Scott Norwood

Scott Norwood
Wide Right started it all.

Friday, December 26, 2014

2014 Week #17

It's the return of Coin as our third party guest picker, and this year, we're really hoping to outwit the damn thing.  It's sad that in each of the three previous years we used a coin to pick against us in Week 17 as a way to prove that the last week of the NFL is like a coin flip, the coin has beaten one or both of us every time.  Let's hope we end that trend this time.  Here are predictions for the final week of the regular season, where Jason and I go heads up on six games:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay Coin
BAL (9-6) 13    Cle (7-8) Bal Bal Bal
Dal (11-4) WASH (4-11) Wash Wash Wash
Ind (10-5) TENN (2-13) Ind Tenn Ind
HOU (8-7) 10    Jack (3-12) Hou Hou Jack
KC (8-7) 1    SD (9-6) SD SD KC
MIA (8-7) 6    NYJ (3-12) NY NY NY
MIN (6-9) 6    Chi (5-10) Chi Chi Min
NE (12-3) 5    Buf (8-7) Buf NE Buf
NYG (6-9) Phi (9-6) NY NY Phi
NO (6-9) 4    TB (2-13) TB NO TB
ATL (6-9) Car (6-8-1) Car Atl Atl
GB (11-4) Det (11-4) GB Det Det
DEN (11-4) 14    Oak (3-12) Den Den Oak
SF (7-8) Ariz (11-4) SF Ariz Ariz
SEA (11-4) 13    StL (6-9) Sea Sea Sea
Sun. Nite
PIT (10-5) Cin (10-4-1) Cin Cin Cin


All of our thoughts and observations, without a long aftershow because we were cut off for some unknown reason, can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/12/27/nfl-2014-week-17

Friday, December 19, 2014

2014 Week #16

Our biggest fans didn't call the show as we made our picks for this week.  Maybe they're bored with us already.  Here are our choices for NFL Week 16, which see a tied Jay and me differ on six games:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
JACK (2-12) Tenn (2-12) Jack 21-13 Tenn Tenn
Sat.
Phi (9-5) WASH (3-11) Wash Wash
Sat. Nite
SF (7-7) SD (8-6) SD SD
Sun.
MIA (7-7) Min (6-8) Min Mia
Bal (9-5) 5    HOU (7-7) Bal Bal
Det (10-4) 8    CHI (5-9) Det Det
CAR (5-8-1) 4    Cle (7-7) Car Car
NO (6-8) 6    Atl (5-9) NO Atl
GB (10-4) 11½ TB (2-12) GB GB
PIT (9-5) 3    KC (8-6) KC Pit
NE (11-3) 10½ NYJ (3-11) NY NE
STL (6-8) NYG (5-9) NY NY
Buf (8-6) 7    OAK (2-12) Buf Oak
DAL (10-4) Ind (10-4) Ind Ind
Sun. Nite
Sea (10-4) ARIZ (11-3) Ariz Sea
Mon. Nite
Den (11-3) 3    CIN (9-4-1) Den Den


All of our thoughts and observations, including an aftershow where we reveal our most embarrassing music purchases ever, can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/12/20/nfl-2014-week-16

Sunday, December 14, 2014

2014 Week #15

Boy, did we have ourselves a doozy of a podcast in discussing this week of NFL action.  Our first two call-ins, and both had sex on their minds for some reason.  Here are our picks, which see Jay and me going heads up on seven games aside from the Thursday nighter:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
STL (6-7) Ariz (10-3) Ariz 12-6 StL Ariz
Sunday
Pit (8-5) ATL (5-8) Pit Atl
NYG (4-9) 7    Wash (3-10) NY Wash
NE (10-3) Mia (7-6) NE Mia
KC (7-6) 10½ Oak (2-11) Oak Oak
IND (9-4) 7    Hou (7-6) Ind Ind
BAL (8-5) 14    Jack (2-11) Bal Jack
GB (10-3) 4    BUF (7-6) Buf GB
CAR (4-8-1) 3    TB (2-11) Car Car
CLE (7-6) Cin (8-4-1) Cin Cin
NYJ (2-11) TENN (2-11) Tenn NYJ
Den (10-3) SD (8-5) Den Den
DET (9-4) Min (6-7) Det Det
SEA (9-4) 10    SF (7-6) SF Sea
Sun. Nite
PHI (9-4) Dal (9-4) Phi Phi
Mon. Nite
NO (5-8) 3    CHI (5-8) NO NO


All of our thoughts and observations, including the aftershow featuring our opinion on the scourge that is Taylor Swift, can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/12/14/nfl-2014-week-15

