Owning Up
The Broncos let me down. They made me look like an absolute fool. Hats off to the Raiders for allowing me to bask in shame.
I would also like to give a round of applause to Colt McCoy and the Browns for proving me wrong.
The Panthers managed to slip away with a win despite my indirect tag of "worst team in the NFL." Cheers to them.
Kevin Kolb let me down as well. Claps for the Titans for proving me wrong.
Predictions
I had a surprisingly good week last week! I went 9-5 to bring my overall record for the season up to 39-33. Maybe that was the push I needed to get on a roll. Let's try to top it this week:
Bengals over Dolphins I cannot really make too many more complaints about Carson Palmer. The Bengals' quarterback went for 412 yards and three touchdowns. And the best part for Bengals fans is that Palmer threw no interceptions. The bad part is that the Bengal defense does not seem up to the test. The offense has done its part, now the defense has to step up against the Dolphins today. 24-21
Cowboys over Jaguars I think Tony Romo getting injured last week was a wakeup call for the Cowboys. It seems that everything had gone wrong for America's team and Romo breaking his clavicle was the icing on the cake. However, I believe that now that the Cowboys have hit rock bottom, they will be able to pick themselves up, at least in this game. The wily veteran Jon Kitna will get it done for the Cowboys today. 28-20
Redskins over Lions I'm taking the Redskins, although I do think this will be a very tight match. The Lions, despite their 1-5 record, have played rather well. Now with a nearly 100 percent Jahvid Best in the backfield, I think the Lions could give the Skins a run for their money. However, I like how the Redskins have been playing. So much so that I could not pick against them today. 31-28
Chiefs over Bills Oh those poor Buffalo Bills. They have played some very good games this year, including last week's face-off with the Ravens. Even at 0-6 the Bills' season is not all bad. However, I believe they stay at .000 after today. Chiefs take it. 17-10
Rams over Panthers Wouldn't you know it, as soon as I claim the Panthers are the worst team in the NFL, they go and beat the 49ers. I do not get it. I'll call that win a fluke and I'll also take the Rams today, for they have been playing extremely well. Well enough for me to pick up their defense for my fantasy league. Don't let me down, St. Louis. 28-14
Packers over Jets This is an extremely difficult pick. However, I must stick to my Super Bowl team in the Green Bay Packers. The Pack have escaped some close contests to gather a few wins, but have also lost their fair share of close ones this season. And with the Jets playing as well as they have this season, it is hard to see how they can be beaten by a shaky Packers team. Maybe the Jets are just due for a loss. That's what I'll claim as reason for this pick. 42-35
49ers over Broncos And my dark horse pick has been proven untrue as of last week. Is it not the most beautiful poetic justice? I say the Broncos are a fantastic team and could possibly sneak into the playoffs this year, and then they get slammed in a 45-point loss to none other than the Oakland Raiders. I had to rub my eyes over and over again after that one. Therefore, for today's match in London I shall give the nod to the Troy Smith-led 49ers. I have faith in him and have since he came out of college, but it seems nobody else has. May the force be with you, Troy. 21-17
Titans over Chargers With the Chargers struggling as they have and the Titans getting Vince Young back this week, my job is made incredibly easy. The Bolts are just not the same team we have seen in the past few years. Maybe Vincent Jackson is in the right. Maybe they do need him. 24-17
Seahawks over Raiders I really like being able to pick the Seahawks. For some reason I am enjoying the fact that they are leading the NFC West and continue to win. Matt Hasselbeck looks like he is back, they have received a spark on special teams from Leon Washington, Marshawn Lynch has provided a boost, and Mike Williams is a terrific comeback story. The Seahawks are the story that nobody has heard about. I like it! 27-24
Patriots over Vikings In Randy Moss's return to New England with his former former team to face his former team (if that makes sense), Moss will not be satisfied with the result. The Vikings are the Chargers of the NFC. Nobody really understands why they are losing, but they are losing and will continue losing for the foreseeable future. 35-17
Cardinals over Buccaneers The Bucs' head coach Raheem Morris has given his team a very big claim to live up to. Morris says that his Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the best team in the NFC. That's quite a lofty statement. Even with a solid record and a nice bid of confidence from their head coach, I do not see the Bucs winning today. Derek Anderson was thrown back into the fire last week for the Cardinals and will be put out there today to lead the squad. I think he is up to the challenge. 17-14
Steelers over Saints The New Orleans Saints are not playing like the New Orleans Saints we have come to know and love. Last week was an absolute dismal loss to the Browns. The Steelers, however, have returned to form after a year off in 2009. Ben Roethlisberger has played well since coming off suspension and the Steeler defense is still the Steeler defense. They win this one. 31-21
Colts over Texans The Texans were able to shock the Colts in their first matchup this season. However, coming off a bye week, the Colts do not look to allow Houston to take advantage of them again. Losing Dallas Clark was a huge hit for the Colts, but they have dealt with injury in the past. The bottom line is Peyton Manning is still Peyton Manning. He can make any receiver look good. 28-24
BONUS COVERAGE
Normally I wrap up this blog with my predictions, but I wanted to be sure to give a shout out to a fabulous musician this week. I'm quite a bit late, but my hat goes off to Matt Costa for yet another fantastic album. I highly recommend everyone go out and pick up his new album Mobile Chateau. It is truly beautiful music.
