Twas The Night Before Christmas...

Hey, Good Morning!

Well, week 14, Badgergil did break through and win a week. Nice job man! New England, getting all over Houston for you there....

Is it time to start worrying about Houston?? Maybe...

Week 15, The Florida Boys won again. Two wins. Congrats! And the Big Headed Holy Rollers have 3 wins. Hmm. The Florida sunshine must be good for their picks...

Week 16, KathB4 wins a tiebreaker. Nice job, congrats! The Seattle Seahawks, getting all over the vaunted 49ers... Big tiebreaker number. Seahawks are rolling. I suppose the 49ers should take some solace.... they kept Seattle under 50, and score 14 points of their own, which is a helluva lot more than recent Seahawk opponents have managed....

Cheerleader Update:

Cowboys Cheerleaders showing some Christmas Spirit.... and despite that pathetic loss, they could still get in the playoffs.... I may need to stop watching these Cowboys games... the emotional rollercoaster is killing me. The Packer game was more my style. Whuppp up on someone, end the suspense...

Jets flight crew, celebrating Christmas... Jets managed to beat Jacksonville. Allegedly, according to anonymous sources, Tebow will be a Jacksonville Jaguar next year. (shaking my head) What the entire nation has known for a year, Jacksonville finally figured out. Maybe they oughtta go get Tebow... Ya think?? Really??

Colts Cheerleaders, in blue santa outfits.... Another win for the Colts. This is probably what drives Lions fans and Bills fans crazy. Indy went from an absurd 2 win team last year, to a legitimate playoff team. So, it is possible to turn your team around.

Have a Merry Christmas. Best wishes to you & your families.

1 more week. These seasons, they seem to fly by, don't they?

Big Showdown

Hey, good evening!

I finally had to just put all the other emergencies aside, and get straight to this. Seems to be an ongoing problem, getting sidetracked on other things....

First off, The Big Headed Holy Rollers did end up being perfect in Week 11. Unbelieveable. Two perfect papers in one season. Kind of insane. Nice job man!

Week 12, we had Erin07 breaking through for a win. It was over Sunday afternoon, before the Packers went down to the hated Giants. Even Football Outsiders don't keep stats on dropped interceptions, but Eli MUST be the all time leader....

Week 13, Air Myles!!! He beat me fair and square, what can I say. The only game that really would have helped me was Oakland. I have bad news for Oakland haters: Carson Palmer is getting the job done. His young and pathetic receiving corps is dropping EVERYTHING. They must dunk their hands in butter before the games. Unbelievable. You'd think the coaches would tell them to stop doing that.... Ball, after ball, right in the hands, dropped dropped dropped...

That brings us to tonight. Tonight is kind of wide open. Badgergil, Smitty201, and Sears could all win. Real good game, too. Possible AFC Championship preview. Should be a good one. I'm sure I'll stay awake for at least the first quarter....

Smitty201 is quietly on a roll lately... I see you over there. I see you.

Larry Fitzgerald's Father says the Cardinals have quit. Do ya think? A 58-0 loss??? Ugh. Sour. Cardinals have just signed Brian Hoyer off waivers... another Quarterback for their musical quarterbacks act... Some of you might remember Hoyer as a pretty decent Michigan State Spartans QB.... Was signed by the Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Released in August of 2012.

A report has been floated that Jon Gruden is in talks to rejoin the Raiders. I have continually heard that he's the next Cowboys head coach... Who knows.

Feels like there's a lotta coaches on the hot seat. Could we see ten opeings this offseason?? We might. Cards, Chargers, Panthers, KC, Philly, Buffalo, Cleveland... those seem like locks. Then we move into the Cowboys, Jacksonville, Detroit area of maybe's... Leslie Frazier of the Vikings got the big vote of confidence earlier today... How are the Vikings not signing Hoyer, or somebody??? Ponder is regressing. I like the guy, but he is regressing. Adrian Peterson is setting the world on fire, and you're barely above .500??? Ugh. Is AP going to end up as Barry Sanders 2.0???

btw, if you're not watching "A Football Life" on the NFL Network, you should be. Also, 30 for 30 had a great piece on Bo Jackson. Brought back a lot of memories.

Cheerleader Update:

Vikings Cheerleaders were fired up about a home win over the Bears... Ardita must have spiked mhy Jack Daniels with something, I picked the Bears again... what was I thinking?!?!? Maybe my amusement with the Smokin Jay Cutler website is screwing up my brain....

Seahawks Cheerleaders have had plenty to cheer about... 58-0, that'll wear out your cheerleaders....

And finally, instead of going off on a 10,000 word rant that'll just upset me anyways, let me try and express my feelings about Mr. Bob Costas nonverbally:

Hey Bob?? Keep your factually incorrect gun-grabbing opinions out of my Football broadcasts, okay??? Okay.

Three more weeks, people. Only 3. Good luck!

Stinging in the rain...

Hey, good evening.

First off, Week 10: Phanatic Philly Phan! Congrats!

Tough to be an Eagles fan right now... yikes. He's going to need to increase his dosage, I fear...

