Trizz : 8-8 win/loss record 6-9-1 against the spread ! Blake : 10-6 win/loss record 8-8 against the spread.
That's right, we're men, we can deal with our awful prediction results from the previous week. Procrastination may have ensued but we're here and I am personally ready, willing and able to accept responsibility in failure. I refused to go down without a fight by boldly predicting the Patriots would slaughter the Jets, and going out on a very weak limb, picking the Giants to beat the Colts. If I lose, if I'm wrong, I want to be crushed and devastated as opposed to not standing by my convictions. Of course now that the Jets have won a division game, the Cowboys don't want to make the playoffs, the Patriots defense came back down to earth, and the Jets are who we thought they were...good? In admitting defeat for the week and in praising my partner Blake Broussard (good job Blake for having a winning record although the underdog won a majority of the games), I will also do the unthinkable in giving some slight respect for those clever folks over at ESPN. Almost every expert had at least an 8-8 record (like myself) while others finished 9-7 and 10-6. Also respect to fellow local sports bloggers for undoubtedly being smarter than me regarding week two of the 2010-11 NFL season. Thus ends complimenting everyone else, now to refute their sports knowledge and explain why I will inevitably become the king of NFL predictions as this season progresses...(Also be sure to check out why everybody's wrong about everything they think about the Jets and Braylon Edwards in general in the last paragraph. Braylon Edwards should not be playing this sunday, but we are all hypocrites and the Jets should not be getting destroyed in the press)
Skip Bayless, Jamele Hill, and the ESPN power rankings agree that the NFC east is one of, if not the worst division in the NFL this season. Not only are the way off, but they're also completely wrong. When seeking some sort of lousy evidence for their weak arguments, ESPN analysts refer to their own company's ratings of a league that made the sunday night game on NBC most prevelant and important. The Eagles may have traded a very good quarterback, but they traded him within the division. Before last year the Giants were not just a good team, but one of the best teams for two consecutive seasons, and despite horrible performances they still finished 8-8. The Redskins already had a great defense that has built up its credibility for years, and now they have a quarterback who knows how to win games (Look at how badly Jason Campbell has still been). On the other hand, the Eagles may have lost their franchise QB, but Vick and Kolb are two quarterbacks with tremendous potential. Vick has already proven how amazing he can perform when he's back near the top of his game. The Eagles defense is always above averages, and though they couldn't block my grandma, they have incredible talent at the skills positions (Lesean Mccoy whom I told you would be great last week, Desean Jackson, and Jeremy Maclin). Furthermore the Giants lost ONE game to the best team in the NFL for the last 10 years. The Colts don't lose two games at home, they don't lose coming off of a division loss, and Peyton Manning is by far the third greatest quarterback of all time. One terrible performance does not warrant critisicm to an excessive degree along with a call for the removal of a great coach in Tom Coughlin. I may have predicted the Giants make the playoffs this year, who knows, but I do know they have more talent then they're given credit for, their O-line isn't as bad as it looked against the Colts incredible pass rushers, their quarterback is a top 10 talent, and they WERE STILL 13-3 two years ago. For ESPN's experts, Skip & Jamele to write off the NFC East and the Giants after two weeks is absurd, especially since the basis for the argument concerning the Cowboys making the playoffs is that their division is so bad, that they'll have to win it. The Eagles almost came back against a super Green Bay Packer team and defense in the first game, the Redskins lost an overtime game to a fantastic team, a team that had just beaten the Colts, who know how good they are, and how irrelevant that game will be to a Giants team looking to have a spectacular season. The Cowboys might still bounce back and make the playoffs because they do have talent, but it's definitely not because they play in a weak division. The Seahawks showed how stupid anyone (namely Colin Cowherd) would be to jump on THEIR particular bandwagon just because they beat a decent niners team in a bad division. The 49ers showed they could compete with the big boys on monday night, and Alex Smith is NOT the worst quarterback ever.
