Week 3's 5/5/&5
Week 3 definitely proved to be the hardest to predict so far, just as I predicted. Hehe...
I ended up 8-6 for the week, bringing the overall total to 30-16. That actually lowers my overall percentage but I'm confident that I'll bounce back. The one thing I was really proud of though was my improved score predicting. More on that later...
5 Things I Got Wrong
5. "Miami will look good this week." Wow, what a fuckin' waste it was for Miami to pick up Culpepper. I know they didn't have a quarterback before, but just think of all the money they'd have if they left this lop somewhere else. I guess he still has the skills but why is it taking him an ENTIRE offseason and AT LEAST three weeks to get comfortable in the offense? Terrible, absolutely terrible. This team still has a lot of weapons and a lot of potential but I will continue to be skeptical until they beat a couple big names. I figured they'd break out against the Titans and score 30 but they barely won the friggin' game, thank God for Olindo Mare. 13-10 against THAT team with all your weapons and your coach is just absurd.
4. "Buffalo has no offense." Yeah, they did play the Jets, but seriously, they had 150 yards on the ground from McGahee and over 320 yards in the air from Losman. I guess the Jets' defense is more to blame for the explosion but a team with NO offense surely wouldn't gain upwards of 500 yards against any team. Maybe the Bills can get going on offense and win a few more games. If they can keep some teams off the board and put up points, a .500 record is never out of reach. Keep an eye on their progress if you give a crap.
3. "Peyton has at least two INTs." Once again the big Manning brother proves me wrong. I don't know what it is, because I totally like the guy, I love watching him run the offense, and I would tell anyone that he's the best quarterback in the league. But for some reason I just keep picking against him. Maybe it's his playoff record. I don't know. Either way, the Jags forced him to beat him through the air (see Things I Got Right #3) and he DID. The bootleg was pretty nasty too. Peyton rules, that's all.
2. New York Giants 20 Seattle Seahawks 17. I even gave myself a scapegoat and said that the game could go both ways, but based on their performance, anyone who picked the Giants has to feel like an idiot. The Seahawks manhandled them all the way to the end there, despite the 27 point comeback. That was an utter RAPING and I'm sorry that I predicted it the other way. I'm actually beginning to wonder if the Giants are a good team and whether or not Coughlin can actually run a team in the NFL. Things are slipping apart in the NYG camp and they better get their heads on straight during the bye week if they want to make the playoffs. If records permit it, every one of the teams in the NFC East could end up 8-8. Shitty. I won't be voting for them much more.
1. "The Redskins won't even win this game." All right, it was an upset pick. And it was based on the TERRRRRRRRRRIBLE performances by Washington in the first two weeks and what I thought was "inspired" football from the Texans over the same span. Unfortunately I didn't predict Mark Brunell tying the league RECORD for most consecutive completions (22) and end up only having TWO (2) INCOMPLETIONS! Are you fuckin' kidding me? Where the hell did he pull that from? I think he paid Steve Young to suit up and wear his jersey. Heehe.... no seriously, all the credit to him and the 'Skins for getting back on track. The worst part? It was against the Texans and doesn't mean a damn thing. The Redskins are STILL overrated and STILL overhyped more than ANY other team EVERY year. Fuck Washington.
5 Things I Got Right
5. The 49ers. All right, all right, we got our asses beat by a SUPERIOR Eagles team. I had high hopes and they were dashed at the feet of Brian Westbrook and that big bastard who picked up a fumble and only scored because Vernon Davis broke his leg on the rundown. Here's the deal though: The Eagles called some seriously superior, big-time plays, including the very first one from scrimmage and that threw us off our game for sure. Going down by 7 two minutes into the game will seriously affect play-calling throughout. Anyway, when Frank Gore was at the 2 and fumbled and that big bastard rumbled all the way back down, that was a 14 point switch. (7 gone for us and 7 for them) Without that play happening and us going into the endzone, things could have ended up looking quite different. We only lost by 7. What I'm saying here is that we ARE a better team than people expect and should be getting some serious respect now. We play hard, tough, and smart... we just can't quite match up with teams the caliber of the Eag's. Niners will win this week. :D
4. Rams over Cardinals and that the Cardinals shouldn't have a bandwagon anymore. The Rams didn't do quite as much offensively as I expected but I knew they'd come into the new stadium and hand the Cards a loss. They did, I win, neener neener. Seriously though, does anyone still think Kurt Warner is any good? He can't even handle a snap. This is the same guy they starting calling "Joe Montana" when he won his first superbowl. FUCK ANYONE WHO EVER SAID SUCH A THING. FUCK THEM, DIE. Anyway, the Cardinals have no defense and are not running the ball, making Edge quite disappointed. They have a lot of work to do and may finish below the Niners in the NFC West. We're not losing to them at home. (Wow, I talk waaaay too much about the Niners huh? Too bad asshole, read somewhere else.) :D
(I'm just kidding)
3. The Jags will run the nickle and still stop the Colts running game. Well, I was SURELY right about this shit, even down to how they would play the entire game. Had they smartened up and watched Peyton on that bootleg, I might have actually gotten the prediction right. I think that detailed prediction (although the final was wrong) really shows you all what I know and how I apply direct football knowledge into my predictions. I guess I just had too much faith in the Jax offense. Did you see Maurice Drew though? Jones-Drew, sorry. GO BRUINS!
