THE SEASON TAKES SHAPE……KIND OF

The Season is starting to take shape.. notice I didn’t say.. starting to make sense! I went 3 of 5 last week and it should have been 4 of 5. If it weren’t for Fate and Philadelphia …. 2 things you can’t control. I should have stayed in or with Schools, as I nailed my 2 college picks NP. and very impressively too, if I do say so myself, and I do!

Last Week’s Picks or First the good news

1. Okla State -7.5 over Tulsa

The cowboys just barely covered the spread….by 30 pts!

2 Air Force -17 over OU

Across the Sooner state, we had the opposite scenario. I thought the home team was too big a favorite. and sure enough they almost lost the game. AF is smaller, slower, and less talented. But, those pesky Falcons are just hard to prepare for and adjust to…. like mosquitoes or Mormons. Question…. How does the Air Force lead the nation with its Ground attack? And Oklahoma didn’t slow them down at all really, as they got over 300 yards rushing on the bigger,stronger, but not smarter Sooners.

NFL — The No Figuring (them out) League

3. Indy -5.5 over the Giants

Manning Bowl 2 went just as expected. The big Brother with the better and more desperate team playing at home wins. Easy call.

4. Tenn -5 over the Steelers

Ok, I missed this one. The Steelers were down to their 4th string QB and still won….on the road…..against a good team. How do you figure that?. Great D, of course.

5. Philly -4 over and @ Detroit

This is the game that proves that you can’t beat the spread. I figured that Philly was better than Detroit…. check. That Vick was better than their back up QB…. check. That the Eagles would get a big lead…. check. But not that they would fall asleep and almost let the Lions come back and win.. They ended up winning by 3.. I ended up losing by 1…. Check, please. This is why they call it handicapping. We are handicapped by having to use logic, which often doesn’t work in the NFL or life either. Whichever is more important.

This Week’s Bold Prognastications and/or lame picks….. we will see

1. (One College game) Stanford -3.5 over and @ ND

Yes, the Irish have lost 2 close ones in a row, and will be fired up. And yes, their young QB came of age last week. And yes, they are in South Bend. But, Stanford is good…. really good, and in fact, may be the best team I have seen in years (of those teams whose players actually have to go to class). And they have great luck…. Andrew Luck their QB from Houston who will probably be starting for Buffalo next year. Poor guy…..bad luck.

2. SF + 1 over and @ KC

In order to win, the 49ers must face an angry, hostile and crazy crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. But if they lose, they will have to face an even more angry, hostile, crazy coach Singletary…. gulp! And, they are a pretty good team.. and a good team can’t start the season 0 and 3.. can they, Dallas?

3. Washington +4 over and @ St. Louis

The Redskins…. kind of bad…. The Rams… .. really bad. Take the kind of bad. Actually with Mc Nabb, the Skins aren’t half bad.

4. AZ @home +4 over Oakland

AZ not bad…. Oakland… not good. Take the not bad. Actually, Az was bad last week but can’t be bad again. Where as the Raiders can be consistent…. consistently bad, that is…. and still having QB issues like half the league.

5. Pittsburgh -2.5 over and @ Tampa

The Bucks have a good young QB in Freeman from Kansas State. And the Steelers don’t know who their QB will be. Might be the 4th string C. Batch again. But apparently, the Steelers don’t need a QB! Their philosophy is that if you don’t score, you can’t win.. Which sounds a lot like my years on the cruise ship.

Hope you.. and your teams.. all score this week..

TOLD YOU SO ! !

Well gang, since I didn’t make any specific predictions in my first blog, I have nothing to gloat over or be ashamed of. So I am batting a 1000 at this point. However, I do have my first “I Told You So” of the season. (I know that sounds a little immature but whoever said football junkies were mature.)

I mentioned that I expected to see lower scoring games. Check And O lines being dominated by D lines. Check. And if you didn’t believe me, check with losing teams like the Cowboys or even winning teams like the Redskins. Or the losing Jets and the winning Ravens. Or the losing Bills or the winning Dolphins. Or the losing Raiders or…., well just ask the Raiders. Yes, even the winning teams were offensively challenged to a major degree. Speaking of the Bills and the Raiders, I just remember my overall trend prediction for last season.. That there would be lots of really bad teams. Seems that most of these teams have a chance of going back to back and sucking for another year at least.

