Skynet Championship Series: Season Six, Week 2

Most underrated by the humans: Ok St (wow! everyone hates them, but the computer love them.); K St, Va Tech, Houston

Most overrated by the humans: LSU (relatively speaking... computers have LSU at #3 by a slim margin); Stanford (Andrew Luck love); Oregon; Michigan State

2011		SCS	BCS	Sched Rnk	Harris	Coaches
1	ok st	0.83	3	15	3	4
2	bama	1.31	2	37	2	2
3	LSU	1.73	1	39	1	1
4	clemson	3.07	5	68	6	6
5	k st	3.13	8	66	10	12
6	boise st	4.11	4	49	5	5
7	arkansas	9.84	10	69	9	8
8	oklahoma	10.28	9	14	8	9
9	stanford	10.62	6	94	4	3
10	va tech	11.11	12	47	15	15
11	so. Car	12.13	13	40	14	14
12	tx a&M	12.20	16	5	17	16
13	houston	12.39	17	104	18	18
14	oregon	12.99	7	52	7	7
15	penn st	15.21	19	76	19	19
16	michigan	15.61	18	59	16	17
17	mich st	15.89	11	74	11	10
18	tx tech	16.63	20	35	21	22
19	nebraska	17.16	14	80	13	13
20	wisconsin	18.44	15	117	12	11

Week 8 - Last week QBs this week RBs

The NFL is vicious. Last week, QBs were blowing up. This week... RBs. McFadden, E. Graham, P. Hillis (though he really doesn't count because Madden warned us first), Felix Jones, Beanie Wells, Ryan Mathews, Tim Hightower, J. Addai's hamstring, Jahvid Best's concussion, and Jerome Harrison had a brain tumor. It was a rough week. I wish I made up that tumor.

Anyways, let's hope there's less carnage this week:

Manwich Matchup of the Week
New England @ Pitt - Everyone thinks Pittsburgh is good because they've been so good for the last 15 years. I don't think they are very good though. And... the Pats own the Steelers for reasons I can't comprehend. It's been like that for 10 years.
Pick: New England

Upset of the Week
Dallas @ Philly - I think this game is a toss-up... and honestly, there really aren't any other upsets to pick this week. Whoever loses this game is going to have a lot of drama.
Pick: Dallas

Opening Round Playoff Game #8
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy, Cincy, Minnesota, Arizona, Jacksonville, Miami
Washington @ Buffalo - Well... the Bills gotta put up. I think the Redskins season is slipping away, so I hope the Bills put the Redskins into elimination!
Pick: Buff

Fantasy Football Game of Interest:
SD @ KC - If only because I still can't figure out which players are going to score TDs for these teams.
Pick: SD

Other Games
INdy @ Tenn - Pick: Tenn
Jack @ Hou - Pick: Hou
Ariz @ balt - balt
NO @ STl - NO
Minny @ Car - CAR
Miami @ NYG - NYG
Det @ Denver - detroit (i'm sick of Tebow)
Cleve @ SF - SF'
Cincy @ Sea - Cincy

Last Week: 6-7
Season: 61-42
Manwich Matchup: 6-1 (My love of the chargers burned me again as they blew it against the jets)
Upset of the Week: 2-5 (The Texans beat the Titans in an "upset"; but it was not a big line).

Week 7 - QBs are twirling, twirling

The Raiders are insane. Carson Palmer is washed up... and the Raiders gave a minimum of a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pici. That's just crazy. They at least checked on Garrard, who needed back surgery. In other QB changes, the Broncos get Tebow this week, the Redskins switch from sexy Rexy to John Beck (for now), and the Vikings have already benched McNabb in favor of rookie C. Ponder.

Manwich Matchup of the Week
SD @ Jets - Both teams haven't exactly been sharp thus far. The Jets are highly unpredictable, but have looked awful enough, that I'm going with the Chargers.
Pick: SD

Upset of the Week
Houston @ Tenn - This game will go a long way to deciding who will win the AFC South... the Texans have to finally push through, right?!?
Pick: Houston

Opening Round Playoff Game #7
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy, Cincy, Minnesota, Arizona, Jacksonville
Denver @ Miami - Both teams stink. Both teams are on their 2nd QBs. The Dolphins haven't won yet and they are FAVORED this week! Ha.
Pick: Miami

Fantasy Football Game of Interest:
ATL @ Detroit - should be a fun shootout, because the Falcons haven't been able to play much defense this year for some reason... they gave up 28 points to the Seahawks!
Pick: Detroit

Other Games
Wash @ CAR - CAR
Chi @ TB - TB (the most inconsistent team this year... they beat good teams, lose to bad ones, and got creamed by 40 by the 49ers)
Sea @ Cle - Sea
KC @ Oak - Oak
Pitt @ Ariz - Pitt
GB @ Minny - GB
ST. Louis @ Dallas - Dallas
Indy @ NO - NO
Balt @ Jac - Balt

Last Week: 9-3
Season: 55-34
Manwich Matchup: 6-0 (The Pats beat the Cowboys barely!)
Upset of the Week: 1-5 (The Bills fell just short against the Giants)

Skynet Championship Series: Season Six

I can't believe it's the 6th season that I've been doing this...

Skynet is back! A wise machine, Agent Smith, once said in the Matrix: “Never send a Human to do a machine’s job.” These inspiring words ring true with the BCS. The time has now come to achieve the BCS purpose – by providing OBJECTIVE rankings. I realize this may be counter to my rooting interests, but it is the only fair way to determine two teams.

So, to be clear, here’s how I devise the standings each week:
1) I take the top 20 of the BCS standings.
2) I input each of the top 20's computer standings from each of 4 computer rankings (Sagarin, Anderson, Colley-Matrix, Wolfe; the other two aren't included because they input human rankings to start and are therefore biased).
3) I let excel calculate the standard deviation for each computer ranking distribution of the top 20. Then, Excel normalizes the distribution, and fits EACH computer ranking onto a 1-20 scale.
4) Finally, the normalized-computer averages are determined (i.e. if Florida is ranked 5.76, 2.55, 2.21, 5.77 in 4 of the polls, which is an average of 4.07, which equals their SCS ranking. This means that according to the polls, they are approximately the 4th-best team in the country).