Philly Phan Lost his starting QB, (and that might not be a bad thing, depending on who you ask), His coach probably signed his own death warrant, and he lost to the hated Cowboys. but he DID win the week in the pool! So he's got THAT going for him....

Obvious officiating Blunder, week 10

San Fran and the Rams. Over 1 and a half minutes is mysteriously run off the clock?? And it can't be put back? Huh? And as the game wound down, there were numerous bizarre clock machinations. the announcers totally ignored it of course, but both coaches spent the 4th quarter screaming about the resetting of the play clock, one way or the other...

Pathetic. Remind me again, when are the real officials coming back?? Were these guys fired from the lingerie football league?? What gives??

Hold on, I'm getting a text from an intern here... Those apparently WERE the real officials. Hard to believe. Seriously.

Week 11: Big Headed Holy Rollers win again! 3 wins??? This is getting ridiculous. And, they have a chance at perfection tonight. Unreal. Nice job.

Obvious Officiating Blunder, week 11

Dallas Texas. Notorious blowhard Ed Hochuli goes under the hood, reviews the play, then comes back onto the field to announce that the play stands as called, and that the play is not reviewable. Huh?? You just reviewed it.... It's not reviewable? Uhhh, so why were you reviewing it??? Just wondering...

Truly pathetic. When do the real officials come back?? These ARE the real officials??? Why don't I believe you??? We were screaming to have these guys back, eh??? How's that working out???

Cheerleader Update

Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders showing some military pride. God bless our military, thank you for all you do, we love you, we support you, we are with you. The freedoms we enjoy are because of you. Thank you.

Smokin Jay Cutler is out. Campbell is in. Bears are down 17 to nuthin. Packer Nation is loving this, needless to say. And for once, it won't be Jay Cutler's fault... Strange. Who will the rabid dogs in the Chicago media blame for this one?? Will they finally cast a wayward eye at Lovie Smith???

Naaah. It's probably all Tim Tebow's fault, somehow, some way... The beauty of Tebow right now is, his value might be even higher than it was last year. The Jets have so horribly misused him, who knows?? It's not like he got a chance, and stunk. He's been very carefully placed into perfect positions where he can only fail. Rex, while you're not too busy filming foot fetish videos for Youtube, remind us again why you traded for this guy??? and why don't you trade him now?? Obviously, there's no plan whatsoever to use him in any way that might help your football team...

Jerry Jones was having quite a conversation with Mike Holmgren prior to the game... Next Cowboys head coach?? Sean Payton?? Mystery candidate?

(Watching Jerry doing things lately, he'll give Jason Garrett a ten-year guaranteed extension...)

Good Luck! On behalf of KathB4 and myself, best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving! Have fun and be safe! Thaw that Turkey before you throw it in the deep fryer. And for Pete's sake, don't set the fryer up in the living room.

Upset Specials

Hey, good evening...

Week 9: The Big Headed Holy Rollers! The second win of the season! Nice job. Nice. The Tampa Bay Pick was a thing of beauty.

Doug Martin. He's a beast! And he's wearing Emmitt Smith's number, which can't be all bad. These Bucs are starting to roll...

Absurdly Bad Call Of The Week

Yeah, it's a feature now. Ben Roethlisberger drops back to pass. His arm is hit, he throws the ball forward, ball falls very short... And is ruled a fumble?!?!?! Huh?? It's supposed to be ruled a fumble if the pass attempt involves "the empty hand going forward."

Let's go to the Rule book. The rules of football state: "When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball."

So there. Incomplete. Clearly incomplete. So why were the Giants allowed to pick up the ball and run 70 yeards for a score??? Why did the Zebras treat this is a fumble???

I'm telling you right now, it's time to bring back the real officials.... Hold on, I'm being handed a note from an intern here.... Those WERE the real officials?!?!? Wow. Nice. Yeeesh. SOOO lucky we have the "real" officials back....

The Steelers winning the game defused any controversy that may have ensued, but still, that's pathetic....

Vote Of Confidence History

Regular readers have by now become familiar with my adage that When a Head Coach receives "the dreaded vote of confidence" from the owner or General Manager, his days are numbered....

Vote of confidence history was made this weekend.... Friday evening, The Buss family gave the dreaded "vote of confidence" to Lakers coach Mike Brown. Their presser stated that they felt he needed "more time". Saturday morning, when I awaken, the press release is already out that Mike Brown has been fired. That's a new land speed record, to go from vote of confidence to Fired. I guess more time meant 8 or 9 hours.... Whew!

This week, we have an intriguing contest: Dallas at Philadelphia. Could be the ultimate "loser gets fired" sort of game. Andy Reid and Jason Garrett both have to be on a hot seat, don't they??? I like how the pundit-ocracy out there is billing this as a game between two teams "trying to keep their playoff hopes alive". Uh, really?? both of these teams are DOA, I hate to break that to you. I don't see either team in the Playoffs, unless something truly dramatic happened. This delusion apparently permeates both locker rooms as well, as both Head Coaches have made numerous comments this week to the effect that "If we can just get on a roll, and string together some wins..." Uh, fellas, you'd need to finish 7-1 the rest of the way to have any shot. Not happening. I have nothing against Andy Reid per se, but his body language has really gone out the window. He looks like a guy who really doesn't want to be on the sidelines anymore....