Ok, enough negativity lets get on with….

THIS WEEK’S PICKS

College

1. Oklahoma State @ home -7.5 over Tulsa
I didn’t know that OSU wasn’t in the top 25 teams , or that Tulsa even has a team. Ok, just kidding Tulsa fans..your team isn’t bad. It just that the OSU Cowboys are playing at home and have an offense that is on a roll…. unlike an NFL team that I won’t mention, though they have the same name. And speaking of names, Tulsa is the Golden Hurricanes. How many hurricanes hit Tulsa? Though it is much better than their original choice for nicknames…. the Golden Showers.

2. Air Force + 18 over and @ OU.
Staying in the Sooner state, I think that OU will definitely win but have a hard time covering the spread,even though AF is smaller and slower and is often called not as “athletic”. We all know what that means…. whiter. But they have that option attack that is hard to prepare for, and confuses teams. Just ask BYU who they upset last week. Proving once again that the folks at BYU have a hard time adjusting to 2 things…. Spread offenses and Monogamy.

NFL

1. Tenn. (at home) -5 over The Steelers.
Vince Young is playing great and so is Chris Johnson. And Ben Roethlisberger will be out 3 more weeks and won’t play. But maybe Vince can invite Big Ben out to a Strip Joint or College bar there in Nashville…. and they have plenty of each. I know i used to live there…. OK, TMI.

2. Colts (at home) -5.5 over the Giants.
The Giants are coming off a win and will be happy and content.. The Colts are coming off a lose and will be mad and pissed.. The Colts are the better team and are at home, and have Peyton . You figure it out. This is based on the assumption that Indy decides to actually tackle people this week.

3. Philly -4 over and @ Detroit.
In the battle of back up QBS, we have Shawn Hill (Who?..exactly) Vs Michael Vick (Boo..exactly) The Lions do have one thing going for them… they are at home. So Mick will not be the only one being Booed. What else do the Eagles have going for them besides the QB match up? They are way better.. And Vick seems to be his old self again. And come on fans, it is time to forgive Michael and let him out of the Dog house. (Connie disagrees!)

4.. The Rams @ Oakland
I predict that there will be no winner and the game will be called for lack of competence!

Happy Viewing, Tony

SURPRISES, TRENDS AND SURPRISE TRENDS

This season’s Weekly Blog?

Well Gang, it is that time of the year again.. The most beautiful time of the year. Football is here and we can come out of our caves and live again.. Actually go back in our caves and stay there with a remote till hell freezes over and/or Feb. whichever comes first. And this year, rather than doing a weekly blog with weekly predictions…. I am going to write this blog…. whenever I feel like it! Of course, I do have an editor breathing down my neck….oh yeah, that’s just Connie and she doesn’t care either. Less work for her. (Yes, I have a MBA, and no, I still can’t spell or punctuate worth a damn!) So here we go…….

SURPRISES

I am going to pick 2 surprise teams….one in college and one in the pros. And what are the surprises? Neither are exactly dark horses. Both of these teams are ranked pretty high, and the NFL team is the trendy pick for a lot of people to win it all. So who is surprised really? The answer…. Me! I never would have picked these teams in a million years under normal conditions, but a combination of observation, brilliant analysis, and research, led me to these surprising conclusions. OK, I lied. More of a gut feeling and, of course, with all these games to watch, my gut will be expanding as the season progresses.

1. Wisconsin
When it comes to the big 10, I am biased. I am biased against them! As I have considered their teams to be over rated for years and most often I was proven right. But I watched part of a replay of last year’s bowl game against Miami. Yes I was reduced to watching college games already played and hoping for a surprise outcome.. Anyway, I saw how they physically dominated the Canes and came away impressed.. Here is the deal. With all the passing and spread offenses out there, maybe an old school with a dominate O Line and running game and a solid D , might just be able to reverse modern trends and beat up on lots of people.. So I look for the Badgers as my surprise College team this year and possible winner of the big 10. (Yes, you are right. Next year the big 10 will have 12 teams and the big 12 will have 10!)

