I expect these to both be great games this week. I'm going to keep it short and sweet this week because I'm taking the points in both games. I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets or Bears win their games this week and the Jets line going up to 4 makes betting that a lot easier.
Minus the Week 13 anomaly in Foxboro, the Jets don't get blown out. If you discount that loss, the other 4 losses were by a combined 18 points. What that tells me is that even if the Jets don't win this game, they'll be in it.
Chicago has beaten Green Bay at home this year already and only lost 10-3 in Week 17 when Green Bay was home and playing for their playoff lives while for Chicago it was a meaningless game.
Jets (+4) at Pittsburgh
Green Bay at Chicago (+3.5)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
2010 NFL Divisional Round Picks
Saturday night's games are going to be awesome
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-3)
Even when Baltimore has beaten Pittsburgh it was with Dennis Dixon or Charlie Batch starting. I like Pittsburgh A LOT today.
Green Bay @ Atlanta (-1)
I'm going to wait til the zero hour to bet this in hopes that it becomes a PICK. James Starks' performance seemed to solidify Green Bay as the sexy pick but Atlanta doesn't lose at home.
Seattle (+10) @ Chicago
Seattle is riding high right now after legitimizing their season last week, plus they go in with some confidence having beaten Chicago earlier in the year. I do think Chicago moves on but 10 is too many points in the playoff game
New York (+9) @ New England
As a Jets fan I assume New England is going romp but using the same philopophy as above. 9 points is too much for a playoff game.
Baltimore @ Pittsburgh (-3)
Even when Baltimore has beaten Pittsburgh it was with Dennis Dixon or Charlie Batch starting. I like Pittsburgh A LOT today.
Green Bay @ Atlanta (-1)
I'm going to wait til the zero hour to bet this in hopes that it becomes a PICK. James Starks' performance seemed to solidify Green Bay as the sexy pick but Atlanta doesn't lose at home.
Seattle (+10) @ Chicago
Seattle is riding high right now after legitimizing their season last week, plus they go in with some confidence having beaten Chicago earlier in the year. I do think Chicago moves on but 10 is too many points in the playoff game
New York (+9) @ New England
As a Jets fan I assume New England is going romp but using the same philopophy as above. 9 points is too much for a playoff game.
Friday, January 7, 2011
2010 - Wild Card Weekend Picks
REGULAR SEASON FINAL
Last Week: 1-2
Overall: 29-20-2
Pick of the Week: 10-6-1
As much as I would have liked to finish 10 games over .500, I'll be happy finishing around 59% for the regular season. It's an improvement over my 24-24-3 of last year.
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I'm going to continue on with the weekend playoff games:
New Orleans at Seattle (+10.5)
I'm going to do it. I'm going to overthink this game. Qwest field is already one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and with everyone telling Seattle they don't belong in the playoffs I believe the fans will be rabid. Seattle also was 5-3 at home this year. Please don't look at their 5 wins though. It will make that record a lot less important (fine, the were a combined 29-51...but still). Everyone is 0-0 now and 10.5 is a giant number for a home playoff dog.
New York Jets (+2.5) at Indianapolis
I will not be putting any money on this game. I do now wager on or against my Jets. But for this purposes of this blog I will pick the game. I'm normally a very pessimistic fan but I really have a relatively good feeling about this game. The Jets defense is not as good as they will advertise it is but they are good enough against the run that I think that aspect of the game will be a non-factor. The difference between this year and last year is that I feel the Jets are more equipped to cover the Colts receivers due to the combination of Colts injuries and Jets additions in the secondary.
Baltimore @ Kansas City (+3)
I guess I'm overrating stadiums this week. Arrowhead is another one that's notoriously tough to play. The Chiefs were nearly unbeatable at home with their only loss coming in Week 17 when there really wasn't a whole lot at stake. Unlike the Seattle game where I just think 10.5 is a huge number for a playoff game. I ask myself in this game if I would be shocked if Kansas City wins this game and my answer is no. So I'm taking the points.
Green Bay @ Philadelphia (-2.5)
Green Bay is back to being a popular pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I picked them in the beginning of the year but that was before Michael Vick. If you follow this blog you'll know that I'm a big believer in the storyline. I thought Brett Favre was destined to make the Super Bowl last year and that should have happened. Something was very weird about that NFC Championship. As much as Favre was trying to blow it they some how stayed in the game. This year's biggest story is Michael Vick. I just don't believe the story ends this week.
