Friday, September 29, 2006

Quick Phils Obituary, Football Picks

So sad, so typical. The Phils are dead. Down 2 with three to play, there chances are slim and none, and slim is in a rain delay. I would insert the usual Philly whining and complaining here, but you all already know what that looks like, so I will spare you. Besides, we were all told by the GM on July 31st that this team was doomed not only for this year but next year as well. At least they have, for the first time in memory, GREAT, not good, young players in Utley, Hamels, Howard and even Brett Myers and Jimmy Rollins, to build around. With good guidance by Gillick (i.e., make some good moves in the offseason for a change) and a managerial change, this team can contend to win it all soon. It just sucks that it won’t be this year!!! 91 straight non-championships, and counting!!!

Onto football. Time for my picks….

NCAA (Last week 2-3; overall 10-10-1, 50%):

How about the old ball coach nearly beating the #2 team in the country last night. It looks like Blake Mitchell, who had a great year last year as a Freshman, may not leave the sidelines for a long time.

I really want to pick Rutgers tonight as I think they are a solid team with a good coach and great running game and only giving 4 to South Florida on the Bulls turf. But the skeptic in me says that is a trap, trap, trap so I just cannot pull the trigger. Let’s see what we can find on Saturday instead…

Virginia (-5) at DUKE. In a battle of my two alma maters, my heart of course says Blue Devils. My head, however, says that any time a team is giving less than a touchdown to Duke, no matter how bad they are and no matter where the game is, lay the points immediately!

SYRACUSE (-5) vs. Wyoming. The Orange are better this year than in year’s past. And in a non-conference cross country trip for the Cowboys, take the Orange and make some juice!

IOWA (+7) vs. Ohio St. The Hawkeyes will be fired up for this one at night in Iowa City. The Buckeyes are going to be in for a 60 minute battle in this one as they face one of the best coaches and one of the toughest quarterbacks in the country. Look for this one to be a field goal game, and do not be surprised if Iowa pulls the outright upset.

MINNESOTA (+10) vs. Michigan. Watch the Gophers use their ground attack to shorten the game. Michigan will struggle in the battle for the Little Brown Jug.

MEMPHIS (+13) vs. Tennessee. Rivalry game. Still not sold on the Vols. Take the points.

ARIZONA (-3) vs. Washington. Wahsington is getting too much love after a great win against UCLA last week. Look for the other Stoops to get a big win in Tucson.
ARIZONA AT (-1) vs. Oregon. Oregon not the same team away from Outzen Stadium, no matter what unis they choose for the game. Look for Carpenter to have a big day throwing the ball for the Sun Devils in a win over the Quack Attack.

NFL (Last Week 5-0, that’s right, 5-0; Overall 9-5, 64.3%):

BUFFALO (-1) vs. Minnesota. The Vikings go on the road in a non conference game after a demoralizing loss last week to face a team that is ni almost a must win game. Bad spot for Childress and company, look for Buffalo to get it done in front of the home folks.

TENNESSEE (+9) vs. Dallas. Distractions, distractions, distractions. Is Dallas good enough to win on the orad by double figures with all the stuff they have going on? I don’t think so? Take the points, remember the Titans.

Arizona (+7.5) at Atlanta. Look, I did not buy into the Atlanta hype before the New Orleans game. Now I think they are what they have always been. A good running team with a quarterback who is less accurate than some of the political media. Kurt Warner will be extra careful not to fumble; therefore, a close game is in the Cards.

HOUSTON (+4) vs. Miami. Did nobody else see Miami barely win at home against Tennessee? How are they giving points on the road?

Detroit (+6) at St. Louis. Why not?

Yes, I realize that the combined record of the teams I have selected is 2-13. This is why they pay me the big bucks to do this stuff. You will be thanking me on Monday morning…

I will be back Sunday to post Win or Die picks, and Monday with a preview of Monday Night Football.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

The Phillies: an Antidote for Blood Pressure Medication

The Phillies found themselves in their own version of Win or Die last night. The Dodgers won again at Colorado, and a loss would mean two games out with four to play. In other words, not good. And as I sit here this morning, I am still amazed that ‘win’ was the outcome. Let us take a look at what happens when you are a team that wants to do good but are unfortunately saddled with representing the city of Philadelphia:

The first guy named Nook since Bull Durham came out scored the go ahead run for the Nationals in the second. Some guy named Castro who chokes up more than a girl hit the ball over the Phillies centerfielder. The heart and soul of the Phillies, All-Star Chase Utley, threw the ball into the stands on a double play ball, allowing a run to score. The umps mad a terrible call for the second straight night and called Ryan Howard off the bag and the runner safe at first. (He did leave the bag, but clearly got back to the bag before the runner arrived). After taking a 5-4 lead in the 7th and getting through the 7th and 8th unscathed despite using a bullpen shakier than a piece of furniture that I construct, the closer then proceeds to walk in the tying run in the 9th. They had to endure brutal managing by Jolly Chollie, who must think in a one run game it is better to saveyou’re your pinch hitters so they don’t get tired and also when did they pass the rule that no relievers can go more than one inning? After scoring in the 10th to take the lead again, they let the Nook guy score again to tie it in the 10th. Then they let some guy named Bergmann with an ERA over 7 and a WHIP over 1.7 look like Johan Santana for three innings. They stranded men in scoring position in the 10th, 12th and 13th innings. The guy who they acquired to protect Ryan Howard by hitting behind him, Jeff Conine, went 0-for-7. And looked worse that the numbers would indicate. (Shocking they walked Howard his last three times up). They needed some pitcher named Clay Condrey, who may not be able to get me out consistently, to get through the 12th and 13th innings (someone must have told Chollie there was no such rule against multiple inning stints for the bullpen). Then when they got the lead, they needed Fabian Castro, a Rule 5 player who has not pitched in weeks to get the save. He promptly gave up a hit to the first two batters, including a pitcher who was pinch hitting. He then proceeded to commit the Phils 4th error of the game on a throwing error after fielding a bunt when Washington was trying to give them an out..

All that happened in the same 4 hour and 53 minute game. AND THEY WON! Against all odds and then some, they found a way to win. In a game that was so desperate that I found myself rooting for them to leave Rick White in for more than one inning, they won.

This game was truly exhausting. Will it swing momentum to them and propel them to win out and capture that playoff spot? Will they turn around and lose again today? I don’t know, but at least they made it exciting for one more day. Win or Die, win or die….

Come on Lieber, come on Colorado. As we used to say back in ’83…BEAT L.A., BEAT L.A……

Wednesday, September 27, 2006

T.O., Don't Get So Upset, It's Just Baseball

I think we learned for sure that T.O., during his glorious two-year stint in Philadelphia, became a die-hard Phillies fan. He is hurting so bad, as we all are, from the collapse that is happening as we watch. The difference, of course, is that most of us Philly fans are brought up to learn how to handle such constant and unexpected disappointment. T.O. could not take the pain any longer. The lesson: do not try to become a Philadelphia sports fan if you are not born into it. The risks are too great. It is like someone not having a polio vaccine and then making out with FDR (yeah, I know…).

Anyway, my point here is not that to poke fun at T.O., although there is temptation even at a difficult time like this. My point is that it is so freaking painful to be a Philadelphia Sports fan. This town is so good at inventing new and painful ways to lose, and yet the fans of this town still come back begging for more. I feel like Kevin Bacon in Animal House, just begging for more pain and disappointment, with Jolly Chollie playing the role of Niedermeier.

The last two nights pretty well typify what it is to be a sports fan in Philadelphia. After struggling all year to take the wild card lead, something they never had for a single day until after Sunday, the Philberts were in the catbird seat coming into the season’s final week. On Monday, they play a one game make-up against a Houston team that had to fly in late after a Sunday Night game and then leave town immediately after the game. Then they go up 4-2 in the 7th inning only to have their bullpen collapse and their offense prove unable to mount a counterattack. Wild card race tied.

Then came last night. Let’s look at the facts. The Phillies, playing the best baseball in the National league since the All-Star break, were starting a three game series against the WORST TEAM IN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE, a team who is already making tee times for next week in between their happy ending massages. And then the Fightin Phils put together four straight hits in the top of the first to take a 2-0 lead. And Brett Myers, supposed team ace and part time wifebeater, is on the mound. Done deal, right? WRONG! They put their bats away, forget how to field and run the bases, and in general looked like a microcosm of the Cardinals season (i.e., a complete and utter choke).

One question I have: when did hitting the foul pole become a foul ball, and how can the ump not see a freaking ricochet off the pole? And how does Jolly Chollie not complain when Utley’s home run which bounced off the foul pole? Was he getting his back zits popped in the dugout and did not see it? Marole Leteber says “bottom line we still win if umps call Utley’s homer a homer. Where is Cholly arguing. Maybe other ump says it is. Even with no overturn at least FIRE up team….”

Another issue: when you are in the major leagues and your only job is to be a pinch runner, then shouldn’t you be a competent baserunner? This moron Jason Bourne come into pinch run and then slides right past second base? Are you kidding me? This is the type of stuff that happens in a Major League or Bad News Bad movie, not by a real major league baseball player.

And I won’t even get into Pat the nonexistent bat Burrell. He is the worst excuse for a $50 million man I have ever seen. He cannot hit better than most of our pitchers, his defense is atrocious, and his downtrodden attitude cannot be good for the clubhouse.

This team is not out of it yet. They are one game back with 5 to play. It just feels an awful lot like every other team in Philadelphia that falls just short. When talking to my buddy Mike Gross about the situation, he said: “Last night on WIP, Eskin The Ass polled fans, an unbelievable (and unreliable) majority of whom said they would rather see the Phils lose out and have Manuel replaced then make a half-ass playoff run and be stuck with Jolly Chollie next season where he could further screw up this promising young team. I scoffed at this nonsense until I watched last night's game. If somebody put in writing that I would never have to see Burrell, Lieberthal and Manuel wearing red and white pinstripes again, I would sacrifice the playoff run as of today.”

As Howard Beale says in Network, “I’m Mad as Hell, and I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore.” Actually, who are we kidding? As a Philadelphia fan, we will be back for more, and we will keep taking it, one professional sports team at a time. After all, Philadelphia is the Joe Dimaggio of cities, with 90 straight attempts over 23 years (4 per year excluding ‘94 baseball and ‘05 hockey which did not happen due to strikes!) without a championship in any sport.

Anyway, let's hope the Phils miraculously break tradition and somehow sneak into the playoffs....for T.O.'s sake.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

September 26, 2006 Column: A little Phillies, a liitle NASCAR, and a lot of Football

The Phillies lost a doozy last night, falling into a wild card tie with the Dodgers. Both teams have 6 games to play, all on the road, and since San Diego evidently never loses any more, it seems as though these two are fighting for one playoff spot. Evidently, Nomar Garciaparra recently called Kurt Warner to ask him how to contact the devil in order to arrange for selling his soul. Two walk off home runs in a week later, he is going to hell. Look for the Phils to ride the pitching of Myers and Super Cole to get this done….

Speaking of selling his soul to the Devils, Jeff Burton won his first Nascar race in almost 200 starts at Dover Sunday and now leads the points chase with 8 races to go. This guy was more washed up than someone with bad diarrhea and is now in a position to win the Championship? This would be the equivalent of Al Unser, Jr. taking a break from beating up his hooker girlfriend and winning the Indy 500. I think this proves that teams with lots of teams (i.e., Roush) cannot adequately support all of them, and that Nascar should limit owners to three teams. But enough about racing, let’s get to football…

Let’s start with Tampa Bay and Chris Simms. Some people, including me, have long questioned Simms toughness in addition to his effectiveness. You can still potentially question the latter, but Simms proved himself tough as nails this week. He got hit harder that an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring Jack Daniels on tap with Artie Lange in attendance. Despite rupturing his spleen, which as has been well documented was later removed, Simms stayed in the game and almost led his team to their first win of the year. I still think it would be a better story if Major Applewhite were replacing Simms in the lineup instead of Bruce Gradkowski (how big of a slap is this to Tim Rattay, who is basically told “You suck bad” with this move?). Hopefully Simms recovers quickly so we can see if he has the ability to go with the toughness.

As I said last week on the George Rogers Show (are you listening? www.georgerogersradio.com), the Saints/Falcons game was a rare NFL contest in which emotion helped decide the outcome. I thought Jim Mora made a fatal strategic decision from which he never recovered. When the Falcons won the toss, they chose to receive, at which time they failed to make a first down and then had a punt blocked for a touchdown. When you no emotion will be sky high, and you want to get through the first few minutes, why in the world would you not choose to go on defense and give the Saints a long field to start? 7-0 Saints. Game over. By the way, can we stop hearing the stories of how Michael Vick has evolved? He is, at very best, an average quarterback who can run the ball, but not hit the side of a barn from 20 yards more than 6 out of 10 times. It does not help him that he has receivers with hands like Roberto Duran. This offense will struggle all year once teams see the blueprint for stopping them: contain the run game with 8 guys in the box and shadows on Vick, and let your secondary play man to man on the poor Falcons receivers.

