2008 NFC WEST PREVIEW

You had to figure that out of 8 division previews, I would egregiously mail in (at least) one. Well, here it is: the NFC West. Why should I take the time to put a lot of effort into previewing a division in which none of the other teams seems to be working hard to catch up to the Seattle Seahawks?

I'll do a blurgb on each team and then move on to a serious division:

* The Arizona Cardinals have been considered a "Sleeper" team by the so-called experts every season for as long as I can remember. While I do like second year head coach Ken Whisenhunt, I don't see any area of the game in which this team is above average, with the exception of the WR position. This is an absolutly mediocre group of players and the only reason they have any chance at making the playoffs is because they are in the NFL's worst division. Based on what I've seen of QB Matt Leinart, he is a tremendous bust, even if the media doesn't want to talk about it. Road games @ Washington, @ Carolina, @ Seattle, @ Philadelphia, and @ New England will all be tough, as will visits from Dallas, Minnesota, and the N.Y. Giants. This team would need to have everything go right to make the postseason.

* Last year at this time, everyone was humping the San Francisco 49ers. They were 2007's answer to the Cleveland Browns. And (not surprisingly) they crashed and burned, finishing 5-11 after a 2-0 start. Their season included an 11 game stretch in which the 49ers went 1-10. Having said all that, I think the 49ers are a team that could sneak up on people this season. They finally benched the laughable Alex Smith and replaced him with J.T. O'Sullivan. They have a good RB in Frank Gore and a potential star at TE in Vernon Davis. The defense is lead by stud MLB Patrick Willis, who was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year last season. I don't think this team can realistically challenge for a playoff spot but I do expect them to be much more competitive than they were last year.

* The Seattle Seahawks have a better stranglehold on their division than any team in the NFC. The Seahawks have won this division in each of the last four seasons and, while it may be a boring pick, I just don't see who could possibly knock them off this year. Seattle cut ties with former NFL MVP Shaun Alexander and signed RBs Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett to form a running back by commitee with holdover Maurice Morris. I'm a big fan of their Front 7, which should be even better with the addition of first round pick, DE Lawrence Jackson, out of USC. TE John Carlson and FB Owen Schmitt should also have positive impacts as rookies. The schedule sets up relatively well for Seattle and, as long as they can take care of business within the NFC West, they will win the division for the 5th straight year and head to the postseason for the 6th consecutive year, in Head Coach Mike Holmgren's final season.

* The wild card team in this division is definitely the St. Louis Rams. The Rams dealt with injuries to several key players last season and never had a chance to compete, even in a weak division. The talent is certainly there on offense with LT Orlando Pace, QB Marc Bulger, RB Steven Jackson, and WR Torry Holt all back and all presumably healthy. I also like the addition of 2nd overall pick DE Chris Long out of Virginia. The Rams might actually be the best team in the division on paper but Head Coach Scott Linehan has showed absolutely nothing in his first two seasons on the job and several of the Rams key players are getting older. I can't recommend betting on this team either way because I just have no idea what to make of them. I wouldn't be surprised at all if they finished last in the division again. However, the talent is there for them to take advantage of an easy schedule and challenge for a playoff spot, assuming the team stays healthy. I'll give Linehan the benefit of the doubt and call for the Rams to be much improved this year.

Here's how I rank them:

1. Seahawks
2. Rams
3. 49ers
4. Cardinals


I don't expect more than one team to make the playoffs out of this division.


Yesterday: 2-0, +$400

Year to Date: 4-4, +$20

I got off to a good start in college football yesterday (Even surviving a jinx attempt by Chad during the 4th quarter of the Missouri game) to get myself back in the plus after a disappointing NFL Preseason.

Now, let's start giving that back.

(207) Kentucky +3.5 @ Louisville

The SEC is so much better than the second best conference in America that the only true debate is whether any other conference is as good as the SEC East or SEC West divisions.


NL East Update: The Mets bullpen gave up a run in the bottom of the 8th that tied the game, then walked in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. I just don't know where I ever got this idea that their bullpen sucks. I guess I'm making that up. Ryan Howard hit another meanginless HR, his 37th, in a crucial Phillies win.

Jeff's IPhone Update: He still has it. Matt still wants one of his own.

Jorgen Update: He still hasn't killed any of the kids. Yet.


I'll be rooting for Kentucky this afternoon but it's really just an appetizer for today's biggest event: NASCAR's Pepsi 500.

Hoping to see the 48 car in Victory Lane tonight but how could I possibly root against my main man "Cousin Carl?"



Enjoy the race.

The only thing funnier than

.... the show Chris Rock put on at Caesars Palace last night is the idea that I can pick winners in college football. You'll soon be thanking me for all these fades.


(154) Ole Miss -6.5 vs. Memphis

The blog backs Houston Nutt.

(182) Missouri -8 vs. Illinois

I played Mizzou in this game last year and remember thinking how lucky I was to win my bet and how Illinois was the correct play. When I first saw the line for this year's game, I loved Illinois and was ready to take the 8.5

So I bet Missouri.


Hey, it makes sense to me and that's all that matters.



You want jokes?

Watch Matt's video again. The kid is like a young Jimmy Fallon. He can't help but laugh over how hilarious he is. It doesn't get any more "College" than this kid.



Enjoy the game.

I've made you guys sit through

.... back-to-back NFL Preview blogs, so I feel an obligation to throw you all a bone with one of my more traditional filings. Today I'm going to throw out a few links, bore everyone with more NL East talk, give you guys a Saturday college football fade, and force out a few blurgbs about Jorgen and Jeff, even though I have absolutely nothing to say about either of them:

* The Mets currently have a 1 game lead over the Phillies in the NL East, with Philadelphia playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field as I blog. Earlier in the week, the Mets and Those Fightins' engaged in a crucial 2 game series at the glorified Little League field known as Citizens Bank Park. The Mets were up 7-nil in the first game on Tuesday but completely collapsed and lost to those scrappy Phils, 8-7, in 13 innings. The Mets were up 7-6 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 out and nobody on base. And they lost. A few weeks ago, when the two teams met in New York, the Mets were up 5-2 in the bottom of the 8th, and still up 5-4 headed to the 9th. They lost. In another game between these two clubs at Shea Stadium, the Mets were up 10-1, and allowed the Phillies to come all the way back before holding on to win 10-9.

Yeah, I really don't know why I blame the bullpen, Ed. It's hard to figure that one out. Oh, I know: Maybe it's because the Mets bullpen gargles my balls. The best (only) way for the Mets to gain ground in this race is to be idle on a day when the Phillies are playing.

Before we move off all this Mets-Phillies nonsense, I just want to point out that Ryan Howard homered in BOTH games of that crucial two game set and is still the NL leader in both home runs and RBI. Maybe someday the Phillies fans will stop whining and booing long enough to cheer one of his moonshots as it soars into the stands.

* Believe it or not, I actually have some more Philadelphia sports fans talk. I was on ESPN.com today and they had an article ranking every NFL fan base from 1-32. Aside from my annoyance over the Steelers being ranked #1, I have a few comments about this list:

1. How the hell can you rank the Eagles over the Redskins? All Eagles fans do is boo and complain about their team. Their fans suck. Meanwhile, all the Redskins fans do is show up and support their team. We have the longest consecutive sellout streak in the NFL and have a season ticket waiting list so long that the number looks like it must be a typo. Seriously, it's been almost 40 years since a Redskins home game was not a sell out, even though we've only had one home playoff game since 1992. (It was a wild card game against the Lions and it was awesome.) In spite of the team's lack of success over the past 15 years, there's still 200,000 people waiting to get in the door. And we get beaten out by the whiny Eagles? Come on....

2. Dallas's fan base is ranked way, way too high at #12. Reverse their record last season and see how many "Fans" they really have.

3. The Lions at #31 seems really low. It's not their fault that Matt Millen is completely incompetent. Didn't they even stage walk outs in an effort to get Millen fired? That alone should get them ahead of the Dolphins or Falcons.

* If I'm not on top of my game today, there's a good reason for it: I'm watching Sprint Cup practice right now. To my untrained eye, Carl Edwards looks real good in his Aflac Ford Fusion. The 48 car looks good, too, but I wouldn't ever count out Kyle Busch and the 18 team. Speaking of NASCAR, I'd like to go into greater detail breaking down the....


Wait, Chris. Why are you standing on your chair?


What's with all that rope?


Dude, what are you doing?


Is that a noose?!?


Stop!


Okay, okay. I'll talk about something else. Just sit down, man.


* Did you guys hear about this kid, Jericho Scott, who was banned from playing Little League baseball for being too good? Something like that could only happen in the North, where delicate people like Ed grew up. In the South, we would have just let the kid keep pitching and go on embarassing everyone until finally some jerk kid hit like me him with a pitch while he was batting. Perhaps young Jericho should try out for the Mets. They could use a decent arm in the pen.

* Speaking of kids games, I hear that Jorgen and the Iowa State gang played a mean game of capture the flag while they were in Lake Fondue. I remember the last time I played capture the flag. I got together with all my buddies and we had a blast. I can remember stealing the other team's flag and pitching it off to my friend just before I got tagged and watching as he ran past the line giving us the victory. We all high fived and taunted the other team. It was great.


The year was 1991.


I was 8.


Wasn't recess great?


* Or is it just too unbelievable that I would have memories of when I was 8? A certain SuperBook employee, a manager type, just cannot believe that I remember watching Super Bowl XXVI in January of 1992. I was 8 years old at the time and I watched the game with my father. I can remember going to the NFC Divisional Playoff game a few weeks earlier, when the Redskins beat Deion Sanders and the Falcons. At the conclusion of the game, all the fans threw their give away seat cushions onto the field. How could I not remember that? I was 8 years old.

Ed, if it makes you feel any better, I turned 9 two months after that game. Do you remember the Eagles-Patriots Super Bowl? I know it was a long time ago. The Patriots won, 24-21. And T.O. played well fighting through a (fake) injury.

* I'm sorry, guys. I really don't have anything on Jeff right now. Hold on, I'll try to force something out about him taking an Italian class. Let's see here....

- Hey, Jeff: Doesn't your new phone have a English to Italian translator on it?

- Or, hey bro if you want to meet Italian girls, shouldn't you be in a French class? The Italian girls already know how to speak their language, dude.

- Hey, Jeff: Are you going to show off your IPhone to the teacher during your first break?

- I heard Jeff left his phone on the highest volume during the first class hoping that someone would call him and he'd have to pull it out to shut it off and every person in the class would see that he had an IPhone.

- Wouldn't Jeff be better off taking an ebonics class?



.............





Way, way too far, huh?

It doesn't matter. He's too busy to read this slop anyway.


* What does a movie ticket cost these days? Like 10 bucks, right? I would literally pay 10 bucks to NOT see Disaster Movie.

* Oh, you guys probably want my Saturday college football release (fade), right? I played Missouri -8 over Illinois. That's all I have for this weekend.... for now. I'll post my full card of plays (losers) in tomorrow's blog.

* But before I go, I have one more link/joke to throw out there. Ed seemed perturbed (Borrowed that one from Jeff) the other day because in his mind I had made fun of everyone but Matt in a recent blog. Let's rememdy that with this link: Kitchen Krapz. The funniest part to me (Besides the fact that Matt can't stop giggling over how funny he is) are the comments at the bottom. For the record, Metcalf gets my vote as the most "College" kid I have ever known.


Trivia Question for Friday: Who was the first player in Houston Texans franchise history?

Cortes is cleaning up in the trivia section. Can anyone keep up with that guy?



What does it say about me that I'm more excited for Sunday's Pepsi 500 than I am for the first weekend of college football?


I wasn't asking you, Bennett.




Enjoy the game.

