9.26.2012

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


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Mike Smith, Atlanta Falcons


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Chan Gailey, Buffalo Bills


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Ron Rivera, Carolina Panthers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Pat Shurmur, Cleveland Browns


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Jason Garrett, Dallas Cowboys


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

John Fox, Denver Broncos


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab RefsVia.

Mike McCarthy, Green Bay Packers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Gary Kubiak, Houston Texans


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Chuck Pagano, Indianapolis Colts


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Mike Mularkey, Jacksonville Jaguars


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Romeo Crennel, Kansas City Chiefs


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Joe Philbin, Miami Dolphins




Leslie Frazier, Minnesota Vikings


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Aaron Kromer, New Orleans Saints


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Tom Coughlin, New York Giants


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Rex Ryan, New York Jets


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Dennis Allen, Oakland Raiders


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Norv Turner, San Diego Chargers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Greg Schiano, Tampa Bay Buccaneers


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

Mike Shanahan, Washington Redskins


32 Photos Of 32 NFL Coaches Yelling At The Scab Refs

9.23.2012

My Week 3 NFL Picks


Week 3 of the NFL Season and I'm going to spotlight the AFC Championship rematch.  Who would have thought the Patriots who had "the easiest schedule in the NFL" would be 0-2 right now?  Many sportscasters  were predicting a 15 win season for them, well I guess we can say that isn't going to happen.  The Ravens missed the chance at a Superbowl appearance last year thanks to a TD catch that couldn't be held on to and a muffed field goal.  Last week the Patriots lost to the, now 2-0, Cardinals thanks to a muffed field goal.  No quite payback, but I'm sure Ravens fans felt good about it.  Tonight the two teams meet again after a both facing tough losses for a prime time Sunday Night Football game.  The Cardinals showed the NFL how to stop Brady, but the Ravens don't care about stopping Brady, they just want to hurt Brady.  The animosity runs deep between these two teams.  I think the Ravens defense will rally around this animosity and around the "what ifs" from last season to make this a very tough game for Tom Brady.  I also think this will come down to the wire.  The Ravens defense will outlast the Patriots offense and the Patriots young defense will be exploited by this new Ravens offense.  Patriots 24 - Ravens 27 for a Ravens win and the Patriots will be under .500 at this point in the season for the first time since the Brady era begun (more than likely, I didn't research this).

Here's the rest of my picks and a quick run down.

Panthers over Giants - I obviously picked this one wrong, but I was leaning on the fact that the Giants had to travel in the short week and they had multiple injuries and a very tough game last Sunday.  The current champs proved me wrong.

Cowboys over Buccaneers - They get the home field advantage, I'd probably pick the Buccs if this was in Tampa.

Colts over Jaguars - Colts look like they are starting to get things moving better and have the home field advantage.  I think they have a young team, but a better team than the Jags.

Dolphins over Jets - I'll just take the home team in this one.  Divisional match ups are always tricky, especial between two teams that lack any real identity.

Lions over Titans - I think the Lions will get it together and the Titans still have some figuring out to do.  High scoring affair but the Lions are much more high powered, so they get the W.

Saints over Chiefs - The Saints have to be the better team in this match up, plus they need to try to save face from the first loss at home this season.

Bears over Rams - Maybe this is the bounce back game the Bears need, they looked confused last week.  As for the Rams, I don't believe that they are who we saw last week.  They have a history of beating the Redskins when they aren't favored to win.  Plus I think that win was written in as part of the RGIII deal.

Bills over Browns - I really don't know here, both teams are iffy.  Ground battle game, but in the end the QB with the better arm will seal the deal.

Redskins over Bengals - I would say this is the toughest defense for Robert Griffin III so far this season, but in his home opener he will shine.  With Garcon out, DC native Josh Morgan will attempt to redeem himself.  Skins defensive line will beat the Bengals o-line to disrupt the passing game.

The San Francisco 49ers over Vikings - I hate games that look this easy on paper, they usually turn out as upsets but I believe the new Niners offense will be too much for a lacking defense and their defense will be too much for the Vikings offense to handle.  Moss returns to his original NFL home and has a big day.

Eagles over Cardinals - The Cardinals defense is a sleeper this year, but I don't think they will last all 4 quarters against the Eagles offense.  The Eagles get the edge.  Plus the Eagles defense is also very good in my opinion and will make the Cardinals offense look as bad as we know it is.

Falcons over Chargers - This is a tough pick, I'm going with the hot team with the new offense.  But this isn't a game I would bet money on, it could go either way.  It should be an entertaining game to watch.