Speaking of body language, have you guys (and girls) checked out the "Smokin Jay Cutler" website?? It's awesome.

http://smokinjaycutler.tumblr.com/

Check that out. In a bizarre coincidence that only Ardita can appreciate, Smokin Jay is undefeated since the site went up.

Hey, good luck this week!

More of the Same??

Hey, how are ya!

I know, it's been awhile. I've been busy. Real Busy.

Let's catch up on a few things here first...

Week 5: Congrats to MONJON!!! Yep. A returning player, returns to glory and wins the week. Nice job.

Week 6: The Florida Boys!! Congrats! It was over Sunday at about 4PM Eastern, it was such a crushingly dominant performance.

Week 7: Patrick686!! I achieved perfection!!! I was shocked. And I needed it, too, there was like 4 or 5 people with one wrong.... I'm watching Monday Night Football, thinking if I'm not perfect, 1 wrong is going to lose it for me.

Perfection:
the quality or state of being perfect: as. a : freedom from fault or defect : flawlessness.

Yep. That was me. For one shining moment, anyways... I don't quite remember the last perfect paper. It's been awhile. It's rare.

Week 8: Back to Reality. I had a shot, but it wasn't good enough. Leo Woods came through!!! Congrats, buddy! You deserved it. That Cowboys pick may have done me in.

(Editors note: You think?!?!?)

(Patrick Retort: If Dez Bryant wasn't such an idiot, The Cowboys win that game...)

I'm taking a deep breath... I'm letting it out. Take a deep breath... Let it go. Just let that Cowboys game go..... And, I feel better. I'm fine. Really.

That brings us to week 9....

Story lines that have been beaten to death:

Tebow is getting Traded! the breathless headlines read, week after week. This morning the Haguars DENIED they are interested in Tim Tebow. Yeah. Stay tuned. He's totally wasted in new York anyway. He comes in for 2 plays a game, fakes a handoff, and runs straight up the middle for a 1 yard gain. Very creative. Way to take advantage of his skills, fellas. didn't Don Shula once say, you have to put your players in positions where they can make plays?? If that's all you think he's good for Rex, then yeah, trade him....

Vick is getting Benched! Sure he is. This morning, for the 4th week in a row, Andy Reid stated at his presser that "Michael Vick is our starting Quarterback." Okay. Since everybody is getting fired after the season anyway, why not try Foles?? Or, you're afraid he'll get killed behind your sub-par offensive line? That could be a legitimate concern...

I could have written those up every week for the last 4 weeks, it wouldn't have mattered....

Cheerleader Update: Cheerleaders who have nothing to cheer about:

Yep. The Cowboys and the Eagles. It doesn't look good.

This week doesn't look any easier. Does it strike anyone else how bad the Thursday night slate has been??? KC at San Diego. Two teams in complete free fall. The offensive powerhouse Chargers managed 2 field goals last week, and lost 7-6. Ugh!! Brutal. The resurgent Dolphins, at Indy. Hmmm. Minnesota at Seattle. Pittsburgh at The Giants. It's starting to feel like, however you slice it, you're going to have 9 points on a game you really want no part of....

So who gets fired first?? Ron Rivera? Very deserving. Andy Reid?? Naaah, probably survives the year. Norv Turner? Didn't he get fired at the end of last year??? No? I have to throw Jason Garrett on the list. Chan Gailey? Yeah, you may as well hold off on that mortgage payment...

I guess we'll see!

Get your picks in, and good luck!

Adventures in Officiating, part 171

Hey, howzit going???

Lemme tell you how it's going. My heat went on this morning at 5:05 AM. Yep. Not a good sign.... Fall is slouching into winter here in the upper midwest....

First off, congrats to BIG HEADED HOLY ROLLERS!!! It was going to be a tiebreaker either way, actually, but they came through. 52 points scored. Mostly by the Bears... Ugh.

Highz must have been amused, to see Gene Steratore, The Italian Stallion, come out to officiate the Thursday night game.... heh heh! Didn't take long to blow a call, either. That "interfering with the fair catch" job they called, #1, he was BLOCKED INTO the receiver, which means no penalty, and #2, he was blocked IN THE FRICKIN' BACK into the receiver, which means block in the back penalty on the receiving team....

Lucky we got those real officials back.... Yipes.

(Actually, I like Steratore... He's better than many of them...)

They did do a great job in that Packer game though, didn't they??? Oh wait, no, they didn't, we got jobbed on several occasions, and were lucky to escape with a win.... Hmmmm. Oh well. At least they are the "real" officials, I guess???? I dunno what to say anymore... I may have to start a "worst call of the week" feature... Sounds like a lot of work though, I'm going to have to watch hours of tape to filter through the bad calls....

