HokieJayBee's NFL Week 16

Week 16, NFL season 2009. You remember last week’s “BOOOOYAAAAAAA”? Yeah, the book is saying that this week. Holy crap nothing went as predicted in week 15. Nothing.

[I] 2009 Season Stats

Season Totals:

66.67% straight up picks for your office pool (126-63)

53.95% against the spread this year on recommended plays (82-70)

51.71% over-all including the recommended no-actions (106-99)

Thoughts for the past week:

*Last week was not good. Some tight picks went as expected, or were close enough to write off as good games. But I have some severe cases of WTF for: New Orleans (not covering -7.5 fine, but losing outright at home to lose undefeatedness?), New York Jets (7 points at home against a non-playoff NFC team from a southern dome outside in New York in December? 7?), Denver (ummm, you’re approaching Jekyll and Hyde status with Houston and Jacksonville, now losing at home to the Raiders, led by Jamarcus Russell?), Seattle (24-7 loss at home to Tampa, you officially suck, bad), and Minnesota (hey geniuses, double Julius Peppers).

*I went (9-7) in the straight up picks for your office pool. You didn’t win your pool. (9-7) a week after a (14-1) week. Wow. Just wow Jay.

*With the books, I got prison raped. I went (8-8) overall, but went (3-1) in my NO ACTION picks, meaning I got hammerdogpunched at (5-7) in recommended plays. Ouch.

[II] Week 15 Picks/Comments – Enginerd Table

GAME		LINE	OFFICE POOL WINNER	SPREAD WINNER	FAVE OR DOG?	ACTION?	HEART / COMMENT	PREDICTED SCORE
1	SD @ TENN	TENN -3.5	SD	SD	DOG	YES	Wait, SD is getting +3.5 here? I checked three sites and this line isn’t a misprint. I know TENN is still technically fighting for a playoff berth, but SD is the big man on campus around these parts lately.	SD 27-17 (SD outright win)
2	BUFF @ ATL	ATL -8.5	ATL	BUFF	DOG	YES	I think ATL and Brian Brohm (really?) win at home here, but I don’t like the -8.5 for a second. BUFF has a nasty habit of staying close in games they lose lately.	ATL 23-17 (Buffalo cover)
3	KC @ CIN	CIN -13.5	CIN	CIN	FAVE	YES	CINCY can still mathematically win the #2 seed in the AFC, and I don’t see KC derailing that. First home game since the death of Chris Henry, so they’ll still be some residual emotion and probably a small ceremony. CINCY wins going away here.	CIN 27-10
4	OAK @ CLE	NO LINE	CLE	N/A	N/A	NO	Another mandated NO ACTION pick here with no line available. Even Vegas doesn’t recognize this game as a viable game to watch or even bet on. [I assume the lack of line is because Quinn is out and Anderson is starting, and who knows who is playing QB for OAK] I think CLE wins at home here, but can’t put it against a line.	CLE 16-10
5	SEA @ GB	GB -13.5	GB	GB	FAVE	YES	Another week here with a couple two TD spreads. And I just can’t get off these favorites playing for playoff spots/seeding, and playing bad teams. Seattle got worked by Tampa last week (you read that right). Now they go to a pissed off GB team after getting caught at the end against PITT.	GB 34-13
6	BALT @ PITT	PITT -1.5	BALT	BALT	DOG	NO	This game has NO ACTION written all over it. All over it. Huge playoff implications, hated opponents, good history. This game is the game of the week to watch, but don’t bet on it with actual currency.	BALT 24-21 (Baltimore outright win)
7	HOU @ MIA	MIA -3.5	HOU	HOU	DOG	NO	Well looky here. Two of my Jekyll and Hyde teams are playing each other. With the same records. With the same playoff bubble. NO ACTION. Don’t touch it.	HOU 23-21 (Houston outright win)
8	JAX @ NE	NE -8.5	NE	NE	FAVE	YES	New England can still mathematically win the #2 seed, and more importantly the East. Jacksonville played their hearts out last week hosting INDY and couldn’t get it done. They’re dead in the hearts I fear. Brady, Moss, and Welker do their best Colt’s WR impressions on this bad secondary.	NE 30-13
9	TB @ NO	NO -13.5	NO	NO	FAVE	YES	Tampa gets the privilege of playing the pissed off Saints the week after they lost their undefeated season. And a game the Saints still need to secure home field throughout the playoffs. Sorry Bucs.	NO 38-10
10	CAR @ NYG	NYG -6.5	NYG	NYG	FAVE	YES	I’m fairly sure of the NYG win here. I was leaning towards CAR to cover the +6.5 and maybe even leaning towards a NO ACTION pick here (that the no line on OAK/CLE took). After watching what CAR did to MINN’s offensive line, and what the NYG did on Monday Night, I guess I’ll lean to the NYG here to cover the -6.5. I guess. Maybe.	NYG 27-20
11	DET @ SF	SF -10.5	SF	SF	FAVE	YES	I don’t like -10.5 at all here. I don’t. But I see a little bit of SF exercising some knocked-out-of-the-playoffs demons, and I don’t think DET scores more than 6. So the -10.5 becomes less fearful.	SF 20-6
12	STL @ ARI	ARI -13.5	ARI	ARI	FAVE	YES	Arizona can still win the NFC’s #2 seed, so they’ll be playing without the knowledge of MINN’s outcome yet, meaning still playing hard. And they won’t screw around with the Rams like they did the Lions. Zona BIG here.	ARI 30-6
13	NYJ @ INDY	INDY -5.5	INDY	INDY	FAVE	NO	NO ACTION here. The Jets need this game as they’re still mathematically alive in the playoff race. And the Colts locked up everything needed for the playoffs and will probably rest people. That said, I can’t in good conscience, pick against the 14-0 team against a rookie QB. I just can’t. Even though I can see the Jets squeaking one out here, I just can’t pick it. So NO ACTION.	INDY 28-20
14	DEN @ PHI	PHI -7.5	PHI	PHI	FAVE	YES	Philly will crush the Broncos little playoff dreams. Broncos run early had some weaker opponents, they’re finishing against some cream. Sorry Kyle.	PHI 27-16
15	DAL @ WASH	DAL -6.5	DAL	DAL	FAVE	YES	I’m a Redskin fan. And I don’t like what I’m about to type in the box to the right à	DAL 30-10
16	MINN @ CHI	MINN -6.5	MINN	MINN	FAVE	YES	Minnesota can still win the #1 seed, and can also still lose the #2 seed – and they’ll know both NO and ARI’s outcome pregame since they’re playing on MNF. And did I mention CHI is bad. Falling down bad, and getting worse.	MINN 27-13

