We had a fun week this last weekend. We had one very good game. One out of 4, means we had 25% good games, and 75% not so good. I would have to call the Ravens win over the Steelers a surprise. Perhaps not an upset. The Interstate match up of the Bengals, and Colts, came off as I suspected. One would think this would be a big rivalry. From Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, is a mere 112 mile drive. Just a bit over 2 hours apart. But for some reason, that rivalry never seem to materialize.(Just for those who do not know. Lucas Oil Stadium is also 181 miles from Chicago’s Soldiers Field. about a 4 hour drive. I imagine the fans of those two teams would love to see more games between the two….but not very likely. Before the Colts came to town and the Bengals existed “Da Bears” were Indiana’s HOME TEAM). Had Arizona been totally healthy, I little doubt they would have advanced. …..But, that is why I picked Carolina. There was little doubt in anybody’s mind the Cowboys, would triumph over Detroit. Yeah I know some of you will bring up the so-called “CONSPIRACY CALL”. The way I saw the play the on field reversal was the correct call. The only problem was the OFFICIALS failed to talk the call over before announcing it. BUT how about: who was it Dez Bryant? Or some Cowboy went onto the field without a HELMET. That should have been an infraction, but the officials merely told him to go back to the bench. Not only did he not have a helmet, but as far as I was concerned it put a 12th man on the field who was neither entering to play, or leaving after a play. Let me assure you I am not a Cowboys, or Lions fan. Thus that makes me an “IMPARTIAL OBSERVER”. Now we are down to what we call the Elite Eight. Congratulations to all teams who made it this far. For those of you who do not know how confidence ranking goes, let me explain If we were playing an office pool,(which we ARE NOT). The object is to score the most points. To obtain the score YOU rank the teams by how confident you are a team will win its game. EXAMPLE: Say this week we have 17 games. The team you are most confident will win you would assign the number 17 and follow down to the team you are least confident in and assign that number 1. We use the Monday night game as a TIE BREAKER. The tie is broken by the closest to the total (that is the COMBINED score of the two participating teams) final score, without going over. If we were playing this is how my sheet would look; My pick will be in bold Capital letters. you can use circling, underlining, or highlighting. I will show my correct points in Bold This year I am making a change in the scoring. YOU can adopt the new scoring or continue to use the old scoring. This year we get a negative score for missed games. We will continue to get a positive score for correct predictions. EXAMPLE: LAST YEAR if you scored 1 pt on the first game and you had 15 pt on the second game and was wrong you would still have a Positive 1. HOWEVER. this year the same scenario would result with a -14 score. I will fill in my picks Friday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE SATURDAY 01/10/15 16:35 1 Bal. Ravens 31 @ N.E. Patriots 35 3 3/3 SATURDAY 01/10/15 20:15 2 Car. Panthers 17 @ STL. SEAHAWKS 31 4 7/7 SUNDAY 01/11/15 13:05 3 Dal. Cowboys 21 @ G.B. PACKERS 26 1 8/8 SUNDAY 01/11/15 16:40 4 Indy Colts 24 @ DEN. BRONCOS 13 2 6/8 Tie Breaker (Sunday 2 team total) 52 GAME 4 Actual Score 37 Points Off +14 Possible Points 10 60%/80% Views: 127
Tag: NFL
Belated Super Bowl Wrap-up