Also, I hope to post more often now that the NBA season has started. Basketball is more of my forte than football because I played basketball, so I hope to provide some information and opinions on what is going on in the NBA this year.
p.s. Another win for the Ohio Bobcats! We are now 6-3! Cheers, men!
p.p.s. For more senseless babble, follow me on Twitter. twitter.com/bradley_w_parks
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Week Seven
Owning Up
I do not have anything really to own up on from last week. At least I don't think I do. Out of my six losses, four of them were by four points or less. The only loss I really blew was the Eagles v. Falcons game.
Therefore, I shall own up to that loss. Kevin Kolb played a terrific game. I figured the Falcons' good luck would continue and they would stick it to Michael Vick while he was on the bench. However, Kolb showed up and shoved the Falcons back into their place. On paper, Michael Vick's team got the win against his former team, but he didn't do anything to help. That has to be bittersweet for him.
Predictions
Last week I was able to get back over .500 as I went 8-6. That puts my season record at 30-28. Here is what I have for Week Seven:
Bengals over Falcons I gave the game to the Falcons last week, but not this time. I will not be fooled again! This is Carson Palmer's chance to prove that he is still an elite quarterback. Week by week Bengals fans are giving up on Palmer and he needs to win his fans back. 21-17
Redskins over Bears I really am starting to like the 'Skins. I did not have the greatest confidence in them coming into this year with below average receivers and all of the drama surrounding Albert Haynesworth. However, Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb have gotten this team to 3-3 with things looking up with a fresh new running back in Ryan Torain. 27-24
Eagles over Titans After picking against Kevin Kolb's Eagles last week and with Vince Young banged up for the Titans this week, I have to put my money on the Eagles. 28-14
Chiefs over Jaguars I really gave the Jags too much of a chance last week against the Titans. They got worked over by the Kerry Collins-led Titans team. The Chiefs have had unlucky losses in the past two weeks with a dropped touchdown that would have kept the game intact against the Colts and then the last-second win by the Texans last week. They get it done today. 21-7
Steelers over Dolphins I find it really hard to pick over the Steelers now that Ben Roethlisberger is back. He had a little bit of rust in his season debut last week, but good for him they were playing the Browns so his mistakes weren't capitalized on. This week Ben should be back for good. 28-17
Saints over Browns Everything that could be going wrong for the Browns is. They had Colt McCoy as their third-string quarterback for a reason. They wanted him to learn behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace instead of throwing him into the fire. However, injuries to both Delhomme and Wallace have required the Browns to turn to McCoy. He didn't do too terribly bad last week, but he is not prepared for this job clearly. 35-7
Buccaneers over Rams I cannot provide much reason behind picking the Bucs over the Rams in this game other than I cannot pick a tie. This should be a close game and hopefully the Bucs give me a reason to have picked them. 21-20
49ers over Panthers It seems that the Panthers are the 2009 Rams of 2010. It does not seem that the Panthers have anything to be excited about. Jimmy Clausen was supposed to be that spark, but it turns out he was a big flop (at least for now). They have turned back to Matt Moore for this week in hopes he will return to the Matt Moore of late last year. 24-10
Ravens over Bills This should be an easy day for the Ravens. Bottom line. The only good thing for the Bills is that despite probably falling to 0-6, they are still not as bad as the Panthers. 35-6
Seahawks over Cardinals Why these two teams are in the discussion for first place in the NFC West cannot be explained. This was supposed to be the 49ers' year with the Cardinals losing Kurt Warner to retirement and the Seahawks being the Seahawks. However, Max Hall has provided a spark in Arizona and the Pete Carroll has something working in Seattle. I'll give this one to the Seahawks. 27-24
Broncos over Raiders Despite the 2-4 record I still think the Broncos are a dark horse in the playoff picture this year, no pun intended. Kyle Orton is showing me at least that he is a stellar quarterback. I don't know what it is, but I think the Broncos are still in this thing. 17-10
Patriots over Chargers With Antonio Gates banged up, Malcolm Floyd and Legadu Naanee out the Chargers don't have much to look forward to today. The running game and Ryan Mathews may be their only hope. 28-13
Packers over Vikings Don't be surprised if I pick the Packers every week. Despite their injuries and a couple of losses that should not have been, I still have confidence in the Pack Attack. Aaron Rodgers has to beat his former teacher today to show that the Packers have moved past Brett Favre. 35-32
Giants over Cowboys Not to be repetitive, but don't be surprised if I pick against the Cowboys every week. If you've read this blog before, you know how overrated I think the Cowboys are. I stand by that opinion and hold it close every week. Not to mention, the Giants are playing extremely well this season. 28-10
I do not have anything really to own up on from last week. At least I don't think I do. Out of my six losses, four of them were by four points or less. The only loss I really blew was the Eagles v. Falcons game.