Cheerleader Update

This is Kinzie, of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. A rookie this year! Hey, how about that. Yeah, not much to cheer about in the second half of that Bears game... Yikes.

Note to Jerry Jones: Jerry, look, I love your passion, I love your energy.... But this running the team yourself deal, with your son as General Manager, is not working. Andrew Brandt is sitting around writing blog posts. Hire him, give him a big corner office, and put him in charge. Let him hire a new Head Coach, Scouts, everything. You go sit in your owners box and have your son in law clean your glasses.... Okay? Okay, good. Glad we got that straight.

Seriously, I'm starting to hope Romo gets traded to the Eagles, and they win 3 Super Bowls... One can only wonder what Romo could do with proper coaching, both of himself and of his teammates.... Dez Bryant, yeesh. I've seen enough. Brutal.

Thursday, no believers in the Rams?? Well, a few, but still, I didn't think I'd be leading after Thursday.... It became apparent in the first half that "Oh yeah, this is Kevin Kolb, yeah, I remember this guy..."

Kurt Warner was in the stadium, as part of the NFL Network coverage. He was introduced prior to the game, and apparently got quite a standing O. As well he should. Actually, both the Rams and the Cardinals achieved their highest apex of glory with Warner behind center...

Feels like it's been a year or so since The Packers came on at noon Central... This'll be strange. Clay matthews can welcome Andrew Luck to the National Football League... Heh heh!

Any video gamers out there?? I finished Grand Theft Auto 4. Very nice. I was trying to get through it in time for the November release of Grand Theft Auto 5, but that's not happening. Quiet but persistent rumors of an XBox 720, for a release in 2013, and supposedly GTA5 is going to be a launch title for the new system... We'll see.

That has to go in my all time favorites, I think. Obviously there is Halo, that whole series, but in particular 1 and 3 were truly special.... Red Dead Redemption is a true delight... And GTA 4 was really fun. Not what I thought it would be, really, but very nice.

(Non gamers are saying 'what the hell is he babbling about?!?!?!")

Did you guys see that 30 for 30 is back on ESPN?? They just did one called "Broke". Very nice. Difficult to watch in spots, but well done. Put that in your DVR, 30 for 30, 1602 on your AT&T U-Verse... Also, "A Football Life" on NFL network is generally worth your time. They had one on, "The 5 faces of Tim Tebow", 5 former players commenting on Tim... Very well done. Very compelling. Doug Flutie was one of the guys, who obviously, throughout his career was constantly branded with the "he can't play in this league" label, despite his college heroics, and 5 Grey Cup championships in the CFL... Put that in your DVR too. Very nice show.

(Every time he reads the name "Tebow", I know one of the Florida Boys gets all red in the face, and his dog goes and hides...Heh heh! I'm not kidding, there's real hatred there... Where to me, The Great Cam Newton should be plowing his paychecks into Vanguard Bond Funds every week... One of these days, someone is going to watch him play, and realize he can't play, and then the checks will stop...)

Alright! Another full slate tomorrow! Get your popcorn, set your alarm, we gotta be up at noon! I know, it's crazy, right??

Adventures in Officiating, Part 168...

Hey!

Well, first off, congrats to HALFTAG!!!

It must have given him mixed feelings, rooting against the Packers... And he probably didn't want to win it like this, but he won it fair and square.

Halftag has to give me half his winnings, because he's a new guy. didn't I explain that before?? I guess I should have. Sorry, my bad.

(Kidding...)

Just saw this story:

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- A Las Vegas casino took an unusual step Wednesday and offered refunds to gamblers who lost money when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial touchdown at the end of Monday night's game.

Derek Stevens, owner The D Las Vegas, seized on the attention being paid to the much-derided decision by replacement officials handling the NFL game and became the only casino in Las Vegas to offer refunds.

"I know exactly how it would feel if I was laying the number and I saw what happened," Stevens said. He declared himself "disgusted" with the ruling and said he just couldn't accept the outcome.

I'm back. You may be more familiar with Fitzgerald's Casino in Las Vegas. Which is now "The D", undergoing remodeling by the new owners.

Cheerleader Update:

The Eagles, and especially Mike Vick, are turning the ball over a lot. The Eagles cheerleaders will be well rested.

Andy Reid gave Vick the dreaded vote of confidence Monday, declaring that "Michael Vick is our quarterback." Expect to see Nick Foles in a couple of weeks...

Well, I've been reading your emails... Thanks for those, by the way. How will I defend the Refs this week, and the like....

If you re-read the last post, you will see that I was not defending these replacement referees. No. I was merely pointing out that the "real" Officials were never perfect either. Raider fans haven't forgotten about the Tuck Rule call... those were "real" officials... Look, I love Tom Brady, it's no secret... But that call was wrong.

But it didn't close the game, either. Adam Vinatieri still had to make a long field goal through a driving snowstorm... The linemen on that play claimed you could not see the goal posts at all, he was just kicking blindly into a blizzard...

Now, Patriot Fans and Packer fans have some legitimate beefs, after last weekend. Tru Dat. No argument. And if anything, I'm particularly disturbed by how they're getting worse each passing week. That's troubling... these officials are not good. I never said they were.

