Posts About ‘Bucs’

Digital Dads NFL Pre-Game 2012: Week 10

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

Well, I have to gloat this week. I went 12-2 last week, which I think is my best ratio all season. I’ve had a couple ten win weeks, but this one is definitely the best. That being said, I think I’m still running at about 69%, which is regardless of my picks. Get it? Hahahaha.

I’d like to break from the NFL for a second to talk about two things that aren’t related to the NFL. The first is the NHL. That’s right, hockey. Now, I understand a lot of football fans are not hockey fans, and that’s just the way it is. I am a hockey fan, loyal to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The fact that the NHL season has already been cancelled through November, including the Winter Classic, sucks. This labor dispute is about millionaires wanting more money from billionaires. I’ll admit, many hockey players are not in the million dollar range when it comes to annual salaries, and these guys at the league minimum are losing money. They want to get out there and play and earn their paychecks. It’s the superstars, arguing for a percentage point more of the gate that are holding the game back, and it’s the NHL not giving it to them causing casual fans to just not give a shit. This is not good for the NHL, which is obvious, but unlike the NFL, fans won’t just come flocking back. The NHL needs to resolve this dispute now, before coming back to crickets.

The second thing is the Presidential Election. Most years when I go to the ballot box, I’m torn. This year was easy. Mitt Romney is so out of touch with reality and living in happy religious rich white man world that the choice was easy. As for Colorado and other states legalizing recreational weed – awesome. Even more important, congrats to the states approving marriage equality. Everyone, gay, straight, lesbian, made out of matchbooks, should have the right to suffer through marriage and pay out the nose for divorce.

In other NFL news, it appears that Andy Reid has fired Juan Castillo again, because the Eagles defense was once again just as terrible as their QB who got sacked seven times. More on that in a second. So now that we’re nearing the home stretch of the season (oh man, already?) who do you have as the best rookie standout this season? Can’t say RGIII has truly impressed, while Andrew Luck is setting records left and right. Who ya got? I’ve got Week 10 picks.

Indianapolis at Jacksonville +3.0
Andrew Luck is setting all kinds of rookie records, making his start in Indy more spectacular than Peyton. There is a pretty good chance the Colts are headed to the playoffs as a Wild Card, thanks to the AFC East being meh and parity in the NFL. No parity here, the Jags are terrible on both sides of the ball. If you have any Colts offensive players, I’d suggest starting them. I’d start Luck over Matt Ryan, but c’mon, it’s Matt Ryan. Colts to win.

New York at Cincinnati +6.0
Once again, the Bengals season is hanging by a thread. At 3-5 and getting lit up by Denver last week, the Bengals need a serious rebound. Perhaps the reeling Giants? Perhaps not. The Giants find a way to grind out a win, even though they didn’t do so against the Steelers. The Bengals allow a lot of passing yards, and another Manning should deliver another loss. Giants on the road.

Tennessee at Miami -6.0
Finally Johnson broke out last week. Too bad it was late in a rout. Fantasy owners who actually started him were happy. Too little, too late. The truth is, against an aggressive line, the Titans can’t get a running game going. Apply pressure, and the Titans will turn over the ball. The Dolphins, at 4-4 are looking to catch up to the Pats. A win here at home will help. Fins to win.

Detroit at Minnesota +1.0 UPSET SPECIAL!!
This is as close as I could get to an upset special this week, a one point line. The Lions finally looked like themselves last week, with the passing game in full swing. But the were playing the Jags, who basically rolled over and played dead for three quarters. This week, they play division rival Vikings who are not playing dead. They are running well, and defending tough against the run. I think they eke out a win at home against the Lions, winning the turnover game.

Buffalo at New England -11.0
Surprisingly enough, the Bills stayed in the game through three against the Texans last week, but we all knew what was going to happen. Once again, timid and ill-timed play calling killed them in the late stages, and will kill them again this week. I don’t smell an upset here. The Patriots, while 28th in total defense, are still stronger than the Bills by far. Pats to win.

Atlanta at New Orleans +2.5
Again, another team finally comes on strong, but against a far inferior team. Drew Brees looked like his old self on that TD pass to Graham, but coaching and play calling is still a problem. This is the chance for the Saints to play spoiler, but I think they’ve already given up on their season at 3-5, which is ridiculous in the NFC. The return of Vilma helped the defense a lot, and I expect them to give Ryan a tough time passing the ball, but the Falcons have too many weapons to be ignored. Falcons to win.

San Diego at Tampa Bay -3.0
How about Martin for the Bucs? Setting a rookie record, blasting for four touchdowns – against the Raiders. Who have the run defense of a wet paper bag full of pineapples. Look, it’s a great accomplishment but hold on, the Bucs don’t play someone with a bad run defense every week… or do they? The Chargers come to town with the 4th ranked rush defense… oh. These two 4-4 teams are very hopeful. One has a coach that makes terrible late game calls (Norv) and the other has a weasel coach who plays like a dick. I’m rooting for San Diego, but the Bucs win this game.

Denver at Carolina +3.0
The Panthers rank middle of the road on just about everything, and they play like it. Last weeks win was no indication of anything as far as I’m concerned. Newton has settled down a bit, but still isn’t finding Steve Smith. Give Smith the ball, let him make the plays. These running QB’s think they need to make all the plays. How’s that working out for Vince Young and Vick? Forget it. Manning shreds them through the air. Broncos to win.

Oakland at Baltimore -7.5
Well, the Ravens D proved something last week, that even without Ray Lewis they can sink down to the Browns level and play like shit. They almost gave that game away. Thankfully, the Raiders and their 30th ranked rushing offense shouldn’t crack the 27th ranked rush defense of the Ravens. 27th? Are you serious? The Raiders can spark at times, but it won’t be enough against the Ravens at home. Ravens to win.

NY Jets at Seattle -5.5
The Jets were on a bye last week, did anyone notice? Didn’t think so. Every time they put Tebow in, I wince. No one is falling for the trick plays, the running game is nonexistent and Sanchez is still mistake prone. The only bright spot is the secondary. The Seahawks are on a tear though, and I don’t think the Jets, in the loudest stadium in the league, are going to stop them. Hawks at home.

Dallas at Philadelphia +2.0 CRAPFEST OF THE WEEK!!
Vick was sacked seven times last week. Romo played like he was made of fine china. These two QB’s are a constant disappointment to their franchises, yet are lauded as heroes. Why? I can’t figure it out. Bench both of them, see what happens. The Eagles are a joke right now, and losing at home to rival Cowboys should cause more than one riot. I’m looking forward to it. Cowboys to win.

St. Louis at San Francisco -11.0
The Rams, coming off a bye, are another disappointment. They won’t be a challenge for the Niners, who should be able to pass at will against them. The run might get stuffed a bit, for the first quarter. Niners at home.

Houston at Chicago -1.0 GAME OF THE WEEK!!
The 7-1 Texans against the 7-1 Bears. Both teams have exceptional offense. Both teams have exceptional defense, with the Bears edging the Texans a bit in that department. Seven TD’s already this season by the Bears defense. While Schaub is not that mistake prone, the Bears D plays for turnovers. Forte and Foster might get stuffed a bit in this one. Should be a hell of a good game. The only factor is weather, as the Texans play in that dome and the Bears play in the fucking snow. I’m taking the home team. Bears to win by like one point. Maybe in overtime.

