Browns
28. Washington Whatever their New Name is Going to Be
Middle Teams
15. Kansas City Chiefs
16. Green Bay Packers
17. New York Giants
18. Chicago Bears
Preview - Game(s) of the Week
Bonus Game (since last week most of the match up sucked, this week, we have ore interesting games) - Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. The undefeated Cardinals bring their stellar defense on the road against the Broncos' vaunted offense. If Arizona can win this game, they will definitely make a statement to the rest of the league.
4. Kansas City Chiefs v. San Francisco 49ers - If we get both teams that played last week, this will be an exciting and very tough game to watch.
3. Atlanta Falcons v. New York Giants - Assuming that the Giants' offense has in fact gelled together, this could be the best offensive scoring game we have seen in a long, long time.
2. Houston Texans v. Dallas Cowboys - The battle for Texas is also the battle to go 4-1!
1. Baltimore Ravens v. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts continue their tough opening schedule after their brief respite against the Titans last week. The Ravens have looked downright dominating at times.
Trivia
When was the last time that the NFL actually had interesting games or teams in London?
Sports Bar Review of the Week
As stated earlier, I was at a Sports Bar this Sunday, so that is the bar that gets the review.
Duffy's Sports Grill, 225 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL
I must confess that I have been to this place too many times to count, as well as many other locations within this growing Florida chain. Generally, I like Duffy's, but this review is strictly about this past visit at this one location, and not about my normal overall thoughts and other locations.
The place was packed, but not overly so, a little bit surprising considering that the Dolphins (local team), Bills (huge local following), Bears-Packers (big rivalry) and other games were on. Our waitress was named Jessie, and she came immediately upon us sitting at the table and ordered our drinks..
This is a generic sports bar, in that its menu is exactly what you would expect; wings, burgers, salads, entrees, appetizers. But what makes this place great is it is on a very busy downtown corner, with sight-lines down both streets to see the activities, and lots of televisions facing in every direction. From practically any seat you can have a great view of 4 different televisions, and you can see more, just not as direct. Lots of planning is done prior to Sunday to make sure all of the games are accurately spaced-out so that each patron can view many different games should they choose to do so.
The food is what I would consider very good bar food. Normally I would get the wings, but for some reason I wanted to try something different, off the "football menu" - the buffalo chicken sliders. However, the name is a bit of a misnomer, as this was not mini-buffalo chicken sandwiches. This was chicken meatballs, stuffed with blue cheese (which was piping hot and delicious), and then shaken in a wing sauce of your choice. My choice was the spicy garlic, which is outstanding. We also had an order of chicken nachos, which are good, but exactly what you would expect.
In addition to the standard food fair, Duffy's has pretty standard beer selection, with some craft beers being present on the menu as well, but nothing outside of the ordinary. After realizing I had settled down for some long football watching, I had boring Bud Light, while others in our group had Stella Artois. Duffy's does also have a full bar, which some in our group may - or may not - have taken advantage of.
A pretty good time (except for the outcome of the football game I was watching) until the end. Jessie was great and pre-delivered separate checks to our party. She knew because she had waited on several of us on a number of occasions previously. All the tabs were paid, except for one guy who simply questioned the amount of beers placed on his tab. He was charged for 5 beers, which does not seem like a big deal so I will break it down for you. Duffy's has 2-for-1s, so that meant he had 10 if he was charged for 5. Again, not so bad for watching an entire set of early games, except for the fact that Duffy's also has large beers, which is what was ordered at our table. So that means he actually had 20 regular beers. This is over the course of just over 3 hours. So basically he was finishing a beer every 10 minutes. Mathematically this does not make sense for someone at a restaurant (at a party, at home, the beach, at the tailgate, maybe, but not in the restaurant). When he questioned his tab, Jessie rightfully summoned the manager over, who was entirely and completely argumentative from the start. He said those were the beers that were ordered, and we were going to pay for them or he was going to have security escort us out to the cops. (Downtown West Palm Beach has a private security company that patrols the area - paid for by the City). Now, the bill was not that high, the cost was not the issue, we were just questioning the number on that one particular tab. The manager said that it had to be correct because nobody else was drinking Bud Light. Now I know that was not true because I was, and so was the guy sitting next to me. So basically, what was a simple question about the potential for extra drinks being on a bill - which has happened to me before at this establishment so I believe it to be a possibility in this case - turned into a tremendous overreaction from the manager and about 12 people who no longer want to go to this establishment.
Too bad the manager didn't know that I write this review section up weekly. Let's just hope that the readership of this blog rises enough to make a difference.
I want to be clear, I have no problems with our waitress Jessie. Perhaps she made a mistake in ringing up beers, perhaps not. Perhaps one of my beers ended up on my friend's tab - in which case I would have paid it no problem. Who knows? But, she was a good waitress, and when the issue presented itself she went to the manager.
He, however, was nothing but argumentative and never wanted to even listen to us speak - much less listen to my mathematical breakdown as detailed above. At least ACT like you are listening to your customer.
Service (during the games) - NFC North
Service (management) - AFC East
Drinks - AFC South
Food - NFC South
Cleanliness - NFC West
Sports Rating - NFC West
Overall (not including management) - Minnesota Vikings (3rd in the NFC North)
Overall (including management) - Pittsburgh Steelers (3rd in the AFC North)
Rating System Best to Worst: NFC West, NFC North, NFC South, AFC West, AFC North, AFC South, NFC East, AFC East
Trivia Answer
In the game against the Eagles, Pierre Garcon had 138 receiving yards and DeSean Jackson had 117 receiving yards. The last time the Redskins had two receiver over 100 yards in the same game was 2003. The receivers were LAVERANUES COLES (180 yards) and ROD GARDNER (118 yards) on September 13, 2013 against Atlanta.
Game of the Week
Miami Dolphins 38 v. Oakland Raiders 14 (in London). Only because the NFL requires me to make this the Game of the Week due to its being played in London. Just kidding, the NFL lets us all do what we want to do. Right?
San Francisco 49ers 26 v. Philadelphia Eagles 21. Two playoff-looking teams in a dogfight, with San Francisco just needing (and wanting) it a bit more. San Francisco held the vaunted Eagles offense scoreless in the second half, to come back from a 21-13 deficit to win the game. I don't think San Francisco is as good as they have been the past two years, but if they can survive until Game 10 (when Aldon Smith returns) they could make some waves late in the season.
Best Team Performance
New York Giants. In a game between two teams that looked like the had finally turned the corner coming in, the Giants absolutely annihilated the Washington Whatever their Name is Eventually Going to Be. Eli Manning looked, dare I say, "Elite" in carving up Washington's secondary, and Rashad Jennings and Andre Williams both had their way with the defense as well.
Least Impressive Team Performance
Tennessee Titans. Normally there would be nothing wrong with losing a game on the road to the Indianapolis Colts, but the Titans looked like they didn't even show up. Perhaps it was because they had to play the entire game with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback, but having Whitehurst lead the team in rushing also evidenced just how unimpressive this performance was by Tennessee.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)
Phillip Rivers, QB - San Diego Chargers- Another total annihilation of the Jaguars, in large part because Rivers went 29-39 for 377 with 3 TDs. Yes the Jaguars are horrible, but Rivers did exactly what you are supposed to do to bad teams. Honorable mention to Demarco Murray of the Cowboys.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)
Husain Abdullah, FS - Kansas City Chiefs. He did some of everything on the defensive side of the ball for the Chiefs in their defeat of the New England Patriots. He had 8 tackles, 3 passes defensed, a QB hit and the interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)
Dustin Colquitt, P - Kansas City Chiefs. Once again, his booming punts kept filed position in the Chiefs' favor all game. Averaged 45 yards a punt, only two of which were returned - for a total of 10 yards.
Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)
Chelsea. Defeated Aston Villa 3-0 to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League Table with 5 wins and a draw in 6 matches. In addition, Chelsea managed to get 3 goals passed Brad Guzan, the goalie that most experts believe had been playing the best to start the season.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)
Edin Dzeko - Manchester. Dzeko scored a brace against Hull City, the second being the go-ahead goal as City defeated Hull 4-2.
Goat of the Week
Brad Wing, P - Pittsburgh Steelers - After the Steelers were unable to gain a game-winning first down after getting the ball back up 4 with 1:44 remaining in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brad Wing shanked a 29 yard punt giving the Buccaneers the ball at Pittsburgh's 46 with 40 seconds left, which Tampa used to score the game-winning touchdown.
Goat of the Week (Premier League)
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United - After scoring an opening goal, Rooney proceeded to earn a straight red card, which also results in him missing this weekend's clash at home against Everton.
Hit of the Week
Jason Garrett, Coach - Dallas Cowboys - For his hits on Cowboy Wide Receiver Terrence Williams after Williams caught his second TD pass of the game.
Breakthrough Performance
Travis Kelce, TE - Kansas City Chiefs. After showing promise earlier in the year, Kelce broke out with an 8 catch 93 yard performance that included a touchdown. Much more important than just the stat line was that Kelce looked like the type of tight end that could be a primary receiver, catching the ball, creating mismatches, running after the catch and making people miss.
Finally
Jacksonville Jaguars - They lost, and badly, but they finally gave the start to rookie Blake Bortles, who looks to have the skills and demeanor to be a real quality quarterback in the NFL.
Impact Injury
DeAngelo Williams, RB - Carolina Panthers. To a team that relies primarily on running the ball and its defense, this injury really hurts, especially when added to the list of other injured running backs, Jonathan Stewart, Mike Tolbert and Fozzy Whittaker.
Team Rising
New York Giants - Perhaps the problem with the Giants was not that they were terrible, it may just have taken time to get used to the new offensive coordinator and his system, but boy have they ever. They host the Falcons, and are at divisional rivals the Eagles and Cowboys before the bye week, so we will learn a lot about the Giants in October.
Team Falling
New England Patriots - Every sports talk show was asking if the Belichick-Brady dynasty is over.
Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be top ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records).
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Seattle Seahawks
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. San Diego Chargers
Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records)
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Oakland Raiders
30. Tennessee Titans
29. Cleveland Browns
28. Washington Whatever their New Name is Going to Be
Middle Teams
15. Kansas City Chiefs
16. Green Bay Packers
17. New York Giants
18. Chicago Bears
Preview - Game(s) of the Week
Bonus Game (since last week most of the match up sucked, this week, we have ore interesting games) - Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos. The undefeated Cardinals bring their stellar defense on the road against the Broncos' vaunted offense. If Arizona can win this game, they will definitely make a statement to the rest of the league.
4. Kansas City Chiefs v. San Francisco 49ers - If we get both teams that played last week, this will be an exciting and very tough game to watch.
3. Atlanta Falcons v. New York Giants - Assuming that the Giants' offense has in fact gelled together, this could be the best offensive scoring game we have seen in a long, long time.
2. Houston Texans v. Dallas Cowboys - The battle for Texas is also the battle to go 4-1!
1. Baltimore Ravens v. Indianapolis Colts - The Colts continue their tough opening schedule after their brief respite against the Titans last week. The Ravens have looked downright dominating at times.
Trivia
When was the last time that the NFL actually had interesting games or teams in London?
Sports Bar Review of the Week
As stated earlier, I was at a Sports Bar this Sunday, so that is the bar that gets the review.
Duffy's Sports Grill, 225 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL
I must confess that I have been to this place too many times to count, as well as many other locations within this growing Florida chain. Generally, I like Duffy's, but this review is strictly about this past visit at this one location, and not about my normal overall thoughts and other locations.
The place was packed, but not overly so, a little bit surprising considering that the Dolphins (local team), Bills (huge local following), Bears-Packers (big rivalry) and other games were on. Our waitress was named Jessie, and she came immediately upon us sitting at the table and ordered our drinks..
This is a generic sports bar, in that its menu is exactly what you would expect; wings, burgers, salads, entrees, appetizers. But what makes this place great is it is on a very busy downtown corner, with sight-lines down both streets to see the activities, and lots of televisions facing in every direction. From practically any seat you can have a great view of 4 different televisions, and you can see more, just not as direct. Lots of planning is done prior to Sunday to make sure all of the games are accurately spaced-out so that each patron can view many different games should they choose to do so.
The food is what I would consider very good bar food. Normally I would get the wings, but for some reason I wanted to try something different, off the "football menu" - the buffalo chicken sliders. However, the name is a bit of a misnomer, as this was not mini-buffalo chicken sandwiches. This was chicken meatballs, stuffed with blue cheese (which was piping hot and delicious), and then shaken in a wing sauce of your choice. My choice was the spicy garlic, which is outstanding. We also had an order of chicken nachos, which are good, but exactly what you would expect.
In addition to the standard food fair, Duffy's has pretty standard beer selection, with some craft beers being present on the menu as well, but nothing outside of the ordinary. After realizing I had settled down for some long football watching, I had boring Bud Light, while others in our group had Stella Artois. Duffy's does also have a full bar, which some in our group may - or may not - have taken advantage of.
A pretty good time (except for the outcome of the football game I was watching) until the end. Jessie was great and pre-delivered separate checks to our party. She knew because she had waited on several of us on a number of occasions previously. All the tabs were paid, except for one guy who simply questioned the amount of beers placed on his tab. He was charged for 5 beers, which does not seem like a big deal so I will break it down for you. Duffy's has 2-for-1s, so that meant he had 10 if he was charged for 5. Again, not so bad for watching an entire set of early games, except for the fact that Duffy's also has large beers, which is what was ordered at our table. So that means he actually had 20 regular beers. This is over the course of just over 3 hours. So basically he was finishing a beer every 10 minutes. Mathematically this does not make sense for someone at a restaurant (at a party, at home, the beach, at the tailgate, maybe, but not in the restaurant). When he questioned his tab, Jessie rightfully summoned the manager over, who was entirely and completely argumentative from the start. He said those were the beers that were ordered, and we were going to pay for them or he was going to have security escort us out to the cops. (Downtown West Palm Beach has a private security company that patrols the area - paid for by the City). Now, the bill was not that high, the cost was not the issue, we were just questioning the number on that one particular tab. The manager said that it had to be correct because nobody else was drinking Bud Light. Now I know that was not true because I was, and so was the guy sitting next to me. So basically, what was a simple question about the potential for extra drinks being on a bill - which has happened to me before at this establishment so I believe it to be a possibility in this case - turned into a tremendous overreaction from the manager and about 12 people who no longer want to go to this establishment.
