“Here comes the rain again
falling from the stars
drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are
As my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost
wake me up when September ends.” - Green Day
The Cleveland Indians ran a video montage at Jacobs Field playing this Green Day tune for their soon-to-be postseason run. It certainly was a joyous piece. One that gave fans hope that the season would end with a World Series title. It showed amazing catches, triple plays, and walk (or - in one memorable instance - run) off home runs. It was almost as if the song put us in a dream in which - when we woke up after September ended - the Indians would be ready for October (there are only one of these ‘Octobers’ by the way, just ask Dane Cook). The point is that as far as the Indians were concerned, “Wake Me Up When September Ends” symbolized a song that captured all of the great things that had happened in 2007.
After reading these lyrics I found myself thinking about the Browns - NOT the Indians. All you would have to do is change ’September’ to ’December’ and off you go. Unfortunately for the Browns, this song does not leave fans with that same warm giddy feeling the Indians montage brought us. Rather, it symbolizes us just wanting to get December over with, because it has given us nothing but heartbreak.
The Brownies entered December with a 7-4 record and hopes of claiming one of the two AFC Wild Card spots. Things were just going Cleveland’s way up to that point. No major injuries to speak of, a better than average offensive line, and amazingly - the ball just seemed to be bouncing in Cleveland’s favor - literally.
Jacksonville laid their claim to the first of those two positions by reeling off three consecutive wins when they mattered the most (that‘s what good teams do), including an impressive 29-22 road victory in Pittsburgh. That left one spot open. It was supposed to be our spot.
Supposed to be. As Forrest Gump so eloquently put it, “It (shit) happens.”
Indeed it did. It usually does with the Browns. This time however - unlike with some other previous years - we have no one to point the finger at except ourselves. All I heard was that the Browns had an easy schedule. 12-4 should not be that far out of the picture. The #6 seed was a practical lock. Cleveland can score on anyone. That’s all I heard. Fast forward four weeks and all of a sudden the Browns last regular season game does not mean anything. Not because the Browns have already clinched a birth in the postseason, but because our January fate rests solely on another team’s shoulders. With one week remaining in December, Cleveland had gone from a certain lock to “boy I hope Tony Dungy plays Peyton a lot” status. Destiny is no longer in the Browns’ own hands.
So why “Wake Me Up When December Ends?” Good question. I first thought of it following the Browns most recent loss to the hands of the lowly Bengals. Knowing that I would have to watch someone else control our playoff fate made me about as miserable as I was sitting at Cleveland Browns Stadium in the pouring rain for the season opener with Lucius. It’s not just being miserable and pissed off. It’s more than that.
Andy Dufresne once said, “Hope is a great thing. Maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” Well, the feeling I’m talking about Andy would believe to be the worst of things.
Hopeless.
The crazy thing is the Browns still do have a chance. It’s simple in nature. The Colts just have to beat the Titans. That’s it. The big question is how long Dungy will play his starters. The word on the street is that he will play Peyton and Co. the first half and no more. Now, that’s not exactly hopeless. But it’s close enough for me.
I don’t want to watch the Colts-Titans game. I don’t want it to be on primetime Sunday night. I would rather just wake up the next morning and read about it in the newspaper. That’s when I started thinking about that Green Day song. It all began to make sense.
Let’s break it down.
“Here comes the rain again
falling from the stars”
This has a couple of different meanings. First off, as previously stated, Lucius and I sat in the rain watching Cleveland get absolutely killed by the Steelers in Week One. We had four frickin penalties on one play. You can’t make this stuff up.
For all of you English majors out there, eat your hearts out with this upcoming metaphor. “Here comes the rain again” symbolizes the eventual downfall the Browns were headed towards. We all felt it. We sat there each and every week wondering if this was the week where Winslow would be seriously injured, or if the referees were going to screw us, or god forbid, the Browns just absolutely stunk up the joint. It’s been this way the entire month, if not longer.
Enter the Bengals game last Sunday. Four INT’s by Derek Anderson. Playoffs taken out of our hands. Any true Browns fan was not surprised by any of this.
“Drenched in my pain again
becoming who we are”
The sad reality is that Cleveland is not a playoff team. I’m sorry. They just aren’t. Playoff teams win when they have a chance to clinch. Especially against a beat up team that is starting two rookies at safety. Yes, every team (including the Patriots) plays a bad game from time to time. Nobody is perfect (except possibly the Patriots). However, timing does play a role as to when teams can play bad. In big games, bad performances cannot be accepted. It’s called choking. And the Browns coughed up their chances in Cincinnati.
We’re “drenched” because of the rain from week one. Stay with me people.
“As my memory rests
but never forgets what I lost”
These Browns have exceeded expectations set at the beginning of the season. The thing is, expectations change. Sometimes they can change very quickly. Somewhere between the Browns 51-45 win over the Bengals in week two to their 8-0 victory in the snow against Buffalo two weeks ago, expectations shifted. We were supposed to go to the playoffs. Maybe even win a game. We still have a slight chance, but we will never forget what could have been.
“Like my father's come to pass
twenty years has gone so fast”
Twenty years ago the Browns were wrapping up an AFC Central crown and getting ready for a home playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Browns won that game 38-21. The next week they played in Denver for the AFC Championship. We all know what happened there. Back when a fumble was a fumble, Earnest Byner coughed it up at Denver’s one-yard line with a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds.
1987. Twenty years ago.
2007. Here we are now. It’s been a fun season. Better than most people thought. In the big scheme of things the Browns could very easily go 10-6 and NOT get into the playoffs. Had they been in the NFC they could be a #3 seed. That’s the reality.
“Thanks for the Memories” by Fall Out Boy will have to wait however until the season is completely over. For now, will someone please wake me up when December ends?
That’s all I ask.
Go Colts.
Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
2007 NFL Picks Week Fourteen
Even though NFL teams still have four games left until their playoffs, for fantasy owners this is the very last regular season week. Just one last chance to make a final playoff push in hopes of claiming the championship or, at the very least, make some of their entry fee money back. For Brady's Bunch, it has been an exciting season filled with many ups and downs. Let's take a look back.