Kansas City at Pittsburgh -11.5
Yeah, Steelers to win. Do I even need to say much more than that? KC is horrible. No passing game, a rushing game that by all accounts should be fantastic and a QB that loves to throw to the other team. Steelers by a bunch.

Bye week at Arizona
The golf course beckons. Don’t worry guys, you’ll be there soon.

Bye week at Green Bay
A much needed bye week for some injuries that need healing. Then it’s back to ass kicking.

Bye week at Washington
Once again, bad late game play calling and quarterback impatience ruined the game.

Bye week at Cleveland
For a team that sucks as bad as this one, they have a really positive social media team.

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Digital Dads NFL Pre-Game 2012: Week 2

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

Terrible first week by my standards. I went a horrible 9-7. I don’t think I’ve done that bad since some time last year. I can’t believe that I picked the Chiefs over the Falcons. What was I thinking in that one? I must have been on drugs or something. I wasn’t, but man my head must not have been in the right place. I did say the Niners could upset, but I picked Green Bay and fuck the Cowboys.

So now that we’ve gotten a regular season look at all the teams (if you have NFL RedZone that is) what do we think? We think that the Niners are going to be near unstoppable, the Panthers looked flat and RGIII was very solid in his debut while the other rookie QB’s were a bag of suck. We learned that Manning didn’t lose a step and the Browns and Bills organizations apparently don’t know that they play football. We also learned that the replacement refs make the same stupid mistakes that the regular refs do, with only some time management issues being the glaring mistakes.

So now we’re on to week 2, which starts tonight as the Bears meet the Packers. That’s not too much rest for either of these teams, so we’ll see how they do. Wait, that bit should be in the prediction. I’m aiming for a better week this week, something in the 11 or 12 win range. So without any further fanfare (unlike an Apple press event) on with the picks!

Chicago at Green Bay -4.0
Well, Brandon Marshall was simply amazing. I really regret not drafting him on my fantasy team. Speaking of that, two out of three fantasy team wins this past weekend. Not too shabby. I’m having a little trouble in the league that scores defensive players individually, as I don’t think I picked the right ones. May have to do a trade or something. Anyway, the Bears coasted to an easy win over the Colts, who still looked like they don’t have Peyton Manning. Marshall was there at every turn, giving Cutler a reliable target. I liked the steady pace of the Bears offense, you could tell that Mike Martz was no longer doing shit to muck it up. The Packers NFC dominance is over. I’m calling it. Code! Crash cart! In fact, at this point I’d like to change my prediction and pick the Bears to win the division. I’m going to start here, Bears win on the road.

Kansas City at Buffalo -3.0
Memo to Bills staff: “Considering the state of our organization and the fact that we haven’t won any playoff game in 11 years, we will be cancelling Hawaiian shirt Friday. This may come as a shock to most of you in the front office, but aside from the fact that Chan refuses to button the top three buttons of his shirt, we have no choice but to pick this particular activity to cancel. There will also be no more free cupcakes on Thursdays in the break room, and you’ll have to bring in your own coffee filters. We are also holding open tryouts for the following football positions: QB, WR, LB, OT, DE, TE, SS, CB, RB, K, P, DT. Please apply with Maggie in HR. That is all.” Chiefs to win on the road.

Cleveland at Cincinnati -7.0
The Bengals running game was the only bright spot last week, which is good considering they were playing the Ravens. Green was basically shut down for most of the game and the defense was unable to contain anything including their lunches. The drubbing by the Ravens exposed a lot about this team, mostly that Marvin Lewis (as expected) is a big hairy pussy. There is no will to win in his coaching style. The Browns face a similar situation in Shurmur, just no will to win. The defense was stellar against the Eagles, but that might have been a fluke. The Browns will lose this week, Wheedon will get sacked and hurried and rushed a lot, but I think we’ll learn how bad these two teams are gonna suck this year. Bengals at home.

Minnesota at Indianapolis +5.0
Do I have to pick this game? Does it seem like more teams suck this year than are stellar? I can’t decide if this game is going to be worse than the one above it or the one below it. I’m so confused. The Colts were meh as they were completely outmatched by the Bears. Bright spots; Luck looked okay, Donald Brown looked great on the ground. Brown and his production is going to be the key to this team getting their shit together. The secondary needs to step up if they want to compete against premiere quarterbacks. That’s a real hurt on this team. Marshall smoked them, sometimes in double coverage. The Vikings roll in, fresh off a lucky OT win over the hapless Jags. Ponder looked like warm crap on your tire, but somehow pulled it off by going to the TE route and Peterson as often as possible. I’m going out on a limb here and taking the Colts to upset, again, cause I want to see Luck get his first win.

Oakland at Miami +3.0 CRAPFEST OF THE WEEK!!
Something you don’t ever want to hear in professional football: “bring in the back-up long snapper!” That was doom for the Raiders as kicking mistakes handed the Chargers an easy win. If not for that, the Raiders might have had a chance to come into Miami with a win. As it is, both these teams are looking for their first win, but I don’t think the Dolphins are up to the task. Tannehill was atrocious, probably the worst rookie performance on Sunday. I dunno. I didn’t look at the stats, he just looked bad. The Dolphins are really having trouble adjusting to a new defensive pattern, missing coverages and tackles all over the place. I expect the Raiders to come in with a thirst for blood and I expect them to find some for slurping. Raiders to win on the road.

Arizona at New England -13.0
After last week, do I really have to pick another New England game? I predicted them at 16-0 so I suppose I can save some typing and just say Patriots to win. However, the Cardinals should give them some trouble, if they take Tom Brady’s parking spot. The Cardinals saw Skelton go down and Kolb take over to lead the team past the Seahawks last week, a slight feat considering that division. A two touchdown line is generous. Pats to win. I already said that. Pats to win all season.

Tampa Bay at NY Giants -9.0
What can I say about the team that I hate the most? The Bucs were surprisingly good last week, both on defense and on the ground. Not to mention the rush defense which stifled the Panthers. I did not see that coming. Regardless, now they face a team that has tons of weapons on offense, which will really test the Bucs defense. I think the Bucs defense has made a good turnaround and looks like they could seal some games for the lackluster offense this year, but I’m not placing any major bets. Eli and the Giants are too good for that. But wait, the Giants lost to the Cowboys last week! How did that happen? Well, it happened with bad secondary coverage and Romo looking like the quarterback everyone seems to think he is. The Bucs don’t have that kind of passing game to severely threaten the Giants secondary, but they need to be on their game. Giants to win.

Baltimore at Philadelphia -1.0
Are you kidding me with this fucking line? Did Flacco sustain a head injury that we don’t know about? The Ravens trashed the Bengals last week, while the Eagles struggled against one of the worst teams in the league. Are you oddsmakers telling me that you think Vick will throw any less interceptions against the Ravens superior defense than he did against the Browns? Vick was lucky to get out of there with a win and all his freaking ribs. This is a joke. Ray Rice is a beast and crushed it last week. There is no way that the Eagles defensive line is any better than the Browns. This is a gross miscalculation. Ravens to win.