I'm still picking week by week in the playoffs but my predictions for the whole tournament are:
New Orleans over Seattle
Philadelphia over Green Bay
Atlanta over New Orleans
Philadelphia over Chicago
Philadelphia over Atlanta (Michael Vick going back to Atlanta in the NFC Championship is too fun of a story not to happen)
New York over Indianapolis
Kansas City over Baltimore
New England over New York
Pittsburgh over Kansas City
New England over Pittsburgh
New England over Philadelphia
Last Week: 1-2
Overall: 29-20-2
Pick of the Week: 10-6-1
As much as I would have liked to finish 10 games over .500, I'll be happy finishing around 59% for the regular season. It's an improvement over my 24-24-3 of last year.
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I'm going to continue on with the weekend playoff games:
New Orleans at Seattle (+10.5)
I'm going to do it. I'm going to overthink this game. Qwest field is already one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL and with everyone telling Seattle they don't belong in the playoffs I believe the fans will be rabid. Seattle also was 5-3 at home this year. Please don't look at their 5 wins though. It will make that record a lot less important (fine, the were a combined 29-51...but still). Everyone is 0-0 now and 10.5 is a giant number for a home playoff dog.
New York Jets (+2.5) at Indianapolis
I will not be putting any money on this game. I do now wager on or against my Jets. But for this purposes of this blog I will pick the game. I'm normally a very pessimistic fan but I really have a relatively good feeling about this game. The Jets defense is not as good as they will advertise it is but they are good enough against the run that I think that aspect of the game will be a non-factor. The difference between this year and last year is that I feel the Jets are more equipped to cover the Colts receivers due to the combination of Colts injuries and Jets additions in the secondary.
Baltimore @ Kansas City (+3)
I guess I'm overrating stadiums this week. Arrowhead is another one that's notoriously tough to play. The Chiefs were nearly unbeatable at home with their only loss coming in Week 17 when there really wasn't a whole lot at stake. Unlike the Seattle game where I just think 10.5 is a huge number for a playoff game. I ask myself in this game if I would be shocked if Kansas City wins this game and my answer is no. So I'm taking the points.
Green Bay @ Philadelphia (-2.5)
Green Bay is back to being a popular pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I picked them in the beginning of the year but that was before Michael Vick. If you follow this blog you'll know that I'm a big believer in the storyline. I thought Brett Favre was destined to make the Super Bowl last year and that should have happened. Something was very weird about that NFC Championship. As much as Favre was trying to blow it they some how stayed in the game. This year's biggest story is Michael Vick. I just don't believe the story ends this week.
I'm still picking week by week in the playoffs but my predictions for the whole tournament are:
New Orleans over Seattle
Philadelphia over Green Bay
Atlanta over New Orleans
Philadelphia over Chicago
Philadelphia over Atlanta (Michael Vick going back to Atlanta in the NFC Championship is too fun of a story not to happen)
New York over Indianapolis
Kansas City over Baltimore
New England over New York
Pittsburgh over Kansas City
New England over Pittsburgh
New England over Philadelphia
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Top 10 MMA Fighters as of January 2011
2010 was a very interesting year for the MMA world, with several belts changing hands, the merging of the UFC and the WEC, and the solidifying of several other MMA outlets, like Strikeforce. Below is my pound for pound ranking of the top 10 MMA fighters going into 2011.
1. Georges St. Pierre: Winner of 7 fights in a row, 30 consecutive round decisions, and an absolute dismantling of Josh Koscheck. His recent resume features wins over Koschcheck, Fitch, Penn, Alves and Hardy. Not a slouch among them.
2. Jose Aldo: Aldo has not just risen through the ranks over the last year, he has torched everyone in his path. Notable names like Faber and Brown didn't stand a chance against Aldo. And with the exception of the Faber fight, his last 7 decisions have been via KO/TKO. That's not only the mark of a great fighter, but of a great finisher.
4. Cain Velasquez: Maybe this is a little high for him, considering how recent he is to the belt, but his win against Lesnar was extremely impressive and he is said to have the most powerful punch (as measured by scientific measurements) in all of MMA. Velasquez could dominate this weight class for the next year and some.