Most underrated by the humans: Ok St (wow! everyone hates them, but the computer love them.); Houston (undefeated and a ridiculous 12th in the computers, but just 22nd and 20th in the human polls); Va. Tech, Auburn, Kansas St

Most overrated by the humans: Wisconsin, Stanford, Nebraska, W. Va., Michigan St

Of course, there is a long time until the end of the season though. And remember, these are not my rankings, they are the rankings of the only objective entity in the universe... Skynet!

2011 Skynet Rankings - Week of 10/19

2011		SCS	BCS	Sched Rnk	Harris	USA Today
1	OK St	1.07	4	8	6	6
2	Alabama	1.27	2	36	2	3
3	LSU	2.06	1	56	1	2
4	Oklahoma	2.75	3	20	3	1
5	Clemso	2.77	7	77	8	8
6	boise st	4.18	5	42	5	7
7	Kansas St	5.56	11	67	12	16
8	wisconsin	10.62	6	129	4	4
9	Arkansas	11.55	9	61	10	10
10	Stanford	11.61	8	112	7	5
11	Va tech	12.76	12	37	16	14
12	Houston	13.57	19	125	22	20
13	So. Car	13.86	14	59	13	12
14	Oregon	14.48	10	41	9	8
15	Nebraska	14.76	13	40	11	11
16	Auburn	15.24	20	24	21	23
17	Michigan	15.56	18	52	17	17
18	Texas A&M	16.10	17	2	19	18
19	W. Va.	17.32	15	78	14	14
20	Mich St.	18.18	16	88	15	13

Week 6 - The Rise of Tim Tebow?

Now that it's the rise of Tim Tebow, can we start a new controversy involving Brady Quinn?

Manwich Matchup of the Week
Dallas @ New England - I think this is the kind of game Tony Romo plays unusually well in... the game against a team that he should lose to. However, I think New England will score 49 points, and Dallas will only score 42.
Pick: Pats

Upset of the Week
Buff @ NYG - Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills! I just don't believe in these Giants at all. If Seattle was scoring lots of points on them... that's just trouble.
Pick: Buff

Opening Round Playoff Game #6
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy, Cincy, Minnesota, Arizona
Jacksonville @ Pitt - There really wasn't any game this week involving two shitty teams (well, Indy vs. cincy, but I think Cincy may be good and I already ousted both of those teams)
Pick: Pitt

Fantasy Football Game of Interest:
New Orleans @ Tampa - Tampa has been the most inconsistent team this year (blown out by Lions, beat the Falcons, blown out by 49ers, almost lost to the Vikings). Should be an interesting game.
Pick: New Orleans

I can't believe it's not Spam Game:
San Fran (4-1) @ Detroit (5-0) - I don't think anyone had this game being this amazing. It should be a fun game... because I still am not sure what to make out of either of these teams.
Pick: Detroit

Other Games
Philly @ Wash - Philly (this is the week they do rebound!)
CAR @ Atl - Atl
Indy @ cincy - cincy
Hous @ Balti - Balt
Cleve @ Oak - Oak
Minny @ chi - chi
Miami @ jets - Jets

Last Week: 6-7
Season: 46-31
Manwich Matchup: 5-0 (The Pats beat the Jets handily!)
Upset of the Week: 1-4 (The Bears let up two, long, costly plays against the lions)

Week 5 - Mission: Impossible

For some reason, I can't seem to figure out any of the games this week... they are all toss-ups, and I just hope I can hit the .500 mark!

Manwich Matchup of the Week
Jets @ Pats - Always a big game. The Jets come in under a 2-game losing streak... a loss here puts them in yet another poor position of having to get a wildcard. It seems like the stakes are high already! However, I always believe in REVENGE.... and the Pats will be looking for some relentless, ruthless revenge after the Jets beat them in the playoffs last year.
Pick: Pats

Upset of the Week
Chicago @ Detroit - This game seems like a complete toss-up to me. The Vegas line is currently 6 points for the Lions. SIX POINTS?!? I like the Lions... but something tells me that not having Romo in there to gift-wrap a victory will have them crashing back to earth this week.
Pick: Chicago

Opening Round Playoff Game #5
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy, Cincy, Minnesota
Arizona @ Minnesota - Well, the vikings got "eliminated" last weekend. I think this is the weekend they finally win!
Pick: Minnesota

Fantasy Football Game of Interest
Philly @ Buff - Should be an interesting game... the Eagles are desperate too and the Bills have to prove that they are no fluke.
Pick: Buffalo (I don't believe in the Philly O-line or D-Line)

Other Games
KC @ Indy - Pick: Indy
Oak @ Houston - Pick: Houston
NO @ CAR - NO
CIncy @ Jack - Cincy
Tenn @ Pitt - Tennessee
Seattle @ NYG - NYG
Tampa @ SF - Tampa
SD @ Denver - Denver
GB @ ATL - GB
Last Week: 9-7
Season: 40-24
Manwich Matchup: 4-0 (The Texans stomped on the Steelers!)
Upset of the Week: 1-3 (The Jets were awful against the ravens)

Week 4 - Fumble-itis and snap counts

I really enjoyed that insane Buffalo win last weekend! I think that is one of the more memorable upsets I've picked... though I certainly had no confidence in it when the Bills were down 21-0.

I also really enjoyed the Cowboys and Redskins accusations this week that the Redskins were messing with the snap count (not allowed), and the Redskins accusations that the Cowboys are pathetic liars. Good stuff!