Over in the AFC, I picked the Jaguars to beat the Chargers, fully aware of how inconsistent the Jags have been for seasons, consistently. I just figured Rivers would continue to miss LT and Vincent Jackson, along with his left tackle, Marcus Mcneil. Now the owner wouldn't even listen to reasonable offers for Vincent, and so it's become obvious he wants his former star receiver to sit out the season out of spite. The Jaguars are still good enough to beat anyone at any time, and bad enough the following week, to lose to the worst in the league. I was listening to Glenn Orway, Steve Deossi, and Lou Merloni on the local WEEI Boston sports radio talk show, and they almost drove me as crazy as ESPN's lack of respect for the NFC East and even Mike Francesa's obsession with vengeance upon the Jets. They were talking about how Tom Brady can no longer perform well in the second half, how he's forcing the ball to Moss (perhaps), how awful he was last season (upon returning from injury), and how he's lost his mental toughness if not his ability to throw the deep ball. So many sports writers will attempt to remind you that it's only two weeks into the season, and most of these teams have only had ONE awful game, but it doesn't seem as though anybody is rational enough to believe in reason. Brady had ONE bad second half against a great Jets defense, trying to force it in where Revis was no longer playing, unfortunately for him, Moss has always been overrated and Cromartie owned him. The Jets are good, any of those 3 AFC east teams could win the division, but I will not attack the Patriots, especially their offense. To think Tom Brady has lost ability or given into some type of pressure so early on in the season is so ridiculous, he was against an amazing defense, they lost one road game, GET OVER IT, people. I know the Pats have struggled against good teams on the road for the past couple seasons, but this is the first time their offense has been entirely intact. The fact that the local Bostonites weren't talking about how badly they misjudged their defense after week one, how their defense couldn't step up against an unproven quarterback or how bad Darius Butler played and instead were voicing their worries about the offense, is INSANE. Just like the Jets and Colts are still good teams, and I have to go more with teams I know to be consistently good over the last several seasons, the Patriots and Giants will bounce back, I promise.
In baseball, the Colorado Rockies have been so good for the last three septembers it has honestly become a trend. The Rockies won something like 22 games in a row heading into the playoffs before losing to the Red Sox in the World Series 4 years ago. What's even more impressive is that they're doing it all without the help of one of the best pitchers in the game, Ubaldo Jimenez, who has lost his control in his starts after the all-star break. Joba Chamberlain still has better stuff, but Kerry Wood has been so special, such a perfect 8th inning pitcher, that the Yankees need to go with Wood more often during must-win game scenarios. The Rays continue to have another great late-season surge in spite of their pitchers, James Shields and Matt Garza having the worst draughts of their careers in terms of winning percentage and E.R.A. The Braves are still ahead in the wild card because no one in the National League knows how to hit a baseball. Manny Ramirez couldn't save the White Sox. The Red Sox almost have no choice but to pick up Big Papi's 12 million dollar option for next season, and the Anaheim Angels are going to come back stronger than ever after such a dissappointing season this year.
Like the prospect of a virgin's first bedroom conquest, allow me to keep this short and sweet, and hopefully satisfying for all parties involved. BREAKING NEWS: Braylon Edwards, wide receiver for the New York Jets, is a moron! When Plaxico Buress brought a gun into a NYC club and shot himself in the leg, got arrested, convicted on gun possession charges, sentenced to prison, and cost himself a few of his prime athletic years in the NFL, some fans felt sorry for him. I thought about it for awhile, seeing as how he had just helped my team, the New York Giants, win the Super Bowl in one of the greatest upset victories in the history of any sport, I, myself, felt sorry for him a short time. There were even times when I defended his decision to myself in a classic battle of self-mutilation....or self-actualization? Steve Smith, now the best receiver on the team, had recently been robbed before Plaxico made the poor choice of carrying a weapon on him when going out to experience the night life of the city. I told myself, my friends & family, and random strangers who were oblivious to my ignorant arrogance that Plaxico was scared, he was only trying to protect himself, he was depressed, lost, he wasn't aware of the strict New York gun laws after living in Florida (notoriously weak gun control/restriction laws). Some time later, when the Giants lost in the first round of the playoffs and I realized it was mostly Plaxico's fault, I contemplated the situation a bit more, and I also thought about my reasoning for defending the superstar. The truth is that everyone can relate to people who give into their own fears, sadness, insecurities, and he was a sympathetic figure. I still believe he made a mistake, one that he regrets, and that every human being, along with every superstar professional athlete deserves a second or third chance. A certain amount of time has to have passed, lessons have had to be learned and attitudes shifted, but everyone is entitled to a stupid, horrible mistake ONCE in their life. Plaxico knew he had to register his gun in New York if he was going to carry it on himself, he obviously should've been smart enough to know how to put the safety on or at least not have the gun accidently go off, he should've had a bodyguard or friend hold the gun, and he shouldn't have even had a gun in the first place... If he wanted to keep an unloaded one in order to scare away threatining people that would've been understandable, but what was he going to do...shoot an unruly fan? Shoot a druggie gangster in a dark alley? Obviously, he didn't think that through.