New Orleans at Carolina +6.5 UPSET SPECIAL!!
I didn’t think that I’d see an 0-1 Saints team meeting up with an 0-1 Panthers team. The Saints were completely surprised by the abject accuracy of RGIII and the lack of Will Smith and Vilma on defense showed. Not to mention the lack of leadership in not having a coach on the field. This team is hurting right now and it was apparent last week. Meanwhile, the Panthers took it in the tailpipe from the Bucs, especially when it came to the running game. The good news for them is that Jonathan Stewart will play against the Saints. This is a tough one to call, but I’m thinking the Panthers are going to rebound before the Saints do. Cam knows what to do. Panthers to upset.

Houston at Jacksonville +7.0
Forget it. Arian Foster proved why he was the top fantasy pick in so many leagues, or if not the top – the first picked running back. When he sees the opportunity to shred a lousy team for tons of yards and touchdowns he does, and he did against the Fins last week. Then you tack on the Shaub to Johnson connection and you can’t beat this team on offense. The Jags defense won’t be able to keep up, even though they contained the game against the Vikings. The Jags are still looking for their offense to click, MJD and Jennings are sharing carries and neither looks like they showed up for training camp. Florida teams are in for a bad year and it sucks to say that the Bucs are the best of the three of them. Texans to win on the road.

Washington at St. Louis +3.0
Bradford found himself in too much trouble last week to really consider his performance. While he was able to rally the team to keep in the game against the Lions, he was rushed way too much to be able to keep the score up. The Redskins found their offense, finally, after all these years of bad quarterbacks, bad ownership and bad coaching. RGIII is the real deal and was terribly accurate the entire game, finding his way out of pressure and making the right connections. Helu got back into the game, looking better than he has in a few seasons. And did you know, the kids aren’t Tebowing anymore, they are RGIII’ing or something like that. You know when he sat down and raised his hands after that long touchdown pass to Garcon, that. The bad news is Garcon went out after that, not sure if he’s back in this week. Shouldn’t matter, should still be a win. The Redskins are gonna make the NFC East interesting this year. Skins to win on the road.

Dallas at Seattle +5.0
Dallas. Look, Russell Wilson actually looked pretty good against the Cardinals last week, I mean, compared to Wheedon. He made some passes, Sidney Rice caught some balls and they still lost the game. The Seahawks are held together with that clear plastic tape that doesn’t work well for boxes. The Cowboys roll in, fresh off a win over the reigning Super Bowl champs. That’s enough for me. The Cowboys defense was strong, their running game was tight and Romo looked like a bon-a-fide QB. I may have underestimated the Cowboys this season. If they blowout the Hawks, I may have to change my thinking on this team.

NY Jets at Pittsburgh -6.0
It’s really hard to judge the Jets at this point because the Bills are horrible. A win was a no-brainer. Sanchez was passing to every receiver that he had on the field and every time either him or Tebow lined up out of the QB position I grumbled a little bit because it was pretty damn obvious what they were doing. I do like how Tebow came out on the hands team on that Buffalo onside kick and got the ball, that was amusing. Every time the two of them were on the field I just wanted to laugh. I thought I was watching playground football. I didn’t see much of the Pittsburgh loss, I was doing something else, I always am during the Sunday night game, kind of on in the background. All I know is that a quality QB smoked their secondary and an aging RB smoked their run defense. The Jets could be trouble for the Steelers, but I think the Steelers rebound on this one at home and sneak by the Jets. Steelers to win.

Tennessee at San Diego -6.0
Well, Jake Locker was another rookie Qb with another less than stellar debut. He ended up leaving the game a bit early, injured and Hasselbeck came into the game. To that point, it didn’t really matter as they were up against the best offensive team in the league. This week, they come to sunny San Diego, where Rivers and crew is feeling the pinch without a prime reciever after Jackson left. The only reason the Chargers won as because of messed up kicking by the Raiders. So you have the Titans, who aren’t too bad on the run defense and the Chargers who aren’t too great on the run. This is a toss up for me, but I’m taking the home team, Chargers to win.

Detroit at San Francisco -7.0 GAME OF THE WEEK!!
This is my game of the week because while winning over Green Bay was pretty impressive, the Niners need to do it two weeks in a row for me to really crown them the new kings of the NFC. The Packers looked like they hadn’t played football in a while, and if you think about it – their defense hasn’t. Their defense was coasting all year last year because of the offense. Well, the offense sputtered against the Niners and the defense wasn’t ready to step up. The Lions defense is always stepped up, at least for the last year. They have to be. Kevin Smith had a killer game last week, just tearing it up on the ground. I like this guy at RB. But the Niners defense is the bestest! He’ll have trouble finding the holes this week. I’d like to see the Lions make a game of it, but I think the Niners are just too damn good right now. Even Moss is scoring touchdowns. Niners at home.

Denver at Atlanta -3.5
I made a mistake last week picking the Chiefs to beat the Falcons. I don’t know what I was thinking. Matt Ryan is my starting fantasy QB. He had four fucking touchdowns. Four! You can’t bet against that. And now they get their first home game against the Denver Mannings? I dunno. I don’t know how I can pick against Manning. I mean, he played like he had just taken a week off to fold umbrellas or something. He hasn’t lost a step, ran the offense and took care of business against a high class defense. The Falcons defense is good, but I dunno if they are Manning good. This is going to be an offensive shootout. There has got to be some stat about Manning on Monday night, so I’m running with it. Denver to upset.

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Digital Dads NFL Pre-Game 2012: Week 1

Thursday, September 6th, 2012

The first column of the season is always the hardest to write. Once the preview columns are done, then it’s time to get to the week to week and this early, it’s hard to tell who is going to do what week to week. Can’t say that my first week record is very good. Of course, I’m not going to go back and add it up either. So just take my word for it.

If you’ve never read this column, it’s like this, I predict a winner for the upcoming games by looking at the previous week, babbling about my fantasy team and speculating on things I may have heard, read or made up. Frankly, the whole thing is a crap shoot. I generally end the season with around a 65% success rate, so if you are using this column for gambling purposes – you’re a moron. While that is a good pick percentage, chances are you have a gambling problem and are losing money anyway. I don’t want to be involved in your losses. Take your addiction somewhere else buddy.

I already picked last nights game earlier in the week, so I’m going to skip that one. Hell, when I wrote this the game hadn’t even been played yet. So, I’ll just say the [INSERT TEAM HERE] won. Go team!

Indianapolis at Chicago -9.0 UPSET SPECIAL!!
Yeah, I think I just gave away this pick. Look, I think Cutler and the Bears have been playing well the past couple seasons, but with Urlacher coming back from an injury and Forte getting his huge contract, I don’t think they are going to come out of the gate firing. The Colts looked great in preseason, and I know, it’s just preseason but I like this Luck kid and I think that he’s going to start off the season surprising the hell out of the Bears. Unlike Manning, Luck does pretty well in the outdoors and the weather is still nice in Chicago. If this were a later season game I might look at it a different way. As confident as I am, I’m starting Luck in all my fantasy leagues. Colts to upset on the road.

