Archive for year 2011
Week 3 NFL Picks
At Cincinnati -2.5 San Francisco
AJ Green’s a big time, game-changing threat and Andy Dalton’s looking pretty comfortable at the helm. The Bengals D is a bit underrated as well. I still like the Niners though. They came damn close to upsetting the Cowboys and they’ve held opponents to a league-low 54.5 yards per game through two games this season. I’m going San Fran again this week.
Pick: Niners +2.5
New England -8.5 At Buffalo
Make no mistake, the Pats defense is a huge liability. All this talk about Brady throwing for over 7,000 yards this season hides the fact that New England’s defense has been one of the worst units in the NFL through two games. They’ve allowed an average of 479 per game, and they’re about to face a hot Buffalo team coming off a big comeback win. I think the Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson and company are going to be able to move the ball well, but the Pats will still be able to answer. Start your Bills in fantasy, but keep your money on New England.
Pick: Pats -8.5
At New Orleans -4 Houston
If Houston can find a way to win this game, they have to be considered a top contender in the AFC. This game just feels like a shootout that the Texans won’t win. The Saints have a high-octane offense, and the Texans defense has been one of the toughest units in the game so far. Expect tons of scoring opportunities and look for the home team to hang on for the win.
Pick: Saints -4
At Philadelphia -7 NY Giants
Will Vick play? The NFL’s really stressed this whole concussion awareness thing, but Vick has practiced throughout the week, so look for him to suit up against the Giants. DeSean Jackson is also hurting, but even with the injury cloud hovering over these playmakers, I’ll take a hobbled Eagles team over a battered Giants squad any day of the week.
Pick: Eagles -7
At Cleveland -2.5 Miami
The Dolphins are 0-2 in a division where every other team is 2-0. It’s must-win time on Sunday, especially against a relatively weak opponent. Dolphins play desperate and get their first W.
Pick: Dolphins +2.5
At Tennessee -6.5 Denver
The Titans came out strong against the Ravens, but Kenny Brit’s hamstring may be acting up again. Hasselbeck has played sneakily well so far – 51 of 76 for 621 yards, three TDs, two picks and a QB rating of 94.2 through two games – but there have been plenty of plays where he’s just tossing the ball up for Britt and hoping for the best. If Britt’s slowed mb a nagging hammy, the Titans will need to get a lot more production out of Chris Johnson. CJ2K has a measly 77 yards through two games and he’s averaging 2.3 yards per carry. Yikes. The Broncos have a lot of injuries, but they should be getting back some key starters this week. D.J. Williams, Elvis Dumervil, Knowshon Moreno and Brandon Lloyd were all back at practice this week. I think Denver keeps it close, but the Titans pull away at home.
Pick: Titans -6.5
Detroit -3.5 At Minnesota
What’s this? The Lions are favorites on the road? You’ve seen what this team did in the first two weeks; steady defense, an explosive offense, playmakers on both sides of the ball. After an abysmal performance in Week 1, the Vikings seemed to right the ship last week. Then they let the win slip away. If Percy Harvin is not on the field for a majority of the team’s offense plays this week, someone should get fired. Either way, the Lions prove too much for the Viking to handle.
Pick: Lions -3.5
At Carolina -3.5 Jacksonville
No one expected the Panthers to be this good on offense, but the team is still struggling to establish the run and maintain momentum on both sides of the ball. One way to get things right is to host a rookie QB starting his first NFL game. Pick the panthers to get their first W.
Pick: Panthers -3.5
At San Diego -14.5 Kansas City
The Chiefs are in full on panic mode. Cassell’s looked terrible. They lost their best defensive player in Week 1 and their most potent offensive weapon in Week 2. Travelling to San Diego to face a team that’s balanced on both sides of the ball isn’t going to help at all. Chiefs absorb another beatdown.
Pick: Chargers -14.5
NY Jets -3.5 At Oakland
I think this is one of the toughest games of the week to call. The Raiders aren’t going to be kicked around anymore. They’re playing good football and could easily be 2-0. The Jets had a gimmie last week, but the Cowboys did give them some trouble in Week 1. I’m going to go with the Raiders to cover at home. They may not win, but they’ll keep it close.