Jeremy Shockey told anyone who would listen after the Giant debacle at Seattle that they got outcoached. It looks like Tom Coughlin, who is notorious for wearing thin on a team after a couple years with his dictator-like style, is doing it again. The Giants are clearly in a danger spot. They need to get on a roll after their bye week this week or Coughlin runs the risk of losing his team, and subsequently his job. This team has a ton of talent, but barring a horrid collapse by the Eagles, they should be 0-3 right now and have not looked good for most of the season. If there is such thing as a must win for a team that is 1-2, then Week 5’s game against Washington, who they should throttle at home, is just that.

The Eagles looked strong as expected against an improving but not quite there yet 49er squad. The thing that should worry Eagle fans is that injuries really seem to be catching up with this team. Players are dropping faster that Michael Spinks did against Mike Tyson. And who even knew Donte Stallworth was hurt? If I knew that, I would have started Reggie Brown on my fantasy team. The Eagles should move to 3-1 next week when Brett Favre comes to town with his 400 TDs and 500 INTs.

Speaking of Favre, he has actually looked pretty good the last two weeks. But how bad are the Motor City Kitties? How does Matt Millen have a job? He may well be the worst General Manager in the history of organized sports. This team is terrible. They draft players in the first round who never make an impact. No matter who coaches them (Mariucci, Mornhinweg, Marinelli), they lose and look bad doing it. Maybe a coach/GM combo whose names start with something other than M. And the Fords thought he had big problems with his car company…..and, yes, I am bitter since I had a complete brain fart and somehow picked this team in the Win or Die.

Speaking of coaches in the state of Michigan that are losers, John L. Smith (as I think I stated in this blog earlier this season), is simply the worst football coach in American not coaching at Duke or North Carolina. This guy’s team tried their best to give away a game to Notre Dame last year. This year, their motto was try, try again. And they did. An unbelievable collapse, losing a huge lead in half a quarter. Maybe he was auditioning for the Eagles in case Andy Reid gets hit by a bus. (Speaking of Andy, you do not see him doing any weight loss commercials this year!)

Sorry for the diversion to college, back to the NFL. It looks to me like Bill Belichick’s and Robert Kraft’s collective arrogance have caught up with them. This team has let enough veterans go in the past few years that they could start their own VFW. And the cupboard is bare. Tom Brady is playing with a bunch of second rate players, and his frustration is showing through loud and clear. He has always been poised, but now hangs his head, yells at the officials, yells at his teammates, and in general looks extremely unhappy with the hand he has been dealt. This team is not very good, and this promises to be a very long year for Brady. Look for him to explode by about the 8th or 9th week of the season.

On the flip side, I believe the AFC East is being led by the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS. Kudos to Mr. Stitzer’s squad. Pennington, who has always been underrated and underappreciated around the league, is playing great, and they have won two road games. If they could somehow split (a long shot) against the Colts and Jags the next two weeks, this team can win this WEAK division.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the Wild Card battle in the NL this week….

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Dils Win or Die Week 3; Pick Distribution and Individual Picks



Picks:

A Keiser EAGLES
Adam Goldman 1 EAGLES
Adam Goldman 2 Miami
Adam Katzen 1 EAGLES
Adam Katzen 2 Miami
Adam Stillman Baltimore
Adin Gardens 1 Buffalo
Adin Gardens 2 Miami
AJ Fratoni 1 Washington
AJ Fratoni 2 EAGLES
AJ Whitehead Miami
Akshon Barclay 1 Miami
Akshon Barclay 2 Baltimore
Akshon Barclay 3 EAGLES
Alberto Escobedo 1 Miami
Alex Coates Baltimore
Alexa delaGuardia Baltimore
Alistair Campbell New England
Amol Dixit 1 New England
Amol Dixit 2 Miami
Amol Dixit 5 Indianapolis
Amol Dixit 6 Arizona
Andrew Robinson Miami
Andy Smukler Miami
Andy Sonnenberg 1 Detroit
Anne Bolduc 1 Chicago
Anne Bolduc 2 Baltimore
Anthony Themak Miami
Antonio Ramos 1 Miami
Antonio Ramos 2 EAGLES
Antony Joffe 1 EAGLES
Ari Raivetz Baltimore
Arlyn Landow Miami
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 1 Miami
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 2 Chicago
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 3 New England
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 4 Baltimore
Bam 1 Arizona
BayAreaBoys Miami
Bear 1 Miami
Bear 2 Arizona
Ben Kunkel Baltimore
Ben Williams Atlanta
Bev Nicholl Baltimore
Bill Bucy 1 Miami
Bill Bucy 2 Buffalo
Bill Herrmann 1 Miami
Bill Herrmann 3 Baltimore
Bill/Mike McLaughlin 1 Buffalo
Bill/Mike McLaughlin 3 EAGLES
Billy Bredt Indianapolis
BJ Mahle Miami
Bob Feinstein 1 Miami
Bob Feinstein 4 Atlanta
Bob Feinstein 5 Washington
Bob Landow Miami
Bob Van Nortwick Miami
Bob Wallace 2 Miami
Bobby P 1 Miami
Borgen 1 Baltimore
Borgen 2 New England
Brad Sheilds Miami
Brad Stuart 1 Miami
Brad Stuart 2 EAGLES
Brady Boss 1 Washington
Brady Boss 2 Miami
Brent Bryant Miami
Brian Ellis 1 Detroit
Brian Ellis 4 Baltimore
Brian Fenlin 1 Detroit
Brian Fenlin 2 Washington
Brian Fenlin 3 Baltimore
Brian Finnell Miami
Brian Getson 2 EAGLES
Brian Harris 3 Baltimore
Brian Harris 4 Miami
Brian Murphy Washington
Brian Roberts Miami
Brian Silverio Miami
Brian Wallace 1 Atlanta
Brian Wallace 2 Miami
Brian Yacker 1 Miami
Brian Yacker 2 Miami
Brownie 1 Miami
Bryan Sullivan Miami
Buddy Acchione 2 Miami
Buddy Acchione 3 Buffalo
Buddy Acchione 4 Detroit
Buddy Emmert Baltimore
Bull 1 Washington
Bush 2 Chicago
Bush 3 Baltimore
Bush 4 New England
C Scruton 2 Miami
C Scruton 3 New England
Cannon Group New England
CDW2 Miami
Cecile Donnelly Chicago
Charles Kulbok Buffalo
Che Hong Yeung EAGLES
Chip Hastings EAGLES
Chip Levers 1 Detroit
Chip Levers 2 Miami
Choir Boys New England
Chris Bassi 1 Baltimore
Chris Bassi 2 Miami
Chris Moseley Chicago
Chris P 1 Miami
Chris P 2 Baltimore
Chris Parliman Baltimore
Chris Scoggins Miami
Clint Mead 1 Miami
Cobes 1 Washington
Cobes 2 Miami
Cobes 4 Baltimore
Connie Lemon Baltimore
Coop 1 Miami
Coop 2 Arizona
Cory Nicholl Detroit
Cube EAGLES
D Froney 1 Baltimore
D Froney 2 EAGLES
Damon Devito Miami
Dan Gold 1 Washington
Dan Gold 2 Detroit
Dan Gold 3 Carolina
Dan Levine 1 Miami
Dan Levine 2 EAGLES
Dan Levine 3 New England
Dan Marlo Detroit
Daniel Neifer 1 EAGLES
Daniel Neifer 2 Miami
Danny Kranzler 1 Miami
Danny Kranzler 2 Detroit
Danny Kranzler 3 Baltimore
Darren Dahlman 1 Baltimore
Darren Dahlman 2 New England
Dave Finnegan EAGLES
Dave Holdsworth 1 Indianapolis
Dave Holdsworth 2 Miami
Dave Mehall 3 Miami
Dave Mehall 4 New England
Dave Robbins 1 Miami
Dave Robbins 2 New England
Dave S EAGLES
Dave S 2 Miami
Dave Stassen Baltimore
Dave Wisemiller Baltimore
David Gardner 1 Indianapolis
David Gardner 2 Arizona
David Kay 1 Miami
David Kay 2 Detroit
David Lapidus 1 Detroit
David Lapidus 2 Miami
David Scherby 1 Miami
David Scherby 2 Miami
David Scherby 4 EAGLES
Dean Scruton 2 EAGLES
Denver Brown 1 Buffalo
Denver Brown 2 Miami
Derek Glenzinski 1 Miami
Derek Glenzinski 2 EAGLES
Desiree Germon Baltimore
Dils Detroit
Dominic delaGuardia Washington
Doug Bonnell 1 Miami
Doug Bonnell 2 Miami
Doug Bonnell 3 Buffalo
Doug Cron Miami
Doug Livingston EAGLES
Dunlavy 1 New England
Dunlavy 2 Miami
Dylan Cooper Miami
Eagle 2 Indianapolis
Ed Ramirez 1 Atlanta
Ed Ramirez 2 Buffalo
Ed Smeltzer Buffalo
Ed Welsh 1 Detroit
Ed Welsh 2 Baltimore
Ed Welsh 3 Miami
Ed Welsh 4 EAGLES
Ed Welsh 6 Miami
Eddy Arechaga Miami
Enio Bencosme 1 EAGLES
Enio Bencosme 2 Green Bay
Eric Haron 1 Buffalo
Eric Haron 2 Detroit
Eric Haron 3 Miami
Eric Haron 4 New England
Eric Meyers 1 Miami
Eric Meyers 2 Baltimore
Eric Meyers 3 Miami
Eric Meyers 4 New England
Eric Yungner 1 Miami
Eric Yungner 2 EAGLES
Erik Nakamura 1 Miami
Erik Nakamura 2 Baltimore
Fenlin/Stern 1 EAGLES
Flummer 1 Miami
Flummer 2 Baltimore
Frank Nussbaum Baltimore
Gabe Bodhi 2 Miami
Gags Miami
Gary Beasley 1 Miami
Gary Beasley 2 Baltimore
Gary Jonas Miami
Gene Han 1 Chicago
Gene Han 2 Arizona
George Kuruc 1 Miami
George Kuruc 2 New England
George Triano EAGLES
Gianna Cooper Baltimore
Greg Heff 1 Miami
Greg Heff 2 Detroit
Greg Magnani Washington
Gregg Benedetto 1 Buffalo
Gregg Benedetto 2 Chicago
Howard Smith Miami
Iceman 1 Miami
Iceman 2 Miami
Iceman 3 EAGLES
Iceman 4 Detroit
J Ferry Miami
J.B. Dilsheimer EAGLES
Jack Marshall 1 Miami
James Mills 1 Washington
James Mills 2 EAGLES
Jason Favrow 2 Miami
Jason P Miami
Jay Soroko 1 Detroit
Jay Soroko 2 Miami
Jay/Scott Goldsleger 1 EAGLES
Jay/Scott Goldsleger 2 Baltimore
JD 1 EAGLES
JD 2 Buffalo
JD 3 Miami
JD 4 Miami
JDBakke1 Baltimore
JDBakke2 Atlanta
Jeff Berman Miami
Jeff Resnick 1 Buffalo
Jeff Resnick 2 Baltimore
Jeff Saito Miami
Jeff Silverman 2 EAGLES
Jeff Slovin 1 Baltimore
Jeff Slovin 2 EAGLES
Jeff Slovin 3 Miami
Jeff Slovin 6 Baltimore
Jeff Tiede 1 Miami
Jeff Wagoner EAGLES
Jeremy Hare 1 Miami
Jeremy Hare 2 Baltimore
Jill Lanham Detroit
Jim Cooper Buffalo
Jim Harley 1 Miami
Jim Harley 2 Miami
Jim Harley 3 Washington
Jimmy B 1 Miami
Jimmy Grossman 1 Miami
Joanne DeRogatis EAGLES
Jodi Wallace 1 Green Bay
Jodi Wallace 4 Miami
Jodi Wallace 5 New England
Joe Dansky 1 Baltimore
Joe Dansky 2 New England
Joe Dansky 3 Atlanta
Joe David 2 Miami
Joe Fagan EAGLES
Joe H Baltimore
Joe HM Miami
Joe HR Arizona
Joe Pucillo 1 Miami
Joe Pucillo 2 Baltimore
Joe Pucillo 3 Washington
Joe RH Miami
John Abshear 1 EAGLES
John Abshear 2 Buffalo
John Abshear 3 New England
John Abshear 4 Miami
John Bolduc Miami
John Ellinthorpe Miami
John Klein Miami
John Winfield Miami
Jon Taylor 1 Miami
Jon Taylor 2 Indianapolis
Joseph Beedon Miami
JPL Miami
Judy Panichi 1 Baltimore
Juice 1 Detroit
Juice 2 Miami
Juice 3 Baltimore
Juice 4 New England
Juice 5 EAGLES
Juice 6 Baltimore
Jules Seshens Miami
Karen Gatz 1 EAGLES
Karen Gatz 2 Miami
Kathleen Wells 1 Miami
Kauf 1 Miami
Kauf 2 Miami
Kay Lee 1 New England
Kay Lee 2 Miami
Kay Lee 3 EAGLES
Kaz 1 EAGLES
Kaz 2 Baltimore
Kaz 3 Miami
Keith Berger 1 Baltimore
Keith Berger 2 Atlanta
Keith Cronin 1 Miami
Keith Joffe 1 Buffalo
Kelly Krenger 1 Miami
Kelly Lanham 1 Miami
Ken Dash Miami
Ken Ruderman Miami
Kevin Gusinow 1 Miami
Kevin Moran 1 Baltimore
Kevin New EAGLES
Kevin New 2 Chicago
Kim P. Baltimore
Kinger51 Miami
K-Mart 1 Buffalo
K-Mart 2 Miami
KP Miami
Krug 1 Miami
Krug 2 New England
Kurt Weber Miami
Lack & Daily 1 Miami
Lack & Daily 2 Miami
Lack & Daily 3 EAGLES
Lack & Daily 4 Baltimore
Lack & Daily 5 New England
Lack & Daily 6 New England
Larry Parsons 1 Miami
Larry Parsons 3 New England
Laugh and Win Miami
Lauren Sivan Miami
Lee/May 1 Baltimore
Lee/May 5 Miami
Lee/May 6 Detroit
LeErin Hickey 1 New Orleans
LeErin Hickey 2 Miami
Levine/Smeltzer Detroit
Littman New England
LML EAGLES
Lorne Keller Baltimore
M Ferry EAGLES
Maggie 1 Miami
Maggie 2 Miami
Manish Patel 1 Miami
Manish Patel 2 Miami
Marc Rudofker Miami
Maren Gandy Detroit
Mark Christensen Miami
Mark Lacarenza 1 Baltimore
Mark Lacarenza 2 Miami
Mark Lenert 1 Miami
Mark Lenert 2 Baltimore
Mark Loftus Carolina
Marole Leteber EAGLES
Marshall Dostal 1 Miami
Marshall Dostal 2 Miami
Marshall Dostal 3 EAGLES
Marty Linsky 1 EAGLES
Marty Linsky 3 Miami
MATT 1 Washington
MATT 2 Miami
Matt Biskner 1 EAGLES
Matt Biskner 2 Baltimore
Matt Biskner 3 New England
Matt Bottiglieri 2 Miami
Matt Bottiglieri 3 Baltimore
Matt Bottiglieri 4 Washington
Matt Domski 2 Buffalo
Matt Domski 3 EAGLES
Matt Domski 4 Miami
Matt Emory Miami
Matt Heffner Miami
Matt Spanjers 1 Buffalo
Matt Sutton Miami
Matt Warren 1 Washington
Matt Warren 2 Miami
Matt Wilson Miami
Matt Young Miami
Max Haber 2 Washington
Max Haber 3 Miami
Max Haber 4 Miami
Maze 1 Miami
Maze 2 Detroit
Maze 3 EAGLES
Michael Frist Miami
Michael Hickey 1 Baltimore
Michael Hickey 3 Chicago
Michael Higashi 1 Miami
Michael Koffler 1 Miami
Michael Koffler 2 Miami
Michael P. Miami
Mike Gosk 2 Baltimore
Mike Gosk 3 Baltimore
Mike Gross Miami
Mike Keller 1 Indianapolis
Mike Keller 2 Indianapolis
Mike Keller 3 Detroit
Mike Lee 2 EAGLES
Mike Lee 3 Baltimore
Mike Moleski 1 Miami
Mike Moleski 2 EAGLES
Mike Tynan 1 Miami
Mike Tynan 2 Buffalo
Mo Powell 1 Miami
Mo Powell 2 Baltimore
Mo Powell 3 New England
Mo Powell 6 Indianapolis
Mr. Chris 1 Carolina
Mr. Chris 2 Miami
Mr. Chris 3 Baltimore
Nate Pivaroff 1 EAGLES
Nate Pivaroff 2 Miami
Nate Pivaroff 3 Miami
Nate Pivaroff 4 Miami
Nate Pivaroff 5 Miami
Nick Roby Baltimore
Nicola Espie Miami
Niemeyer 1 Miami
Niemeyer 2 Baltimore
Niemeyer 3 Carolina
Nomanerz Miami
Norm & Angie Cooper Miami
Ondre 1 Miami
Ondre 2 Baltimore
P Sautter 1 Miami
P Sautter 2 Baltimore
P Sautter 3 Detroit
Pablo Aguirre 1 Miami
Pablo Aguirre 2 Baltimore
Paul Malmud 1 EAGLES
Paul Malmud 2 Miami
Paul Manno 1 Buffalo
Paul Manno 2 Miami
Paul McIntyre Baltimore
Paul Stitzer Miami
Paul Zucconi 2 Miami
Pete Manno 1 Washington
Pete Manno 2 Buffalo
Peter Buck/Dan Kent Miami
Phil D'Agostino Miami
Phil Manno 1 Atlanta
Phil Manno 2 Baltimore
Phil Manno 4 Miami
Phil Milliner Baltimore
PRamos 2 Buffalo
R Coto 1 Miami
R Coto 2 Indianapolis
R Coto 3 EAGLES
R Wolney Detroit
Randy Byron Miami
Richard Stanley 1 Miami
Richard Stanley 2 Arizona
Richmond/Griffin Miami
Rick Kaiser 1 Detroit
Rick Kaiser 2 Buffalo
Rick L 1 Miami
Rick L 2 Detroit
Rick L 5 New England
Rick L 6 Miami
Rick Woods 1 Miami
Rick Woods 2 Baltimore
Ritter 1 Miami
Ritter 2 Washington
Ritter 4 Baltimore
Ritter 6 Miami
Rob Mitchell Baltimore
Robin Mitchell Seattle
Rodney Thomas 1 Washington
Rodney Thomas 2 EAGLES
Roger Levine 1 New England
Roger Levine 2 EAGLES
Ron Mexico 1 Baltimore
Ron Mexico 2 EAGLES
Ron Mexico 4 EAGLES
Ron Mexico 6 Baltimore
Ron P 1 Detroit
Ron P 2 Arizona
Ron P 3 Miami
Ron P 4 Miami
Ron Wick Miami
Rose/David Stitzer Miami
Ross Novie 1 Atlanta
Ross Novie 2 EAGLES
Rozanna Tesler EAGLES
Ryan Doheny 1 Buffalo
Ryan Doheny 2 Miami
Ryan Doheny 3 Indianapolis
Ryan Doheny 4 Miami
Ryan Doheny 5 Baltimore
Ryan Doheny 6 EAGLES
Ryan Kohrig 1 EAGLES
Ryan Kohrig 2 Baltimore
Ryan Kohrig 3 Chicago
Ryan Kohrig 4 EAGLES
Ryan Kohrig 5 EAGLES
Ryan Kohrig 6 EAGLES
Schoettle 1 Baltimore
Schoettle 2 Miami
Scott Lease 1 Baltimore
Scott Lease 2 New England
Scott Lease 3 Miami
Scott Libby 1 Detroit
Scott Libby 2 Baltimore
Scott Libby 3 Miami
Scott Nurick Baltimore
Scott Sonnenberg 1 Miami
Scott Sonnenberg 2 EAGLES
Scott Stoddard Baltimore
Scott Tilley 1 Baltimore
Scott Tilley 2 Miami
Sean Ozbolt Miami
Seth Strobck 1 Carolina
Seth Strobck 2 EAGLES
Shane Kent 1 EAGLES
Shane Kent 2 EAGLES
Shane Kent 3 EAGLES
Shane Kent 4 Miami
Shane Kent 5 Miami
Shawn Mitchell Baltimore
Silver Fox 2 Miami
Simonque Miami
Stacey Tracton 1 Miami
Stacey Tracton 2 Baltimore
Stephen Abela Miami
Stephen Moss Miami
Stephen Sosangelis EAGLES
Steve Abramowitz Washington
Steve Berman 1 Baltimore
Steve Berman 2 Miami
Steve Gold 1 Miami
Steve Gold 2 Indianapolis
Steve Gold 3 Miami
Steve Stovall Baltimore
Steve Waldron Seattle
Steve Whiteford Miami
Steven Immergut 2 Indianapolis
Stuart Chase 1 EAGLES
Sweetcheeks Detroit
Ted Mizerak 3 Buffalo
Ted Price 1 Detroit
Ted Price 2 Miami
Ted Price 3 Detroit
Ted Price 4 Miami
The Legend 2 Miami
Tim Gage New England
Timmy Gatz 1 Baltimore
Todd & Reg 1 EAGLES
Todd & Reg 2 Baltimore
Todd & Reg 3 New England
Todd Kelly 4 Miami
Todd Turchin 1 Baltimore
Todd Turchin 2 Detroit
Todd Turchin 5 Miami
Todd Turchin 6 Buffalo
Tom Dilsheimer 1 EAGLES
Tom Dilsheimer 2 Miami
Tom Kaplan Miami
Tom Nagel Miami
Tom Speranzo Miami
Tony Buglak 1 Miami
Tony Buglak 2 Detroit
Tony Zabawa Baltimore
Touchdown Tommy Detroit
Uncle Charley Miami
Uncle Joe 1 Miami
Uncle Joe 2 Miami
Val Brochard 1 EAGLES
Vernon Lee 1 EAGLES
Vernon Lee 2 New England
Victor Pham Miami
Wendy Adkins Miami
Xavier Goss Baltimore
Zack Kramer Baltimore