Philadelphia at Cleveland +6.5 CRAPFEST OF THE WEEK!
The Browns are terrible. While I’d love to predict a win for them at some point this season, I don’t see it happening. And now with Haden suspended for three games, their defense has taken a huge hit. The only positive in this game is hoping the Browns put some damage on Vick. They won’t be able to cover the receivers without Haden playing dirty out there in the secondary and their run defense is suspect. The Eagles are going to light them up in the air. If you have any Eagles players on your fantasy team, make sure you start them this week.

St. Louis at Detroit -9.0
The Rams are getting some hype right now, new coach, new system, new offensive plan. I’m not sold. I think Stephen Jackson will have a solid season, but I don’t think that Bradford will get hit any less. They still have problems on the lines and Detroit will exploit them, especially when the Lions are on defense. The Rams might make a contest out of it, but Stafford is a much more bon-a-fide QB than Bradford, and he’s proven it. The Lions are a team to no longer take lightly. Lions to win at home, with the points.

New England at Tennessee +7.0
What a test for Jake Locker right out of the gate, and Chris Johnson. The Patriots roll in, fresh off a Superbowl loss, looking to redeem themselves by making it back this year. Considering I predicted the Pats to go 16-0, clearly I can’t pick them to lose. This game will be interesting though, as we’ll see if the Pats defense has improved since last year, when they were absolutely terrible. An improved defense, with that offense, they’ll be unstoppable. I’m hoping that losing this game won’t destroy Jake Locker for the season. If you have Rob Bironas on your fantasy team – start him. Pats to win on the road.

Atlanta at Kansas City +1.0
I’m a bit surprised at this line. I guess the Chiefs gained a couple points by playing at home, and Atlanta dropped a couple not playing in the dome. The key to this game for the Chiefs is the running game. Can they get Johnson and Hillis past the Falcons front D-line? Probably. The Falcons aren’t the greatest on run defense. The Chiefs will have to press them on offense and press Ryan on defense. He’s got too many weapons to not pressure him out of the box on a regular basis. I’m taking the home team on this one though, just because of home team statistics during week one. Chiefs to win.

Jacksonville at Minnesota -4.5
The Jags are going to have a rough year. Even though MJD has shown up, it’s still a question of whether he is going to “show up”. It could go either way. Meanwhile the Vikings aren’t exactly playoff bound, but the Jags are a good opponent for young Ponder to show us that he’s been studying in the off season. Late game mistakes killed this kid last season, and I’m going to guess we’ll see a bit more maturity out of him this time around. I like the Vikings at home, just cause the Jags suck worse.

Washington at New Orleans -8.5
What a fun test for RGIII. Too bad he didn’t get the Bucs to start off the season. Instead he gets the lights out secondary of the Saints and his defense gets to get smoked by the Saints offense. The Saints are going to win this game, it’s just a question of by how much. I’m thinking by at least two touchdowns. The Skins need to take advantage of the Saints run defense, which isn’t all there thanks to suspensions. RGIII isn’t really a running QB though, but he’s got mobility. That should open up enough time to get a pass off. And unlike Vick, he can take a hit. Saints to win at home.

Buffalo at NY Jets -6.0
I read one column last night predicting the Bills to make the playoffs. Yeah, I’m not buying it. I like the Bills, but they don’t have the winning spirit, whatever that is. Chan Gailey just doesn’t take enough chances. The Jets are going to be fun to watch this year. How long before Sanchez makes a mistake and the crowd starts chanting for Tebow? Not long. I expect it by the third quarter of this game. Rex Ryan knows what he’s doing and he knows that Sanchez is not as electric as some think he is. I expect Tebow time to start early this year. Jets to win at home.

Miami at Houston -6.5
The Dolphins are coming in with a revamped defense, only because they have a new coordinator, and a rookie QB. Meanwhile, the Texans are without Mario Williams for the first time since he entered the league. How will this affect their defense this year? Against the Fins, shouldn’t change anything. We’ll have to wait until they play a strong offensive unit. Speaking of offense, Foster is going to shred the Dolphins on the ground. There is no doubt about that. I’m putting him at over 100 yards for this game for sure. Texans to win at home.

San Francisco at Green Bay -7.0 GAME OF THE WEEK!
This is a great match-up with playoff implications. As in, these teams will most likely see each other again in the playoffs. You have the best defense in the Niners against the best passing offense in the Packers, in my estimation. The Packers won’t be able to run against the Niners, but they’ll try. Alex Smith has some new weapons to play with on offense, while Rodgers is gunning with pretty much the same guys, which means he’s already got the cadence down pat. I’m taking the Packers to win at home, but this is going to be a back and forth affair with a chance that the Niners upset.

Seattle at Arizona +1.0
I guess it is too early in the season for me to not give a shit about the Cardinals. Actually, this whole division is just crap save for the Niners. An in-division match-up like this, it may as well be week 17 and both these teams are 6-9. The Hawks haven’t been the same since letting Hasselbeck leave, even though he had at least a year left in him as a starter, as he proved in Tennessee. The Cardinals are starting Skelton over Kolb, who cares? Both of these guys will be floating around the league as backups after this season for the rest of their careers. Meh. Cardinals to win just cause they are home.

Carolina at Tampa Bay +3.0
As with the Cardinals, it’s too early for me not to give a shit about the Bucs. I don’t think they will do as well as some people (mostly people here in Tampa) seem to think they will do. I think they are going to suck hard nuts. This first game will be a huge indicator for that. Will they be able to put the brakes on Cam Newton as they were unable to do last year? I highly doubt it. Newton is a fucking pro. That kid can run, jump and pass. The Bucs won’t be able to defend him – again. They might be able to contain him a bit. And I don’t even know about the Bucs offense. I can see them forcing the ball to Jackson just cause of the price they paid. Panthers to win on the road.

Pittsburgh at Denver -1.5
Without Tebow, this doesn’t seem like much of a rematch. Without Tebow, but with Manning, the Broncos are favored in this game. The Steelers don’t perform well in Denver, that much is clear. Regardless, the match-up of the Denver Mannings vs. the Steelers defense is going to be a good one. This, like many games, is an early test for the QB. If there is one team that is going to bring the pressure and the hits, it’s going to be the Steelers. For that reason, and that I don’t think Manning has got his system in place 100% just yet, I’m taking the Steelers to win.

Cincinnati at Baltimore -7.0
Most pundits, including me, are saying that A.J. Green is going to be one of the premier receivers in the league this year. Go ahead and dispute that. The Dalton to Green connection is hot and will lead the Bengals to more than a few wins. But this week, they travel to Baltimore and the Ravens lights out defense. The Ravens are one team that I can say has a really good secondary backed by a pretty good offense. The Ravens are playoff bound and are going to start the season off by roughing up the Bengals a bit. Don’t expect the Bengals to sit this one out though, they’ll be in the game. Ravens to win at home.