The number one rule in Fantasy Football is you have to pick a creative name. Even if your team fails to win a game all season, you still get brownie points for picking the best name. I went with Brady's Bunch. It's a shout-out to Brady Quinn and the old television sitcom The Brady Bunch. I thought it would be perfect. Looking back I have no regrets over this name. My only fear is that I will get stuck using this name for my fantasy teams forever. Just yesterday I made a College Bowl pick'em entry and titled it Brady's Bunch. I need help.
With the fourth pick in our 12 team league Brady's Bunch selected Shaun Alexander instead of the guy I really wanted, Joseph Addai. It was a decision I would regret almost instantly. Ronnie Brown was a nice surprise with my 2nd round pick and then I got very lucky with selecting Adrian Peterson (the good A.P) in the 3rd round. Alexander turned out to be a bust all season long. However I felt like I could not bench him due to him being my #1 pick. Had I picked Addai my running backs would have looked like this: Addai - McGahee - Peterson. Not too bad.
Brady's Bunch made a trade four weeks into the season when we traded Peterson, Reggie Brown, and Big Ben for Peyton Manning, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Joey Galloway. At the time I felt as if this was a steal of a trade for me. Manning was the consensus #1 QB entering the year. Who was to say that Jones-Drew could not out perform a rookie running back the rest of the season? And Galloway became my #1 WR due to Andre Johnson going down with a knee.
Instead this happened: Manning lost Marvin Harrison and Big Ben has thrown more TD's so far. Peterson leads the league in rushing and might be the #1 pick in '08. Galloway had been unreliable at best but has been an improvement over Brown.
Would my team had been better if I did not make this trade? Hard to tell. I can tell you that my team has faced a very difficult schedule. That's the one special thing with fantasy football - you can't play defense. Technically you could post the 2nd highest score for the league every single week and not win a game. Now I know how LSU feels.
Anyways, Brady's Bunch was sitting at 3-6 not too long ago and feeling hopeless. However, after getting my team to sit down and watch Cool Runnings together, we have since reeled off four wins in a row, including beating the division leader last week to pull into a tie for first with just one week to go. Will my team keep the proverbial bobsled upright and race to the finish line with a medal? Or, will the sled crash heading into the final turn? Time will tell.
If Brady's Bunch wins (won't be easy this week) AND the team I'm tied with loses, then I'm in. It's that simple. I know you are all riveted by this, so I will keep you informed with how it goes. Back to business.
Congrats to Sara for going 10-6 last week and claiming the best record for week 13. The week 12 winner is not yet decided. Jeff and myself are still deadlocked after Arizona and New England both scored 27 points last week. This week we are taking a page out of Bizarro Seinfeld and picking the team that is going to score the least amount of points. Jeff went with the winless Dolphins while I'm backing the Carolina Panthers.
STANDINGS (after 13 weeks and one game)
1) Luke 115-78 (9-7)
2) Sara 106-87 (10-6)
3) Devin 101-92 (9-7)
4) Kevin 98-95 (6-10)
4) Jeff 98-95 (7-9)
6) Grothaus 96-97 (8-8)
6) Barnes 96-97 (8-8)
8) Bart 90-103 (6-10)
We're going straight through these picks (a strategy that seems to work in my favor of not talking about the games) and then leaving you with Jeff and Bart's thoughts. Enjoy.
Chicago @ Washington (-3) - Thursday Night
CHI: Devin, Kevin, Grothaus, Bart
WAS: Luke, Sara, Jeff, Barnes
Carolina @ Jacksonville (-10.5)
CAR: No one
JAX: Everyone
Dallas (-11) @ Detroit
DAL: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
DET: Bart
Miami @ Buffalo (-7)
MIA: Sara, Bart
BUF: Luke, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
New York Giants @ Philadelphia (-3)
NYG: Devin, Grothaus, Barnes
PHI: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Bart
Oakland @ Green Bay (-10.5)
OAK: Luke, Sara, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
GB: Devin, Kevin, Barnes
San Diego (-1) @ Tennessee
SD: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus
TEN: Sara, Kevin, Barnes, Bart
St. Louis @ Cincinnati (-7)
STL: Devin, Grothaus, Bart
CIN: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes
Tampa Bay (-3) @ Houston
TB: Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus
HOU: Luke, Barnes, Bart
Arizona @ Seattle (-7)
ARI: Grothaus
SEA: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes, Bart
Minnesota (-8.5) @ San Francisco
MIN: Everyone
SF: No one
Pittsburgh @ New England (-12)
PIT: Luke, Sara, Barnes, Bart
NE: Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus
Cleveland (-3.5) @ New York Jets
CLE: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
NYJ: Bart
Kansas City @ Denver (-6.5)
KC: Luke, Sara, Devin, Bart
DEN: Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Indianapolis (-9.5) @ Baltimore
IND: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
BAL: Sara, Kevin
New Orleans (-5) @ Atlanta
NO: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
ATL: Jeff
JEFF'S OUTLOOK FOR WEEK 14
"Jags keep rolling.
"Kitna won't have much to say after this game----Boys.
"Bills-but hoping Miami gets its first win today!
"Philly-the GMEN lost-barely but pulled out a win last week.
"Da Raiders---upset pick of the week.
"Go Chargers---help out the Brownies!
"Bungles--why--I have no clue--Palmer due for a good one?
"Bucs--Houston hurting without Schaub.
"Seattle--going to hit Warner's ribs--then Rattay at QB-yuk.
"Vikings getting better week by week.
"Pats--pound Pissburgh.
"Browns-a few makeup ref calls after last week would be nice.
"Denver but I don't like this call--KC could surprise.
"Colts-more dissension in Baltimore--I love it.
"Falcons-No BUSH in New Orleans."
BART'S THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
"I am awful at picking games. I am in last place and none of my previous strategies have worked, so I have a new one. It is fairly low-level and I am already more confident in it than I am in trying to actually pick the games using logic. So here is, here is my new strategy for the rest of the year, it will save me time and thought. The first team listed is going to be heads on the quarter, the second team is going to be tails, which just happens to be a picture of a sailboat on the ocean in the foreground and a bridge in the background. I am not really sure why there is a random bridge in the middle of the ocean, but I will go with it because I am sure that someone out there knows more than me about bridges and oceans, I don’t claim to be an expert. Anyway that is my new strategy, it can’t go much worse than the old ones.