Pick: Raiders +3.5
Baltimore -3.5 At St. Louis
You better believe that Harbaugh’s going to have his team ready to throw down this weekend. That Titans game was a wake-up call, and the Ravens are going to come out looking to make a statement against a team that can’t really get things going on either side of the ball.
Pick: Ravens -3.5
At Tampa Bay -1.5 Atlanta
I know the Falcons play poorly on the road, and it’s always hard to pick against a scrappy Tampa Bay team that always finds a way to win games, but I have to go Falcons here. They have more weapons and they look more poised to make a leap to the next level.
Pick: Falcons +1.5
Arizona -3.5 At Seattle
Seattle is not a good football team. In Pittsburgh, the Seahawks never even saw the Steelers’ side of the field until the fourth quarter. This team can’t pass, can’t run and they can’t stop the pass or the run. Sure, the Cardinals lost to the Redskins and yea, their secondary is terrible, but they’re better this team is better than Seattle.
Pick: Cardinals -3.5
Green Bay -3.5 At Chicago
Evaluating the Bears is a seesaw exercise week in and week out. They looked dominant against the Falcons and looked totally outmatched by the Saints. The team is probably somewhere in the middle – good enough to be top tier, but not good enough to be considered elite. The Packers had a first half scare against the Panthers, but the better team won in the end. The Packers are an elite squad that will find a way to get it done on the road.
Pick: Packers -3.5
Pittsburgh -10.5 At Indianapolis
The Steelers cover easy and keep building their confidence.
Pick: Steelers -10.5
At Dallas -5.5 Washington
I don’t care what anyone says, I don’t believe in the Redskins. Grossman and company deserve some credit for not playing terrible, horrible football, but this team is due for a loss. I picked the Niners to beat the Cowboys last week, but I didn’t account for Tony Romo’s late game heroics. The Cowboys may be banged up, but they still have the pieces in place to beat the Skins.
Pick: Cowboys -5.5
Last Week: 9-6-1
Season: 19-11-2
Sep 22nd
Blue Mic Snowball Microphone Review
Sometimes you want to record professional-quality sound without having to be a professional sound engineer. For people with plug-and-play sound recording needs, it doesn’t get much easier than the Snowball USB Microphone from Blue Mic.
We received a Snowball mic to review and the thing is pretty impressive. It comes in at just over two pounds, sits sturdy on any flat surface and gives you crisp, clean sound straight from your USB port. The mic uses a proprietary condenser capsule and as a sample rate of 44.1 kHz. The Snowball features three different recording settings: cardiod, cardioid with pad and omni-directional. The cardiod capsule is ideal for recording speech and vocals. The cardioid with a -10dB pad is best for capturing live music and louder sound sources. The omni capsule is best used for interviews, conferences or any recording that requires the capturing of larger, more environmental sound sources. It works for podcasters, musicians and anyone who needs quick, clean and easy-to-use voiceover recording.
The mic is available in white, chrome or solid black. It comes with a sturdy swivel mount that functions as a desktop tripod. You can’t use the thing with a traditional analog mixer, but digital setup is quick and easy. You can also connect the Snowball Mic to an iPad using the Apple Camera Connection Kit.
Whether you chat, play music, conduct interviews or if you just need to record your voice on something, you can’t go wrong with the quality and ease of use that the Snowball Blue Mic provides. The MSRP for the mic is $99.00, but you can get in online for a lot cheaper than that.
Sep 21st
Capital One Mascot Challenge
Who doesn’t love college mascots? And who knew that all these goofy sports icons had such intricate back stories? Capital One’s putting on their 10th Annual Mascot Challenge this season. Sixteen college mascots from nine different conferences are going to go head-to-head throughout the season to determine who will be crowned the Capitol One National Mascot of the Year at the 2012 Capital One Bowl.
Check out this week’s head-to-head matchup featuring The Oregon Duck vs. Aubie from Auburn:
You can vote for your favorite mascot at CapitolOneBowl.com.