Thursday, December 4, 2014

2014 Week #14

We're a little early with our picks for Week 14, but hey, we have lives too, and we're both unavailable this weekend.  So here are our selections for games being played three and four days from now.  It's a competitive week with us differing on seven matchups:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
Dal (8-4) CHI (5-7) Dal 41-28 Dal Dal
Sunday
CIN (8-3-1) 3    Pit (7-5) Cin Cin
StL (5-7) 3    WASH (3-9) Wash Wash
TENN (2-10) Pk NYG (3-9) Tenn NY
NO (5-7) 10½ Car (3-8-1) Car NO
MIN (5-7) 6    NYJ (2-10) Min Min
MIA (7-5) Bal (7-5) Mia Mia
Ind (8-4) CLE (7-5) Ind Ind
DET (8-4) 10    TB (2-10) TB Det
Hou (6-6) 6    JACK (2-10) Hou Hou
DEN (9-3) 10    Buf (7-5) Den Buf
ARIZ (9-3) Pk KC (7-5) KC KC
PHI (9-3) 1    Sea (8-4) Phi Phi
SF (7-5) 8    OAK (1-11) Oak SF
Sun. Nite
NE (9-3) SD (8-4) SD NE
Mon. Nite
GB (9-3) 13    Atl (5-7) GB Atl


All of our thoughts and observations, and an aftershow full of C.M. Punk and poopy talk, can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/12/05/nfl-2014-week-14

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

2014 Week 13: Leftovers

Some of my thoughts and observations that went unsaid on last night's recap show:


  • Oh, so after all that, Mike Pettine is going to turn the ball back over to Brian Hoyer??  Okayyyy...actually, this may be another call over the coach's head, similar to how Rex Ryan isn't making the choice to run Geno Smith out there at QB for the Jets.  Pettine may be forced to follow Jason's theory of sticking with Hoyer as Browns QB while they're in playoff contention.  Pure speculation on my part, but imagine the backlash if a rookie Johnny Football flames out and takes Cleveland straight out of the postseason.  Wouldn't that torpedo the current regime for the duration of Johnny Manziel's run, presuming he doesn't improve dramatically?
  • What a breakdown as a team by the Giants in Jacksonville, but the most damning play had to be the Blake Bortles 30-yard TD throw to Marqise Lee.  Whether it's lack of arm talent or lack of supporting cast talent, Bortles has been one of the most limp-wristed, impotent QBs in the league, and for him to pull that throw out showed how bad the G-Men were performing.  Coach Tom Coughlin said after the game that they would have been better off kneeling out the game the entire 2nd half because it was a couple of fumbles that sparked the Jaguars comeback.  That Giants unit is awful.
  • I'm so sick of trying to figure out Andy Dalton and the Bengals.  I said last night as he goes, the team goes, but there's no telling when he's going to go to the heights for his team or go #2 in the middle of the field.  No pick for or against Cincinnati is the wrong pick, because you just can't tell.
  • I'm also sick of the Steelers getting too cute for their own good.  Todd Haley started the game having Ben Roethlisberger go bombs away on the first play right off the bye, and shocker, the timing was off and the pass was incomplete.  He had a flea-flicker in that same first drive, but the timing was off and the pass was incomplete.  Drew Brees and the Saints didn't start firing until halfway through the 2nd quarter, so if Pittsburgh had been smarter, they could have built a nice lead by then and withstood the onslaught.  I knew that Jimmy Graham had not been targeted all game, but watching the tape, I saw how brilliant Brees played using Graham as a decoy.  Ben Watson caught a TD where Graham drew zone coverage near the goal line and Watson was all alone, and from there, Brees exploited the bad CB play.  Pittsburgh's tackling sucked, too.
  • Those Drew Stanton INTs were WR miscommunications, not an Atlanta defensive uprising, but make no mistake, the Cardinals are struggling.  As someone who always thought they were playing over their heads, this shouldn't be a surprise.  I just hope I can take advantage and win some picks during this period where they seem to have fallen off, but unfortunately, Jason sees it too, so probably no such luck.
  • Tremendous football in Green Bay from Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, but it's worth mentioning once again that what Rodgers is doing is the stuff of unanimous MVPs.  Good work by the Packers using Randall Cobb out of the backfield all night to keep the New England D off balance and create mismatches.  Then after Jordy Nelson had been blanketed by Darrelle Revis, the quick slant for a TD with 23 seconds left in the 1st half was just a thing of beauty.  As Jay pointed out, the Pats missed a FG that would have given him the pick, but Davonte Adams had a drop that could have cost Green Bay the game as well.  And don't forget the Ha Ha Clinton-Dix breakup of Brady's toss to Rob Gronkowski that saved the day.  Lots of heroes for the Pack, but none of it would have been possible without the King of Relax at the helm.
  • And Sunday night provided a reminder of something I know but keep forgetting:  Don't pick Kansas City in games where they may fall behind to a good offense, because Alex Smith just sucks.  That comeback effort was more painful to watch than Derrick Rose trying to play basketball.