My thumb is now tired. Good luck to everyone except Barnes. Peace. Love. Turducken. Its two weeks late, I know."
There ya go. Enjoy week 14, we only have three more to go after this. GO BROWNS!!
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
The number one rule in Fantasy Football is you have to pick a creative name. Even if your team fails to win a game all season, you still get brownie points for picking the best name. I went with Brady's Bunch. It's a shout-out to Brady Quinn and the old television sitcom The Brady Bunch. I thought it would be perfect. Looking back I have no regrets over this name. My only fear is that I will get stuck using this name for my fantasy teams forever. Just yesterday I made a College Bowl pick'em entry and titled it Brady's Bunch. I need help.
With the fourth pick in our 12 team league Brady's Bunch selected Shaun Alexander instead of the guy I really wanted, Joseph Addai. It was a decision I would regret almost instantly. Ronnie Brown was a nice surprise with my 2nd round pick and then I got very lucky with selecting Adrian Peterson (the good A.P) in the 3rd round. Alexander turned out to be a bust all season long. However I felt like I could not bench him due to him being my #1 pick. Had I picked Addai my running backs would have looked like this: Addai - McGahee - Peterson. Not too bad.
Brady's Bunch made a trade four weeks into the season when we traded Peterson, Reggie Brown, and Big Ben for Peyton Manning, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Joey Galloway. At the time I felt as if this was a steal of a trade for me. Manning was the consensus #1 QB entering the year. Who was to say that Jones-Drew could not out perform a rookie running back the rest of the season? And Galloway became my #1 WR due to Andre Johnson going down with a knee.
Instead this happened: Manning lost Marvin Harrison and Big Ben has thrown more TD's so far. Peterson leads the league in rushing and might be the #1 pick in '08. Galloway had been unreliable at best but has been an improvement over Brown.
Would my team had been better if I did not make this trade? Hard to tell. I can tell you that my team has faced a very difficult schedule. That's the one special thing with fantasy football - you can't play defense. Technically you could post the 2nd highest score for the league every single week and not win a game. Now I know how LSU feels.
Anyways, Brady's Bunch was sitting at 3-6 not too long ago and feeling hopeless. However, after getting my team to sit down and watch Cool Runnings together, we have since reeled off four wins in a row, including beating the division leader last week to pull into a tie for first with just one week to go. Will my team keep the proverbial bobsled upright and race to the finish line with a medal? Or, will the sled crash heading into the final turn? Time will tell.
If Brady's Bunch wins (won't be easy this week) AND the team I'm tied with loses, then I'm in. It's that simple. I know you are all riveted by this, so I will keep you informed with how it goes. Back to business.
Congrats to Sara for going 10-6 last week and claiming the best record for week 13. The week 12 winner is not yet decided. Jeff and myself are still deadlocked after Arizona and New England both scored 27 points last week. This week we are taking a page out of Bizarro Seinfeld and picking the team that is going to score the least amount of points. Jeff went with the winless Dolphins while I'm backing the Carolina Panthers.
STANDINGS (after 13 weeks and one game)
1) Luke 115-78 (9-7)
2) Sara 106-87 (10-6)
3) Devin 101-92 (9-7)
4) Kevin 98-95 (6-10)
4) Jeff 98-95 (7-9)
6) Grothaus 96-97 (8-8)
6) Barnes 96-97 (8-8)
8) Bart 90-103 (6-10)
We're going straight through these picks (a strategy that seems to work in my favor of not talking about the games) and then leaving you with Jeff and Bart's thoughts. Enjoy.
Chicago @ Washington (-3) - Thursday Night
CHI: Devin, Kevin, Grothaus, Bart
WAS: Luke, Sara, Jeff, Barnes
Carolina @ Jacksonville (-10.5)
CAR: No one
JAX: Everyone
Dallas (-11) @ Detroit
DAL: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
DET: Bart
Miami @ Buffalo (-7)
MIA: Sara, Bart
BUF: Luke, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
New York Giants @ Philadelphia (-3)
NYG: Devin, Grothaus, Barnes
PHI: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Bart
Oakland @ Green Bay (-10.5)
OAK: Luke, Sara, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
GB: Devin, Kevin, Barnes
San Diego (-1) @ Tennessee
SD: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus
TEN: Sara, Kevin, Barnes, Bart
St. Louis @ Cincinnati (-7)
STL: Devin, Grothaus, Bart
CIN: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes
Tampa Bay (-3) @ Houston
TB: Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus
HOU: Luke, Barnes, Bart
Arizona @ Seattle (-7)
ARI: Grothaus
SEA: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes, Bart
Minnesota (-8.5) @ San Francisco
MIN: Everyone
SF: No one
Pittsburgh @ New England (-12)
PIT: Luke, Sara, Barnes, Bart
NE: Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus
Cleveland (-3.5) @ New York Jets
CLE: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
NYJ: Bart
Kansas City @ Denver (-6.5)
KC: Luke, Sara, Devin, Bart
DEN: Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Indianapolis (-9.5) @ Baltimore
IND: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
BAL: Sara, Kevin
New Orleans (-5) @ Atlanta
NO: Luke, Sara, Devin, Kevin, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
ATL: Jeff
JEFF'S OUTLOOK FOR WEEK 14
"Jags keep rolling.
"Kitna won't have much to say after this game----Boys.
"Bills-but hoping Miami gets its first win today!
"Philly-the GMEN lost-barely but pulled out a win last week.
"Da Raiders---upset pick of the week.
"Go Chargers---help out the Brownies!
"Bungles--why--I have no clue--Palmer due for a good one?
"Bucs--Houston hurting without Schaub.
"Seattle--going to hit Warner's ribs--then Rattay at QB-yuk.
"Vikings getting better week by week.
"Pats--pound Pissburgh.
"Browns-a few makeup ref calls after last week would be nice.
"Denver but I don't like this call--KC could surprise.
"Colts-more dissension in Baltimore--I love it.
"Falcons-No BUSH in New Orleans."
