- We all learned to bet with Jason's picks in weeks where he goes to a game, because we all would have been rich if we did. Or something like that. Oh, and his Dome Team Theory held water: Dome teams playing in cold and/or snow were 0-4 Sunday, but 2-2 ATS, and one of those ATS wins was the Falcons, who Jay told you to take. So he was 3-1 ATS using his theory, missing only the Vikings in that batshit crazy game in Baltimore. If you extend it out to warm-weather teams playing in icy conditions, that was an additional 1-2 SU and ATS, with only the Fins punking the Steelers as a W.
- Games in no detail: Toxins-Jaguars (I think Gary Kubiak gave Mike Shanahan the blueprint on how to fuck around with the QBs and get your ass fired); Bills-Buccaneers (where was this ball-hogging D for Tampa all season??); Browns-Patriots (and yet another slow start for the Pats, but the comeback wins should end with the loss of Gronkowski); Raiders-Jets (it's a win, I'll take it); Rams-Cardinals (INT Santa's elbow is either just fine or it makes him accurate when it hurts); Giants-Chargers (I'm done with the G-Men this year, they're dead to me).
- Minnesota keeps fighting for their coach Leslie Frazier, and while it's sweet, it won't keep him employed in the Twin Cities. It's hard to blame him for this loss in Baltimore, but it goes on his record just the same. It was a story of speedy athletes in snow and ice making a straight line ahead and daring anyone to stop them, and this was repeated throughout the league. The names in this one were Jones, Patterson, and Brown, but the point was, once the fast guys figured out the bad turf would hurt the defenders who weren't coordinated enough to slow them, they started flying up and down the field playing Catch Me If You Can. The Ravens happened to have the ball last.
- Washington's defense and special teams were THE DRIZZLING SHITS the likes of which I don't think I've seen in a long time. That's one of the worst combos of D and special teams I've ever seen. The D wasn't tackling and the ST weren't filling their gaps at all against Kansas City. I've been known to be stubborn when I latch onto an idea that maybe keeps getting proved wrong in my face, but I don't care: I still don't think the Chiefs are very good. But against the Real Housewives of DC, they were awesome in all phases. The drama has continued today as Mike Shanahan has announced that Robert Griffin III will not be played the rest of the season not because he's hurt, but because Shanny doesn't want to risk him getting hurt, which is almost legit if we're talking Week 17 with no playoffs in sight, but is complete bullshit in Week 15. Shanny just wants to get fired by owner Dan Snyder and get all the cash he's owed next year. I'm betting he'll get his wish.
- Once again, Pittsburgh had a shot to climb the ladder to an improbable playoff berth after a slow start, and once again, they chose the wrong time to look old and slow on defense as well as to stop protecting Ben Roethlisberger. Miami had no problems with the cold and snow because they were playing a team that refused to tackle them. The Steelers hardly made any stops against the Dolphins running or passing with the exception of Troy Polamalu's turn-back-the-clock Pick-6. But Troy ultimately failed to bring down TE Charles Clay on an easy tackle, allowing the game-winning score. The tackling is really the only reason why the Dolphins covered the number in a shootout. The reason they won the game is because Antonio Brown got confused and stepped out of bounds on the last scramble of the game before he scored. First coach Mike Tomlin in Baltimore, now Brown. That sideline for Pittsburgh is jinxed.
- Here's the top example of a great athlete figuring out the bad surface and taking advantage: Eagles RB LeSean McCoy, who was THE SHIT against Detroit. He ran for 148 yards in the 4th quarter alone and had two awesome TD runs as Philadelphia scored all 34 of its points in the 2nd half. Jeremy Ross figured it out for the Lions, running a KO return and punt return for TDs in a constant snowstorm that measured six to eight inches on the field, and yes, that's above average. But if you don't have a runner like McCoy, you can't match his production, and Reggie Bush wasn't active for the game. As hard as Joique Bell ran for the Lions, he didn't have the speed or moves to break out. Detroit's pass attack didn't just have issues throwing, but just snapping the ball to Matthew Stafford. For Lions center Dominic Raiola, longtime asshole, a day like that couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
- Snow was not an issue in Cincinnati, but it was very cold, and the Colts weren't up for the challenge. I'm about ready to throw up my hands trying to figure out Andy Dalton. He was damn near flawless in this game. His throws and decision making seemed to be as sharp as I've ever seen him. I know Indianapolis doesn't have the most stout defense, but Dalton threw on them like they were a juco team. Cincy had a bad day tackling or else this would have been even more of a blowout, as two of Andrew Luck's TD passes were plays where the receiver was surrounded by defenders after he made the catch and he broke arm tackles to take it to the house. I think that's more of an indictment of the Bengals than credit for the great football skills of LaVon Brazill and Da'Rick Rogers.