Too bad the manager didn't know that I write this review section up weekly. Let's just hope that the readership of this blog rises enough to make a difference.
I want to be clear, I have no problems with our waitress Jessie. Perhaps she made a mistake in ringing up beers, perhaps not. Perhaps one of my beers ended up on my friend's tab - in which case I would have paid it no problem. Who knows? But, she was a good waitress, and when the issue presented itself she went to the manager.
He, however, was nothing but argumentative and never wanted to even listen to us speak - much less listen to my mathematical breakdown as detailed above. At least ACT like you are listening to your customer.
Service (during the games) - NFC North
Service (management) - AFC East
Drinks - AFC South
Food - NFC South
Cleanliness - NFC West
Sports Rating - NFC West
Overall (not including management) - Minnesota Vikings (3rd in the NFC North)
Overall (including management) - Pittsburgh Steelers (3rd in the AFC North)
Rating System Best to Worst: NFC West, NFC North, NFC South, AFC West, AFC North, AFC South, NFC East, AFC East
Trivia Answer
In the game against the Eagles, Pierre Garcon had 138 receiving yards and DeSean Jackson had 117 receiving yards. The last time the Redskins had two receiver over 100 yards in the same game was 2003. The receivers were LAVERANUES COLES (180 yards) and ROD GARDNER (118 yards) on September 13, 2013 against Atlanta.
The Ole College Try
Welcome to the return of the almost weekly perspective of college football. For those that don't remember, I write this column as if every player is a Heisman Trophy candidate. Why? Because it is ridiculously ludicrous that the networks, including the World Wide Leader, nay, especially the World Wide Leader, emphasize the Heisman Trophy race all season. Consider this my sarcastic homage to stupid reporting.
Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Marcus Mariota - Oregon - Did nothing to bother his Heisman chances during the bye week. Still the best odds to win, out of the running backs.
Kenny Hill - Texas A and M - Still second until the voters decide to start giving Jameis Winston another look.
Dark Horse - Bryce Petty - Baylor - He has over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns for a very explosive offense. If, by chance, Baylor gets through the Big-12 unscathed and ends up in the playoffs, he is going to be the primary reason why.
Falling - Jameis Winston - Florida State University - Team fell behind again, and although he orchestrated a great comeback against a good opponent, some voters still might not like him.
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Todd Gurley -Georgia - He is 8th in the FBS in rushing yards, and nobody controls a game like Gurley does.
Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - Gurley and he are likely 1-2 right now in the Heisman voting, with Abdullah likely third, of fourth at the lowest. Gordon is a home run threat every time he touches the ball.
Rising - Ameer Abdullah - Nebraska - Leads the FBS in rushing yards iwth 833, and is more than on pace to eclipse the coveted 2,000 yard mark.
Sleeper -David Cobb - Minnesota - Third in the FBS in rushing yards, and people most likely realize who he is now that the Gophers defeated Michigan in the big house.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - Amari Cooper - Alabama - Second in the FBS in yards and third in receptions, but only because Alabama was on a bye. Still easily the best receiver in college.
Kevin White - West Virginia - Also on a bye, but still really the second best wide receiver in college, without question.
Rising - Rashad Greene - Florida State - Really taking the reins as the offensive leader and playmaker for Florida State. He is 10th in receptions and 5th in yards in the FBS.
Defensive Edition
3. Jeff Luc - LB - Cincinnati - The senior leads the FBS with an average of 16 tackles per game.
2. Gerod Holliman - S - Louisville - After giving him praise last week, all he did was step up and have another interception this week!
1. Shane Ray - DE - Missouri - 8 sacks, and is trying to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Michael Sam in winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Although, truth be told, I am still waiting for a defender to really put his individual mark on this season.
Player to Watch
Nelson Spruce - WR - Colorado - He had 19 receptions for 176 yards and 3 Touchdowns in the Buffaloes 59-56 loss to California.
My New Favorite Player
Jacoby Brissett - QB - North Carolina State - He was no Jameis Winston, but he sure as heck scared the Seminoles into thinking he was, at least for the first half of the game. Brissett finished with 350 yards and 3 touchdowns - with no interceptions - against the top-ranked Seminoles. Brissett, the transfer from the University of Florida out of national high school power Dwyer in Jupiter, Florida, was the show for the day.
Players of the Week
This section will be more week specific as the season goes forward, but for the first week, it is hard to differentiate the players of the week from the players of the season, as the season has only lasted 1 week.
5. Russell Hansbrough - RB - Missouri - The Junior made the most of his 10 carries, scoring 2 touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to cap Missouri's come-from-behind win at South Carolina.
4. Nelson Spruce - Colorado - His 19 catches for 179 yards would normally rank higher, except for the fact that they came in a 56-59 loss.
3. Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - Rushed for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27-10 win versus South Florida. Would also normally rank higher, except it was South Florida.
2. David Cobb - Minnesota - Scored zero touchdowns, but his 183 yards rushing and 50 reception yards allowed Minnesota to control the ball in their upset at Michigan.
1. Todd Gurley -Georgia - Finished the day with 208 yards and 2 touchdowns in a tough fought victory over the Tennessee Volunteers, 35-32.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Christian Hackenberg - QB - Penn State - The team was supposed to have turned the corner, and the reason why is the steady hand of the sophomore quarterback. He finished the game 22 of 45 for 216 yards and a QBR of 12.7 in the shellacking the Nittany Lions took at the hands of the (not even close to being a) juggernaut that is the Northwestern Wildcats.
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Brady Hoke - Michigan - See the rant below.
Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups
Oregon (1) v. Michigan State (4)/Alabama (3) v. Oklahoma (2)
Oregon (1) v. Oklahoma (2)
Last week I had Florida State slide out of the playoffs, and they rewarded me by letting a surprise North Carolina State team pass through their entire defense. When they play a team that can actually pass, like Miami, we might see historic numbers. Again, Michigan State bounces back into the Top 4 in a weak Big 10 after the SEC teams all start to cannibalize each other, beginning this week.
Final Unbeatens
We have 17 unbeaten teams remaining. Here is where I rank them (in terms of how I think the team is, not how long they will remain unbeaten as, for example, there are several meetings between unbeatens this week, one has to lose.
1. Oregon
2. Oklahoma
3. Alabama
4. Auburn
5. Florida State
6. Texas A and M
7. Mississippi State
8. Nebraska
9. Baylor
10. Mississippi
11. UCLA
12. Notre Dame
13. TCU
14. BYU
15. Georgia Tech
16. Arizona
17. Marshall
Rant(s) of the Week
My rant this week is about Brady Hoke leaving Shane Morris in the game after a horrific (illegal) hit that most likely gave Morris a concussion, and if it didn't, the hit definitely left him dazed and woozy. He knew it, Hoke knew it, the players knew it, the fans in the stadium knew it, the announcers knew it, and those watching at home knew it. A little set up ...
Shane Morris, the Michigan quarterback, dropped back to pass in last week's game against Minnesota. After the pass, Minnesota defensive end Thieren Cockran hit Morris late, up under the chin with at best, his shoulder pad, and at worse, his helmet. A late hit penalty was called and the Big Ten office is reviewing the play to see if targeting should have been called, which would result in a suspension for Cockran.