Week 13 Records--Dre 7-9, .438; Jay 4-12, .250
YTD Records--Dre 93-94-5, .497; Jay 91-96-5, .487

Saturday, November 29, 2014

2014 Week #13

So Jason and I go from singing Kumbaya and joining hands while agreeing on most of our picks lately to wildly disagreeing this week, including all three of the Thanksgiving games and all three of our highlight games.  I guess when we diverge, we really diverge.  Here are our picks for Week 13, which see us different on eight Sunday games, not even including the Turkey Day results:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thanksgiving
DET (7-4) 7    Chi (5-6) Det 34-17 Det Chi
DAL (8-3) 3    Phi (8-3) Phi 33-10 Phi Dal
Thanksgiving Nite
SF (7-4) Sea (7-4) Sea 19-3 SF Sea
Sunday
IND (7-4) 10    Wash (3-8) Wash Wash
HOU (5-6) Tenn (2-9) Hou Tenn
BUF (6-5) Cle (7-4) Buf Cle
BAL (7-4) SD (7-4) Bal Bal
NYG (3-8) JACK (1-10) Jack NY
Cin (7-3-1) TB (2-9) Cin Cin
STL (4-7) 7    Oak (1-10) StL Oak
PIT (7-4) 4    NO (4-7) Pit Pit
MIN (4-7) Car (3-7-1) Car Min
Ariz (9-2) ATL (4-7) Ariz Atl
GB (8-3) 3    NE (9-2) GB NE
Sun. Nite
Den (8-3) 1    KC (7-4) KC Den
Mon. Nite
Mia (6-5) 7    NYJ (2-9) Mia Mia


All of our thoughts and observations, including our aftershow chat about Thanksgiving and horror movies, can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/11/30/nfl-2014-week-13

Friday, November 21, 2014

2014 Week #12

We come to the 3rd quarter of the season all knotted up thanks to the Raiders getting their first home win on Thursday night over Kansas City.  Jason and I are back to our old disagreeing ways with seven games against each other this coming Sunday and Monday, so barring a push, someone's taking the lead after this weekend, and maybe a big one.  And some of our disagreements are major ones, like we're not even in the same ballpark disagreements.  Listen to our podcast to hear those discussions and an aftershow centered around stories of our video game contests:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/11/22/nfl-2014-week-12

Now on to our picks for Week 12:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
KC (7-3) OAK (0-10) Oak 24-20 Oak KC
Sunday
ATL (4-6) 3    Cle (6-4) Cle Cle
PHI (7-3) 11    Tenn (2-8) Tenn Phi
NE (8-2) 7    Det (7-3) NE NE
GB (7-3) MIN (4-6) GB Min
IND (6-4) 14    Jack (1-9) Ind Ind
HOU (5-5) 2    Cin (6-3-1) Hou Hou
CHI (4-6) TB (2-8) TB Chi
SEA (6-4) Ariz (9-1) Sea Sea
SD (6-4) 5    StL (4-6) StL SD
DEN (7-3) 7    Mia (6-4) Mia Den
SF (6-4) Wash (3-7) SF Wash
Sun. Nite
Dal (7-3) NYG (3-7) Dal Dal
Mon. Nite
Buf (5-5) NYJ (2-8) Detroit, MI Buf NY
NO (4-6) 3    Bal (6-4) NO NO

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

2014 Week 11: Leftovers

A few thoughts that I didn't express on our podcast Tuesday night:


  • New England used an uptempo offense in their bitch-slapping of the Colts Sunday night, and two things were notable about it:  1, the fact that they were that in sync after a bye week impressed me because they didn't display any of the rust that I feared would build up, and 2, it was a much more in-control uptempo than what Mark Sanchez and Chip Kelly attempted in Green Bay.  Going uptempo is perfectly fine, unless you don't have a great grasp of or that much experience in the offense.  Then it looks sloppy and primitive, like you have no business doing that, like what Philly displayed.  I'll always point out when a team screws the pooch not running the ball on a short-yardage situation, though, and Tom Brady checked out of a run on 3rd-and-1 before the half and promptly threw a pick to Mike Adams, setting up an Indy TD and drawing them to within four points.  If the Colts didn't get gashed by RB Jonas Gray all night (and splashed in a 39-yard wide-open pass for Shane Vereen on a play where three fucking defenders followed Julian Edelman underneath on a crossing route), that Brady decision could have been costly.  Oh, and Rob Gronkowski is not human.
  • Anyone who doesn't agree with me on my "Eli Manning is no longer a starting NFL QB" stance, please go watch the film of his five INTs and see how far they were from their intended receiver (like five yards on at least three of them), and then look at his declining numbers over the past several years, and then go eat a dick.  Thank you.
  • Yes, Mike Evans and Josh McCown get credit for shredding the Washington D, but can someone explain to me why LB Perry Riley was trying to run 40 yards downfield as apparently the assigned defender for Evans on one of his TD catches?  I've never liked Jim Haslett, so I'm biased, but on the other hand, how many times this year have you seen a team's #1 WR being covered 40 yards downfield by a linebacker?  I can't remember any besides this one.  And it may have been rust or the Tampa-2 or he's not the player he used to be, but Robert Griffin III looked like he never played football before.  That locker room seems to be getting more restless by the day, including the coach.
  • Even that sad Atlanta defense couldn't cough the game all the way up to Carolina.  They gave it the old college try, though.  They let a hobbled Cam Newton fling bombs into the end zone until someone caught a couple of them, and then the Panthers had a game-winning FG lined up, but Graham Gano missed from 46.  And the Falcons survive, and they take 1st place.  Yay.
  • Had to chuckle at the Seahawks down 24-20 in the 4th at Kansas City electing to go for it on 4th-and-goal at the 1 and...throwing it???  As terrible as they've been throwing lately?  As effective running as Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson have been lately?  Darrell Bevell has built a sterling reputation, but that play call stunk out loud, even if it would have worked.  Sometimes people get too clever for their own good.
  • Jason and I missed the subject of Adrian Peterson being suspended for the rest of the year by Roger "Fidel" Goodell, but I don't have much to say on the topic.  It very well may be unfair, there very well may be a strong case that Peterson can make for being harshly punished.  I don't care.  I have a blind spot having been beaten by my father for years, so if you want to dismiss my opinion as partisan bullshit, fine, but I have no objection to any punishment given to a guy who would do that to his child or any child.  Put a tire around his neck and douse him with gasoline and do the whole world a favor, as far as I'm concerned.  Besides, as Dan Le Batard smartly pointed out in a Tweet:  "Abuse of power by authority? Making up own too-harsh discipline rules? Punishing the helpless? Seeking contrition? Who am I? AP or Goodell?"


Week 12 Records--Dre & Jay 5-9, .357
YTD Records--Dre 78-78-5, .500; Jay 79-77-5, .506

Friday, November 14, 2014

2014 Week #11

Another week, another round of Jason and I agreeing way too much on our picks.  But hey, we are both over .500 for the season ATS, so if we're seeing eye to eye and having success, we should just go with it.  The worst would be if we were agreeing a lot and shitting the bed with our picks.  Here is Week 11, which again sees us different on only four games:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
MIA (5-4) 6    Buf (5-4) Mia 22-9 Buf Buf
Sunday
CHI (3-6) Min (4-5) Min Chi
CLE (6-3) Hou (4-5) Cle Cle
KC (6-3) Sea (6-3) KC KC
Atl (3-6) 1    CAR (3-6-1) Atl Atl
NO (4-5) Cin (5-3-1) NO Cin
WASH (3-6) TB (1-8) TB TB
Den (7-2) 9    STL (3-6) Den Den
SF (5-4) NYG (3-6) SF NY
SD (5-4) 10½ Oak (0-9) SD SD
GB (6-3) 5    Phi (7-2) GB Phi
ARIZ (8-1) 1    Det (7-2) Det Det
Sun. Nite
IND (6-3) 3    NE (7-2) Ind Ind
Mon. Nite
Pit (6-4) 6    TENN (2-7) Pit Pit


All of our thoughts and observations, including aftershow chatter about animals in the road and housing appraisals, can be heard here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/11/15/nfl-2014-week-11

Friday, November 7, 2014

2014 Week #10

Jason and I are starting to see a little too much eye-to-eye.  It's good that we're enjoying success in our picks this year, but now we're agreeing way too often.  Last week we only differed on three picks, and this week it's four.  It's really difficult to catch up to him if we keep making the same picks, but maybe that's his secret plan all along.  Here are our selections for Week 10:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
CIN (5-2-1) Cle (5-3) Cle 24-3 Cin Cin
Sunday
KC (5-3) 1    BUF (5-3) KC Buf
DET (6-2) Mia (5-3) Mia Mia
Dal (6-3) Jack (1-8) London, ENG Jack Dal
NO (4-4) SF (4-4) NO NO
BAL (5-4) 10    Tenn (2-6) Bal Tenn
Pit (6-3) NYJ (1-8) Pit Pit
Atl (2-6) TB (1-7) Atl Atl
Den (6-2) 10½ OAK (0-8) Den Den
ARIZ (7-1) StL (3-5) StL StL
SEA (5-3) 8    NYG (3-5) Sea Sea
Sun. Nite
GB (5-3) 7    Chi (3-5) GB Chi
Mon. Nite
PHI (6-2) 7    Car (3-5-1) Car Car


All of our thoughts and observations can be heard on this week's podcast:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/11/08/nfl-2014-week-10

And in the aftershow, we start out with no topics and wind up discussing old computers and burglaries.  Fun times!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