2008 AFC SOUTH PREVIEW

I've already tried one blog in which I went into relatively great detail describing all four teams in the AFC North. I did another blog where I chatted with two 'Experts" to break down the NFC North. Neither one was wildly successful, although I did receive some positive feedback regarding the latter. For the AFC South preview, I am going to take an entirely different tact by breaking down the Houston Texans, the blog's official 2008 NFL sleeper team and discussing why I think they will be competitive in the NFL's best division.

I'm really just doing it this way because it will take less time than my AFC North preview did. Plus, I think it's a good way to talk myself into the Texans.... Even though I've already made my bets on them.


Here's why I like Houston:


* The front four. Houston's defensive line may prove to be the AFC's best this side of New England. Last season, DE Mario Williams showed why he was the 1st overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, by racking up 14 sacks. That would be impressive for any player but to do that at just 22 years of age is nothing short of phenomenal. Williams is entering his third season this fall and Head Coach Gary Kubiak is on record saying that Williams has had as good an offseason as an NFL player he's ever seen. The blog is picking the 6'7 291 pound defensive end to win the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Fellow defensive lineman, second year man Amobi Okoye, should also emerge as a force this season. Okoye racked up 5 sacks in his first 4 NFL games last fall (At the age of 20!) and the blog is hearing that he's had a great offseason. Now a seasoned veteran at age 21, Okoye could have a big year, especially with opposing teams focusing on Williams. DT Travis Johnson is another former first round pick who has the talent to be a good player. DE Anthony Weaver is a solid veteran who benefits from playing opposite Super Mario. Veterans like Jeff Zgonia, N.D. Kalu Rosevelt Colvin add depth to what could be a dominant defensive front.

* Williams and Okoye aren't the only emerging young stars on the Texans defense: Middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans is already one of the NFL's best. As a rookie in 2006, Ryans finished 2nd in the NFL in tackles and he was again among the NFL's leaders last year despite playing through a torn PCL in December. Ryans turned 24 in July and should only get better, especially with the benefit of playing behind such a good defensive line.

* The centerpiece of the Texans offense is WR Andre Johnson, a player the blog considers to be the league's most underrated wideout. Johnson missed 7 games last season due to injury, and in his absence the Texans went 2-5. With a healthy Johnson in the lineup for the other 9 games, Houston posted a record of 6-3, with the defeats coming @ CLE, @ TEN, and @ IND. Not exactly embarassing losses. Despite playing in barely more than half the season, Johnson caught 60 passes for 851 yards, and 8 TDs. In the 2 games before his injury, Andre had 14 catches for 262 yards and 3 TDs in back-to-back Texans wins. Johnson and reliable TE Owen Daniels will be going into their 2nd season working with QB Matt Schaub and the passing game should be greatly improved. Johnson should have a huge season in 2008.

* For years, the Texans most glaring weakness has been their offensive line. (Well, their OL and the fact that David Carr can't play were both big factors but the offensive line has always received the most blame.) On paper, the offensive line should be very solid in 2008, especially if Duane Brown, the team's first round pick out of Virginia Tech, can handle protecting Matt Schaub's blind side. Right tackle Eric Winston (A former tight end at Miami-FL) is an athletic player who is getting better, while G Chester Pitts is a very solid veteran interior lineman. Highly regarded Alex Gibbs (The long time Denver Broncos offensive line coach) has been brought in by former Broncos quarterback and assistant coach Gary Kubiak to get the ground game going and his track record speaks for itself.

* Considering they are in the most competitive division of the more competitive NFL conference, the Texans have a relatively favorable schedule. Houston went 6-2 at home last season and could be favored in every out-of-division game they play at Reliant Stadium this season. In addition to the automatic dates with the Colts, Jaguars, and Titans, the Texans will be hosting the Ravens, Dolphins, Lions, Bengals, and Bears this season. All 5 of those teams finished with losing records a year ago. Road games in Cleveland, Green Bay, and Oakland all appear to be very winnable, as well.

Obviously, it's not all positives in Houston. After all, this is a franchise that has never even been to the postseason. The running back situation is a mess but Alex Gibbs always seemed to churn out good ground games in Denver and I like his chances of finding a reliable running back out of a group that includes former Titan Chris Brown and rookie speedster Steve Slaton. The defensive backfield is also a big question mark, especially with #1 cornerback Dunta Robinson being placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list and therefore ineligible to play during the first 6 weeks of the regular season.

However, this is a very talented young team that has a chance to sneak up on a lot of people this season. Williams, Johnson, Okoye, Ryans, and Robinson are all potential stars and if QB Matt Schaub can have another solid season and Alex Gibbs can find a way to develop a reliable ground game, this team could be really good.

Especially since I see potential problems with each of their division foes:

* People have been calling for the downfall of the Indianapolis Colts for years and Peyton Manning always seems to prove them wrong. The Colts should be really good again this season but Manning's injury has to be cause for concern. DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are both coming off injury plagued seasons. Marvin Harrison is on the back end of his career. Center Jeff Saturday, who has held together the Colts' offensive line for years, is injured and projected to be out for 6 weeks. This team is getting older and everyone has to come down sometime.

* The Jacksonville Jaguars are a trendy pick to contend for the Super Bowl this season, after a very solid 2007 campaign that included a playoff win in Pittsburgh. However, the Jaguars lost DT Marcus Stroud to the Bills in free agency and their 1st round pick, DE Derrick Harvey from Florida, held out all of training camp and is just now practicing with the team. Their defense should be very good again but this team is getting older and too many people are humping them. I don't see them going back to the postseason.

* The Tennessee Titans made the playoffs in 2007, despite Vince Young throwing 17 picks versus just 9 TDs, a mediocre crew of running backs, and not having a single WR that the average NFL fan could name. Their defense, lead by the NFL's best defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, is very underrated but I don't see any way this team can repeat the success they had last year. They only made the playoffs last season because the Colts had nothing to play for on the last day of the regular season. I feel like everything went right for these guys last year and it's not happening again.

Having said all that, here's how I rank them in the AFC South:

1. Colts
2. Texans
3. Jaguars
4. Titans


The blog is recommending playing the Texans 'Over' wins. I also took a shot on them to win it all which I feel was worth it at more than 100-1. The Giants won the Super Bowl last season so you can't write off anything as impossible. One thing I loved about having the Texans as my sleeper team was that I thought I was the only one. While the whole word is humping 'Sleepers' like the Browns, Vikings, or Jets, I thought I was the only who liked Houston. Then I stumbled upon this article on FoxSports: Sifting Through the Sleepers

Not only does this guy look like a complete dope, he actually admits in writing to the fact that he picked Jay Cutler as his darkhorse NFL MVP last season. Yikes.


Naturally, reading this article made me feel sick but I decided to go ahead with this blog anyway. I figured that I could either keep my Texans pick secret and quietly curse myself as a moron when they finish 5-11, or write a lengthy blog on why I think they will be good, thus providing my friends and co-workers with plenty of ammunition to mock me when they finish 5-11. Option B seemed like it would be a lot more fun for everyone.

Houston plays 4 of their first 5 games against playoff teams from last season, so we will find out right away if these guys are any good. If they could get through that stretch at 2-3, I would feel like they were in excellent shape. Their remaining schedule is very negotiable, particulary their final three games of: Titans, @ Raiders, and Bears. The Texans could be favored in all of those games.

Houston will finally make the postseason this year.


I'll leave the NFC North poll up there until tomorrow. The Vikings are running away with it. How does that make you feel, Chris? I'll do a normal blog in a few days. I'm just out of that hilarious and original Jorgen purse material right now.



Enjoy the jinx.

2008 NFC NORTH PREVIEW

On Monday night, this blogger had the privilege of being joined by Michigan native and Bears fan Andrew Ross and Minnesota native and Vikings fan Chris Bennett, to discuss the prospects of all four teams in the 2008 NFC North. I made absolutely no preparations for this blog (Believe me it shows) and I was watching stupid, pointless programming on MTV as I typed. Fortunately for my readers, I stopped gawking at that braindead chick Audrina on The Hills long enough to piece together this chat session.

I basically just copied and pasted everything we wrote in our AOL IM chat "NFC Norris." It's rambling, barely coherent, and maddeningly inconsistent.

Enjoy:


JMurray53 (9:55:23 PM): okay do you guys want to do the breakdown of saturday's Cup race now or just jump into the NFC North talk?

ATRoss14 (9:55:35 PM): can we do the Cup race preview too

JMurray53 (9:55:44 PM): i figured that was just an understood....

cben2620 (9:55:44 PM): let's talk about nascar first

JMurray53 (9:56:00 PM): excellent call out, sir... no one here is even remotely qualified to do that

JMurray53 (9:56:23 PM): so let's talk about something we are practically overqualified to discuss - NFC North Football

cben2620 (9:57:22 PM): nfcnorris, classic

ATRoss14 (9:57:43 PM): yeah, copying Chris Berman is a good way to go

JMurray53 (9:57:58 PM): it's the black and blue division, gentlemen

JMurray53 (9:58:28 PM): id like to discuss all 4 teams one at a time, then follow that up with final predictions

ATRoss14 (9:58:39 PM): sounds good

cben2620 (9:58:47 PM): okay

JMurray53 (9:59:18 PM): let's start with the Chicago Bears, 2006 NFC Champs but didn't even make the playoffs last season.... What went wrong?

ATRoss14 (9:59:50 PM): where to start.....no upgrade at QB, traded their best RB

ATRoss14 (10:00:00 PM): injuries up the ying yang

cben2620 (10:00:04 PM): atrocious offense, injured/overrated defense, great kick/punt returner

JMurray53 (10:00:19 PM): why would you attempt to upgrade at QB when you're coming off a conference championship season?

ATRoss14 (10:00:23 PM): very critical CB

ATRoss14 (10:00:32 PM): cause Rex sucks

ATRoss14 (10:00:38 PM): Orton is garbage

JMurray53 (10:00:40 PM): some, not me necessarily, but some would say that Rex is fun.... thoughts?

ATRoss14 (10:00:44 PM): and Griese has no arm

cben2620 (10:00:54 PM): what? 33% of that was complimentary

ATRoss14 (10:01:05 PM): you're right, my bad

ATRoss14 (10:01:23 PM): Rex is fun, if you are rooting for the team the Bears are playing that week

cben2620 (10:01:33 PM): orton and grossman are backup NFL QBs at best

ATRoss14 (10:01:45 PM): i'd say 3rd string at best really

JMurray53 (10:01:47 PM): lets talk about Orton for a second... all the guy did was win as a rookie

JMurray53 (10:02:00 PM): why cant he do it again this season?

ATRoss14 (10:02:06 PM): by having a monster defense behind him

cben2620 (10:02:30 PM): name one thing Orton is above average at for a QB

ATRoss14 (10:02:33 PM): if he can get that defense from 4 years ago back

JMurray53 (10:02:39 PM): aren't a lot of the same players from that D still in chicago? or is it merely just remnants of a once fearsome defense?

ATRoss14 (10:02:51 PM): they're still there.....just a lot older

ATRoss14 (10:02:59 PM): and slower

ATRoss14 (10:03:02 PM): and les skilled

cben2620 (10:03:04 PM): doesn't urlacher have a bad back or something

ATRoss14 (10:03:05 PM): less*

JMurray53 (10:03:13 PM): he's no worse than Rex and they made the Super Bowl with him

ATRoss14 (10:03:37 PM): again, that had very little to do with the QB...the defense and Hester carried that team

JMurray53 (10:04:06 PM): i read that Hester recently signed a $40 extension... doesnt that seem like a lot to pay a kick returner who hasnt proven himself at WR?