Sep 20th
Win Free Newcastle Stuff All Week
In anticipation of our Newcastle Walk the Dog Day event this weekend, we’re giving away tons free stuff all week. From now till Saturday, we’re giving away one Newcastle Cooler Bag and one Newcastle Bar Stool a day. How do you score this stuff? A few different ways. Here’s what you need to do:
- Post a Tweet to @MANjrcom and tell us about your favorite Walk the Dog story (sneaking out to grab a pint). Please use the hashtags #Newcastle and #WalkTheDog.
- Send us an email using the submission form below.
- Hit us up on Facebook and tell us why you love Newcastle!
And remember, if you want to attend the MANjr Newcastle Walk the Dog Day event in Santa Monica this Saturday, just email your Full Name and “Finn McCool’s” to WalkTheDogDay@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
Sep 20th
Newcastle Walk the Dog Day Event
It’s no secret that we love Newcastle around here, so we’re all fired up about an event that we have planned with Newcastle on Saturday, September 24 at Finn McCool’s in Santa Monica. This weekend, Newcastle is celebrating Walk the Dog Day all across LA, and we’re proud to be a part of the festivities.
What does it mean to Walk the Dog? Glad you asked! Basically the phrase “Walk the Dog” is a classic excuse that British dudes give when they want to duck out and enjoy a pint with their mates. So instead of telling your lady that you’re heading down to the pub to put back a few rounds with your bros, you just say that you’re going to Walk the Dog (even if, you know, you don’t even have one).
So this Walk the Dog Day event is going to be pretty sweet. The Walk the Dog Day celebrations are taking place in five different spots around Los Angeles, but the MANjr event will be held on the Westside.
Date: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2011
Time: 11AM – 3PM
Locations: Five Walk the Dog Day events will take place simultaneously at Finn McCool’s (Santa Monica), Villains Tavern (Downtown LA), Alex’s Bar (Long Beach), 2nd Floor (Orange County), The Echo (Silver Lake)
We’ll be posting up at Finn McCool’s, a “painstakingly dismantled” Irish pub that was brought over from the Old World in 2002. The owner, Geraldine Gilliland, packed up the entire contents of her late step-father’s pub in Ireland and reconstructed it on Main Street in Santa Monica. Finn McCool’s features 18 craft beers, over 200 whiskeys and some pretty decent grub.
But Saturday, September 24 will be a day for Newcastle lovers. Sure, there will be food served as well, but if you love Newkie Brown, you won’t want to miss this. The entry for the event is $1, a small price to pay for drinking a bunch of free Newcastles. That dollar is going to charity as well, so your low-low entry fee is actually going to support the Los Angeles Art Association).
The event will take place from 11am to 3pm and will feature live music by Hanni El Khatib, original art by Ron English, tons of t-shirts and giveaway opportunities and of course, delicious Newkie Brown Ale.
Guests will need to RSVP by sending their name and location preference (yea Finn McCool’s in Santa Monica) to WalktheDogDay@gmail.com. Make sure to get your name on the list cause they’re not letting just any old walk-in riffraff into the event. This is strictly for Newcastle lovers in the know.
We’re ramping things up this week in anticipation of the event, and that means tons of giveaway opportunities for you, loyal reader. Every day this week we’ll be giving away one Newcastle Cooler Bag and a Newcastle Barstool.
We’ll have more info on the giveaways and the original art that you can score from Ron English. Just remember to RSVP and stay tuned for more details!
Sep 19th
Tony Parker Shows Off the New Tissot T-Touch II
Tissot’s been making sick watches since 1853. The new Tissot T-Touch II is a luxury watch with some crazy touchscreen features. Here’s a video of Tony Parker showing off all the stuff you can do with the newest model from Tissot:
Sep 16th
Jim Beam Bold Choice
We’re partnering up with Jim Beam on a really cool initiative called the Jim Beam Bold Choice Campaign. Basically, MANjr was selected by Jim Beam to act as a Bold Choice blog partner. As part of the campaign, Jim Beam is providing me with the means to make my Bold Choice dreams a reality. I should disclose that the opinions expressed on this site are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Jim Beam is just hooking me up with the chance to make a Bold Choice and write about it.