2014 Week 9: Leftovers

Some additional thoughts and observations that I didn't get to on our recap show:


  • I said that San Diego could use a bye this week because their team isn't young and the old players need a break.  Maybe the coaches do too.  Dennis Allen Mike McCoy made a very bad choice on their first drive at Miami:  The drive stalled in FG range at the 22 and on 4th-and-1 Allen not only chose to go for it and ignore the 3-0 lead, but he chose to run Branden Oliver, who may be talented but is still running behind a line gaining a rancid 3.1 yards per carry coming into the game against a Dolphins team giving up 4.1 yards per run.  The result was a stuffing and a turnover.  What the hell was Allen thinking?  This is sometimes what happens when a team is successful early and loses their way--cooler heads don't prevail, and panic moves are made.  That was one of the worst.  San Diego wouldn't score the entire game, and that really set the tone.  Oh, and that Ryan Tannehill read-option shit will get popped against good defenses, but he can get away with it for now.
  • Hmmm...Kansas City is playing against the New York Jets, the team behind the Buttfumble, and TE Anthony Fasano catches a deflected pass for a TD while on his ass.  So the Chiefs create the Buttcatch.  (That sounds really gay, so forget I said that.)  But this happens against the Jets on the same day that the creator of the Buttfumble, Total Fraud, takes the field in an emergency for the Eagles and leads them to an impressive victory.  There's some kind of cosmic force working there, but I'm not bright enough to figure it out, so I guess I have to chalk it up to weird coincidence.  As for the Michael Vick Experiment, well...uh...hey, he threw for a high percentage!
  • Speaking of Philadelphia, call me Mr. Obvious, but Total Fraud may have extended success if LeSean McCoy is back to his old tricks.  He was an overlooked large piece of the Eagles' unlikely win after Nick Foles was driven out of the game.  Shady McCoy is going to be leaned on big time the rest of this season.  Let's see if he can carry the weight.
  • I'd like to ascribe some sort of frigid weather factor to Peyton Manning as a way to explain the Denver blowout loss in New England, but Peyton played a good game save for a couple of key mistakes.  I still think the Broncos are going to win the Super Bowl.  I realize there's a damn good chance they will have to come back to Foxborough in order to do that, but I'm confident.  I'll give Tom Brady and Bill Belichick credit for pouncing a very good team.  They earned that victory.  I loved how Brady smelled blood after Peyton's INT to Rob Ninkovich--one run play, then all passes including the go-ahead TD, 13-7 Pats, and no looking back.  New England actually may be getting a bye at the worst time.
  • Finally, I had a list of possible teams to look out for the FedEx Mail-It-In Team that I meant to run by Jason.  They include the Jets, who sport a very good rush attack, with or without Vick, and an excellent run defense, but may not care anymore with all the QB shenanigans; the Buccaneers, who have QB troubles of their own and a Tampa-2 defense that they're clearly not grasping; the Raiders, who are just letting their rookie QB fling it around in lieu of any kind of running attack and as a result have no wins; and, unfortunately, the Bears, who come back from a bye with a losing record, a coach who doesn't appear to have the ability to put a foot in someone's ass and fire up his squad, and team leaders who have agendas and would rather play politics than actually lead and rally the team.  That situation could get very ugly fairly soon.
Week 9 Records--Dre & Jay 8-4-1, .667
YTD Records--Dre 67-62-5, .519; Jay 70-59-5, .543

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Week 9 QuickCap

We didn't pick up any ground on each other this week after going 1-1-1 in our three versus games, but we did manage to pad our season stats and percentages with dual 8-4-1's.

Some thoughts on the weekends action:


  • We predicted that Pittsburgh would cover, even though there was NO WAY Big Ben would throw another six touchdowns. Well, he did do just that en route to a drubbing of the Ravens on Sunday Night. I still have a hard time believing in this Steeler team, the same team that almost lost to the Browns twice (still losing one) and losing to Tampa Fucking Bay. I'll chalk this up as a hot team peaking waaaayyyyy too soon.
  • The Patriots predictably throttled the Broncos Sunday afternoon, making me wonder how in the hell Denver was FAVORED going in to the game? We wondered about this during the live show Saturday night, and I'm still wondering.
  • As long as Andy Dalton is at the helm for the Bengals, BOTH teams are in the game!
  • The Vikings are not impressive at 4-5. but they are sporting an underestimated defense and Teddy Bridgewater looks exactly like a rookie QB should: great in flashes, and hideous in others. This isn't a team destined for greatness this season, but they have proven tough at home as well as tough against inferior opponents. They could play spoiler if a team takes them lightly.
  • Speaking of taking lightly, how about the San Francisco 49ers shitting the bed at home against the Rams? It doesn't matter to me if Kaepernick crossed the goal line or not on the final, ill-fated snap of a 13-10 loss, there was no reason the Niners should have been in a position to lose this game at all. Sure, it will be easy to second guess not kicking a field goal to send the game to overtime, but all that is secondary to how shitty the Niners played the entire game. It took a penalty assisted drive to even get them in position for the goal line attempts, and instead of taking the gift and playing the extra period, Coach Insane thought he'd channel Riverboat Ron and lost. Badly.
  • We might make fun of how fiery and passionatey guys like Brandon Marshall and Dez Bryant can be at time, but you know what? The New York Giants could use a couple guys like that. The offensive effort the Giants put forth on Monday Night was an insult to both offense and effort. The Giant receivers dropped everything in sight in the first half, while the defense did its best to keep the Colts in shouting distance. I can't but help wonder if the Giants fans are as sick of the "aw-shucks" face Eli Manning seems to permanently be wearing as I am? The team needs a leader, and it is clearing lacking one.
  • If Chip Kelly can get the Eagles wins, and to the postseason, with Mark "Total Fraud" Sanchez running his high octane offense, then start fitting Kelly for his HOF jacket.
  • Tony Romo might have earned himself a couple of pity MVP votes after seeing the Cowboys offense under Brandon Weeden. Jerry Jones must be wishing he had Kyle Orton back.
  • Despite Dres best efforts, the Arizona Cardinals just keep winning. Sure, they beat a hapless Cowboys offense that didn't score its first offensive touchdown until garbage time, but this is what good teams do. We'll see if Dre qualifies the Cards as a good, maybe even very good, team yet.
  • Looks like my call about the Chargers feeling like Paper Champions was way off. After losing 37-0 at Miami, they don't feel like paper champions, they are.
  • Brian Hoyer has the Browns 5-3, and they won two of three in this recent stretch of very winnable games. So why does this weeks matchup at Cincinnati feel like his Waterloo?
We'll spend 45 seconds talking about Thursdays game and the rest of the hour recapping Week 9 tonight at 9pm on the IMLD podcast.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes for the full show, including the VIP After Show. Search for In Much Less Detail: the Podcast

Saturday, November 1, 2014

2014 Week #9

Our Halloween edition of the podcast was much fun, enhanced by a little spooky background music by Bach.  Go listen to us ham it up and chat about our picks at this link:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/11/02/nfl-2014-week-9
And here are our picks, where Jay and I differ on only three games, although it will be four if Dallas starts Tony Romo at QB instead of Brandon Weeden, changing Jason's contingency pick from Arizona to the Cowboys:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
NO (3-4) CAR (3-4-1) NO 28-10 NO NO
Sunday
CLE (4-3) 7    TB (1-6) TB TB
DAL (6-2) Ariz (6-1) Ariz Ariz?
Phi (5-2) HOU (4-4) Hou Hou
KC (4-3) NYJ (1-7) KC KC
CIN (4-2-1) 10    Jack (1-7) Jack Cin
MIA (4-3) SD (5-3) Mia Mia
MIN (3-5) Pk Wash (3-5) Wash Min
SF (4-3) 10    StL (2-5) SF SF
Den (6-1) 3    NE (6-2) NE NE
SEA (4-3) 14    Oak (0-7) Sea Sea
Sun. Nite
Bal (5-3) PIT (5-3) Pit Pit
Mon. Nite
Ind (5-3) 3    NYG (3-4) Ind NY

Saturday, October 25, 2014

2014 Week #8

It's NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's wet dream cum true!  Football in the morning, afternoon, evening, and night.  Probably no more than 60 minutes of real time without football being played from 9:30 in the morning Eastern to damn near midnight.  That's this Sunday for Week 8 of league action, and if I had the stamina, I might live blog the historic day.  Instead, I'll just hope that my wife doesn't get too jealous of me and the TV making sweet love all day.  Sorry, too much info.  Here are the picks, where Jason and I differ on five Sunday games:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
DEN (5-1) SD (5-2) Den 35-21 Den SD
Sun. Morn
Det (5-2) Atl (2-5) London, ENG Atl Det
Sunday
KC (3-3) 7    StL (2-4) KC StL
Hou (3-4) TENN (2-5) Hou Hou
TB (1-5) Min (2-5) TB Min
Sea (3-3) 5    CAR (3-3-1) Car Car
Bal (5-2) CIN (3-2-1) Bal Bal
Mia (3-3) 6    JACK (1-6) Mia Mia
NE (5-2) 6    Chi (3-4) NE NE
NYJ (1-6) 3    Buf (4-3) Buf NY
ARIZ (5-1) Phi (5-1) Phi Ariz
CLE (3-3) Oak (0-6) Oak Oak
Ind (5-2) PIT (4-3) Ind Ind
Sun. Nite
NO (2-4) GB (5-2) GB GB
Mon. Nite
DAL (6-1) 10    Wash (2-5) Wash Wash