Friday, September 22, 2006

Some Phils, BALCO, NFL and NCAA picks

The Phillies did not play last night and fell out of their share of the wild card lead, with both the Dodgers and Padres winning. 6 of their last 10 games are on the road; 6 of their last 10 games are also against long-time nemesis Florida. Gotta win every series plus the Houston game Monday and go 7-3 in the last 10. That should do it. We are in the home stretch. The Phils also caught a huge break when Houston decided to throw Clemens in the home finale Sunday on three days rest. I think this means the Philberts will face some dude named Albers who is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. Of course, careful what you wish for as this franchise has a long history of struggling against guys they are seeing for the first time. Stay tuned, the last 10 days will be fun!

I cannot believe the reporters who broke the BALCO scandal wide open were sentenced to jail yesterday for not revealing their sources. These guys did a great thing by breaking this scandal wide open. Where would reporting be if nobody felt safe revealing information anonymously in certain situations. Bottom line is that the justice system in its infinite wisdom is taking incentive away from people from getting involved with items like this and from people in the know from talking about things like this. We all lose, except for the hard core right wingers that favor censorship.

Enough about politics, let’s get to more important matters….football. Hopefully we can get through a weekend with the refs determining the outcome of any games. Let the players decide the games between the lines.

NCAA (3-2 last week; 8-7-1 for the season):

Nevada (-7) vs. Northwestern. (NOTE: This is a Friday night special) The Wolfpack (no, not THAT wolfpack) look like they have a strong squad led by an experienced quarterback and solid offense. Northwestern, after an emotion opening win to remember their late head coach, is struggling to find an identity. Look for the Wolfpack to win by double figures.

Michigan (-13.5) vs. Wisconsin. Michigan has the mojo going coming off a huge win in South bend, and playing a big rival like Wisconsin minimizes the chances of a letdown. Wisconsin looks like their offense is not good enough to keep up here. Michigan covers the big number.

Minnesota (-2.5) at Purdue. The Gophers have a good running game and an experienced QB who will be able to put up points on Purdue. Joe Tiller’s offense has not been good since Brees and Orton left. Close game, but the Gophs will win and by just enough.

Kansas St (+13.5) vs. Louisville. Take the home dog here. The Wildcats have looked great under their new head coach and can keep it close at home against a back up QB and back RB.

Arkansas (-2) vs. Alabama. Quite simply, my favorite game of the day. Tide gets rolled.

NFL (2-3 last week, 4-5 overall, yuck):

Big game on Sunday for the Eagles. They need to bounce back from the debacle last week or else the season becomes a long uphill climb. They also need to do it despite facing a vastly improved 49er team without their starting corner, their nickel corner or their best defensive lineman. In addition, Westbrook is a gametime decision and my guess is that he will not play. Look for the Eagles to bottle up Frank Gore with the run stopping defense that held Tiki Barber to 51 yards on 21 carries last week, and get enough pressure on Smith to make him make some mistakes. San Fran may get a big play or two in against some weak defensive backs (Joselio Hanson is starting, Dexter Wynn is the nickel, and some guy off the practice squad is the 4th DB), but McNabb will make too many plays and do too much for the 49ers to overcome. Final Score: EAGLES 30, San Francisco 20 (Pick: EAGLES -6)

Jets (+6) at Buffalo. Buffalo is overrated, Jets are underrated. This is a field goal game, one way or the other.

Tennessee (+11) at Miami. Probably (maybe) a safe pick for win or die purposes, but who is Miami to be giving 11 points to anyone this year. Have they even scored 11 in a game yet?

Seattle (-3.5) vs. New York Giants. Everyone knows I think the Giants are good, I picked them to win the NFC and go to the Super Bowl. But this is a tough task. After a huge emotional win over a division rival, to go cross country in a non divisional game against a very good team. Seattle should win by at least a touchdown if not more.