--only taking 4 dogs this week.

--2 of the NO ACTION picks are dogs, chickening out on BALT and HOU road covers.

[III] 10 or so things I think I think.

1. I think these are my top 5 teams right now:
1. INDY – jumping back to #1 even if New Orleans came back to beat Dallas. Very impressive offensive show in Jacksonville. Get an interior lineman to step up and stop the run and I can’t argue against it being your ring in the SB.
2. SD – no one wants to play SD right now. No one. And they have recent history of winning in INDY in the playoffs. Gulp.
3. PHI – this is hard to type as a Redskin fan. I think Philly is the cream of the NFC right now. Not simply because MINN and NO lost, but the way they’re playing is just better overall right now.
4. NO – I want to take you out of the top 5 for that showing on Saturday night. Piss poor. But alas, you’ll probably still get to host throughout the playoffs.
5. MINN/ARIZ – MINN is coming down off the list, ARIZ is jumping back on. If ‘zona’s D makes their usual late season push, I think they could win the NFC if they had home field advantage. MINN needs to regroup, and quickly.
2. I think these are my bottom 5 teams right now:
1. KC – the Chiefs are still turning in their sleep, screaming nightmarishly, “Cribbs! Harrison! Cribbs! Harrison!”
2. STL – nice throwback jerseys Sunday. Represented them well. Not.
3. DET – please don’t draft another WR in the top of the 2010 draft. Draft some O Line.
4. CHI – yeah, I said it, on this list ahead of many teams with fewer wins. But for the way you’re playing, right this second, you belong on this list.
5. SEA – see 2.d. CHI description.
3. I think the Redskins need to draft offensive linemen, and ONLY offensive linemen with every pick in this year’s upcoming draft. Holy crap the Giants utterly destroyed the Redskins on the line on Monday night.
4. I think I have to admit I was wrong 2 drafts ago about a guy because of his size. This year’s playoff game breaker could be one Deschaun Jackson of the Eagles. No one can cover him one-on-one on any team. So if he’s doubled every play, watch out for the secondary game breaker, Brent Celek?
5. I think I can admit I got the chills and the hair on the back of my neck stood up when I saw Ocho Cinco catch that 49 yard TD and kneel in prayer for Chris Henry. He didn’t do a river dance, he didn’t propose marriage to a cheerleader. He knelt and looked up at his fallen friend. Then, even in the heat of an NFL game, couldn’t keep the tears back as he embraced teammates. It was raw unadulterated human emotion, and it was gut wrenching to watch.
6. I think I’m not changing my tune on the Browns’ rebuilding. That Cribbs guy is insane. He needs to touch the ball more per game. They should trade for Mike Vick, draft Tim Tebow, and run Vick, Tebow, and Cribbs in the backfield in a modified wishbone on EVERY play. Call it the Wild-Brown or the Brown-Cat. It would be amazing. Holmgren, look me up. I’ll OC for ya.
7. I think everyone owes Randy Moss an apology.
8. I think my non-football thought for the week is: Merry Christmas all! Um, I mean Happy Holidays all!
9. This week’s Jerome Bettis Award goes to Louis Delmas of the Detroit Lions. Let me not take away from the importance and specialness of your 100-yard interception return for a TD against the Cardinals Sunday. Arizona was up 17-0 and inside your 10 going to make it 24-0. Your pick made it 17-7 and literally turned the game around. All worth a little celebration and a dance maybe, and normally exclusion from the JBA for the week. However, after the initial celebration and dance, you continued it on the sideline, helmet off, Troy Polamalu-like hair flowing, in a choreographed number for about another 30 seconds. Enough already. You’re on the Lions, you suck, you made one good play. This isn’t dancing with the stars.
10. This week’s Just Shut Up Award goes to Steve Smith, WR Carolina Panthers. He had a good game on Sunday Night Football, helped the Panthers beat the Vikings. There were his usual highlights during the game, to include his usual near-fight shit talking bouts with the secondary of the opponent. (side note: trend here? isn’t this guy always near-fighting and was once suspended for fighting his own teammate?) Anyways, it was his post game interview that landed him here. Interviewing with the NBC on field reporter after the game (he was offensive POG, Peppers was defensive POG), she asked him about the shit-talking-near-fight with the cornerback. His reply, “yeah, you know what I’m saying, I told him, you know what I’m saying, that, you know what I’m saying, he’s #22, you know what I’m saying, this is me, you know what I’m saying, this is #89!” [gorilla pounding his own chest a la Sammy Sosa with the part about “this is #89!”] Ummm, Steve, you uneducated ghetto prick. What the hell, exactly, are you talking about? You know what I’m saying.