All of our thoughts and observations, as well as my little spiel about childhood heroes, can be heard here:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/10/26/nfl-2014-week-8

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

2014 Week 7: Leftovers

So I didn't have the energy for a full written recap of Week 7 after all.  I had the time today, but it's difficult to review tape whilst nodding off.  In its place, here are a few leftover thoughts on Week 7 that I didn't share on our recap show last night:


  • Watching the Titans-Redskins tape further convinced me that Washington coach Jay Gruden did the wrong thing in yanking QB Kirk Cousins and inserting Colt McCoy.  Cousins looked just fine on his throws.  His decision making on the interception right to the linebacker stunk, and perhaps Gruden warned Cousins that if he did something like that in this game, he was getting benched.  But I really didn't see evidence that Cousins was playing so bad that he needed to be sat down.  And McCoy's TD pass upon entering the game in the 3rd quarter was the result of a 10-yard curl route to Pierre Garcon who turned upfield, eluded some slow-footed Titans, and sped away for the score.  That's credit to McCoy?  In what world??
  • Cleveland got owned up the middle in passing downs by Jacksonville, and that makes sense when you remember that Pro Bowl C Alex Mack was missing his first game in forever.  Never underestimate the continuity of an offense when a good center is playing every snap.  Poor Brian Hoyer was under fire all day, and that was from the Jaguars.  Imagine what an NFL team may do to the Browns.
  • I would think Buffalo would suffer greatly in the near future from losing their 1-2 punch at RB.  C.J. Spiller is done for the year and Fred Jackson is out for the next month or so.  To go from two guys who produced the last few years and knew all the blocking schemes to Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown should be a huge blow.  I expect QB Kyle Orton to have some happy feet in the pocket and for the Bills to stagnate offensively.
  • I haven't heard much football analysis lately, so this may have been addressed, but another big injury that showed up on the stat sheet was Seattle MLB Bobby Wagner, who didn't play against the Rams.  The Seahawks gave up 104 yards on the ground (discounting QB Austin Davis' two kneeldowns), and I'm sorry, but Tre Mason and Tavon Austin aren't the new Wonder Twins.  Wagner covers the entire field, and his absence was sorely felt.
  • Thursday Night observation:  Someone scared the hell out of Geno Smith, because he virtually eliminated all of the stupid throws and almost captained the Jets to an upset of the Patriots.  Let's see if he can keep that up.  Sunday Night observation:  Denver blitzed SF QB Colin Kaepernick silly, and he never adjusted.  Makes it that much easier for Peyton Manning.  Monday Night observation:  Arian Foster was killing the Steelers running off right guard zone, and Houston stopped doing that for some unknown reason.  Yes, Pittsburgh put all kinds of extra defenders in the box, but the Texans did stay committed to the run.  They just started trying the left side and failing.  Stick to what works, boys.  It ain't that hard.  Oh, and Pitt QB Ben Roethlisberger couldn't wait to air out long bombs as soon as Hou DE J.J. Watt had to sit out some plays in the 4th quarter due to injury.  Houston dearly misses a pass rush without Watt on the field.  But most folks already knew that.
Week 7 Records--Dre & Jay 8-7, .533
YTD Records--Dre 50-52-4, .490; Jay 55-47-4, .539

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Week 7 QuickCap

OK, I have come to the realization that I don't have the time anymore to go through every game, every week in my recap. Instead, I will try to focus on some highlight points each week in a much more scatterbrained kind of way. Which suits me much better anyways, right?


