NFL Playoff Predictions and Week 17 Picks

Here's my playoff picture via http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine and picks for the week 17 winners.  I went all home teams accept the Buccaneers, I figured that the Falcons don't have anything to lose or gain with this game so they might slack off and put in some bench players.  The other games that didn't matter I just picked the home teams.  Some of the other games, the home teams need wins to have playoff hopes.  I'm sort of thinking that Detroit should just lose to get a better draft pick, but I don't think they will just let a divisional opponent beat them down at home.  They could still lose, but I don't see them just giving the win away.  I think Seattle is in, win or lose, but since they are playing at the same time as the 49ers, they will be playing for the win, just in case the 49ers slip up and lose the game to lose the division.  Also I'm going with the Skins over the Cowboys because they are at home and because they are coming in to this game red hot, so I think they will continue that trend against a mistake happy Dallas team.  The Skins just need to stop the run and let Romo help them win.  Three rookie QBs with 10+ wins gotta make other teams reevaluate what they have.  Head are going to roll in the off season.

Best Puppeteer Ever

This video post is a bit old, but my Grandma forwarded it to me, so I figured I'd revisit it.  This puppeteer does an amazing job making these lifeless dolls dance way better than most people I know, including myself.

NFL Playoff Predictions Going Into Week 16

This playoff prediction is based on my week 16 and week 17 weekly picks using the ESPN Playoff Machine (http://espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/machine).  My predictions put starting rooking QB's in the playoffs and two of the squaring off in DC, while the other one travels to Baltimore to face a QB that has been in the playoffs since his rookie year.  Which makes for some exciting times in the Maryland/DC area.

Sorry, STILL the Wrong Number...

Honestly, at least once a week, and at one point multiple times a day I get a call for the previous owner of my phone number.  I've had this number a year now, and I have received text messages from his sister, had long debates (via text) with what seemed like a bratty kid who didn't believe that I wasn't the person they were looking for.  But most often is the calls from various area codes, but the voice always sounds the same.   They are always looking for Terrence Johnson, I always tell them to delete this number and update their database.  I almost feel like they think I am him and I'm lying about not being him to avoid whatever trouble this guy must be in.  This voice message is from around August, they usually don't leave voice messages so I grabbed the mp3 for this one. Whatever it is, it sounds way too urgent for this dude not to be updating his contact information.

An Appropiate Award for Robert Griffin III???

On ESPN's front page for NFL they had a poll for what would be the most appropriate end of the season award for RG3, so I voted Rookie of the Year.  Below are the results for the rest of the US.  The funny thing is that Kentucky is neutral, but Indiana (home of the Colts and Andrew Luck) and Washington State (home of the Seahawks and Russell Wilson) both said that he doesn't deserve the Rookie of the Year or the MVP award.  Its understandable but just seemed comical to me.

Blackplanet Page: The Ultimate #Throwback #TBT

Well not the whole page, just some pictures that I found in a folder on my computer named "blackplanet".  So instead of bombarding everyone's Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with multiple posts and photogrids, here's a blogpost.  I did a lot of html and photoshop work for my page, and since I was in school for Imaging and Digital Arts it was a lot of fun to work on at the time.  I didn't do anything to serious to these pictures aside from giving them all a similar look or feel and branding some of the pictures with "RipRock81".  Either way, enjoy and don't laugh to hard.

 

 

 

Five Fantasy Football Teams, All Playoff Bound

Well as I meantioned earlier in the year I'm in 5 leagues, 3 of which have money involved.  This week is the 14th week of the NFL Season, which means real NFL teams are in the hunt for the playoff spots and Fantasy Football Playoffs are ready to begin.  One of my Free leagues only has a 1 week play-in, then a championship game week 17.  This is the league that I won the championship last year and got 2nd place the year before.  Right now I'm sitting comfortable in 3rd with an 8-5 record, 4th place is 7-6 and the rest of the league is at least 2 games behind with 2 game to go.  The kicker is, I'm the #1 scoring team in the league, so even if I lose 2, they can't catch me.  So we are playoff bound in the 1st team, Killa Kingz, mentioned in this blogpost (link).

As for the rest of the leagues that actually start the playoffs this week, 3 pay leagues and 1 free (which I'm the commish of), I made the playoffs in all 4.  Several add/drops, trades, injuries later my teams are still alive and kicking.  Only 1 was a sure fire for the playoffs, and we missed the division championship by losing the last game of the season by a few points after Eric Decker had his worst game ever.  The other 3 I needed things to happen in week 13, that happened and helped me move into a contending position. 

This week is all revenge games, the 4 teams that I play in the playoffs are all teams that I lost to previous in the season.  I finished 8-5, 7-6, 7-6, and 6-7, all of those are 14 team leagues accept the one I finished 6-7.


