Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Sunday, 30 September 2012
NFL: Week 4 Predictions
This week, I didn't have much time to give you a "full" predictions. This time, I will post fast predictions: only the winning team of the game (bold team).
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
San Francisco 49ers at New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks at St. Louis Rams
Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals
Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
Cincinnati Bengals at Jacksonville Jaguars
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers
Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Chicago Bears at Dallas Cowboys
Thursday, 27 September 2012
MLB: Catch of the Year?
I don't have words to describe this catch, so I will just give you the video. Enjoy!
NFL: Refs drama is over
It took three phone calls to his home in Arizona. Three phone calls to convince NFL referee Ed Hochuli, who'd finally received word from his union that a labor deal had been reached late Wednesday, to go on the record with his reaction to the big news.
"Why does it matter if I have a reaction?" Hochuli told NFL.com. "Why? Who am I? My kid told me I'm trending on Twitter. What does that even mean?"
After a thorough explanation to Hochuli about his unprecedented popularity -- after making him realize he's now culturally cooler than Chuck Norris and Jack Bauer combined -- Hochuli responded with something unintentionally deep.
"I haven't done a thing or said a thing in months, and my popularity has risen," said Hochuli, who eventually agreed to allow his quotes to be published. "I should just stay out of sight. Isn't it amazing?"
It is amazing. It is amazing that an eight-year agreement between the NFL and NFL Referees Association could generate such monumental interest. It is amazing that a referee's name is even known at all, let alone that it could morph into a piece of American pop culture.
But here we are, three days after an embarrassing episode that cost the Green Bay Packers a win, celebrating the return of Hochuli and his posse of 121 referees -- surely an odd experience for men who are far more accustomed to being booed than cheered. And you were wondering if the NFL would take a hit because of this?
Oh, Packers fans surely will remain bitter. They'll be upset until season's end, particularly if that loss in Seattle costs the team a shot at the playoffs. But is anyone going to stop watching football? Please. If nothing else, we've only continued to prove how much we care about football. Just ask any Packers fan protesting the result of Monday night's game. You don't protest if you don't care -- and Packers fans aren't going to stop caring about their team.
It's too bad Monday's madness could significantly impact the Packers' season, but it's times like these when fans must step back and recognize the reality of the situation: While football is a part of our culture, the NFL is a business, and such tedious (and at times unpleasant) negotiations often are a requirement of corporate success.
All that said, the NFL can and should walk away with some major lessons from this episode. It should recognize the intelligence of its fan base -- a fan base that grew so loud over the last few days that the league wanted nothing more than to finish this deal before another weekend of games.
In the future, the NFL would be wise to take more seriously the potential repercussions of a plan gone wrong. The replacement officials weren't adequate, and the league should have been more cautious about the pitfalls it could face if the worst-case scenario -- which occurred Monday -- took place. This could have been avoided if Wednesday's urgency was realized earlier.
Nonetheless, the NFL got its business done and now is looking at eight years of labor peace with the refs and nine more years of labor peace with the players. And the referees, more popular than ever, are headed back to work. How's that for one weird week?
These few days undoubtedly will be remembered in the NFL history books for the bizarre finish to Monday's game. Ultimately, though, it's far more likely that history will detail this not as some regrettable blemish but as an interesting story that fueled one of the more rapid conclusions to a labor deal you're ever likely to see.
"We've worked very, very hard," Hochuli said. "We've taken 18 extensive rules tests, watched hours and hours of video every week for the last several weeks. We've worked very hard to be prepared.
"I think we're ready."
So, too, is everyone else. @ nfl.com
Saturday, 22 September 2012
NFL: Week 3 Predictions
St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears
Your first upset of the week; the Rams defense is good enough to seriously frustrate and shut down Jay Cutler. Chris Long and Robert Quinn are good enough to make J’Marcus Webb look silly.
Buffallo Bills at Cleveland Browns Both of these have some young talent but are far from complete. In the end, I think the experience of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the immaturity of Brandon Weeden will be the storyline here.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Like last week against the Giants, the Bucs aren't going to roll over and give the Cowboys an easy victory. Still, as a young team coming into Cowboys Stadium, I think they'll be overmatched against a Dallas team that could put up serious points through the air.
Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
The Lions need a rebound game after their loss to the 49ers, and the Titans will offer them a chance at a win. Detroit’s offense shouldn’t stall out against the Titans like they did versus San Francisco, but they have to get their run game going this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck is better than Blaine Gabbert. For two rebuilding teams, it's as simple as that.
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets are not the Oakland Raiders, and the Miami Dolphins will do well to note that. Reggie Bush carried Miami to their first win in Week 2, but he won’t find the running lanes against the Jets that he did in Oakland. Darrelle Revis' health could swing the vote on this one.
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Easy one. 49ers!
Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints
It's the battle of the beatens! Both teams enter 0-2, and both teams have invented new ways to disappoint their fanbase in the early parts of the season. Defensively, neither team can stop anyone, so I'll pick Drew Brees in the shootout.
Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
RGIII showed he wasn't quite the finished product after all in St. Louis, though he still looked great getting his team into the end zone. On defense, the Redskins will miss Orakpo and Carriker against a very balanced Bengals offense that is able to take advantage when defenses commit to pressure. Look for another big day from A.J. Green.
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals
Two teams with identical 2-0 records face off in the desert. The Eagles defensive line will be the key here. If they can get to Kevin Kolb, the Eagles will find an easy victory. Trent Cole and Jason Babin should have fun with this one.
Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers
The Falcons are going to have to travel west on a short week, which means a focused energy each day in practice at Flowery Branch and no day off to rest. As long as health isn't a concern, Atlanta's offense should continue to show it's the real deal and 2012 is a coming-out party.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
Steelers FTW!
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
Matt Schaub and the Texans get their first real test after opening against clearly inferior teams in the Dolphins and Jaguars. Peyton Manning can exploit the Texans secondary—if he gets time to throw. A combination of the running game and three-step drops will get the better of J.J. Watt and friends.
New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Best match of the week. Two teams smarting from brutal last-minute losses look to rebound in this rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game. The Ravens reverted back to their maddening form on offense. Cam Cameron simply has to remember he has Ray Rice when his team's passing game is getting clobbered. The Patriots will be without Aaron Hernandez, which means Ed Reed will be free to take one of Tom Brady's passes to the house.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
I'm really torn on this matchup, as the "12th Man" and Seattle's defense should keep the Seahawks in this one for a while. I just can't envision Russell Wilson beating Aaron Rodgers, however, and I think the Packers' veteran-laden team will find a way to win against the young 'Hawks.
Your first upset of the week; the Rams defense is good enough to seriously frustrate and shut down Jay Cutler. Chris Long and Robert Quinn are good enough to make J’Marcus Webb look silly.
Buffallo Bills at Cleveland Browns Both of these have some young talent but are far from complete. In the end, I think the experience of Ryan Fitzpatrick and the immaturity of Brandon Weeden will be the storyline here.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Like last week against the Giants, the Bucs aren't going to roll over and give the Cowboys an easy victory. Still, as a young team coming into Cowboys Stadium, I think they'll be overmatched against a Dallas team that could put up serious points through the air.
Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
The Lions need a rebound game after their loss to the 49ers, and the Titans will offer them a chance at a win. Detroit’s offense shouldn’t stall out against the Titans like they did versus San Francisco, but they have to get their run game going this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck is better than Blaine Gabbert. For two rebuilding teams, it's as simple as that.
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets are not the Oakland Raiders, and the Miami Dolphins will do well to note that. Reggie Bush carried Miami to their first win in Week 2, but he won’t find the running lanes against the Jets that he did in Oakland. Darrelle Revis' health could swing the vote on this one.
San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings
Easy one. 49ers!
Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints
It's the battle of the beatens! Both teams enter 0-2, and both teams have invented new ways to disappoint their fanbase in the early parts of the season. Defensively, neither team can stop anyone, so I'll pick Drew Brees in the shootout.
Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
RGIII showed he wasn't quite the finished product after all in St. Louis, though he still looked great getting his team into the end zone. On defense, the Redskins will miss Orakpo and Carriker against a very balanced Bengals offense that is able to take advantage when defenses commit to pressure. Look for another big day from A.J. Green.
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals
Two teams with identical 2-0 records face off in the desert. The Eagles defensive line will be the key here. If they can get to Kevin Kolb, the Eagles will find an easy victory. Trent Cole and Jason Babin should have fun with this one.
Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers
The Falcons are going to have to travel west on a short week, which means a focused energy each day in practice at Flowery Branch and no day off to rest. As long as health isn't a concern, Atlanta's offense should continue to show it's the real deal and 2012 is a coming-out party.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
Steelers FTW!
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
Matt Schaub and the Texans get their first real test after opening against clearly inferior teams in the Dolphins and Jaguars. Peyton Manning can exploit the Texans secondary—if he gets time to throw. A combination of the running game and three-step drops will get the better of J.J. Watt and friends.
New England Patriots at Baltimore Ravens
Best match of the week. Two teams smarting from brutal last-minute losses look to rebound in this rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game. The Ravens reverted back to their maddening form on offense. Cam Cameron simply has to remember he has Ray Rice when his team's passing game is getting clobbered. The Patriots will be without Aaron Hernandez, which means Ed Reed will be free to take one of Tom Brady's passes to the house.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
I'm really torn on this matchup, as the "12th Man" and Seattle's defense should keep the Seahawks in this one for a while. I just can't envision Russell Wilson beating Aaron Rodgers, however, and I think the Packers' veteran-laden team will find a way to win against the young 'Hawks.
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