  • Dre can thank the people at Pro Football Focus again. With their help, his picks are just as good as mine! For the third week in a row, Dre was over .500 for the week of picks. In those three weeks, he has gained exactly ZERO ground on me.
  • Who'd have thunk that the best team result coming out the NFC South this last week would be Tampa Bay versus the Bye? Carolina and Atlanta both got blow'd up real good and the Saints collapsed late against the Lions....
  • .....speaking of the Lions, can they be any more impressive so far this season? If these were the Jim Schwartz Lions, they would have melted down without Calvin Johnson. Instead, they have gutted out a couple wins while their superstar is on the mend. THAT'S what good teams do!
  • Apparently, you only need to play 3 minutes of bad football to lose a game, which is exactly what the Texans did on Monday Night at Pittsburgh. The Texans decided to get turnover happy late in the second quarter, and the Steelers turned a 13-0 deficit into a 24-13 halftime lead that they never relinquished. For Dre, it was the second week in a row that his Monday night pick got up big early and wilted. Just those two picks going his way would have been a 4 point swing in the standings.
  • Aaron Rodgers might be on to something with his "Relax" campaign. The Packers lit up the Panthers and Green Bay has turned a 1-2 start into 5-2 with only the Lions looking like competition in the NFC North.
  • In Chicago, the Bears got throttled by Miami, prompting a brouhaha in the Bears locker room after the game. Apparently Brandon Marshall was calling out some of his teammates, including The Enigma, Jay Cutler. Hard to blame Marshall, how is a team with THAT many offensive weapons looking so inept on offense? They gotta stop stealing that move from the Falcons. By the way, Mike Smith might need to be a goner in Atlanta. Wasn't he a defensive coach? Yeesh!
  • Congrats to Peyton Manning for becoming the all-time passing leader in touchdowns during a pasting of the 49ers that I almost nailed the final score of during the podcast (I predicted 40-13 and we got 42-17).
  • The Browns started their run of games against the shitbags of the league by looking like total shit themselves in losing to the Jags. Yup, the fucking Jags. Kudos to Dre for nailing that one.....
  • ....except that Dre ALSO had the winless Raiders getting their first win against the Cardinals. He went to the well one too many times with that move, and Arizona looks like a playoff contender.....
  • ......but not as much as the Dallas Cowboys do. Holy fuck is their offensive line beastly. DeMarco Murray is running through Great Wall of Dallas sized holes and the Cowboys moved to 6 1/2-1/2 on the year. Really, they have played one lousy half of football. That's it. OK, they played kinda crappy against the Rams too, so we'll stick with 6-1. If they turn THIS into an 8-8, Jason Garrett needs to go.
  • Seattle hasn't learned to cope with what teams will do against a defending champ. Every week is Super Bowl week when Seattle is on the docket, and the Rams may have razzle-dazzled their way to a win with some special teams chicanery, but a loss is a loss. I think the Seahawks will adapt. I think.
OK, I think that's all I have stuffed in my brain at the moment. Hear us talk about some of this, and a lot more tonight on the IMLD Podcast.

Week 7 NFL Recap - In Much Less Detail: The Podcast - Tonight at 9pm Central Time. Or follow us on iTunes for the full show, which includes the VIP Aftershow, where things sometimes get a little out of hand!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

2014 Week #7

Jason and I go heads up on nine ten games this week, so I'm once again hopeful to have a big week and make a dent in his lead on me.  I've been chasing him so much this year and last that I'm starting to smell his ass even in my sleep, and that's not a pleasant experience.  At least Geno Smith and the J-E-T-S got me off to a good start.  On to the picks:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
NE (4-2) 10    NYJ (1-5) NE 27-25 NY NE
Sunday
BAL (4-2) Atl (2-4) Atl Bal
WASH (1-5) Tenn (2-4) Wash Wash
Sea (3-2) 6    STL (1-4) StL Sea
Cle (3-2) JACK (0-6) Jack Cle
IND (4-2) 3    Cin (3-1-1) Ind Ind
BUF (3-3) 5    Min (2-4) Buf Min
CHI (3-3) 3    Mia (2-3) Mia Chi
DET (4-2) NO (2-3) NO NO
GB (4-2) Car (3-2-1) Car GB
SD (5-1) KC (2-3) KC SD
Ariz (4-1) OAK (0-5) Oak Ariz
DAL (5-1) NYG (3-3) NY NY
Sun. Nite
DEN (4-1) 7    SF (4-2) Den Den
Mon. Nite
PIT (3-3) 3    Hou (3-3) Hou Pit


All of our thoughts and observations, as well as a chat about the less-than-thrilling upcoming World Series and our takes on the fantasy sports "experts" can be heard here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/10/19/nfl-2014-week-7

Saturday, October 11, 2014

2014 Week #6

Shout out to Pro Football Focus, @PFF, for providing me with some stats for this week's games.  It's a nice little shortcut for someone like me working his ass off with not much time left over to actually watch football.  I recommend them, provided I win most of my picks this week.  And here are the picks from Jay and me:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
Ind (3-2) 3    HOU (3-2) Ind 33-28 Hou Ind
Sunday
TENN (1-4) 4    Jack (0-5) Jack Jack
Bal (3-2) TB (1-4) Bal TB
Den (3-1) 10    NYJ (1-4) Den NY
MIN (2-3) Det (3-2) Det Min
NE (3-2) BUF (3-2) NE NE
CIN (3-1) 7    Car (3-2) Cin Cin
CLE (2-2) Pit (3-2) Pit Cle
GB (3-2) MIA (2-2) GB Mia
SD (4-1) 7    OAK (0-4) SD SD
ATL (2-3) 3    Chi (2-3) Chi Atl
SEA (3-1) 8    Dal (4-1) Sea Dal
ARIZ (3-1) Wash (1-4) Wash Ariz
Sun. Nite
PHI (4-1) NYG (3-2) Phi Phi
Mon. Nite
SF (3-2) STL (1-3) StL SF


All of our thoughts and observations, my PFF stats, and an hourlong aftershow where we break down baseball, prime rib, and diarrhea, can be heard here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/10/12/nfl-2014-week-6