Manwich Matchup of the Week
Pitt @ Houston - The Texans lost a crazy shootout last week... I think this is the week that they prove they are legitimate playoff contenders!! (especially since Pitt's line is banged up)
Pick: Houston

Upset of the Week
Jets @ Ravens - The Jets are coming off a surprising loss to the Raiders... the Ravens are coming off a thrashing of the Rams where they unleased a new weapon, their 2nd-round WR, Torrie Smith, who is super-fast. Could be a decoy the rest of the season, and that alone would make him successful. I think I like the Jets in an upset this week... mainly because there are so few other upsets to pick this week!
Pick: Jets

Opening Round Playoff Game #4
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy, Cincy
Minnesota @ KC - They are both winless. The loser will be 0-4 and certainly won't make it! Who will be in more despair??? It's a tossup
Pick: Minnesota

Fantasy Football Game of Interest
New England @ Oakland - I'm expecting a crazy shootout! Buckle up! No one plays defense in this one.
Pick: New England

Other Games
NO @ Jac - NO
Det @ Dallas - Pick: Dallas (should be an interesting game)
Bills @ Bungals - Bills
Wash @ St. Louis - St. Louis
SF @ Philly - Philly
Tenn @ Cleve - Pick: Clev
CAR @ Chi - Pick: Chi
ATL @ SEa - ATL
NYG @ Ariz - NYG
Denver @ GB - GB
Miami @ SD - SD
Indy @ Tampa - Pick: Tampa
Last Week: 11-5 (hooray for respectability)
Season: 31-17
Manwich Matchup: 3-0 (The Saints beat the Texans)
Upset of the Week: 1-2 (The BIlls came through huge for me!)

Week 3 - As usual... we don't know what's happening!

The Redskins, Lions, and Bills are all undefeated! It's a good thing I bet on that before the season began. Yeah, right. The stranger thing? I think I'm picking Bills, Lions, and Redskins to be 3-0...

Manwich Matchup of the Week
Houston @ New Orleans - Wow. The Saints have a brutal schedule to start (Green Bay, Chicago, now Houston). This is one of those games where if the Texans win... everyone in the nation will jump on their bandwagon. I just don't think they're ready for that kind of treatment yet.
Pick: New Orleans

Upset of the Week
New England @ Buffalo - The Patriots are coming off of a huge win against San Diego. The Bills are also 2-0... but honestly the Patriots defense hasn't been that great. Yes, they forced some turnovers against San Diego, but I think the Bills are going to surprise the Patriots.
Pick: Buffalo

Opening Round Playoff Game #3
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee, Indy
SF & Cincy - I realize the Bengals weren't too far away from winning last week, as well as the 49ers, but I have no faith in either of these teams. None.
Pick: SF

Fantasy Football Game of Interest
GB & Chi - Well, outside of Houston & New Orleans it's pretty slim pickings this week in terms of amazing fantasy matchups, especially with both Philly & Dallas nursing injuries.
Pick: GB

Other Games
Detroit @ Minny - 3-0 for the lions!
Giants @ Eagles - Pick: Eagls
Jags @ Panthers - Pick: Panthers
Denver @ Titans - Pick: Titans
Miami @ Cleve - Pick: Browns
KC @ SD - Pick: SD
Baltimore @ St. Louis - Pick: BAltimore
Jets @ Oakland - Pick: Jets
GB @ Bears - Pick: Bears
ATL @ TB - Pick: ATL
Arizona @ Seattle - Pick: Arizona
Pitt @ Indy - Pick: Pitt
Washington @ Dallas - Pick: Washington

Last Week: 13-3 (hooray for respectability)
Season: 20-12
Manwich Matchup: 2-0 (The Pats beat my beloved Super-chargers)
Upset of the Week: 0-2 (The Cardinals looked good... then they blew it against the Redskins)

NCAA conference realignments: A lesson in history, leading to a scary conclusion

I'm not as big into college football as other readers/writers on our blog. However, I've been extremely intrigued by the endless turmoil over the last 1.5 years.

I was reading an article on Yahoo which led me to an amazing, well-researched, historical piece on the Atlantic.com , chronicling all of the insanity of the NCAA. Some of my favorite moments:
1) in 1939, freshman players at Pitt went on strike because they were getting paid less than their upperclassman teammates. "Embarrassed, the NCAA in 1948 enacted a “Sanity Code,” which was supposed to prohibit all concealed and indirect benefits for college athletes", but the 'Sanity code' was repelaed within a few years
2) In 1951, the NCAA hired Walter Byers as executive director. Then: " he lobbied a University of Kentucky dean—A. D. Kirwan, a former football coach and future university president—not to contest the NCAA’s dubious legal position (the association had no actual authority to penalize the university), pleading that college sports must do something to restore public support. His gambit succeeded when Kirwan reluctantly accepted a landmark precedent: the Kentucky basketball team would be suspended for the entire 1952–53 season. Its legendary coach, Adolph Rupp, fumed for a year in limbo."
3) At the 1951 NCAA convention, there was a vote of "161–7 to outlaw televised games except for a specific few licensed by the NCAA staff." At this time, they were more concerned that people would stay at home and not attend games (and di not realize how much moeny could be made from advertising on the broadcasts).
4) Then... "On June 6, 1952, NBC signed a one-year deal to pay the NCAA $1.14 million for a carefully restricted football package. Byers routed all contractual proceeds through his office. He floated the idea that, to fund an NCAA infrastructure, his organization should take a 60 percent cut; he accepted 12 percent that season. (For later contracts, as the size of television revenues grew exponentially, he backed down to 5 percent.) Proceeds from the first NBC contract were enough to rent an NCAA headquarters, in Kansas City. "
5) In 1961, Byers "negotiated the NCAA’s television package up to $3.1 million per football season—which was higher than the NFL’s figure in those early years."
6) "In 1981 a rogue consortium of 61 major football schools threatened to sign an independent contract with NBC for $180 million over four years. With a huge chunk of the NCAA’s treasury walking out the door, Byers threatened sanctions." However, Georgia and Oklahoma responded with an antitrust suit, which led to a landmark 1984 case. " NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma decision, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the NCAA’s latest football contracts with television—and any future ones—as an illegal restraint of trade that harmed colleges and viewers. Overnight, the NCAA’s control of the television market for football vanished." This decision allowed the schools to each sell any games they wanted to... and perhaps more relevant to today's happenings, there was no requirement to share revenues with smaller schools.
7) Interestingly though, basketball revenue from the NCAA tourney COVERED the losses of the football revenue (because the NCAA was just taking a % cut of the football, as opposed to who knows what amount of the revenues from the NCAA tourney). "During the 1980s, income from the March Madness college basketball tournament, paid directly by the television networks to the NCAA, grew tenfold. The windfall covered—and then far exceeded—what the organization had lost from football. "
8) The Atlantic.com touches on a lot of different topics, including the NCAA's "amateurism," and how it never has been accomplished, the fact that NFL players association gets paid $35 million per year for use of their likenesses by EA sports but college athletes themselves get paid nothing, as well as the Ed O'Bannon case, which is trying to get money paid to college athletes for use of their likenesses on jerseys, video games, etc.... but the article all culminates with one theory... the NCAA receives 95% of its revenues from the men's baksetball tournament. ... which leads to some chilling truths:
a_ "if the big sports colleges don’t need the NCAA to administer a national playoff in football, then they don’t need it to do so in basketball. In which case, they could cut out the middleman in March Madness and run the tournament themselves. Which would deprive the NCAA of close to $1 billion a year, more than 95 percent of its revenue."
b) "To alienate member colleges would be to jeopardize its own existence. Long gone are television bans and the “death penalty” sentences (commanding season-long shutdowns of offending teams) once meted out to Kentucky (1952), Southwestern Louisiana (1973), and Southern Methodist University (1987). Institutions receive mostly symbolic slaps nowadays. Real punishments fall heavily on players and on scapegoats like literacy tutors."