Good Bud!

This was to be a southernpigskin column but I didn't write it fast enough or feel like doing more research, so this is it.

From BCO Pix2

It’s been almost a week since the announcement that Hokie Defensive Coordinator Bud Foster is going to be in Blacksburg for a long time and paid handsomely for it. Bud loves Beamer and Virginia Tech, but he also wants financial security. Seems he has gotten that, rumors of the balloon payment being in the millions if he stays 5 years at Tech. So in other words, the f$u’s, Florida’s, South Carolina’s and Alabama’s of the world don’t come marching into Blacksburg looking for Bud Foster as a coach again (unless of course you want him to interview for the Head Coaching job.) I wasn’t worried that Bud would take a lateral move, unless of course the money being offered him was ridiculous, to my surprise that crazy cash came from the VT athletic department. Kudos to VT Athletic Director Jim Weaver for getting this deal done and very creatively, I might add. No question Frank Beamer was on board with this, things don’t happen around the Hokie football program without his approval. Weaver doesn't have good personal skills but the man is very smart when it comes finances.

From BCO Pix2

As everyone knows, Foster has done more with less as the defensive coordinator at Tech since 1995. Don’t get me wrong plenty of talent, much of it underrated has come into Blacksburg but looking at it realistically it’s not Texas, USC, Florida and Alabama elite material. I must admit, thinking what Foster could do with Gator talent would be pretty awesome, but that’s not going to be in Blacksburg and I’m ok with that. His defenses are about attacking the other team with smaller, faster players, taking away the run and forcing them into either marching up the field 3-4 pass yards at a time or taking a chance and going for the big play. That big play goes the Hokies way as much or more as the opposition. His scheme did a major overhaul between the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Pre-2004 the defensive was heavy man with little zone and was becoming dated and attacked by many teams in 2002 and 2003. Then the switch to a lot of zone (cover 2, 3, 4 and inverted cover 2,) much of it out of the base look put in motion the Virginia Tech Golden era. From 2004 to 2008 Virginia Tech finished in the top 10 in total defense, just missing it this year finishing 13th. That’s why he is coveted, very impressive.

Bud wants to be a Head Coach at a BCS school, but I fear he doesn’t interview well enough or look like the sexy hire for those hiring. If a Head Coaching job comes along, he will take it but at age 50 he’s getting to the awkward age. Their loss, but it’s VT’s gain, maybe in more than one way. While not named Coach in waiting this could very well be the same thing in principal. Frank Beamer is 63 currently and will be 68 when the balloon payment kicks in for Bud Foster, hardly an age where he has to retire but certainly approaching an age where Frank will give it heavy consideration. One would think after paying the well loved Defensive Coordinator millions of dollars to keep him that Virginia Tech would not let him get away. Without saying the words, Bud Foster will likely be Virginia Tech’s next head coach whenever Frank Beamer retires. Blue collar, hard working and intense, that’s Hokie football.

For fun I thought I would do a list of what my all time Bud Foster defense would look like. Some spots are certainly arguable, I too much time considering them.

From BCO Pix2

Stud End – Darryl Tapp (02-05) hardest working Hokie ever? Relentless.
D Tackle – Jonathan Lewis (02-05) quickest DT with size, made a lot of plays his jr/sr yrs
D Tackle – Chad Beasley (97-01) underrated, but a helluva player, almost slid Carlton Powell here.
Rush End – Corey Moore (97-99) consensus AA, Nagursky & Lombardi winner, BAD ASS MOFO, my fave Hokie ever
Whip – Cody Grimm (05-08) smart, instinct made up for lack of size, 2nd fave Hokie ever
Mike – Vince Hall (04-07) smart, instinct made up for lack of speed, 3rd fave Hokie ever
Backer – Xavier Adibi (04-07) most versatile, athletic MLB Bud has ever had, allowed Bud to do lots of cool coverages
Field Corner – Brandon Flowers (04-07) 2x AA, yes he's the best boundary ever, but I think we could move him to field.
Rover – Torrian Gray (92-96) played both safety spots but was a very smart Strong, injuries robbed his NFL career
Free Safety – Willie Pile (99-02) smart, pretty fast and made few mistakes, knew what was going on
Boundary Corner – Jimmy Williams (02-05) most physical cb I've seen, consensus AA

VERY, VERY Late Yahoo Bowl Pickem

From BCO Pix2

My apologies on the lateness ... I've been lazy.

Join, get friends to join ... whatever!

It's Yahoo, so you need an account ... link to bowl pickem is here.

Your group ID# is 38925
Password is: beer

From BCO Pix2

HokieJayBee's NFL Week 15

Week 15, NFL season 2009. This is where I do my Stuart Scott imitation (not a lazy eye joke). I mean, BOOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. ‘twas a good week in the picks.