2. Bears/Minnesota. If you scroll down and read what I wrote about the game, it would be like looking into the future, except for the fact that it already happened. I really called this one, and I don't think there was a sentence that was even disputable. I can really call these teams so far, we'll see if the trend continues. The Vikes are a good team, the Bears are a good team, I bet the division winner isn't locked up until week 16 or 17.
1. SCORING IMPROVEMENT. I finally got a couple final scores right on the money. Cinci/Pit was off by 1 point, Chi/Min was off by 4 points, and GB/Det was off by 5 points. I also predicted the Saints exact final points, I just added a "1" to Atlanta's score that I shouldn't have. lol. The point is that I'm getting there and one of these days I'm gonna go 16-0 and get two scores exact. When that happens I'll start applying to Sportsbook.com. But either way, there is progress in picking scores... and that's the hardest thing to do in the NFL. Scouts INC just says every game will be 20-17. At least I have balls.
5 Random Observations
5. The NFL has had many offensive and defensive "mindstates," if you will, over the past few decades. In the 80's it was all about having a dynamic passing game, and that evolved into the West Coast Offense. Later, it became that you needed to run the ball all day to have a good passing game. Now, it is evolving into a, "Do What You're Best At On Offense," and run the no huddle as much as you can league.
When Peyton and Dungy rolled out the no-huddle, they demoralized defenses and still do to this day. Carson Palmer and Marvin Lewis caught on and now they run the same offense and are doing the same thing to defenses. Brady did it in the game the other day and so did the Giants and Seahawks. This offense is the future, until it changes of course. The "Do What You're Best At On Offense" has to do with teams not necessarily relying on more pass or more run. The successful teams DO WHAT WORKS. The Falcons (Monday Excluded) have brought back old-style running because they have weapons that can run all over you. The Colts have adopted a Pass-to-set-up-the-run offense because they don't have a prolific runner anymore. The Steelers still run the smash-mouth way and get it done a lot. It's funny how things work out and get adopted by everyone, but the biggest trend I'm seeing this year (because I predicted last year that the no-huddle would be the future) is that teams are going with their strength to set up other facets and not sticking to old-fashioned gameplans. The game is much more adaptable and on-the-fly. I dig.
4. The Patriots are bunk. So much for the dynasty... it's over with. Belichick still has the smarts but they keep letting names get away and it's going to hurt them. New England looked completely outmatched against a Denver team that was and is still struggling to find itself. The Patriots will be a tough team to beat every week but they're no longer a playoff lock. I wonder if they'll even make it this year. Brady is great, but he needs weapons. Corey Dillon WAS great, but he's fading... luckily they have a future RB but they need to make some improvements quick.
3. Carolina has a good defense? What the hell happened to that? The Bucs hadn't scored a touchdown coming in and ended up almost winning and putting up 24 points with a quarterback that had no spleen! Who knows what to expect from this team now? Well, I expect the defense to be motivated by the win and motivated by the fact that their offense actually scored 26 points. They'll get back on track but Jesus man, everyone expected shutouts.. not shootouts.
2. The Bears are overrated. I said it all year last year and I'm gonna say it again. They have a great defense, maybe the BEST defense, but they just don't have it together on offense. Grossman has looked better but he's still no stud. They still haven't found much on the ground and Thomas Jones is coming off a career year. The worst part for Bears fans, my Dad included, is that they are going to most likely win the division and end up with a bye week in the playoffs and then lose. Why do you build me up, build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down?
1. Homefield advantage still exists. I don't think the Bengals would have had a chance to beat the Saints in that game on Monday. Everyone in the nation was rooting for the Saints to win and they surely knew it. A blocked punt in an NFL game? For a TD? When was the last time that happened? A blocked field goal in the same game? THAT is some INSPIRED football. I'm glad for them too. New Orleans needed it and everyone has to be happy with the way things are going in the football camp. That was an impressive victory and surely based on the stadium and everyone being emotionally sprung. Congrats New Orlineans, now go rebuild your houses.
Predictions to come Friday or Saturday.