Which leads me to one frightening conclusion... what is stopping the 4 super conferences (I'm assuming Big East and Big 12 case to exist, or no longer get a spot at the BCS table) from breaking away from the NCAA... AND ALSO forming their own basketball tournament? Suddenly, there are millions more (or whatever it is that the NCAA keeps from that $771 million contract) for the 4 super conferences to split for themselves (ACC, Big10, Pac16, SEC16). I suppose the alternative to this scenario is that the NCAA makes a deal with the Big 4 to save itself... and continue to let the Big 4 do whatever it wants in football. What would be stopping the Big 4 from making a grab for the basketball money too? Not that I want them too, but the Big 4 could even spin it as a way for ALL of the schools to get paid MORE (with of course paying out more money to schools that go farther which, most of the time other than Butler time, is going to be a school from the Super-4).

Week 2 - I'm Really Doing picks now!

All right... a bit of a snafu last week, and that's not even counting my awful picks. Week 1 of the season is always an eye-opener as you start to get a gauge on where everyone is at.

Manwich Matchup of the Week
San Diego @ NE - I think I'm still angry about how the Pats ruined the Chargers magical 14-2 season back in like 2006. I really wish the Chargers could win, but it seems like too much to ask at this point, especially if Belichick has the Pats passing for 500 yards every game.
Pick: NE

Upset of the Week
Arizona @ Washington - The Redskins are 4.5 point favorites? I just don't get it. I'll go with Kolb and the Cardinals. Otherwise, Rex Grossman will win 2 starts in a row. Speaking of Sexy Rexy, did anyone out there have Rex Grossman (Washington), Luke McCown (Jacksonville), AND Andy Dalton (Cincy) as winning their games last week? Those were probably the 3 most questionable starters on the board and they all won!
Pick: Arizona

Opening Round Playoff Game #2
Teams already eliminated: Tennessee
Cleveland @ Indy - With the Browns choking last week against the awful Bengals, and the Colts laying a big fat egg against the Texans, I think both teams will be going for broke this week. It would seem really unlikely that either 0-2 team could make a run to the playoffs. I've got to believe in the Shurminator... he came from the future to save the Browns (or at least i hope that's what's going on).
Pick: Cleveland

Fantasy Football Game of Interest
Philly @ ATL - Vick against his old team! Plus, Michael Turner, Roddy White and all the other Falcons. Should be a fun Sunday night game for sure.
Pick: Philly

Other Games
Chicago @ New Orleans - Saints rebound
KC @ Detroit - Go Lions!
Jacksonville @ Jets - Jets keep winning
Oakland @ Buffalo - someone gets to go 2-0... I'll go with Buffalo
Baltimore @ Tenn - Pick: Baltimore
Seattle @ Pitt - Pick: Pitt
GB @ CAR - Pick: GB
Tampa @ Minnesota - Not sure why minny's favored, I'll go with Tampa
Dallas @ SF - Pick: Dallas
Houston @ Miami - Pick: Houston
Cincy @ Denver - Pick: Denver
St. Louis @ Giants - Pick: Giants (both teams really banged up sadly)

Last Week: 7-9 (yowsers!)
Season: 7-9
Manwich Matchup: 1-0 (Baltimore gave Steelers a wedgie, the coach a wedgie, and the coach's son an atomic wedgie)
Upset of the Week: 0-1 (Dallas had the Jets right where they wanted them... then they blew it)

Past Years - I'm good in the odd years, just like the San Antonio Spurs

2004 – 150-106
Manwich Matchup: 7-11
Upset Special: 7-9

2005 – 160-96
Manwich Matchup: 10-7
Upset Special: 3-14 (That’s not a misprint)

2006: 148-108
Manwich Matchup: 12-7
Upset Special: 5-12

2007 - 166-90
Manwich Matchup: 13-4
Upset Special: 8-9

2008 - 149-106-1
Manwich Matchup: 11-8
Upset Special: 1-16 (that's also not a misprint)

2009 - 165-91
Manwich Matchup: 10-7
Upset of the Week: 8-9

2010 - 159-97
Manwich: 10-8
Upset of the Week: 9-9

Week 1 of the NFL Season

I apologize for the late posting... I had Green Bay over New Orleans in the coin flip game on Thursday night... without much further ado... let's welcome the 1st week of the season!

Manwich Matchup of the Week
Pitt @ Baltimore - Since GB and New Orleans already played, and it seems cheap of me to use that as tthe Manwich game, we'll just use Pitt and Baltimore. Always a slugfest. Always injuries. Boy, I hate both of these teams. However, just for the record, both teams play the NFC West and AFC West this year, which should give each of them at least 7 wins, plus 2 wins each against the Bengals. Meaning... they are both going to the playoffs barring something crazy.
Pick: Baltimore
Upset of the Week
Dallas @ Jets - the cowboys offens is awesome... nothing like some drama for the jets to start the season!
Pick: Dallas

Opening Round Playoff Game #1
Tennessee @ Jacksonville - Not sure what to make of these teams. Tennesee has hasselbeck and a rookie qB; Jags starting a rookie Qb. who knows.
Pick: tennesseee

Fantasy Football Game of Interest
Philly @ Rams - Vick, Bradford, some new rams WRs to pick up!
Pick: Philly

Det @ TB - TB
Buf @ KC - KC
ATL @ Chi - ATL
Indy @ Hou - Hou (should win the division sans Manning, Garrard, right?)
Cincy @ Cleve - clev
CAR @ Ariz - ariz
Minny @ SD - sd
Giants @ redskins - giants
Sea @ SF - Sea
NE @ Miami - NE
Oakland @ Denver - Oak

Next week, I'll actually take some time on this!