I know it is rather late. I have been busy doing some consulting work. Then discovered had an issue with connection upon my return. So this will be short and sweet. YES!!! Seattle Seahawks with Russell Wilson WON! I wish we had a better game. With the top OFFENSE Vs. The top DEFENSE : We should have had a GREAT game. However as I predicted the difference was the Defensive effort. The Denver Broncos had that one blunder in the opening seconds of the game, which threw them in a tizzy. Between that awkward start and the smothering defense of the Seahawks, The Broncos could not recover. I do wish we had seen better showings by both Peyton Manning, and Montee Ball. But neither got much chance to show their skills. Seahawks defense all over them and every Bronco. Now the question is will we see key players from both or either team take advantage of their success this year, to enhance their PAYCHECK. Unfortunately the day of loyalty is long past. Few players have it. I think Peyton Manning would have taken a pay cut to stay with the Indianapolis Colts. Just one of the few LOYAL players around. Speaking of Mr. Manning: I think he may have another year in him. The question is this: Is the desire still beating in his heart. Little brother, has the Super Bowl bragging rights, but Peyton has all those records. I suppose we will just have to wait and see how this all unfolds. Congratulations to both teams for the exceptional season they put together That Is How I See It. P.S. I know the Daytona NASCAR race is coming up. But After all these years I could care less. I usually just flip through the channels and catch glimpses of it. Mike Helton and the powers behind him have ruined it for me. But we will be having our MARCH MADNESS posts. Look for them. Views: 105
NFL SUPER BOWL XLVIII
It is finally here SUPER BOWL 48 !!!!! Vs SUNDAY 02/02/2014. Kick off is scheduled for 6:25 pm on the FOX. Although the schedule I read states the game on FOX starting at 6:30. So I advise you to tune in early, and be prepared for a later kickoff. Question one Do you enjoy the game, or the party? For some it is more of an excuse for a party. Others just enjoy the game. Some people will only watch to see the commercials, Some watch THE HALFTIME SHOW. And believe it or not there are those who will watch for all of the above. As for me I will watch for the game and my favorite commercial, the BUDWEISER CLYDESDALES. Now for some info: As I said last week DO NOT GO TO NEW YORK TO WATCH THE GAME. Because although the New York Giants play their games there, the actual stadium is not even in the state of New York. The game will be played in EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY. Therefore New York has to cash in on the parties and extra curricular activities. It doesn’t seem right does it. The Giants should actually be called the NEW JERSEY GIANTS. Of course NEW JERSEY probably doesn’t care because the state benefits from the games, refreshments, etc of the games played there. But Imagine this, What would the Illinois residents think if the Chicago Bears were actually played in Gary Indiana. Same thing. Looking at the TV Commercial costs. I read (somewhere, don’t ask me where as I generally read at least 7 newspapers before 10:oo am each day, and check about 5 -6 TV station websites plus whatever else catches my eye), as an average a commercial costs $19,789.80 a second or $593,694.00 for 30 seconds, which come up to $1,187,388.00 a minute. Lets not forget production costs for those commercials. There are approximately 30 minutes of commercials during the game. Given this rough estimates that is $35,652,164.00 for the network. Now remember this does not include the pre game and post game shows. This will be the first OUTDOOR COLD WEATHER Super Bowl, since SUPER BOWL X. The first played on Field Turf, (artificial grass). AND, What I think makes this match up unique it will be the only the SECOND TIME IN 20 YEARS THAT WILL BE A TRUE, (In my estimation), SUPER BOWL, pitting the NUMBER ONE seeds from each conference HEAD TO HEAD. GAME SETUP: Veteran Peyton Manning Vs New Comer Russell Wilson, who in just his Sophomore season has led his team to this Super Bowl. For the DENVER BRONCOS. You will watch the old veteran PEYTON MANNING, in what I believe will be his THIRD Super Bowl appearance. No doubt as to his abilities, or his knowledge. Manning is a true student of the game. I feel sure he (with the aid of the coaching staff), have well prepared his team for this meeting. Going over countless clips of the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS, DEFENSE. Picking