Denver (+6.5) at New England. Denver can’t look this bad three weeks in a row, can they? And New England is just not that good, as the loss of lots of veterans is starting to result in cracks.

That’s all for now. Loof for Win or Die picks posted here Sunday morning.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Holy Marole: Leteber speaks out

I have asked my friend Marole Leteber to write a take for the BLOG which he has done. For the first time in all my guest postings, I feel compelled to say that Marole’s views do not necessarily represent those of this blogger. So enjoy....

___________________________________________________

When Dils told me he had a blog, I told him that blogs were stupid. Now he asked me to write for his blog, and I am changing my tune. I like being able to say what I want with no repercussions. For example, who is his dimwitted friend Snitzer(?) who is trying to defend the Yankees? Buddy, your team has not won the title in 5 years despite the fact that they have the most lopsided competitive advantage in any professional sport. Are you telling me if you were Pirates GM, you would spend $150 million on payroll on the hope that you would win and your fans would pack the stadium every night. I guess we now know why you are not a GM. When I buy a team, you will not be on my short list either. Or my long one….

Speaking of baseball, who even cares if the Sillies make the playoffs, which they probably won't. Per the above, they will flounder once they do against teams like the Mets and Yankees who pay to win instead of paying to be competitive. Plus their manager will do something stupid now or then to cost them a key game. Just focus on football, where the team has a chance of the coach does not keep choking.

The first thing I would do to help with this fuel problem we are having in the U.S. is abolish auto racing. Not only would they stop using all that gas for the races, but the hundreds of thousands of morons who actually drive hundreds of miles in RV’s that get 2.7 miles per gallon could stay home too.

However, while we are on racing, I do recommend Talladega Nights. Very funny movie, as are most things Will Farrell.

My takeaways from the early part of the National Football League schedule:

  • The Jets are way better than anybody thought they would be. Look for them to upset the Buffalo Bills this weekend in Orchard Park, NY. Why? Because Buffalo is still not good, and Pennington will be able to do more against the Bill D than Losman will against a very underrated Jet defense.
  • There are more bad teams, I mean really bad teams, in this league than I can remember.
  • What is the shortest stint on record for tenure of a new NFL coach. I would imagine Art Shell should break that record as he has taken the Raiders to a whole new level of horrendous. The Raiders at home against Ohio State would be a toss up!
  • Brad Childress is doing a good job with the Vikings. It seems he did not buy into Andy Reid’s ridiculous philosophy of running the ball no more than twice a quarter, as he is using Chester Taylor nicely.
  • The biggest disappointment has to be the Redskins (yeah, that name is not offensive!). How can Mark Brunell still be a quarterback in this league. The Jason Campbell era is only weeks away! Joe Gibbs is having a tough year with Brunell and his star Tony Stewart sucking equally badly. See, if my rule on Nascar were followed, a nice old man like Joe could cut his misery in half.
  • The Bears look very good. I guess the calls for Brian Griese got disconnected.
  • Brett Favre should hang em up and start acting lessons for There’s Something About Mary 2.
  • Is it true the loser of the Packer/Lion game this weekend will be eligible for the BCS championship this year?
  • Fantasy football is stupid and annoying. There are much better fantasies than football, people….

In case anybody didn’t notice, hockey started their preseason. I have to say, I missed hockey not at all when they were on strike, and wish they would have stayed there.

If any of you Green Valley boys are reading this and want to grab dinner before cards tonight, you can reach me at my aol email address, MaroleLeteber@aol.com. I may even buy so that you will feel better about me after I take all your money later, which I will....

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Alex Rodiguez: The Man, The Myth, The Soap Opera

Nobody has more on the line this baseball postseason that Alex Rodriguez. Not George Steinbrenner. Not Jim Leyland. Not Willie Randolph or Carlos Beltran. Alex Rodriguez’ future is on the line this postseason. Period.



Let’s review the facts. Last year, A-Rod won the American League MVP during the regular season, then the hero disappeared into a zero in the playoffs, and he did not perform when he wasn’t getting paid extra, going 2-for-15 for the one-and-done Bombers in the Divisional Series.

This year has been a tough year for the man with purple lips. His numbers are good enough, with a .286 average, 34 home runs and 116 RBIs. His slugging % is also strong at .516 and he has 106 runs scored. However, as has been well documented, A-Rod has disappeared for long periods of time, going through huge well-publicized droughts at the plate during which he swung and missed so much he generated air conditioning in Yankee Stadium. In addition, he has had a poor season in the field as well, with 23 errors, most of them, like his strikeouts, coming in bunches.

Now a Sports Illustrated article comes out in which A-Rod says, among other things: "[Mike] Mussina doesn't get hammered at all," he told SI. "He's making a boatload of money. Giambi's making [$20.4 million], which is fine and dandy, but it seems those guys get a pass. When people write [bad things] about me, I don't know if it's [because] I'm good-looking, I'm biracial, I make the most money, I play on the most popular team ..."

As we head into the postseason, the Yankees are the prohibitive favorites to win the World Series for the first time since A-Rod joined the club. Based on baseball’s ridiculous rules, Cashman and Steinbrenner have done a masterful job of assembling a team that almost cannot lose. Except they still have to play the games. And if they somehow pull defeat from the jaws of victory, and A-Rod has a sub-par postseason, this city will turn on him worse than they ever have to date, and it has been pretty bad to date. Cashman and Big George will have almost no choice but to trade him.

A-Rod is a great player. He is having a sub-par season that most big leaguers could only dream about. But when you are the highest paid player in the game and have the demeanor he does, big responsibilities fall on his shoulders. The fun question to watch unfold this postseason is whether those shoulders can carry the heavy load that has been thrust upon him. Stay tuned….

Note: Picture coutesy of cbc sports

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Sunday, Bloody Sunday

I did my weekly segment on the George Rogers Show this morning. It is posted on his web site now, and you can either download it free directly from the site (http://www.georgerogersradio.com/) or download from the site in the form of a podcast (I made itunes!!). I think my segment started at about the quarter mark today and I was on for over 20 minutes. Enjoy….

I know, I know. You have been waiting for my rant on the Eagles collapse since about 5:00 et on Sunday. You probably checked the blog every hour to see the irate tirade on the Birds. Ok, maybe that was only Stitzer, but I am sure you are excited to see it now. And I will get to it, but first, there are a few other items that I need to address.

Let’s start with baseball. I admit it, I have fallen for the Phillies. Hook, line, and Cole Hamels change up. Since they traded away Abreu, Lidle (may he tear his rotator cuff and never pitch again, or get hit by a bus, whichever comes first), and many others, this team is playing with so much heart. They keep fighting to win and stay in the race, their starting pitching is throwing great, and Ryan Howard is just a pleasure to follow. Most importantly, the team is playing with a big heart. Which it has lacked since about 1993. Coincidence that the last time they had it they went to the World Series with a bunch of renegade overachievers? I think not. Coincidence that the heart shows up after their long-time supposed leader, Bobby “I need a heart worse than the Tin Man” Abreu left town? I think not. (Relax, Yankee fans, I am not saying he is not a great player; just saying he does not bust it 110% every time out and is not equipped to be a team leader…i.e., he is no Chase Utley; he is perfect for the Yankees where he can blend in and have superstars all around him). This team just has a feel about it that says they will find a way in the playoffs by the last day….

And then last night happened. Talk about Philly karma. The Phils had their veteran leader pitcher who has pitched flawlessly for 6 weeks get blistered by the Cubs, the worst team in the NL with a Triple-A lineup. Then, to compound matters, the Padres choked and blew a four run 9th inning lead against the Dodgers by giving up back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs (marking the 4th time in major league history that has happened), so the Phillies now find themselves two back in the loss column with 12 to play. They need to catch fire the last two weeks. With this team’s talent and make up, they just might. But then again, as always with this team, they will probably come up just short. The good news is that with a good offseason, it may be the last time they come up just short of the playoffs for a while….

While we are on baseball, Alfonso Soriano became the 4th player to go 40/40, and may become the first to go 45/45. I say WHO CARES? His stats are empty, he is doing it for a bad team, and it is evident he is trying to pad his stats with bad fundamental plays (stealing third with two outs, etc.) that must be raising Frank Robinson’s blood pressure.

Now, to football. It was indeed a great college football Saturday. As my preseason article (see 8/18 entry) on Notre Dame can attest, I was not surprised that Notre Dame lost to Michigan. What was surprising was the shellacking they took at the hands of the Wolverines. I just think Notre Dame was overrated coming into this season. And that was Charlie Weis’ fault for overachieving with this team last year. The brilliance of Weis’ coaching is showing through with the poor performance of Brady Quinn so far this year. Weis was able to bring in great schemes last year and helped Quinn look better than he probably is. Now that teams are adjusting with a year’s worth of film to study, Quinn has come back to Earth. You will probably not hear any more Heisman or #1 overall NFL draft pick for Brady any more. That doers not change the fact that Weis is taking this program in the right direction, and will challenge for a National title at some point in the next 3-4 years, once all of his own players are in place. We are still returning to the glory days of Irish football, just a little more deliberately than some were hoping.

As long as we are on college football (and this applies equally to the NFL), I am so sick and tired of referees single handedly deciding the outcomes of games. The Oregon/Oklahoma game was about the worst violation of proper officiating since Mike Roth officiated Stitzer’s wedding ceremony! The LSU/Auburn game was not far behind. If you saw these games, you know what I am talking about. If you didn’t, suffice it to say that LSU was robbed, and Oklahoma was robbed and violated. It is a disgrace. There is too much on the line to determine games through incompetent refs. The NFL, as I have said for years, should hire full-time officials, not these lawyers and bankers who look at officiating as a part-time hobby.

I could give you my other observations about the NFL, but my heart is just not into it this week. So let’s focus on what was the debacle at the Linc on Sunday. The day started as an absolute perfect day. It was sunny, 80 degrees, and we had a strong tailgate to grease the wheels so to speak. Then the game started….and it got even better. The Birds looked invincible (they even introduced Vince Papale before the game). The offense was clicking beautifully, McNabb looked all-world for the second straight week (further justifying my second round selection of him in my fantasy league), the running game was working when called upon, the defense sacked Eli 8 times and in general battered him pretty good, and best of all, the Birds were going to bury the Giants two games behind them. At 24-7 heading into the 4th quarter, this game was over….

And then it started to change. Slowly. First, the Giants scored on a fumble recovery (of their own fumble) in the end zone, a play in which Michael Lewis of the Eagles had to just fall on the ball to end the game, but it squirted out from him and into Carter’s hands for a TD. Then the Birds went for it on the Giants 38 instead of punting them deep with under 9 minutes to go. No gain, turnover on downs. Then I started getting nauseous. Then after stopping the Giants, Brian Westbrook fumbled, and I threw up in my mouth. 3 plays later, 24-21. After holding the Birds to one first down, the Giants got the ball at their own 20 with 0:58 seconds left. You know the rest.

To make matters worse, the Eagles lost their best defensive lineman, Jevon Kearse, in overtime. So not only did their brain fart cost them the game and the lead in the division, but it also cost them a key component of their team for the rest of the year. Still hurts on Tuesday. This one will be tough to bounce back on, no question. Fortunately, they have enough veteran leaders and coaches that they should be all right from a mental standpoint…

The good news is that they dominated the New York Giants in every facet of the game for 45 minutes, and I still think these are the best two teams in the NFC. It is not that they can’t execute to demolish a great team, it is just that they stopped executing. There is a big difference. They now play at San Fran, home Green Bay before the vagabond T.O. and his cowpokes come to town. They will be favored in each of their next 8 games. Not saying they will win them all, but they should win at least 6 of them, and then at 7-3, the Giant game becomes more of a motivation than a problem. Now if they lose to the improved 49ers this week, then all bets are off.