2. GB Packers
Going back to the old days of Cowboy/Packer battles…. I have never been a big fan of Green Bay, the frozen tundra, and the whole Packer Mystic. But this year, I can’t deny it. Their QB is great! Their whole Offense is great and their Defense can be very good.. (Even though they totally came apart in last year’s playoff lost to Arizona). It is plain to see why they chose to go with their young QB, Rogers, over Brett a couple of years ago, even though Brett still has something left in the tank obviously.

So somehow, I have picked 2 teams from Wisconsin. Fortunately I can root for them on TV and not actually have to go to Wisconsin…. especially during winter when no one goes there, including the Sun!

TRENDS

The Cowboys, for one, have a bunch of question marks along their offensive line, and they are not alone. Lots of NFL teams do. Actually, some don’t….like the Bills, for example.. They don’t have any question about their offensive line. Their questions are already answered….it sucks! But generally this might be the year that the Defense takes over again. Recently, the passing Os have just completely gotten out of control with 4,000 yard QBs, and exciting offenses everywhere you look.. well, except for Buffalo & Detroit & where the isn’t much excitement period….unless you like ice fishing.. Their housing markets have more potential than their teams.. (sorry, Bills fans, and I would apologize to my friends who are Lions fans, but I don’t have any). So look for lower scoring, tighter games this year in the NFL, with lots of coaches screaming, “Can’t anyone block these guys?” And the fans screaming for more points and the people in Buffalo and Detroit, screaming…. well, just screaming, generally.

And as I mentioned with Wisconsin, this trend could also carry over to NCAA football as well, with people finely figuring out how to stop the spread offenses and go back to the old ” 3 yards and a cloud of dust ” football. Except in some schools like my old alma mater, UNT, where it will be mostly just dust.

Football is back and all is right with the world.. Everything will be better, except for a couple of marriages! Happy Pigskins.

Tony

SURPRISES, TRENDS AND SURPRISE TRENDS

This season’s Weekly Blog?

Well Gang, it is that time of the year again.. The most beautiful time of the year. Football is here and we can come out of our caves and live again.. Actually go back in our caves and stay there with a remote till hell freezes over and/or Feb. whichever comes first. And this year, rather than doing a weekly blog with weekly predictions…. I am going to write this blog…. whenever I feel like it! Of course, I do have an editor breathing down my neck….oh yeah, that’s just Connie and she doesn’t care either. Less work for her. (Yes, I have a MBA, and no, I still can’t spell or punctuate worth a damn!) So here we go…….

SURPRISES

I am going to pick 2 surprise teams….one in college and one in the pros. And what are the surprises? Neither are exactly dark horses. Both of these teams are ranked pretty high, and the NFL team is the trendy pick for a lot of people to win it all. So who is surprised really? The answer…. Me! I never would have picked these teams in a million years under normal conditions, but a combination of observation, brilliant analysis, and research, led me to these surprising conclusions. OK, I lied. More of a gut feeling and, of course, with all these games to watch, my gut will be expanding as the season progresses.

1. Wisconsin
When it comes to the big 10, I am biased. I am biased against them! As I have considered their teams to be over rated for years and most often I was proven right. But I watched part of a replay of last year’s bowl game against Miami. Yes I was reduced to watching college games already played and hoping for a surprise outcome.. Anyway, I saw how they physically dominated the Canes and came away impressed.. Here is the deal. With all the passing and spread offenses out there, maybe an old school with a dominate O Line and running game and a solid D , might just be able to reverse modern trends and beat up on lots of people.. So I look for the Badgers as my surprise College team this year and possible winner of the big 10. (Yes, you are right. Next year the big 10 will have 12 teams and the big 12 will have 10!)

2. GB Packers
Going back to the old days of Cowboy/Packer battles…. I have never been a big fan of Green Bay, the frozen tundra, and the whole Packer Mystic. But this year, I can’t deny it. Their QB is great! Their whole Offense is great and their Defense can be very good.. (Even though they totally came apart in last year’s playoff lost to Arizona). It is plain to see why they chose to go with their young QB, Rogers, over Brett a couple of years ago, even though Brett still has something left in the tank obviously.

So somehow, I have picked 2 teams from Wisconsin. Fortunately I can root for them on TV and not actually have to go to Wisconsin…. especially during winter when no one goes there, including the Sun!