Congratulations MJ

I want to be the first on this blog to congratulate our resident sports enthusiastic and rage-a-holic on his wonderful wedding. Hopefully MJ will be getting some much needed R&R on his honeymoon and come back fully charged with his plethora of sports knowledge and sports rage.

Congrats Bro!

2011 NFL Preview - Back to Football, and Back to Goodell's Iron Fist

I'm excited to write yet another NFL Preview. As a warning, my previous picks are not great, by any means. In 2010, I picked Baltimore over ATL (both at least made the playoffs, and ATL was a surprise 1-seed), In 2009, I picked San Diego over Green Bay, but both lost in the divisional playoffs; in 2008, I picked Dallas over New England, and neither made the playoffs; in 2007, I picked New England over New Orleans - the Pats at least went undefeated, interestingly, New Orleans did win a couple of years later finally; in 2006, I had Indy over Giants - I actually hit the Colts, and the Giants ended up winning in 2007; in 2005, I had Carolina over Indy, but Indy lost in that crazy game to Pittsburgh, and CAR stumbled in the conference championship; and 2004 is not archived anywhere but I'm sure it was poor.

So... if past seasons are any indication, my PREDICTED super bowl losers (every year but 2008), end up ascending to win the Super Bowl the next season! It's a rather strange phenomenon that I wasn't aware of until just now.

AFC - I think the Pats, Jets, Steelers, Ravens, and Chargers are all HEAVY favorites to make the playoofs...

AFC East
3-New England - Another year, another 1st round exit. In 2010, it was their hated rivals, the Jets. In 2009, it was Baltimore who just thrashed the Patriots. In 2008, they somehow didn't make the playoffs. In 2007, they got upset by the Giants. It will be interesting to see what the Patriots do this year, because, as always, the only goal is to win the super bowl. Maybe less emphasis on the regular season? Not sure what the answer is, because there is no simple answer for their dilemma.
5-NY Jets - They are still bona fide contenders... but I still think the Pats can perform better over a season than the Jets.
Buffalo - Should be fun to watch at least, because QB Ryan Fitzpatrick played great in the 2nd half last year, as did WR Stevie Johnson
Miami - The QB situation is shaky, so I have to downgrade them to last place prediction.

AFC North
2- Baltimore - Added WR Lee Evans opposite WR Boldin which is an upgrade. Should be contenders all season.
6-Pittsburgh - Made the Super Bowl last year, and lost. In the last decade, only two teams (seattle, and Arizona) were able to make the playoffs the year after losing in the super bowl. The Steelers seem too good though... and barring injury, I'm guessing they'll grab the last spot.
Cleveland - Pro Bowl guard Steinbach is out for the season, and they are starting a rookie in his place. The defensive linemen have 2 rookies and another starter with few NFL experience. Plus a new coach means the Browns are still in transition.
Cincy - really in transition! Their surprise division title in 2009 seems like some kind of mythical fantasy.

AFC South
4-Houston - I'm getting suckered in once again, that this year, will finally be the year for the Texans! I'm banking on Manning's health being a major reason why (plus the Texans somehow got lucky and drew Indy for the 1st season)
Indy - It's a really bad division, and the other 2 teams drafted rookie QBs who may play this year, so the colts still get 2nd place.
Tennessee - I like Hasselbeck stepping in with RB Chris Johnson and their defense to edge out the Jags for the cellar.
Jacksonville - They spent lots of money in the offseason, but the QB situation is unsettled so I'm not sure what to expect.

AFC West
1-San Diego - The Chargers finished last year 1st in offensive yardage, 1st in defensive yardage, but had a -6 turnover differential (23rd) and gave up a bunch of return TDs, resulting in a disappointing 9-7 finish. That's pretty much worst-case scenario (in terms of turnovers and special teams), so I expect the Chargers to do big, BIG things this year!
KC - It was fun seeing them unexpectedly win the division then get creamated in the playoffs by Baltimore. Just remember that this year when they play more to their level.
Oakland - there are slight rumors of Oakland being a surprise team this year. They finished in the top-10 in offense and defense, surprisingly. Still couldn't tell you exactly what the WR depth chart is. They actually were 7-5 with QB Jason Campbell starting, who posted another 84 QB rating. He really is consistent, not great, but if he plays a little bit, Oakland can make things interesting.
Denver - Kyle Orton has been playing well, but this year, they have John Fox as the coach, so the offense won't be nearly as offensive (but the defense won't be nearly as porous).

NFC - I think Philly, GB, ATL, New Orleans are HEAVY favorites to make the playoffs. This leaves one wildcard for Chicago, Tampa, Giants, Cowboys, Lions; and one division title for the NFC West...

NFC East -
2 - Philly - Philly just went on a crazy shopping spree during the offeseason, picking up the best available DB Asomugha, the Giants best WR Steve Smith (who's recovering from a knee injury), among others. This team is downright scary, so long as Vick is healthy.
6-Cowboys - they can't be any worse than last year defensively, plus they finished the season 5-3. This is a team to watch, because offensively they are just flat out dangerous.
Giants - they had to rebuild the offensive line after dumping out 3 starters. They lost their top CB to injury. I smell lots of trouble here and the tailspin from that DeSean Jackson punt return TD that ruined their season last year looks to be irreversible.
Redskins - should be the worst team in the league with either John Beck or Rex Grossman at QB. It needs to be mentioned, John Beck wasn't able to enter practice the 1st day back because not even security recognized him!