ATRoss14 (10:04:18 PM): $40 bucks is a bargain

JMurray53 (10:04:34 PM): oh we're making jokes

ATRoss14 (10:04:39 PM): oh course

ATRoss14 (10:04:41 PM): ofg

ATRoss14 (10:04:43 PM): christ

ATRoss14 (10:04:44 PM): of

JMurray53 (10:04:59 PM): forty million american dollars seems like a lot to me

cben2620 (10:05:06 PM): kick returners are overrated

JMurray53 (10:05:13 PM): go on

cben2620 (10:05:18 PM): you don't win super bowls with them

ATRoss14 (10:05:23 PM): but, what's the alternative.......not paying him and having him leave via free agency

cben2620 (10:05:30 PM): who was the kick returner for the giants last year?

cben2620 (10:05:43 PM): or the patriots?

ATRoss14 (10:05:53 PM): you had to bring up the giants huh.....now Murray is gonna get bitter

JMurray53 (10:06:08 PM): what do the Giants have to do with the Super Bowl?

JMurray53 (10:06:12 PM): lets stay on topic

cben2620 (10:06:22 PM): how could i not? it's completely relevant to the discussion

JMurray53 (10:06:50 PM): wouldnt you both agree that in the wide open NFC the bears could be a playoff team, QB problems aside

ATRoss14 (10:06:59 PM): i do not agree with that

JMurray53 (10:07:21 PM): chris?

ATRoss14 (10:07:21 PM): i actually think the Bears are the worst team in the division

ATRoss14 (10:07:44 PM): just don't tell Mike O I said that

cben2620 (10:07:45 PM): of course they could

cben2620 (10:08:08 PM): that there was a classic, annoying thing i like to do

cben2620 (10:08:24 PM): i don't like there chances of making the playoffs

ATRoss14 (10:08:26 PM): yes, it was

JMurray53 (10:08:29 PM): tommie harris, nathan vasher, peanut tillman, lance briggs, adewale ogunleye, alex brown.... these are very good players on their defense

cben2620 (10:08:39 PM): their. . .whoops

ATRoss14 (10:08:51 PM): thats only 6 players though....what about the other 5

JMurray53 (10:09:06 PM): mike brown will be healthy for 2, maybe 3 games

JMurray53 (10:09:12 PM): and brian urlacher was good in 2002

ATRoss14 (10:09:12 PM): Mike Brown is an injury waiting to happen

ATRoss14 (10:09:25 PM): we're making jokes now?

JMurray53 (10:09:57 PM): i just feel like this team could win games if their offense doesnt make too many mistakes.... they have a solid D and excellent special teams.... they should be able to control field position against a lot of teams

ATRoss14 (10:10:16 PM): in theory

JMurray53 (10:10:33 PM): now Andy, just for my many, many readers at home, who is your favorite NFL team again?

ATRoss14 (10:10:34 PM): they lost Benson, Berrian, Muhammed, their O-Line is old and bad

ATRoss14 (10:10:51 PM): my favorite team is the Bears

JMurray53 (10:10:53 PM): (losing Benson is not a negative)

cben2620 (10:10:58 PM): they really should have one of the worst offenses in the NFL

ATRoss14 (10:11:16 PM): Benson may have been a bust....but he's probably better than a rookie

cben2620 (10:11:19 PM): is greg olson the best player on offense?

ATRoss14 (10:11:24 PM): yes

ATRoss14 (10:11:26 PM): he is

ATRoss14 (10:11:30 PM): sadly

cben2620 (10:11:40 PM): who is the #1 wr?

ATRoss14 (10:11:53 PM): Rashied Davis

JMurray53 (10:11:53 PM): chris you really should prepare yourself for these things

JMurray53 (10:11:58 PM): i take this very seriously

cben2620 (10:12:25 PM): sorry, i didn't get the e-mail we'd be doing this today

cben2620 (10:12:39 PM): what about Mark Bradley?

ATRoss14 (10:12:49 PM): 5th string

ATRoss14 (10:13:12 PM): Davis #1, Brandon Lloyd #2, then Hester and Marty Booker

JMurray53 (10:13:13 PM): davis and marty booker are the projected starters

JMurray53 (10:13:27 PM): are you sure lloyd is starting?

cben2620 (10:13:29 PM): marty booker?! hahahaha

ATRoss14 (10:13:31 PM): Booker is actually rumored to be cut

ATRoss14 (10:13:42 PM): yes

JMurray53 (10:13:47 PM): Brandon Lloyd may or may not have a vagina

ATRoss14 (10:13:50 PM): my sources say lloyd is #2

ATRoss14 (10:14:07 PM): if you can hack it on the 49ers, you probably suck

cben2620 (10:14:09 PM): brandon lloyd, former illini and current prima donna

ATRoss14 (10:14:10 PM): can't

JMurray53 (10:14:17 PM): okay it sounds like this offense will be a mess but the defense is solid and the special teams are excellent

ATRoss14 (10:14:28 PM): defense will be average

cben2620 (10:14:33 PM): who is the punter?

JMurray53 (10:14:42 PM): maynard

ATRoss14 (10:14:44 PM): they just locked up a starting gig for JT O' Sullivan

cben2620 (10:14:51 PM): from ball state

JMurray53 (10:15:27 PM): guys the bears win total seems to be between 7.5 to 8 at various legalized gaming institutions in Nevada.... would you go Over or Under that number?

ATRoss14 (10:15:45 PM): i thought we were doing predictions at the end

JMurray53 (10:16:10 PM): its a good way to wrap up this particular team

JMurray53 (10:16:13 PM): just answer the question

ATRoss14 (10:16:24 PM): calm down

cben2620 (10:16:29 PM): under 8 at a cheap price if you can find it

ATRoss14 (10:16:29 PM): i'd bet underS

JMurray53 (10:16:38 PM): how do you know im all worked up... you cant hear or see me

cben2620 (10:16:45 PM): i can see you

ATRoss14 (10:16:47 PM): i just know

JMurray53 (10:16:50 PM): im not even wearing pants... how stressed could i possibly be

ATRoss14 (10:16:55 PM): dude

cben2620 (10:16:57 PM): yes you are

ATRoss14 (10:16:59 PM): over the line

JMurray53 (10:17:07 PM): with a gun to my head, I would bet 'Over' 7.5

ATRoss14 (10:17:08 PM): who are you, The H

JMurray53 (10:17:12 PM): too many people are down on this team

cben2620 (10:17:17 PM): at what price?

cben2620 (10:17:28 PM): 7-9 or 8-8 seem very likely

JMurray53 (10:17:41 PM): oh im not really betting it

JMurray53 (10:17:46 PM): hence the with a gun to my head lead in

ATRoss14 (10:17:46 PM): what about 8 bro...what would you bet

JMurray53 (10:18:08 PM): does kyle orton still have that beard?

ATRoss14 (10:18:14 PM): oh yeah

JMurray53 (10:18:19 PM): then id play over 8

cben2620 (10:18:25 PM): under 8 -130 or better

ATRoss14 (10:18:26 PM): square

ATRoss14 (10:18:36 PM): i agree 100% with CB

cben2620 (10:18:44 PM): i probably won't be betting this team either way

ATRoss14 (10:18:49 PM): the 'square' comment was for Muuray

ATRoss14 (10:18:56 PM): Murray

cben2620 (10:18:59 PM): obviously

ATRoss14 (10:19:04 PM): nice

JMurray53 (10:19:05 PM): i wont be betting it either.... now guys lets move ahead to the Detroit Lions, the perennial doormat of the division

cben2620 (10:19:15 PM): i love the lions

ATRoss14 (10:19:26 PM): they won't be the doormat this year

JMurray53 (10:19:28 PM): mike martz has taken his ridiculous (stupid) offense to san francisco.... where does that leave Detroit?

ATRoss14 (10:19:39 PM): in much better shape

cben2620 (10:20:05 PM): whatever kitna is predicting for season wins, subtract 8, that is my number

ATRoss14 (10:20:06 PM): a real offense, a young RB who looks solid

JMurray53 (10:20:15 PM): damn... thats airtight

cben2620 (10:20:32 PM): RB could be very strong for this team

JMurray53 (10:20:44 PM): getting rid of martz could make this offense solid

JMurray53 (10:20:47 PM): the WRs are awesome

ATRoss14 (10:20:54 PM): if healthy

cben2620 (10:21:04 PM): i like the offense except for kitna

ATRoss14 (10:21:07 PM): Roy Williams is a young Mike Brown, always banged up

JMurray53 (10:21:14 PM): but i dont see much to get excited about on their defense, with the possible exceptions of LB Ernie Sims and DE Dewayne White

cben2620 (10:21:32 PM): how much does losing Shaun Rogers hurt?

ATRoss14 (10:21:42 PM): I don't think any

JMurray53 (10:21:44 PM): great point... he's been the centerpiece of their defense for years

ATRoss14 (10:21:50 PM): he was never motivated to play hard

JMurray53 (10:22:12 PM): he wasnt really a fit in marinelli's scheme anyways... he tends to use smaller, quicker DTs like cory redding

ATRoss14 (10:22:19 PM): getting Bodden and Dwight Smith in the secondary could be a nice short term fix

ATRoss14 (10:22:37 PM): they have depth on defense for the first time in a couple years

cben2620 (10:22:50 PM): wow, we have some real NFL sharps here, i feel out of place

ATRoss14 (10:23:03 PM): that felt like a mock

JMurray53 (10:23:05 PM): id feel bad if i didnt warn my readers about this.... Chad Jackson said that if you want to bet the Lions 'Over' wins, make sure there are no cops present because you may be arrested.... doesn't that deter you guys?

cben2620 (10:23:19 PM): dwight smith, is he considered good?

ATRoss14 (10:23:20 PM): i'd be lying if I said no

JMurray53 (10:23:20 PM): Chad is, lets face facts, an idiot

ATRoss14 (10:23:38 PM): he's better than what Detroit has had the last 2 years

ATRoss14 (10:23:47 PM): i said short term fix

JMurray53 (10:23:55 PM): i think they used to start torry holt's brother terence at S so he must be better than that

cben2620 (10:24:22 PM): that's actually not nearly as square as most of chad's opinions

JMurray53 (10:24:27 PM): but ive never been a fan of bringing in veterans cast off by other teams.... id rather draft young players and bring them up in my team's system

ATRoss14 (10:25:42 PM): isnt that what the Redskins whole personnel strategy is? just bring in aging veterans

JMurray53 (10:25:56 PM): yes which is exactly why i hate it, its stupid

JMurray53 (10:26:02 PM): and it doesnt work

cben2620 (10:26:10 PM): the patriots do it

ATRoss14 (10:26:15 PM): i sense that he is all worked up again

JMurray53 (10:26:38 PM): true but they have The Great Tom Brady

JMurray53 (10:26:49 PM): ive seen Jon Kitna and i can tell you this much - he's no Tom Brady

ATRoss14 (10:27:14 PM): and, according to CJack, TGTB is no Peyton Manning

JMurray53 (10:27:50 PM): the Lions actually started the season 6-2 last year (despite a 34-3 loss to the Redskins) but fell apart at the end of the season

cben2620 (10:28:14 PM): what were their quality wins?

JMurray53 (10:28:53 PM): no wins against postseason teams from last year

ATRoss14 (10:29:09 PM): they beat Tampa

JMurray53 (10:29:32 PM): i just pulled up their schedule

JMurray53 (10:29:35 PM): interesting stat

JMurray53 (10:30:10 PM): trips to Philly, Washington, Minnesota, San Diego, and Green Bay ALL resulted in losses of 21 or more points

JMurray53 (10:30:11 PM): yikes

JMurray53 (10:30:25 PM): 5 losses of 3 TDs or more? that is embarassing

ATRoss14 (10:30:40 PM): it is

cben2620 (10:30:45 PM): they beat tampa? home or away?