San Diego at Oakland -1.0
And finally we come to the Raiders. While I have them winning a few games, it’s going to be awhile before they get on any kind of track. This season is the last chance for Norv Turner with the Chargers, and maybe for Rivers as well. They have got to make something happen with this team. Starting off with a road win in the black hole will bode well for them. Plus, the Chargers generally get off to a hot start. Chargers to win on the road.

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Digital Dads NFL Pre-Game: Week 4

Thursday, September 29th, 2011

Can McFadden run the Patriots defense into the ground?

Not bad last week. I went a very respectable 12-4 (34-14 on the season, or 71%.) That being said, I think that picking the Bills to correctly upset the Patriots was huge. More on that in a moment. This is a very volatile season so far, with a lot of exciting games. Thankfully the NFL RedZone is now in HD on my local Comcast network, so I get to watch Scott Hanson in glorious HD. Scott probably has the greatest job in all of sports broadcasting. I really wouldn’t be able to write this column without Scott and the Red Zone. Anywho, another big week with some match-ups that can change the season. Can the Lions and Bills continue winning? The bookies don’t seem to think so, as neither team is favored on the road. What the hell?

Featured Game

New England at Oakland Line: +4.0 UPSET SPECIAL!!
Wow. Did Tom Brady throw four interceptions, one a pick-six? Or was that some alternate dimension in which those Patriots aren’t that great? Aside from Brady looking deceptively not like a passing robot, Wes Welker killed it. Did you have him on your fantasy team? Lucky you. The Patriots defense has got to tighten up. They give up too much on the run and don’t seem to recognize running backs when lined up on the outside. Some sweet Buffalo play fakes came off a Patriots defense sleeping on the job. Belichick got out Belichicked by Chan Gailey on that final scoring play. That was some smart coaching. Enough about the Pats. Oakland is coming off a huge win over the Jets, dominating on the ground and making the supposedly strong Jets run defense look like amputated children. What do you think they are going to do – at home – against the Pats? Run them ragged that’s what. And I don’t think one week is long enough for the Pats to fix their problems on defense. So once again, my featured game is also my upset special as I’m taking the Raiders to give the Pats their second loss of the season, and push them to get better on defense. I did pick the Pats as a playoff team, so don’t get used to me picking them to lose. This just isn’t going to be their week. Oakland at home.

Tailgate City (The Rest)

Carolina at Chicago Line: -5.0
Ouch. The Bears, who looked moderate on defense against the Packers get to welcome the Panthers to town this week. The Bears are not looking like the playoff team that we saw last year, and Cutler is tired of being sacked so damn much. Normally one would tell him to quit whining, but his pocket just collapses on him completely and he’s got no where to run. Until they fix this issue, they won’t compete in their division. Thankfully, the Panthers aren’t in their division. Coming off a muddy win against the hapless Jags, Cam Newton put up human looking stats, but that might have been due to the weather. I’m looking for Carolina to go pass wacky on the Bears, but the Bears defense to shut them down effectively. Bears to win at home.

Buffalo at Cincinnati Line: -3.0
Genius play calling by Chan Gailey (as previously mentioned) cemented the Bills upset of the Pats last week. Not to mention a comeback from being down 21-0 at one point. The Bills are showing they are a second half team, and hard to beat when they are scoring constantly. Their defense also stepped up, picking Brady four fucking times! So why in the fuck nuts are they not favored going into Cincinnati? The Bungles lost a shitty game to the Niners, and now are facing probably one of the best scoring teams in the AFC. The Bungles don’t stand a fucking chance in this game. They don’t have the defense and the Bills front line is going to chase Andy Dalton down like the soulless ginger that he is. Bills to win on the road.

Tennessee at Cleveland Line: -2.0
I’ll say this about the Browns, they are scrappy. They pulled off a close win against Miami, but let’s be honest – the Dolphins defense is a joke. Meanwhile, the Browns defense – especially the front line – is getting better and better. The offense was mediocre at best, with Hillis out and Colt McCoy overthrowing the ball like crazy to wide open receivers. As for the Titans, they lost Kenny Britt to a knee injury – but won. Chris Johnson needs to start earning that huge paycheck now and start pushing his way into open field. I don’t think he’ll be able to do that against the Browns though, as they’ve been good on shutting down the run, for the most part. This is going to be a close game, but I’m looking for the Browns to prevail. Browns to win at home.

Detroit at Dallas Line: -3.0
Like Buffalo, the Lions are getting no love from the bookies. They came back in the second half, took advantage of poor defensive play by the Vikings to go 3-0. Now, they travel to take on their Thanksgiving counterparts, the Cowboys. The Lions are showing serious strength on offense, but especially on defense. Romo will give way to Kitna early in this game for sure. The Cowboys played a stinker against the Redskins, winning off six fucking field goals. Romo couldn’t get his team into the end zone, and against a team playing as strong and fast as Detroit, that ain’t gonna cut it. Lions to win on the road.

Minnesota at Kansas City Line: +3.0 CRAPFEST OF THE WEEK!!
The Vikings, the sad pathetic Vikings. They had the Lions right where they wanted them. Once again they blew a big halftime lead and ended up losing the game. That’s three games in a row. What is going on with this team that they can’t hold and keep a league? Oh I know what it is, a crappy secondary that gets exposed late in the game once a good QB can see that they aren’t getting creative at all. Not to mention a serious overuse of big blitzes. Chicago has that problem too. Meanwhile, Kansas City has been terrible. Didn’t they make the playoffs last year? You wouldn’t know it by looking at this team. 18 yards passing for Cassel in the 1st half last week. That’s just sad. However, I think this week the Chiefs get their shit together and win a fucking home game. Chiefs to win.

Washington at St. Louis Line: -1.5
One week the offense looks fantastic, the next week the defense looks fantastic keeping Dallas out the end zone, while the offense totally blows it and keeps themselves out. Really, the Redskins are hard to figure out. I mean, they have the potential to be a certain challenger in the NFC East, but can’t seem to get their collective shit together to win. Could it be coaching? Yes, yes it could be. So they go meet the Rams. The Rams showed up last week. I mean, if you consider that committing drive killing penalties, dropping passes and getting pistol whipped by the Ravens. Do the Rams have a defensive secondary? It didn’t appear so. Didn’t seem to have an offensive line either as Bradford was constantly under pressure. Of course, that was the Ravens. Either way, the Rams just cemented themselves solidly in the “suck” column. So Skins to win on the road.

San Francisco at Philadelphia Line: -0.0
Ok, so Vick’s non throwing hand isn’t broken, but I was right about this Eagles team. They are not the “dream team” and calling them so (and them believing it) is going to kill them. The defense was missing tackles left and right, the secondary couldn’t figure out who Victor Cruz was after his 1st TD, and Vick turned over the ball at the most crucial moment. At least LeSean McCoy had a good game. Which tells me this; because Vick is very mobile, the offensive line is concentrating on opening up lanes for the run and pass, rather than focusing on protecting Vick. This is why he’s scrambling more often than he should, quicker than he should and is leading to mistakes. It’s a dangerous assumption and is probably why they aren’t heavily favored in this match-up. The Niners can win this game, if it was at home. Their defense is playing fine, holding down the running game and making picks, but if Vick has his game face on and actually passes the damn ball (get it to Jackson) the Eagles should win. So I’m taking the Eagles at home.