Here's the original post after the draft for each:
http://riprock81.blogspot.com/2012/08/first-fantasy-football-draft-of-season.html
http://riprock81.blogspot.com/2012/08/fantasy-football-drafts-2-3-money.html
http://riprock81.blogspot.com/2012/09/fantasy-football-drafts-4-5-and-im-done.html

The Best Times to Buy Holiday Gifts Are... [infographic]

Originally Posted at Savings.com (http://www.savings.com/blog/post/Infographic-Best-times-to-buy-holiday-gifts.html?sf7196432=1)

Demitri Featured On Apollo Live This December

Apollo Live returns to TV on BET's Centric Network this December.  The Season Premier will be December 1st and will feature a R&B/Soul artist from the DMV Area (DC/MD/VA).  The show will be hosted by Tony Rock (brother of Chris Rock) with Gladys Knight, Doug E Fresh, and Michael Bivins as celebrity judges.  Tune In & Support!  Follow @DemitriMusik on twitter for more updates on future performances, events and his upcoming album release.

click to enlarge

 

click to enlarge 

 

What Should The Yankees Do With A-Rod?

By now its old news that Alex Rodriguez sucks in the post season and is on the decline in his career.  Not to mention the fact that he's not worth is contract anymore.  So what should the Yankees do?  Do they keep him and let hime retire on his on time as a Yankee?  Do they force him into retirement and offer him a job working for the Yankees?  Do they try to trade him to another team that needs a star to help fill their seats?

Here's what I say they should do...

Brian Cashman or Hal Steinbrenner should head down the the Cheers bar in Boston to have a few drinks with John Henry (not the Steel Driving man) and discuss the great rivalry between the two teams.

They can get super hammered (John Henry, get it, nevermind), because hey they are rich and probably have a drivers anyway, so "CHEERS! Bottoms Up!".  After they get nice and twisted they will probably bring up some of their players and the downfalls of their past season.  Guess who's name will come up...

Yup! You guessed it A-Rod aka A-Roid aka Pay-Rod... Then what do they do?  What any drunk owner would do, talk trade talk!  The Yankees owe the Red Sox one for the whole Babe Ruth thing anyway might as well ship Alex off to Boston, I'm sure he wouldn't be happy riding the pine all next season in New York.

 

Look at him he's happier already.  LOL! 

 

 

We know this would never happen, and I'm not a fan of either team so I could really care less what they do the only Sox I root for are White Sox, and I hate the Yankees.  Just having a little fun.

 

 

Plus its all about the Washington Nationals next season, the Nats will be in the playoffs again, but this time with Strausburg and they will be ready to rock-n-roll!

 

Music Video World Premier for "I VOTE OBAMA" by Demitri (@demitrimusik) [Video]

Last night I posted the audio track to SoundCloud and today I am premiering the music video for "I VOTE OBAMA" by Demitri.  Watch the video, give it the thumbs up, +1, and reshare!  Show your support for the President as well as this up and coming R&B/Soul singer from the DC/Maryland area. You can follow him on twitter @demitrimusik new album and website coming soon.  Last but not least make sure you get out there and vote, there's no excuse not to voice your opinion.

"I VOTE OBAMA" by Demitri

Directed by Miguel Asua for Asua Light LLC 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca-NgttWKYY

Download the song from SoundCloud for your listening pleasures.

"I Vote Obama" by Demitri [Music] [Download]

New Music by Demitri (@demitrimusik on twitter) titled "I Vote Obama" showing his support for the President in the upcoming Presidential Elections.  Enjoy, like, share, download....More music from his upcoming album coming soon.

My Week 6 Picks: NFC Championship Rematch

Well I'm going to have to say that the game of the week this week is the New York Giants at the San Francisco 49ers.  Not just because I'm a fan, but because these two teams met in the NFC Championship last year and the winner of that match up went on to win the Superbowl.  Two #1 overall drafted Quarterbacks face off for only the 3rd time in their careers.  Even though this is Eli's 9th year and Alex's 8th year in the league last year was the first time they played each other.  Eli faced Cody Pickett's 49ers in 2005, Trent Dilfer's 49ers in 2007, and J.T. O'Sullivan's 49ers in 2008, he beat all three versions of the attempting to rebuild team as Alex was dealing with injuries and between getting benched by various coaches.  The Alex vs Eli match up is tied up 1-1, both games were played in San Francisco last season, the first game the 49ers won 27-20 and lost in the NFC Championship 17-20 in overtime after two dropped kick returns.  Most 49ers fans feel cheated, however I feel like it was a necessary evil to help the 49ers to address some of their weaknesses and to help them play with more of a chip on their shoulder.  This will be the 3rd New York opponent for the 49ers in a row but most would argue that those other two teams weren't really an opponent at all beating them by a total score of 79 points to 3.  Regardless of those scores no one in their right mind would think that this game will be a blowout for either team.