TRENDS

The Cowboys, for one, have a bunch of question marks along their offensive line, and they are not alone. Lots of NFL teams do. Actually, some don’t….like the Bills, for example.. They don’t have any question about their offensive line. Their questions are already answered….it sucks! But generally this might be the year that the Defense takes over again. Recently, the passing Os have just completely gotten out of control with 4,000 yard QBs, and exciting offenses everywhere you look.. well, except for Buffalo & Detroit & where the isn’t much excitement period….unless you like ice fishing.. Their housing markets have more potential than their teams.. (sorry, Bills fans, and I would apologize to my friends who are Lions fans, but I don’t have any). So look for lower scoring, tighter games this year in the NFL, with lots of coaches screaming, “Can’t anyone block these guys?” And the fans screaming for more points and the people in Buffalo and Detroit, screaming…. well, just screaming, generally.

And as I mentioned with Wisconsin, this trend could also carry over to NCAA football as well, with people finely figuring out how to stop the spread offenses and go back to the old ” 3 yards and a cloud of dust ” football. Except in some schools like my old alma mater, UNT, where it will be mostly just dust.

Football is back and all is right with the world.. Everything will be better, except for a couple of marriages! Happy Pigskins.

Tony
This season’s Weekly Blog?

Well Gang, it is that time of the year again.. The most beautiful time of the year. Football is here and we can come out of our caves and live again.. Actually go back in our caves and stay there with a remote till hell freezes over and/or Feb. whichever comes first. And this year, rather than doing a weekly blog with weekly predictions…. I am going to write this blog…. whenever I feel like it! Of course, I do have an editor breathing down my neck….oh yeah, that’s just Connie and she doesn’t care either. Less work for her. (Yes, I have a MBA, and no, I still can’t spell or punctuate worth a damn!) So here we go…….

SURPRISES

I am going to pick 2 surprise teams….one in college and one in the pros. And what are the surprises? Neither are exactly dark horses. Both of these teams are ranked pretty high, and the NFL team is the trendy pick for a lot of people to win it all. So who is surprised really? The answer…. Me! I never would have picked these teams in a million years under normal conditions, but a combination of observation, brilliant analysis, and research, led me to these surprising conclusions. OK, I lied. More of a gut feeling and, of course, with all these games to watch, my gut will be expanding as the season progresses.

1. Wisconsin
When it comes to the big 10, I am biased. I am biased against them! As I have considered their teams to be over rated for years and most often I was proven right. But I watched part of a replay of last year’s bowl game against Miami. Yes I was reduced to watching college games already played and hoping for a surprise outcome.. Anyway, I saw how they physically dominated the Canes and came away impressed.. Here is the deal. With all the passing and spread offenses out there, maybe an old school with a dominate O Line and running game and a solid D , might just be able to reverse modern trends and beat up on lots of people.. So I look for the Badgers as my surprise College team this year and possible winner of the big 10. (Yes, you are right. Next year the big 10 will have 12 teams and the big 12 will have 10!)

2. GB Packers
Going back to the old days of Cowboy/Packer battles…. I have never been a big fan of Green Bay, the frozen tundra, and the whole Packer Mystic. But this year, I can’t deny it. Their QB is great! Their whole Offense is great and their Defense can be very good.. (Even though they totally came apart in last year’s playoff lost to Arizona). It is plain to see why they chose to go with their young QB, Rogers, over Brett a couple of years ago, even though Brett still has something left in the tank obviously.

So somehow, I have picked 2 teams from Wisconsin. Fortunately I can root for them on TV and not actually have to go to Wisconsin…. especially during winter when no one goes there, including the Sun!

TRENDS

The Cowboys, for one, have a bunch of question marks along their offensive line, and they are not alone. Lots of NFL teams do. Actually, some don’t….like the Bills, for example.. They don’t have any question about their offensive line. Their questions are already answered….it sucks! But generally this might be the year that the Defense takes over again. Recently, the passing Os have just completely gotten out of control with 4,000 yard QBs, and exciting offenses everywhere you look.. well, except for Buffalo & Detroit & where the isn’t much excitement period….unless you like ice fishing.. Their housing markets have more potential than their teams.. (sorry, Bills fans, and I would apologize to my friends who are Lions fans, but I don’t have any). So look for lower scoring, tighter games this year in the NFL, with lots of coaches screaming, “Can’t anyone block these guys?” And the fans screaming for more points and the people in Buffalo and Detroit, screaming…. well, just screaming, generally.