BART'S THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK
"I am awful at picking games. I am in last place and none of my previous strategies have worked, so I have a new one. It is fairly low-level and I am already more confident in it than I am in trying to actually pick the games using logic. So here is, here is my new strategy for the rest of the year, it will save me time and thought. The first team listed is going to be heads on the quarter, the second team is going to be tails, which just happens to be a picture of a sailboat on the ocean in the foreground and a bridge in the background. I am not really sure why there is a random bridge in the middle of the ocean, but I will go with it because I am sure that someone out there knows more than me about bridges and oceans, I don’t claim to be an expert. Anyway that is my new strategy, it can’t go much worse than the old ones.
My thumb is now tired. Good luck to everyone except Barnes. Peace. Love. Turducken. Its two weeks late, I know."
There ya go. Enjoy week 14, we only have three more to go after this. GO BROWNS!!
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
Thursday, December 06, 2007
I Was Scurred (Thoughts from ARI-CLE)
It’s been 96 hours since the event took place, but I think I’m finally ready to talk about the Browns-Cardinals game from last Sunday. I promised to do a running blog (which I did start but could not finish) and failed miserably. It was like being a Buckeyes fan during last year’s National Championship game. It started out great, but before I knew it, I was done. I was just not ready to do a Browns running blog. It was so bad that it took me until now before I could finally talk about the game. I’m over it now, and instead decided to just throw out some thoughts and observations from last week’s contest.
1) I picked Arizona in our pick’em league, so I had low expectations going into the game. Three things in particular flat out scared me about this game.
a) It was a road game - All season long Cleveland has struggled in road contests. They trailed Oakland 16-0 late in the 1st half before Joshua Cribbs went 99 yards for a kick-off return TD. They were shut out in the 1st half (20-0) against the Patriots with Derek Anderson throwing three INT’s. The winless Rams took an early 14-0 lead in week eight. It hasn’t always been a sluggish start either that has hurt the Browns. They had a 21-6 lead late in the 1st half against Pittsburgh but failed to score on offense for the remainder of the game, losing 31-28 in regulation. Baltimore scored 16 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to take a 30-27 lead with under a minute to go.
Yes the Browns could have easily won the Raiders game if Dawson’s field goal doesn’t get blocked. Yes they were only ten points down to New England with just a minute remaining in the game. Yes they came back and beat the Rams. Yes they won the Baltimore game in miraculous fashion. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Cleveland has, at times, been downright awful on the road. Enter Arizona. Like I said, I was scurred.
b) Too much playoff talk - I’ll admit, these Browns have exceeded expectations by about the same margin that Ronald Reagan pummeled Walter Mondale in the 1984 U.S Presidential Election (see I did pay attention during History class). Cleveland entered this Cardinals game with a 7-4 record including having won five of their last six. They were just one game back of a Pittsburgh team who still had to face New England. People were talking about how easy the Browns schedule was and how they should end up 12-4.
First of all, an easy schedule is only EASY if you take advantage of it. Yes, Cleveland doesn’t have to play Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, Jacksonville, Tennessee, or San Diego, but that doesn’t mean they are going to have an easy time winning ball games either. Remember, this is the Any Given Sunday league. Nothing comes easy. The only team I would be SHOCKED to see lose would be the Patriots. The only team I would be SHOCKED to see win are the Dolphins. Everything else is up for grabs.
c) The Cardinals were facing a “must-win” game - Arizona lost a heartbreaker at home in overtime against the pitiful 49ers and entered the Browns game with a 5-6 record. The Cardinals were two games behind Seattle and a loss would have put them three games back with just four to play (in other words, they would have lost a chance to win their division). Also, as we currently stand there are five NFC teams with a 5-7 record. Three NFC teams boast a 6-6 record (including the Cardinals). Another loss to Cleveland would have meant they would be sitting at 5-7 with FIVE other teams, making it very difficult to climb into the playoffs.
It’s easy to sit here after the fact and pinpoint all of these reasons why I was afraid of this game, but these honestly were my feelings entering this week thirteen match-up. I’ve been wrong before (see Eric Wedge and the ‘07 Indians) but, unfortunately for me and the Browns, I was not wrong this time.
Back to the game itself.
2) Arizona did a great job of neutralizing Joshua Cribbs. Neil Rackers just did not kick to him. Yes the Browns usually started with great field position as a result, but you could get a sense that Cleveland was not able to maximize their weapons as well.
I got the feeling that Cribbs was starting to press as a result. That’s the only reasoning I could find after his muffed punt-fumble sequence. He didn’t have to catch that punt, but maybe, just maybe, he was trying to do too much. Cribbs did come through later with that brilliant two-point conversion play.
3) Too many turnovers. You just can’t expect to win any game in the NFL when you turn the ball over four times. It just doesn’t work that way. It’s amazing that they still had a chance to win in the closing seconds.
4) When you have a bend but don’t break defense it’s very hard to play catch up. Cleveland’s defense is not very effective at getting three and outs. Instead they are much better at letting the opposition drive down the field and then kick a field goal. When you are behind, like the Browns were all game, this works against you. It means that your offense has to basically score a TD every single possession, especially if it’s in the 2nd half. The Browns were not able to gain enough ground and ended up losing by six.
5) This team is young and at times immature. Leigh Bodden kicking the ball after the defense got a key stop, allowing Arizona to continue the drive and eventually score a touchdown. Simon Fraser with the head-butt after Cleveland had decent field position on their last drive of the game. It’s not just the young guys either. Jamal Lewis spiked the ball during the Ravens game which drew a fine and a 15 yard penalty. Great teams, scratch that, playoff teams don’t do that. Those need to stop now.
6) The referees were not very good handling replays throughout the entire game. They messed up Sean Jones’ INT (when the ball clearly hit the ground AND moved) and Braylon Edwards’ TD (he was clearly touched on the side before he hit the ground). Also, what took them so long on the Winslow play at the end of the game? They took a good five minutes trying to determine if Winslow got two feet in when it was completely obvious that it was not even close. Just a poor effort across the board.
7) In the long run this game should not kill the Browns. Let’s try not to overreact here. The Browns are sitting at 7-5 with four games remaining. If Cleveland can win both games at home (BUF + SF) while gaining a split on the road (NYJ + CIN) then they will end up at 10-6 and have a great look at reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Did I mention it would be the first time they reached double digit wins since 1994? I had just turned nine.