As a 49ers fan I'm picking the San Francisco 49ers to win this game by 7.  As a fan of football I am also selecting the San Francisco 49ers to win based on their improved offensive and defensive lines. 

The 49ers Offensive line will have to play to a perfection to fight off the Giants fierce Defensive line and pass rushers. 

On the other side of the ball the Giants Offensive line hasn't looked too strong this year and with the 49ers Defensive Line and Pass Rushers playing very well its likely that Eli will be getting reintroduced to the Candlestick grass.

I do expect this to be a dog fight, the best defensive stand will lead to the winner in this game.  The 49ers can win this game as long as they play focused and aren't focused on revenge.

Ok so here's the rest of my picks.

Steelers over Titans - The Titans haven't been able to get anything going yet this year.  Maybe if they rush the ball 30 times and get CJ going this will be competitive other than that, I can't see the Titans winning this one.

Buccs over Chiefs - I just think that Tampa should be able to pull this one off at home.

Ravens over Cowboys - Both of these teams have alter egos but I think the Cowboys alter ego is the worse of the two, the Cowboys would have to win this game on the ground to open up for the passing game, other than that Romo will have another rough game.

Falcons over Raiders - The Falcons will keep rolling with their undefeated record, last week was probably the best chance for them to lose one.  The Falcons do have a weakness against the run, but I haven't noticed McFadden having any stellar games lately.

Eagles over Lions - The Lions seem like they are missing something and the Eagles have been able to pull out wins at home this year.

Bengals over Browns - Bengals are just a better team.

Colts over Jets - The Colts look good, the Jets look bad, easy pick if you ask me.

Cardinals over Bills - The Bills look really bad right about now, and the Cardinals still have a pretty good defense.  The Cardinals should be able to bounce back from that road loss with a win at home this week.

Seahawks over Patriots - This is my underdog pick of the week.  I'm going with the 12th man and the defense to show up against the Patriots this weekend.  The Patriots have been able to play better when they can get the running game going, against the Seahawks defense I think that running game will suffer.

The San Francisco 49ers over GiAints - I explained this above.

Vikings over the Redskins -  I went back and forth with this one.  The Skins usually win when I pick against them and lose when I pick them so who knows what will happen.  The Vikings have looked like they have a good offense and the defense has also showed up lately, where as the Skins have way more offense than they do defense right now so I'm going with the more balanced team.

Texans over Packers - You would think the Packers would bounce back this week, but they have a tough match up against a team that knows how to play solid defense, get to the QB, and run the ball effectively to set up for the play action pass so I think they will have to wait a game or two for that bounce back.  The Texans still look like the complete package even after a not so impressive game against the Jets.  Texans stay undefeated for another week.

Broncos over Chargers - Tough pick, I flipped a coin.  Plus Peyton is more dependable than Phillip.

My Week 5 Picks

My Game of the week is the "So We Meet Again" game Tom Brady and the Patriots vs Peyton Manning and the Broncos.  To keep it short and simple, I'm going with the underdog Broncos for the win based off of their better defense.

I picked Cardinals over the Rams, but they blew up in my face, but as a 49ers fan I'm glad to see the Cards lose one.

Ravens over Chiefs - Chiefs don't seem to have what it takes to put together a complete game.

Steelers over Eagles - this was a tough pick but I went with the fresher legs after the bye over the beat up and bruised team.

Packers over Colts - Should be a good game but the Packers should come out on top.

Bengals over Dolphins - The Bengals just seem to be a more put together team.

Giants over Browns - This would ba a serious upset if they lose.

Redskins over Falcons - as my underdog pick.  The Skins have enough offense and a good enough running game to make this game tough for the undefeated Falcons.  Last team with the ball wins the game, I expect it to be a shoot out.

Bears over Jaguars - Bears are a better team.

Seahawks over Panthers - another underdog, but I'll go with defense over a team that doesn't seem to have it together.

The San Francisco 49ers over the Bills - The Niners should be able to run the ball well against this weak rushing defense at home.  A mistake free 49ers should be able to get busy this game.

Vikings over the Titans - The Vikings are looking good so I'm going to stick with them on this one.

Broncos over Patriots - Like I said above, I'm going with defense.

Saints over Chargers - Even with the loses the Saints seem like they have it together a bit more than the Chargers and they should get their first win at home this week.

Texans over Jets - Jets suck and the Texans look like the most complete team in the NFL right now.


I know these are late but I make my picks on Thursday and I don't change them after that.  I'm just getting around to doing the blogpost.