This Packer game is particularly aggregious, since it literally decided the game. What are the odds that the only people in the nation who watched the replay and didn't see what happened were actually the officials in the game?? It's quite unbelievable.

Actually, some football theorists have debated for years, under what circumstances it might be appropriate for the league to overturn the result of a game.

(And why were they doing that, pray tell?? Because the regular officials screw up all the time!!! That's my point!)

This Packer game actually fits the bill for the most lucid of cases. Time expiring, last play of the game, action taking place on a scoring play, the score actually deciding the game one way or another. Literally the last play of the game. In that case, it would probably be appropriate, given the video evidence, for the league to overturn the call and declare the Packers the winners.

Not that they're going to, clearly they won't, but, it does represent the "theoretical" perfect scenario in which one might expect the league to overturn the result, to protect the integrity of the sport as a whole.... It rarely happens like that. It's an interesting "pure" example of a game that deserved to be overturned.

Really, Aaron Rodgers is right. I heard him tonight on Sportscenter, he said it's time to look in the mirror and see what went wrong, and that the offiense had to play better. If I told you we would fly out to Seattle and score 12 points, you wouldn't like our chances to win, would you?? No, I wouldn't either. 2 field goals, a 4th quarter TD, and a missed 2-point try. Not exactly what we expect from the reigning MZVP of the National Football League. 8 sacks??? Not what I would expect from a professional Offensive Line.

Your joy with the real officials will evaporate completely, however, at the first phantom PI call on Charles Woodson... Just sayin'. It will turn totally to hate after someone hits Aaron Rodgers on a helmet-to-helmet job, and not only will the defender not be ejected, as he should be, they won't even throw the flag. Prepare yourselves...

I'm not sure we shouldn't be wondering if the fix was in. These officials are basically "temps", they know they're only there until a deal is made with the union... They're already being criticised for bad calls... So, someone offers some cash, and all you have to do is make a few more bad calls, in a sea of bad calls??? That's easy money. This gig is going to end soon anyway, and you'll be back to calling games in low-level colleges, if at all. It's the perfect storm. You take the cash. Who's going to know?? There's bad calls all over the place... What's a few more???

I'm not saying, I'm just saying....

Another brutal slate of games. Chicago at Dallas. Should I start taking prozac now, or just wait and drink heavily during the game??? These decisions.... Minnesota at Detroit... Is Matthew Stafford gonna play?? Sorry, his name was legally changed to Matthew Stafford When Healthy, my mistake.

I saw The Great Cam Newton play over the weekend. Let me get this straight, Tim Tebow needs to be shot, to make sure he never throws a pass again in the NFL, but Cam Newton is a "rising star" in this league??? Cam Newton sucked. Plain and simple. And clearly he's been taking body language and leadership lessons from Jay Cutler. Wow. So Newton is a great player, and Tebow has no business on an NFL roster.... Oookaaaayyyy....

San Francisco at the Revis-less Jets... Hmmm. West Coast teams traveling east for a road game.... Hmmm...

Good luck! A deal is apparently imminent with the "real" Refs... so we'll see soon enough just how "cleaned up" these games become.

I'm taking an awful risk, Vader....

Hey, welcome to another Tuesday Afternoon analysis!!

First things first:

Week One: Smitty201! Hey, congrats on your week One win. After being shut out for 17 weeks last year, you broke through right away in week One. Nice job. Actually quite a dominating win, nobody was closer than 13 points.

Week Two: HighZ!!! Some of you may remember HighZ from years past... he took a year off. And who can blame him?? It's not easy winning all the money. Gets tiring. Beat me by one point. One. One stupid point.

And oddly enough, he didn't write the amount on his check. Oops. Well, that check is no good, so you're booted, and I will take possession of the Week Two prize money. No hard feelings, right pal???

(Okay, I'm kidding... tempting though...)

Cheerleader Update:

Ahh, the Carolina Panthers. They had something to Cheer about!!! They beat the Saints! Thus sending the Saints to 0-2. If gambling were legal, I might have the Saints under 9-1/2 wins for the season... Two losses already. I need 5 more losses to put that one in the jar... Hmm, 5 more losses over the next 14 games... I like my chances.

HighZ is venting a lot of hate on Facebook about the "replacement" officials. And so are a lotta people, not to single him out, even though he beat me by one point...

Are they worse?? Sure, yeah. But, then again, I've spent half my life screaming at my TV set after blown calls, non-calls, wrong calls, stupid calls, and all manner of officiating ineptitude... Are they THAT much worse than the "real" officials?? Really?? I'm not so sure.... It's not like we had perfect cyber officials before...

After the absurd jobbing the Arizona Cardinals took in that Super Bowl against the Steelers, did the officials apologize?? Were they disciplined?? Were there any repurcussions whatsoever?? Ahhh, no. Those refs either a)stunk or b)were doing what the league ordered them to do. I'm not even sure which possibility is more disturbing...

How about the Seahawks, when is their apology coming from the officials who totally screwed them in their Super Bowl against the Steelers?? Where do they go to receive that apology???