[I] 2009 Season Stats

Season Totals:

67.63% straight up picks for your office pool (117-56)

55.00% against the spread this year on recommended plays (77-63)

51.85% over-all including the recommended no-actions (98-91)

Thoughts for the past week:

*Last week was good. Missed picks included not guessing correctly whether Houston would be Jekyll or Hyde this week, a 0.5 point miss on the Pats, the Vikings bouncing back stronger than I thought, and the Falcons sans Ryan and Turner hanging around stronger than I thought they could with the Saints.

*I went (14-1) in the straight up picks for your office pool. You won your pool. Arizona/SF was a tough pick, other than that, you won your pool.

*With the books, I got to play the man this week in the relationship. I went (11-4) overall and (9-3) on recommended action picks. Seattle and Cinci failed as dog covers for me, and New England and New Orleans failed as favorite covers for me.

[II] Week 15 Picks/Comments – Enginerd Table

GAME		LINE	OFFICE POOL WINNER	SPREAD WINNER	FAVE OR DOG?	ACTION?	HEART / COMMENT	PREDICTED SCORE
1	INDY @ JAX	INDY -2.5	INDY	INDY	FAVE	NO	I’m making this a NO ACTION pick, as I admit to having about equivalent to absolutely zero read on the efforts the Colts are going to put out. Combined with JAX’s efforts as they’re still technically not mathematically out of the playoffs. Going to NO ACTION take INDY to win and cover for one more week I guess.	INDY 24-16
2	DAL @ NO	NO -7.5	NO	NO	FAVE	NO	Vegas puts out the perfect spread here. -7.5. Damn. I think New Orleans wins without problem. They’ll stay undefeated and Dallas can’t win in any months after November ends. But -7.5, that’s perfect. NO ACTION for me, I can see a late Dallas meaningless score to make it 30-23 instead of 30-16. Dallas sucks late in the year, but they typically don’t get blown out.	NO 30-16
3	NE @ BUFF	NE -6.5	NE	NE	FAVE	YES	New England got back on track last week winning over Carolina. There are some side stories this week in the news surrounding Randy Moss. Blah blah blah, nothing new there. He’s a high maintenance receiver having a bad day. I think Belichick and Brady have this offense ready and well tuned to show everyone they’re fine. They need this game too, it’s not just pride. They need to stay ahead of NYJ and MIA.	NE 30-17
4	ARI @ DET	ARI -11.5	ARI	ARI	FAVE	YES	Man, I don’t like an Arizona team coming off of a bad 7-turnover loss, staying on the road and heading east, to be favored by -11.5. But, alas, they are playing the Lions, eh? Hightower and Wells both have good games as the Cards play big brother this week.	ARI 24-10
5	MIA @ TENN	TENN -3.5	MIA	MIA	DOG	NO	Going to chicken out here, as I would have been putting my money on Chad Henne, and go NO ACTION. I think MIA and their playoff aspirations have them playing well here on the road, and come out with a close win. Contain Johnson at RB and I think the ‘phins can win on the road here.	MIA 24-21 (Miami outright win)
6	CLE @ KC	KC -1.5	CLE	CLE	DOG	YES	This week’s versions of something I won’t watch. Even with the NFL ticket, I’ll be skipping over this game in the game mix. I’d rather watch paint dry. Resurgent Cleveland D will be this week’s beneficiary of Matt Cassell’s misunderstanding of the importance of keeping the ball.	CLE 16-10 (Cleveland outright win)
7	HOU @ STL	HOU -12.5	HOU	HOU	FAVE	YES	It’s well known that Houston is a Jekyll and Hyde team to bet on, and one of my favorite NO ACTION picks. But they are at the Rams, who just got blown out 47-7 and they’re starting a rookie QB who’s college QB coach is…………Ryan Leaf. Yeah, *that* Ryan Leaf. When you’re done chewing that up and laughing, HOU is an easy pick here, even with the -12.5.	HOU 27-7
8	ATL @ NYJ	NYJ -6.5	NYJ	NYJ	FAVE	YES	When I first saw this line, I circled ATL to lose but cover the +6.5. They played a great game last week at home trying to derail the Saints. But that was in-division, at home. This week, without a 100% Ryan or Turner, they’re heading outside, up north, to a NYJ team with their own playoff aspirations.	NYJ 27-17
9	SF @ PHI	PHI -8.5	PHI	SF	DOG	YES	Philly wins here, no problem at home, but I don’t like the -8.5. Mike Singletary’s guys are also fighting for their playoff lives, and they rarely get blown out. Even with the West à East travel here, +8.5 is a lot of points, and I like the SF defensive line lately. They brought havoc to ‘zona’s backfield last week and will do some of the same to Philly this week.	PHI 27-20 (SF cover)
10	GB @ PITT	PITT -1.5	GB	GB	DOG	YES	Almost a NO ACTION pick for me this week. But I kept action on here with Troy still out for PITT. They’re just a different team without him. Also note that GB might get 7 or 8 sacks this week. PITT is toast, even with a little locker room in-fighting about quitting to boot.	GB 24-20 (GB outright win)
11	CHI @ BALT	BALT -10.5	BALT	BALT	FAVE	YES	I don’t know what’s worse. The fact that the Bears were once a playoff looking team and now they go on the road to an AFC borderline playoff team and become -10.5 point dogs? Or the fact that I didn’t blink at all at the -10.5 line and I’m action here on Baltimore at home?	BALT 27-13
12	OAK @ DEN	DEN -13.5	DEN	DEN	FAVE	YES	This rivalry probably has a better pedigree and history than this year’s version in Denver is going to offer. Taking the snaps for Oakland will be the $32 man Jamarcus Russell, or Charlie Frye. Yeah, from Akron? Brandon Marshall begins his quest to break his own receiving record against a team in full free fall.	DEN 30-10
13	CIN @ SD	SD -6.5	SD	CIN	DOG	NO	Rarely do I view the week’s game schedule and circle a game on first glance with such NO ACTION verve, than for this game. If Dallas doesn’t show up at all in New Orleans, this one here is clearly the game of the week (might be anyways). Looking forward to watching this one to find out who will truly challenge INDY for the AFC crown. I think SD wins at home, but I don’t like the -6.5.	SD 23-20 (Cincinnati cover)
14	TB @ SEA	SEA -6.5	SEA	SEA	FAVE	YES	Seattle at home against lesser to equal opponents is nearly lock-able betting. Tampa Bay is conveniently a lesser opponent.	SEA 20-10
15	MIN @ CAR	MIN -8.5	MIN	MIN	FAVE	YES	I originally thought that -8.5 was a little high considering how well Carolina hung with New England last week. Then I remembered Minnesota is better than New Enland.	MIN 33-17
16	NYG @ WASH	NYG -3.5	NYG	NYG	FAVE	YES	I want to take the ‘skins here. I want to take them to continue their streak of playing well against better opponents. But NYG is thick in the playoff hunt. And, they’ll be playing on Monday night with full knowledge of both Dallas’ and Philly’s outcomes from Sunday. Washington will keep it close for a while and can score (read, NYG can’t tackle), but Eli and the Giants pull away for a > 3.5 point win.	NYG 27-20