Morris was obviously dazed, at best, and even stumbled only to be caught by offensive lineman Ben Braden before falling to the ground. Morris is waiving off any medical staff and/or substitutes, but he is clearly woozy, Hoke, the coach for the University of Michigan left him in for a play before substituting in Devin Gardner, whose helmet came off during the subsequent play.
Because Gardner's helmet came off he must leave the game for at least one play according to NCAA rule 3-3-9, which reads: "a. If during the down a player’s helmet comes completely off, other than as the direct result of a foul by an opponent, the player must leave the game for the next down. The game clock will stop at the end of the down.".
What happens? Hoke sends Morris back into the game.
A few years ago nobody would have thought twice about this, but we have evolved, we are smarter and we know better. We have experienced Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Andre Waters, Junior Seau and most recently, Jevon Belcher. What we know now is that hits to the head hurt, make it easier for subsequent hits to cause even further damage to the player, and can lead to long term problems. This doesn't even take into account that at the time of the hit the player isn't thinking straight and has the proverbial "cobwebs".
Anyway, so it is clear that Brady Hoke messed up by first not taking Morris out, second, by putting Morris back into the game, and third, by not acknowledging his mistake during any of the subsequent press conferences. The Athletic Director and President of the University have now acknowledged that the system has "failed" its student-athletes.
Given this last admission, I am going to go ahead and take it as a given that Hoke is at fault here. If he didn't see what Morris was going through, he is in charge of the coaching staff that are supposed to see such things. Even if he erred by leaving Morris in the game, it was even more egregious that he PUT HIM BACK IN!!! Hoke deserves to be fired. Full disclosure - I do not care about the University of Michigan, so I could care less about their won-loss record. I do realize it is the losses that are going to do more with his firing than anything else, but not from my standpoint.
So Hoke messed up, but he isn't the only one. The offensive coordinator should have known better, but if he was busy looking at his play chart trying to determine what play to call next, the quarterbacks coach, or someone else on the offensive staff should have seen Morris. Apparently they did not. The coaching staff failed.
How many times have you seen an injury occur on the field and then players start waiving or asking for the training staff? Let me answer that for you - countless. Sometimes you even see opponents asking for the staff. None of Michigan's players did that for their quarterback. Not even offensive lineman Braden - who had to catch Morris from falling down. Morris's teammates failed him.
I also put a bit of blame on the NCAA rule requiring a player to leave the field when their helmet comes off during a play. Without that asinine rule, Gardner would not have had to come out of the game and Morris would not have had to gone back into the game. NCAA, please revisit some of these stupid rules that make absolutely no sense.
Football is not going to be a great game soon if injuries - especially unnecessary preventable injuries - keep taking all of the players off the field, and keep the next generations of players from even starting to play the game.
Under Performance of the Week
Penn State - They were absolutely annihilated by a Northwestern squad that had already lost to California and Northern Illinois - and Penn State lost at home. Supposedly the Nittany Lions were on the verge of being back. They are not.
Last Week's Trivia Answer
Ameer Abdullah set the Nebraska total yardage record in the game against Miami, breaking the school record held by JOHNNY RODGERS.
Blake Sims of Alabama had 484 yards of total offense against Florida, breaking the record of 457 yards held by Scott Hunter.
Trivia Question of the Week
Two colleges have 3 quarterbacks that have started games in the NFL. Name the schools. Bonus points if you can name the players.
Match up(s) to Watch
4. Arizona v. Oregon - Oregon's first really big test, and it is a chance to show that Arizona belongs. Wait, this game starts at 10:30 EDT on Thursday, and it is competing with an NFL game? Never mind.
4. LSU v. Auburn - Would likely be number 1 if LSU had not be absolutely and thoroughly trounced by Mississippi State. Nevertheless, still a very important game. An LSU loss and they are out of the SEC West race. An Auburn win and they are very much in the national championship race.
3. Nebraska v. Michigan State - As you see from above, I have Michigan State in my playoff - projecting forward to the end of the season. That cannot happen unless they can find a way to slow down Ameer Abdullah. It is possible for Nebraska to vault their way into the national playoffs conversation with a win.
2. Texas A and M v. Mississippi State - Can Kenny Hill really play? Was Mississippi State's victory over LSU a fluke? Which team wants to stay in the division/conference/national title race?
1. Alabama v. Ole Miss - The biggest game for Ole Miss in forever, and ESPN is correct in sending GameDay down to this game. I am still not sold on Ole Miss, but they have an experienced quarterback and some good rushers on defense. If they can make this close, or even win, this could springboard the Rebels into a phenomenal season. Alabama is, well, Alabama.
Heisman Watch
Quarterback Edition
Favorite - Marcus Mariota - Oregon - Did nothing to bother his Heisman chances during the bye week. Still the best odds to win, out of the running backs.
Kenny Hill - Texas A and M - Still second until the voters decide to start giving Jameis Winston another look.
Dark Horse - Bryce Petty - Baylor - He has over 1,700 yards and 17 touchdowns for a very explosive offense. If, by chance, Baylor gets through the Big-12 unscathed and ends up in the playoffs, he is going to be the primary reason why.
Falling - Jameis Winston - Florida State University - Team fell behind again, and although he orchestrated a great comeback against a good opponent, some voters still might not like him.
Running Back Edition
Favorite - Todd Gurley -Georgia - He is 8th in the FBS in rushing yards, and nobody controls a game like Gurley does.
Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - Gurley and he are likely 1-2 right now in the Heisman voting, with Abdullah likely third, of fourth at the lowest. Gordon is a home run threat every time he touches the ball.
Rising - Ameer Abdullah - Nebraska - Leads the FBS in rushing yards iwth 833, and is more than on pace to eclipse the coveted 2,000 yard mark.
Sleeper -David Cobb - Minnesota - Third in the FBS in rushing yards, and people most likely realize who he is now that the Gophers defeated Michigan in the big house.
Wide Receiver Edition
Favorite - Amari Cooper - Alabama - Second in the FBS in yards and third in receptions, but only because Alabama was on a bye. Still easily the best receiver in college.
Kevin White - West Virginia - Also on a bye, but still really the second best wide receiver in college, without question.
Rising - Rashad Greene - Florida State - Really taking the reins as the offensive leader and playmaker for Florida State. He is 10th in receptions and 5th in yards in the FBS.
Defensive Edition
3. Jeff Luc - LB - Cincinnati - The senior leads the FBS with an average of 16 tackles per game.
2. Gerod Holliman - S - Louisville - After giving him praise last week, all he did was step up and have another interception this week!
1. Shane Ray - DE - Missouri - 8 sacks, and is trying to follow in the footsteps of former teammate Michael Sam in winning SEC Defensive Player of the Year.
Although, truth be told, I am still waiting for a defender to really put his individual mark on this season.
Player to Watch
Nelson Spruce - WR - Colorado - He had 19 receptions for 176 yards and 3 Touchdowns in the Buffaloes 59-56 loss to California.
My New Favorite Player
Jacoby Brissett - QB - North Carolina State - He was no Jameis Winston, but he sure as heck scared the Seminoles into thinking he was, at least for the first half of the game. Brissett finished with 350 yards and 3 touchdowns - with no interceptions - against the top-ranked Seminoles. Brissett, the transfer from the University of Florida out of national high school power Dwyer in Jupiter, Florida, was the show for the day.