New Orleans at Jacksonville Line: +6.0
So my boy @mbletsch traded away Drew Brees in his fantasy league. Along with Nelson (Bills), Benson (Bengals) and Hightower he got in return Vick, DeSean Jackson, Mendenhall & Hillis. Ok, I can see the validity of that for most of those guys, but Nelson will have a great year and HOW IN THE HELL CAN YOU TRADE AWAY BREES? Good trade or not? Leave it in the comments. (Update: I was informed this trade was vetoed by the league, as they thought MB was trade raping the other guy. I don’t see it. Brees is worth all that and more.)

That being said, Brees is going to have a banner day against the non-existent secondary of the Jags. The only reason they held up against the Panthers is because of the weather. The Saints defense is going to tear Blaine Gabbart to shreds like a topless hooker during Mardi Gras. That kid will be in tears by the end of the night. Now, this could be one of those weird upsets, but this shit isn’t college football. The Jags are outclassed, and it will show. If you have a Saints player on your fantasy team, any player, make sure he’s starting this week. Saints to win on the road.

Pittsburgh at Houston Line: -3.0
Being a Steelers fan sometimes has got to be stressful. One second Ben is fumbling the ball (twice last week) the next he’s leading a game winning drive down the field. That’s some up and down shit right there. The Steelers had to come back to beat the Colts, who are still without a decision at QB. That helped the Steelers, who still struggled with the run. They won’t have much better luck against Houston, who nearly beat the Saints. They fell apart in the fourth quarter though, an interesting trend that may help the Steelers. The passing game for both teams is aces, it’s going to come down to defensive line play, and turnovers (don’t they all.) I’m really stalling on this one because as much as I want to pick the Steelers, I think Houston takes this one at home.

New York at Arizona Line: -3.0
Kolb must have been excited as he led a possible game winning drive against the Seahawks, then tossed an interception. This is par for the course for the Cardinals, who have a lame passing attack at best and have yet to establish a running game. Which means no play action, which means Kolb is linebacker bait. Blitz the Cardinals and watch them scramble. Which is something I’m sure the Giants can do after watching them pressure the shit out of Vick. The Giants are playing strong up front and not letting any offense take advantage of them. While the Arizona offense might show some early spark, the Giants D should put it right out. Giants to win on the road.

Atlanta at Seattle Line: +3.5
I blinked, and the Seahawks actually won a game. With defense. Of course, it was against the Cardinals. It’s sad, but the Seahawks could win the division with a losing record again. Any of the shitty teams in the NFC West could really. They actually rushed too, for over 100 yards. Crazy. Who knew? The Falcons are going to come into Seattle hot. They lost to their rivals in Tampa and are pissed. The offense was stifled, the defense played well though, but without the offensive backup is probably pissed. The Falcons are in Hulk mode for sure, and the east to west coast plane ride isn’t going to change that. Falcons to win on the road.

Denver at Green Bay Line: -13.0
The Packers are running well, defense is in the lights out category but I don’t think this team is yet back up to Superbowl champ standards. Whatever. Denver is in town and that means that Rodgers gets to have a little target practice. The Broncos have shown one major thing this season, that they suck. They came close last week, but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear “TEBOW TEBOW TEBOW” chants in Green Bay this weekend. Orton will be too busy running from Clay Matthews and company to hear it though. This one is too easy, but since everyone thinks that, I’m taking the Broncos. Just kidding. Green Bay to win at home.

Miami at San Diego Line: -9.0
And my pick for first coach to get fired this season is Tony Sporano. While Henne is looking good when he can, the Dolphins play calling on both sides of the ball has been stifling bad. They ran into a good defense last week and still couldn’t put the game away when they had the chance. And they had chances. They’ll have more chances against the Chargers, who seem to wilt a bit in the second half. Rivers has a chance to get this team jump started, if he can keep the ball out of the hands of the defense. I suspect that he will, as long as the defense holds up their end of the bargain. The Dolphins will make a game of it though, as they really, really need a win. Chargers to win at home.

NY Jets at Baltimore Line: -3.5
The Ravens put on a mother fucking CLINIC last week. Torrey (who dat) Smith caught three touchdowns in a classic ass whipping of the Rams. The Ravens are nearly unstoppable this year, but it’s only three games into the season. Can the Jets defense stop them? What Jets defense you say? Good point. The supposed tough defense of the Jets was no-where to be found against Oakland last week letting McFadden roll for 171 yards. What do you think Ray Rice is going to do? Tear the Jets a new asshole that’s what. The Jets are outmatched in this game, and it sucks to say that cause I actually like this team. I mean, save for Sanchez and his GQ loving ass. Ravens to win.

Indianapolis at Tampa Bay Line: -10.0
Peyton has got to be considering going all RoboCob just to make a comeback. Painter did ok last week, but against the Bucs defense? A defense that held Matt Ryan to one TD and an INT? The lousy Colts special teams aside, they are going to have trouble against the Bucs defense and the young offense under the charge of Freeman. The Bucs vanquished their rivals last week, what do you think they are going to do to a Colts team that is yet to find their ground? This game is going to be crazy, especially since the Bucs actually managed to sell enough tickets to lift the blackout. The Colts can look at this game like this, it’s just one step closer to being able to draft Andrew Luck #1. Bucs to win at home.

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Digital Dads NFL Pre-Game: 2011 NFC Predictions

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Yes. I'm predicting the Lions will reach the playoffs. What of it? (Image: US Presswire)

NFC East

NY Giants
All I gotta say for the Giants this year is good luck. The offensive line that once started 38 games in a row has all but dissolved, leaving Eli in a very unfortunate position. He has only been as successful as he has because of a strong O line, without that, he’s going to be in trouble. Not to mention the departure of TE Kevin Boss, who leaves behind a couple tight ends that may or may not be stars in the making. Expect Eli to be relying on his deep receivers to cover the slants, which will hurt them on the deep routes. The defense is a whole nother issue, as there are no clear cut leaders on that side of the ball. The Giants missed the playoffs last year with ten wins, they’ll miss the playoffs this year with less.

Dallas Cowboys
After giving up a team record 436 points last year, and finishing a weak ass 6-10, the Cowboys have brought in defensive mind Rob Ryan (and his massive stomach) to hopefully fix the holes. Bradie James, DeMarcus Ware and Marcus Spears have already been whining about the learning curve associated with Ryan’s defensive plans. However, these guys are veteran professionals and I expect that the Cowboys defense will be much, much stronger this year. Jason Garrett will be coaching again, and Tony Romo is returning as healthy as ever. So will the Cowboys compete in their division? I expect that they will. Will they make the playoffs? If their defense holds up, I expect that they will.

Washington Redskins
The Redskins went hogwild with departures & additions. Haynesworth, McNabb, Chris Wilson, Clinton Portis, Vonnie Holliday and more are gone. Incoming players include Tim Hightower, Donte Stallworth, Kellen Clemens and a slate of rookies. Shanahan is already putting the team in a funk, with making John Beck and Rex Grossman fight for the starting job. You can’t do that going into a season, he better make up his mind damn quick like. Neither of these QB’s can give this team a chance to win, so this is a really quick conversation. Expect the Redskins to suck, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The defense will probably end up scoring more points when all is said and done.