8) Not everything was bad. Here were the highlights for Cleveland last week.
a) That goal line stand late in the game by the Browns defense. It was a MUST that Arizona only get a field goal to give Cleveland a chance to win the game. Anybody else have flashbacks of the Falcons game five years ago? I couldn’t have been the only one.
b) Kevin Hunt sending me text messages after every key play.
- “Just so you know that play alone made me crack open a Keystone … BALLS!!” (referring to the Anderson INT returned for a TD)
- “This team is full of frickin idiots. Helmets, spikes and now kicks. They might have seven wins but they’re still idiots (you should know what play he is talking about here).
- “What in the hell just happened?” (pick a play)
c) That two-point conversion to pull Cleveland within three at the end of the third quarter. I was screaming for the Browns to just kick the extra point. I felt that there was too much time left in the contest to play the numbers game. I’m a believer in not going for two until you absolutely have to. However, if you have a play like the Browns did (one that the defense had not seen yet - and if all goes well should get you the conversion) then by all means, do it to it. Straight out of Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard the Browns fooled the Cardinals and were just down 21-18 entering the fourth quarter.
d) Braylon Edwards. He is emerging into a star. He had great presence to keep running on that bomb at the end of the third quarter. He was going to keep running until someone told him not to (kind of like with his mouth last year).
e) The loss was against an NFC team. At this point in the season, with only four games remaining, it doesn’t hurt to sneak a look at the possible tiebreakers for the AFC Wild Card spot. Conference record is the 2nd tiebreaker if the two tied teams did not play each other. Cleveland is not playing either Jacksonville or Tennessee this year. Which means, even though it was a loss, it could have been worse, like this upcoming week against the New York Jets.
Go Browns.
Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”
1) I picked Arizona in our pick’em league, so I had low expectations going into the game. Three things in particular flat out scared me about this game.
a) It was a road game - All season long Cleveland has struggled in road contests. They trailed Oakland 16-0 late in the 1st half before Joshua Cribbs went 99 yards for a kick-off return TD. They were shut out in the 1st half (20-0) against the Patriots with Derek Anderson throwing three INT’s. The winless Rams took an early 14-0 lead in week eight. It hasn’t always been a sluggish start either that has hurt the Browns. They had a 21-6 lead late in the 1st half against Pittsburgh but failed to score on offense for the remainder of the game, losing 31-28 in regulation. Baltimore scored 16 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to take a 30-27 lead with under a minute to go.
Yes the Browns could have easily won the Raiders game if Dawson’s field goal doesn’t get blocked. Yes they were only ten points down to New England with just a minute remaining in the game. Yes they came back and beat the Rams. Yes they won the Baltimore game in miraculous fashion. However, this doesn’t take away from the fact that Cleveland has, at times, been downright awful on the road. Enter Arizona. Like I said, I was scurred.
b) Too much playoff talk - I’ll admit, these Browns have exceeded expectations by about the same margin that Ronald Reagan pummeled Walter Mondale in the 1984 U.S Presidential Election (see I did pay attention during History class). Cleveland entered this Cardinals game with a 7-4 record including having won five of their last six. They were just one game back of a Pittsburgh team who still had to face New England. People were talking about how easy the Browns schedule was and how they should end up 12-4.
First of all, an easy schedule is only EASY if you take advantage of it. Yes, Cleveland doesn’t have to play Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, Jacksonville, Tennessee, or San Diego, but that doesn’t mean they are going to have an easy time winning ball games either. Remember, this is the Any Given Sunday league. Nothing comes easy. The only team I would be SHOCKED to see lose would be the Patriots. The only team I would be SHOCKED to see win are the Dolphins. Everything else is up for grabs.
c) The Cardinals were facing a “must-win” game - Arizona lost a heartbreaker at home in overtime against the pitiful 49ers and entered the Browns game with a 5-6 record. The Cardinals were two games behind Seattle and a loss would have put them three games back with just four to play (in other words, they would have lost a chance to win their division). Also, as we currently stand there are five NFC teams with a 5-7 record. Three NFC teams boast a 6-6 record (including the Cardinals). Another loss to Cleveland would have meant they would be sitting at 5-7 with FIVE other teams, making it very difficult to climb into the playoffs.
It’s easy to sit here after the fact and pinpoint all of these reasons why I was afraid of this game, but these honestly were my feelings entering this week thirteen match-up. I’ve been wrong before (see Eric Wedge and the ‘07 Indians) but, unfortunately for me and the Browns, I was not wrong this time.
Back to the game itself.
2) Arizona did a great job of neutralizing Joshua Cribbs. Neil Rackers just did not kick to him. Yes the Browns usually started with great field position as a result, but you could get a sense that Cleveland was not able to maximize their weapons as well.
I got the feeling that Cribbs was starting to press as a result. That’s the only reasoning I could find after his muffed punt-fumble sequence. He didn’t have to catch that punt, but maybe, just maybe, he was trying to do too much. Cribbs did come through later with that brilliant two-point conversion play.
3) Too many turnovers. You just can’t expect to win any game in the NFL when you turn the ball over four times. It just doesn’t work that way. It’s amazing that they still had a chance to win in the closing seconds.
4) When you have a bend but don’t break defense it’s very hard to play catch up. Cleveland’s defense is not very effective at getting three and outs. Instead they are much better at letting the opposition drive down the field and then kick a field goal. When you are behind, like the Browns were all game, this works against you. It means that your offense has to basically score a TD every single possession, especially if it’s in the 2nd half. The Browns were not able to gain enough ground and ended up losing by six.
5) This team is young and at times immature. Leigh Bodden kicking the ball after the defense got a key stop, allowing Arizona to continue the drive and eventually score a touchdown. Simon Fraser with the head-butt after Cleveland had decent field position on their last drive of the game. It’s not just the young guys either. Jamal Lewis spiked the ball during the Ravens game which drew a fine and a 15 yard penalty. Great teams, scratch that, playoff teams don’t do that. Those need to stop now.