- Look out Lions, the Pack is back! Well, maybe not if Aaron Rodgers doesn't take the field soon, but Green Bay did pull through and beat Atlanta to move within a half-game of Detroit in the NFC North. The Falcons for the second week in a row played much better than I thought they would. Their blitz got home and affected Matt Flynn, but Green Bay's pass rush couldn't get to Matt Ryan in the 1st half. Flynn wasn't half bad when he had time to operate. But Atlanta getting the lead allowed them to pass rush and blitz, and they loved that. Only a Packers sack-fumble allowed them to take the lead, and the D held on. They couldn't find one more score in the game to cover the spread for me because they're still mediocre without Rodgers. Jason will have a report on the experience at 9° Lambeau Field on tonight's podcast.
- The final word on Peyton Manning's throwing arm in cold weather appears to be: Unless you have the world's greatest cover corners, it doesn't matter what the temperature is. And no lead is safe. Tennessee became the second team this season to be a double-digit underdog at Denver, have a lead at halftime, and wind up not coming anywhere close to covering the Goddamn number, after Washington in Week 8. Guess what moron was picking the 'dog both times? This guy. Peyton's unbelievable unless I'm picking him is the lesson to learn here, I guess.
- Intensity and physicality was the order of the day in San Francisco, where the 49ers managed to beat an 11-1 team and not cover the spread. Oh wait, I was picking them too. No wonder. If Frank Gore doesn't blow a tire on that 51-yard run in the 4th quarter, he scores and San Fran does cover, but that would have only happened if Jason picked them. I think I learned what it will take to beat Seattle: You actually don't want to pass rush Russell Wilson. He appeared to be much better throwing the ball on the run than standing in the pocket with his WRs covered tightly. Once he breaks the pocket, his receivers can scramble and get away from the coverage and make themselves open. Not to mention Wilson's ability to kill you running in the open field after your pass rush has sprinted by him. As for Colin Kaepernick, he's not as good as Wilson right now partially because his throws need more touch. He can get a ball between defenders in zone, but only because he's got big guys catching (Vernon Davis, Anquan Boldin, Mario Manningham). He doesn't like pressure even though he's probably faster than Wilson and would invite the chance to run from blitzers. It looked like the Seahawks got flagged for defensive holding much more than usual, perhaps because they were on the road and the referees were more aware of the clutching and grabbing. It would explain why of Kaep's eight INTs this year, four are to Seattle. But if the refs call the DBs for that, it makes Seattle much more vulnerable. And why did the Niners run Gore only 17 times?
- Yes, Jay rode the Carolina bandwagon right off the side of the mountain. Glad to know someone other than me can do that. It took about a quarter for New Orleans to match Carolina's defensive speed and intensity on offense, but they dominated from the 2nd quarter on, from the offensive line to the route running of the WRs to Drew Brees' throws. Sean Payton at one point chose to keep a play that gained seven yards rather than take a penalty on the Panthers that would have given the Saints five yards and an automatic first down. That's either a confused head coach or an arrogant one, but the Saints could do no wrong Sunday night. Cam Newton only had a couple of long bomb attempts, and they were inaccurate, and you're not catching the Saints in the Superdome without accurate throws downfield. There was more misdirection than normal from the Saints, but it did serve to slow down the Panthers pass rush. Let's see if they use that again in two weeks in Charlotte.
- The score in Chicago was shocking considering how easy Dallas came out running against the worst rush D in football. DeMarco Murray ran for 19 yards on the first play from scrimmage and 52 yards on the opening drive, where Dez Bryant scored a TD to make it 7-0. Murray finished the game with only 146 yards rushing, and the Bears finished up 17 without ever having to punt. Yeah, the Dallas braintrust fucked up again. Why would they go away from the run on a cold, windy night? What past Tony Romo December performances made them think using him was the way to win this game? The Cowboys started having some infighting eventually once the offense started grinding to a halt, which is not surprising. Josh McCown? That's surprising. He continues to make the right decision, whatever it may be, even running for nice gains. He has sold his soul to the devil obviously. Lots of Tweets on Monday night that Jay Cutler should be cut loose by Chicago in order to keep McCown long term. That, of course, is stupid, but McCown's play has been so superb that it's understandable to come to that conclusion. And with the Lions breaking down before our eyes, it may come down to Cutler being ready in Week 16 or 17 with the division on the line and Marc Trestman having to make that choice. I don't envy him. If the Bears lose that potential clinching game, people will totally overlook the terrible Chicago defense and claim that Trestman chose the wrong QB. If only it were that simple.
Week 14 Records--Dre 6-10, .375; Jay 12-4, .750
YTD Records--Dre 96-107-5, .473; Jay 106-97-5, .522
No comments:
Post a Comment