Here’s a well-put take on the whole Bold Choice idea, courtesy of Willem Dafoe:
So what sort of Bold Choice am I going to make? Well, I narrowed it down to three options which I’ll outline below. It’s up to you, loyal readers, to decide which Bold Choice I end up going with. Here’s what’s on the table:
Diving in the Great Barrier Reef
I’ve always wanted to see the Great Barrier Reef up close. The world’s largest reef system is a World Heritage Site and it’s visible all the way in outer space, man. There are nearly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands that make up the 130,000-mile plus Great Barrier Reef system. It’s off the coast of Queensland and pretty much any photo you take can be licensed as a default desktop background. With coral bleaching, climate change, overfishing, pollution and such, this natural wonder of the world isn’t going to be around forever. I’d like to check it out before it’s gone.
Hiking a Volcano in Hawaii
I’ve never been to Hawaii, but I hear it’s awesome. Trekking up a volcano or checking out some massive craters created by Mother Nature’s fury sounds like a damn good time to me. Plus, a little bit of beach time and relaxation never hurt anybody.
Skydiving in Austria and Attending Oktoberfest
Austria’s a good-looking country. You got the old imperial center of Vienna and panoramic Alpine views all rolled up into a country that’s slightly smaller than the state of Maine. I think it’d be fun as hell to jump out of a plane and check out the view at 10,000 feet or so. If I survive that, it’s off to Oktoberfest to enjoy some celebratory brats and brews with red-faced folks in lederhosen.
These are the Bold Choice candidates that I have to work with, but the decision is up to you, MANjr fans. Drop us an email below and let me know which Bold Choice you’d like me to make. I promise to write all about it with photos and good stories.
Thanks again to Jim Beam for including us in this sweet campaign. I have a chance to try out some once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and I can’t wait to see which one I end up enjoying. I’ll keep the voting open for a couple of weeks and let you guys know which Bold Choice wins out on September 30.
Sep 16th
Week 2 NFL Picks
Week 1 is in the books and it was filled with sloppy tackling, big special teams plays and tons of passing yards. Big fellas looked winded all across the league, and clearly there are a ton of teams that need to work out the kinks after the lockout-shortened offseason. The entire NFC South is winless, the Vikings are already on the bottom looking up in the NFC North, same deal with the Dolphins in the AFC West. All that can change in Week 2 of course. Here’s a look at our picks:
At New Orleans -6.5 Chicago
The Bears looked legit in Week 1, but it’s hard not to like the Saints offense at home in the dome. Still, there are other factors to consider. The Packers did whatever they wanted to on offense against the Saints. I also feel like the Bears are going to rally around Brian Urlacher after his mother passed away this week. An underrated, emotionally hyped-up team could spell trouble for the Saints. Bears cover in an emotional seesaw battle:
Pick: Bears +6.5
At Detroit -8 Kansas City
The Chiefs look like a mess and the Lions did nothing to quiet they hype. The loss of Eric Berry for the season is dire for KC. Detroit fans finally have something to cheer for. Look for Stafford to put up big numbers again in the Lions home opener.
Pick: Lions -8
At NY Jets -9 Jacksonville
The Jets got some lucky breaks at the end of the game and took one from Dallas last week. The Jags didn’t ask new starting QB Luke McCown to do too much (175 yards, no TDs and no picks). MJD and Deji Karim provided most of the offense for Jacksonville with 43 rushing attempts. The Jets gave up 315 passing yards to Dallas, but the Cowboys only gained 45 yards on the ground. Look for the Jets D to bottle up the run and force some mistakes from McCown.
Pick: Jets -9
At Buffalo -3 Oakland
The Bills absolutely lit up the Chiefs in Week 1. Fred Jackson gained 112 yards and Ryan Fitzpatrick tossed four touchdowns. The Bills had trouble stopping the run last year, but they held Jamaal Charles to only 56 yards. Still, KC was down early and never had a chance to get the ground game going. KC finished with 108 rushing yards on 18 attempts, so the team still averaged six yards per carry. The Raiders ground game led the way in Denver. Darren McFadden rushed for 150 yards on 22 carries. The Bills are going to have some trouble with McFadden, but Fitzpatrick will be able to pass the ball on an Oakland team that allowed 304 passing yards from Kyle Orton. I like the Bills at home.