JMurray53 (10:31:06 PM): 23-16, in detroit

ATRoss14 (10:31:12 PM): almost as embarassing as losing as 20 point favorites with a spot in the BCS title game on the line

JMurray53 (10:31:23 PM): very relevant

cben2620 (10:31:25 PM): 28.5 point favorites

cben2620 (10:31:28 PM): jesus

ATRoss14 (10:31:35 PM): had to get that in

ATRoss14 (10:31:40 PM): it was in the first one

ATRoss14 (10:31:46 PM): sorry bro

JMurray53 (10:32:05 PM): its ok... at least you didnt mention us losing to a 1-AA team at home to start the season

JMurray53 (10:32:07 PM): oh wait

JMurray53 (10:32:08 PM): sorry

JMurray53 (10:32:11 PM): that was Michigan

ATRoss14 (10:32:31 PM): yeah, i knew that was next

ATRoss14 (10:32:58 PM): we did beat SSMM's Florida Gators in the Capital One bowl though

JMurray53 (10:33:06 PM): the Lions have historically struggled on the road.... is there any reason to think they can reverse that this season?

ATRoss14 (10:33:33 PM): they do get ATL and SF on the road

ATRoss14 (10:33:39 PM): and Chicago

ATRoss14 (10:33:44 PM): that always helps

cben2620 (10:33:57 PM): they'll be good on the road when they have a good team

ATRoss14 (10:34:05 PM): at Houston as well.....that could be a W

JMurray53 (10:34:11 PM): and is that this season>

ATRoss14 (10:34:12 PM): great insight CB

JMurray53 (10:34:19 PM): are they good enough to win on the road and seriously challenge for the playoffs?

cben2620 (10:34:34 PM): houston -7 in that game

ATRoss14 (10:34:58 PM): they could challenge for the playoffs

ATRoss14 (10:35:02 PM): ill take Detroit +7

JMurray53 (10:35:04 PM): very nice

ATRoss14 (10:35:19 PM): i'll even tease it!

JMurray53 (10:35:29 PM): the Lions win total seems to be 6.5 with the juice (and Chad) on the 'Over', where do you guys stand?

cben2620 (10:35:36 PM): i've grown accustomed to the Lions sucking every year

ATRoss14 (10:35:57 PM): id take overS 6.5

cben2620 (10:36:22 PM): i hate to bet under 6.5, but it's the Lions, the number seems right, over 6.5 at +125ish might be good

ATRoss14 (10:36:46 PM): i doubt you'll get a plus on that

cben2620 (10:36:47 PM): i don't think i'll be betting this team's season wins either

JMurray53 (10:36:53 PM): i wont be betting this but if i had to id take them over 6.5
JMurray53 (10:37:05 PM): thats a very low number and they have been improving under Marinelli

JMurray53 (10:37:43 PM): but i really dont think they are quite yet on the level of the next team i want to talk about, the Green Bay Packers

cben2620 (10:38:10 PM): i'm so glad you are color-coordinating this crap

JMurray53 (10:38:22 PM): i understand there was a QB change in Green Bay over the offseason, what if anything have you guys heard about that?

ATRoss14 (10:38:27 PM): he's doing more coordinating than CC

ATRoss14 (10:38:31 PM): j/k

ATRoss14 (10:38:41 PM): that was to easy

cben2620 (10:39:01 PM): huh? are you saying favre is no longer the qb?

ATRoss14 (10:39:10 PM): wtf, really?

JMurray53 (10:39:12 PM): that's right

ATRoss14 (10:39:18 PM): holy crap

JMurray53 (10:39:19 PM): brett favre was traded to the new york jets

cben2620 (10:39:31 PM): so who is the qb? craig nall?

ATRoss14 (10:39:37 PM): wow, for a Hershel Walker like bounty I assume

JMurray53 (10:39:50 PM): for a pick that becomes a 1 if deanna favre is shown in the stands more than 3,000 times during the season

ATRoss14 (10:40:05 PM): he's married?

cben2620 (10:40:33 PM): will people even show up for their games if he isn't the qb?

JMurray53 (10:40:41 PM): so with Favre gone, how do you guys think the remnants of the offense will do without him?

ATRoss14 (10:40:49 PM): it is Wisconsin.....what else they gonna do

cben2620 (10:40:53 PM): hunt

JMurray53 (10:40:58 PM): mock

cben2620 (10:41:07 PM): no, that's what they do

ATRoss14 (10:41:11 PM): they can do that the other 6 and a half days

JMurray53 (10:41:14 PM): i understand that Jorgen recently had a wonderful time in Wisconsin

JMurray53 (10:41:23 PM): lots of "manly" activities if you catch my drift

cben2620 (10:41:26 PM): he's already back

ATRoss14 (10:41:28 PM): dude, you are obsessed with him

cben2620 (10:41:29 PM): ?

JMurray53 (10:41:51 PM): (it's for my less.... ummm how do i put this delicately.... intelligent readers, bro.... just play along)

JMurray53 (10:42:04 PM): yeah hes back and guess who else is back?

JMurray53 (10:42:06 PM): his purse!

ATRoss14 (10:42:11 PM): oh boy

JMurray53 (10:42:14 PM): (pause for laughter)

ATRoss14 (10:42:21 PM): (silence)

cben2620 (10:42:47 PM): someone needs new material

JMurray53 (10:42:50 PM): seriously tho, the Packers offense with Favre, should they just punt on 1st down or can Aaron Rodgers lead them up and down the field

JMurray53 (10:42:59 PM): without excuse me....still just doesnt seem right

ATRoss14 (10:43:19 PM): their offense will not suffer to much in my opinion

JMurray53 (10:43:38 PM): chris? any thing you want to say about Favre or....?

ATRoss14 (10:43:39 PM): Rodgers won't make all the dumb throws that TGBF use to make

cben2620 (10:44:35 PM): it's going to be hard replacing the greatest athlete in the history of competitive sport, so the packers should probably forfeit all of their games to save the embarrassment of going 0-16 while actually trying

ATRoss14 (10:44:52 PM): bitter much?

JMurray53 (10:44:56 PM): is that the new thing called sarcasm?

JMurray53 (10:45:19 PM): let me ask you guys this, on a serious note

ATRoss14 (10:45:28 PM): I think Favre would have been much better off going to Minnesota

cben2620 (10:45:30 PM): seriously though, favre is the all-time leader in INTs and hasn't been good since 2001

cben2620 (10:46:01 PM): he's still durable and has a strong arm, but he's a fucking moron

JMurray53 (10:46:03 PM): if Brett Favre breaks the record for interceptions thrown in one season should they stop the game, and bring Deanna onto the field for a ceremony followed by a breast cancer awareness speech?

JMurray53 (10:46:19 PM): language

ATRoss14 (10:46:31 PM): i guess this won't be linked on golfodds.com

JMurray53 (10:47:27 PM): no team exceeded their win total more than the Packers last season; how can they possibly follow that up in 08?

cben2620 (10:47:29 PM): jorgen jokes get old, brett favre jokes never get old

cben2620 (10:47:55 PM): are you saying my Under 10.5 wins bet might be a good one

ATRoss14 (10:47:58 PM): they should be able to make the playoffs

ATRoss14 (10:48:14 PM): i mean, they could

JMurray53 (10:48:30 PM): has Minnesota passed them as the class of the NFC Norris? Andy?

ATRoss14 (10:48:56 PM): passed them?? no. equal, probably

JMurray53 (10:49:07 PM): Chris?

ATRoss14 (10:49:14 PM): if the Vikings had addressed their QB situation, I'd say yes

cben2620 (10:49:20 PM): as a vikings fan, i am worried, the packers could win 10 games this year, i wouldn't be surprised

JMurray53 (10:49:29 PM): racist

cben2620 (10:49:38 PM): who?

JMurray53 (10:49:48 PM): that vikings QB cracked reaked of racism

ATRoss14 (10:50:01 PM): really?

ATRoss14 (10:50:09 PM): i didn't even mention anyone by name

JMurray53 (10:50:10 PM): are you saying Jackson isn't cerebral enough to lead the Vikes to the postseason?

ATRoss14 (10:50:37 PM): i'm saying they could have either added a more qualified starter or a better backup

cben2620 (10:50:41 PM): we are getting ahead of ourselves

JMurray53 (10:50:47 PM): good point, CB

ATRoss14 (10:51:02 PM): way to moderate things Murray Murray

JMurray53 (10:51:03 PM): the Packers D was really good last season and most of those players are back

JMurray53 (10:51:10 PM): besides Corey Williams who is gone to the Browns

cben2620 (10:51:13 PM): the packers had a strong D last year, breakout RB and WR

ATRoss14 (10:51:24 PM): very good O-Line too

JMurray53 (10:51:31 PM): i just feel like everything went right for them last season

JMurray53 (10:51:49 PM): can they really expect that to happen again? especially as they break in a new QB?

cben2620 (10:52:03 PM): i only saw rodgers play a little against dallas last year, i thought he looked competent

ATRoss14 (10:52:04 PM): is Rodgers really that new though?

ATRoss14 (10:52:15 PM): he's rode the pine for how many years

cben2620 (10:52:37 PM): i think everyone is overrating the loss of favre and plugging in Rodgers

JMurray53 (10:52:37 PM): so has Brian St. Pierre... but i wouldnt trust him to start

ATRoss14 (10:52:41 PM): it's not like he's Matt Ryan, or Brodie Croyle

cben2620 (10:53:04 PM): rodgers was expected to be a top 10 overall pick

cben2620 (10:53:14 PM): he hasn't even had a real opportunity yet

JMurray53 (10:53:20 PM): for his career, Rodgers has attempted 59 passes

ATRoss14 (10:53:36 PM): that Dallas game that CB mentioned though, he looked good

cben2620 (10:53:42 PM): wasn't a problem for b roeth

ATRoss14 (10:53:44 PM): made good throws

JMurray53 (10:53:58 PM): big ben is the exception, not the rule

ATRoss14 (10:54:01 PM): mobility will be a nice plus for him as well

cben2620 (10:54:20 PM): big ben played in a garbage conf, rodgers played in a real conf

JMurray53 (10:54:27 PM): what do you guys think about Ryan Grant? is he the real deal?

ATRoss14 (10:54:27 PM): didnt some guy named Tom Brady come in and win a bunch of games right off the bat?

cben2620 (10:54:54 PM): grant is for real, i've been impressed

ATRoss14 (10:55:00 PM): tough to judge Grant from 10 games

cben2620 (10:55:07 PM): that's not true, nothing impresses me

JMurray53 (10:55:30 PM): nothing?

JMurray53 (10:55:36 PM): have you not seen Jeff's new phone?

cben2620 (10:55:47 PM): not even that!!

JMurray53 (10:55:52 PM): wow

ATRoss14 (10:55:59 PM): dude, do you HAVE to mention The Y and Jeff in everything?

JMurray53 (10:56:09 PM): honestly yes

JMurray53 (10:56:13 PM): its in my contract

cben2620 (10:56:16 PM): i can't believe that is winning the poll

cben2620 (10:56:28 PM): how many computers have you voted on, john?

JMurray53 (10:56:43 PM): for the record, i voted for sports/gambling insight

cben2620 (10:56:49 PM): so did i

ATRoss14 (10:56:53 PM): as did i

JMurray53 (10:57:02 PM): i cant believe how few people have voted for Mom stories

JMurray53 (10:57:05 PM): but i digress

cben2620 (10:57:09 PM): i like mom stories

JMurray53 (10:57:18 PM): packers wins is at 8.5

JMurray53 (10:57:24 PM): down from 15.5 after the favre trade

ATRoss14 (10:57:31 PM): nice mock

JMurray53 (10:57:34 PM): i understand that bennett already played them at under 10.5

JMurray53 (10:57:37 PM): but play along

ATRoss14 (10:57:42 PM): have we even really discussed them at all?

JMurray53 (10:58:02 PM): we discussed them enough

ATRoss14 (10:58:07 PM): yes sir

JMurray53 (10:58:09 PM): enough to know that none of us know what to make of them

cben2620 (10:58:27 PM): 8 is out there, over 8 at -125 or better should be good, but i really do like under 10.5

ATRoss14 (10:58:41 PM): who has 8?