NFC North -
3-GB - Still a very solid team. Earn a super bowl title and they were worthy of it.
Lions - If Stafford stay s healthy, this could be the surprise team of the year!
Bears - played over their heads for a division title... then got ousted by GB in the playoffs.
Vikings - McNabb is the QB temporarily which should provide shaky results.

NFC South-
1-NO- Should rebound from their sub-par showing during the season and loss to 7-9 Seattle in the playoffs.
5-ATL - Solid team still. Gave up too much for WR Julio Jones, but they clearly are in super bowl or bust mode.
TB - Young team built almost entirely through the draft. Division is brutal, so it's hard to say what their chances are of breaking through.
CAR - They hired Rob Chudzinski as offensive coordinator, who was the off. coordinator for the Browns in 2007. You know who else he brought with him? QB Derek Anderson, who had that one magic-in-a-bottle season! They claim they are starting #1 pick Cam Newton, but honestly, with just Jimmy Clausen standing in the way, we may not be that far away from seeing lots of 2007 Browns highlights!

NFC West - (last year, had a 7-9 champ!)
4- St. Louis - I fully expect Sam Bradford, reinvigorated by new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (who's now had offensive success at New England and St. Louis), to help lead the Rams to a division record with at least 8 wins. You heard it hear first!
Arizona - Could pull off a big surprise depending on how well Kolb plays with Fitzgerald and the other young WRs (Breaston is now gone too).
Seattle - I'm not sure why they signed WR Sidney Rice AND QB Tarvaris Jackson. T. Jackson is their starter now... and I'm not sure what to expect. He has 20 starts, with a 10-10 record. I'm not too optimistic though.
SF - New coach Jim Harbaugh (of the first borther combination in NFL coaching history), as is work cut out for him. He's planning on starting QB Alex Smith only temporarily.

AFC Playoffs
3- New England vs. 6- Pittsburgh - Well, here's something that will cure New England's playoff drought... the Steelers. The Pats own them for reasons I can't determine.
Pick: New England
4- Houston vs. 5-Jets - The Texans make the playoffs... but I don't think the run will last long.
Pick: Jets
1 -San Diego vs. 5-Jets - LT and Antonio Cromartie get to play their old team! Okay, seriously though, the Chargers can handle this task. I'm sure of it.
Pick: SD
2- Baltimore vs. 3 - New England - This game is a doozy. I'm sure the Pats will be fired up by their loss in 2009. I love revenge and payback!
Pick: New Engalnd

1-SD vs 3- New England - in the last decade, the Chargers have lost to the Pats twice in the playoffs. Because I love revenge, I think this is the year the Chargers break through!
Pick: SD

NFC Playoffs
3-GB vs 6- Cowboys - the packers will win a wildly entertaining game, forcing Tony Romo to puke in his mouth.
4-St Louis vs 5- ATL - An old NFC West showdown! ATL makes sure their run lasts more than one game this time.
1- NO vs. 5 - ATL - These divisional matchups are complete tossups. However, I picked ATL to lose in the super bowl last year, so they are destined for great things.
2-Philly vs. 3- GB - It's only fitting that the Eagles draw the Packers again. Last year's game went to the wire. I don't see why this would be any different, except with a new outcome.
2-Philly vs. 5-ATL - Vick vs his old team. This could fetch the highest ratings of any playoff game ever. No matter what the outcome, it sure will be a great game on both offense and defense.
Pick: ATL

Super Bowl
ATL over SD - If only because I've become self-aware that my picks are able to forecast the future! Honestly, you can make a case for any of NE, Jets, Steelers, Ravens, Chargers, Philly, GB, NO, or ATL winning the super bowl, and it would be completely reasonable!

Good luck to everyone and hope we have a great season!

Meet Your 2011 NFL Rookie Coaching Class

Nothing is more informative (and fun) than looking at the new head coaches in the NFL! The 2010 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006 editions of the NFL Rookie Coaching Classes are also fun reads, if you are curious. My favorites from past editions are still Coach Mangina (Eric Mangini, class of 2006), The Whizzenator, aka nobody beats the Whizz (Ken Whisenhunt, class of 2007), and the Todd (Todd Haley, class of 2009).

After a lackluster year in 2010, where all the new coaches were actually people who already had experience, we have some new, actually first-time coaches this year.

1. Cleveland Browns- Pat Shurmur
Proposed nickname: The Shurminator

With Mike Holmgren being in charge of the Browns, this new coach obviously has to be connected to the great Holmgren coaching tree, and Shurmur was QB coach of the Eagles from 1999-2008 before being the Rams offensive coordinator for two seasons. Those weren't great seasons, though he did get to coach Sam Bradford last year, but all of the WRs got injured and he had a rookie QB, so the results were mixed. I see no way of avoiding calling this coach the Shurminator: he is a sophisticated coach, sent back in time to change the future for one lucky franchise (or so I hope). It's been a long time since I've seen American Pie, which had the original Sherminator, so here's a clip of that awesome moment.



2. Tennessee Titans - Mike Munchak
Proposed Nickname: Munchie
He's been the offensive line coach for the Titans/Oilers (yes, that long) since 1997. His Titans profile has a lot of the usual information, plus the fact that he secured regional distribution rights to Snapple and became the owner of a number of Gold Gyms in Texas.

3. Oakland Raiders - Hue Jackson
Proposed Nickname: Hue Downs
I really didn't know much about this guy. He's only 45, but he's already held 12 different coaching positions from Pacific, Cal State Fullerton, London Monarchs (yes, the defunct World League of American Football!), Arizona State, California, USC, Redskins, Bengals, Falcons, Ravens, and was the offensive coordinator for Oakland last year. Most notably, he was the offensive coordinator for the Redskins in 2003 (22nd in points, w/ Ramsey and TIM Hasselbeck starting, under Steve Spurrier), the Falcons in 2007 (29th in points, w/ Harrington, Redman, and Leftwich starting, while head coach Petrino quit midway through), and the Raiders in 2010 (6th in points, w/ Jason Campbell and Gradkowski). I don't know what to make of this guy. He's worked for some of the craziest people ever (Spurrier, Petrino, Al Davis), and installs college offenses. Last year, he was successful with it, so who knows.