Players of the Week
This section will be more week specific as the season goes forward, but for the first week, it is hard to differentiate the players of the week from the players of the season, as the season has only lasted 1 week.
5. Russell Hansbrough - RB - Missouri - The Junior made the most of his 10 carries, scoring 2 touchdowns late in the fourth quarter to cap Missouri's come-from-behind win at South Carolina.
4. Nelson Spruce - Colorado - His 19 catches for 179 yards would normally rank higher, except for the fact that they came in a 56-59 loss.
3. Melvin Gordon - Wisconsin - Rushed for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 27-10 win versus South Florida. Would also normally rank higher, except it was South Florida.
2. David Cobb - Minnesota - Scored zero touchdowns, but his 183 yards rushing and 50 reception yards allowed Minnesota to control the ball in their upset at Michigan.
1. Todd Gurley -Georgia - Finished the day with 208 yards and 2 touchdowns in a tough fought victory over the Tennessee Volunteers, 35-32.
Goat of the Week (Player Edition)
Christian Hackenberg - QB - Penn State - The team was supposed to have turned the corner, and the reason why is the steady hand of the sophomore quarterback. He finished the game 22 of 45 for 216 yards and a QBR of 12.7 in the shellacking the Nittany Lions took at the hands of the (not even close to being a) juggernaut that is the Northwestern Wildcats.
Goat of the Week (Coach Edition)
Brady Hoke - Michigan - See the rant below.
Predicted Playoffs/Championship Match Ups
Oregon (1) v. Michigan State (4)/Alabama (3) v. Oklahoma (2)
Oregon (1) v. Oklahoma (2)
Last week I had Florida State slide out of the playoffs, and they rewarded me by letting a surprise North Carolina State team pass through their entire defense. When they play a team that can actually pass, like Miami, we might see historic numbers. Again, Michigan State bounces back into the Top 4 in a weak Big 10 after the SEC teams all start to cannibalize each other, beginning this week.
Final Unbeatens
We have 17 unbeaten teams remaining. Here is where I rank them (in terms of how I think the team is, not how long they will remain unbeaten as, for example, there are several meetings between unbeatens this week, one has to lose.
1. Oregon
2. Oklahoma
3. Alabama
4. Auburn
5. Florida State
6. Texas A and M
7. Mississippi State
8. Nebraska
9. Baylor
10. Mississippi
11. UCLA
12. Notre Dame
13. TCU
14. BYU
15. Georgia Tech
16. Arizona
17. Marshall
Rant(s) of the Week
My rant this week is about Brady Hoke leaving Shane Morris in the game after a horrific (illegal) hit that most likely gave Morris a concussion, and if it didn't, the hit definitely left him dazed and woozy. He knew it, Hoke knew it, the players knew it, the fans in the stadium knew it, the announcers knew it, and those watching at home knew it. A little set up ...
Shane Morris, the Michigan quarterback, dropped back to pass in last week's game against Minnesota. After the pass, Minnesota defensive end Thieren Cockran hit Morris late, up under the chin with at best, his shoulder pad, and at worse, his helmet. A late hit penalty was called and the Big Ten office is reviewing the play to see if targeting should have been called, which would result in a suspension for Cockran.
Morris was obviously dazed, at best, and even stumbled only to be caught by offensive lineman Ben Braden before falling to the ground. Morris is waiving off any medical staff and/or substitutes, but he is clearly woozy, Hoke, the coach for the University of Michigan left him in for a play before substituting in Devin Gardner, whose helmet came off during the subsequent play.
Because Gardner's helmet came off he must leave the game for at least one play according to NCAA rule 3-3-9, which reads: "a. If during the down a player’s helmet comes completely off, other than as the direct result of a foul by an opponent, the player must leave the game for the next down. The game clock will stop at the end of the down.".
What happens? Hoke sends Morris back into the game.
A few years ago nobody would have thought twice about this, but we have evolved, we are smarter and we know better. We have experienced Mike Webster, Dave Duerson, Andre Waters, Junior Seau and most recently, Jevon Belcher. What we know now is that hits to the head hurt, make it easier for subsequent hits to cause even further damage to the player, and can lead to long term problems. This doesn't even take into account that at the time of the hit the player isn't thinking straight and has the proverbial "cobwebs".
Anyway, so it is clear that Brady Hoke messed up by first not taking Morris out, second, by putting Morris back into the game, and third, by not acknowledging his mistake during any of the subsequent press conferences. The Athletic Director and President of the University have now acknowledged that the system has "failed" its student-athletes.
Given this last admission, I am going to go ahead and take it as a given that Hoke is at fault here. If he didn't see what Morris was going through, he is in charge of the coaching staff that are supposed to see such things. Even if he erred by leaving Morris in the game, it was even more egregious that he PUT HIM BACK IN!!! Hoke deserves to be fired. Full disclosure - I do not care about the University of Michigan, so I could care less about their won-loss record. I do realize it is the losses that are going to do more with his firing than anything else, but not from my standpoint.
So Hoke messed up, but he isn't the only one. The offensive coordinator should have known better, but if he was busy looking at his play chart trying to determine what play to call next, the quarterbacks coach, or someone else on the offensive staff should have seen Morris. Apparently they did not. The coaching staff failed.
How many times have you seen an injury occur on the field and then players start waiving or asking for the training staff? Let me answer that for you - countless. Sometimes you even see opponents asking for the staff. None of Michigan's players did that for their quarterback. Not even offensive lineman Braden - who had to catch Morris from falling down. Morris's teammates failed him.
I also put a bit of blame on the NCAA rule requiring a player to leave the field when their helmet comes off during a play. Without that asinine rule, Gardner would not have had to come out of the game and Morris would not have had to gone back into the game. NCAA, please revisit some of these stupid rules that make absolutely no sense.
Football is not going to be a great game soon if injuries - especially unnecessary preventable injuries - keep taking all of the players off the field, and keep the next generations of players from even starting to play the game.
Under Performance of the Week
Penn State - They were absolutely annihilated by a Northwestern squad that had already lost to California and Northern Illinois - and Penn State lost at home. Supposedly the Nittany Lions were on the verge of being back. They are not.
Last Week's Trivia Answer
Ameer Abdullah set the Nebraska total yardage record in the game against Miami, breaking the school record held by JOHNNY RODGERS.
Blake Sims of Alabama had 484 yards of total offense against Florida, breaking the record of 457 yards held by Scott Hunter.
Trivia Question of the Week
Two colleges have 3 quarterbacks that have started games in the NFL. Name the schools. Bonus points if you can name the players.
Match up(s) to Watch
4. Arizona v. Oregon - Oregon's first really big test, and it is a chance to show that Arizona belongs. Wait, this game starts at 10:30 EDT on Thursday, and it is competing with an NFL game? Never mind.
4. LSU v. Auburn - Would likely be number 1 if LSU had not be absolutely and thoroughly trounced by Mississippi State. Nevertheless, still a very important game. An LSU loss and they are out of the SEC West race. An Auburn win and they are very much in the national championship race.