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, officiating was far from perfect under the "real" officials... And when the "real" officials come back, they'll be blowing calls too, just like they always did.

To me, the real story is how fast the players adjust to what's being called and what isn't. That's been fun to watch...

Will the real Cowboys please stand up?? Tampa Bay will travel to Dallas Sunday at Noon... Yikes. Green Bay traveling to Seattle for Monday Night Football. Houston at Denver. I see both Manning brothers remembered how to throw a pick... Hey, Peyton? Don't throw the ball late and high over the middle... Quarterbacking 101. You're welcome.

Atlanta at San Diego. New England at Baltimore. Another brutal week, coming up.

Get your picks in, and enjoy!!!

You're out of your element, Donny!

Hey, what's up?!?!?

Football!!! That's what's up.

Well, I see my money making Super Bowl betting tips would have cost you a lotta money. Sorry about that. I mean, if gambling were legal...

Who knew that Eli Manning was going to have 6 horseshoes surgically implanted in his butt?? Who knew??? Who knew a career 83-rated passer could stop throwing picks?? Who knew that ANOTHER miracle catch would occur along the sidelines??

Ahh, Wednesday night. The Dallas Cowboys will travel to New Jersey to play the New Jersey Giants, where again we will see the dramatic and hilarious stylings of Eli Manning.

You may have enjoyed some real football this past weekend, for the first time in a long time. I heard Brent Mussburger say "You are looking live at Cowboys Stadium!!!", and I knew the season had started.

And then I lost ten bucks on Michigan, heh heh, and then it REALLY felt like football season had started... ouch.

These picks, I mean, that also makes me feel like the season is underway. Right away on the screen, Buffalo at the Jets. Ugh! I'm gonna pick out a lucky coin, and just flip it, I think. Or maybe shuffle a lucky deck of cards and take a cut, red or black, and pick that way....

Which brings me to the first thing I'd like to bet on, but can't: Over/Under number of games before Tim Tebow replaces Mark Sanchez as starting QB of the Jets. (Highly un)official line: 9. I want the under real bad, whatever the number.

Word of advice to the Jets 3rd string QB: Be ready. You are going to play this year.

Seattle at Arizona. Heh! I just laugh... This is the Official Battle of Two Teams That signed other Teams Backup QB's to big Contracts, but then their New Expensive Quarterbacks Of The Future Couldn't Unseat Their No-Name Projected Backups. That's BOTTSOTBQBTBCBTTNEQBOTFCUTNNPB for short. Arizona signs Kevin Kolb from the Eagles for big money, and Skelton will start the season. Seattle signs Green Bay's own Matt Flynn to big money, then as an afterthought they pick up Russel Wilson, former UW Quarterback, and Wilson will start. Matt flynn will continue to hold the clipboard, but he'll be waaaaay better paid to do so. So, he's got that going for him...

Cheerleader Of The Week:

Danielle of the Saints!

Is there a Bounty on her?!?!? Gadzooks.

Oh, no he didn't. He did not just go there.

Yes he did. Come on, it was too easy, I had to do it.... You would have lost respect for me if I didn't.

Alright, get your picks in!!! 55 Hours to Kickoff!!!

Super Bowl XLVI

Hey, whats up??

Obviously, it took me awhile to get over that Packer loss. Ugh. Brutal. to the stupid stinking Giants no less. It's too painful. Let's just move on.

Giants at Patriots. Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis, Indiana. 5:30 Central time.

The Patriots could excorcise a lotta demons here.

1. The obvious brutal loss to the Giants a few years ago, spoiling the perfect 19-0 season. A guy catches a poorly thrown pass on the side of his helmet, while Rodney Harrison does everything he can to knock the ball out. You can still watch that clip on Youtube. It looks like a bad hollywood special effect. If you saw that in "The Replacements" or "Any Given Sunday", you'd say come on, man, no way... to beat these Giants wouldn't really atone that loss.... Nothing could atone that loss. But this would go a long way towards easing that pain....

2. Indianapolis has been the scene of the crime for a lot of Patriots losses. Obviously not to the Giants, but for many years, Patriots Colts was one of the toughest rivalries in the AFC. To get a win, in this building, on this field, would purge a few demons....

3. The Patriots are the "home" team for this one... thus, Tom Brady and the Patriots will be in the Home Locker Room. Tom Brady may very well be in Peyton Manning's actual locker prior to this game. How crazy is that?!?!? While Peyton sits in a luxury box and grits his teeth, Tom Brady will suit up in front of Peyton Manning's own locker... Insane.

Also, Brady and Belichick aren't getting any younger. Belichick is 60. Brady is 35. This run is going to end soon. If these guys really want to be immortals, the Princes of the NFL history books, they need to win this. 4 Super Bowl wins for Brady would be some very rare air. The Mighty Joe Montana, and Terry Bradshaw. I think that's it. Hell, 3 put him in some rare air. Troy Aikman, that's it. Chuck Noll is the only Coach with 4. Belichick could join him. Very rare air indeed.