6) The referees were not very good handling replays throughout the entire game. They messed up Sean Jones’ INT (when the ball clearly hit the ground AND moved) and Braylon Edwards’ TD (he was clearly touched on the side before he hit the ground). Also, what took them so long on the Winslow play at the end of the game? They took a good five minutes trying to determine if Winslow got two feet in when it was completely obvious that it was not even close. Just a poor effort across the board.
7) In the long run this game should not kill the Browns. Let’s try not to overreact here. The Browns are sitting at 7-5 with four games remaining. If Cleveland can win both games at home (BUF + SF) while gaining a split on the road (NYJ + CIN) then they will end up at 10-6 and have a great look at reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Did I mention it would be the first time they reached double digit wins since 1994? I had just turned nine.
8) Not everything was bad. Here were the highlights for Cleveland last week.
a) That goal line stand late in the game by the Browns defense. It was a MUST that Arizona only get a field goal to give Cleveland a chance to win the game. Anybody else have flashbacks of the Falcons game five years ago? I couldn’t have been the only one.
b) Kevin Hunt sending me text messages after every key play.
- “Just so you know that play alone made me crack open a Keystone … BALLS!!” (referring to the Anderson INT returned for a TD)
- “This team is full of frickin idiots. Helmets, spikes and now kicks. They might have seven wins but they’re still idiots (you should know what play he is talking about here).
- “What in the hell just happened?” (pick a play)
c) That two-point conversion to pull Cleveland within three at the end of the third quarter. I was screaming for the Browns to just kick the extra point. I felt that there was too much time left in the contest to play the numbers game. I’m a believer in not going for two until you absolutely have to. However, if you have a play like the Browns did (one that the defense had not seen yet - and if all goes well should get you the conversion) then by all means, do it to it. Straight out of Adam Sandler’s The Longest Yard the Browns fooled the Cardinals and were just down 21-18 entering the fourth quarter.
d) Braylon Edwards. He is emerging into a star. He had great presence to keep running on that bomb at the end of the third quarter. He was going to keep running until someone told him not to (kind of like with his mouth last year).
e) The loss was against an NFC team. At this point in the season, with only four games remaining, it doesn’t hurt to sneak a look at the possible tiebreakers for the AFC Wild Card spot. Conference record is the 2nd tiebreaker if the two tied teams did not play each other. Cleveland is not playing either Jacksonville or Tennessee this year. Which means, even though it was a loss, it could have been worse, like this upcoming week against the New York Jets.
Go Browns.
Until next time, “read it, roll it, hole it.”
Sunday, December 02, 2007
2007 NFL Picks Week Thirteen
If college football is any indication for what we are in store with the remainding five weeks of NFL then Bart is going to wind up winning this whole pick'em thing. What a crazy Saturday that was fitting indeed for what was a ridiculous college football season from the very beginning.
Not only is it possible but now it is probable that a two-loss team will be playing for the national championship. Will that two-loss team be LSU, USC, Georgia, or dare I say Virginia Tech? I honestly have no idea and I really don't care. This is exactly what I wanted. I was rooting for Pittsburgh and Oklahoma last night and, at least for me, Christmas came early this year. Unbelievable.
Now, back to business. I don't plan on writing too much this week due to my running blog of today's Browns game. I practiced with two meaningless games and now I'm ready for the big time. A Cleveland Browns game. Saddle up and ride.
I'm on a two-week hiatus from these picks so I have a little bit of catching up to do. In Week 11 we saw the Browns win an improbable game against the Ravens and we saw myself post the best-ever record for a 16 game week. I went 13-3 and stretched my lead over Sara to nine games. Grothaus went 11-5 in week 11 to pull himself out of the cellar. Week 12 was not as exciting from the Browns perspective, but I was in attendance along with my dad and the Hunt's to watch Cleveland beat the Texans. Gus Johnson was on the call and I cannot wait to watch that on tape. Barnes, Jeff, and myself all went 10-6 last week setting us up where we currently sit. The standings reflect the 12 weeks we have completed thus far as well as the GB-Dal game on Thursday night. Devin, Bart, and Jeff were the only three to pick the Cowboys.
STANDINGS (after 12 weeks and one game)
1) Luke 105-72 (10-6)
2) Sara 95-82 (9-7)
3) Devin 93-84 (8-8)
4) Kevin 92-85 (7-9)
5) Jeff 91-86 (10-6)
6) Grothaus 88-89 (8-8)
7) Barnes 87-90 (10-6)
8) Bart 85-92 (5-11)
The tiebreaker question for week 12 was to guess the highest point total from the week 13 games. I was looking for a number but Barnes said he was picking Cleveland. I couldn't pass this opportunity up so we're going to switch it to teams instead of numbers. Jeff did not pick a team or a number so he gets Arizona. I'm picking the Patriots. Highest scoring team wins.
Oh, and I thought I would go ahead and get this out of the way early.
Kevin's Ballbuster Pick of the Week (2-5): Miami
The Ballbuster returns and he picks the winless Dolphins. Welcome to the life of Kevin Hunt my friends.
Onto the picks. We're being very brief here today and saving most of my time for the Browns-Cardinals blog. God help me.