3. Nebraska v. Michigan State - As you see from above, I have Michigan State in my playoff - projecting forward to the end of the season. That cannot happen unless they can find a way to slow down Ameer Abdullah. It is possible for Nebraska to vault their way into the national playoffs conversation with a win.
2. Texas A and M v. Mississippi State - Can Kenny Hill really play? Was Mississippi State's victory over LSU a fluke? Which team wants to stay in the division/conference/national title race?
1. Alabama v. Ole Miss - The biggest game for Ole Miss in forever, and ESPN is correct in sending GameDay down to this game. I am still not sold on Ole Miss, but they have an experienced quarterback and some good rushers on defense. If they can make this close, or even win, this could springboard the Rebels into a phenomenal season. Alabama is, well, Alabama.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Picks of the Week
Week four is upon us, which means it is now times for my "Picks of the Week" during a bye week. A bye week just means that every loss is that much more crucial when it comes to losing money. Thus, much care must be taken in deciding which teams to pick. Even given that, I am coming off a fantastic week, and I look to keep the momentum going forward. Each pick is using the spread (straight up is for wussies), and the betting line is from the same website each week as of the time of typing the entry. I keep a running tally of my record, plus my winnings/losses. We will pretend that I bet $100 on each game, with one game each week going for $250. Winnings/Losses will be calculated including a 10% vig, which just makes the math that much simpler. Now, on to the picks.
Washington Whatever Name They Are Going to Be Called Soon - 3 1/2 v. New York Giants
Both teams played much, much better last week, but the difference is Washington seems to look much more comfortable with Kirk Cousins playing quarterback. Defenses have to respect the passing game, and Alfred Morris, whereas nobody really respects Eli's ability to beat them.
Carolina Panthers +3 at Baltimore Ravens
I honestly cannot figure out the Ravens. They blew out the Steelers, but that was on a Thursday night. I'll take the points, especially since with each game, Cam Newton feels more and more comfortable with Kelvin Benjamin. A hodge-podge running back crew for the Panthers, but they were not going to rush for many yards against the Ravens anyway.
Chicago Bears + 1 1/2 v. Green Bay Packers
I really was not sure how to pick this game given my allegiance for the Bears, but the Packers are giving them points even while looking shaky on offense. The Bears defense has been opportunistic, and if they can continue to improve, this team could get really scary.
Houston Texans -3 v. Buffalo Bills
Neither the Texans nor the Bills are even remotely as good as they looked the first two weeks, but I think the Texans are a bit better overall, and a ton better defensively. Harvard boy Ryan Fitzpatrick will look to gain a little revenge against the last team for which he started.
Detroit Lions -1 at New York Jets
I do not generally like to pick road favorites, especially in close games, however, the Jets are on a short week and the playing against Calvin Johnson is not the most likely way to improve an already porous pass defense.
Oakland Raiders + 3 1/2 v. Miami Dolphins (In London)
Neither team has looked very good this year, but the Raiders are coming off a close loss to the New England Patriots while the Dolphins were just manhandled by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Dolphins also decided to arrive in London later than the Raiders, so perhaps they might be a bit more jet lagged. You could tell me that the Raiders needed the extra time because they are even three time zones further away, but the Raiders never went back home after last week's game against the Patriots. Here is hoping that somewhere former Dolphins great Channing Crowder is reminiscing about knowing "London" Fletcher.
Pittsburgh Steelers -7 1/2 v. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
At the beginning of the season this line would have looked ludicrous, but the Buccaneers have looked horrible and Le'veon Bell has looked like the best running back in football. The Steelers are down a bunch of linebackers, but it is about time for Sean Spence to start playing some football.
Jacksonville Jaguars +13 at San Diego Chargers
The Jaguars are easily the worst team in football and they are on the road, but sometimes a change to a fresh, young quarterback is all a team needs to get going in the right direction, especially one that has looked so poised so far. They may not win, but I would hope they could keep this within two touchdowns.
Atlanta Falcons -3 at Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta's two high-flying wins have both been at home, but the Vikings play indoors, so Atlanta's speed and timing should not be affected. Our first official look at Teddy Bridgewater as a starter. Some talent there, but not as ready as Blake Bortles (see above).
Philadelphia Eagles +4 1/2 at San Francisco
San Francisco has looked erratic, especially offensively, and porous, especially defensively. The Eagles have won 3 close games so far, so there is no reason to expect that this will not also be a close one. When it's close, take the points.
Dallas Cowboys +3 v. New Orleans Saints
Everything about this game says that the Saints will win big, but for some reason I cannot get away from picking the Cowboys. The Cowboys are not great, mind you, but I do not believe the Saints are either. This could be similar to last week for Dallas where they go down early, and fight their way back.
New England Patriots -3 at Kansas City Chiefs
Another road favorite. The Patriots could very well be the AFC's version of the Saints, a team that may be getting by on reputation and may not actually be that good. That being said, with Jamaal Charles back, the Chiefs may work too hard at getting him his touches, which could focus the Patriots defense. May be a close game so it is difficult to give the points, but I will in this case.
BIG BET OF THE WEEK
Indianapolis Colts -7 1/2 v. Tennessee Titans
Indianapolis's 1-2 record is a bit deceiving in that their two losses came against Philadelphia and at Denver, two very good teams, and two games in which the Colts still looked pretty good. Tennessee's 1-2 record is also very deceiving in that they might not even be that good. I do not like giving up more than a touchdown in my big bet, but I do like going against a bad team starting Charlie Whitehurst at QB.
Year to Date: 25-23
Big Bet Last Week: 1-0
Big Beat Year to Date: 2-1
Winnings (Losses) Last Week: $490
Winnings (Losses) Year-To-Date: $105
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
NFL Wrap-Up
Here are my thoughts from Week 3 of the NFL season, based purely on what I was able to see. I did not watch a ton of games as I was actually at the Kansas City - Miami game, but I did see that one and Monday Night's game in total. Was also able to catch parts of a lot of the early games!
Game of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles 37 v. Washington Whatever They Are Going to Be Called 34. The second consecutive week that the Eagles have made this entry. High-flying performances from both offenses, close game throughout, Kirk Cousins with 427 yards in his season (starting) debut, DeSean Jackson's return to Philadelphia, and a fight. This game practically had it all.
Best Team Performance
Atlanta Falcons. Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 56-14, but it was not even that close. It was 56-0 at the end of the third quarter. Matt Ryan was an efficient 21 of 24 with 3 TDs, and it seemed like nobody could even try to cover Julio Jones. An all-around dominating performance by the Falcons.
Least Impressive Team Performance
Miami Dolphins. It would be easy to select the Buccaneers (see above) or the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost 44-17 to the Colts, but both of those blowouts were to really good teams. The Kansas City Chiefs dissected the Dolphins defense so thoroughly that Knile Davis had over 100 yards rushing. Yes that Knile Davis. The one that doesn't start.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)
Andrew Luck, QB - Indianapolis- It wasn't just the 44-17 victory, or the 370 yards, but the fact that he also did this while only throwing 39 attempts, completing 31 of them. That is just under 10 yards per attempt and over 75% completion rate.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)
Muhammad Wilkerson, DE - New York Jets. Almost single-handedly kept the Jets in the Monday night game against the Bears, a game which could have ended up being an early blowout by the Bears. He finished with 1 1/2 sacks and 3 QB hits, but he was everywhere.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)
Dustin Colquitt, P - Kansas City Chiefs. His 48.8 yard net punting average seems way lower than what it looked like happened on the field. His booming punts changed filed position all game in favor of the Chiefs.
Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)
Arsenal. Scored three goals in the span of 4 minutes (Mesuit Ozil, Danny Welbeck and an OG), to defeat Aston Villa 3 - nil on the road at Villa Park. This was an important victory for the Gunners as they sit currently in 4th place in the Premier League table, just one point behind Aston Villa.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)
Leonardo Ulloa - Leicester City. The Argentine scored a brace against Manchester United, including an insurance penalty kick in the 83rd minute to seal the victory at home over Manchester United.
Goat of the Week
Geno Smith, QB - New York Jets - He threw too horrible interceptions, one in the end zone to kill a promising drive, and the first one which was nowhere near the receiver on a flare screen, and which Ryan Mundy returned for a touchdown. Smith was definitely the difference maker in this game.
Goat of the Week (Premier League)
Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City - The Manchester City defense was so hell-bent on being physical with Chelsea striker Diego Costa trying to provoke HIM, that it was not shocking when it was Zabaleta who in fact retaliated against Costa earning a red card (via his second yellow). Five minutes later Andre Schurrle scored for Chelsea giving them a 1-nil lead. Lucky for Zabaleta that long time Chelsea hero knotted the game a 1 apiece with his goal for City in the 85th minute.
Hit of the Week
Jared Cook, TE - St. Louis Rams. After dropping a touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Davis, the first thing Cook did when he got to the sideline was to shove Davis.
Breakthrough Performance
Kirk Cousins, QB - Washington Whatever Name They Are Soon Going to Be Called. He played some in relief of Robert Griffin, III over the past couple of years, but nothing like this week's 427 yard performance. Perhaps Washington could do something in the not-so powerful NFC East.
Finally
Tony Romo, QB - Dallas Cowboys - He has a reputation for choking away games, especially at the end (whether this is a deserved reputation or not is up for debate). Nevertheless, he led the Cowboys in a come-from-behind win after trailing the Rams.
Impact Injury
Danny Woodhead, RB - San Diego Chargers. The versatile running back has been placed on injured reserve - and thus lost for the season - with a broken fibula. Although not a superstar, he is the type of cog on a football team that often determines whether a team succeeds or does not. He does a little bit of everything from the running back position, which is important for a team that has already lost Ryan Matthews for a bit of time and a team that likes to involve running backs in their passing game. A very important loss for a team with their sights set on contending for the Super Bowl.
Team Rising
Chicago Bears - Two wins on the road in prime time, and in fairly convincing fashion (on the field if not in the score). If the defense tightens up just a little bit more, this team is going to be really scary to those in the NFC North.
Team Falling
New England Patriots - Barely defeated an hapless Oakland Raiders team and looked bad while doing it. If this is any consolation, the Steelers were the team falling last week and managed to dominate this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be top ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records).
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Denver Broncos
Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records)
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Oakland Raiders
29. Miami Dolphins
28. Minnesota Vikings
Middle Teams
15. San Francisco 49ers
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
17. New Orleans Saints
18. Houston Texans
Preview - Game(s) of the Week
4. No number 4 because their are 6 teams on a bye and the games generally suck.
3. Carolina Panthers v. Baltimore Ravens - Two teams at an early crossroads in their season, and both could certainly use a nice win at this juncture as 3-1 looks a whole lot better than 2-2 for some reason.
2. Chicago Bears v. Green Bay Packers - Can the Bears win their third consecutive big game on the road or will Green Bay rebound from their funk? Also, this is the best rivalry in professional sports.
1. Philadelphia Eagles v. San Francisco 49ers - The powerful offense of the Philadelphia Eagles against what used to be a stingy 49ers defense. The Eagles could stay at 4-0 while San Francisco is trying to avoid falling into a 1-3 hole.
Trivia
In the game against the Eagles, Pierre Garcon had 138 receiving yards and DeSean Jackson had 117 receiving yards. The last time the Redskins had two receiver over 100 yards in the same game was 2003. Can you name the receivers?
Sports Bar Review of the Week
As stated earlier, I was at SunLife Stadium for the Kansas City - Miami debacle on Sunday, but I did venture out to watch the college games on Saturday. So, I will review that place.
Roxy's Pub, 309 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL
I must confess that I have been to this place too many times to count, so this is not exactly a completely uninterested review. But that being said ...
The place was ridiculously packed, with every seat and most of the walkways filled with people, yet somehow you could still maneuver. It took a little while to order the first drink, but after that, it was very friendly and timely. Two bartenders that I did not know served us, but they were generally great after that first drink order.
This is actually an Irish pub, that does a really good facsimile of a sports bar. There are four televisions on each side of the inside of the bar (8 total), for bar patrons to have a good view of the games, four more on the outside of the bar for those in the restaurant. The big plus, a huge wall of various size televisions on the back wall so that those seated in the back area can see lots and lots of games. As a sports bar it is not phenomenal, unless you are at the back wall, but for an Irish pub, it is a great sports bar.
The food is what I would consider very good bar food. Although somewhat common now, it was the first place I ever saw macaroni and cheese balls, which are excellent. We usually go for our staple, the grilled wings and the chicken nachos. The grilled wings are great with the hot teriyaki sauces mixed, and the chicken nachos are delicious, huge and made with homemade chicken chili. Unless you have about 4 people, order the half portion. In the past I have eaten the burgers and several wraps, which are all good, especially with the seasoned fries.
The best thing about Roxy's - the beer. About 64 taps, most of them fairly common craft beers, meaning you can find just about whatever you like. Our choices for the day included Avery White Rascal, Hooegarden, Abita Purple Haze, Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Harp.
Always a great time at Roxy's, even if it is overburdened with distraught Gator fans.
Service - NFC North
Drinks - NFC North
Food - NFC South
Cleanliness - NFC West
Overall - Chicago Bears (1st in the NFC North) - Really, really good!
Rating System Best to Worst: NFC West, NFC North, NFC South, AFC West, AFC North, AFC South, AFC East, NFC East
Trivia Answer
With the loss to the Eagles on Monday night, Andrew Luck just missed the chance to set the record for most games by a quarterback without consecutive losses to start a career. That record was held by DAN MARINO.
Game of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles 37 v. Washington Whatever They Are Going to Be Called 34. The second consecutive week that the Eagles have made this entry. High-flying performances from both offenses, close game throughout, Kirk Cousins with 427 yards in his season (starting) debut, DeSean Jackson's return to Philadelphia, and a fight. This game practically had it all.
Best Team Performance
Atlanta Falcons. Defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 56-14, but it was not even that close. It was 56-0 at the end of the third quarter. Matt Ryan was an efficient 21 of 24 with 3 TDs, and it seemed like nobody could even try to cover Julio Jones. An all-around dominating performance by the Falcons.