Steelers over Raiders - Why not... The Raiders are still figuring things out, the established Steelers team should walk away looking like a top of line team.

Texans over Broncos - Peyton Manning as his old self could make this go the other way, but with this game I'm going to stick with one of the best defenses in the NFL and say the Texans grind this one out.

Ravens over Patriots - Did you not read the paragraph up top? LOL.

Packers over Seahawks - If the Packers lose this game then the Aaron Rodgers is cursed and needs to do what he has to do to clear himself of that.  The Seahawks have a nice defense a decent offense and the 12th man tonight, but if everything goes right the Packers offense should be too much and their front line should be able to contain the run on Monday Night Football.







9.20.2012

Mike Sando's NFL MVP Watch as of Week 2

Before the season started I posted John Clayton's QB Rankings which I could say are very easy to agree with based on what we knew about the individuals.  In a similar list but definitely in a different order Mike Sando from ESPN has listed his MVP Watch based on the players that have been the most valuable to the success of their team after two weeks.  Its a bit early to crown anyone but its interesting to see some new names at the top of the list.  Below is his top 10, mainly QB's but one LB made the list.  It's good to finally see the 49ers #1 pick finally starting to pan out.  First time with the same Offensive Coordinator for more than one season, first time with multiple legit receiving weapons, and a Coach that is fully backing him.  Its amazing what a good supporting cast will do for a player with potential.



1. MATT RYAN 

Quarterback | Atlanta Falcons ... Next Game: 9/23 at SD ... Last Poll: 3

Ryan has set a quick early pace while leading the Falcons to a 2-0 record. He leads the NFL in Total QBR by a wide margin thanks to five passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown, two sacks and zero turnovers. He has never finished a season with 30-plus scoring passes or a completion percentage higher than 62.5. His quick start and the Falcons' overall strength put Ryan in position to enjoy a career year both in production and team success.

2. ALEX SMITH 

4. PHILIP RIVERS 

 Quarterback | San Diego Chargers ... Next Game: 9/23 vs. ATL ... Last Poll: NR

Rivers makes his 2012 debut on the list. He ranks second to Christian Ponder in completion percentage (73.8) and has led the Chargers to their first 2-0 start since the 2006 team won its final 10 games to finish 14-2. A home game against Ryan's Falcons provides Rivers with a stage to prove he belongs on this list, and possibly higher than fourth. Trips to Kansas City and New Orleans await from there, part of a road schedule that appears manageable for Rivers and San Diego.
 

5. ELI MANNING  

9.14.2012

My Week 2 NFL Picks


Week 1 I didn't do a post for my picks but I did tweet them.  I did pretty good, I'm on top of my pick 'em league, and was one Raiders win away from winning the pot in my weekly pick 'em.  My losing picks were the Giants, Saints, Bills, Seahawks, and Raiders. 

So lets not even get into much of a story lets go right into the picks for week 2.

Green Bay over Chicago - this pick worked out, but definitely didn't look anything like I thought it would.  I thought it was going to be more of a shout out until the end.

Cincy over Cleveland - I'm going with the better defense, better offense at home.  Seems like a no-brainer.

Philly over Baltimore - I don't think Philly is going to stink it up twice nor do I think Baltimore is going to go ham again like they did last week.  However this is definitely a possible Super Bowl match up.

New England over Arizona - I really can't see this going any other way.

Minnesota over Indy - This could go either way I'm just going to go with the team with better Running Game and better Defense.

KC over Buffalo - Even though KC lost last week, they looked like they could beat a team that looked as bad as the Bills last week.

NYG over Tampa Bay - This could be tough match up, so I'm going with the home team and the reigning champs.

New Orleans over Carolina - A close game, a lot of offense, but I believe that Drew Brees will remember how to finish a game by playing a familiar opponent.

Oakland over Miami - The Dolphins just don't seem like they have a complete team on either side of the ball, its hard not to pick against them.

Houston over Jacksonville - I don't think there is a reason that a healthy Houston team should lose any of their divisional match ups.

Dallas over Seattle - Dallas seemed like more of a complete team last week, but I think playing in Seattle will show some of their true colors and some mistakes will happen.  However I don't think it will be enough for them to lose this game without Russell Wilson having a RG3-like game.

Washington over St. Louis - The Skins looks like the better team in this match up as long as they stay clean and low on the mistakes they should be able leave St. Louis as winners by two scores.  The Rams actually have a better defense than the Saints, but a much worse offense.  So this favors the Redskins.