Atlanta @ St. Louis (-4.5)
Bulger is not playing but there is no way I'm backing the Falcons on the road. Expect Steven Jackson to finally perform like the top three fantasy RB he was supposed to be all season today. Pick: St. Louis
ATL: Bart
STL: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Buffalo @ Washington (-6)
Tough one to pick here. Will the Redskins play inspired football in memory of Sean Taylor? Or will they flop after a very long and frustrating week? I have no idea. That's why I'm taking the points. Pick: Buffalo
BUF: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Bart
WAS: Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Detroit @ Minnesota (-3.5)
Detroit plays bad football on the road and good football at home. However they have failed to cover their last two home contests and I expect them now to play better on the road. I can't believe I'm doing this, but here goes nothing ... Pick: Detroit
DET: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Bart
MIN: Sara, Devin, Grothaus, Barnes
Houston @ Tennessee (-4)
This one all comes down to one player. Albert Haynesworth IS playing. The Titans will shut down Dayne and win this one convincingly to get back on track. Pick: Tennessee
HOU: Sara, Devin, Grothaus, Bart
TEN: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis (-7)
This is the biggest game of the day as far as the AFC is concerned. The Jags remind me of the Browns who always seem to have trouble beating the Steelers. Well, the Jags always seem to have trouble beating the Colts. I expect a close game but as far as Brady's Bunch is concerned, we need Peyton to win this one in a rout. Pick: Jacksonville
JAX: Luke, Sara, Devin
IND: Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
New York Jets @ Miami (-1)
How bad do the Jets feel right now? Underdogs to a winless team in week thirteen? That's ridiculous. This is one of those games where I feel the oddsmakers know something I don't. I would have thought the Jets to be favored or at the very least a straight up pick'em. For that reason only I'm taking the Dolphins. (It's like I'm trying to blow this lead) Pick: Miami
NYJ: Sara, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
MIA: Luke, Kevin, Devin
San Diego (-5) @ Kansas City
Taking the Chargers. I don't know why. In fact I KNOW I'm going to lose this one. Norv Turner works in mysterious ways. Pick: San Diego
SD: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
KC: Bart
Seattle @ Philadelphia (-3)
I wonder how many teams Shane Falco could start for? Would the Eagles be one of them? I mean McNabb's days are numbered there. Who better to "replace" McNabb than Falco? I also wonder how prison is treating the Reid boys? From what I heard it's better than living at their home. Pick: Seattle
SEA: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
PHI: Sara, Kevin, Barnes
San Francisco @ Carolina (-3)
Falco could start for BOTH of these teams. Pick: Carolina
SF: Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
CAR: Luke, Devin
Cleveland @ Arizona (-1)
This game scares me as a Browns fan. I really like this Browns team, but they have struggled on the road ALL season long. I hope I'm wrong with this pick ... Pick: Arizona
CLE: Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Barnes, Bart
ARI: Luke, Grothaus
Denver (-3) @ Oakland
I'm bringing back the Boring Game of the Week. This one takes first place. Pick: Denver
DEN: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
OAK: Bart
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-3)
This is a pretty big game for the Bucs. They won't be playing with Jeff Garcia (the modern day Shane Falco) which will hurt them. Pick: New Orleans
TB: Sara, Bart
NO: Luke, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
New York Giants (-2) @ Chicago
Don't know how many of you were watching this, but after the Mizz-OK game was out of hand late last night Brent Musberger could not stop talking about this NFL match-up. Your guess is as good as mind. I hope he retires soon. Pick: New York Giants
NYG: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
CHI: Bart
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Pittsburgh has done nothing to impress me the last several weeks. Cincy on the other hand, well they put up 35 last week. I like what I see here. This Bengal team is going to be a tough match-up for everyone these last five weeks. Pick: Cincinnati
CIN: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Bart
PIT: Sara, Kevin, Grothaus, Barnes
New England (-20.5) @ Baltimore
The Patriots are the biggest road favorite in the history of the NFL this week. The scary part is that I only think they need to put up 24 to cover this one. After a tough game this week, Belichick will be ready to pounce. Pick: New England
NE: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
BAL: Sara, Devin, Barnes
Jeff's Thoughts for the NFL - Week 13 Style
"St. Louis-Still better than Atlanta even without Bulger.
"Washington-playing their hearts out for Sean Taylor.
"Detroit-I hate betting against Minnesota but I don't trust them.
"Tennessee comes back from the embarrising Bengals loss.
"Indy-Marvelous Marvin to the rescue.
"Jets-Miami could have scored on the Steelers and let em off the hook---go Jets.
"San Diego--Chiefs getting better but the Chargers need this one big time.
"Seattle--Philly left it all on the table against the Patriots.
"San Fran--Gore picking up the yards lately.
"Cleveland--hope no let down in the desert, Browns defensive secondary the key.
"Denver--Oakland improving but not enough today.
"Saints--Jeff Garcia is that important? I guess so.
"Gmen---I lose all the time on them--might as well keep it up.
"Bengals---yeah I am saying my prayers on this one--Browns always need help.
"Patriots-thought about picking the Ravens like I did the Eagles but the Ravens can't score!"
Thanks Jeff!!
Okay, that wraps it up for this week. If you would like to contribute at all to my Browns-Cardinals running blog then either send me an IM during the game or a text message. On behalf of everyone here in this pick'em league I hope that Sara did well on her LSAT she took recently. Best of luck to everyone this week and GO BROWNS!!
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
Not only is it possible but now it is probable that a two-loss team will be playing for the national championship. Will that two-loss team be LSU, USC, Georgia, or dare I say Virginia Tech? I honestly have no idea and I really don't care. This is exactly what I wanted. I was rooting for Pittsburgh and Oklahoma last night and, at least for me, Christmas came early this year. Unbelievable.
Now, back to business. I don't plan on writing too much this week due to my running blog of today's Browns game. I practiced with two meaningless games and now I'm ready for the big time. A Cleveland Browns game. Saddle up and ride.
I'm on a two-week hiatus from these picks so I have a little bit of catching up to do. In Week 11 we saw the Browns win an improbable game against the Ravens and we saw myself post the best-ever record for a 16 game week. I went 13-3 and stretched my lead over Sara to nine games. Grothaus went 11-5 in week 11 to pull himself out of the cellar. Week 12 was not as exciting from the Browns perspective, but I was in attendance along with my dad and the Hunt's to watch Cleveland beat the Texans. Gus Johnson was on the call and I cannot wait to watch that on tape. Barnes, Jeff, and myself all went 10-6 last week setting us up where we currently sit. The standings reflect the 12 weeks we have completed thus far as well as the GB-Dal game on Thursday night. Devin, Bart, and Jeff were the only three to pick the Cowboys.
STANDINGS (after 12 weeks and one game)
1) Luke 105-72 (10-6)
2) Sara 95-82 (9-7)
3) Devin 93-84 (8-8)
4) Kevin 92-85 (7-9)
5) Jeff 91-86 (10-6)
6) Grothaus 88-89 (8-8)
7) Barnes 87-90 (10-6)
8) Bart 85-92 (5-11)
The tiebreaker question for week 12 was to guess the highest point total from the week 13 games. I was looking for a number but Barnes said he was picking Cleveland. I couldn't pass this opportunity up so we're going to switch it to teams instead of numbers. Jeff did not pick a team or a number so he gets Arizona. I'm picking the Patriots. Highest scoring team wins.
