The Sports Rumors

Today’s Rundown 9/21

*The New York Mets are choking like no other.  On September 12th, they had a 7 game lead on the Philadelphia Phillies.  Now, only 9 days later, that lead is down to 1.5.  Unbelievable.  The Mets lost to the Marlins last night after blowing a three run lead twice in the same game.  They were put away in the 10th inning.  There are only a few games left and the Phillies have a legit shot at taking the division.  What a collapse of epic proportions that would be, possibly costing Willie Randolph his job.

*Utah Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko has said he is willing to leave the $63 million remaining on his contract on the table for a chance to leave the NBA.  Apparently, he has no desire to play in the league.  He wants to go back and help his country in the Euro leagues.  Okay, here is a thought.  Don’t sign a long term deal with big bucks and have a franchise and their fans invest their future in you, if you’re not sure that you want to be here.  I hope the Jazz screw Kirilenko and don’t release him from his contract.  I think it is absolute BS to sign a deal and then after you’ve made a good few million, want to opt out and go home.  The Jazz invested a lot in this jackass and he was an integral part of their system.  To screw over a team and a city of fans that embraced you is very, very low.  I hope the Jazz give him hell and don’t let him out of his contract without some hefty fines that reach back into the paycheck’s he’s already received.

*It’s Friday folks and you know what that means.  The NFL Picks for each game will be released later this afternoon when I’m done with them.  Also, as I do weekly, I will pick three Sunday day games, the Sunday night game, and the Monday night game and give you my predictions versus the spread.

Today’s Rundown 9/19

*Don’t look now but the Red Sox are down to a 2.5 game lead over the Yankees.  40 games into the season, they had a 10 game lead.  If, and that’s an “IF”, they collapse, it will be one for the memories.  However, don’t buy into the homefield in the playoffs factor too much.  No AL team that had homefield advantage last season won that series.  Just a thought.

*While one New York team is surging, the other is plummeting.  The Mets have lost again and the Philadelphia Phillies have climbed to within 1.5 games of catching them.  Keep a close eye on this one because the Phillies have great position players and are rolling.  This has been the closest, most suspenseful race to October since the new playoff system was introduced in 1995. 

*The Atlanta Falcons have signed quarterback Byron Leftwich to a two year deal, reported by ESPN.  So my question is this.  Why didn’t you do this in the preseason?  Don’t tell me you wanted to see how Joey Harrington did first because that’s baloney.  You could have signed Leftwich, sat him behind Harrington on the depth chart and let him learn the system.  Then, if Harrington faltered, you could put in Byron.  Now you bring in Leftwich and he has no idea what this offense is about.  It will take him at least two weeks, and that means another two losses.  I’m really not sure what the Falcons plan of attack is for this season, or if there even is one. 

College Football Picks: Week 4

Today’s Rundown 9/18

 **NFL Week 3 Power Rankings are up but first…”

*I don’t know if many of you stayed up last night to watch the entire Redskins-Eagles game, or if you even tuned in at all. I have to admit, if you weren’t a fan of one of the two teams, you probably wouldn’t want to watch more than the first quarter because it was a complete defensive battle. However, here’s what you missed. You missed the Redskins defense keep the Eagles from scoring a touchdown. You missed Eagles fans boo’ing McNabb after every missed throw in the second quarter. You missed Brian Westbrook have a Barry Sanders like run that resulted in only a field goal. You missed the Redskins get to the Eagles 1 yard line with 14 seconds left, only to commit penalty after penalty and move back to around the 20. You missed Campbell throw a beautiful touchdown pass to Cooley right after that. You missed the Redskins offensive line, shorthanded, dominate the Eagles linemen and linebackers. You missed the Redskins take a 20-9 lead, cut to 20-12. You missed the Eagles get down inside the Redskins 10 with less than two minutes to go. You missed the Eagles 4^th and 6 pass right at the first down marker to Kevin Curtis. You missed Laron Landry jack Curtis up and end the game. You missed my hometeam improve to 2-0 and put an arch rival into a 0-2 debacle. You’ve waited all spring and summer for NFL games… now man up and stay awake so you don’t miss football.