And as I mentioned with Wisconsin, this trend could also carry over to NCAA football as well, with people finely figuring out how to stop the spread offenses and go back to the old ” 3 yards and a cloud of dust ” football. Except in some schools like my old alma mater, UNT, where it will be mostly just dust.

Football is back and all is right with the world.. Everything will be better, except for a couple of marriages! Happy Pigskins.

Tony
This season’s Weekly Blog?

Well Gang, it is that time of the year again.. The most beautiful time of the year. Football is here and we can come out of our caves and live again.. Actually go back in our caves and stay there with a remote till hell freezes over and/or Feb. whichever comes first. And this year, rather than doing a weekly blog with weekly predictions…. I am going to write this blog…. whenever I feel like it! Of course, I do have an editor breathing down my neck….oh yeah, that’s just Connie and she doesn’t care either. Less work for her. (Yes, I have a MBA, and no, I still can’t spell or punctuate worth a damn!) So here we go…….

SURPRISES

I am going to pick 2 surprise teams….one in college and one in the pros. And what are the surprises? Neither are exactly dark horses. Both of these teams are ranked pretty high, and the NFL team is the trendy pick for a lot of people to win it all. So who is surprised really? The answer…. Me! I never would have picked these teams in a million years under normal conditions, but a combination of observation, brilliant analysis, and research, led me to these surprising conclusions. OK, I lied. More of a gut feeling and, of course, with all these games to watch, my gut will be expanding as the season progresses.

1. Wisconsin
When it comes to the big 10, I am biased. I am biased against them! As I have considered their teams to be over rated for years and most often I was proven right. But I watched part of a replay of last year’s bowl game against Miami. Yes I was reduced to watching college games already played and hoping for a surprise outcome.. Anyway, I saw how they physically dominated the Canes and came away impressed.. Here is the deal. With all the passing and spread offenses out there, maybe an old school with a dominate O Line and running game and a solid D , might just be able to reverse modern trends and beat up on lots of people.. So I look for the Badgers as my surprise College team this year and possible winner of the big 10. (Yes, you are right. Next year the big 10 will have 12 teams and the big 12 will have 10!)

2. GB Packers
Going back to the old days of Cowboy/Packer battles…. I have never been a big fan of Green Bay, the frozen tundra, and the whole Packer Mystic. But this year, I can’t deny it. Their QB is great! Their whole Offense is great and their Defense can be very good.. (Even though they totally came apart in last year’s playoff lost to Arizona). It is plain to see why they chose to go with their young QB, Rogers, over Brett a couple of years ago, even though Brett still has something left in the tank obviously.

So somehow, I have picked 2 teams from Wisconsin. Fortunately I can root for them on TV and not actually have to go to Wisconsin…. especially during winter when no one goes there, including the Sun!

TRENDS

The Cowboys, for one, have a bunch of question marks along their offensive line, and they are not alone. Lots of NFL teams do. Actually, some don’t….like the Bills, for example.. They don’t have any question about their offensive line. Their questions are already answered….it sucks! But generally this might be the year that the Defense takes over again. Recently, the passing Os have just completely gotten out of control with 4,000 yard QBs, and exciting offenses everywhere you look.. well, except for Buffalo & Detroit & where the isn’t much excitement period….unless you like ice fishing.. Their housing markets have more potential than their teams.. (sorry, Bills fans, and I would apologize to my friends who are Lions fans, but I don’t have any). So look for lower scoring, tighter games this year in the NFL, with lots of coaches screaming, “Can’t anyone block these guys?” And the fans screaming for more points and the people in Buffalo and Detroit, screaming…. well, just screaming, generally.

And as I mentioned with Wisconsin, this trend could also carry over to NCAA football as well, with people finely figuring out how to stop the spread offenses and go back to the old ” 3 yards and a cloud of dust ” football. Except in some schools like my old alma mater, UNT, where it will be mostly just dust.

Football is back and all is right with the world.. Everything will be better, except for a couple of marriages! Happy Pigskins.

Tony