I still predict a very strong season from the Birds this year. But this still hurts. A lot.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Dils Win or Die Week 2; Pick Distribution and Individual Picks

I apologize for the formatting. I will work on that for next week. Below is pick distribution followed by individulal picks. In the individual picks section, it is the name of the entry FOLLOWED BY (sometimes on the next line) their pick. If there are any issues with your pick, let me know immediately. My pick (and my wife's) are bolded. Pick distribution is as follows:
Atlanta 6
Baltimore 207
Chicago 43
Cincinnati 83
Dallas 2
Denver 57
EAGLES 1
Indianapolis 73
Jacksonville 1
Miami 13
New Orleans 5
San Diego 99
San Fran 1
St Louis 1

InHere are the individual picks. Again, entry name followed by pick, and sorry for the suboptimal formatting:
A Keiser Denver
Adam Goldman 1 Baltimore
Adam Goldman 2 Indianapolis
Adam Katzen 1 Baltimore
Adam Katzen 2 San Diego
Adam Stillman San Diego
Adin Gardens 1 Baltimore
Adin Gardens 2 San Diego
AJ Fratoni 1 Indianapolis
AJ Fratoni 2 Baltimore
AJ Whitehead Baltimore
Akshon Barclay 1 Indianapolis
Akshon Barclay 2 San Diego
Akshon Barclay 3 Baltimore
Alberto Escobedo 1 Baltimore
Alex Coates Chicago
Alexa delaGuardia Chicago
Alistair Campbell Baltimore
Amol Dixit 1 Cincinnati
Amol Dixit 2 Indianapolis
Amol Dixit 5 San Diego
Amol Dixit 6 Baltimore
Andrew Robinson Baltimore
Andy Smukler Indianapolis
Andy Sonnenberg 1 Baltimore
Anne Bolduc 1 Baltimore
Anne Bolduc 2 Chicago
Anthony Themak San Diego
Antonio Ramos 1 Baltimore
Antonio Ramos 2 Chicago
Antony Joffe 1 Denver
Ari Raivetz San Diego
Arlyn Landow Cincinnati
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 1 Baltimore
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 2 Indianapolis
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 3 Cincinnati
Ashley/Barr/Hollrah 4 Chicago
Bam 1 Baltimore
Barry Bredt Miami
BayAreaBoys San Diego
Bear 1 Baltimore
Bear 2 Dallas
Ben Kunkel Cincinnati
Ben WilliamsBaltimore
Bev Nicholl
Cincinnati
Bill Bucy 1
Baltimore
Bill Bucy 2
Denver
Bill Comninaki
Miami
Bill Herrmann 1
Baltimore
Bill Herrmann 2
Miami
Bill Herrmann 3
Denver
Bill/Mike McLaughlin 1
Baltimore
Bill/Mike McLaughlin 3
San Diego
Billy Bredt
San Diego
BJ Mahle
Chicago
Bob Feinstein 1
San Fran
Bob Feinstein 4
San Diego
Bob Feinstein 5
Cincinnati
Bob Landow
Baltimore
Bob Van Nortwick
San Diego
Bob Wallace 2
Baltimore
Bobby P 1
Baltimore
Borgen 1
Cincinnati
Borgen 2
Indianapolis
Brad Sheilds
Baltimore
Brad Stuart 1
Baltimore
Brad Stuart 2
Cincinnati
Brady Boss 1
San Diego
Brady Boss 2
Baltimore
Brent Bryant
Indianapolis
Brian Ellis 1
Baltimore
Brian Ellis 3
Miami
Brian Ellis 4
San Diego
Brian Fenlin 1
Denver
Brian Fenlin 2
Baltimore
Brian Fenlin 3
Indianapolis
Brian Finnell
Baltimore
Brian Getson 2
Baltimore
Brian Harris 2
Miami
Brian Harris 3
San Diego
Brian Harris 4
Baltimore
Brian Murphy
Baltimore
Brian Roberts
Baltimore
Brian Silverio
Baltimore
Brian Wallace 1
Baltimore
Brian Wallace 2
Atlanta
Brian Yacker 1
Denver
Brian Yacker 2
Baltimore
Brownie 1
Baltimore
Bryan Sullivan
Baltimore
Buddy Acchione 2
Baltimore
Buddy Acchione 3
Indianapolis
Buddy Acchione 4
Cincinnati
Buddy Emmert
San Diego
Bull 1
Baltimore
Bull 2
Miami
Bush 2
Cincinnati
Bush 3
San Diego
Bush 4
Indianapolis
C Scruton 2
San Diego
C Scruton 3
Baltimore
Cannon Group
Baltimore
CDW2
Baltimore
Cecile Donnelly
Baltimore
Charles Kulbok
Chicago
Che Hong Yeung
Baltimore
Chip Hastings
San Diego
Chip Levers 1
Atlanta
Chip Levers 2
Cincinnati
Choir Boys
San Diego
Chris Bassi 1
Chicago
Chris Bassi 2
San Diego
Chris Moseley
Baltimore
Chris P 1
Baltimore
Chris P 2
San Diego
Chris Parliman
Baltimore
Chris Scoggins
Chicago
Clint Mead 1
Baltimore
Cobes 1
Baltimore
Cobes 2
Denver
Cobes 4
Chicago
Connie Lemon
Cincinnati
Coop 1
Baltimore
Coop 2
Denver
Cory Nicholl
Baltimore
Cube
Baltimore
D Froney 1
Chicago
D Froney 2
Cincinnati
Damon Devito
Indianapolis
Dan Gold 1
Denver
Dan Gold 2
Chicago
Dan Gold 3
Baltimore
Dan Levine 1
Cincinnati
Dan Levine 2
Indianapolis
Dan Levine 3
San Diego
Dan Marlo
Baltimore
Daniel Neifer 1
Baltimore
Daniel Neifer 2
San Diego
Danny Kranzler 1
Indianapolis
Danny Kranzler 2
Cincinnati
Danny Kranzler 3
San Diego
Darren Dahlman 1
San Diego
Darren Dahlman 2
San Diego
Dave Finnegan
San Diego
Dave Holdsworth 1
Cincinnati
Dave Holdsworth 2
Baltimore
Dave Mehall 3
Baltimore
Dave Mehall 4
Denver
Dave Robbins 1
Baltimore
Dave Robbins 2
Cincinnati
Dave S
Baltimore
Dave S 2
Cincinnati
Dave Stassen
San Diego
Dave Wisemiller
Baltimore
David Gardner 1
Indianapolis
David Gardner 2
Baltimore
David Kay 1
Baltimore
David Kay 2
San Diego
David Lapidus 1
Indianapolis
David Lapidus 2
Denver
David Scherby 1
Indianapolis
David Scherby 2
Indianapolis
David Scherby 4
Baltimore
Dean Scruton 2
Baltimore
Denver Brown 1
Baltimore
Denver Brown 2
Cincinnati
Derek Glenzinski 1
Baltimore
Derek Glenzinski 2
Denver
Desiree Germon
Indianapolis
Dils
San Diego
Dominic delaGuardia
Baltimore
Doug Bonnell 1
Baltimore
Doug Bonnell 2
Baltimore
Doug Bonnell 3
Denver
Doug Cron
Cincinnati
Doug Livingston
Baltimore
Dunlavy 1
Denver
Dunlavy 2
Baltimore
Dylan Cooper
Cincinnati
Eagle 2
Cincinnati
Ed Ramirez 1
Indianapolis
Ed Ramirez 2
Indianapolis
Ed Smeltzer
Indianapolis
Ed Welsh 1
Baltimore
Ed Welsh 2
San Diego
Ed Welsh 3
Chicago
Ed Welsh 4
San Diego
Ed Welsh 6
Baltimore
Eddy Arechaga
San Diego
Enio Bencosme 1
Chicago
Enio Bencosme 2
New Orleans
Eric Haron 1
Baltimore
Eric Haron 2
Baltimore
Eric Haron 3
San Diego
Eric Haron 4
Denver
Eric Meyers 1
Baltimore
Eric Meyers 2
Cincinnati
Eric Meyers 3
Denver
Eric Meyers 4
Cincinnati
Eric Yungner 1
Cincinnati
Eric Yungner 2
Baltimore
Erik Nakamura 1
San Diego
Erik Nakamura 2
Cincinnati
Fenlin/Stern 1
Baltimore
Flummer 1
Baltimore
Flummer 2
San Diego
Frank Nussbaum
Indianapolis
Gabe Bodhi 2
Baltimore
Gags
Indianapolis
Gary Beasley 1
Cincinnati
Gary Beasley 2
San Diego
Gary Jonas
Chicago
Gene Han 1
Baltimore
Gene Han 2
Indianapolis
George Kuruc 1
Indianapolis
George Kuruc 2
Baltimore
George Triano
Baltimore
Gianna Cooper
Denver
Greg Heff 1
Baltimore
Greg Heff 2
Denver
Greg Magnani
Indianapolis
Gregg Benedetto 1
Baltimore
Gregg Benedetto 2
San Diego
Gregg Benedetto 4
Miami
Howard Smith
Denver
Iceman 1
Indianapolis
Iceman 2
Baltimore
Iceman 3
Cincinnati
Iceman 4
San Diego
J Ferry
Indianapolis
J.B. Dilsheimer
San Diego
Jack Marshall 1
Baltimore
James Mills 1
Indianapolis
James Mills 2
Baltimore
Jason Favrow 2
New Orleans
Jason P
Indianapolis
Jay Soroko 1
Indianapolis
Jay Soroko 2
Cincinnati
Jay/Scott Goldsleger 1
Indianapolis
Jay/Scott Goldsleger 2
Baltimore
JD 1
Baltimore
JD 2
San Diego
JD 3
Cincinnati
JD 4
Baltimore
JDBakke1
Cincinnati
JDBakke2
Baltimore
Jeff Berman
San Diego
Jeff Resnick 1
Baltimore
Jeff Resnick 2
Indianapolis
Jeff Saito
Denver
Jeff Silverman 2
Indianapolis
Jeff Slovin 1
Indianapolis
Jeff Slovin 2
Cincinnati
Jeff Slovin 3
Baltimore
Jeff Slovin 6
Chicago
Jeff Tiede 1
San Diego
Jeff Wagoner
Chicago
Jeremy Hare 1
Indianapolis
Jeremy Hare 2
Cincinnati
Jill Lanham
Chicago
Jim Cooper
Baltimore
Jim Harley 1
Baltimore
Jim Harley 2
San Diego
Jim Harley 3
Indianapolis
Jimmy B 1
San Diego
Jimmy Grossman 1
Denver
Joanne DeRogatis
Indianapolis
Jodi Wallace 1
San Diego
Jodi Wallace 2
EAGLES
Jodi Wallace 4
Chicago
Jodi Wallace 5
Baltimore
Joe Dansky 1
New Orleans
Joe Dansky 2
San Diego
Joe Dansky 3
Denver
Joe David 2
Jacksonville
Joe Fagan
Baltimore
Joe H
San Diego
Joe HM
Baltimore
Joe HR
Baltimore
Joe Pucillo 1
Indianapolis
Joe Pucillo 2
Chicago
Joe Pucillo 3
Cincinnati
Joe RH
Indianapolis
John Abshear 1
Indianapolis
John Abshear 2
Cincinnati
John Abshear 3
San Diego
John Abshear 4
Denver
John Bolduc
Baltimore
John Ellinthorpe
San Diego
John Klein
Chicago
John Winfield
Denver
Jon Taylor 1
Baltimore
Jon Taylor 2
Cincinnati
Joseph Beedon
Baltimore
JPL
Cincinnati
Judy Panichi 1
Indianapolis
Juice 1
Cincinnati
Juice 2
Denver
Juice 3
Cincinnati
Juice 4
Baltimore
Juice 5
Chicago
Juice 6
San Diego
Jules Seshens
Baltimore
Karen Gatz 1
Baltimore
Karen Gatz 2
Denver
Kathleen Wells 1
Indianapolis
Kauf 1
San Diego
Kauf 2
Baltimore
Kay Lee 1
Baltimore
Kay Lee 2
San Diego
Kay Lee 3
Cincinnati
Kaz 1
Chicago
Kaz 2
Cincinnati
Kaz 3
Baltimore
Keith Berger 1
Cincinnati
Keith Berger 2
Baltimore
Keith Cronin 1
Cincinnati
Keith Joffe 1
Indianapolis
Kelly Krenger 1
Baltimore
Kelly Lanham 1
Cincinnati
Ken Dash
San Diego
Ken Ruderman
Indianapolis
Kevin Gusinow 1
Denver
Kevin Gusinow 2
Miami
Kevin Moran 1
San Diego
Kevin New
San Diego
Kevin New 2
Baltimore
Kim P.
Denver
Kinger51
Baltimore
K-Mart 1
Baltimore
K-Mart 2
San Diego
KP
Denver
Krug 1
San Diego
Krug 2
Baltimore
Kurt Weber
Baltimore
Lack & Daily 1
Chicago
Lack & Daily 2
Chicago
Lack & Daily 3
Cincinnati
Lack & Daily 4
Cincinnati
Lack & Daily 5
Baltimore
Lack & Daily 6
Baltimore
Larry Parsons 1
Cincinnati
Larry Parsons 3
Baltimore
Laugh and Win
Baltimore
Lauren Sivan
San Diego
Lee/May 1
San Diego
Lee/May 5
Cincinnati
Lee/May 6
Baltimore
LeErin Hickey 1
Chicago
LeErin Hickey 2
Cincinnati
Levine/Smeltzer
Baltimore
Littman 1
Baltimore
Littman 2
Denver
LML
Baltimore
Lorne Keller
Indianapolis
M Ferry
Baltimore
Maggie 1
Baltimore
Maggie 2
Cincinnati
Manish Patel 1
Cincinnati
Manish Patel 2
San Diego
Marc Rudofker
Denver
Maren Gandy
Baltimore
Mark Christensen
Baltimore
Mark Lacarenza 1
San Diego
Mark Lacarenza 2
Baltimore
Mark Lenert 1
Baltimore
Mark Lenert 2
San Diego
Mark Loftus
Baltimore
Marshall Dostal 1
Denver
Marshall Dostal 2
Denver
Marshall Dostal 3
Cincinnati
Marty Linsky 1
Indianapolis
Marty Linsky 3
San Diego
MATT 1
Chicago
MATT 2
Baltimore
Matt Biskner 1
Baltimore
Matt Biskner 2
San Diego
Matt Biskner 3
Cincinnati
Matt Bottiglieri 2
Baltimore
Matt Bottiglieri 3
Denver
Matt Bottiglieri 4
Denver
Matt Domski 2
Denver
Matt Domski 3
San Diego
Matt Domski 4
Baltimore
Matt Emory
Baltimore
Matt Heffner
Baltimore
Matt Spanjers 1
Baltimore
Matt Sutton
Baltimore
Matt Warren 1
Baltimore
Matt Warren 2
Denver
Matt Wilson
Baltimore
Matt Young
Baltimore
Max Haber 2
Atlanta
Max Haber 3
Cincinnati
Max Haber 4
Baltimore
Maze 1
Baltimore
Maze 2
Cincinnati
Maze 3
Indianapolis
Michael Frist
Baltimore
Michael Hickey 1
San Diego
Michael Hickey 3
Baltimore
Michael Higashi 1
San Diego
Michael Koffler 1
Indianapolis
Michael Koffler 2
Indianapolis
Michael P.
Chicago
Mike Gosk 2
San Diego
Mike Gosk 3
San Diego
Mike Gross
Indianapolis
Mike Keller 1
Baltimore
Mike Keller 2
Baltimore
Mike Keller 3
Baltimore
Mike Lee 2
Baltimore
Mike Lee 3
Indianapolis
Mike Moleski 1
Baltimore
Mike Moleski 2
San Diego
Mike Tynan 1
San Diego
Mike Tynan 2
Baltimore
Mo Powell 1
Indianapolis
Mo Powell 2
Cincinnati
Mo Powell 3
Baltimore
Mo Powell 6
San Diego
Mr. Chris 1
Baltimore
Mr. Chris 2
Denver
Mr. Chris 3
San Diego
Nate Pivaroff 1
Baltimore
Nate Pivaroff 2
Denver
Nate Pivaroff 3
Baltimore
Nate Pivaroff 4
Denver
Nate Pivaroff 5
Denver
Nick Roby
San Diego
Nicola Espie
Baltimore
Niemeyer 1
Chicago
Niemeyer 2
San Diego
Niemeyer 3
Baltimore
Nomanerz
Baltimore
Norm & Angie Cooper
Baltimore
Ondre 1
Baltimore
Ondre 2
Indianapolis
P Sautter 1
Baltimore
P Sautter 2
Cincinnati
P Sautter 3
Indianapolis
Pablo Aguirre 1
Baltimore
Pablo Aguirre 2
San Diego
Pat Duffy 2
Miami
Paul Malmud 1
San Diego
Paul Malmud 2
Baltimore
Paul Manno 1
Chicago
Paul Manno 2
Cincinnati
Paul Stitzer
Baltimore
Paul Zucconi 2
Chicago
Pete Manno 1
Baltimore
Pete Manno 2
Cincinnati
Peter Buck/Dan Kent
Baltimore
Phil D'Agostino
Baltimore
Phil Manno 1
Cincinnati
Phil Manno 2
Cincinnati
Phil Manno 3
Miami
Phil Manno 4
San Diego
Phil Milliner
San Diego
PRamos 1
Miami
PRamos 2
San Diego
R Coto 1
Baltimore
R Coto 2
San Diego
R Coto 3
Denver
R Wolney
Indianapolis
Randy Byron
Baltimore
Richard Stanley 1
Baltimore
Richard Stanley 2
San Diego
Richmond/Griffin
Baltimore
Rick Kaiser 1
San Diego
Rick Kaiser 2
Cincinnati
Rick L 1
Chicago
Rick L 2
San Diego
Rick L 5
Denver
Rick L 6
Denver
Rick Woods 1
Baltimore
Rick Woods 2
Cincinnati
Ritter 1
Baltimore
Ritter 2
New Orleans
Ritter 4
Indianapolis
Ritter 6
Denver
Rob Mitchell
San Diego
Robin Mitchell
Dallas
Rodney Thomas 1
Indianapolis
Rodney Thomas 2
Baltimore
Roger Levine 1
Baltimore
Roger Levine 2
Chicago
Ron Mexico 1
Indianapolis
Ron Mexico 2
Baltimore
Ron Mexico 4
Baltimore
Ron Mexico 6
Indianapolis
Ron P 1
Denver
Ron P 2
Atlanta
Ron P 3
Baltimore
Ron P 4
Cincinnati
Ron Wick
Baltimore
Rose/David Stitzer
Baltimore
Ross Novie 1
Baltimore
Ross Novie 2
Chicago
Rozanna Tesler
San Diego
Ryan Doheny 1
Atlanta
Ryan Doheny 2
Denver
Ryan Doheny 3
Chicago
Ryan Doheny 4
Baltimore
Ryan Doheny 5
Cincinnati
Ryan Doheny 6
Baltimore
Ryan Kohrig 1
Indianapolis
Ryan Kohrig 2
Chicago
Ryan Kohrig 3
New Orleans
Ryan Kohrig 4
Chicago
Ryan Kohrig 5
Chicago
Ryan Kohrig 6
Indianapolis
Schoettle 1
Indianapolis
Schoettle 2
Indianapolis
Scott Lease 1
Indianapolis
Scott Lease 2
San Diego
Scott Lease 3
Baltimore
Scott Libby 1
Baltimore
Scott Libby 2
San Diego
Scott Libby 3
Baltimore
Scott Nurick
Cincinnati
Scott Sonnenberg 1
Cincinnati
Scott Sonnenberg 2
Denver
Scott Stoddard
Indianapolis
Scott Tilley 1
Chicago
Scott Tilley 2
Baltimore
Sean Ozbolt
Denver
Seth S 1
Baltimore
Seth S 2
Indianapolis
Shane Kent 1
Cincinnati
Shane Kent 2
Cincinnati
Shane Kent 3
Denver
Shane Kent 4
Denver
Shane Kent 5
Cincinnati
Shawn Mitchell
Chicago
Silver Fox 2
Baltimore
Simonque
Chicago
Stacey Tracton 1
Chicago
Stacey Tracton 2
San Diego
Stephen Abela
Baltimore
Stephen Moss
Indianapolis
Stephen Sosangelis
Baltimore
Steve Abramowitz
Baltimore
Steve Berman 1
Baltimore
Steve Berman 2
Cincinnati
Steve Gold 1
Indianapolis
Steve Gold 2
Cincinnati
Steve Gold 3
Cincinnati
Steve Nicholl
St. Louis
Steve Stovall
Cincinnati
Steve Waldron
San Diego
Steve Whiteford
Denver
Steven Immergut 1
Miami
Steven Immergut 2
Cincinnati
Stuart Chase 1
San Diego
Sweetcheeks
San Diego
Ted Mizerak 1
Miami
Ted Mizerak 3
Baltimore
Ted Price 1
Cincinnati
Ted Price 2
Cincinnati
Ted Price 3
Baltimore
Ted Price 4
Baltimore
The Legend 2
Baltimore
Tim Gage
Baltimore
Timmy Gatz 1
Cincinnati
Todd & Reg 1
Indianapolis
Todd & Reg 2
San Diego
Todd & Reg 3
Denver
Todd Kelly 4
Denver
Todd Turchin 1
Cincinnati
Todd Turchin 2
Denver
Todd Turchin 5
Denver
Todd Turchin 6
Baltimore
Tom Dilsheimer 1
Baltimore
Tom Dilsheimer 2
San Diego
Tom Kaplan
Baltimore
Tom Nagel
Baltimore
Tom Speranzo
Baltimore
Tony Buglak 1
San Diego
Tony Buglak 2
Baltimore
Tony Zabawa
Cincinnati
Touchdown Tommy
Indianapolis
Uncle Charley
Indianapolis
Uncle Joe 1
Denver
Uncle Joe 2
San Diego
Val Brochard 1
Atlanta
Vernon Lee 1
Cincinnati
Vernon Lee 2
Baltimore
Victor Pham
Cincinnati
Wendy Adkins
San Diego
Xavier Goss
Cincinnati
Zack Kramer
Chicago

Friday, September 15, 2006

Explanation for Philies Collapse, College/Pro Picks, Eagles/Giants Preview

It is easy to point at the bullpen collapse when Gordon was on the DL as the reason the Phillies fail to get into the playoffs. And let’s be honest, the Phillies are as done as a brisket left in the oven two hours too long. You could also point to Jolly Chollie and his lack of ability as a valid reason why they came up just short. But the most important reason that nobody is talking about is that this team simply cannot win on getaway day. They are 1-9 in their last 10 series concluders. Ultimately I guess this falls on the Manager’s shoulders as he is the guy that has to make sure his team is ready to play. If they were just 5-5 in these games, they would be leading the wild card chase today. Just another reason this team is completely frustrating: ADD that keeps them from focusing for the whole series. I am guessing they need to go 12-4 in their last 16 to have any shot. And a sweep one way or the other in the Padre/Dodger series would help. Both events…unlikely.

As we head in to football weekend, you have to look no further than Saturday for a ton of big games. 7 games in which ranked teams are playing each other should be just wall to wall excitement. To date, my college selections against the spread are 5-5-1, with my NFL choices last week going 2-2. Mediocrity all around. Let’s see if we can’t pick it up a notch this week. Here are this week’s selections, along with my analysis of the Eagles/Giants game:

NCAA:

Kansas at Toledo. OK, I have no pick here, just the observation that this has to be the first game in NCAA history in which the two coaches weigh a combined 1,000 lbs. I think Vegas should issue odds as to which coach would win in a sumo wrestling match-up.

Pittsburgh (-2.5) vs. Michigan St. OK, It is about time somebody says it: John L. Smith is an overrated college football coach. Wannstedt seems to have the panthers headed in the right direction, and look for Tyler Palko and company take care of business in a big home game for both Pitt and the Big East conference.

Florida (-3.5) at Tennessee. Florida favored by more than a field goal in Knoxville? Vegas is trying to get you to take the home dog, so naturally you should lay the points and take the better team with the better coach and better quarterback and healthier squad.

Michigan (+6) at Notre Dame. Almost 80% of ND/Michigan games is decided by less than a TD. Look for Michigan to control the ball with Mike Hart able to gain big yards against a non-dominant Irish D.

Texas (-31.5) vs. Rice. Texas always blows away the teams that they are supposed to.

Clemson (+4.5) at Florida State. Florida St. is overrated. Clemson always plays them tough. Drew Weatherford is simply not progressing the way he should be. Take the points and the son in this family battle.

NFL:

The Eagles and Giants meet up Sunday in what I believe is a match-up of the two best teams in the NFC. The Boys in Blue need the game more than the Birds, and it promises to be a dogfight. Westbrook tweaked a knee in practice yesterday but appears to be OK. The Birds ability to run the ball to slow down the Giants pass rush (which was a bit sub par against the Colts last week), and their ability to stop Barber on the ground seem to be two keys to the game (not a surprise, it comes down to who can win in the trenches). The Eagles were built with this task in mind as their D-line may be the #1 strength of the team. The Giants O-line played really well last week, opening nice holes for the running game while giving Manning enough time to throw. Rod Hood should be OK replacing Lito Sheppard at corner (many think Hood is the better player), the question is whether Joselio Hanson is up to the nickel role. The game should come down to which team can make the most big plays. Final Score: Birds 20, G-Men: 17

Cincinnati (-10) vs. Cleveland. My pick for Super Bowl winner against my pick for 1st pick in the draft, at the good team’s house. Clearly, I have Cincy covering this one….

Green Bay (+2.5) vs. New Orleans. The Saints aren’t ready to win two in a row on the road.

Jets (+5.5) vs. New England. The Pats are overrated, the Jets are underrated, so take the points and the home dog.

Tampa (+5.5) at Atlanta. Maybe my favorite game on the board. A team that laid an egg last week against a team that played over its head. Tampa has always had the speed defensively to contain Vick. And do not get all excited about Vick. One game a season does not make.

Jacksonville (+2) at Pittsburgh. I hope we see a replay of the Monday Night game between these two several years ago when Jacksonville blocked a kick and returned it for a touchdown, and Cowher was so close to running on the field and tacking the Jaguar as he ran by him.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

George Rogers Show Link, Tuesday Blues, and Wrestlemania in Kansas City

If anyone is interested in listening to my appearance on the George Rogers Radio show yesterday, go to www.georgerogersradio.com. You can either download the audio directly from the site or download it from itunes as a podcast (search george rogers or just hit the link on the george rogers site). My appearance lasts about 15+ minutes and runs from about ¼ through the show until about halfway through. Looks like I will be a weekly guest.

Yesterday was Tuesday. Tuesday sucked. Thursday through Monday was like sports heaven. September baseball. Opening NFL weekend featuring the opener Thursday Night, a full day Sunday including Manning vs. Manning Sunday Night, and a doubleheader Monday Night. A great day of Saturday college football. And Nascar’s Race to Decide the Chase! Then Tuesday hits, and nothing. No football. The Phillies got rained out. Nothing. It was like trying to quit heroin cold turkey (errr, so they say…). Cold sweats and dry heaves.