*Donovan McNabb has done an interview on HBO and the highlight of it being where he says that black quarterbacks are not treated fairly. He went on to mention that he’s criticized more than Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time and go into what’s fair and what’s not because this is a really sticky subject. I will go over a few quick points though. ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd made the argument that Ryan Leaf and Drew Bledsoe got booed often also. With all due respect, neither one of them led their team to four conference title games and one Super Bowl last I checked. McNabb has to realize that the reason he gets booed or criticized as much as he does is because he is not as good as Peyton Manning or Carson Palmer AND because he lives in one of the harshest cities in the world. I criticize Philly fans all the time for being fair weather fans and too tough on their players (maybe that’s why they haven’t won jack in over 20 years as a city). But McNabb also has to understand that unless you’re setting NFL records, throwing six touchdowns in a game, or winning a Super Bowl, you can’t expect to get that same love; especially in Philadelphia.

I do think it’s petty to use the race card because McNabb has seen plenty of love with his Pro Bowl appearances and endorsement deals. It’s no secret that his leadership qualities have been questioned, even before the T.O. drama. Just last night, Ron Jaworski pointed out that many players have said McNabb is a “management guy” not a “players’ guy”.

I think McNabb is a great quarterback and he will continue to be great, whether it’s with Philly or not. However, I don’t like that he used the race card; the same race card that Rush Limbaugh used so recklessly a few years back. Donovan should know better.

NFL Power Rankings: Week 3

Lots of movement in the rankings this week, especially in the top ten. Again, I want to point out to the readers that I will not be ranking teams high based on what they did last year. If you are not reaching your potential and losing games, I don’t care if you were a Super Bowl favorite; you’re going to be ranked low. Enjoy!

Monday Night Football Pick vs Spread

Washington @ Philadelphia (-6.5)

I have been waiting all offseason for this game and I cannot wait till kickoff. I have goosebumps from excitement because my Skins have a chance. Here’s how I see it.

Offense

Philadelphia didn’t show much, if anything, last week in Green Bay. To give them a little credit, it was McNabb’s first game back from major surgery and he was bound to be rusty. In addition, the Packers defense is a baby beast. Those boys can play. The Skins offense wasn’t exactly the most beautiful thing to watch either but they moved the ball consistently on a good Miami defense. The tandem of Betts and Portis in the backfield is by far their greatest strength and riding those two horses is what the Skins will have to do as Campbell matures. Randle El was Campbell’s go to guy last week so it is exciting for me to think how good this offense CAN be once Santana Moss is involved too. Losing Jon Jansen for the season with a broken ankle is a big loss on the right side but the Skins still have a solid offensive line and if they pound the rock with Betts-Portis again (34 times last week), they should be able to control the clock and have a chance against Philly.

Defense

Philly has been a blitz happy terror for years now and have been successful, especially against the Redskins. However, this year, they have weaker linebackers and Lito Sheppard will be out. That doesn’t serve well considering Randle El and Santana Moss will be going against a secondary lacking their best cover corner. Still, look for Jimmy Johnson to mix plenty of zone coverages and unexpected blitzes to throw the young Campbell off balance. The Redskins defense played great for almost the entire game against Miami, except in the final minutes, which is a bad thing. The defensive front generated some decent pressure on Trent Green and the linebackers looked great. It is clear that London Fletcher-Baker is the stable middle linebacker that the Skins needed. The depth that the Skins have at corner is among the best in the league with Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers, and Fred Smoot and Sean Taylor and Laron Landry bringing the punishing hits from the safety positions. Gregg Williams will bring a lot of blitzes to intimidate McNabb early and Philly receivers will HAVE to do better than they did and get some separation if Philly is going to win this game.

Prediction: I see a close, tough NFC East battle with the home team Eagles, unfortunately, winning something like 23-17 or 24-21.

Spread: This is a REALLY tough one to call but I say the Eagles don’t cover. Maybe thats my hometown gut speaking but I’m sticking to it. Take the Skins.

Today’s Rundown 9/17

*Well if there was any question about whether the Chargers were a threat to the Patriots, it has been answered with an exclamation point. The Patriots dominated, absolutely wrecked, the San Diego Chargers last night 38-14. They played with a ticked off attitude the whole game and I would be very intimidated if I were any other team in their path to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady showed his emotions the entire game pumping his fists and tossing around expletives after big plays and scores.

*The Pats game capped off a wild week two in which football fans saw the Browns drop 51 points on their way to beating the stunned Bengals. The Raiders got jipped at the end and lost in overtime to the Broncos, who aren’t looking very good at this point. The Saints got thumped courtesy of the Bucs and the Packers look like they are a little more than just a playoff contender with a defense like that. I’ll have a full recap of the week tomorrow, after Monday Night’s game which showcases the Skins and the Eagles.

*As far as my picks are concerned: I picked 10 out 15 correct (after getting 13 out of 15 last Sunday), which is terrible and I got two right against the spread out of four, one wrong, and one tied. I’ll have my pick for the Skins-Eagles (versus the spread) later today.

*The Yankees took two out of three this weekend in Boston against the much-hated Red Sox. Last night’s 4-3 victory came courtesy of Mr. Clutch, Derek Jeter. Jeter belted a 3 run homer in the top of the eighth with two outs and the score tied at one apiece. The Yankees have a shot at taking the division if the Sox drop a few games between now and the end of the season. It is clear however that the Yankees have the psychological edge on the Sox again, and Boston fans know it.  See Buster Olney Column.

*College Football also had an exciting weekend with another top ten team getting dropped courtesy of an unranked squad. The Louisville Cardinals, who were ranked 9^th going into the game, lost in a shootout to instate rivals Kentucky. UCLA dropped from their 11 spot after getting drubbed by Utah and Nick Saban’s Alabama boys are back in the top 20 for the first time since 2005 after a thrilling upset over 16^th ranked Arkansas. Other noteable games were Florida defeating Tennessee, USC knocking off Nebraska, and of course my favorite; Notre Dame losing 38-0 to Michigan and dropping to an 0-3 record. A full recap of the college week, in addition to my updated power rankings will be up this afternoon.

Until then, enjoy your Monday morning.

NFL Picks vs The Spread - Wk 2

Indianapolis (-7.0) @ Tennessee

I’ve heard a lot of chit chat over the past week by people saying that the Titans will keep it close against the Colts or that the Titans have the Colts’ number. No. They don’t. They won one game against the Colts last year by three points and lost the other by a point. That’s not happening this year. And I don’t know how one win and one close loss means that a team has another team’s number. Here’s how close the Titans were vs. the Colts in their last six meetings. Won by 3, Lost by 1, Lost by 33, Lost by 21, Lost by 27, Lost by 14. I know Vince Young was not present for all but two of those games but Young isn’t going to be lining up to cover Harrison or Wayne on go routes either. I’m sure the Colts are tired of hearing about how the Titans can compete with them and will come out strong because of it. A lot of people are taking Tennessee versus the spread this week but I’m not. Give me Peyton all day with a 33-13 type of score.

Pick: Colts

Spread: Colts Cover

Green Bay @ New York Giants (-2.0)

The Packers are going to be 2-0 after this game and here’s why. The Giants defense is miserable. They can’t stop the run and they can’t stop the pass. I knew this before they lost to the Cowboys. They lost starters on defense in the preseason and weren’t very strong to begin with. Throw in the fact that Eli most likely will not be playing and there goes your chance to score twenty points. Even if Eli played, he’s not moving the ball against the Packers defense. Throw in ANOTHER setback; that being the health of runningback Brandon Jacobs. The Packers D will eat up the Giants the way they did McNabb last week.

Pick: Green Bay

Spread: Take Green Bay

Minnesota @ Detroit (-3.0)

Man am I excited for this game. This is the chance for Jon Kitna to shut up the people who were making fun of the fact that he was confident and thought the Lions could win 10 games this year. Their offense looked superb against an Oakland defense that is no slouch. Mike Martz dominates in his second season with a team and just look at the weapons that Detroit has. Mike Furrey led the NFC in catches last year and he’s their third wideout! Tatum Bell did a good job moving the ball with 5.8 yards per carry, and as long as Kitna stays away from making major mistakes, the Lions will win this game without a problem. The only thing the Lions should be wary of is #28 in purple. Adrian Peterson showed what he’s capable of. However, I think Detroit will get up early and force the Vikes to pass.

Pick: Detroit

Spread: Detroit Covers

San Diego @ New England (-3.0)

The Game of the Week, without a doubt. The Patriots were questioned and called out all week. Their Super Bowl victories and their legitimacy were questioned. ESPN.com’s poll showed that the majority of the nation feels that those wins are now tainted. Realize that the Patriots players heard this all week. They’re going to be angry and San Diego is going to pay for it. The Chargers defense was solid last week but the offense looked awful. LT didn’t do much on the ground and Phillip Rivers failed to pass for a touchdown. I feel the Pats defense is better than the Bears. And again, they will be angry…especially at LT who called out their coach last year. The flipside is that the Chargers have their own bone to pick after the way the Pats mocked them after defeating them in San Diego during the playoffs. This game looks like it will be low scoring but I have a feeling that the Pats might blow it open early. Don’t be surprised if the Pats score 27 on the Chargers. Either way, low scoring or not, Pats will cover.