JMurray53 (10:58:42 PM): bennett says over on the packers

JMurray53 (10:58:45 PM): thats saying something

JMurray53 (10:58:47 PM): andy?

cben2620 (10:58:52 PM): i dunno, i swear i saw it

ATRoss14 (10:59:06 PM): i see a lot of 8.5 with a plus on the over

JMurray53 (10:59:17 PM): i think it's 8 at the peppermill

ATRoss14 (10:59:25 PM): which I'd take the over, 9-7 seems realistic

ATRoss14 (10:59:36 PM): lets make the short drive to Reno then

cben2620 (10:59:37 PM): i'll show you romorrow wise guy

ATRoss14 (10:59:41 PM): thats smart

cben2620 (10:59:44 PM): tomorrow

ATRoss14 (10:59:48 PM): i'm off tomorrow

cben2620 (10:59:55 PM): johnny boy

JMurray53 (11:00:09 PM): well i like them under 8.5

ATRoss14 (11:00:16 PM): ill book that for you

JMurray53 (11:00:23 PM): i think they lose opening day to the Vikings

cben2620 (11:00:35 PM): 9-7 seems probable

cben2620 (11:00:40 PM): i wish!

JMurray53 (11:00:42 PM): then its @ Detroit, Dallas, @ Tampa

JMurray53 (11:00:49 PM): followed by Atlanta @ Sea, Ind

ATRoss14 (11:00:54 PM): i already bet Minnesota for week 1

JMurray53 (11:00:54 PM): they could start 2-5

ATRoss14 (11:00:57 PM): i like that play

JMurray53 (11:01:01 PM): then watch the wheels come off

ATRoss14 (11:01:16 PM): they're to good to start 2-5, even with a new QB

ATRoss14 (11:01:38 PM): they have good weapons on offense

JMurray53 (11:02:00 PM): can i ask why you would book my action under 8.5 after chris just said that over 8 is available

ATRoss14 (11:02:31 PM): i dont think 8 is available, and it was a mock bro relax

JMurray53 (11:02:44 PM): believe me im relaxed

cben2620 (11:02:49 PM): i don't foresee a disaster with this team, i would expect them to nab the #5 or #6 playoff spot in the NFC

JMurray53 (11:02:51 PM): i have america's best dance crew on in the background

JMurray53 (11:02:54 PM): im good

ATRoss14 (11:03:11 PM): figures you watch that

cben2620 (11:03:20 PM): i swear i saw 8, how can you doubt me?

JMurray53 (11:03:47 PM): well Chris if you see them as a wild card team, then that means you see another team winning the North, would that club be perhaps.... the Minnesota Vikings?

ATRoss14 (11:03:48 PM): i just think that you're mistaken thats all

cben2620 (11:04:06 PM): it's theirs for the taking

ATRoss14 (11:04:15 PM): i like the Viks this year]

ATRoss14 (11:04:22 PM): their D is very strong

ATRoss14 (11:04:29 PM): solid run game

cben2620 (11:04:31 PM): defense could be one of the best ever

JMurray53 (11:04:32 PM): Andy the (blatant) racist brought up the QB situation.... does that worry you?

ATRoss14 (11:05:02 PM): i object to the racist implications

JMurray53 (11:05:18 PM): good... i would too if i were you... they are completely unfounded

cben2620 (11:05:20 PM): yes, the vikings haven't even attempted much of a passing game with Jackson, and when they have he hasn't looked very good

ATRoss14 (11:05:35 PM): i hate you

ATRoss14 (11:05:41 PM): you're a young Austin

JMurray53 (11:05:42 PM): yeah, i get that a lot

JMurray53 (11:05:57 PM): well i get hated a lot

cben2620 (11:06:02 PM): his game at home against the Bears last season was one of the worst you'll ever see, it made Kyle Boller cringe

JMurray53 (11:06:08 PM): never been compared to old '2:53 Bhushan'

ATRoss14 (11:06:12 PM): Jackson does have a knee though(copying that lame way of saying someone is hurt)

cben2620 (11:06:25 PM): stop it andy, stop it right there

JMurray53 (11:06:37 PM): who do you think the Vikes would go to if Jackson got hurt and/or continued to suck ass

ATRoss14 (11:06:46 PM): what did I do CB

cben2620 (11:06:48 PM): gus!

JMurray53 (11:06:54 PM): the gus bus?

cben2620 (11:06:59 PM): i know he has a knee, what about it?

ATRoss14 (11:07:12 PM): im saying its injured

cben2620 (11:07:20 PM): no you weren't

ATRoss14 (11:07:22 PM): you know, by just saying the name of the area thats hurt

JMurray53 (11:07:25 PM): i was once at a game where he slammed his head into the wall to celebrate a touchdown and had to leave the game with a concussion....doesn't sound very cerebral to me

ATRoss14 (11:07:43 PM): he couldnt hack it as the starting QB of the Lions

ATRoss14 (11:08:02 PM): a quick Frerotte story....

JMurray53 (11:08:06 PM): please

ATRoss14 (11:08:31 PM): I was bartending back in Michigan, and Saginaw was once home of the Lions training camp...when Frerotte was QB.....

ATRoss14 (11:08:54 PM): one night Frerotte and Brian Stabeline(sp?) came in and sat at the bar....

ATRoss14 (11:09:18 PM): and talked about WWE Wrestling the whole time, and their favorite 'death kill moves'......what a tool

JMurray53 (11:09:23 PM): did this bar have walls and if so was Frerotte very cautious while he was walking to jon?

ATRoss14 (11:09:44 PM): no, he seemed alright

cben2620 (11:09:57 PM): WWE is awesome

ATRoss14 (11:10:02 PM): they even asked me what my favorite move was

JMurray53 (11:10:07 PM): mike o...when did you join the chat

cben2620 (11:10:07 PM): oh wait, i'm not 11 anymore

JMurray53 (11:10:21 PM): mock

JMurray53 (11:11:03 PM): i couldnt help but notice Chris saying the Vikings could have one of the best defenses ever

cben2620 (11:11:04 PM): dude, they are football players, what would you expect them to talk about?

JMurray53 (11:11:15 PM): Chris id like to know.... are you high or something?

ATRoss14 (11:11:19 PM): stuff that's not gay

cben2620 (11:11:35 PM): so what if i am, don't judge me

JMurray53 (11:11:51 PM): i love their front four

JMurray53 (11:11:58 PM): and iowa product chad greenway is a talent

JMurray53 (11:12:07 PM): not thrilled about their secondary tho

cben2620 (11:12:22 PM): greenway was a 1st round pick last year, got hurt in the 1st preseason game and missed the whole season

JMurray53 (11:12:33 PM): wasnt that 2 years ago?

cben2620 (11:12:39 PM): the LB corps will be strong

cben2620 (11:13:01 PM): maybe, i don't know jack about the NFL

ATRoss14 (11:13:02 PM): their D should be able to score some points, despite what Chad thinks

JMurray53 (11:13:07 PM): michael boulware is still collecting NFL paychecks?

JMurray53 (11:13:12 PM): ridiculous

ATRoss14 (11:13:30 PM): careful, the Redskins may sign him soon

cben2620 (11:13:45 PM): john did i tell you i gave chad 50-1 on the vikings D not scoring a TD this year?

JMurray53 (11:14:03 PM): no but im sure my reader(s) would love to hear more

ATRoss14 (11:14:06 PM): CJack went on and on about that

cben2620 (11:14:13 PM): that's the whole story

JMurray53 (11:14:23 PM): theres no dollar amount involved....?

cben2620 (11:14:28 PM): $20

JMurray53 (11:14:38 PM): im no math major

cben2620 (11:14:48 PM): no you're not

JMurray53 (11:14:49 PM): but you laid 1,000 to win 20 bucks on the Vikings D NOT scoring a TD?

cben2620 (11:15:08 PM): you need to work on your critical reading skills

ATRoss14 (11:15:15 PM): yeah, really bro

ATRoss14 (11:15:22 PM): CB is betting on them scoring

ATRoss14 (11:15:25 PM): CJ is saying no

JMurray53 (11:15:29 PM): true... your guys blogs prove your writing skills are sublime

JMurray53 (11:15:33 PM): anyways

JMurray53 (11:15:45 PM): risking a dime to win 20 bucks on something like that seems i dunno.... really stupid....

ATRoss14 (11:16:20 PM): they scored quite a few D TD's last year

cben2620 (11:16:26 PM): so does laying -220 in a nascar matchup

JMurray53 (11:16:37 PM): which is why ive never done that

ATRoss14 (11:16:48 PM): CB, should went with a Patriots/Giants mock

JMurray53 (11:16:55 PM): ill bet 100 dollars with you at 50-1 on that exact same bet

cben2620 (11:17:07 PM): deal

JMurray53 (11:17:13 PM): understand that its for regular season only

cben2620 (11:17:18 PM): yes

ATRoss14 (11:17:21 PM): dudes

ATRoss14 (11:17:28 PM): this just got interesting

JMurray53 (11:17:30 PM): ill pay you 100 dollars the day the Vikings D score a touchdown

JMurray53 (11:17:45 PM): but i expect 5 grand on the last day of the regular season if they dont

cben2620 (11:17:54 PM): of course

JMurray53 (11:18:04 PM): and this is D only

cben2620 (11:18:09 PM): right

JMurray53 (11:18:12 PM): a special teams TD does not factor in correct?

cben2620 (11:18:15 PM): yes

JMurray53 (11:18:18 PM): you have a deal

ATRoss14 (11:18:39 PM): this should make this blog entry much more entertaining

JMurray53 (11:18:59 PM): i understand that the Vikings D is very explosive

JMurray53 (11:19:03 PM): but 50-1 seems crazy high bro

JMurray53 (11:19:08 PM): guess we'll find out

cben2620 (11:19:14 PM): 6 games against kitna, orton, and rodgers

cben2620 (11:19:25 PM): it's actually probably very close to the true odds

cben2620 (11:19:36 PM): i ran some numbers

JMurray53 (11:19:48 PM): well Chris, give us all your thoughts on the Vikings, theyre your team.... walk us through it.

ATRoss14 (11:19:56 PM): they also get Arizona and Atlanta

cben2620 (11:20:49 PM): only bad things regarding the D is the loss of madieu williams for the first few games of the season

ATRoss14 (11:21:31 PM): Jared Allen was a excellent pickup

JMurray53 (11:21:46 PM): will the loss of kenechi udeze have an adverse effect on the DL?

cben2620 (11:22:04 PM): d-line is superb, LBs underrated, secondary should be good

cben2620 (11:22:24 PM): udeze never did anyhing, he was always hurt

ATRoss14 (11:22:47 PM): yeah, i'd say if anything, losing him helps them

JMurray53 (11:22:53 PM): correct me if im wrong

JMurray53 (11:23:00 PM): wasnt the Vikings pass D ranked last in the NFL last season

ATRoss14 (11:23:00 PM): will do

cben2620 (11:23:27 PM): based on yards?

ATRoss14 (11:23:40 PM): those stats don't always tell the complete story

JMurray53 (11:23:41 PM): well what else can it be based on?

JMurray53 (11:24:02 PM): i understand that it's skewed by the fact that teams didnt want to run against them but that still has to be a cause for some concern

cben2620 (11:24:21 PM): that's why they got williams and used their top draft pick this year on a safety

JMurray53 (11:24:41 PM): what do you think of their corners

ATRoss14 (11:24:58 PM): total yards per game, they were #20, #1 rush D

ATRoss14 (11:25:20 PM): #11 for points given up

cben2620 (11:25:29 PM): winfield is good in coverage and is a solid tackler, the texas guy (can't think of his name) is improving

ATRoss14 (11:25:44 PM): Cedric Griffin

cben2620 (11:25:50 PM): they are so much better off without that clown Fred Smoot

cben2620 (11:26:12 PM): yeah, griffin

JMurray53 (11:26:20 PM): i admit that im just trying to play devil's advocate, the Vikings D is really good.... but the offense could another story....