Philadelphia Eagles
Is this the team to beat in the NFC? On paper, sure, the Eagles are looking pretty hot. But I’m going to say this now – they won’t even win the division. Yes, the addition of Vick and Young will change the dynamic of the offensive game. Ronnie Brown will pick up where Westbrook left off, as far as the dominant running back. And the addition of Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha in the CB position will only make the defense stronger, but shit, it isn’t going to matter if Vick and/or Young fail. Vick is one side tackle or bad run away from another injury, while Young is about as consistent as a horse drawn carriage with Styrofoam wheels on a brick road. Not to mention a new rookie kicker, a defensive coordinator who was an offensive line coach since 1985 and an offensive line whom I still don’t have faith in to protect the QB. Sure, all this could add up to total win, or total disaster.

NFC North

Green Bay Packers
I’m still dancing from predicting at the beginning of the 2010 season that the Packers would win the Superbowl. Or at least go to the Superbowl. So what, do you think I should go two years in a row with that prediction? Well, Rodgers has plenty of targets to throw to, and his connection with Finley is only growing stronger. Hot running back James Starks will be competing with Ryan Grant for the starting job, with badass prospect Alex Green out of Hawaii
waiting right there to get in the game. The offense is no question going to be high scoring, high flying and lights out. The defense is also back and stronger than ever. Clay Matthews is joined by Brad Jones & Frank Zombo, all hungry and at full health. I don’t think this team will have the dreaded Superbowl hangover at all. I’m putting them right back in the playoffs, this time taking the division crown with them.

Chicago Bears
The Bears surprised everyone with their playoff run last year, even having a league worst 56 sacks allowed. However, no one was surprised by their late exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Packers. This year, they have shaken up the O-line in the hopes that Jay Cutler has time to throw to some new blood, courtesy of the Cowboys. Roy Williams, Marion Barber and Sam Hurd join the offensive ranks in Chicago. Also notable is Matt Spaeth coming in to replace Greg Olsen at tight end. The problem with the Bears is going to stem from an aging defense who is going to tire during the hot games, and freeze up during the cold ones. I’d expect some rookies to start rotating in midway through the season on the defensive side. Meanwhile, it’s going to be up to Devin Hester once again to force teams to make mistakes by being bold. He’s the spark of this team, but I don’t see that being enough to propel them back into the playoffs this year, save for the Vikings outlook, which isn’t that great.

Minnesota Vikings
The phone call never came. The reality of a Brett Favre-less universe hit the Vikings like a cold brick. Can Donovan McNabb lead this team to the playoffs? I don’t think so. Thankfully, they have a good rookie QB in Christian Ponder and it’s my advice to the Vikings to treat this like a rebuilding year and play the kid under McNabb, let the veteran show him the ropes and rebuild the team around him. McNabb has a one year deal, you know that Joe Webb won’t be playing QB so just start Ponder. Meanwhile, Sidney Rice is gone, replaced by Michael Jenkins who is just as fast. Harvin will move up to the number one receiver. The big deal is the defensive line, after coach Frazier released Bryant “Mount” McKinnie who was the most popular guy on the line. Yeah, he was out of shape and Frazier is all “I mean business” but it’s gonna fuck up morale. Already the line is showing signs of sucking. No playoffs for this team, not this year.

Detroit Lions
The Lions biggest challenge this year will be keeping their offensive line healthy, and having the depth to back them up when they are not. Stafford is back to throwing lasers, and all he needs is an offensive line that won’t let him touch the ground. The really good news for the Lions is the defense. Led by Ndamukong Suh, LB Stephen Tulloch (160 combined tackles last season) and Justin Durant, the front seven is looking strong – very strong. This is a defense that can break some records for the Lions and help this team push for a strong season. Playoffs? I dunno. At this point it’s really hard to tell if the offense is going to be able to score more points than the other teams offense, but again, it comes down to that O-line. Either way, the Lions will not suck this year, I expect them to compete at a high level, maybe even for a wild-card spot.

NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I live in the Tampa Bay area, so I’ve been getting a lot of heat surrounding my picks for this division. Look, the Bucs are a young team this year – something we haven’t been able to say about them in a long, long time. Josh Freeman is the real deal at Quarterback and is the only reason Raheem Morris still has a job – as both the head coach and defensive coordinator. So can he successfully do both this year with defensive lynchpin Barrett Ruud leaving the team? The deal is going to be can the Bucs rush the ball? In the NFC South, the rush is more important than anything on offense. Yes, LeGarrette Blount rushed for over 1k yards last year but he’s clearly got an anger problem. And if he gets injured? Then what? Earnest Graham is so-so at best and who is Kregg Lumpkin? Thankfully, the Bucs can easily fall back on their strong receiving core. A surprising 10-6 last year, I can see them repeating that, if not doing better. A playoff spot awaits this team, as much as I hate saying that.

New Orleans Saints
The thing you have to understand about the Saints under coach Sean Payton is to expect the unexpected. Keeping that in mind, it was time for players like Reggie Bush & Jeremy Shockey to hit the road. I was a bit surprised that they released Gay, but perhaps he is aging a bit in the CB position. This division was so tough last year, the Saints at 11-5 were only good enough for second in the division and a wild-card, which they lost in a shocker to the Seahawks. Bush was almost a non-factor last year, which should make inserting Mark Ingram into the lineup even more interesting. He joins Pierre Thomas & Darren Sproles behind the O-line. There is no one singular “guy” which makes this team so dangerous. I mean, save for Drew Brees who had a bit of a down year in 2010. The only problems still lie a bit on defense, as they just couldn’t seem to rack up the sacks last year. I expect the Saints to slip a bit this year and have a half and half year.

Atlanta Falcons
After going 13-3 last year, then losing to the Packers in the NFC divisional round, the Falcons are looking to bounce back strong. Drafting Julio Jones from Alabama was definitely a step in the win now direction. This team is not rebuilding or taking a year off, they will be coming out of the gate firing. Defensive end Ray Edwards will be joining John Abraham on the line to help with the pass rush that seemed to be missing a bit last year. The Falcons need that pass rush to give their secondary that extra time to make the big plays that we know that they can. Matt Ryan is yet to win a post-season game as a starter, but I expect that to change this year as the Falcons once again take the division and head deep into the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers
If there is any team in rebuilding phase, it’s this one. They spent a ton of money re-signing core offensive and defensive line players, then topped that with the signing of Cam Newton. They also added Derek Anderson to join Jimmy Clausen on the bench in case Cam is a bust. At this point, I don’t think any of these quarterbacks gives this team a chance to win – at this point. The biggest problem for the Panthers is going to be all the coaching changes. New head coach Ron Rivera is joined by Rob Chudzinski as offensive coordinator and Sean McDermott as defensive coordinator. That’s a lot of new systems to learn in such a short period, and it will be interesting to see if they can catch on before they start worrying about finishing with another losing season.