San Diego over Tennessee - I'll take the vet QB and the home team in this one.  CJ0K would have to get back into form and have a 200 yard game to win this one for the Titans.

Pittsburgh over NYJ - Better defense better offense wins.  I wouldn't bet my life savings on this game though, its a toss up.

The San Francisco 49ers over Detroit - The 49ers are at home, their defense should keep the Lions in check enough to allow the 49ers offense to win this game.

Denver over Atlanta - again, I wouldn't bet my life savings on this, the Falcons looked great last week.  I'm just going to go with Peyton Manning on this one.  Ryan has the advantage at home so again this is a toss up.




9.05.2012

NFL 2012-13 Season Predictions and Projections for Redskins, Ravens, and 49ers


Ok, I did this last year so I'm going to do it again this year.  I will get my predictions for the two local teams, then get my prediction for my favorite team as a fan and logically thinking.  Last year I predicted the Ravens at 10-6 or 12-4 at best, they finished at 12-4.  I projected 7 wins for the Redskins, 9 if they got lucky, they ended up with 5.  As for the 49ers logically I gave them 6 wins, as a fan I gave them 10, they shocked the world and ended with 13.

Lets start with the league as a whole and playoff projections. 

I will take the Patriots, Ravens, Texans, and Broncos as AFC divisional winners (again) with the Chargers and Bengals getting the Wild Card.  Its tough not to pick the Steelers, but I think they are getting old, we saw signs of this last year and I think it will continue this year. 

As for the NFC Eagles, Packers, Falcons, and 49ers winning their divisions with the Giants* Bears and Saints as Wild Card teams. 

AFC Championship Texans and Ravens, NFC Championship Packers and Eagles. 

I think the Super Bowl will be Texans and Packers, with the Texans winning it all. 

However I would love for the Super Bowl to be 49ers and Ravens.  Eagles vs Texans would also be an interesting Super Bowl just because it would be a QB vs his old backup, if they both make it though the season.

*please note, I didn't change the Giants because of the opening game results, but because I think the NFC East has one of the toughest schedules in football this year and the division winner will likely win by one game and/or thanks to having the best record in divisional matchups.  I'm picking the Eagles to win that division with 9 or 10 wins. The Bears, Buccs, and Lions will have more wins than the #2 team in the NFC East so one of them will be granted the Wild Card Spot*

Let's start with the Redskins, I think they have made a lot of good steps forward to build their team, not sure if they will completely reap the benefits this year but I do think they will be noticeably better because of it.
 
Washington Redskins
  1. at Saints - Loss.  The Saints have a lot to prove right now and will likely be operating on all cylinders, this game could get out of hand.  Also right now I can only compare RG3 to Cam Newton, and the Saints seem comfortable dealing with him as an opponent.
  2. at Rams - Win.  This won't be as easy as it would have been last year but it will be a win.
  3. Bengals - Loss.  The Bengals could actually win the AFC North they are a dangerous and young team on both sides of the ball.
  4. at Buccaneers - Loss. This one was tough, I think the 2010 Buccs will be back. Close game though.
  5. Falcons - Loss.
  6. Vikings - Win.
  7. at Giants - Loss.  The current champs have a chip on their should about getting beat twice, don't think it will happen at their house this year.
  8. at Steelers - Loss.
  9. Panthers - Win.  Defense will win this game.
  10. Bye
  11. Eagles - Win.  Good win coming off the bye to an Eagles team that would have just gotten beaten up by their previous 3 match ups.
  12. at Cowboys - Loss.  Flipped a coin.
  13. Giants - Win.
  14. Ravens - Loss.  I'd rather see the Redskins win this game of all the games.
  15. at Browns - Win.
  16. at Eagles - Win.  Playing the spoiler.  Also beating the Eagles twice puts them in the Super Bowl automatically, lol.
  17. Cowboys - Win.  Still playing the spoiler and knocking the Cowboys out of the Wild Card spot.
That's an even 8-8, I think even if they flip flop some of those wins they will finish 8-8 or 7-9 in a very tough division and playing against a very tough divisions in the AFC North and NFC South.  The beginning of the season will seem like a roller coaster but they will finish strong to give more hope for the future.


I think the Ravens will miss Suggs, and Ray Lewis will start to show some signs of his age. He will still be effective and a great motivator for his team but they will have to rely on some other people for the big plays, mainly the offense. The better the offense plays the more rest Ray Ray gets.