4. Dallas Cowboys - Jason Garrett
Proposed Nickname: The Gunslinger
He was the interim coach, and now is finally the coach. He has been with the Cowboys since 2007 as the offensive coordinator and has seen them score lots of points. No idea what will hapen with the defense, but it should be a fun season!

5. Minnesota Vikings - Leslie Frazier
Proposed Nickname: Drebin!
He actually was a head coach once upon a time, at Trinity College from 1988-1996. He's been defensive coordinator with the Vikings since 2007, and was defensive coordinator with the Bengals from 2003-2004. With a first name of Leslie, he must carry the namesake of Leslie Nielsen from Naked Gun and be dubbed, Drebin! Lt. Frank Drebin if we are acting professional.

6. Carolina Panthers - Ron Rivera
Proposed Nickname: Ron-Ron
He was the defensive coordinator with the Bears from 2004-2006, and with the Chargers from 2008-2010. He also was a linebacker on the 1985 Bears championship team! His wife was an assistant coach in the WNBA. Love the weird facts some teams include in the bios.

7. San Francisco 49ers - Jim Harbaugh
Proposed Nickname: Captain Comeback
The most famous of the entire list, he was the coach at Stanford just from 2007-2010, after being the coach at San Diego from 2004-2006. He's had a meteoric rise. He is most famous for being a Chicago Bears QB, but I always remember him for a crazy postseason run with the Colts when he almost completed a hail mary to beat the Steelers in the AFC Championship game. According to wikipedia, Harbaugh and his brother John are the first brothers to be coaches in the NFL. The nickname Captain Comeback is from that ridiuclous 1995 NFL postseason run, 2 come-from behind victories, and the almost hail mary. Im open to other suggestions, such as "Little Brother Jim."

Welcome Back NFL!

I was originally going to try to do some kind of free agency preview for the NFL, but it's literally impossible with 400 free agents, plus who knows how many people are going to be salary cut victims. It could mean about 500 players changing hand, which is just preposterous... plus this is taking place over a mere 5 to 10 days.

Anyways, my favorite headlines of the first half day of free agency...

1) The Seahawks signing QB Tavaris Jackson, not Hasselbeck

2) The Seahawks signing QB Matt Leinart to reunite him with his old coach from USC. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Reggie Bush.

3) The Redskins outbidding themselves for WR Santana Moss's services... and finding out that Santana Moss is only 32, despite the fact that I thought he was 36.

4) The Eagles deciding not to re-sign ANY of their free agents! (I also have to give a shout-out to RB Jerome Harrison- please come back to Cleveland, the Browns still need a change-of-pace back, because everyone knows our bruising RB Peyton Hillis isn't going to survive the Madden curse)

Stuff

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/6782785/yao-ming-set-announce-retirement-basketball

Not surprising, but sad nonetheless. Yao was fun to watch, and when healthy was pretty dominating. I guess he our generation's Bill Walton. Is Greg Oden going to be next one to wear the "perpetually-injured-center" crown?

And then, onto Women's World Cup. I have to say, that was a really exciting team to watch. I am sadly disappointed we did not win, but in light of recent events, I am happy for the Japanese people. They needed a win.

That being said, we deserved to win that game. We played amazing in the first half, but just couldn't close the deal. In the second half we played well, but key mistakes cost us heavily. I was impressed with Japan's ability not to become too deflated or tired after the first half, but overall was not impressed with their talent. However, I feel really energized by our team, and with the exception of Wambach, all our key players will be there in four years. I think this team has a great future and hope some of their talent and poise can transfer to the men's team. Plus, Hope Solo is a megahottie; I want to party with her.

World Team Tennis - Everything I Dreamed of and More

This past week, I finally attended my first ever World Team Tennis match. What is World Team Tennis you ask? It's a league where each of 9 cities have a team of current pros, up-and-coming pros (i.e. lower ranked), and then a few legends sprinkled in. When there's a match, they play 5 slightly abbreviated sets of: 1) men's singles, 2) ladies singles, 3) mixed doubles, 4) women's doubles, 5) men's doubles. However, to keep things interesting, the overall score for the match is based on number of games won. So essentially, both teams will always be in it until the end! However, the best thing was how much fun the event was. This is not normal tennis where everyone is hush-hush. It combined elements of other sporting events (dance music in between points, an MC to pump up the crowd, towel-waving, and even cheerleaders!).

I picked a date to see the Washington Kastles play the New York team, and while I originally thought I was going to see either Venus or Serena and John McEnroe (yes, the 52-year old) and Martina Hingis, it ended up being just McEnroe and Hingis as the superstars this night.

In terms of the tennis itself, the quality was fantastic. Both teams had players who knew how to play doubles (i.e. Leander Paes, Stubbs, McEnroe, Hingis). In addition, the points were competitive and top-notch. The rules for the game are pretty insane in that the overall game total is used. However, in the last set of the night, if the team that is losing in overall games wins the set, they go to "overtime." "Overtime" lasts until either the team that is ahead overall wins a game, or the losing team ties the overall score. For example, if a losing team is down 20 - 16 entering OT, the losing team has to win 4 straight games. If the losing team were to tie the overall score, the match then proceeds to the "SuperTieBreaker!" The supertiebreaker is one traditional tiebreaker, however it's just first to get 7 points (and not first to win by two). If you managed to make it through this explanation, you may also think that some of the awesomeness/insanity of the scoring system is reminiscent of the movie Baseketball's triple-elimination playoff system. For the record, I'm in favor of MLB moving to an 82-game season followed by a triple-elimination playoff, but I digress.

The match I saw was between the 1st place Washington Kastles (6-0) and the New York team (5-1). McEnroe was surprisingly awesome during the match. His serve still had some pace and was booming in fact. In addition, his net play was fantastic and McEnroe was still able to hit it back. The overall match got a little crazy at the end, as it ended with men's doubles. New York actually was losing overall entering the last event (men's doubles), but took a big lead in the last set such that they had a couple of match points. Washington fended off the match points and the way the score ended, the overall score was 19 all, meaning that we skipped overtime (since the overall score was tied), and went straight to "Supertiebreaker!" All I have to say is that it was a dream come true. The Supertiebreaker ended up being tied at 6-6, meaning that both teams had match point at the end! Washington ended up winning, pleasing the home crowd. I'm okay with that system of not having a win-by-two, only because it's shorter in terms of time and made for quite a lot of drama.