Meanwhile my anti-New York Jetisism is officially over. Rex Ryan's smug facial expressions still have the tendency to sicken me almost as much as the radically bold claims that spew forth from his mouth. Perhaps that's a bit extreme, but as with the rest of America, Rex Ryan's Jets' comments and actions have gotten old fast. So many media members back on the bandwagon after a great win over the Pats last weekend certainly didn't make the Jets haters very happy, knowing their arrogant ways would be back on track. The Jets were fun at first, Rex Ryan brought an attitude, an aura, and an excitement to New York. The Jets have finally become a media darling, stealing more headlines than do the Giants. Not to mention, making the AFC championship game last year really brought credibility to this new Jets era. The Ines Sainz situation was clearly overblown by a less than respected reporter, The Jets "Animal House" atmosphere is obviously a work of fiction, and they most likely put in as much work as every other NFL franchise. However, the "fun" came to a screeching halt early tuesday morning when Braylon Edwards was pulled over and found to be driving intoxicated. I am not a wishy washy, iffy, both sides of the fence, one foot in, type of journalist or person, so this topic has been conflicting with my usually strong opinions on controversy in the world of sports. So instead of saying that everybody's partially right, it's time to rip everyone's wrong opinion to shreds. Where do I begin?... I have watched Mike Francesa (WFAN sports show host also appearing on the YES network, one of the more respected voices in the NYC) become desperate, often raising his voice disrespectfully to his own colleagues over the last few days in an effort to assault the New York Jets' integrity. Over the last year, perhaps few months or so, Mike has been on the outs with the Jets organization, due to his verbal bashing of the team on its' handling of various situations. Though I have agreed with Mike more than not, though there's no way the Jets should be letting Braylon Edwards play this sunday, and though the Jets seem to come up with more excuses and falsehoods trying to justify their own questionable decision-making, Francesa is insulting his audience's inteligence in his own right. Obviously Francesa has a biased view of the situation, and to not admit that may be affecting his judgement of the team. He certainly would not be this hard, or critical of the Giants...but the Giants, much like the Steelers (and their handling of the Santonio Holmes marijuana use), and Tom Coughlin would probably not have made the mistakes that the Jets have. Forget that though, most organizations would be trying to find a way to get their best reciever on the field in an important division game (as well as hiding behind the players association), most workers in most jobs would NOT be suspended or fired for getting a DWI (and could show up to work the next day), and the precedent has not yet been set, Ronnie Brown and Joey Porter are two examples of other players on other teams who weren't suspended for their arrests. Hell, Dante Stallworth and Leonard Little murdered people when they drove under the influence and they were still allowed back on the field (Though Stallworth was suspended for a season by Goddell). The Jets offer a service to the players in which any player who has been drinking can get a ride from where they are back to their home. On top of that, the Jets are trying to win a Super Bowl, who knows if Edwards not playing against the Dolphins this sunday could cost them a chance to even make the playoffs, in such a tough division. It's unfair for one player's stupid actions to cost the entire team, to mess up the gameplan, and reduce his team's chances of winning the game.