Baltimore Ravens
  1. Bengals - Win.  Tough game played to the wire.
  2. at Eagles - Loss. 
  3. Patriots - Win.
  4. Browns - Win.
  5. at Cheifs - Win.
  6. Cowboys - Win.
  7. at Texans - Loss.  With a healthy Matt Schaub.
  8. Bye
  9. at Browns - Win.
  10. Raiders - Loss.  Random loss to a team who will be high powered in their ground game.
  11. at Steelers - Win.
  12. at Chargers - Win.
  13. Steelers - Loss.  I just feel like they will split the games this season.
  14. at Redskins - Win.  Like I said before, I'd rather see the Skins win this one.
  15. Broncos - Loss.  Peyton full steam ahead.
  16. Giants - Loss.  This game will help secure the Giants as a Wild Card
  17. at Bengals - Win.  Winner of this game wins the division.
That puts them at 10-6, I think at best they could end up 11-5, but the AFC North will be won with in one game, likely that last game between the Ravens and the Bengals.  This actually looks like a fairly easy schedule for the Ravens but I do think to win these games it will have to be the offense instead of the defense carrying them.

Here we go the 49ers who won 13 games last year and everywhere I look I'm reading that they got the easiest schedule along with the Patriots.  Then I'm reading that history shows that they won't win more than 9 games coming off of that 13 win season.  Personally based on some of the flaws that I noticed last year we have a tougher season this year.  Last year we only faced one QB considered "Elite" in Eli Manning and we faced an injured Big Ben.  If Ben was healthy and could plant his foot on some of those throws a few holes might have been exploited in the defense.  In the off season we addressed secondary and receivers, the main issues that held us back last year. 
 
San Francisco 49ers
  1. at Packers - Loss.  Packers got a lot to prove and I think we still have some getting used to when it comes to our new weapons on offense.  I don't think it will be a high scoring game like the 49ers/Saints game ended.  It will more of a better defense vs a better offense and a below average offense vs a below average defense.  The kickers will have fun and Rodgers will have to use his feet to get in the endzone due to coverage.
  2. Lions - Win.  SNF Prime Time win at that.
  3. at Vikings - Win.
  4. at Jets - Win.
  5. Bills - Loss.  Seems like a weird loss, I know.  The Bills defense will be nice and they will be heavily under rated as a whole.  I'll just say this will be the one that got a way.
  6. Giants - Win.  Revenge, plus we aren't losing back to back at home.
  7. Seahawks - Win.  Hard hitting game, but the experience of our defense and offense will hold strong.
  8. at Cardinals - Win.
  9. Bye
  10. Rams - Win.
  11. Bears - Loss.  Traditionally great defense and a more high powered offense, this will be a tough game.
  12. at Saints - Loss.  Sorry to say, but revenge game in the Super Dome sounds dangerous.  Brees is still one of the most dangerous QBs in the game.
  13. at Rams - Win.
  14. Dolphins - Win. 
  15. at Patriots - Loss.  Cold December Night... Doesn't sound like a good look for the boys from the bay.
  16. at Seahawks - Loss.  That stadium has never been a good place for the 49ers to play.
  17. Cardinals - Win.
So not completely picking as a fan I gave the 49ers a 10-6 season and winning the NFC West.  As a fan, I'd add two more wins out of the Elite QB games that were picked as losses (Packers, Bears, Patriots, Saints), most likely the Bears and Packers.  I'd also probably add a random road divisional loss and take that Bills game at home as a win.  So as a fan I'm saying 12-4, logically I'm saying 10-6 or at worse 9-7.

9.04.2012

Fantasy Football Drafts 4 & 5, and I'm done!

Ok, yeah I over did it this year.  I really need to seek professional help for my addiction to Football and Fantasy Football.  Either way I had two drafts again last night at the same time.  I did both online, I wasn't able to focus on each individually like I would normally like because I was constantly switching between screens but I was also a bit tipsy (to say the least) from Labor Day cookout celebrations.  All in all I would say that I love my teams.

First, Killa Kingz the returning champions for the Plus Side of Fantasy a NFL.com league.  My team has been to the championship both years of this league and we plan to make it back to back to back this year with this strong lineup.
 
 
Next up the is the Largo 99ers in the East Coast Blitzers 2.0 league.  Last year I was in the ECB Yahoo, I traded that league for this one after making the playoffs.  This one is hosted by CBS Sports and the commissioner from the original East Coast Blitzers league.