The Phillies did get some good news in the Wild Card chase when San Diego and Cincinnati both lost (the Giants did win, ugh). With 19 games left, two out in the wild card lead, and a bunch of teams still scrunched together, the Philberts probably need to go 14-5 (maybe 13-6) from here on out to get in. Not likely. But sweeping their doubleheader today would help.

Speaking of baseball, the Braves were officially eliminated from winning the NL East yesterday, ending their 14 year reign as Divisional Champs. Yes it was a great run. I ask the following however: who is the more successful franchise over the past 14 years, the Braves, who won 14-for-14 division titles and ONE World Series, or the Marlins, who have never won a divisional title in their history, I think only been to the playoffs twice, but won TWO World Series? I say Florida. If you are in it to win it, then two beats one, and I say Florida has been more successful than Atlanta. I am sure a lot of you disagree with me here, so feel free to comment and get some banter going.

It is a sad day in Philadelphia for Flyers fans. Keith Primeau, heart and soul of the team and the Captain, is going to have to retire from concussions. Primeau had a nice run for the Flyers, but leaves with potential unfulfilled in the way of a Stanley Cup. He was traded for Rod Brind A’Mour and viewed as the last piece to Cup win. He brought his best to the playoffs, scoring the game winner in the 5 overtime game against Pittsburgh in 2000, and nearly single-handedly carrying this team to the Cup Finals in 2004 before falling to eventual champ Tampa Bay in the 7th game of the Conference Finals. Ironically, while Primeau and his Flyers came up just short in typical Philadelphia fashion, Brind A’Mour was fortunate enough to drink from the Cup this year as Carolina won it all. Peter Forsberg is expected to be the next Captain to try to get the Flyers back to their glory days of the mid 70s….

A pitcher and catcher on the Royals brawled in the dugout on Tuesday. I would tell you their names but I do not like to publicize Triple-A players (the Royals cannot possibly still be in the Major Leagues, can they?) Anyway, my suggestion for the Royals is that if they want to start building attendance, they should take this stuff out of the dugout and make it a between innings event, kind of like the sausage race in Milwaukee. I am telling you this could triple their attendance, to like 1,200 a game.

That is all for now. Thank God Tuesday is over, at least for this week!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

September 12, 2006 Column: NFL Debut, Birds Up, Pirates Down

If you listen carefully, you can hear the Texas alums who have relocated to Tampa chanting "Major, Major, Major....."

I am scheduled to be a guest on the George Rogers Show this morning. Yes, the former Heisman Trophy winner. The show should be available for a free podcast download on itunes or on the Internet later in the week. I will keep you posted with instructions if you want to listen.

It is great for football to be back. It was with pride and excitement that I dressed my kids up in their pink and green #5 Donovan McNabb jerseys on Sunday in anticipation of the Birds opener. The optimism that marks the beginning of the season is like an 8th grade boy at the school dance that thinks he has a chance with the cute girl. Little does he know that she is already dating a 10th grader who already drives a motorcycle. But for that moment before he asks her if she wants to dance, anything is possible. Here’s to hoping the Eagles are that 10th grader this season….

The beginning of football season is so exciting that I could not even pay attention to the Phillies game. This is the same Phillies team that is more likable than any since the ’93 bunch of renegades that went to the World Series. This is the same Phillies team that is theoretically still in the playoff hunt. This is the same Phillies team that boasts one of the best young arms in the game in Cole Hamels, and one of the truly up and coming stars in Chase Utley. This is the same Phillies team that boasts Ryan Howard, the man with the chance to be the first player since Roger Maris 45 years ago to legitimately hit for 60+ home runs in a season. Despite all that, I could not focus on Hamels taking on Dontrelle Willis. Not while the NFL was kicking off its first full slate of games of the season.

We are 6 years into the 21st century. We have figured out how to put a man on the moon, how to beam images into hundreds of millions of households around the world, and how to send emails to a cell phone. But somehow, the NFL cannot figure out how to implement a challenge system in which red handkerchiefs are not prominently involved. Not once, but twice this weekend teams (Dolphins and Cowboys) threw the challenge flag before the ball was snapped for the next platy but were not allowed to challenge the plays because the officials did not see it in time. It is pretty amusing that college seemks to have figured this out right away; have a guy in the booth reviewing every play as it happens, and if it is close, buzz the officials and have them review. It is easy to implement and has been proven to work on the college level. If the NFL could implement the USFL’s two point rule, surely they can swallow their pride and copy the NCAA on this one.

Another thing the NFL has to fix is this emphasis on making the game into touch football. Not only do they flag anyone who dares to touch the quarterback, but now they are calling unnecessary roughness flags when defenders are hitting receivers, and not even on helmet-to-helmet shots. The penalty they called on Shawn Taylor last night was just ridiculous. It’s football! That means a certain level of violence. Stop the madness; let them play. (Note here: I thought the Monday Night crew, who I am always quick to blast, especially Tirico and Theisman, handled this situation very well last night, with good insight, nice analysis and appropriate criticism of the league).

This Deion Branch trade just absolutely blows me out of the water. New England traded him to Seattle for a first round draft choice. In the meantime, Seattle gave him a new contract for something like 6 years, $39 million. This is a guy who, in his four full seasons in the league, has never caught as many as 80 passes, and has never had a 1,000 yard receiving season. In addition, he has never caught more than 5 touchdowns in a season, and averages a modest 12.9 yards per catch for his career. In contrast, Donte Stallworth has a few less career catches (201 vs. 213), more touchdowns (24 to 14) and a higher yards per catch average (14.4 vs. 12.9). The Eagles gave up a 4th round pick (that could become a 3rd), a linebacker that may or may not have made their team as a back up, and no $6.5 million per year contract. What is Seattle thinking? This is just a horrible trade. Belicheck must be laughing his ass off as he begins rooting for the Seahags to be as bad as they looked yesterday in barely beating the Motor City Kitties. Don’t get me wrong: Branch is a pretty good receiver who will help Seattle. But they "way" overpaid for him.

As long as we mentioned Stallworth, he outperformed my expectations, looking great in Week 1. I enjoyed the fact that the anti-T.O (#18 vs 81) was superior in performance, at least for a week. The Eagles, as a whole, looked very solid yesterday, although that tends to happen when you play triple-A level competition. The real test will come this week when a desperate (as desperate as a team can be after only one week) and very good New York Giant team comes into the Linc for the home opener.

Breaking down specifics, the Eagles lines, both offensive and defensive, looked very solid. Offensively, the running game looked great, you just want to see Andy Reid utilize it more often. Reid views running the football kind of like a root canal, it’s something he may have to do for his overall health, but he dreads it every step of the way. McNabb looked like he has no ill effects from his injury of a year ago, or his T.O. of a year ago. He threw well (with the exception of a couple of his famous worm burners), hit different receivers, and even showed some willingness to run when nothing was available. Again, if they can find a way to win this week, they have several winnable games lined up, so they could well be the talk of the league after 5 or 6 weeks.

As far as other teams that looked better than most expected, I thought the Giants, despite losing, showed that they can play with and beat anyone. In fact, if it weren’t for some horrible dropped interceptions and the usual questionable officiating that promises to haunt this league until they force their refs to become full-time officials, the Giants really should have walked away with a win. Manning just has too many weapons for this team not to score a ton of points, and the strength of their defensive line should be enough to keep their defense respectable. Their fellow Giant Stadium tenants, the J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS, looked better than expected (especially if you don’t count their brain fart for half the 4th quarter when they almost gave the game away). Chad Pennington looked great (Stitzer’s comment was that it is the BEST he has ever seen him play), and the defense looked strong for most of the game led by Vilma and Shaun Ellis. Too early to tell whether the Jets will be better than people think (thus validating Stitzer’s 8-8 pre-season prediction) or whether yesterday’s result was just because they played Tennessee. Finally, props go out to the St. Louis Rams, a team that everyone thought would be awful this year, and who handled Denver, a team that many people thought could go to the Super Bowl. The Scott Linehan era starts on a better note than the Mike Martz era ended on….

On the flip side, do you think the Atlanta Falcons General Manager from 1991, who has probably been unemployed ever since, was in a sports bar yesterday, telling someone “I knew this Favre kid was going to suck. Can you believe I got a first rounder for this guy?” Not much else to say, except that Favre has to be regretting his decision to come back and, as bad as Cleveland looked yesterday by losing at home to the dreadful Saints, is making my prediction of the Browns getting the first draft choice next year look dubious. I cannot see how they can possibly keep Aaron Rodgers out of the lineup for more than about 4 more weeks. Monday Night 10/2 in Philly may be the last start of Brett Favre’s career. Just remember, you heard it here first. Finally, Oakland last night, may have laid the biggest egg of all. Clearly, the Art Shell era, part deux, is not going to end well.

On the fantasy front, Frank Gore, Pennington, and Stallworth were the RB, QB, and WR that exceeded expectations by the most, while Shaun Alexander, Chris Chambers and Chris Simms/Jake Plummer had to be the biggest disappointments. Maybe Tampa Bay can bring Major Applewhite off the bench to rally the troops. It has worked before! "MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR........"

Friday, September 08, 2006

NFL. Birds Quick Preview, Division Predictions, College and Pro Picks Against the Spread

Sorry it is late and I have to be pretty quick, but I am swamped with trying to get the Win or Die pool ready to go.....

Hallelujah, the NFL season is underway. Pittsburgh is back to their old tricks, winning with a blitzing defense and just enough big plays from the offense. And it didn’t hurt that Miami’s coach throws like a girl. Saban has no one to blame but himself for not getting to challenge that Heath Miller touchdown last night. What was he waiting for? For my selections for both college and pro football, they are listed below.

As far as the Eagles go, I think they have a team that could be described similarly to Gay Focker’s stock portfolio: Strong to quite strong. The lines are both stocked, especially the defensive line which features two great pass rushers on the outside backed up by great depth, and some great young talent inside in Patterson and Bunkly. With the line in the shape that it is, you watch how fast Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard return to their All Pro form of two years ago. The only question on D is if the linebackers are stout enough to control the opponents running game and cover the backs and tight ends. Overall, the defense should be a pleasure to watch this year. Offensively, I look for McNabb to have a great year, with more weapons than he ever enjoyed in pre-TO days. By the way, I view Reggie Brown as the likely top threat at wide receiver, not Stallworth, who will be valuable in clearing coverage for the former Georgia Bulldog. This team has an amazingly easy schedule to start (Giants, Cowboys, Packers at home, Texans, 49ers, and Saints on the road to start), so 6-0 is not improbable, and anything less than 5-1 is simply unacceptable. The problem is the schedule at the end of the year is stacked, including three straight road games in December against all the divisional opponents. Because of the tough end of season schedule, I give the slight nod in the division to the Giants, who I think will see Eli Manning blossom this year. I am picking the Birds to win a wild card this year, which I view as the conservative selection. If things roll right, this team can very easily go to and win the Super Bowl. That is why they play the games….

As for my predictions of what will happen in the NFL this season, I predict the following:
AFC East: New England
AFC Central: Cincinnati
AFC South: Indy
AFC West: Denver
AFC Wild Card #1: Pittsburgh
AFC Wild Card #2: Baltimore

NFC East: NY Giants
NFC Central: Da Bears
NFC South: Carolina
NFC West: Seattle
NFC Wild Card #1: E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!
NFC Wild Card #2: Tampa Bay

Super Bowl: Cincinnati over NY Giants

First Draft Choice in 2007 Draft: Cleveland Browns
MVP: Carson Palmer
Comeback Player of the Year: Donovan McNabb

As for this weekend, here are my picks. I went 2-2 last weekend in college. (Note: My buddy Stephen Moss who you can find at the Moss report (link in links section to the right) is something like 14-4-1 so far in his college and pro picks. I suggest checking his cite out.

Duke (+19.5) at Wake Forest. Duke is not quite as bad as they looked against Richmond last week. They have some good, albeit young, players, who will compete after being embarrassed a week ago. Wake should not be giving this many points to a high school team. Wake wins, but by single digits.

Notre Dame (-8) versus Penn State. I think Notre Dame bounces back in a big way after a terrible performance in week 1. Vegas is begging you to play Joe Pa, don’t fall in the trap. Lay the lumber here.

Colorado (-1) versus Colorado State. Lubick’s club has been down the last couple years. Colorado is coming off a horrific performance, and their new coach will have them ready to go for this rivalry game this week. Look for the Buffs to win at home.

Ohio State (+2.5) at Texas. You have to give the nod to the team with experience at the quarterback, and that is Troy Smith and Ohio State. I also think Texas has the offense that will put point up at home against an inexperienced Buckeye defense, so go OVER the 50.5 as well.

South Carolina (+3) versus Georgia. The Shamecocks came within a two point conversion of taking their game last year in Athens to overtime, and I think Spurrie and his crew will get it done at home against a team that they will be fired up for. Georgia looked lethargic in their win last week between the hedges, so look for more of the same when they come up a team that is talented and wants it more than they do.

New Mexico St (+6) versus New Mexico. The Aggies have a great transfer quarterback that came with Hal Mumme. Look for them to upset the Lobos at home.