--taking 5 dogs this week, nothing shocking.

--2 of the NO ACTION picks are dogs, chickening out on the MIA@TENN and CIN@SD covers

[III] 10 or so things I think I think.

1. I think these are my top 5 teams right now:
1. NO – Lock up home field throughout the playoffs with a win this week. And, potentially greatly affect the NFC playoff picture if you do knock off Dallas.
2. INDY – hopping down to #2 with the guarantee that your starters will be resting. Especially in this short week with a Thursday game, you might take a loss at Jacksonville.
3. SD – watch out. No one wants to play the Chargers right now. They were meddling around 0.500 at the beginning of the season while they figured some stuff out. Consider them done figuring.
4. MINN –Back into a more solidified spot on the list. Beat a good Cinci team last week and I think are a game away from locking up a bye and home field (except for @ NO for the NFC CG).
5. PHI – This pick was going to be a split between ARIZ/PHI. As a tossup between the two, who actually battled in last year’s NFC CG. Then Arizona played dropsies with the ball on MNF this week. Philly’s spot it is.
2. I think these are my bottom 5 teams right now:
1. OAK – You beat the Eagles and Steelers, and get just about blown out by the Redskins? Back to the top of this list for that loss, and mainly because Gradkowski is hurt and that Jamarcus Russell guy might be playing again.
2. KC – Is there a Lemon Law in the NFL? I mean a Matt Cassell Purchaser Protection Plan?
3. STL – I mean, you have to at least try.
4. TB – That momentary blip off my bottom 5 team radar was an oversight.
5. DET – if Kevin Smith is out at RB, you are in big big big trouble against guaranteed blitz packages. Don’t hurry back Matthew Stafford, it could hurt.
3. I think how the Colts play out the end of their stellar regular seasons is wrong, for many reasons. First, I’m against resting the players for *this* long. If the starters truly do sit starting this week, they’ll have a near-month of rust to get off in the playoffs. That’s too long. Second, Jacksonville is still technically in the playoff hunt and from the speeches from the Colts coaches and executives, Indy could be seen as handing Jacksonville the win this week. It almost rings of collusion when Jacksonville is getting a freebie while their other playoff contenders might have a real opponent. I guess we’ll see this Thursday night.
4. I think they’ll be some fun off-season QB decisions for some teams. And I don’t just mean the good draft class (Bradford, McCoy, Tebow, Clausen, Locker?). That there Mike Vick guy might be playing himself into a more lucrative contract outside of Philly. Did you all see that 30-yard-bullet he threw in the first half Sunday night? Best throw he’s made in a long time (no pun, best throw in a long time for obvious reasons).
5. I think the league’s statistical #1 defense is Green Bay. I think Pittsburgh can’t protect Ben Roethlisberger, nor run the ball effectively. I think these two teams play this week. Rut-roh.
6. I think there’s a lot of prior-Superbowl winning head coaches out there, currently not coaching. Many of them are in the booth or on camera somewhere still, and can’t get away from the game. There are some bad bad teams in the NFL. Get out your checkbooks, owners.
7. I think this just sounds funny to say, in a Bad-News-Bears-kind-of-way. The Oakland Raiders, after losing starting quarterback Brad Gradkowski for the season, have to revert back to former starter Jamarcus Russell. In addition, for depth, they have signed former Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman. Anyone else get the feeling the word “quarterback” here is a term used loosely?
8. I think I remember previous years it was more like 10 teams in each conference fighting for the last 2 playoff spots. This year, parity schmarity. In each conference, the playoffs are almost set, in week 14.
9. I think my non-football thought for the week is: Holy Trade Activity in Major League Baseball, Batman.
10. This week’s Jerome Bettis Award goes to Nnamdi Asomugha and Rocky McIntosh, opposing defensive players in the Oakland/Washington game this past week. In the waning minutes of the 34-13 meaningless game, you both earned your Jerome Bettis stripes. “meaningless game” = it was 34-13, over by score:time remaining ratio, and between two teams mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. On the Redskins’ last possession, Asomugha made a good flip-causing tackle on the ball carrier, only to dance and strut around and let everyone know how good he is. Good enough to keep his team within 21 points is good enough for dancing I guess. On the ensuing drive, the Raider’s last possession, Rocky McIntosh did the same, celebrating a hard tackle at the end of a meaningless drive and meaningless game. Only this time, you were also celebrating a hit that injured the Raider. Class people, have some.
11. This week’s Just Shut Up Award goes to Roy Williams of the Cowboys. First, you nearly land on the Jerome Bettis Award list almost every week. Stop acting like a fool after each catch, and I hate to break it to you, but every time you miss a ball it isn’t pass interference. Second, Shut Up. If any of you haven’t heard, Roy put the Saints on notice this week. And spouted off a bunch of other [what I deem over-]confident ramblings about beating them this week and then again in the playoffs. For one, you’re on the Cowboys, and it’s December, you ain’t winning. Second, don’t talk trash to the 900-lb gorilla team. Idiot.