Therefore, I shall own up to that loss. Kevin Kolb played a terrific game. I figured the Falcons' good luck would continue and they would stick it to Michael Vick while he was on the bench. However, Kolb showed up and shoved the Falcons back into their place. On paper, Michael Vick's team got the win against his former team, but he didn't do anything to help. That has to be bittersweet for him.
Predictions
Last week I was able to get back over .500 as I went 8-6. That puts my season record at 30-28. Here is what I have for Week Seven:
Bengals over Falcons I gave the game to the Falcons last week, but not this time. I will not be fooled again! This is Carson Palmer's chance to prove that he is still an elite quarterback. Week by week Bengals fans are giving up on Palmer and he needs to win his fans back. 21-17
Redskins over Bears I really am starting to like the 'Skins. I did not have the greatest confidence in them coming into this year with below average receivers and all of the drama surrounding Albert Haynesworth. However, Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb have gotten this team to 3-3 with things looking up with a fresh new running back in Ryan Torain. 27-24
Eagles over Titans After picking against Kevin Kolb's Eagles last week and with Vince Young banged up for the Titans this week, I have to put my money on the Eagles. 28-14
Chiefs over Jaguars I really gave the Jags too much of a chance last week against the Titans. They got worked over by the Kerry Collins-led Titans team. The Chiefs have had unlucky losses in the past two weeks with a dropped touchdown that would have kept the game intact against the Colts and then the last-second win by the Texans last week. They get it done today. 21-7
Steelers over Dolphins I find it really hard to pick over the Steelers now that Ben Roethlisberger is back. He had a little bit of rust in his season debut last week, but good for him they were playing the Browns so his mistakes weren't capitalized on. This week Ben should be back for good. 28-17
Saints over Browns Everything that could be going wrong for the Browns is. They had Colt McCoy as their third-string quarterback for a reason. They wanted him to learn behind Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace instead of throwing him into the fire. However, injuries to both Delhomme and Wallace have required the Browns to turn to McCoy. He didn't do too terribly bad last week, but he is not prepared for this job clearly. 35-7
Buccaneers over Rams I cannot provide much reason behind picking the Bucs over the Rams in this game other than I cannot pick a tie. This should be a close game and hopefully the Bucs give me a reason to have picked them. 21-20
49ers over Panthers It seems that the Panthers are the 2009 Rams of 2010. It does not seem that the Panthers have anything to be excited about. Jimmy Clausen was supposed to be that spark, but it turns out he was a big flop (at least for now). They have turned back to Matt Moore for this week in hopes he will return to the Matt Moore of late last year. 24-10
Ravens over Bills This should be an easy day for the Ravens. Bottom line. The only good thing for the Bills is that despite probably falling to 0-6, they are still not as bad as the Panthers. 35-6
Seahawks over Cardinals Why these two teams are in the discussion for first place in the NFC West cannot be explained. This was supposed to be the 49ers' year with the Cardinals losing Kurt Warner to retirement and the Seahawks being the Seahawks. However, Max Hall has provided a spark in Arizona and the Pete Carroll has something working in Seattle. I'll give this one to the Seahawks. 27-24
Broncos over Raiders Despite the 2-4 record I still think the Broncos are a dark horse in the playoff picture this year, no pun intended. Kyle Orton is showing me at least that he is a stellar quarterback. I don't know what it is, but I think the Broncos are still in this thing. 17-10
Patriots over Chargers With Antonio Gates banged up, Malcolm Floyd and Legadu Naanee out the Chargers don't have much to look forward to today. The running game and Ryan Mathews may be their only hope. 28-13
Packers over Vikings Don't be surprised if I pick the Packers every week. Despite their injuries and a couple of losses that should not have been, I still have confidence in the Pack Attack. Aaron Rodgers has to beat his former teacher today to show that the Packers have moved past Brett Favre. 35-32
Giants over Cowboys Not to be repetitive, but don't be surprised if I pick against the Cowboys every week. If you've read this blog before, you know how overrated I think the Cowboys are. I stand by that opinion and hold it close every week. Not to mention, the Giants are playing extremely well this season. 28-10
Monday, October 18, 2010
Owning Up
Owning Up (For Week Six)
Like I said in my last post, Week Five was atrocious as far as my picks are concerned. What went wrong? I could not tell you. I just know whatever could have gone wrong for me did. A bad week it was.