And in the NFL:

EAGLES (-4.5) at Houston. This is a mismatch; it’s just that Vegas has not figured it out yet. The Eagles defensive line will give David Carr fits. The Eagles will win this game by 14+.

Tampa (-3) versus Baltimore. Tampa has too much defensively for Baltimore’s offense, even with McNair, and Baltimore’s defense is not what it used to be.

New Orleans (+3.5) at Cleveland. Cleveland is going to horrible. Just you watch.

New York Giants (+3.5) versus Indy. The G-Men will win this game outright. Payton will take at least one nasty shot without having Edge back there to protect him.

Enjoy the games all weekend!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Stitzer's Take: 2006 JETS: THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF MANGINIUS?

Stitzer is back, and below is his somewhat objective (the analysis is solid and objective; in my opinion, the record may be a tad inflated, but that is why they play the games!!!!) take on the 2006 New York, J-E-T-S, JETS JETS JETS. My football preview, college and pro picks (2-2 in college in Week1), and some baseball commentary is still to come this week....
__________________________________________________

All you need to know about the 2005 JETS was the following: the 30 minute NFL Films recap of their season featured 8 minutes on their new coach for 2006 – in other words, they stunk. To clear the book on Herm, I think he did a credible job for 5 years. It featured 3 playoff appearances, and continued the recent success of the Parcells era (if success is measured in terms of going at least 8-8 – hey, we are talking about a team that has not BEEN to the Super Bowl since 1968). Herm was 39-41 – it took last year’s awful 4-12 to put him under .500. Herm and the team had every excuse in the book; 7 players, including the top 2 QBs and 60% of the OL went down with season-ending injuries. But you know what, that team still had more than 4-win talent. They lost four games in the last minute. During a horrid stretch that saw them go from 2-3 to 2-8, they fell down by 14+ points very early too many times. Both of those types of losses are directly related to coaching: game planning & in-game management. Those are of two of Herm’s weaknesses. I love how the media gave him credit all year because the players “did not quit on him.” Your job as coach is to get your personnel to play hard – you should not get extra credit for that. What the JETS will miss in Herm is a leader; a father figure who was a player himself and commanded the utmost respect. I still like Herm, I am not going to be a bitter past-poster who throws him under the bus. I knew his strengths; I knew his weaknesses. Lets move on to the new hire.

Mangini is four years younger than me. I can finally say “this KID has no idea what he is doing.” Hopefully, I am not saying that too much. Dils & I agreed that this was a good (what you must know about Dils & I, is that we follow each other’s team with a passion – mainly so we can have some good arguments!) hire for one reason: we would rather see an assistant from a successful organization given a shot than to roll out a re-tread with prior head coaching experience. No way did I want Haslett, Tice, or Martz coaching my team. Why? Because they had proven negative qualities. Give me a clean slate any day of the week. Using the old “if you cannot beat them, join them” strategy, Eric Mangini, and his 1-year of Defensive Coordinator Experience, was hired from New England. Very simply, the JETS are trying to duplicate NE’s success by using the same management components: a Scott Pioli type GM who is more of a numbers guy than a football guy; JETS promoted their assistant GM & Capologist, Mike Tannenbaum, to GM. The old GM Terry Bradway was demoted to director of player personnel – which is his background and strength – he is the “football guy.” Mangini, simply put, is supposed to be Bill Bellichick. Obviously, that is an impossibility, just as we try to think Bellichick is the second coming of Vince Lombardi, he is not. And Eric Mangini is not going to be another Bill Bellichick. You know why? What the hell is winning 3 Super Bowls in 4 years about? We want to win the Super Bowl EVERY year. All kidding aside, let Eric Mangini become Eric Mangini. The best thing Mangini brings to the table is an attitude and a philosophy. He was a part of a coaching staff that led a team to a 34-4 record and two Super Bowls over 2 years. Those teams simply won every game before it was ever played. They attacked you in ways that the opposition could never fathom, and they anticipated a good percentage of what their opposition was going to do them. That is straight from the Parcells/Bellichik company handbook, chapter 1: we will develop a game plan each week & each season depending on who we have on our team, and who we play. New England must have laughed at every 2nd & 10 we had from 2001-2004 when they knew a draw play was coming. NE ran the ball every play in a drive against us last December. Why? Because all year long stopping the run was a JETS weakness and Ellis & Robertson were injured. Forget about “scripting” the first 15 plays – attack your enemy’s biggest weakness until they prove they can stop it. Many people have already decided that Mangini might be a good HC someday, but they believe it will be down the road after another Def. Coord stint that he takes when he is fired after 3 or 4 years from the JETS. The logic behind this theory is that Bellichick was a failure during his first HC stint at Cleveland from 1991-1995. That is revisionist history. BB inherited an old team that the expectations were too high for because they lost 3 AFC title games from 1986 (thank you for roughing the QB Mark Gastineau – you moron) – 1989. BB re-built the team, got them to the playoffs in 1994, beat his buddy Parcells, and them lost to the Lloyd-Greene Steelers. But, what everyone remembers was BB’s handling of the Kosar-Vinny QB controversy. And, there is no question he made the right choice by giving job to Vinny. The same buffoons were writing that Bellichick “lost his locker room” after cutting Lawyer Milloy & losing to his new team 31-0 on opening day. NE only won 34 of its next 37 games. If Mangini fails as JETS HC it will have nothing to do with Bellichick’s Cleveland stint.

Lets look at the fellows who will be donning the green & white for Coach Mangini.

Mangini will be bringing the NE 3-4 defense to the swamps of Jersey – or so we think. The JETS do not have a Jim Burt, mid-80s Joe Klecko (it is a crime he is not in HOF), or Vince Wilfork to anchor the nose tackle position. Actually thought they might trade down from #4 to draft Ngoti from Oregon, and maybe they tried to, but this 3-4 is going to be a hybrid with many 4-3 characteristics. The NT position will be a rotation with Von Olhoefen & Robertson – with the other playing DE – depending on the down & situation. Sean Ellis has the strength & size to play the other DE, and his speed should allow to him to force Guards to give the OT help and allow the ILBs to make plays. Gone is John Abraham – one of the best speed rushers in the league, who stayed healthy in 2005, made game changing plays, and was not given his long-term deal that was verbally promised. Word has it that the NE staff thought he was too one-dimensional and too big of a weakness against the run. Abe also supposedly lacked the pass coverage skills to play OLB in the 3-4. The linebackers are the strength of this D. Jonathan Vilma is a stud. He is such a smart & instinctive player that he will easily transition from MLB to ILB. The fiery Eric Barton, another 2005 season-ending injury casualty, will move from a 4-3 OLB to 3-4 ILB. The OLBs will be converted DE Bryan Thomas & 4th year Michigan man Victor Hobson. In my opinion, they are the key to the D – they are the Tippetts, Llyods, Swillings – the guys who need to get to the QB. Of course, first we need to put teams in passing downs – many pundits are predicting the JETS to have a porous run D because of the aforementioned lack of a true NT. I do not think anyone can know how this front-7 will perform until the games start – everything is pure conjecture. The secondary should also be improved from last year. The loss of Ty Law is NOT a big loss. All of the people who keep writing “this is a D that lost 2 of their top 3 players” (Law & Abe, with Vilma being the 3rd) from last year just did not watch this team each week like I did – because I am a masochist. Law had an “Everson Walls” type Pro Bowl berth – gambled a lot and made some picks. He was of no help against the run, and committed at least 7 penalties that resulted in 1st downs for the offense – a few of those were illegal contacts on 3rd & long – killer penalties. Andre Dyson was signed from Seattle, and while he will probably not have 10 picks, he should be a better all around then Law was. David Barrett is the poster boy for JETS cornerbacks the last 40 years – he will give up too many big plays because he has to give too big a cushion and is susceptible to the pump fake – all of these guys would have been great on the ’85 Bears when they only had to cover for 1.2 seconds. Justin Miller is faster than Barrett, but is an enigma to the new staff because his mind is not where his body is. Miller needs to pull his head out of his buttocks and take this job from Barrett. Erik Coleman is solid at FS. Kerry Rhodes is a question at SS – he may have to act an extra LB early in games to try and make teams think twice about the run. This unit arguably has better athletes than the NE defenses Mangini coached the past few years – but that means squat. The incumbent players are transitioning from Donnie Henderson’s aggressive/swarming D to the more cerebral read/anticipate 3-4. The real key to the D might just be how long they are on the field each week. And that brings us to the Offense.

Say what you want about Chad Pennington, the guy seems to be someone you want in a bunker next to you – you just might not want him to be the guy to have to throw a grenade more than 50 yards! Yes, Chad has a weak arm relative to the norm for NFL QBs. Weak in the sense that he cannot zip a line drive 30 yards downfield on a frozen rope. This was a problem before his 2 rotator cuff surgeries the past 2 seasons. Everyone involved in the decision to bring back Chad back in December 2004 should take a long look at themselves in the mirror – including Chad. Sure, it’s “gutsy” and “gritty” and also dumb to risk your career. Last season, he clearly was not 100% because he was rushed back. He appears healthy this year, but he has never played 16 games. He is smart, he makes good decisions, but he gets forced into throwing INTs when he plays the elite defenses. Pennington is a tremendous at using the Play action fake – he relies on this a few times a game to deliver a 10-15 yard pass designed to hit the receiver in stride against the grain to try and produce a big play without throwing the ball 50+ yards in the air – not his game. Hopefully a healthy Chad means that the “telepathy” he had with Laverneus Coles in 2002 will return. Coles is a gamer, he sacrifices his body, he runs precise routes, he is tough for the smaller CBs to tackle, but I am just afraid that Defenses are going to take a lot of his intermediate routes away as they do not have to respect the deep ball. The #2 WR was taken from Justin Mcaerins by Jericho Cotchery. Cotchery is a lot like Coles in terms of size & speed. Despite averaging 16+ ypc last year, and seemingly the only deep threat on the roster, McCaerins has fallen out of favor by the new regime. Look for rookie, and former Mizzou QB, Brad Smith to be used on some Randall-el type gadget plays. TE once again belongs to Chris Baker – another injury casualty last year. In my opinion, they should have never traded for Doug Jolley last year – Baker can block and is a better all around player. He will now get a chance to prove it as Jolley can run 3 yard curls for Hackett & Chuckie in TB. The OL was a nightmare last year. Even when all were healthy the first weeks, they stunk. Then season ending to Mawae, the all pro, center, & leader was the back-breaker. It forced Kendall to move from Guard to Center, which weakened 2 positions and was the best thing to happen to Interior Lineman sack totals in years. That led to Mawae being let go (supposedly due to $), Fabini, who was just awful at OT last year, although he did play hurt, not being re-signed, and then what had better be the key draft picks for the next 10 years: LT D’brickashaw Ferguson drafted at #4 & C Nick Mangold drafted at #29 (the pick we got for Abe). Berman & Crew were praying for the usual JETS fans histrionics when Matt Leinart was not picked at #4, but they would get no such satisfaction. Why take Leinart, who arm strength had been questioned anyway, if you cannot block for him? See David Carr. Both rookies will start, with the savvy vet Kendall between them. The rooks will take their lumps, but by all accounts, they will be productive starters for many years. Brandon Moore, a solid run blocker mans RG, & RT goes to surprise starter Anthony Clement who beat out incumbent Adrian Jones. RT is big question mark. Looks like #28 the incomparable Curtis Martin is done. Tailback is a mess. Neither Blaylock, Barlow, or Houston is going to get yards on their own – they will all be a product of the blocking. Blaylock, though the smallest, is probably the best at hitting the hole the fastest. How big will the holes be? How many holes will there be?

Special Teams should be above average. Mike Westhoff’s units are always good KR units. Seems that our PR is still undecided. Kicking game is solid with Graham doing to punting and Nugent as the Kicker.

In all my years as someone who bleeds green & white, I have had less of a feel for what this team’s record will be. If you go by last year’s winning %, the JETS have an easy schedule – on paper. If there is one thing we know about the salary cap, free agency era is that bad teams can improve very quickly. And, every team on the JETS schedule is looking at the JET game and assuming it is a W. Last year, in keeping with the little known curse, we should have known the JETS would not be better than 8-8, let alone the 11-5 or 12-4 being predicted. The curse is as follows: since 1980, when a member of the national media picks the JETS to make the Super Bowl they fall flat on their face; with the most famous being Jimmy the Greek’s 1980 prognostication which led to a 4-12 year. 1983 = 7-9. 1999 = 8-8. 2005 = 4-12. Obviously 2006 is not a potential jinx year. I have seen comments ranging such as the JETS are one of the 3-wrost talented teams to this is the darkest of dark horses in the AFC as the D is loaded with athletes. My call is somewhere in the middle at 8-8. Lack of an NT, learning a new system, and lack of a big play offense are too many hurdles to overcome. I think the 8ws will be: Buff, Mia, Tenn, Det, Clev, Hous, GB, Oak. 8 Ls = NE *2, Buff, Mia, Indy, Jax, GB, Minn.

For what its worth, Seattle is my pick to win it all.

Nitz