NFC West

St. Louis Rams
This team is going to be interesting to watch this year. The loss of Oshiomogho Atogwe, who accounted for more takeaways than any other NFL player over the last six seasons will be felt in the secondary. They also picked up Cadillac Williams, a player never earning his potential and Jerious Norwood, both backing up the only reason this team wins at all – Stephen Jackson. New offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should spice things up a bit, and considering the division they are in, they have a pretty damn good shot at winning it with a losing record. Gotta love that shit.

Arizona Cardinals
If the Rams don’t win the division, it’s going to be the Cardinals. Kevin Kolb is a lot better quarterback than people give him credit for, kind of like Matt Cassel. Now he’s got that rare second shot, riding high off his play with the Eagles. In addition, he’s got some new friends to throw the ball to in WR Chansi Stuckey and rookie DeMarco Sampson, the hot hands receiver from San Diego State. The questions looming are if Beanie Wells can carry the running game, and if playing rookies in the secondary is going to pay off. I say this will be an exciting team to watch, high scoring for sure, but if the defense can’t keep up with the other teams offense, it won’t matter.

Seattle Seahawks
The Hasselbeck era has come to a close, and so has the Seahawks surprising winning ways. Tavaris Jackson is the starting quarterback, with Charlie Whitehurst ready to inevitably relieve him. Neither QB is going to pull this team close enough to smell the playoffs, and they have an outside chance at a winning season. The good news is that with some recent re-signings and injury recoveries the defense is back on it’s feet. For the first half of last season, the Seahawks had the #2 run defense in the league, and that type of stat should return if they can stay healthy. If they can’t then we may as well write off the Seawhawks at that point, since the defense is going to be the only bright spot on this team. Pete Carroll is rebuilding this team, and they have a way to go.

San Francisco 49′ers
Hey, it’s Alex Smith and Braylon Edwards, together again. They were in the same draft class, and now they join each other on the field of battle. This will be a good combination to watch, it’s too bad that the Niners offensive line will be too shitty to give Smith a chance to get off those lovely deep passes to Edwards. The Niners are in for a shock this season, as if their 6-10 record last year was a shock. New head coach Jim Harbaugh has his work cut out for him this year for sure. The Niners fans will be hanging their heads for most of the season unfortunately.

Next week: AFC Predictions

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Digital Dads Week In Sports: Behaving Badly

Thursday, March 31st, 2011

Bad Roger! No Hall for you! (Image: AP | DAVID J. PHILLIP)

After March Madness (which isn’t quite over) it’s been a bit of a slow week. This weekend should be crazy awesome, what with the Final Four & NCAA Men’s Championship (as well as the women’s) and MLB opening day. I’m really looking forward to opening day, and for the first time since 1998, I won’t be at the Rays home opener. Kind of suck, but thems the breaks right? There were some stories this past week that caught my attention, all of them having something to do with bad behavior in sports. Hell, there are enough of these stories every week that I could almost just change the column to highlighting bad behavior.

Clemens Looking Forward to Trial

While Barry Bonds is hanging out in federal court defending himself against perjury, Roger Clemens, the 7 time Cy Young award winner, is looking forward to defending himself in federal court this summer. Clemens is also facing a perjury trial, accused of lying to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in February 2008. Prosecutors say that Clemens, at some point over his 23 year career, was using steroids then lied to them about it.

“You almost hate to say you’re looking forward to it, but we’re looking forward to it,” Clemens said. “We’re going to have our say in a fair setting. I’ve been great about not talking about it, and we’re going to handle it the right way.”

As a fan of baseball my whole life and following Clemens (among many other players) throughout his career I have to say – he used steroids. A ton of players used steroids. For a while, in the mid 90′s, it was the norm. There is no doubt in my mind, and in Jose Canseco’s mind, that many popular players were getting jacked so they could jack the longball. It could be said, that after the strike in ’94, steroid use saved baseball and got the fans back in the seats. Fans want to see homeruns, and with players having more power – that was more likely. More evidence to this is the season after Bonds, McGwire and Sosa went crazy with the homeruns, the steroid use was revealed and the homeruns drastically dropped.

Look, I’m a baseball purist and think that if steroids are necessary to rehabilitation, then so be it. However, using them to get jacked is another story. Of course, there is another argument to the steroid use – it doesn’t make you a better hitter. There is still a ton of skill involved in hitting the freaking baseball. Really though, at this point I just want the truth. Andy Pettite told the truth, and did anyone give a shit after that? Nope. Pettite used steroids, he told the truth and all is well. Giambi told the truth, no one cared after that. His legacy isn’t ruined (tainted perhaps, but not ruined.) Bonds and Clemens are further tainting their legacies by lying. If there is anything a purist baseball fan hates more than steroid use – it’s lying. Which I suppose is why Rose is still not in the hall of fame.

BCS is A-Ok With Booting Fiesta Bowl

Amid allegations of corruption, the chief executive, John Junker, of the Fiesta Bowl has been ousted. The BCS is nonplussed about this, and has no objections to just simply kicking the Fiesta Bowl out of the BCS Bowl Series. The Fiesta Bowl group (or whatever) is now fighting an uphill battle to continue to be included in the BCS Bowl games.

“The entire Fiesta Bowl family is angered and disappointed by what we’ve seen in the report and by the actions of Mr. Junker,” board chairman Duane Woods told reporters at the event’s headquarters in downtown Scottsdale.

I’m pretty sure that if the BCS decided to look into the whole college bowl system, they’d see a lot of fuck-ups, not just by the ones in Scottsdale. There is so much dirty money being passed around, it could fill ten freaking landfills. Of course, I’m just guessing at that – but you know that it’s true. It’s interesting that the BCS doesn’t really give a flying shit about the Fiesta Bowl, you’d think as much heat as they have put up with over the years, they’d work harder to help the Fiesta Bowl clear its name as an organization. Or, they could do what they are doing now – not give a shit – and give another non BCS bowl the chance to join the BCS in the shitty ass system that it is.

Tampa Bay Bucs Are the New Bengals

Cornerback Aqib Talib turned his dumb ass into police after – get this – “Police said they believe Talib and his mother, Okolo Talib, shot at the man March 21.” That’s right, Aqib and his freaking mother were popping shots at some dude. Doesn’t matter the reason, the fact that yet another NFL player has turned himself into a felon is just astonishing. What is wrong with these people? I don’t say that as a “black people” thing, but as a fucking NFL player thing. The worst part is, this is just the beginning. Now that there is a strike looming, and a season in jeopardy, this type of thing is going to happen more often than not.

Think about it, once the players disbanded the union in order to file a lawsuit, all the rules about drug use and guns and what not went with it. It’s like suddenly telling a bunch of third graders on the playground that they are on their own. What are they going to do? Not drugs and guns (well, some of them) but fight and get unruly. That is exactly what is happening and going to happen in the NFL unless they get some deal in place soon. For every good boy like Peyton, there are a bunch of lower lever assholes making NFL players look bad. Dealing drugs, getting caught with truck-fulls of weed, guns and going to the “script” club.

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The shoe cables a repent reward near the visible.