JMurray53 (11:26:34 PM): isn't Mount McKinnie facing a suspension?

cben2620 (11:26:50 PM): i read that, but nothing is official

cben2620 (11:26:59 PM): losing him would really hurt

ATRoss14 (11:27:26 PM): did their D score 2 TD's in week 1 last year?

JMurray53 (11:27:29 PM): would you concerned at all if i told you that a certain Superbook employee, manager type, has been humping the Vikings like Austin humps Usain Bolt?

cben2620 (11:28:09 PM): nobody humps anything like Austin humps Usain Bolt

JMurray53 (11:28:17 PM): damn

JMurray53 (11:28:21 PM): no one could possibly refute that

ATRoss14 (11:28:32 PM): Vikings had 8 Defensive TD's last year

JMurray53 (11:28:48 PM): okay, thanks, Tony Reali

cben2620 (11:28:51 PM): yes, las vegas hilton superbook race and sportsbook manager Ed Salmons loves the Vikings

cben2620 (11:29:10 PM): and we know how much you respect his opinions, john

JMurray53 (11:29:16 PM): i like to call him NFL SuperFan Ed Salmons, or NFLSFES

cben2620 (11:29:44 PM): the vikings needed something like 7 weeks last year before the offense had more TDs than the defense

JMurray53 (11:30:24 PM): how about instead of listening to Ed, we all stubbornly ignore his golden NASCAR information week after week out of spite?

JMurray53 (11:30:31 PM): seems smart

JMurray53 (11:30:51 PM): (and the blog goes off the tracks in 3,2,1....)

cben2620 (11:31:00 PM): i don't get any golden information, i don't know about you though

JMurray53 (11:31:24 PM): anyways

ATRoss14 (11:31:28 PM): you're gonna edit this out right

JMurray53 (11:31:45 PM): ....

JMurray53 (11:31:53 PM): what do you guys think of Brad Childress?

cben2620 (11:31:57 PM): horrible

cben2620 (11:32:08 PM): he is an awful person

ATRoss14 (11:32:09 PM): much better than Mike Tice

cben2620 (11:32:13 PM): not just a bad coach

JMurray53 (11:32:24 PM): what did he do to deserve that chris?

cben2620 (11:32:48 PM): he seems like one of those people who thinks they are really smart, but are really fucking clueless

ATRoss14 (11:32:57 PM): one last D TD comment.....only 1 team didn't have a defensive score last year

JMurray53 (11:33:06 PM): what do you think of his mustache?

ATRoss14 (11:33:12 PM): it plays

JMurray53 (11:33:19 PM): does that make him seem smarter, less smart, or does it not factor in

cben2620 (11:33:32 PM): the mustache should be winning more games than it has

JMurray53 (11:34:08 PM): so this team has a bad coach and a bad qb... and we all agree on this? is that correct?

ATRoss14 (11:34:22 PM): i dont think Childress is that bad

cben2620 (11:34:26 PM): well i think most teams have bad coaches

cben2620 (11:34:37 PM): but then again, some might call me a hater

ATRoss14 (11:34:46 PM): or even critical

JMurray53 (11:34:46 PM): yeah dont know where we ever got that idea...

JMurray53 (11:35:14 PM): where do you guys stand on the Vikings season wins?

ATRoss14 (11:35:14 PM): this is Childress's make or break year

cben2620 (11:35:41 PM): i hate to admit this, but i would bet over 8.5 if i had to bet it

cben2620 (11:35:52 PM): -120 or better preferred

JMurray53 (11:35:55 PM): but you didnt bet their win total is that correct?

ATRoss14 (11:35:59 PM): i believe the Venetian has 8

ATRoss14 (11:36:06 PM): but, they put up a lot of garbage

ATRoss14 (11:36:14 PM): over 8, i like it

cben2620 (11:36:17 PM): do they? or is that a mock?

JMurray53 (11:36:25 PM): dude a good buddy of mine works there

ATRoss14 (11:36:27 PM): the sheet i have has it at 8

JMurray53 (11:36:27 PM): and hes a sharp

ATRoss14 (11:36:52 PM): its from July 9th, but its at 8

cben2620 (11:37:06 PM): if they are going to win the division, and many think they will, they ought to win at least 9 games

JMurray53 (11:37:10 PM): gun to my head, id bet them over 8.5 as well for the record...... after all they are the blog's pick to win the NFC North

JMurray53 (11:37:26 PM): id like to get your guys rankings, 1-4 of the NFC North teams....starting with Andy Ross

ATRoss14 (11:37:26 PM): do we know where CJack stands on this

cben2620 (11:37:39 PM): seriously, the D could win 10 by themselves

cben2620 (11:37:59 PM): but it's the vikings, they always disappoint when expectations are high

ATRoss14 (11:38:14 PM): i'd go GB 10-6, Minesota 9-7, Detroit 8-8, Chicago 6-10

JMurray53 (11:38:25 PM): Andy says Packers repeat

JMurray53 (11:38:34 PM): do you have the Vikings as a wild card?

ATRoss14 (11:38:46 PM): GB and Minnesota could easily be flip flopped though

ATRoss14 (11:38:54 PM): yeas, Vikings in the playoffs

ATRoss14 (11:39:00 PM): yes*

JMurray53 (11:39:06 PM): 2 team playoffs team from the division with the Packers taking it

JMurray53 (11:39:07 PM): Chris?

cben2620 (11:39:29 PM): this is gonna look like Sherman did this, whatever Minn 9-7, GB 9-7, Chi 7-9, Det 6-10

cben2620 (11:39:47 PM): yeah i know they are all within a half game of the season wins numbers

JMurray53 (11:39:51 PM): mock

JMurray53 (11:39:57 PM): so Minny wins on tiebreakers i take it?

cben2620 (11:40:02 PM): i respect the market

ATRoss14 (11:40:43 PM): Venetian has Detroit at 7 for the record

cben2620 (11:41:08 PM): i think we (yes we, that's how i talk about teams i'm not a part of) are slightly better than the Packers, hard to predict the vikes with 10 wins though

JMurray53 (11:41:28 PM): last year only one team from this division finished with a winning record and the NFC North matches up with the AFC South which means it wont get any easier

JMurray53 (11:41:40 PM): ill say Min 10-6 GB 7-9 Chi 7-9 Det 6-10

ATRoss14 (11:41:57 PM): way down on the Pack eh

cben2620 (11:42:05 PM): wow, you just won over a bunch of vikings games

cben2620 (11:42:14 PM): vikings fans, sorry

JMurray53 (11:42:28 PM): i love a good pass rush

cben2620 (11:42:30 PM): they get really worked up over predictions from morons

JMurray53 (11:42:57 PM): if the Giants can win the Super Bowl with no coach and no QB due to an oustanding pass rush, the Vikings can win 10 games in an easier division

cben2620 (11:43:15 PM): now you're getting me fired up

JMurray53 (11:43:21 PM): anything to add?

JMurray53 (11:43:22 PM): Ross?

cben2620 (11:43:31 PM): and the vikings crushed the giants last year

ATRoss14 (11:43:36 PM): i think the Vikings are built for a deep playoff run

ATRoss14 (11:43:48 PM): even if they dont win the division

ATRoss14 (11:44:01 PM): the Bears suck

JMurray53 (11:44:03 PM): they need AD to stay healthy but yes a lot of the pieces are there

ATRoss14 (11:44:08 PM): i hate thier Front Office

cben2620 (11:44:24 PM): who is AD?

JMurray53 (11:44:30 PM): dude

ATRoss14 (11:44:35 PM): i think he meant AP

JMurray53 (11:44:49 PM): thought i was blogging with some NFL guys

JMurray53 (11:44:53 PM): Adrian Peterson

JMurray53 (11:44:55 PM): "All Day"

JMurray53 (11:44:59 PM): goes by AD

ATRoss14 (11:45:18 PM): i've never heard that

cben2620 (11:45:22 PM): you can't see it, but i just rolled my eyes

JMurray53 (11:45:41 PM): here's the first line of his wikipedia

ATRoss14 (11:45:54 PM): is wikipedia your homepage

JMurray53 (11:46:02 PM): damn

JMurray53 (11:46:04 PM): now i cant do it

JMurray53 (11:46:08 PM): not following up that mock

ATRoss14 (11:46:21 PM): i'm just asking

JMurray53 (11:46:32 PM): but trust me his nickname is All Day, has been since he was getting paid large amounts of money by rich boosters in Norman

cben2620 (11:46:46 PM): i know, it's a dumb nickname

JMurray53 (11:46:55 PM): didnt say it wasnt

JMurray53 (11:46:59 PM): but it's still his nickname

JMurray53 (11:47:20 PM): well guys im gonna wrap this thing up unless you have something to say

ATRoss14 (11:47:51 PM): i hope you guys enjoy a Chadless day tomorrow

JMurray53 (11:48:10 PM): i thank you both for coming on the program

cben2620 (11:48:16 PM): thanks for having me

ATRoss14 (11:48:22 PM): what program?

JMurray53 (11:48:36 PM): thats a nickname i have for my blog

JMurray53 (11:48:41 PM): like All Day

JMurray53 (11:48:45 PM): doesnt make sense

ATRoss14 (11:48:46 PM): oh, ok...awesome

JMurray53 (11:49:11 PM): Thanks for being here and enjoy the game!

ATRoss14 (11:49:11 PM): this was fun, look forward to coming on the program again

JMurray53 (11:49:20 PM): what program?





And scene.


There you have it, guys. The blog is picking the Vikings to win the NFC North and I'll owe Chris 100 bucks in a couple weeks.

New pictures are up. I'll do a new poll in a couple days asking you guys to pick your own NFC North winner. But first I want to hear from you all on what the blog needs more of. Thanks in advance.



Enjoy the chat.

Before I get started today

.... I just want to take the time to thank someone. He is a true wheelman and was in total control of his Office Depot Ford Fusion last night. You most likely know him as "Concrete Carl," "Cousin Carl," or "The Distinguished Gentlemen," but to me he is simply Carl Michael Edwards II: American Institution. I said it yesterday before the race and I'll say it again now: If you don't like Carl Edwards, you are unAmerican.

Now if I could only discipline myself to stop betting on dopes like Dale Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. and giving away my profits earned by TGCE. I'm an idiot.

Okay, that thud you just heard was the sound of Chris Bennett's head hitting his computer as he passes out from the boredom of reading about NASCAR. Someone check on that kid. I'll move along:


* Speaking of Chris and speaking of Chris's dislike of NASCAR, he went on an absolutely unprovoked rant last night about how much he hates car racing, and how he hates how much Ed, Matt, and I talk about it. (He also badmouthed Jeff for an extended period but that was on a completely unrelated matter.) My point is that during this offensive and borderline racist tirade, I saw the potential Chris has to be a great blogger. If he could somehow take these moments where he finally lets it all out (Which are almost always negative and funny) and translate that into a blog, I really think it could be very entertaining. It's easier said than done but I'm sure that he can pull it off. After all, he's one of the most respected baseball cappers in Vegas, this side of The Hoff. And if you're capping bases on a level close to Hoffy's, you can do anything.

You know you're capable, Chris. Make it happen.

* After I got off work last night, I watched the Gold Medal game between the USA and Spain. Other than the soccer matches I woke up to watch in the middle of the night, that may have been the first Olympic event I watched live. (And I don't mean Jorgen and Amanda watching swimming and thinking it's live because it says so on the screen. This was actually live. Those Iowa kids are so sweet.) Call me unpatriotic if you want, but I found myself rooting for Spain. Rooting for Goliath would have been hard enough, but rooting for Goliath when he's coached by Mike Kryszwzyzwkskwziywki (See what I've done here? I am too lazy to look up the real spelling of his last name so I made a joke out of it. You should really be taking notes on this stuff, Bennett) and lead by a phony like Kobe Bryant is just not possible. Watching Kobe and his teammates celebrate just showed me what a complete fake he is. I'd be willing to bet anyone that none of the other players on the team actually like him.