Check this out:

Coach Appearances Record
Schula 6 2-4

Landry 5 2-3
Belichick 5 3-1 (tbd)

Grant 4 0-4
Noll 4 4-0
Gibbs 4 3-1
Levy 4 0-4
Reeves 4 0-4

Some pretty rare air already.

I'm not sure what people see in these Giants, but I read a lot about how a lot of smart people think they can win. Let's see, December 18th the lost to the Redksins led by Rex Grossman, completing being swept by the Redskins this year. Then they hosted a Falcons team that tried a very strange game plan, and only scored a Safety on Eli Manning all day. Several dropped Eli picks in that game.

Next was the Packers. I'll never understand the onside kick in the first half. Never. It's not like we were underdogs, on the road, who needed to steal a possesion to try and beat a superior team. We were the better team. I'll never get that. They're still adding up how many passes Jermichael Finley dropped. allowing the TD on a prayer hail mary to end the first half... What a strange game. We handed them that one.

Next, the 49ers. Alex Smith did his best Tim Tebow impression in that one. Covered the field with bad throws. Guys on punt coverage hitting the ball with their knee. Fumbled kick returns. Mistakes. Multiple dropped picks, guys injuring their own teammates lunging for the interceptions. Victor Cruz oughtta be league MVP, for the catches of Eli passes he makes. Just for a laugh, add up how many times the ball hits a Giants receiver between the numbers. Don't worry, you'll only need one hand. Despite all that, Alex Smith had the ball with 3 minutes left, at midfield. Get a couple first downs, kick a field goal, the game is over. Nope.

I don't see it. Sorry, I just don't. The Giants are luckier than lucky to even be here right now. The whole world is loving this Giants +3 line. I say, take the Patriots and enjoy the game. -3 is a bargain for a superior Patriots team. Plus, for you Brady watchers, he NEVER has 2 bad games in a row. Never. If you want, Tease the Patriots and the over. If you like, throw a Patriots money line in there too, you'll cash that ticket, which is always nice. 3 moneymaker bets for you, right there, to make up for your loss in that 100 square pool you threw in on....

Our last football game.... enjoy it!!

Your Shipment of Fail Has Arrived...

I think that about sums it up.....

Playoffs?!?!?

Yes, it's the playoffs....

First, I saw this in the paper today....



The answer is no, he has not....

In any case, I was a little busy last weekend, so I did not put up my money-winning selections. I would have given you Denver and the points, and I guess you'll just have to take my word for it...

It started snowing here today... Lovely. Just lovely. Made me wanna do something that the pills I was taking were making me do....

Let's go to my true feelings, expressed in cartoon form:



That sums it up.

Cheerleader Update: It seems that "Thunder" rides into Mile High Stadium before every Denver home game. A long standing tradition, apparently.





The things I learn researching this stuff. Apparently, at USC, they have a tradition of a guy in an outfit riding a horse into the Stadium, and plunging a sword into the turf. The blogger where I found this stuff called the Broncos Tradition "Awesome", and referred to the USC thing as "Homoerotic at best." I'm no expert on homoeroticism, so I'll let that go... Google it up if you're interested in homoeroticism, or USC, or whatever...

Another famous "Animal" Mascot, Man's Best Friend, the doggie....



Apparently, being "Ugga", the mascot of the Georgia Bulldogs, is a tough gig. The average lifespan of Ugga is 4 years. Stop giving him beers after wins!!!

Now, this weekend in Foxboro, Thunder will not be riding into the Stadium... No. Tom Brady and The Patriots will be riding into the Stadium. They have yet to win a playoff game in their new building.

That will change Sunday. More on that later...

Uhh, also, quick note, Cowboy haters, you can stop emailing me the details of how Tim Tebow and TJ Yates now have as many playoff wins as Tony Romo. I am painfully aware of this, but thanks for those emails, I appreciate it. Your dedication to keeping me informed is touching, so, thanks. ;)

I don't get all the hate for Tim Tebow, really. One of the Florida Boys is really something, he watches a Broncos game for 5 minutes, Tebow completes a pass, his face turns red, and he changes the channel. Look, I've had a lotta fun taking Tebow's side, just to rile up Tebow haters... But seriously, if you wanna hate, how about Mike Vick?? Exploiter and murderer and abuser of dogs. Here's a guy you can hate. Ray Lewis, hate away. Probably murdered a dude in an alley, and if he didn't, he was standing right there when it happened. We're okay with that? How many season-ending hits and concussions does James Harrison have to lay on other players??? Ohhh, so he says he "didn't mean to hurt " Decker of the Broncos. Ohh, okayyyy, fine.... I'm sure he didn't mean to knock Colt McCoy out of the game either. If you wanna hate, people, there's plenty to hate. Tim Tebow??? What'd he ever do???