My Week 4 NFL Picks

Week 4 and after the huge debacle on Monday Night Football, the NFL has done what they needed to do to bring the real refs back.  These guys will make up to 220K a year for 16 games plus playoffs, for most of them this is their part time gig that also gives them benefits and a retirement package.  Why in the world would anyone want to play do anything else but ref?  Honestly if my future son sucks at sports, I'm going to suggest that he becomes a NFL ref, the benefits and pay is great!  Either way I'm glad to have them back, all refs make mistakes but the other refs seemed to slow down the game with their indecisiveness.  Now we will just get bad calls quicker and keep the game moving.  I wonder if the lockout will effect refs since they didn't get an offseason.  Will they still be in shape?  Or were they at home drinking beer and eating Papa John's while watching their replacement fail miserably?  Eh either way, lets get to the picks.

Ravens over Browns - I just didn't think the Browns had the fire power to get the win here, they are a young team and they have some potential.  Trent Richardson has the ability to take the shine as the best RB in the AFC North in a couple years if he keeps it up.  The Ravens were predicted to win by 13.5, I wouldn't have taken that bet, I figured it would close but still a win for the Purple and Black.

Lions over Vikings - Hill or Stafford, it doesn't matter, I think the Lions have a better team, plus they are at home.

Patriots over Bills - I doubt this will be a blow out, but I think the Patriots will make sure to finish this game better than they have their last two.

San Francisco 49ers over Jets - tough loss last week but I mentioned in my post that I felt weird about that match up. Oh well its over, they should be more focused and learn no to take any match up for granted.  The Jets are missing their Peyton Manning of their defense and that will help ease the the pressure for the Niners WRs, but the 49ers will win this game on the ground and the Jets will have a hard time getting things going against this tough defense.  Chants for Tebow might start as early as 3rd Quarter.  It could be a problem for the Niners if he comes in.  The Niners haven't done well against backup QBs in the past, I assume its due to a different play style and lack of planning for it.

Falcons over Panthers - Falcons at home and they are hot.  The Panthers are who we thought they were.  But they will compete, mistakes against a tough ATL defense will slow them down early. Falcons stay undefeated.

Chargers over Chiefs - Flipped a coin... who knows both of these teams are flip flop teams, plus its a divisional match up so its even tougher to pick.

Seahawks over Rams - I think the Seahawks showed the world on Monday how good their defense was, even if they lost their defense played great all night long against a high powered offense.  So against the Rams I think this defense will have a field day.

Texans over Titans - The Titans would need a miracle or 200 yards from CJ0K to even compete in this one.  The Texans have the best defense and offense combination in the league right now and they will remain undefeated after this weekend.

Broncos over Raiders - This will be a classic QB battle, but I think the Broncos defense will help Peyton to a nice divisional win over Carson Palmer and the Raiders.

Cardinals over Dolphins - Defense will win this one against an inexperienced offense.  Plus Reggie Bush isn't 100% so the offense will be slowed somewhat by that.

Bengals over Jaguars - The Bengals defense hasn't looked much like it did last year but their offense has looked electric and that offense will be way too much for the Jaguars to handle.

Saints over Packers - This is one of my Under Dog picks, but 0-4 Saints, that just doesn't sound normal.  Most people are picking the Packers because they are home and have something to prove to the league after that horrible call that costed them the game.  But I still feel like Brees and the Saints have more to prove.  Sean Payton's job is officially secured, now Drew Brees needs to get his team together.  I'm looking for a shoot out from this game.  Last Touchdown wins the game.

Redskins over Buccs - Maaaaaan, I can't call it for real on this one, both teams are primed to win, the Redskins are a scoring machine and the Buccs are a team that's letting teams get busy.  I look for the Redskins to take advantage of that early, probably let the game get close in the 3rd and 4th, but end the 4th Quarter strong and get the win.

Eagles over Giants -Sorry again Giant fans homies, but I'm going to go out on limb and say that the Eagles will rally at home and even with a few turn overs they will finish this game with a win like they did against the Ravens in Philly.  I'm just giving them the edge because they are at home in this divisional matchup.  This is another under dog pick.

Bears over Cowboys - I went back and forth about this pick but at the end of the day I took the under dog Bears to grind this game out for a win, especially if Forte and M.Bush are both in the back field this week.  I don't see a high scoring affair but I do see a good amount of turnovers by both offenses.  The least turnovers wins the game.

Very Angry NFL Coaches (#ReplacementRefs)

I found this great photo gallery on deadspin with some awesome shots of the coaches around the league yelling at the NFL's Replacement Refs.  Everyone is angry, even Obama.

Check out the orignal full post here. "32 Photos of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling at the Scab Refs"

Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals

Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens

Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills

Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals

Pat Shurmur, Cleveland Browns

Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys

John Fox, Denver Broncos

Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions

Via.

Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans

Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts

Mike Mularkey, Jacksonville Jaguars

Romeo Crennel, Kansas City Chiefs

Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins

Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

Aaron Kromer, New Orleans Saints

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants

Rex Ryan, New York Jets

Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers

Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks

Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams

Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans

Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins