Sports
Week 2 NFL Picks
Alright so last week’s picks weren’t that fantastic, but I still hit a nice parlay after Rashard Mendenhall took it to the house in Pittsburgh’s overtime win against Atlanta. Seven correct calls, six incorrect calls and three pushes against the spread. Nothing to write home about, but not a total embarrassment either. Odds makers are starting to figure teams out a bit better, so this week pick’s features fewer upsets and some more reasonable spreads. Here are the picks:
At Cleveland (-2) Kansas City
The Chiefs looked pretty good against San Diego last week. In rainy conditions, KC played physical football and excelled on special teams. Jake Delhomme hasn’t practiced this week because of an ankle injury, and the Browns were edged out by the lowly Bucs in Week 1. Shaun Rogers isn’t ready to rumble at full speed yet either. With Seneca Wallace starting, I like the Chiefs here.
PICK: Chiefs +2
At Green Bay (-13) Buffalo
Don’t let the loss of Ryan Grant fool you into thinking that Green Bay will lose a step. Brandon Jackson is a capable fill-in for the high-octane Packers offense. And the kinda Bills suck. Buffalo will be without linebacker Paul Posluszny, who hurt his knee against Miami. The spread is huge, but the Packers are at home. I don’t care how many decent running backs are on the Bills roster, Packers win and cover.
PICK: Packers -13
Baltimore (-2.5) At Cincinnati
The Ravens didn’t look all that pretty against the Jets, but they still got the W. That defense is as stiff as any unit in the league, and even on an unimpressive day, Flacco and his new set of offensive weapons look like they can do some damage. The Bengals got bombarded by the Pats, but found a way to make the loss less painful in the end. No matter how you stack it up, Baltimore is just better (even on the road).
PICK: Ravens -2.5
At Tennessee (-5) Pittsburgh
Upset special! Interim Steelers QB Dennis Dixon looked horrible on short throws, but his 52-yard pass to Mike Wallace shows that, in a pinch, the guy can fling it. Mendenhall’s day was fairly unimpressive until he broke out for a 50-yard TD run in overtime. But the Steelers D is back, baby! Troy’s pick last week was game-changing and Pittsburgh’s defense only allowed 58 rushing yards. Chris Johnson isn’t going to break off a 150-yard game against this squad. Vince Young has never faced Dick LeBeau’s blitzing schemes. Look for Young to make some plays with his feet and some mental mistakes in the passing game. As long as Dixon doesn’t have three turnovers, the Steelers can squeak by the Titans.
PICK: Pittsburgh +5
Philadelphia (-6) At Detroit
In the battle of the backups, I’ll take an inaccurate Michael Vick over an inaccurate Shaun Hill. When plays break down for Hill, he’ll toss the ball to Megatron, triple-coverage be damned. When plays break down for Vick, at least he’ll have a chance to do something with the football in his hands. Jahvid Best scored two TDs last week, but he also averaged 1.4 yards per carry. Detroit should have won last week, but this week’s loss won’t be controversial.
PICK: Eagles -6
At Dallas (-7.5) Chicago
Chicago couldn’t punch the ball in from the goal line last week. Matt Forte had a big game, but not on the ground. In Mike Martz’s pass happy system, Jay Cutler’s gonna rack up some serious yardage, but he’s also gonna make some mistakes. The Cowboys know all about mistakes. A dumb holding call at the end of last week’s game against Washington erased a Romo-to-Roy Williams touchdown and a comeback victory for Dallas. The Cowboys leading rusher, Marion Barber, only mustered 39 yards against the Redskins. Miles Austin proved he was worth the money, though. Austin caught 10 passes for 146 yards and a score. The Bears got a gift last week, but Romo is no Shaun Hill. He’ll make some big plays against Chicago’s suspect secondary and put the Cowboys in a position to win.
PICK: Dallas -7 (buy the damn .5)
At Carolina (-3.5) Tampa Bay
Matt Moore suffered a concussion in Week 1’s loss to the Giants, but it looks like he’ll play this week. Moore had three picks and a fumble in Week 1.Yikes. Carolina’s offense really needs to get it together, but I think things will start clicking in Week 2 (as long as Moore finds Steve Smith and hands the ball off repeatedly). Tampa Bay’s defense looked piss-poor against Cleveland in the first half last week, but the Bucs tightened up and capitalized on turnovers in the second half. Look for Carolina’s offense to find a rhythm against the Bucs in Week 2.
PICK: Panthers -3 (buy the .5, again)
At Atlanta (-6.5) Arizona
The Falcons lost a tough one last week in Pittsburgh. Michael Turner couldn’t get going and Atlanta never found the endzone. Arizona moved the ball well against the Rams, but the Cardinals had four turnovers and almost allowed the Rams to take the game. Beanie Wells isn’t healthy and Derek Anderson is who you thought he was. The advantage in this game goes to the home team. Look for the Falcons to rebound.
PICK: Falcons -6.5
At Minnesota (-5.5) Miami
Favre’s rusty as hell, but the Vikings are still a damn good football team. I like the Dolphns, but not against a Vikings team at home in the dome. There’s no way the Vikings don’t feed Adrian Peterson. He only got six second half carries last week. Minnesota makes the adjustments this week.
PICK: Vikings -5.5
At Oakland (-3.5) St. Louis
It’s doubtful that the Rams will let Sam Bradford throw 55 pass attempts every game, but the fact that they let their rookie QB go to the air that many times shows that St. Louis has confidence in the new face of the franchise. Michael Bush practiced this week, but he’s still not close to taking over the featured tailback role. If you got surprise fantasy love from Darren McFadden in Week 1, you’ll probably have one more week to capitalize.
PICK: Rams +3.5
At Denver (-3.5) Seattle
Who knows what to think of Seattle? Is the team that good or did the 49ers meltdown that bad? I think the Broncos can take ‘em, but with so many other games to wager on, I’d steer clear of this one.
PICK: Broncos -3 (buy .5)
Houston (-3) At Washington
Arian Foster’s not going have a monster game against the Skins. He’ll be a useful back for weeks to come, but Schaub’s going to do the heavy lifting this week. Washington looks like a solid football team, but the Texans are too fired up.
PICK: Texans -3
At San Diego (-7) Jacksonville
The Jags are for real, but the Chargers bounce back from last week’s loss to win at home.
PICK: Chargers -7
New England (-3) At NY Jets
Revis isn’t a 100 percent. Mark Sanchez and Shonne Green didn’t light up any highlight reels last week. Meanwhile, Tom Brady and the Pats came out all fired up against Cincy. The final score didn’t reflect the initial shellshock that New England delivered. For all the bluster in the offseason, the Jets are going to start the year 0-2.
PICK: Pats -3
At Indianapolis (-5.5) NY Giants
Peyton gets the edge in the Battle of the Mannings. Ahmad Bradshaw puts up good fantasy numbers, but Colts take the shootout in Indy.
PICK: Colts -5.5
New Orleans (-5.5) At San Francisco
The Niners dominated the Seahawks at the start of last week’s game. After the first quarter, everything fell apart. Now there’s all kinds of finger-pointing and Singletary smells a rat. On the flip side, the Saints hung on in a low-scoring season opener, but Pierre Thomas can pound the rock, Brees can distribute at will and the Saints can certainly handle a team in early-season disarray.
PICK: Saints -5.5
Sep 18th
Thomas Müller Is Just Plain Sick
Thomas Müller took the world cup by storm at the 2010 World Cup. The aggressive 21-year-old midfielder won the Golden Boot and the Best Young Player award for his amazing performance in the tournament. A garbage handball call and subsequent BS yellow card forced him to miss the semifinal match against Spain, and the German squad just wasn’t the same in his absence. After balling it up on the global stage, Müller is making noise in the UEFA Champions League as well. Check out this ridiculous goal that Müller scored in Bayern Munich’s 2-0 victory against Roma:
Sep 16th
Carlos Boozer Interview – Gatorade REPLAY 3
This past weekend, Chicago Bulls Power Forward Carlos Boozer served as the commissioner for the Gatorade REPLAY 3 rematch between Brother Rice and Bloom Township in Chicago. Danny Dabiri sat down with Boozer to talk about his new team, Derrick Rose, Sarah Palin, nightlife in Chicago and what it’s like to play with Kyle “Ashton Kutcher” Korver.
Carlos Boozer Interview – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.
Sep 15th
Dwight Howard Interview -Gatorade REPLAY 3
Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard served as an honorary coach for the Gatorade REPLAY 3 rematch between Brother Rice and Bloom Township in Chicago. Howard scrimmaged with the players from Brother Rice and promised that they would take down the Bloom Township squad coached by Dwyane Wade. Danny Dabiri sat down with Howard before the game to discuss Howard’s thoughts on the best centers of all time, playing in the Olympics, coaching Brother Rice and incorporating a sky hook in his game.
Dwight Howard Interview – MANjr.com from Chris Stout on Vimeo.
Sep 15th
Revenge Is Sweet – Brother Rice Takes Down Bloom in Gatorade REPLAY 3
In the third installment of the Gatorade REPLAY series, Chicago high school powers Bloom Township and Brother Rice were afforded the opportunity of a lifetime. Ten years after most of their athletic careers ended, they were granted a chance to relive their glory days.
From Brother Rice’s perspective, it was an opportunity to right a terrible wrong. In 2000, Bloom Township earned a controversial 42-40 playoff victory over Brother Rice thanks to standout Joe Chapman’s tip-in at the buzzer. The referee called the basket good but replays suggest that the bucket probably should not have counted. Take a look:
Fast forward 10 years. With the help of Gatorade, the two teams got to settle things in front of a raucous sold-out crowd at St. Xavier University in Chicago. Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer served as the game commissioner and thanked all 2,380 spectators for providing such a frenzied atmosphere. The new Chicago Bulls forward sat down with MANjr for an interview, and was a real cool guy to chat with (check out our Carlos Boozer interview).
To prepare for the big rematch, both teams endured an eight-week training program courtesy of Gatorade and Velocity Sports Performance. During the training, honorary coaches Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade scrimmaged with their respective teams.
Before the game, we had a chance to speak with honorary Brother Rice coach Dwight Howard and he promised a victory (here’s a link to the full Dwight Howard interview):
Danny Dabiri: Are your boys gonna take it tonight?
Dwight Howard: They gonna take it tonight. I’m lookin’ forward to it.
Danny Dabiri: No doubt?
Dwight Howard: NO doubt.
Danny Dabiri: Blowout? Or a squeaker? Another buzzer beater?
Dwight Howard: No, we probably win by 10 to 15 points. We’re ready. I’ve been coaching those guys. They ready.
And ready they were. The Brother Rice Crusaders jumped out to an early lead with some hot perimeter shooting. The Crusaders hit six three-pointers and led 30-17 after a quarter.
The second quarter was played at a frenetic pace. Both teams moved the ball up and down the court. Trailing 54-38, the Bloom Township Trojans closed out the half with six straight points. Brother Rice led at halftime 54-44.
Dwyane Wade must have pumped up the Trojans during the break because Bloom Township owned the third quarter. Antonio “Snugg” Cool scored 12 points to spearhead the comeback. Bloom outscored Brother Rice 30-15 to take a five-point lead into the fourth.
Trailing 74-69 entering the fourth, the Crusaders dug deep and engineered an impressive comeback. Led by game MVP Sidney Holmes’ 22 points and 18 rebounds, Brother Rice outscored Bloom Township 30-19 in the final frame. Leading 95-93 with 20 seconds remaining, Crusaders point guard Vince Greene knocked down to two clutch free throws to seal the victory. The final score was 99-93. After ten years, Brother Rice had their sweet revenge.
After the game, MVP Sidney Holmes summed up the experience pretty well:
“The best part of this night and the past weeks has been hanging with my old friends and being able to play basketball in front of friends and family. It’s a blessing.”
This was the most exciting basketball game I’d ever seen. From the crowd to the players to the emotion and energy on the court, it was really a wonderful experience.
Here are some highlights from this amazing game:
Be sure to catch REPLAY the series on Fox Sports this November. Check out REPLAY the series on Facebook to find out more about the show.
Sep 15th
Reggie Bush Forfeits Heisman Trophy
Reports surfaced last week that the Heisman Trust was going to strip Reggie Bush of his 2005 Heisman Trophy. Despite denials by the Heisman Trust that any decision has been made, Bush decided to forfeit his Heisman Trophy today.
In a statement released by the Saints, Bush described winning the Heisman in 2005 as “one of the greatest honors of my life” and “a dream come true.” Here are some additional excerpts from the statement:
“But I know that the Heisman is not mine alone. Far from it. I know that my victory was made possible by the discipline and hard work of my teammates, the steady guidance of my coaches, the inspiration of the fans, and the unconditional love of my family and friends. And I know that any young man fortunate enough to win the Heisman enters into a family of sorts. Each individual carries the legacy of the award and each one is entrusted with its good name. It is for these reasons that I have made the difficult decision to forfeit my title as Heisman winner of 2005. The persistent media speculation regarding allegations dating back to my years at USC has been both painful and distracting. In no way should the storm around these allegations reflect in any way on the dignity of this award, nor on any other institutions or individuals. Nor should it distract from outstanding performances and hard-earned achievements either in the past, present or future.”
I like it. I like the whole approach. Bush is basically taking the high road while still being a bit defiant. I don’t want to sully this amazing award with drama, but I’m still the best, I was the best and I will continue to be the best.
Here’s more from the statement:
“For the rest of my days, I will continue to strive to demonstrate through my actions and words that I was deserving of the confidence placed in me by the Heisman Trophy Trust. I would like to begin in this effort by turning a negative situation into a positive one by working with the Trustees to establish an educational program which will assist student-athletes and their families avoid some of the mistakes that I made. I am determined to view this event as an opportunity to help others and to advance the values and mission of the Heisman Trophy Trust.”
So Bush vaguely admits that he made mistakes, but he goes a step further to call out a broken system where unpaid student athletes are semi-invited to make mistakes. I like the fact that he took action and gave it back. I like the defiance too. For whatever mistakes Bush semi-owned up to, there’s no changing the fact that he was one of the greatest college football players of all time.
“I will forever appreciate the honor bestowed upon me as a winner of the Heisman. While this decision is heart-breaking, I find solace in knowing that the award was made possible by the support and love of so many. Those are gifts that can never be taken away.”
His legacy may be sullied, but memories of his dominant college football career cannot ever be erased.
Sep 14th
NFL Week 1 Picks
The meaningless games are behind us and the new NFL season is here. I love making Week 1 bets ‘cause the spreads or so gentle to start the season. Weeks from now you’ll have to decide whether quality teams can win by two scores or more. Not so this week. All the spreads are friendly and there are some easy picks in the lot.
At New Orleans (-5) Minnesota
The Vikings were a couple plays away from taking out the Saints in last year’s NFC Championship game, but the emotional Saints will feed off the frenzied Superdome crowd, play physical D and ruin the start of Favre’s 20th season. Fun fact: Super Bowl champs have gone on to win the next season’s opener 10 years in a row. Choose Nawlins.
PICK: Saints -5
At NY Giants (-6.5) Carolina
I’m 100 percent 50/50 on this game. Matt Moore is better than people think and Carolina’s running game is rock solid. In Week 16 last season, the Panthers traveled to New York and destroyed the Giants (the final score was 41-9). Matt Moore threw three TDs and Jonathan Stewart ran for over 200 yards. Still, the Giants have more depth in more places. Tough call. I’d steer clear of this contest, but if you must place a wager, take the Panthers and the points.
PICK: Panthers +6.5
Miami (-3) At Buffalo
You won’t see a spread this low when these two teams meet again this season. CJ Spiller is great and all, but don’t fool yourself, the Bills suck. Take the Fins to cover.
PICK: Dolphins -3
Atlanta (-2.5) At Pittsburgh
Yea, yea, yea, Big Ben’s out and the Falcons are everyone’s chic pick this season. I’ll take Dennis Dixon, Rashard Mendenhall and a Troy Polamalu-led defense at home. Fun fact: The Steelers have won seven straight season openers. The Steelers will make it eight in a row.
PICK: Steelers +2.5
At Chicago (-6.5) Detroit
I’m going to go out on a limb and pick the Lions in an upset. Sure Mike Martz is an evil genius, but you have to love the weapons that Detroit has on offense. Stafford looked accurate in the preseason, Jahvid Best looks like the real deal, Nate Burleson is a solid possession receiver and Megatron is an unstoppable force. I like the over (44) in this game as well.
PICK: Detroit +6.5
At New England (-4.5) Cincinnati
Everyone’s trying to write off the Pats this year. Sure they don’t have a pass rush and yea the Bengals have two quality wideouts and a strong running game, but I’m not willing to pick against Belichick and Brady at home to start the season.
PICK: Patriots -4.5
At Tampa Bay (-3) Cleveland
Tampa’s QB is hurt and the team only managed three wins last season. The Browns aren’t going to surprise anyone this year, but Jake Delhomme is going to be better than people think. He knows a thing or two about beating the Bucs too. Cleveland wins on the road and Jerome Harrison runs wild.
PICK: Browns +3
At Jacksonville (-2.5) Denver
Kyle Orton gets no respect, but the guy’s a winner. He’s 29-19 as a starter and his passer rating has increased steadily over time. Still, Orton’s gonna miss the hell out of Bandon Marshall and Knowshon’s hammy is still not healed. David Garrard doesn’t instill confidence, but Sims-Walker is a true threat and MoJo is a beast that demands to be fed. Take the Jags to cover at home.
PICK: Jaguars -2.5
Indianapolis (-2) At Houston
Is this the year that Houston finally gets past Indy? Tough to say. Peyton Manning can’t be happy that an undrafted rookie will be starting at left tackle. Mario Williams will have all kinds of opportunities to make plays in this game. Houston’s high octane offense will put up points, but I’m not ready to bet against the Colts just yet. Take Indy to win this shootout.
PICK: Colts -2
At Tennessee (-6) Oakland
The Raiders will be much improved this year, but the Titans are just a better team. Fisher will have his squad ready to roll and the Titans will win at home.
PICK: Titans -6
Green Bay (-3) At Philadelphia
Expect lots of scoring in this contest. The Packers enter the season as favorites to take their division. The Eagles are a young team with promise and a new identity. Both these squads will go on to have great seasons, but someone has to lose this first fight. The Packers are banged up in the secondary and Kevin Kolb will do his best to prove that he’s the next Aaron Rodgers. I like the over (47.5), but if you need to pick a side, take Philly.
PICK: Eagles +3
San Francisco (-3) At Seattle
Pete Carroll got rid of half the team when he got to Seattle. The rebuilding effort is going to take time. The Niners just have more cohesion as a team at this point. I like them to take the division this year, and that all starts with a road win in Week 1.
PICK: 49ers -3
Arizona (-4) At St. Louis
If you play Fantasy Football, pick up Tim Hightower for this week’s game. Everyone is nuts for Beanie Wells, but the guy’s not 100% and Hightower is still the starter. With Derek Anderson under center, Hightower is going to get a lot of chances against a porous Rams defense. Bradford looked amazing in the preseason, but he needs more weapons.
PICK: Cardinals -4
Dallas (-3.5) At Washington
The Cowboys start strong, they just don’t finish. I think it’ll take some time before the Skins really gel as a team. Take the Cowboys to win on the road.
PICK: Cowboys -3.5
At NY Jets (-2) Baltimore
I love Hard Knocks as much as the next guy, but the Ravens are no joke. Everyone loves the Jets, but look for Sanchez to turn the ball over as Baltimore ruins the opening of the Jets’ new stadium in a low scoring affair.
PICK: Ravens +2
San Diego (-4.5) At Kansas City
The Chiefs are bound to turn it around soon, but Rivers, Ryan Matthews and the Vincent Jackson-less Chargers will maintain control of the division and cruise to victory in Week 1.
PICK: Chargers -4.5
Image via: Fantasy Football Brothers
The meaningless games are behind us and the new NFL season is here. I love making Week 1 bets ‘cause the spreads or so gentle to start the season. Weeks from now you’ll have to decide whether quality teams can win by two scores or more. Not so this week. All the spreads are friendly and there are some easy picks in the lot.
At New Orleans
-5
Minnesota
The Vikings were a couple plays away from taking out the Saints in last year’s NFC Championship game, but the emotional Saints will feed off the frenzied Superdome crowd, play physical D and ruin the start of Favre’s 20th season. Fun fact: Super Bowl champs have gone on to win the next season’s opener 10 years in a row. Choose Nawlins.
PICK: Saints -5
At NY Giants
-6.5
Carolina
I’m 100 percent 50/50 on this game. Matt Moore is better than people think and Carolina’s running game is rock solid. In Week 16 last season, the Panthers traveled to New York and destroyed the Giants (the final score was 41-9). Matt Moore threw three TDs and Jonathan Stewart ran for over 200 yards. Still, the Giants have more depth in more places. Tough call. I’d steer clear of this contest, but if you must place a wager, take the Panthers and the points.
PICK: Panthers +6.5
Miami
-3
At Buffalo
You won’t see a spread this low when these two teams meet again this season. CJ Spiller is great and all, but don’t fool yourself, the Bills suck. Take the Fins to cover.
PICK: Dolphins -3
Atlanta
-2.5
At Pittsburgh
Yea, yea, yea, Big Ben’s out and the Falcons are everyone’s chic pick this season. I’ll take Dennis Dixon, Rashard Mendenhall and a Troy Polamalu-led defense at home. Pick the Steelers to win.
PICK: Steelers +2.5
At Chicago
-6.5
Detroit
I’m going to go out on a limb and pick the Lions in an upset. Sure Mike Martz is an evil genius, but you have to love the weapons that Detroit has on offense. Stafford looked accurate in the preseason, Jahvid Best looks like the real deal, Nate Burleson is a solid possession receiver and Megatron is an unstoppable force. I like the over (44) in this game as well.
PICK: Detroit +6.5
At New England
-4.5
Cincinnati
Everyone’s trying to write off the Pats this year. Sure they don’t have a pass rush and yea the Bengals have two quality wideouts and a strong running game, but I’m not willing to pick against Belichick and Brady at home to start the season.
PICK: Patriots -4.5
At Tampa Bay
-3
Cleveland
Tampa’s QB is hurt and the team only managed three wins last season. The Browns aren’t going to surprise anyone this year, but Jake Delhomme is going to be better than people think. Cleveland wins on the road as Jerome Harrison runs wild.
PICK: Browns +3
At Jacksonville
-2.5
Denver
Kyle Orton gets no respect, but the guy’s a winner. He’s 29-19 as a starter and his passer rating has increased steadily over time. Still, Orton’s gonna miss the hell out of Bandon Marshall and Knowshon’s hammy is still not healed. David Garrard doesn’t instill confidence, but Sims-Walker is a true threat and MoJo is a beast that demands to be fed. Take the Jags to cover at home.
PICK: Jaguars -2.5
Indianapolis
-2
At Houston
Is this the year that Houston finally gets past Indy? Tough to say. Peyton Manning can’t be happy that an undrafted rookie will be starting at left tackle. Mario Williams will have all kinds of opportunities to make plays in this game. Houston’s high octane offense will put up points, but I’m not ready to bet against the Colts just yet. Take Indy to win this shootout.
PICK: Colts -2
At Tennessee
-6
Oakland
The Raiders are a much improved this year, but the Titans are just a better team. Fisher will have his squad ready to roll and the Titans will win at home.
PICK: Titans -6
Green Bay
-3
At Philadelphia
Expect lots of scoring in this contest. The Packers enter the season as favorites to take their division. The Eagles are a young team with promise and a new identity. Both these squads will go on to have great seasons, but someone has to lose this first fight. The Packers are banged up in the secondary and Kevin Kolb will do his best to prove that he’s the next Aaron Rodgers. I like the over (47.5), but if you need to pick a side, take Philly.
PICK: Eagles +3
San Francisco
-3
At Seattle
Pete Carroll got rid of half the team when he got to Seattle. The rebuilding effort is going to take time. The Niners just have more cohesion as a team at this point. I like them to take the division this year, and that all starts with a road win in Week 1.
PICK: 49ers -3
Arizona
-4
At St. Louis
If you play Fantasy Football, pick up Tim Hightower for this week’s game. Everyone is nuts for Beanie Wells, but the guy’s not 100% and Hightower is still the starter. With Derek Anderson under center, Hightower is going to get a lot of chances against a porous Rams defense. Bradford looked amazing in the preseason, but he needs more weapons.
PICK: Cardinals -4
Dallas
-3.5
At Washington
The Cowboys start strong, they just don’t finish. I think it’ll take some time before the Skins really gel as a team. Take the Cowboys to win on the road.
PICK: Cowboys -3.5
At NY Jets
-2
Baltimore
I love Hard Knocks as much as the next guy, but the Ravens are no joke. Everyone loves the Jets, but look for Sanchez to turn the ball over as Baltimore ruins the opening of the Jets’ new stadium in a low scoring affair.
PICK: Ravens +2
San Diego
-4.5
At Kansas City
The Chiefs are bound to turn it around soon, but Rivers, Ryan Matthews and the Vincent Jackson-less Chargers will maintain control of the division and cruise to victory in Week 1.
PICK: Chargers -4.5
Sep 9th
Review of Superdraft 2010
What do you get when you take 2,000 fantasy football nerds, countless beautiful women, tons of football-lovin’ celebs, a handful of fantasy experts and put ‘em all in the Palms Casino in Vegas? The ultimate fantasy football draft experience, aka Fantasy Football Superdraft 2010.
The MANjr team was more than happy to attend this year’s epic fantasy football celebration. We weren’t really sure what to expect when we got there, but we were certainly impressed.
The Superdraft was designed to give fantasy football players a more memorable drafting experience. Why make your picks on your laptop at home when you can grab your boys and party it up in Vegas? Saturday was the main draft day. Players who reserved spots were making their picks, consulting with experts and checking out celebs.
Ashton Kutcher, TJ Jefferson and Nathan Zegura (aka The Fantasy Consultant) hosted a live fantasy football show on Friday. Stacy Kiebler hosted a VIP party at the Rain Nightclub inside the Palms. Kiebler knows her stuff too. She’s a former Baltimore Ravens cheerleader and diehard Ravens fan who was drafting her squad in the main draft room on Saturday. Shannon Elizabeth had her own Superdraft party at the LAX nightclub at Luxor as well. While Kiebler gets props for being a former cheerleader, Elizabeth gets extra points for sporting a Troy Polamalu jersey on draft day.
Outside of all the celebs, you had throngs of jaw-dropping beautiful girls running around all weekend. Everywhere you turned you’d see babe armies making all the fantasy football heads nervous and happy. Whenever we rounded a corner at the Palms, troops of gorgeous gals (I’m looking at you Miller Lite girls) were marching down the casino floor.