Hate, hate, hate....

* The recent news that both Alex Smith and Matt Leinart have been beaten out for starting positions by J.T. O'Sullivan and Kurt Warner, respectively, got me thinking about recent NFL Drafs and specifically QBs taken in the 1st round over the last few years. I will exclude the 2008 Draft because none of those guys have had a chance to prove themselves yet. I will also exclude the 2004 Draft, as it has already produced 2 Super Bowl champions. (The second one is Eli Manning. Yeah, he won the Super Bowl. Seriously. Don't look at me like that. Fine, I'll prove it to you: Giants Win?!?)

2007 Draft

(1) Jamarcus Russell, OAK
(22) Brady Quinn, CLE


Only 2 QBs taken in the 1st round last year and both of them barely played so it's hard to draw too many conclusions at this point. Russell is now firmly entrenched as the #1 guy in Oakland and will have the opportunity to prove himself this season. He displayed a rocket arm and surprising mobility at LSU, so I feel like he could be a good NFL player. Quinn, on the other hand, is still the clear #2 behind incumbent Derek Anderson and based on Anderson's performance last season, I have to believe the Browns wish they had never made the trade to acquire the pick they used on Quinn.

2006 Draft

(3) Vince Young, TEN
(10) Matt Leinart, ARI
(11) Jay Cutler, DEN


All 3 of these guys have played extensively during their first two seasons in the NFL. Young actually made a Pro Bowl as a rookie and took the Titans to the playoffs last season. Cutler has shown flashes of brilliance. To me Cutler is basically what Tony Romo would be if he wasn't surrounded by Pro Bowlers at every key position. The talent is there but he makes too many dumb decisions and unlike Romo, he doesn't have stud WRs, RBs, and OL to bail him out. Leinart is terrible. He'll never make it in the NFL. He's not a pro quarterback. He had a good college career playing with tons of star players but he'll never make it at this level. The fact that he was just beaten out by a 37-year-old has been is all the proof I need to call Leinart a bust.

2005 Draft

(1) Alex Smith, SF
(24) Aaron Rodgers, GB
(25) Jason Campbell, WASH


On the day of the 2005 NFL Draft, I went to the Redskins Draft Party at FedEx Field with my father and brother. After the 49ers took Alex Smith first overall, I went off on one of my pointless rants about how terrible a pick that was, how Smith played in a gimmick offense at Utah, in a weak conference, and how his skills would never translate to the NFL. Now that Smith has been beaten out by something named J.T. O'Sullivan as he heads into his 4th season, I'd like to take the time to pat myself on the back for being 100% correct. (What's that, Pete? Yeah, I was complaining about the Redskins not taking Mike Williams, WR from USC. What's your point? Out of the league, huh? Look, guy, I'm not exactly Bill Polian. And I was drinking.... Cut me some slack....) Rodgers should have an easy time replacing one of the most popular QBs in NFL history this season. It's not like he's barely played or been hampered by injuries during his career. Look, I'll just come out and say it: Jason Campbell is the best QB in the 2005 Draft Class.

So where does he rank among 1st rounders taken from 2005-2007? If I had a team, and I could choose any of these QBs, here's how I would rank them. These rankings are based on long term success, not just this season:

1. Jason Campbell, WASH
2. Vince Young, TEN
3. JaMarcus Russell, OAK
4. Jay Cutler, DEN
5. Aaron Rodgers, GB
6. Brady Quinn, CLE
7. Matt Leinart, ARI
8. PASS
9. Alex Smith, SF


There. That should rile some people up for no good reason and spark some debate. For the record, I feel that ranking Campbell first is more of a reflection on the recent crop of QBs in the NFL Draft than it is proof that he's a great player. He's merely an average NFL QB but with these other guys getting beat out by players like O'Sullivan and Warner, maybe being average isn't so bad....


Yesterday: No NFL Plays

Year to Date: 2-3, -$160

(270) Indianapolis Colts -5

It's been a while since I bet an NFL Preseason game. The last time I had action on a football game was the Bills-Steelers game where I ended up betting both sides in a panic, closing my eyes, and opening them to a small profit. I am good. I read some very interesting blurbs about the Colts last night from a man with all the blogging ability in the world but none of the resources to get to Florida and start his own blog. (He still doesn't seem to understand how this works. I'm working with him, though.) In short, the Bills are banged up and will be without QB Trent Edwards and WRs James Hardy and Roscoe Parrish, among others. The Bills reserves should see a lot of playing time tonight while Colts coach Tony Dungy claims that he plans to use his starters deep into the 3rd quarter. We may even see Pro Bowlers Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders in this game. It's unusual for me to win bets that don't involve "Cousin Carl" but I like my chances tonight.


Trivia Question for Sunday: Name all the NFL teams that have won a playoff game since the Dallas Cowboys last did. (Hint: It would be a lot easier to name the few teams that have not and go from there.)

** Saturday's Answer: Barry Switzer was the coach the last time Dallas won a playoff game. The date was December 28, 1996. I was in the 8th grade. What a franchise. Congrats to Franco Cortes for nailing that one. He can now add the title of Trivia Champion to his current moniker of Beirut Master.


As I was wrapping up today's blog, I came across this article about Giants DE Osi Umenyiora, who is apparently out for the season.

That lead to this text exchange between brothers:


John: Osi out for the year.

Peter: Good. Fuck him.


I then talked to my Dad on the phone. He sounded nothing short of delighted.

We play the Giants next Thursday. The Murray family is ready. Let's hope the Redskins are as well.



Enjoy the game.

You're probably thinking

.... there's no way Murray has any material. Jorgen is off in Lake Fondue, Wisconsin for a guys only weekend. Jeff's head has been buried in his IPhone for more than a week. And my Mom's been in Maine the last few days for some reason. Well today I'm not going to talk about the fact that Jorgen left his loving girlfriend to go up to a lakehouse and sit around in cramped quarters with a bunch of other men. (For the record, I did once see Jorgen buy a guy a drink. I'm not trying to insinuate anything. I'm just merely pointing that out as a fact.) I'm not going to talk about Jeff either. Frankly, I'm afraid of the guy. At this point, he is so wired in he could probably delete my entire blog with a simple voice command. I will, however, talk about my Mom whom I spoke with this morning, the NL East race, the upcoming football season, and Cindy McCain. (And I'm sure The Hoff will come up at some point as well. He always does.)

That introductory paragraph felt long. Maybe I really am "Long-winded."

Moving right along:


* I'm watching the Dodgers-Phillies game as I write this. The announcers are talking about Jimmy Rollins calling Philadelphia fans front-runners and the announcers are defending Philly fans saying that they boo out of frustration because they so desperately want to be out on the field. What does that prove? I never got to suit up for the 3-time Super Bowl Champion Washington Redskins (Perhaps there is still time?) but you'll never see me booing them. Ever. I would never boo my team. Not even during the Spurrier years. I'm at the game early, beer in hand. I stand and cheer at all the appropriate moments, beer in hand. I sweat every 3rd down play like it's life or death, beer in hand. I've even been known to embrace fellow fans in exuberant man hugs after a big touchdown, while carefully checking to make sure I don't spill my beer, of course. In short, I do everything I can to support my team. But I'd never boo them for failing. Only garbage, degenerate Philadelphia fans do that crap. And what goes around comes around. Ed would have to ask his great-great grandfather to hear firsthand about the Eagles last NFL Championship.

* What was I talking about? The NL East? Oh, yeah.... Football season is right around the corner and I'm going to frequently go off on these tangents about how much I despise the Eagles and their degenerate fans, the Giants and their terrible QB, and the Cowboys and literally every single aspect of their franchise. Sorry about that. The Fightins' are 2.5 games back in the division coming into today's action. Somehow, that wretched Mets club has won 10 of their last 11 games but they can't seem to pull away from these scrappy Phils. In fact, Ryan Howard just ripped a 2 run single to open up a 6-2 lead over the Dodgers. Meaningless hit. Just doubled their lead in the bottom of the 5th. Nowhere near as important as that solo HR Chase Utley hit in the late innings of an 8-1 win last night. That was critical. By the way, those were Howard's 107th and 108th RBI of the season to go with his 34 home runs. Seems like a lot for a non - All-Star. But I guess when you compare those numbers to what King Cole and The Babe are doing, it's really no big deal.

I'm sorry. I just hate Philadelphia and their whiny fans.


Why's there a pink slip in your hand, Ed?


Oh, boy....


Let's do a blurgb about my Mom to try and put out this fire.


* She called me this morning and we talked for a long time. My siblings had told me stories about walking into the living room and seeing my Mom so frustrated with the new DirecTV remote that she was literally muttering to herself about how she "Just can't figure it out." She claims to hate DirecTV because there's never anything on. I tried to talk her off the ledge by explaining that she just needs to learn the new channels and she'll be fine. Here's an actual exchange:

Mom: John, I just.... I just don't know where any of my shows are and I can't figure out how to record them.

Me: Just have Peter show you. Or Dad.

Mom: Your father doesn't know how to do it either!

Me: Mom, you just have to learn the new channels and you'll be fine. When I first got DirecTV I went through a small adjustment period, too.

Mom (now hopeful): Really?

Me: Of course.

Mom: There's just never anything on....

Me: There's a Cup race tonight on ESPN.

Mom: What's that?

Me: NASCAR, Mom. You're going to watch, right?

Mom (laughing): Oh, John.... We don't watch that. Only you Southern hicks watch that stuff.

Me (enraged): Mom! What are you talking about?

Mom (still laughing): Only you rednecks watch NASCAR.

Me: Well then what are you going to watch?

Mom: I'll watch WETA. Maybe there will be an opera on or something.

Me: You elitist northerner.

Mom: (more laughing)


* Okay, I made fun of my Mom enough for one day. Let's do Philly fans again. A certain Eagles/Phillies/Flyers/76ers fan with ties to Morristown, PA called me this morning to brag about the Eagles new rookie WR/KR. Actually he first sent me the following text:

I slob on DeSean Jackson's knob.

Weird kid. Anyways, we got to talking and he informed me that next week he will be going to St. Paul, Minnesota for the Republic National Convention, during which time he will serve as something called a "Logistics Coordinator" for Cindy McCain, the wife of presidential hopeful John McCain. He also told me that I should go out and bet as much money as I can get down on Barack Obama to win the election because he is confident that he will goof something up. Let me give you some background information on this LC:

- One Saturday morning while we were in college, we were sitting on the couch watching TV in a hungover haze. I was flipping channels and came across some random Pac-10 football game between two teams we knew nothing about it. This kid literally jumps off the couch, trips and falls, collects himself and runs into his room, frantically opens his laptop, and places a $10 bet on the game just before it kicks off. He then calmly walked back into the room and sat down.

- One time during a long gambling losing streak, he told me his only remaining option was to bet the remainder of his balance on one hand of online blackjack. I pleaded with him not to do this, even threatening to take away his computer. So what does he do? He goes to the campus library and logs onto his account there, while I was at home. He bets the remainder of his account on one hand of blackjack, busts, logs off and calmly walks out of the library. He then gets into his car and screams at the top of his lungs before calling me to tell me what had happened.

- He once made a 4 team bracket of two opposing college basketball teams, the over, and the under, and flipped a coin until one betting option was standing. Then he called our bookie and bet it.

- He used to put makeshift dartboards on his bedroom door with the names of different teams written on them, then throw a pen down the hall at his door until it made a mark in one of the teams' quadrants. He would then bet on that team. I can still remember him excitedly running down the hall to see which team he was about lose money on.