Pick: Bills -3
At Washington -3.5 Arizona
Expect a shootout in DC. Grossman’s going to pick apart a secondary that allowed over 400 passing yards to a QB making his first NFL start last week. Kolb looked good in the opener and I expect him to build on this success with another strong passing effort.
Pick: Cardinals +3.5
Baltimore -6 At Tennessee
The Ravens destroyed Pittsburgh at home and now they’ll hit the road and take on the Titans. The Titans had trouble stopping the run in Week 1, and if it wasn’t for a couple big plays by WR Kenny Britt, the Titans would’ve lost in more convincing fashion. Chris Johnson isn’t going off this week. Ray Rice will run wild and the Ravens will take care of business on the road.
Pick: Ravens -6
At Pittsburgh -14 Seattle
I’d hate to be a Seahawk this week. The Steelers are going to come out angry after suffering their worst defeat in years. This game features the largest spread of the week, and for good reason. Reports of the demise of the Steelers aging defense are greatly exaggerated. I saw a lot of missed tackles and winded defenseman in week 1 of this post-lockout season. The Steelers D is the same unit that got the Super Bowl last year. James Harrison isn’t 100 percent after two offseason back surgeries, but this unit will be fine. Big Ben will play smart, the defensive playmakers will show up and the Steelers cover easy.
Pick: Steelers -14
Green Bay -10 At Carolina
I don’t care how terrible the Arizona secondary is, Cam Newton still looked extremely comfortable in his first NFL start. He stood tall in the pocket, moved around when he needed to and connected on 24 of 37 passes for 422 yards, two TDs and a rushing score. The kid can play. So can Aaron Rodgers. I don’t remember seeing a Packers third down last Thursday against the Saints. Green Bay moved the ball at will. I love the feel-good nature of the Panthers, but the champs can cover 10 points on ‘em.
Pick: Packers -10
At Minnesota -3 Tampa Bay
39 yards? Really McNabb? More than half the leagues QB’s passed for more than 300 yards in Week 1, but Donovan couldn’t crack 40. The Vikings lost but still covered the spread last week against the Chargers. Now they get a chance to right the ship at home. The Bucs are coming off a tough home loss to the Lions where LeGarrette Blount was barely used (5 carries, 15 yards). Look for that to change this week. Still, I like the Vikings to rebound in a close game.
Pick: Vikings -3
Cleveland -2.5 At Indianapolis
I picked Cleveland in a Survivor Pool last week, and it cost me. I was betting against Andy Dalton, but then the Bengals broke out the Polish Rifle, Bruce Gradkowski. He found AJ Green for his first NFL reception/TD. The Browns couldn’t answer and I’m bitter about it. As sad as it was watching the Colts get demolished by the Texans, there are still some decent players on that team. These guys are professionals, and they have to be pretty fired up about everyone writing them off. All this talk of a winless season and an Andrew Luck draft pick pisses the Colts off enough to cover at home against a Browns team that couldn’t handle the friggin’ Bengals.
Pick: Colts +2.5
Dallas -3 At San Francisco
For three quarters, the Cowboys looked sick in the Meadowlands. Romo was making plays, Dez Bryant was everywhere, Miles Austin was breaking loose and Jason Witten got tons of looks. Then came the inevitable Dallas meltdown. Dez won’t be 100 percent this week. I like the 49ers, and not just cause Ted Ginn found the endzone on two returns. Alex Smith dinked and dunked his way to 124 yards, completing 15 of 20 passes against Seattle. Gore didn’t impress, tallying 59 yards on 22 carries. San Francisco’s D kept Marshawn Lynch in check and they were able to pressure Tavaris Jackson. The top weaponm for the Niners may end up being David Akers again this week. The Cowboys aren’t bad, but there’s something brewing with Harbaugh at the helm in SF. I’m going with an irrational gut pick and taking the Niners this week.