up every nuance of the Seattle defense, every tell that may tip off the DEFENSE strategy. Heck he has probably had some input for the DEFENSE as well. But will his experience and knowledge be enough to outscore the SEAHAWKS? For the SEATTLE SEAHAWKS. We find a comparative youngster leading the team. Although his record would be-lie that fact. He has abilities that Manning lacks, but this will be his first Super Bowl, He will have to rely on his coaches to send in the knowledge that Manning has already locked up in his head. Can they, The coaches convey this effectively to Wilson. I am sure they have done their best. Some may question the affect the stage (SUPER BOWL) will have on this young man. Speaking from my own experience, (on a somewhat smaller stage), THE GAME IS THE THING. I never heard the crowd, or even thought about them. I was only playing the game, to win. That is all I had on my mind, never so much as looked at the time clock. The referees will tell me when the game is over, then I can look at the scoreboard all I want. I think this will be how Russell Wilson will see it. Final Analysis: I could be wrong but, I firmly believe the key to this CHAMPIONSHIP GAME will be DEFENSE. Both teams have demonstrated . for the most part exemplary defenses. They have also had spells of fading into the grass, what happened in those times. If both teams bring their DEFENSE and keeps them awake, I am looking for a very good, close game. But I think that is the whole KEY to the game. Too close to really call. On one hand I think Veteran, on the other I am compelled to go with the “Newbie”. As long as we get a SUPER QUALITY game, I suppose it doesn’t much matter. Denver fans won’t agree and Seattle fans won’t agree with me on that. (Notice me stalling). I am like both QB’s. My mind is telling me one thing. My heart another. I will admit here that having attended University of Wisconsin. I have to root for Denver and Montee Ball, and with my respect for Manning. But I did watch the impact that Russell Wilson made in just one year there, of course Montee was there too. Like I said too Close, (still stalling). So let me say Good Luck to Both teams, and their respective fans. And please remember it reflects badly on your team if behave badly, Win, or Lose. So please celebrate like adults, and not like a prison riot. Okay my pick for Super Bowl XLVIII is (drum roll please)………………………………….. .SEATTLE BY 2 That Is How I See It. Views: 107
NFL Post Pro Bowl 2014 Final Thoughts
First me say I did not watch but bits and pieces, for reasons stated in the previous post. So this will be short. The times I did watch I saw what I expected to see, a walk thru practice game. Not a FULL contact. I realize some of you may say. “But look at the final score. It went down to the wire”. Haven’t we all done that in some games with our friends or KIDS. Just make things interesting. Like I said an extremely short post. If you enjoyed the “game”, Good for you. Glad you did Stop by later for my take on the Super Bowl. HINT: Don’t go to New York to watch the game. That Is How I See It. Views: 88
Pro Bowl Sunday; 01/26/2014
Today is the first of the newly formatted PRO BOWL. Whoopee. In the beginning this was to be the ALL STAR event of FOOTBALL However, this has been reduced to a sham of the original intent. To bring those who gave the most effort and really stood out during the current season representing their division. It slowly turned into a paid vacation for the big name players, (regardless of the worth of their season). Some of those Highly paid players even had the nerve to turn down the invitation. Last year was, in my estimation, the best Pro Bowl game in many years. So with things looking up for the Pro Bowl, the powers of the league. decided to change the format. This year you will see TEAM MEMBER AGAINST TEAM MEMBER. How do they think this will be better? No more AFC Vs NFC. No East Vs West. No North Vs South. BUT ; Brother Vs Brother. Team mate against Team mate. LOL!! WHAT A JOKE. Imagine (if you will) ME, as your STAR Quarterback. Your Job is to Put me down. Because we are not Team mates on this day, but rivals. So you do your JOB today. You do it well. But while doing your JOB you give me a career ending injury. YAY for you. But tomorrow you have to face your Club’s Owner. “What were you thinking”. He Yells. “Just doing my Job”. You say. I’m sure it would end there. Aren’t You? If you are able to retain your position with the CLUB. Now you will be playing with a new QB. Changes will be made. Maybe your team will have a miraculous season and do well. Or, just maybe they won’t. Do you think your Team mates will have the same respect for you. How about your fans. What I am saying is; This is a no win for NFL. Yes they can be sure to not put a player in the position of injuring a fellow Team mate. But there is nothing to play for. The little amount of money the players receive in this game is less than some donate to charity a year. Just as I said Last Year was a great game. This year I see nothing of interest to watch. So, I may try to watch a bit. But I expect very little competition. Just a walk thru practice game. If you watch it I hope you get a good game, or at least some kind of pleasure from it. As for me I expect it to be a waste of my time. (I could be wrong, most likely not). But for those of you who do watch i wish you well That Is How I See It. Views: 81
NFL Championhip Playoff Week 20 01/19/2014
Ok. I went against the number and picked a long shot upset. My thinking was; it was time for the streak to end. Colts at Indy win. Patriots at New England win. Sometime this has to end. I just picked the wrong week. Now On To The Final Week. After this weeks game the table will be set for the Super Bowl. Will there be an upset? So far it looks like the preseason experts were right. Denver led by veteran Peyton Manning Vs. Seattle led by Sophomore Russell Wilson. I must admit I have a FAVORITE playing in that game. But I also have a connection to then. Actually two connections to the other. l’ll fill in my picks Friday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE SUNDAY 01/19/14 15:00 1 New England Patriots 16 @ DENVER BRONCHOS 26 2 2 SUNDAY 01/19/14 18:30 2 SAN FRANCISCO 49’ER 17 @ Seattle Seahawks 23 1 23 TIE BREAKER 42 40 =2 Views: 90
NFL Week 19 Divisional Playoff 01/11-12/2013
Yes I Blew it again. It is my one big weakness when it comes to the NFL Championship series. Setting aside the Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts game which was played indoors. (Not outdoors, as Football was meant to be played). I will always fall for that old COLD FIELD advantage. The team based in a cold weather area has an advantage because they are used to playing in cold weather. Looking back it seems to be that it is a hindrance. Perhaps the cold weather team assumes it has an advantage, or the warm weather team prepares better, or both. One must also take into consideration, over the course of a season all teams play in warm climate, cold climate, and indoors. Thus I am certain, (now) the COLD FIELD,Advantage no longer exists. I will fill in my picks Friday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE SATURDAY 01/11/14 16:35 1 New Orleans Saints 15 @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 23 4 4 20:15 2 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 22 @ New England Patriots 43 1 4 SUNDAY 01/12/14 13:05 3 SAN FRANCISCO 49’ERS 23 @ Carolina Panthers 10 2 6 @ 16:40 4 San Diego Chargers 17 @ DENVER BRONCHOS 24 3 9 Tie Breaker Score (Total Points of Game 4 51 Actual Score 41 Difference -10 Views: 90
NFL Week 18 Wild Card Playoff 01/04-05/2013
WE are now down to the nitty gritty. WIN OR GO HOME! Have you noticed all games are East of the Mississippi, and in Cold Weather Cities. A time to play your best. A time to take calculated, and sometimes uncalculated risks I Did HAVE AN EXCELLENT WEEK! My Best probably Ever. YAY FOR ME. Don’t miss some real FOOTBALL. The New Years Day College Bowl Games I will fill in my picks Friday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE SATURDAY 01/04/14 16:35 200 1 Kansas City Chiefs 44 @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 45 1 1 2 NEW ORLEANS 26 @ Philadelphia Eagles 24 3 4 SUNDAY 01/04/14 20:10 3 San Diego Chargers 27 @ CINCINNATI BENGALS 10 4 4 4 San Francisco 49’ers 23 @ GREEN BAY PACKERS 20 2 4 Tie Breaker Score (Total Points of Game 4 42 Actual Score 43 Difference -1 Views: 118