:D
I ended up 8-6 for the week, bringing the overall total to 30-16. That actually lowers my overall percentage but I'm confident that I'll bounce back. The one thing I was really proud of though was my improved score predicting. More on that later...
5 Things I Got Wrong
5. "Miami will look good this week." Wow, what a fuckin' waste it was for Miami to pick up Culpepper. I know they didn't have a quarterback before, but just think of all the money they'd have if they left this lop somewhere else. I guess he still has the skills but why is it taking him an ENTIRE offseason and AT LEAST three weeks to get comfortable in the offense? Terrible, absolutely terrible. This team still has a lot of weapons and a lot of potential but I will continue to be skeptical until they beat a couple big names. I figured they'd break out against the Titans and score 30 but they barely won the friggin' game, thank God for Olindo Mare. 13-10 against THAT team with all your weapons and your coach is just absurd.
4. "Buffalo has no offense." Yeah, they did play the Jets, but seriously, they had 150 yards on the ground from McGahee and over 320 yards in the air from Losman. I guess the Jets' defense is more to blame for the explosion but a team with NO offense surely wouldn't gain upwards of 500 yards against any team. Maybe the Bills can get going on offense and win a few more games. If they can keep some teams off the board and put up points, a .500 record is never out of reach. Keep an eye on their progress if you give a crap.
3. "Peyton has at least two INTs." Once again the big Manning brother proves me wrong. I don't know what it is, because I totally like the guy, I love watching him run the offense, and I would tell anyone that he's the best quarterback in the league. But for some reason I just keep picking against him. Maybe it's his playoff record. I don't know. Either way, the Jags forced him to beat him through the air (see Things I Got Right #3) and he DID. The bootleg was pretty nasty too. Peyton rules, that's all.
2. New York Giants 20 Seattle Seahawks 17. I even gave myself a scapegoat and said that the game could go both ways, but based on their performance, anyone who picked the Giants has to feel like an idiot. The Seahawks manhandled them all the way to the end there, despite the 27 point comeback. That was an utter RAPING and I'm sorry that I predicted it the other way. I'm actually beginning to wonder if the Giants are a good team and whether or not Coughlin can actually run a team in the NFL. Things are slipping apart in the NYG camp and they better get their heads on straight during the bye week if they want to make the playoffs. If records permit it, every one of the teams in the NFC East could end up 8-8. Shitty. I won't be voting for them much more.
1. "The Redskins won't even win this game." All right, it was an upset pick. And it was based on the TERRRRRRRRRRIBLE performances by Washington in the first two weeks and what I thought was "inspired" football from the Texans over the same span. Unfortunately I didn't predict Mark Brunell tying the league RECORD for most consecutive completions (22) and end up only having TWO (2) INCOMPLETIONS! Are you fuckin' kidding me? Where the hell did he pull that from? I think he paid Steve Young to suit up and wear his jersey. Heehe.... no seriously, all the credit to him and the 'Skins for getting back on track. The worst part? It was against the Texans and doesn't mean a damn thing. The Redskins are STILL overrated and STILL overhyped more than ANY other team EVERY year. Fuck Washington.
5 Things I Got Right
5. The 49ers. All right, all right, we got our asses beat by a SUPERIOR Eagles team. I had high hopes and they were dashed at the feet of Brian Westbrook and that big bastard who picked up a fumble and only scored because Vernon Davis broke his leg on the rundown. Here's the deal though: The Eagles called some seriously superior, big-time plays, including the very first one from scrimmage and that threw us off our game for sure. Going down by 7 two minutes into the game will seriously affect play-calling throughout. Anyway, when Frank Gore was at the 2 and fumbled and that big bastard rumbled all the way back down, that was a 14 point switch. (7 gone for us and 7 for them) Without that play happening and us going into the endzone, things could have ended up looking quite different. We only lost by 7. What I'm saying here is that we ARE a better team than people expect and should be getting some serious respect now. We play hard, tough, and smart... we just can't quite match up with teams the caliber of the Eag's. Niners will win this week. :D
4. Rams over Cardinals and that the Cardinals shouldn't have a bandwagon anymore. The Rams didn't do quite as much offensively as I expected but I knew they'd come into the new stadium and hand the Cards a loss. They did, I win, neener neener. Seriously though, does anyone still think Kurt Warner is any good? He can't even handle a snap. This is the same guy they starting calling "Joe Montana" when he won his first superbowl. FUCK ANYONE WHO EVER SAID SUCH A THING. FUCK THEM, DIE. Anyway, the Cardinals have no defense and are not running the ball, making Edge quite disappointed. They have a lot of work to do and may finish below the Niners in the NFC West. We're not losing to them at home. (Wow, I talk waaaay too much about the Niners huh? Too bad asshole, read somewhere else.) :D
(I'm just kidding)
3. The Jags will run the nickle and still stop the Colts running game. Well, I was SURELY right about this shit, even down to how they would play the entire game. Had they smartened up and watched Peyton on that bootleg, I might have actually gotten the prediction right. I think that detailed prediction (although the final was wrong) really shows you all what I know and how I apply direct football knowledge into my predictions. I guess I just had too much faith in the Jax offense. Did you see Maurice Drew though? Jones-Drew, sorry. GO BRUINS!