Anyway, let's get to the picks. For the young (or new) gamblers out there, This is a great weekend to take the home teams. The home teams, coming off their well-earned byes, are historically around .700 winnning percentage. Plus, it's very easy to be overly swayed by what you just saw last weekend. The Giants are the classic example of that. Let's review some real recent Giants games: got blown away by Rex Grossman and the Redskins. Barely got past a pathetic Jets team. Looked pretty good against a highly disappointing Atlanta Team that is clearly built to play indoors. Hmmm. The Fraud that is Eli Manning. Hmmm. These guys are going to fly up to Austin Stroebel Airport, get off the plane, and beat the Packers in Green Bay??? Uhh, no they're not.

Pick #1 Packers -9

Pick #2 49ers +3.5

As a gambler, you have to love a home underdog in this spot. You have to. I don't love this pick. The 49ers didn't play any team with a top 6 offense all year. This Saints offense is HISTORICALLY good. On several levels. An all time great offense. Are the 49ers ready for that?? Not sure. If you wanna lay off this one, go ahead, it's purely a home dog play. In case you were wondering, the weather is supposed to be mid-60's and nice, so the dome / outdoors thing probably won't be a factor.

Pick #3 Ravens money line

I don't like laying the 9, but I think they win the game. This will pay less than 1:1, but it's better to cash the ticket, than to throw it in the garbage.

Pick #4 Patriots -14

I see a big Patriots win. The Broncos are a very different team at home. This will not be at home. Dick LeBeau (Defensive co-ordinator, Pittsburgh Steelers) will not be calling cover-zero plays with both safeties at the line this week. The Patriots will not be playing with a 1-legged quarterback.

Pick #5 2-team teaser, Patriots and Packers

Pick #6 2 team parlay, Patriots and Packers

So there you go!!! A 6 pack of money making picks. My usual disclaimer, I take no responsibility for anything. All picks are free, or your money back.

Enjoy.

Regular Season: Complete

Greetings!

Well, the Regular Season is over. They just fly by, don't they?? Amazing. A Baseball Season lasts 3 years, I think...

Anyways, Congrats go out to air Myles for his week 16 win. 3rd win of the Season for Air Myles. Wow. Nice job. Only person to win 3 weeks.

Congrats also go out to Elusive, for his week 17 win. Nice job man! He had the perfect paper going for awhile there... That was intersting to see.

The season battle was quite a spectacle. The Sears / Ardita / Leo Woods / Elusive combo has been trading the top spot for weeks. In the end, it was ARDITA. Unbelievable. Last year's Season Champion REPEATS as champion again. Unreal. Apparently, the crown was not too heavy after all. Nice job man. Congrats.

Congrats also go out to Elusive, for his 2nd place finish. Huge final week for Ardita and Elusive. Possibly the hardest week of the year to pick, and they made it look easy.

And obviously congrats go out to Sears, for his 3rd place finish. I've already received the email from Sears, detailing his disgust at falling from 1st to third in one week. Still a great finish though. I was in fifth at around week 15, and started picking crazy, and took myself right out of it. The Cowboys complete implosion didn't help me a bit. Ugh.

Checks will be going out shortly.

Cheerleader Update: These cheerleader updates have worn me out. Seriously, pouring through pictures of cheerleaders, night after night, trying to find just the right ones, to thematically complete the blog... It's not easy. Grueling, backbreaking work... God, if I have to look at another picture of a cheerleader.....



Well, the Team may have imploded, and splattered on the ground like that P-51 at the air show in spring, but The Cowboys still have the cheerleaders...



The Cardinals season is over, but they still have Cheerleaders too...



If the Dolphins hire Jeff Fischer, she might have something to cheer about....



This young lady still has some work to do... Denver is in the Playoffs!!! I know, they have no chance against Pittsburgh. Just like Seattle had no chance against the Saints last year...



Good call on the Jacket and Chaps... It's cold this time of year....

Moving right along, I like to do this every year. Take a look at the picking records in our pool, and compare them to the highly paid punditocracy out there, and see how we stack up....

Mike Silver of Yahoo Sports 176-80
Erin07 174-82

Florida Boys 171-85

Elusive 170-86
Les Carpenter of Yahoo Sports 170-86

Sears 169-87
Leo Woods 168-88

Wickersham of ESPN 167-89
Schlereth of ESPN 167-89

Sharpcheddar 166-90

VBS
KathB4 165-91
Patrick686

The normally very good
Chris Mortensen of ESPN 155-101

So, in a very tough year to pick, again we had many pickers as good or better than the highly paid analysts. Nice job to everyone. Leaving out people who missed a week for whatever reason, nobody in our pool was as bad as Chris Mortensen. Nobody. So, pat yourselves on the back for a job well done.

KathB4 and I wish everyone the best and brightest for the New Year.

I may publish a few more of these, with some of my locks of the week in the playoffs. If you took my advice, you would have made money the last 2 years. Sadly, the internet has sort of been shut down for sports betting. bovada.lv is supposedly taking action. I would advise you to keep cashing out, and keep your balance low, if possible. This is not an endorsement of any website or any activity. Proceed at your own risk. I take no responsibility for anything. There's a disclaimer for ya!

If you have friends that want to come in next year, I'll send something out next summer, they can come in.

Best Regards in Football
Cadillac Pat