NFL Confidence Picks Week 17 12/29 /2013
I will fill in my picks Thursday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE THURSDAY 12/19/13 20::30 NO THURSDAY GAME NO THURSDAY GAME SUNDAY 12/29/13 13:00 1 CAROLINA PANTHERS 21 @ Atlanta Falcons 20 5 5 2 Washington Redskins 6 @ N.Y. GIANTS 20 4 9 3 Houston Texans 10 @ TENNESSEE TITANS 16 9 18 4 Cleveland Browns 7 @ PITTSBURGH STEELERS 20 10 28 5 Baltimore Ravens 17 @ CINCINNATI BENGALS 34 8 36 6 Jacksonville Jaguars 10 @ INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 30 13 49 7 N.Y. Jets 20 @ MIAMI DOLPHINS 7 6 49 8 Detroit Lions 13 @ MINNESOTA VIKINGS 14 3 52 SUNDAY 12/29/13 16:05 NO 16:05 GAMES NO 16:05 GAMES SUNDAY 12/29/13 16:25 9 Kansas City Chiefs 24 @ SAN DIEGO (OT) CHARGERS 27 12 64 10 Buffalo Bills 20 @ NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 34 11 75 11 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 @ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 42 16 91 12 GREEN BAY PACKERS 33 @ Chicago Bears 28 2 93 13 DENVER BRONCHOS 34 @ Oakland Raiders 14 15 108 14 San Francisco 49’ers 23 @ ARIZONA CARDINALS 20 1 108 15 St. Louis Rams 9 @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 27 14 122 SUNDAY 12/29/13 20:30 16 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 24 @ Dallas Cowboys 22 7 129 MONDAY 12/30/13 20:40 NO MONDAY GAME @ NO MONDAY GAME Tie Breaker (Monday 2 team total) 53 Actual Score 46 Points Off -7 Possible Points 136 95% Views: 115
NFL Confidence Picks Week 16 12/22 To 12/23/2013
What we had last week is an example of why they play the games. One thing of note we saw was a field goal kicker score all 18 of his teams points for a win. Hats off to Ravens kicker, JUSTIN TUCKER. And just for the record. the hit to Bengal punter, Kevin Huber may or may not have been illegal, BUT, I DO BELIEVE : The Steelers were playing their usual dirty tactic game PLUS. It was reminiscent of little brats who think if we can’t beat them lets HURT THEM. Tis a shame to see this in any adult activity. Specially when at that level it is ALL about money. WINNING, is a secondary thing. Only need wins to get more MONEY. I will fill in my picks Thursday. Until then feel free to: Just copy and paste for your own Fun Pool Use. Or to see if you can beat me. IF YOU SEE I MADE A MIS COPY OF THE GAMES AND TIMES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AND TELL ME I GOOFED. All Times EST GAME VISITOR SCORE HOME SCORE CONFIDENCE RUNNING SCORE THURSDAY 12/19/13 20::30 NO THURSDAY GAME NO THURSDAY GAME SUNDAY 12/22/13 13:00 1 MIAMI DOLPHINS 0 @ Buffalo Bills 19 4 0 2 New Orleans Saints 13 @ CAROLINA PANTHERS 17 6 6 3 DALLAS COWBOYS 24 @ Washington Redskins 23 7 13 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 @ ST. LOUIS 23 8 21 5 Cleveland Browns 13 @ N.Y. JETS 24 2 23 6 Indianapolis Colts 23 @ KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 7 10 23 7 Minnesota Vikings 14 @ CINCINNATI BENGALS 42 12 35 8 DENVER BRONCHOS 37 Houston Jaguars 13 14 49 9 TENNESSEE TITANS 20 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 16 9 58 SUNDAY 12/22/13 16:05 10 New York Giants 23 @ DETROIT LIONS (OT) 20 11 58 11 Arizona Cardinal 17 @ SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 10 15 58 SUNDAY 12/22/13 16:25 12 Oakland Raiders SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 26 13 71 13 Pittsburgh Steelers 38 @ GREEN BAY PACKERS 31 1 71 14 New England Patriots 41 @ BALTIMORE RAVENS 7 3 71 SUNDAY 12/22/13 20:30 15 Chicago Bears 11 @ PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 54 5 76 MONDAY 12/23/13 20:40 16 Atlanta Falcons 21 @ SAN FRANCISCO 49’ERS 34 16 92 Tie Breaker (Monday 2 team total) 48 Actual Score 55 Points Off -7 Possible Points 136 -44 Views: 100