2. Bears/Minnesota. If you scroll down and read what I wrote about the game, it would be like looking into the future, except for the fact that it already happened. I really called this one, and I don't think there was a sentence that was even disputable. I can really call these teams so far, we'll see if the trend continues. The Vikes are a good team, the Bears are a good team, I bet the division winner isn't locked up until week 16 or 17.
1. SCORING IMPROVEMENT. I finally got a couple final scores right on the money. Cinci/Pit was off by 1 point, Chi/Min was off by 4 points, and GB/Det was off by 5 points. I also predicted the Saints exact final points, I just added a "1" to Atlanta's score that I shouldn't have. lol. The point is that I'm getting there and one of these days I'm gonna go 16-0 and get two scores exact. When that happens I'll start applying to Sportsbook.com. But either way, there is progress in picking scores... and that's the hardest thing to do in the NFL. Scouts INC just says every game will be 20-17. At least I have balls.
5 Random Observations
5. The NFL has had many offensive and defensive "mindstates," if you will, over the past few decades. In the 80's it was all about having a dynamic passing game, and that evolved into the West Coast Offense. Later, it became that you needed to run the ball all day to have a good passing game. Now, it is evolving into a, "Do What You're Best At On Offense," and run the no huddle as much as you can league.
When Peyton and Dungy rolled out the no-huddle, they demoralized defenses and still do to this day. Carson Palmer and Marvin Lewis caught on and now they run the same offense and are doing the same thing to defenses. Brady did it in the game the other day and so did the Giants and Seahawks. This offense is the future, until it changes of course. The "Do What You're Best At On Offense" has to do with teams not necessarily relying on more pass or more run. The successful teams DO WHAT WORKS. The Falcons (Monday Excluded) have brought back old-style running because they have weapons that can run all over you. The Colts have adopted a Pass-to-set-up-the-run offense because they don't have a prolific runner anymore. The Steelers still run the smash-mouth way and get it done a lot. It's funny how things work out and get adopted by everyone, but the biggest trend I'm seeing this year (because I predicted last year that the no-huddle would be the future) is that teams are going with their strength to set up other facets and not sticking to old-fashioned gameplans. The game is much more adaptable and on-the-fly. I dig.
4. The Patriots are bunk. So much for the dynasty... it's over with. Belichick still has the smarts but they keep letting names get away and it's going to hurt them. New England looked completely outmatched against a Denver team that was and is still struggling to find itself. The Patriots will be a tough team to beat every week but they're no longer a playoff lock. I wonder if they'll even make it this year. Brady is great, but he needs weapons. Corey Dillon WAS great, but he's fading... luckily they have a future RB but they need to make some improvements quick.
3. Carolina has a good defense? What the hell happened to that? The Bucs hadn't scored a touchdown coming in and ended up almost winning and putting up 24 points with a quarterback that had no spleen! Who knows what to expect from this team now? Well, I expect the defense to be motivated by the win and motivated by the fact that their offense actually scored 26 points. They'll get back on track but Jesus man, everyone expected shutouts.. not shootouts.
2. The Bears are overrated. I said it all year last year and I'm gonna say it again. They have a great defense, maybe the BEST defense, but they just don't have it together on offense. Grossman has looked better but he's still no stud. They still haven't found much on the ground and Thomas Jones is coming off a career year. The worst part for Bears fans, my Dad included, is that they are going to most likely win the division and end up with a bye week in the playoffs and then lose. Why do you build me up, build me up, buttercup baby, just to let me down?
1. Homefield advantage still exists. I don't think the Bengals would have had a chance to beat the Saints in that game on Monday. Everyone in the nation was rooting for the Saints to win and they surely knew it. A blocked punt in an NFL game? For a TD? When was the last time that happened? A blocked field goal in the same game? THAT is some INSPIRED football. I'm glad for them too. New Orleans needed it and everyone has to be happy with the way things are going in the football camp. That was an impressive victory and surely based on the stadium and everyone being emotionally sprung. Congrats New Orlineans, now go rebuild your houses.
Predictions to come Friday or Saturday.
:D
posted by Travis at 4:27 PM
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