Scott Norwood

Scott Norwood
Wide Right started it all.

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

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

2014 Week 5: Wish I Had Time To Share What I Learned

So I went on and on last night on our show about making a recap blog post for an exciting Week 5 in the NFL, and I wouldn't have any more drama get in the way, and blah blah blah.  Well, I'm leaving work and I hear that sound in my truck that I've heard several times in the last two months, the whining and rumbling of my steering wheel indicating I'm low on steering fluid.  Last time the truck was looked at, they couldn't find a leak.  This time, the guy pours the fluid in and I notice it immediately dripping all over the ground.  It was the rack and pinion.  Five hundred plus dollars and three hours later, here I am with no time to recap anything as I prepare to go get walloped in my bowling league tonight.  Here's our season numbers after Week 5.  Pray for me next week as I attempt once again to provide a recap in the midst of the tornado that is my life right now.

Week 5 Records--Dre & Jay 10-4-1, .714
YTD Records--Dre 34-38-4, .472; Jay 39-33-4, .542

Saturday, October 4, 2014

2014 Week #5

As we revel in our Thursday night pick of Packers over Vikings, we get ready for a pivotal Week 5.  We're different on eight picks, and it looks like some good games to watch on Sunday, so it will be quite the interesting slate of games.  Here are our picks:

Fav Spread Dog Final Dre Jay
Thu. Nite
GB (2-2) Min (2-2) GB 42-10 GB GB
Sunday
CAR (2-2) Chi (2-2) Chi Car
TENN (1-3) Cle (1-2) Cle Cle
PHI (3-1) StL (1-2) StL Phi
NYG (2-2) 4    Atl (2-2) Atl NY
NO (1-3) 10½ TB (1-3) NO TB
DAL (3-1) Hou (3-1) Hou Dal
DET (3-1) Buf (2-2) Buf Det
IND (2-2) Bal (3-1) Bal Ind
Pit (2-2) 6    JACK (0-4) Pit Pit
DEN (2-1) Ariz (3-0) Den Den
SF (2-2) 5    KC (2-2) KC KC
SD (3-1) NYJ (1-3) SD SD
Sun. Nite
Cin (3-0) 1    NE (2-2) NE NE
Mon. Nite
Sea (2-1) WASH (1-3) Sea Wash


All of our picks and observations can be heard on our latest episode of In Much Less Detail:  The Podcast
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/10/05/nfl-2014-week-5

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

2014 Week 4: No Learning Yet Again

For the third straight week, real world stuff has prevented me from watching tape and breaking down the games in greater detail than just the highlight show packages.  I plan to get on the ball and be ready next week to learn something new about every team and, hopefully, become more aware of each team's strengths and weaknesses.  For now, here's the season picks total for Jason to smile about.

YTD Records--Dre 24-34-3, .414; Jay 29-29-3, .500

Check out our Week 4 recap show tonight live at 11P Eastern/10P Central right here:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/inmuchlessdetail/2014/10/02/nfl-week-4-recap-vikings-vs-packers