Least Impressive Team Performance
Miami Dolphins. It would be easy to select the Buccaneers (see above) or the Jacksonville Jaguars, who lost 44-17 to the Colts, but both of those blowouts were to really good teams. The Kansas City Chiefs dissected the Dolphins defense so thoroughly that Knile Davis had over 100 yards rushing. Yes that Knile Davis. The one that doesn't start.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Offense)
Andrew Luck, QB - Indianapolis- It wasn't just the 44-17 victory, or the 370 yards, but the fact that he also did this while only throwing 39 attempts, completing 31 of them. That is just under 10 yards per attempt and over 75% completion rate.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Defense)
Muhammad Wilkerson, DE - New York Jets. Almost single-handedly kept the Jets in the Monday night game against the Bears, a game which could have ended up being an early blowout by the Bears. He finished with 1 1/2 sacks and 3 QB hits, but he was everywhere.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Special Teams)
Dustin Colquitt, P - Kansas City Chiefs. His 48.8 yard net punting average seems way lower than what it looked like happened on the field. His booming punts changed filed position all game in favor of the Chiefs.
Most Impressive Team Performance (Premier League)
Arsenal. Scored three goals in the span of 4 minutes (Mesuit Ozil, Danny Welbeck and an OG), to defeat Aston Villa 3 - nil on the road at Villa Park. This was an important victory for the Gunners as they sit currently in 4th place in the Premier League table, just one point behind Aston Villa.
Most Impressive Individual Performance (Premier League)
Leonardo Ulloa - Leicester City. The Argentine scored a brace against Manchester United, including an insurance penalty kick in the 83rd minute to seal the victory at home over Manchester United.
Goat of the Week
Geno Smith, QB - New York Jets - He threw too horrible interceptions, one in the end zone to kill a promising drive, and the first one which was nowhere near the receiver on a flare screen, and which Ryan Mundy returned for a touchdown. Smith was definitely the difference maker in this game.
Goat of the Week (Premier League)
Pablo Zabaleta, Manchester City - The Manchester City defense was so hell-bent on being physical with Chelsea striker Diego Costa trying to provoke HIM, that it was not shocking when it was Zabaleta who in fact retaliated against Costa earning a red card (via his second yellow). Five minutes later Andre Schurrle scored for Chelsea giving them a 1-nil lead. Lucky for Zabaleta that long time Chelsea hero knotted the game a 1 apiece with his goal for City in the 85th minute.
Hit of the Week
Jared Cook, TE - St. Louis Rams. After dropping a touchdown pass from quarterback Austin Davis, the first thing Cook did when he got to the sideline was to shove Davis.
Breakthrough Performance
Kirk Cousins, QB - Washington Whatever Name They Are Soon Going to Be Called. He played some in relief of Robert Griffin, III over the past couple of years, but nothing like this week's 427 yard performance. Perhaps Washington could do something in the not-so powerful NFC East.
Finally
Tony Romo, QB - Dallas Cowboys - He has a reputation for choking away games, especially at the end (whether this is a deserved reputation or not is up for debate). Nevertheless, he led the Cowboys in a come-from-behind win after trailing the Rams.
Impact Injury
Danny Woodhead, RB - San Diego Chargers. The versatile running back has been placed on injured reserve - and thus lost for the season - with a broken fibula. Although not a superstar, he is the type of cog on a football team that often determines whether a team succeeds or does not. He does a little bit of everything from the running back position, which is important for a team that has already lost Ryan Matthews for a bit of time and a team that likes to involve running backs in their passing game. A very important loss for a team with their sights set on contending for the Super Bowl.
Team Rising
Chicago Bears - Two wins on the road in prime time, and in fairly convincing fashion (on the field if not in the score). If the defense tightens up just a little bit more, this team is going to be really scary to those in the NFC North.
Team Falling
New England Patriots - Barely defeated an hapless Oakland Raiders team and looked bad while doing it. If this is any consolation, the Steelers were the team falling last week and managed to dominate this week against the Carolina Panthers.
Best Teams
(All undefeated teams will be top ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records).
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Seattle Seahawks
5. Denver Broncos
Worst Teams
(All winless teams will be bottomed ranked teams until none are left - then the rankings will be the result of my true thoughts and not just records)
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
30. Oakland Raiders
29. Miami Dolphins
28. Minnesota Vikings
Middle Teams
15. San Francisco 49ers
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
17. New Orleans Saints
18. Houston Texans
Preview - Game(s) of the Week
4. No number 4 because their are 6 teams on a bye and the games generally suck.
3. Carolina Panthers v. Baltimore Ravens - Two teams at an early crossroads in their season, and both could certainly use a nice win at this juncture as 3-1 looks a whole lot better than 2-2 for some reason.
2. Chicago Bears v. Green Bay Packers - Can the Bears win their third consecutive big game on the road or will Green Bay rebound from their funk? Also, this is the best rivalry in professional sports.
1. Philadelphia Eagles v. San Francisco 49ers - The powerful offense of the Philadelphia Eagles against what used to be a stingy 49ers defense. The Eagles could stay at 4-0 while San Francisco is trying to avoid falling into a 1-3 hole.
Trivia
In the game against the Eagles, Pierre Garcon had 138 receiving yards and DeSean Jackson had 117 receiving yards. The last time the Redskins had two receiver over 100 yards in the same game was 2003. Can you name the receivers?
Sports Bar Review of the Week
As stated earlier, I was at SunLife Stadium for the Kansas City - Miami debacle on Sunday, but I did venture out to watch the college games on Saturday. So, I will review that place.
Roxy's Pub, 309 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach, FL
I must confess that I have been to this place too many times to count, so this is not exactly a completely uninterested review. But that being said ...
The place was ridiculously packed, with every seat and most of the walkways filled with people, yet somehow you could still maneuver. It took a little while to order the first drink, but after that, it was very friendly and timely. Two bartenders that I did not know served us, but they were generally great after that first drink order.
This is actually an Irish pub, that does a really good facsimile of a sports bar. There are four televisions on each side of the inside of the bar (8 total), for bar patrons to have a good view of the games, four more on the outside of the bar for those in the restaurant. The big plus, a huge wall of various size televisions on the back wall so that those seated in the back area can see lots and lots of games. As a sports bar it is not phenomenal, unless you are at the back wall, but for an Irish pub, it is a great sports bar.
The food is what I would consider very good bar food. Although somewhat common now, it was the first place I ever saw macaroni and cheese balls, which are excellent. We usually go for our staple, the grilled wings and the chicken nachos. The grilled wings are great with the hot teriyaki sauces mixed, and the chicken nachos are delicious, huge and made with homemade chicken chili. Unless you have about 4 people, order the half portion. In the past I have eaten the burgers and several wraps, which are all good, especially with the seasoned fries.
The best thing about Roxy's - the beer. About 64 taps, most of them fairly common craft beers, meaning you can find just about whatever you like. Our choices for the day included Avery White Rascal, Hooegarden, Abita Purple Haze, Sam Adams Oktoberfest and Harp.
Always a great time at Roxy's, even if it is overburdened with distraught Gator fans.
Service - NFC North
Drinks - NFC North
Food - NFC South
Cleanliness - NFC West
Overall - Chicago Bears (1st in the NFC North) - Really, really good!
Rating System Best to Worst: NFC West, NFC North, NFC South, AFC West, AFC North, AFC South, AFC East, NFC East
Trivia Answer
With the loss to the Eagles on Monday night, Andrew Luck just missed the chance to set the record for most games by a quarterback without consecutive losses to start a career. That record was held by DAN MARINO.
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