All the draft day action, VIP parties, celebs and eye candy aside, the best part of the weekend by far was the Tailgate Concert that Snoop Dogg put on. What an incredible show. Not like this is news or anything, but that guy Snoop can really rock a crowd. He came out with a bada dada da and the crowd erupted for the “Next Episode.” Snoop played all the favorites. He mixed the old with the new:
“Nuthin’ But a G Thang”
“Who Am I (What’s my Name?)”
“Gin and Juice”
“Drop It Like It’s Hot”
“Sensual Seduction”
“I Wanna Rock”
That set would’ve been amazing by itself, but Snoop showed all kinds of range. He did a “Rock Steady” duet with Fantasia and a cover of “Jump Around.” Snoop paid tribute to 2Pac with “Hail Mary” and “2 of Americaz Most Wanted.” Everyone in attendance lost it to “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)” with Kurupt and Warren G both there doing their thing on stage. When Warren G busted out “Regulators,” the crowd went nuts.
At one point in the show, Demi Moore got on stage and got all nasty with Snoop while Ashton took photos with his phone. There’s something to tweet about, big guy. It’s hard to look cool when your hot wife’s getting down with the Doggfather, but Ashton was on the receiving end of some Demi freakin’ as well. Damn, that lady’s fit.
I don’t see how this annual draft bonanza doesn’t get bigger every year. It’s too smart. The formula works too well. Babes (yea, model search!), clubs, fantasy experts, celebs, good music and a party atmosphere for your imaginary football team selection festivities – I can’t think of a better way to kickoff the season.
Sep 1st
Ochocinco Fined $25,000 for Tweet
Chad Ochocinco has a Twitter problem. It’s nothing new. The guy’s been on the tweets for some time now. He loves it. Ochocinco even started his own sports network on the thing. OCNN, the Ochocinco News Network, was launched last year under the slogan “If I break it, you might as well believe it.”
But tweets have gotten Ochocinco in trouble in the past. He got some heat for smack tweeting with guys like Nick Barnett, Shawne Merriman, Mark Schlereth, Mike Golic and Mike Florio When the NFL fined Ochocinco $30,000 for sporting a decorative poncho and sombrero, the fine was so stiff because Ochocinco tweeted about the celebration ahead of time.“What I’ve planned for today will get me fined when I score but it’s so worth it,” he posted in a tweet to Adam Schefter.
Last season, Ochocinco’s Twitter obsession prompted the NFL to issue a game day social media policy. The policy prevents all players, coaches and football personnel from posting to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook 90 minutes before the start of the game up until the post-game interviews are completed.
Ochocinco wasn’t happy about the policy at the time. “Damn NFL and these rules,” Ochocinco tweeted last summer. “I am going by my own set of rules, I ain’t hurting nobody or getting in trouble, I am putting my foot down!!”
After getting hit hard in a preseason game last week, Ochocinco decided to post an in-game tweet about it:
“Man Im sick of getting hit like that, its the damn preseason shit! 1day I’m gone jump up and start throwing hay makers, #Tylenolplease.”
And the NFL fined him $25,000 for it.
Ochocinco’s response?
“Dear NFL I apologize for tweeting during the game but that was 2 months of my you just took from me, I won’t do it again”
So there you have it. Ochocinco says he won’t do it again. I say if you’re going to get fined $25,000, have it be for something bold, not an in-game preseason tweet. It just doesn’t seem worth the 25K.
The NFL has to draw the line somewhere, but the league also needs players like Ochocinco to push the envelope on fun a little bit. I just hope the next fine Ochocinco gets is for something more entertaining than tweeting a Tylenol joke.
Aug 25th
Another Awesome Ninja Baseball Catch From Japan
Remember that crazy Japanese Spiderman baseball catch from a couple weeks ago? Well I guess that sort of stuff is routine in The Land of the Rising Sun. Here’s another player getting robbed of a home run by some spiffy ninja moves in the outfield:
(Via BroBible)
Aug 23rd