The memorable moments of the match were:
1) the supertiebreaker getting tied at 6-6, resulting in BOTH teams getting a match point!
2) McEnroe taking off his shirt and revealing he is indeed a bad-ass as he has two tattoos (which I found surprising)
3) Hingis' complete control of most points... and screwing up a bunch of game-points
4) A "Peanut Butter Jelly time" dance-off between the MC and a young girl. Here's one video of that if you don't know what I'm talking about (note: Family guy has blocked any decent quality videos of them doing it, but here's one low quality one of Brian doing it)
5) Tennis cheerleaders! & tennis cheerleaders almost getting hit by random serves
6) Awesome dance music in between points and obnoxious Austin Powers, "Yeah, baby!" sound bites, followed by the umpire saying in a hushed tone, "Quiet Please."
7) Washington coach Murphy Jensen throwing his towel on the court in the middle of a point to challenge a call, resulting in McEnroe yelling at him, "You can't do that in the middle of the point!"
8) Allowing coaches/teammates to talk to players in the middle of the game to adjust strategies (which is not allowed normally in tennis)

NBA Draft 2011: On the Verge of a Lockout

NBA Draft recap:

Winners
Boston Celtics - I like how they took both of Purdue's best players (JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore). Granted, neither of these players are going to really break into the rotation for Boston because Johnson is just not big enough to do much on the next level. Moore has more of a chance to contribute).

Washington Wizards - Got Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack
Vesely is highly ranked, Chris Singleton is a rugged, awesome wing defender, and Shelvin Mack is a fantastic PG on the little team that could (Butler). I just love this draft!

Losers
Charlotte Bobcats - Fisrt, they traded one bad contract of a good player (S. Jackson) for a bad contract of a worse player (Maggette). Then by the end of the night they got a long-term project in B. Biyombo, who is a PF. They also got Kemba Walker to be the PG rotation with DJ Augustin. However, Kemba is more of a SG in a PG body, so the backcourt is kind of screwy. It sucks having an owner with no money, I think that's the bottom line.

Losers-
Sacramento Kings - You got rid of Beno Udrih for Jimmer Fredette. Tsk tsk tsk. They did get Tyler Honeycutt from UCLA who I like. I don't like Jimmer though. He doesn't like me either.

Loser selection -
Minnesota chose a guy in the 2nd round and they thought he was 21. He's actually 26. This is a problem because European players become undrafted free agents if they reach the age of 22... Minnesota's GM David Kahn always finds new ways to get in the news!

Unclear
Cleveland - Yes, Kyrie Irving is the choice at #1 and that's good. However, I'm not exactly enthralled about the selection of PF Tristan Thompson at #4. The Cavs apparently were scared off from J. Valanciunas, a bona fide center who won't be getting out of his European contract for a season or two. Personally, I'd rather the Cavs have done that because it sounds like J. Valanciunas had a higher upside, and its not like the Cavs are trying to win next year. The one possibility for hope is that PF T. Thompson is very athletic though offensively challenged outside of dunking. Cavs are probably trading either Hickson or Varejao I'm guessing. Jamison is worthless (but may become worthwhile once the season starts since he's a $15 million expiring contract)

Who doesn't love a good Ron Artest post

What more can you say? I'd make a few jokes, but this speaks for itself.

http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/news/story?id=6698183

NBA Finals 2011: The Aftermath

Normally, I wouldn't have much to say after an NBA Championship, but I can't resist bringing up a few interesting points.

1) Dallas Coaching Staff Includes a Stat Geek

I can't believe I didn't know this, but ESPN led me to discover that one of the members of their coaching staff is the founder of 82games.com, Roland Beech. This is his 2nd season on Dallas. Officially, Roland Beech is listed as the "director of basketball analytics." 82games.com is the first basketball website that I became aware of, maybe 5 years ago, that had "advanced" stats or non-traditional stats. Beginning with plus/minus, moving to efficiency, and even getting into win-shares, the advanced stats do a lot more to signify and explain in numbers what a player's impact is on the game (aside from just his shooting percentage). I wasn't sure how involved Beech is with the team, but apparently, according to ESPN's TrueHoop, Beech is involved in all film sessions and practices. This is a stunning and welcome development in my opinion. The fact that Dallas won an NBA championship with such a person involved in brain trust will probably cause similar positions to become available on other teams (outside of Houston, which is widely known to hire a number of statisticians).

2) Rick Carlyle Dominated The Playoffs and the Zone Defense is a Big Reason

I can't say enough about how great a job Rick Carlyle did this postseason. I really enjoyed watching his Indiana teams pre-Artest brawl (with Artest, J. O'Neal, S. Jackson). After the brawl, the Indiana team ended up getting rid of assets (Artest, S. Jackson) for nothing, and everything fell apart and Carlyle got fire eventually... but I always thought it wasn't exactly his fault and with a talented team he would be successful again. Carlyle is in the minority in the NBA in that he will employ zone defenses at times throughout the regular season and even in the playoffs. I think the different looks he provided with his zone really threw off the rhythm that LeBron and Wade had in this playoffs. Of course, it does help that he has the right personnel to do the system (relatively mobile big men, and a great defensive center tandem in Chandler and Haywood). However, I am excited for other teams to start copying Dallas to some degree and try to employ their own zone defenses. This championship represents a real positive for the league in that regard I believe. It's interesting in that zone defenses became legal in 2001-2002... but it took this long for a team to win a championship and be praised for its zone defense.
3) LeBron Needs a Sports Psychologist

I'm not going to delve too far into the thicket of LeBron talking points (because there are many, and there are many opinions). I really rooted against him this year but mainly because I did not want the trio to just believe that the 3 of them alone with a bunch of spare parts could win a championship immediately. I don't intend on rooting against LeBron again like I did this year (though I won't root for him). I think the adversity will be good for LeBron especially and their championship day is inevitable... but they still need another capable guard and big man (plus LeBron probably needs to see a sports psychologist after this series). If you want to read a great little article on LeBron, I really like Rosenberg's on Sports Illustrated, as he hopes LeBron learns humility.