Pick: Niners +3
Houston -3 At Miami
After surrendering 622 yards of offense to Tom Brady and company, Miami gets the unfortunate task of trying to stop a Texans team with too many weapons. Arian Foster’s likely to play, but even if he doesn’t, the Texans proved they can run the ball with anyone in the backfield. Toss in Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels and Schaub at the helm, and this looks like another tough day for Miami’s D. I really like Owen Daniels this week. You saw what the Pats TEs did last week – Hernandez and Gronkowski combined for 13 catches, 189 yards and two scores. I don’t care how good Henne looked. Brandon Marshall can call him the White Vick all day long. The Texans are just too explosive. The Fins will lose again.
Pick: Texans -3
At New England -6.5 San Diego
The Chargers may get Tolbert back, but it’s hard to not like the Pats here. Sure, the defense has some serious issues stopping people. And yea, the Chargers know how to move the ball, but these Norv Turner-led Chargers just don’t win that many away games in September/October. The team lost their first four road games last season (against these teams no less: the Chiefs, Cards, Raiders and Rams). The Chargers will score points, no doubt, just not enough to cover against a locked-in Pats squad.
Pick: Pats -6.5
At Denver -3.5 Cincinnati
I’d stay away from this game at all costs. The Broncos looked pretty weak against the Raiders and the Bengals pulled off a surprise win in Week 1. Not sure what to make of either team at this point. Denver’s kind of banged up. Brandon Lloyd hurt his groin. Champ Bailey hurt his hamstring. Elvis Dumervil hurt his shoulder. Knowshon is questionable with a hamstring injury as well. DJ Williams wasn’t healthy enough to play in Week 1. That’s a lot of big names to have hurt. Factor in the home crowd calling for the starting QB’s demise and that’s tough sledding for any team. The Bengals are still the Bengals, but their defense was solid in Week 1. If they can take advantage of the ailing Broncos D, this game should be close. Still, I’ll give the edge to the home team. Hopefully the crowd can avoid turning on Orton.
Pick: Broncos -3.5
Philadelphia -2.5 At Atlanta
Vick returns to ATL, where Matt Ryan loves to play. If you take a look at his game logs, Ryan is just way better in the comfort of his own dome. This game will be close. Expect lots of points on both sides. It’s hard to not like what the Eagles can do, but I just feel like Atlanta’s the smarter choice at home. Start any fantasy player on either squad, but expect the Falcons to come out on top.
Pick: Falcons +2.5
At NY Giants -6 St. Louis
I like the G-Men at home here. There are big injuries on both teams and holes all around. I’ll give the Giants the benefit of the doubt at home.
Pick: Giants -6
Last Week:
10-5-1
Sep 16th
Pepsi MAX Fields of Dreams Team Fan Finalists Announced
In the beginning of September, Pepsi MAX announced the final fan-selected roster of the Field of Dreams Team. The team was selected out of a field of 36 living baseball legends, a list that included 20 Hall of Famers, 20 MVPs, 15 Cy Young Award winners and 32 world champions. Here is the final roster that baseball fans came up with:
- Starting Pitcher – Randy Johnson
- Catcher – Johnny Bench
- First Baseman – Frank Thomas
- Second Baseman – Rod Carew
- Third Baseman – Mike Schmidt
- Shortstop – Cal Ripken, Jr.
- Outfielders – Ken Griffey, Jr., Tony Gwynn and Reggie Jackson
- Relief Pitcher – Dennis Eckersley
- Designated Hitter – Edgar Martinez
Not a bad squad. I certainly wouldn’t want to go up against a lineup like that, but one lucky fan is going to win the chance to put together a team of friends and go head-to-head against these legends. Pepsi MAX announced the four finalists who have a chance to field a team against this real-life fantasy squad:
These four finalists will campaign for your votes on MLB.com/PepsiMax. So head over to the site and vote for the fan who you think is the most deserving to battle the Fields of Dreams Team.
Sep 15th
Bear Grylls Is Chatting on Reddit Right Now
Ever wanted to chat up Bear Grylls? You can right now on Reddit.com. Grylls is answering questions on anything, so if you want know what extreme situation will make him drink his own you know what, head over to Reddit and hit the guy up. Video and text responses to specific questions will be posted on the Degree Men YouTube Channel later this afternoon.
Sep 13th