With that said, other sports radio guys (Mike Greenberg of ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning) are as equally wrong in their opinions and assessment of the situation. Greeny wants the Edwards to play, the Jets are his and he wants to win. Greeny says, much like steroids in baseball, that fans dont have to be supportive of an individual player's terrible exploits off the field while rooting for their favorite team. The only problem with that being the New York Jets franchise is a public entity, different jobs in society require different consequences, and public figures are subject to higher standards. Also, drinking & driving is a serious offense, that not enough people in this country take seriously, causing massive amounts of injury & death to innocent, unsuspecting victims and families. The most horrific part of this story is that Braylon Edwards was drinking with Dante Stallworth before Stallworth committed manslaughter, Edwards, also while intoxicated, punched a man half his size (Lebron Jame's friend). Along with being inconsistent on the field, and dropping more big passes than he catches, Braylon has had a troubled past, and a history of alcoholic encounters, finding that his potential talent outweighs the consequences of his absurd behaviour (and the Jets thought they fleeced Mangini's Browns when trading for the crappy reciever last season). The Jets should have set the precedent, the circumstances are unique, New York is extremely susceptible to such vile, pathetic individuals thinking they're above the law. You'd figure the Jets owner would be more outraged, his daughter died of substance abuse this year. Though Woody and Rex have said some of the right things, they're also liars. To first say that they had to play Edwards this sunday (they only have to pay him), to then suggest the players association would not let them sit Edwards (very untrue, the association were not even willing to file a grievance had the Jets chosen not to dress Braylon Edwards for the game), then to continue the dishonesty by back-tracking, now saying they've been unfairly criticized because the NFL itself has not handed down a punishment and no other teams have suspended players merely based on DUI/DWI arrests before convictions. That's fine, but to give Francesa so much fuel to pour on this fire over the last few days has proven how badly the Jets have mishandled this situation, from the beginning they should've stated "Though we completely disapprove of the crime Braylon has been accused of, we as an organization have decided not to start Edwards as punishment, the NFL has not suspended him and we want to give our team the best chance to win this sunday, period." ... or something to that affect.
By fumbling and bumbling over their own words and statements, they've seemed to incompetent and weak in character. Sometimes you have to sell a piece of your soul in order to put yourself in the best position to win a championship, many teams would be doing the same thing the Jets have decided to (Would they have not suspended him had Holmes already returned from his suspension?). Unfortunately, the kind of players the Jets have recently let go (Alan Faneca, Thomas Jones) seemed to be good character guys, while the Jets knew they were bringing in some players with questionable ethics (Antonio Cromartie, Santonio Holmes), including Braylon Edwards, seemingly the most troubled of their players and proving to have the least integrity. The NFL makes almost pure profit on their $8 beers that they serve at the stadium, many beer and other alcohol related companies sponser many of the games on the networks, the teams, and the stadiums. Could that have something to do with Goddell's lack of response considering how hard he's come down on players like Ben Rothliesberger, a player who HAS NOT and NEVER will be convicted of a crime? At the same time, I do not condemn the Jets for trying to win, and they are not responsible for what happened. Goddell is wrong, Greenberg is wrong, Francesa is wrong, Woody Johnson is wrong, Rex Ryan is wrong, sympathizers are wrong, Jet despisers are wrong and lastly, not leastly, Braylon Edwards was so wrong and pathetic.
Our picks for next week will magically appear tomorrow, the 10 best quarterbacks will be proclaimed, discussed, and disagreed upon by all of us over the next few days. Blake will be declaring his own R.A.T. rant blog post into the wee hours of the morning, and we will continue to know more about sports than you do. Our psychic ability regarding our future predictions will be 50% stronger, according to our resident psychic, the magic 8-ball. Until then sports fans, the American George Clooney wishes you Good night and Good luck, Tom Brady needs to cut his hair and put his model girlfriend in her place (though she makes more money than he does), Space Jam is still a better sports movie than Hoosiers or Remember the Titans (as factual as the fact that the Fugees were always better than the Wu-tang Clan), and Madden 11's team ratings will be the most inaccurate in the history of the game (Jason Campbell is better than Mark Sanchez and Matthew Sanford) (Not to mention the new running game does nothing to negate the lack of defense) PEACE - Trizz
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