Therefore, I cannot really discuss my mistakes in this edition of "Owning Up" in a concise manner. I will discuss, however, another area where I need to own up: Ohio State v. Wisconsin.
Yes, my dearly beloved Buckeyes took their yearly fall this week to Wisconsin. Did I want it to happen? Heck no. Did I figure it would happen? Yes, at some point. Ohio State is always bound to lose one big game every year, eliminating their shot at the BCS title. I think many fans have come to terms with this, however.
The one thing that bothers me is the large amount of haters. I understand that not everyone is an Ohio State Buckeye fan. What I don't understand is the hypocrisy of some fans in Ohio. I catch a high amount of crap from Cincinnati Reds fans for liking the St. Louis Cardinals. "Why don't you like the Reds? You're from Cincinnati!" "What is wrong with you?" "Traitor!" Those are typical comments I hear for my MLB fandom.
The hypocrisy comes in with the amount of people who dislike Ohio State. It is clear that OSU is Ohio's team as far as football is concerned. However, there are tons of fans who jump all over Ohio State when they lose (such as this week). They talk about how overrated the Buckeyes are, how they suck, etc. Many cheer for Texas or the school up north. And, of course, there are those "die-hard" Cincinnati Bearcats fans. Baloney. Nobody gave a care about UC football until that freakish season last year. Now that the Cats are back to the cellar, nobody cares once again.
If readers take anything away from this senseless babble I've written this week, it is this: Stick to one philosophy. If you claim to be a hometown or homestate fan, be consistent. I get slammed for being an Ohio State fan, when it is one of the few home teams I cheer for. It seems backwards. People antagonize me for not cheering for the home team, but when I do cheer for a home team (OSU) I still get beat with a stick.
But I'm not one to complain, so keep the hate coming, homers! It's what I feed off of.
p.s. How about those Ohio Bobcats? Big win on homecoming for my school!
p.p.s. For more senseless babble, follow me on twitter. twitter.com/bradley_w_parks
Like I said in my last post, Week Five was atrocious as far as my picks are concerned. What went wrong? I could not tell you. I just know whatever could have gone wrong for me did. A bad week it was.
Therefore, I cannot really discuss my mistakes in this edition of "Owning Up" in a concise manner. I will discuss, however, another area where I need to own up: Ohio State v. Wisconsin.
Yes, my dearly beloved Buckeyes took their yearly fall this week to Wisconsin. Did I want it to happen? Heck no. Did I figure it would happen? Yes, at some point. Ohio State is always bound to lose one big game every year, eliminating their shot at the BCS title. I think many fans have come to terms with this, however.
The one thing that bothers me is the large amount of haters. I understand that not everyone is an Ohio State Buckeye fan. What I don't understand is the hypocrisy of some fans in Ohio. I catch a high amount of crap from Cincinnati Reds fans for liking the St. Louis Cardinals. "Why don't you like the Reds? You're from Cincinnati!" "What is wrong with you?" "Traitor!" Those are typical comments I hear for my MLB fandom.
The hypocrisy comes in with the amount of people who dislike Ohio State. It is clear that OSU is Ohio's team as far as football is concerned. However, there are tons of fans who jump all over Ohio State when they lose (such as this week). They talk about how overrated the Buckeyes are, how they suck, etc. Many cheer for Texas or the school up north. And, of course, there are those "die-hard" Cincinnati Bearcats fans. Baloney. Nobody gave a care about UC football until that freakish season last year. Now that the Cats are back to the cellar, nobody cares once again.
If readers take anything away from this senseless babble I've written this week, it is this: Stick to one philosophy. If you claim to be a hometown or homestate fan, be consistent. I get slammed for being an Ohio State fan, when it is one of the few home teams I cheer for. It seems backwards. People antagonize me for not cheering for the home team, but when I do cheer for a home team (OSU) I still get beat with a stick.
But I'm not one to complain, so keep the hate coming, homers! It's what I feed off of.
p.s. How about those Ohio Bobcats? Big win on homecoming for my school!
p.p.s. For more senseless babble, follow me on twitter. twitter.com/bradley_w_parks
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