How to Pick Your Beer

From Sloshspot.com here.

Do you ever have trouble deciding what would be the perfect beer to drink? Have you ever wondered why other people drink the beer they do?

Fairly accurate. Enjoy.


By the way, I have a Stone IPA case ordered just for my personal consumption. $45 for 24, damn!

Army-Navy

From BCO Pix2

Army taking the 16 and to win out right at 2:30pm on cbs.

From BCO Pix2

Big question will Nike give Army cool uni's and never make Navy look like captain Stubing again?

From BCO Pix2

Season Picks

straight up 5-3 to date 70-42 --- 63%
ATS 6-1-1 to date 51-59-2 --- 46%

OUCH

HokieJayBee's NFL Week 14

Week 14, NFL season 2009. This is my recovery week after getting hammer-dog-punched last week. And it’s my, I’m on work travel so it’s short, week.

[I] 2009 Season Stats

Season Totals:

65.19% straight up picks for your office pool (103-55)

53.12% against the spread this year on recommended plays (68-60)

50.00% over-all including the recommended no-actions (87-87)

Thoughts for the past week:

*Last week sucked. None of the big dogs covered. In fact, some of them lost. Even the good teams that beat up on bad teams didn’t cover. Cinci/Detroit for example: Cinci was never in jeopardy of losing this game, Detroit had no chance. But Cinci “only” won by 10.

*I went (9-7) in the straight up picks for your office pool. You got hammered too if you copied me. You lost to that guy in accounting that picked teams based on where he has family living throughout the country. “I have an aunt that lives in Oakland, they can probably beat Pittsburgh”. Last Friday you’re laughing at his idiocy. This Tuesday he’s taking the pool money.

*With the books, I just flat out got Munson-ed. (6-10) against the spread this week. Ouch. Just….ouch. I cherish the (1-3) in NO ACTION picks this week because it brings the week to (5-7) against the spread. I apologize for these numbers. I’m embarrassed.