- He once had an important meeting on campus that he got dressed up for but he didn't bother to figure out exactly where it was. When he realized he had parked in the wrong lot, he decided to walk across a field and climb up a hill to the building instead of just moving his car to the appropriate lot. He ended up slipping and falling in mud and had no choice but to go to the meeting like that: A sweaty, muddy mess.

- The first time I gambled in a casino was right after his 21st birthday. (I had turned 21 two months earlier.) He and I drove up to Atlantic City with a lot of hope in our hearts, a few hundred bucks in our pockets, and no idea that sports gambling wasn't legal in AC. He blew every dollar he had on the first night and spent the second day following me around and watching every bet I made, while complaining about the night before.

And now this kid is in charge of coordinating Cindy McCain and her family's trip to Minnesota for the National Convention.

Seems like a good idea.



Trivia Question for Saturday: Who was the coach the last time the Dallas Cowboys won an NFL playoff game?


** Tuesday's Answer: Charles Barkley lead the original "Dream Team" in scoring.



I want to thank those of you who actually read my AFC North preview. While it's true that I know absolutely nothing about the AFC North and have no right to predict what will happen, I enjoyed writing it all the same. Perhaps I will do another division in the near future?

Big Cup race tonight, although I guess it's not a big deal in some parts of Virginia. My Mom may not care but I can assure you that I will be watching. But for now I'm going to go watch Transformers again. My obsession with Megan Fox is starting to rival Sean's infatuation with Miley Cyrus and Austin's love affair with tall and lanky male swimmers.



Enjoy the race.

2008 AFC NORTH PREVIEW

A few days ago, I was mad at Jeff for not reading my blog any more but between his IPhone, his MySpace page, his Golf Website, and his new Italian class, I can see why he doesn't have the time to thumb through my pointless ramblings.

With that in mind, I have erased the 2,000 word essay I had written badmouthing him and everything he stands for, and replaced it with my first NFL Division preview of the season. Here's my take on the 2008 AFC North:


BALTIMORE RAVENS


The Good:

* The defense still has Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata, Terrell Suggs, Bart Scott, and Chris McAlister, all of whom are capable of Pro Bowl seasons. Lewis and McAlister are getting older but this team definitely has a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball.

* In 2006, the Ravens went 13-3, won the AFC North, and earned a first round bye but lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Colts in the Divisional Playoffs. A lot of players from that team will take the field for Baltimore in 2008.

* Brian Billick was always overrated and new coach John Harbaugh could breathe new life into this team. Harbaugh comes over from a great winning tradition in Philadelphia. (Mock? What mock? I don't know what you're talking about....)


The Bad

* The offense is garbage. Willis McGahee's knee could go at any time. The QB situation is so bad that Troy Smith is starting preseason games. They don't have any reliable WRs besides Derrick Mason and he's 34. The offensive line was a mess last year without LT Jonathan Ogden.

* Ray Lewis and Trevor Pryce are 33. Samari Rolle is 32. Chris McAlister and Kelly Gregg are 31. The defense is good but a lot of the key players are getting older.

* The Ravens went 1-7 on the road last year, with their only "W" coming in a 9-7 victory at San Francisco. You can't go anywhere in the NFL if you can't win away from home.


Keep An Eye On:

Ray Rice, RB. The 2nd round pick was very productive at Rutgers and could have a solid season if McGahee gets injured or underperforms.


Season Outlook:

The Ravens offense will struggle in 2008 but they should definitely be far more competitive than they were last season. Baltimore's turnover differential in 2007 was -17, the very worst in the NFL. (Incidentally, in 2006 their turnover differential was +15, the very best in the NFL. Not hard to figure out why they finished 8 games worse in the standings last year.) The AFC North is wide open but matches up with the NFC East and AFC South, meaning that it's very unlikely we will see two teams make the playoffs out of this division.


With a Gun to My Head I Would:

Bet them 'Over' 6 wins. The Ravens won 5 games last season with the worst turnover differential in the NFL, in a season that was so disastrous that it resulted in them getting rid of their Head Coach and starting QB. I don't see any way they are worse than that in 2008.


CINCINNATI BENGALS


The Good:

* What do Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmandzadeh, Rudi Johnson, and Willie Anderson have in common? They are all offensive players for the Bengals that have represented the team in Hawaii. That's a lot of Pro Bowl players on one side of the ball.

* LB Keith Rivers, the team's first round draft pick, should have an immediate impact and be a leading contender to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

* The Bengals have rid themselves of troublemakers like LB Odell Thurman and WR Chris Henry (Although there has recently been talk about the team bringing Henry back) and it appears that they are trying to put their many off field issues behind them.


The Bad:

* When Marvin Lewis was in Baltimore, he was considered a defensive genius. However, over the last 3 seasons the Bengals defense has ranked 27th, 30th, and 28th in the league. Perhaps it was the players in Baltimore, not Lewis, who made that defense so good?

* Here's the Bengals road schedule in 2008: Baltimore, N.Y. Giants, Dallas, N.Y. Jets, Houston, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. The line for that Bengals-Ravens game is currently 'Pick' and it's possible that the Bengals could be an underdog in all 7 of their subsequent road games.

* Chad Johnson and DE Antwan Odom are already dealing with injuries and Rudi Johnson was a shell of his former self last season. Meanwhile, the offensive line really missed G Eric Steinbach last year. It could be argued that this particular group of players peaked with 2005's AFC North Division championship team.


Keep An Eye On:

Ben Utecht, TE. The former Colt (And Golden Gopher) had to compete with Dallas Clark for playing time in Indianapolis. He could do big things in this offense.


Season Outlook:

You just don't see a lot of NFL teams with this much talent get so little attention during the offseason. A talented and overlooked team in a wide open division could be very dangerous. But again I have to point to the Bengals tough schedule and the loaded AFC. I just don't see two teams making the playoffs out of this divison.


With a Gun to My Head I Would:

Bet them 'Under' 7.5 wins. The Bengals have a lot of issues and I don't trust Marvin Lewis. A tough schedule could cost Lewis his job.


CLEVELAND BROWNS


The Good:

* General Manager Phil Savage has done a tremendous job on Draft Day in recent years, bringing in stud players like Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Joe Thomas. All three of them are very young, very good, and will only get better.

* The Browns have one of the most underrated offensive lines in the NFL. Don't believe me? They opened enough holes last season to enable Jamal Lewis to rush for 1,304 yards. Now that's impressive.

* After an opening day loss to the Steelers, the Browns rebounded to win their last 7 home games in 2007. You don't just go into Cleveland Browns stadium....


The Bad:

* As good as the offense was in 2007, the defense was terrible, ranking 30th in the NFL. The Browns traded for DTs Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams from the Lions and Packers, respectively, but I am always wary of moves like these. If Rogers and Williams are so good why would their old teams be willing to give them up for mid round draft choices?

* On a defense that is bad overall, the Browns secondary is particularly weak. Corners Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald would be backups on most teams and were consistely burned last season.

* I just don't believe that Jamal Lewis can put together another season like the one he had in 2007. His backups are Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison. What happens if Lewis does drastically drop off? How will Derek Anderson handle not having a reliable ground game?


Keep An Eye On:

Sean Jones, FS. People love to talk about oft-injured Bob Sanders and the wildly overrated Troy Polamalu but Jones is quietly blossoming into one of the best safeties in the AFC.


Season Outlook:

The Browns were one of the NFL's best stories last season, shocking everyone on their way to a 10-6 record. Now they have patched up the perceived holes in their lineup with quick fix trades and are ready to move up into the upper echelon of the NFL's elite. Right? I doubt it. In the NFL, it just doesn't work that way. A closer look at least season's Browns shows that their 10 wins came against opponents with a combined record of 55-105, a winning perecentage of .344. (Thanks to A. Ross for that stat.) Their schedule this year will not afford them the luxury of beating up on patises. Too many people are touting the Browns and with their defense, their head coach, and their schedule, I just don't see them having a good season.


With a Gun to My Head I Would:

Bet them 'Under' 8.5 wins. I can't believe I haven't done this yet. The Browns looked terrible on Monday night in the Meadowlands and could be this season's biggest disappointment. The way people are talking about them reminds me a lot of last year's 49ers.


PITTSBURGH STEELERS


The Good:

* I loved their draft. RB Rashad Mendenall and WR Limas Sweed will team with holdovers Willie Parker, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Heath Miller to give the Steelers more offensive weapons than they have had in years.

* The Steelers defense was ranked #1 in the NFL last season in terms of yards allowed per game and #2 in the NFL in points allowed. With Dick LeBeau dialing up his trademark blitz packages, they should give opposing offenses fits against this season.

* QB Ben Roethlisberger threw for 3,154 yards, 32 TDs, and 11 INTs in 2007. He is finally developing into the QB the media has been touting him as since his rookie season. If his offensive line can keep him healthy and give him time, he will have a huge season.


The Bad:

* The offensive line. They struggled last year and lost their best player, G Alan Faneca, to the Jets in free agency. They must do a better job of protecting Roethlisberger (Who was sacked an inexcusable 47 times last year) if this team is going to have any chance of contending in the AFC.

* Like the rest of the teams in their division, the Steelers will face a daunting schedule in 2008. Check out this 9 game stretch: @ Jax, @ Cin, NYG, @ Wash, Ind, SD, Cin, @ NE, Dal. Every one of those teams but the Bengals made the playoffs last year, the Jaguars knocked the Steelers out of the playoffs in Pittsburgh, the Colts, Patriots, Cowboys, and Chargers all won their respective divisions, and apparently the Giants somehow won the Super Bowl. Any way you look at it, that is a tough stretch.

* Punter Daniel Sepulveda tore his ACL during training camp. That may not sound like a big deal but if you watched the Steelers last year, you would've seen Sepulveda's tremendous leg giving his team good field position time and time again. The two time Ray Guy award winner will be missed this season.


Keep An Eye On:

LaMarr Woodley, LB. The team's 2nd round pick in 2007 out of Michigan, Woodley will get a chance to start on the outside in the team's standard 3-4 defense. He could have a huge season rushing the passer opposite James Harrison.


Season Outlook:

The Steelers should be very good this season but a mediocre offensive line and a brutal schedule will keep them from contending for a bye in the always competitive AFC. Despite their schedule, I will call for them to win the AFC North for the second year in a row.


With a Gun to My Head I Would:

Bet them 'Over' 9 wins. But I'd much rather bet them to win the AFC North. The way I see it, having to play the AFC South and NFC East (In my opinion the 2 best divisions in the NFL) means that getting to 10 wins could be a struggle for the Steelers. However, the Ravens, Bengals, and Browns all match up with the same 2 divisions and therefore face just as hard a road as Pittsburgh does. 9 wins may be enough to win this division, so instead of betting the Steelers 'Over' wins, why not just bet them to win the North at +150, a bet that was available at the Venetian as recently as a couple weeks ago, despite me betting 5 Hoffman units on it. (I'm really not a big shot. One of those units was for Austin.)


Here's How I Rank Them:

1. Steelers
2. Bengals
3. Browns
4. Ravens



I like the Steelers to win the division and host a wild card game, probably against a team like the Colts, Jaguars, Bills, or Jets. This team is good enough to be a perennial contender but I don't see them as legitimate Super Bowl threat.

Let's get a new poll up there. I think we're all tired of the Olympics debate. Who do you guys think will win the AFC North? Now THAT is interesting.

Austin didn't appreciate the Michael Phelps picture. In fact, he tried to get me to a blog while I was work just so I would take it down. I guess he wanted a skimpier one? Dude, not cool....


Trivia Question for Tuesday: Which player lead the original "Dream Team" in scoring during the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona?

* Saturday's Answer: The Denver Dynamite beat the Pittsburgh Gladiators, 45-16, in the first ever Arena Bowl.

I know what you're thinking and yes, I did have to look that up.


Which division will I do next? You tell me what you want to see.



Enjoy the preview.