Oh, and I thought I would go ahead and get this out of the way early.
Kevin's Ballbuster Pick of the Week (2-5): Miami
The Ballbuster returns and he picks the winless Dolphins. Welcome to the life of Kevin Hunt my friends.
Onto the picks. We're being very brief here today and saving most of my time for the Browns-Cardinals blog. God help me.
Atlanta @ St. Louis (-4.5)
Bulger is not playing but there is no way I'm backing the Falcons on the road. Expect Steven Jackson to finally perform like the top three fantasy RB he was supposed to be all season today. Pick: St. Louis
ATL: Bart
STL: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Buffalo @ Washington (-6)
Tough one to pick here. Will the Redskins play inspired football in memory of Sean Taylor? Or will they flop after a very long and frustrating week? I have no idea. That's why I'm taking the points. Pick: Buffalo
BUF: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Bart
WAS: Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
Detroit @ Minnesota (-3.5)
Detroit plays bad football on the road and good football at home. However they have failed to cover their last two home contests and I expect them now to play better on the road. I can't believe I'm doing this, but here goes nothing ... Pick: Detroit
DET: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Bart
MIN: Sara, Devin, Grothaus, Barnes
Houston @ Tennessee (-4)
This one all comes down to one player. Albert Haynesworth IS playing. The Titans will shut down Dayne and win this one convincingly to get back on track. Pick: Tennessee
HOU: Sara, Devin, Grothaus, Bart
TEN: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Barnes
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis (-7)
This is the biggest game of the day as far as the AFC is concerned. The Jags remind me of the Browns who always seem to have trouble beating the Steelers. Well, the Jags always seem to have trouble beating the Colts. I expect a close game but as far as Brady's Bunch is concerned, we need Peyton to win this one in a rout. Pick: Jacksonville
JAX: Luke, Sara, Devin
IND: Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
New York Jets @ Miami (-1)
How bad do the Jets feel right now? Underdogs to a winless team in week thirteen? That's ridiculous. This is one of those games where I feel the oddsmakers know something I don't. I would have thought the Jets to be favored or at the very least a straight up pick'em. For that reason only I'm taking the Dolphins. (It's like I'm trying to blow this lead) Pick: Miami
NYJ: Sara, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
MIA: Luke, Kevin, Devin
San Diego (-5) @ Kansas City
Taking the Chargers. I don't know why. In fact I KNOW I'm going to lose this one. Norv Turner works in mysterious ways. Pick: San Diego
SD: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
KC: Bart
Seattle @ Philadelphia (-3)
I wonder how many teams Shane Falco could start for? Would the Eagles be one of them? I mean McNabb's days are numbered there. Who better to "replace" McNabb than Falco? I also wonder how prison is treating the Reid boys? From what I heard it's better than living at their home. Pick: Seattle
SEA: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
PHI: Sara, Kevin, Barnes
San Francisco @ Carolina (-3)
Falco could start for BOTH of these teams. Pick: Carolina
SF: Sara, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes, Bart
CAR: Luke, Devin
Cleveland @ Arizona (-1)
This game scares me as a Browns fan. I really like this Browns team, but they have struggled on the road ALL season long. I hope I'm wrong with this pick ... Pick: Arizona
CLE: Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Barnes, Bart
ARI: Luke, Grothaus
Denver (-3) @ Oakland
I'm bringing back the Boring Game of the Week. This one takes first place. Pick: Denver
DEN: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
OAK: Bart
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-3)
This is a pretty big game for the Bucs. They won't be playing with Jeff Garcia (the modern day Shane Falco) which will hurt them. Pick: New Orleans
TB: Sara, Bart
NO: Luke, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
New York Giants (-2) @ Chicago
Don't know how many of you were watching this, but after the Mizz-OK game was out of hand late last night Brent Musberger could not stop talking about this NFL match-up. Your guess is as good as mind. I hope he retires soon. Pick: New York Giants
NYG: Luke, Sara, Kevin, Devin, Jeff, Grothaus, Barnes
CHI: Bart
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Pittsburgh has done nothing to impress me the last several weeks. Cincy on the other hand, well they put up 35 last week. I like what I see here. This Bengal team is going to be a tough match-up for everyone these last five weeks. Pick: Cincinnati
CIN: Luke, Devin, Jeff, Bart
PIT: Sara, Kevin, Grothaus, Barnes
New England (-20.5) @ Baltimore
The Patriots are the biggest road favorite in the history of the NFL this week. The scary part is that I only think they need to put up 24 to cover this one. After a tough game this week, Belichick will be ready to pounce. Pick: New England
NE: Luke, Kevin, Jeff, Grothaus, Bart
BAL: Sara, Devin, Barnes
This week we didn't have Bart's Thoughts of the Week so instead, we are going to have Jeff's Thoughts instead. He always comes through each and every week with a comment for every game. This is what he had on his mind this week.
Jeff's Thoughts for the NFL - Week 13 Style
"St. Louis-Still better than Atlanta even without Bulger.
"Washington-playing their hearts out for Sean Taylor.
"Detroit-I hate betting against Minnesota but I don't trust them.
"Tennessee comes back from the embarrising Bengals loss.
"Indy-Marvelous Marvin to the rescue.
"Jets-Miami could have scored on the Steelers and let em off the hook---go Jets.
"San Diego--Chiefs getting better but the Chargers need this one big time.
"Seattle--Philly left it all on the table against the Patriots.
"San Fran--Gore picking up the yards lately.
"Cleveland--hope no let down in the desert, Browns defensive secondary the key.
"Denver--Oakland improving but not enough today.
"Saints--Jeff Garcia is that important? I guess so.
"Gmen---I lose all the time on them--might as well keep it up.
"Bengals---yeah I am saying my prayers on this one--Browns always need help.
"Patriots-thought about picking the Ravens like I did the Eagles but the Ravens can't score!"
Thanks Jeff!!
Okay, that wraps it up for this week. If you would like to contribute at all to my Browns-Cardinals running blog then either send me an IM during the game or a text message. On behalf of everyone here in this pick'em league I hope that Sara did well on her LSAT she took recently. Best of luck to everyone this week and GO BROWNS!!
Until next time, "read it, roll it, hole it."
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