[II] Week 14 Picks/Comments – Enginerd Table

GAME		LINE	OFFICE POOL WINNER	SPREAD WINNER	FAVE OR DOG?	ACTION?	HEART / COMMENT	PREDICTED SCORE
1	PITT @ CLE	PITT -9.5	N/A	N/A	N/A	NO	Work travel caused this missed game pick. And I’m not going to lie to you; I probably would have taken the Steelers to bounce back after losing to Oakland last week. So it’s NO ACTION by luck.	N/A
2	NO @ ATL	NO -10.5	NO	NO	FAVE	YES	The Saints and coach Sean Payton have already come out and said they’re going to play hard, play the starters, and go for undefeated. This aids my efforts as a game picker guy. I think this game was circled as a stronger test on the road in the division before Matt Ryan and maybe still Michael Turner were banged up.	NO 30-16
3	DEN @ INDY	INDY -6.5	INDY	INDY	FAVE	YES	And immediately on to the anti-Saints, the undefeated until we feel like resting our guys Colts. I think mathematically this is the last or second-to-last week they have to try. I think they can take next week off if the Bengals lose and/or Chargers lose this week. Note this pick is based on my thinking that the Colts are playing for real for real.	INDY 30-20
4	SEA @ HOU	HOU -6.5	HOU	SEA	DOG	YES	If I had gotten in my PITT/CLEV pick in, in time, this probably would have been my 4th NO ACTION pick for the week. Two reasons, [1] HOU and JAX are my NO ACTION kings anyways, [2] SEA on the road is a crapshoot too. I’m seeing a late score by Seattle for a backdoor cover.	HOU 23-20 (Seattle cover)
5	CAR @ NE	NE -13.5	NE	NE	FAVE	YES	-13.5 for a team coming off two losses? I mean, the Patriots win here no problem, but -13.5? I guess heading home after those losses and the other team’s QB is out, I can’t argue with Vegas.	NE 38-16
6	BUF @ KC	PICK’EM	BUF	BUF	DOG	YES	Wait, this is a real NFL game? It will be on TV? Even Vegas took the game off and just said F*ck It, pick’em.	BUF 14-10
7	DET @ BALT	BALT -13.5	BALT	BALT	FAVE	YES	Baltimore will have many points more than Detroit.	BALT 33-10
8	CIN @ MINN	MINN -6.5	MINN	CIN	DOG	NO	I’m a chicken, NO ACTION. Game of the week, with a lot of playoff implications in both conferences. Cinci is approaching securing 2nd place in the conference behind INDY for home games in January. Minnesota is coming off a loss at Arizona and needs this win to get confidence back and to add another nail in the GB coffin.	MINN 27-23 (Cincinnati cover)
9	NYJ @ TB	NYJ -2.5	NYJ	NYJ	FAVE	YES	I wish I was still checking lines on Tuesday morning’s and throwing large sums of money on lines that open wrong. This line opened at TB -3. The money has moved it to NYJ -2.5. Wow. Jets win easily here, maintaining their playoff hopes.	NYJ 24-13
10	STL @ TENN	TENN -12.5	TENN	TENN	FAVE	YES	Don’t know what to think of this game. I think TENN has a little “it’s just the Rams” hangover, as well as some let down since their little win streak is over. But, I have to say, it’s just the Rams.	TENN 27-10
11	MIA @ JAX	JAX -2.5	MIA	MIA	DOG	NO	Why can’t JAX and HOU play each other every week in an unpickable game? Oh, this is close enough. NO ACTION for me. I think the ‘phins on the road here, as they still have playoff dreams too. And they’re getting 2.5 points.	MIA 20-16 (Miami outright win)
12	GB @ CHI	GB -3.5	GB	GB	FAVE	YES	GB got a big win on MNF, following MINNY’s loss last week. This is a big game for GB’s season. Especially if this is played with the knowledge of a MINNY slip up to CINCI. Oh, and Jay Cutler is Chicago’s QB.	GB 24-16
13	WASH @ OAK	WASH -0.5	WASH	WASH	FAVE	YES	The well played 57 minutes that the Redskins had against Dallas, Philadelphia, and New Orleans were great, but they are not as important to Jim Zorn’s career as this game. You have to go win on the road against a team you can beat. Career game for Zorn this week, seriously	WASH 17-13
14	SD @ DAL	DAL -2.5	SD	SD	DOG	NO	It’s December. Means two things outside of holiday stuff. San Diego is winning. Dallas is losing. Going NO ACTION here because I’m hoping it’s not my heart wanting Dallas to lose more than my head says they will.	SD 27-23 (SD outright win)
15	PHI @ NYG	NYG -1.5	PHI	PHI	DOG	YES	It was this game or SD/DAL getting a NO ACTION pick. So this one is action on Philly to take it on the road. NYG played well last week and can really shake up the division with a win. But, I see Philly trying to pull away here and run with the division. Especially if DAL falls to SD.	PHI 27-23 (Philly outright win)
16	ARI @ SF	ARI -3.5	ARI	SF	DOG	YES	Another great primetime game. I think an Arizona win here closes that divisional race. They should win, and their now annual find-a-defense-in December train should win. I’m taking SF to cover as it’s a cold/windy low scoring affair.	ARI 20-17 (SF cover)

--holy crap I’m taking 7 dogs [and CLE already won as one]. Parity schmarity?

--and the other 3 remaining NO ACTION games are dogs too.

[III] 10 or so things I think I think.

1. I think these are my top 5 teams right now:
1. INDY – Enough losing into the 4^th quarter. Ended Vince Young’s little comeback tour this past week. Look to me to be the strongest team right now.
2. NO – Only #2 here because you’re still technically undefeated. But it took a gift wrap from the Deadskins to make it happen.
3. CINCI – List shake-up. Not a wholly impressive win over lowly Detroit this past week, but you’ve got a helluva easy schedule remaining and look to be sitting pretty for the other AFC bye in the playoffs.
4. SD – Like I said last week, peaked way earlier this year than normal. Might have a dog fight on your hands with Denver, but I think you prevail.
5. ARIZ/MINN – List shake-up again. Just like last year, Arizona peaks at the end of the season when they find that other unit, the “defense”. Minnesota’s effort worried me here. Arizona punched them in the mouth and Minnesota responded like a submissive puppy.
2. I think these are my bottom 5 teams right now:
1. CLEV – Brady Quinn showed flashes of brilliance against the 4^th string SD defense who went into prevent-mode in the middle of the 3^rd quarter.
2. KC – No offensive identity. Looked like a team who hadn’t practiced together before.
3. STL – Most pissed off man in America, Steven Jackson. Draft him some blockers.
4. WASH – If these games were 57 minutes long instead of 60, you’re going to the playoffs.
5. DET – you’ve got to protect Matthew Stafford better or you’ll living on this list for years to come.
3. I think I watched the single worst officiated game I’ve ever watched on Monday night. It seemed to me the referees were determined to get on TV. They were calling pass interference penalties for nothing. I think there were literally seven or eight called for the game. That’s just ridiculous.
4. I think I admit I’m rooting for the Colts and Saints to make the Super Bowl, undefeated vs. undefeated. Then we can stop hearing year and year about Mercury Morris and the Dolphins keeping their champagne on ice. I’m not a Dolphin hater per se; I’m just tired of hearing about the infamous champagne. I mean, it can’t be that good of champagne anyways, seeing Mercury on the Just For Men commercials and all.
5. I think Jon Gruden is the best football commentator right now. ESPN did well to lock him up and keep him off the sidelines for a few more years.
6. I think if I wasn’t in Canada this week I could have made it to the Redskin’s tryout to be their kicker. I think I could make a 23 yarder.
7. I think I know I’m biased, but that was awesome to see this past week what the Eagles did [and let Vick do] at Atlanta. Good for Michael and good for the Eagles to help it along. Michael probably needed a good game and a hug after all this.
8. I think my write up this week is lacking, and I’m ok with it. I have spent the week outside of Toronto on a job site. It’s cold. -8 Celsius cold. And it’s snowing, sideways. And my hotel has intermittent interwebs. I’m going to have another Molsen before bed and this writeup is short, eh?
9. This week’s Jerome Bettis Award goes to Leron Landry of the Redskins. You were having a pretty good game bottling up the Saints. I probably wouldn’t have considered you for the JBAward this week, but the repetitive celebrations you took on yourself just seemed kind of ironic as Robert Meacham ran behind you for the game tying score in the 4^th quarter. Save all the celebrating for when you have more than 3 wins.
10. This week’s Just Shut Up Award goes to the media. Tiger Woods y’all, it’s all good y’all. Really though, tired of hearing about it. Shut up.