Pick: New England

Spread: New England Covers

Monday night pick will be up on Monday.

NFL Week 2 Picks

Week two is already here people.  Here’s what I see happening, along with my picks stacked up against the experts.

Cincinnati (-7.0) @ Cleveland

This should be the last game that Cleveland starts a quarterback that isn’t named Brady Quinn.  Cincinnati is coming off of a thrilling win against division rival Baltimore and should put up at least 28 on the Browns.  I’m excited to see what Chad Johnson does if he scores a touchdown.  God I love that guy.

Pick: Cincinnati

San Francisco @ St.Louis (-3.0)

Not really a “must win” game for St.Louis but they certainly won’t be feeling good about themselves with an 0-2 record and a loss at home to an up and coming division rival like the Niners.  Stephen Jackson should have a better game than last week and get over 100 yards rushing, leading to a win. 

Pick: St.Louis

Buffalo @ Pittsburgh (-9.5)

Then 9.5 spread should give the Bills some motivation.  They played their butts off last week against Denver and shouldn’t have been underdogs by more than 7.  People are getting too high on Pittsburgh after one win, forgetting that it was against the Browns.

Pick: Pittsburgh

New Orleans (-3.5) @ Tampa Bay

Saints have had 9 days to prepare for a rebound after the miserable performance on national television against the Colts.  Tampa Bay will lose and lose by a lot.  I still don’t understand why people are in love with Cadillac Williams and picked him so high in fantasy drafts.  He sucks.

Pick: New Orleans

Houston @ Carolina (-6.5)

The Panthers looked nasty against the Rams last week.  Defense looked on point and Delhomme looked like he did two years ago.  Steve Smith will dominate Dunta Robinson this week and the Panthers will win big.  The Panthers were my pick to win the NFC South and I’m sticking to it.  12-4.  Watch.

Pick: Carolina

Atlanta @ Jacksonville (-10.5)

The Jags offense looked anemic last week and had better rebound strong if they want a shot at the playoffs this season.  As for Atlanta, 15 more games till they get the number one pick in the draft.

Pick: Jacksonville

Dallas (-4.0) @ Miami

This year looks like the return of the battle between Moss and Owens as the best wide receiver in the league, and of course Steve Smith is in the conversation also.  Owens has promised to get 100+ catches and 20 touchdowns.  He got two last week, and he’ll get one more this week. 

Pick: Dallas

Seattle (-3.0) @ Arizona

Surprisingly, big week two divisional matchup between the two west coast clubs.  Seattle didn’t look too strong against the Bucs and the Cardinals gave up a win in San Francisco.  If Arizona is going to have a good season, they cannot afford to lose two games to start the season to two divisional opponents. 

Pick: Seattle

Kansas City @ Chicago (-12.0)

Chicago’s offense can be really explosive at times, and can be worse than Kansas City’s at times.  Bears are lucky they have a terrible team coming into town this week.  I have to say, I’m a little surprised that the Chiefs are this bad though. 

Pick: Chicago

Oakland @ Denver (-10.0)

Josh McCown looked good against the Lions last week but he’s out for week two.  Denver looked lousy last week but here’s all you need to know:  The Raiders have not won a division game in three years.

Pick: Denver

New York Jets @ Baltimore (-10.0)

Rookie quarterback Kellen Clemens will get his first start this week for the Jets while Pennington sits out with an injury.  He gets to play against an angry Baltimore defense.  Good luck.

Pick: Baltimore

Upcoming Stuff

How’s it going people.  Happy Friday to everyone.  I’ve been in meetings all day so I have not gotten a chance to post anything new today… but don’t worry.  I will have my full week 2 NFL picks coming up later today as well as the 5 games I will pick versus the spread.

Games I’ll be picking against the spread:

Indianapolis (-7.0) @ Tennessee

Green Bay @ New York Giants (-1.0)

Minnesota @ Detroit (-3.0)

San Diego @ New England (-3.5)

Washington @ Philadelphia (-7.0)

Check back later this evening.