CFB Odds n Ends

My Heisman Top 3

From BCO Pix2

1. Ndamukong Suh - most dominant non Roid aided {cough} Steve Emtman {cough} DL, I have seen in college.
2. Toby Gerhart - best running back in college this year.
   
3. Golden Tate - dominant, dominant wr, had he been on Tejas or UF he'd easily be invited to NYC
   

My Top 8

From BCO Pix2

1. bammer - going to rape Tejas and break the horn off in their arse
2. TCU - the best, most complete team in Tejas
3. Florida - good team but flawed and just got railroaded, VT style by bammer
4. Tejas - soft D, no run game, not that good
5. Nati - awful D, very good O, may be better than Tejas. Losing Kelly, ruh-roh.
6. Boise State - 1 game schedule at home. Really how good are they?
7. Oregon - improved a lot on O, D got worse, much worse.
8. GiT - Needed a number 8, either them Iowa or tOSU, none were sexy.

Season End ACC Coaches Power Ranking

From BCO Pix2

where were they at the mid season point? here.

1. Frank Spaziani - b.c., shitty qb situation, lost a bunch of D stars ... kept winning, bowl bound.
2. Paul Johnson - GiT, His O destroyed about everyone this season. D needs to catchup to be a MNC contender
3. Frank Beamer - VT, A really tough sched with 1 mediocre UNC loss, keeping the Hokies out the BCS
4. Randy Shannon - da U, Flawed team, but he has them going the right way, next year ... look out.
5. Dabo Swinney - Klempsum, changed the culture, mentally tougher he did well, now the next step.
6. David Cutcliffe - dook, turning the m around, losing some valuable sr's, will they be better next year?
7. Butch Davis - UNC, amazing D, inconsistent but usually shitty O
8. Jim Grobe - WF, underachieved and now losing the best qb Wake has ever seen. Slipping?
9. Tom O'Brien - NCState, I know they had injuries and the O was really good but damn!
10. Ralph Friedgen - dead man walking, large buyout keeps him around 1 more year.
11. Bobby Bowden - f$u, 2nd most wins ever and you are forced out, not good. he clearly lost it.
12. Al Groh - uva, never had it.

ACC Bowl Matchups

From BCO Pix2

Bowl Game		Date/Time	Site	Matchup *selection indicated is AFTER BCS	TV
	Meineke Car Care North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh	Saturday, Dec. 26 4:30 p.m.	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, N.C.	ACC vs. Big East	ESPN
	Emerald Boston College vs. USC	Saturday, Dec. 26 8 p.m.	AT&T Park, San Francisco, Calif.	ACC vs. Pac-10	ESPN
	Gaylord Hotels Music City Clemson vs. Kentucky	Sunday, Dec. 27 8:30 p.m.	LP Field Nashville, Tenn.	ACC vs. SEC	ESPN
	Champs Sports Miami vs. Wisconsin	Tuesday, Dec. 29 8 p.m.	Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium Orlando, Fla.	ACC vs. Big Ten	ESPN
	Chick-fil-A Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee	Thursday, Dec. 31 7:30 p.m.	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.	ACC vs. SEC	ESPN
	Konica Minolta Gator Florida State vs. West Virginia	Friday, Jan. 1 1 p.m.	Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, Fla.	ACC vs. Big East/ Notre Dame/Big 12	CBS
THE ACC IN THE BCS
	FedEx Orange Georgia Tech vs. Iowa	Tuesday, Jan. 5 8 p.m.	Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.	ACC Champion vs. BCS At-Large	FO

a cut n paste from theacc.com

At first glance I think the ACC will go 3-4 in the bowl season, just sucking the life outta the conference and the next tv contract some more. da U, Clemson and GiT will represent, everyone else ... no.

Monte Kiffin vs Bryan Stinespring ... really? However, I do want to see what the ass clown Lane has to say next (more good work by LSUfreek.)

From BCO Pix2

Will think more about it later.