5. Mauricio Shogun Rua: Many people thought Machida was unbeatable, and Rua has beaten him for the belt and narrowly lost to him in a 5 round contest that most people had Rua winning. He also has wins over Lidell, Overeem and Coleman and might move up this list if he can beat Evans in March.
6. Frankie Edgar: I have become an enormous Frankie Edgar fan, and the comeback he mounted against Maynard at UFC 125 was the greatest comeback Ive seen in MMA. He has fought 3 times since April, and 2 of those were wins against the legend BJ Penn and Edgar also has wins against Sherk, Franca and Veach. The third bout between him and Maynard will help cement his status at the top or cause a major shift in the rankings.
7. Dominick Cruz: Winner of 7 in a row, Cruz has been on a rampage through the Bantamweight class for the last 2 years. The knock on him is that he can't finish fights, as evidenced by 6 decisions in those 7 wins, but a win is a win and this kid is good at notching them.
8. Rashad Evans: He hasn't fought in 7 months, but he still only has one loss to his record (Machida) and has one of the most outstanding resumes in all of MMA. He faces a tough matchup in Rua and will also have to avenge his loss to Machida at some point, but for now he is still an elite.
9. Jake Shields: Its hard to argue with 15 straight wins and previous belts in Elite XC, Strikeforce and Shooto championship to his credit, but Shields still seems to have something to prove. He fights GSP in April, and win or lose, how he fares against the #1 fighter in the world will speak volumes to Shields status among the MMA greats.
10. Fedor Emelianenko: This 10th spot was up for grabs for me, and although I would much rather give it to Fitch, Emelianenko deserves this spot until he proves he isn't a powerhouse anymore. His loss to Werdum could easily have been a fluke, but the fact that he hasn't fought since then hasn't helped his legacy. Prior to that, he had an 11 win streak and a 17 win streak sandwiching a No Contest to Nogueira. That's as good as it gets.
Honorable Mentions: Jon Fitch, Lyoto Machida, BJ Penn, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard
1. Georges St. Pierre: Winner of 7 fights in a row, 30 consecutive round decisions, and an absolute dismantling of Josh Koscheck. His recent resume features wins over Koschcheck, Fitch, Penn, Alves and Hardy. Not a slouch among them.
2. Jose Aldo: Aldo has not just risen through the ranks over the last year, he has torched everyone in his path. Notable names like Faber and Brown didn't stand a chance against Aldo. And with the exception of the Faber fight, his last 7 decisions have been via KO/TKO. That's not only the mark of a great fighter, but of a great finisher.
3. Anderson Silva: I never thought Id see the day where Silva was 3rd on any list, but after watching him get picked apart by Chael Sonnen before eventually winning via triangle, Ive determined he is human. His victories before that were impressive, but not the highlight reel wins we're used to. If he can beat Belfort impressively, then we'll know he's back.
4. Cain Velasquez: Maybe this is a little high for him, considering how recent he is to the belt, but his win against Lesnar was extremely impressive and he is said to have the most powerful punch (as measured by scientific measurements) in all of MMA. Velasquez could dominate this weight class for the next year and some.
5. Mauricio Shogun Rua: Many people thought Machida was unbeatable, and Rua has beaten him for the belt and narrowly lost to him in a 5 round contest that most people had Rua winning. He also has wins over Lidell, Overeem and Coleman and might move up this list if he can beat Evans in March.
6. Frankie Edgar: I have become an enormous Frankie Edgar fan, and the comeback he mounted against Maynard at UFC 125 was the greatest comeback Ive seen in MMA. He has fought 3 times since April, and 2 of those were wins against the legend BJ Penn and Edgar also has wins against Sherk, Franca and Veach. The third bout between him and Maynard will help cement his status at the top or cause a major shift in the rankings.
7. Dominick Cruz: Winner of 7 in a row, Cruz has been on a rampage through the Bantamweight class for the last 2 years. The knock on him is that he can't finish fights, as evidenced by 6 decisions in those 7 wins, but a win is a win and this kid is good at notching them.
8. Rashad Evans: He hasn't fought in 7 months, but he still only has one loss to his record (Machida) and has one of the most outstanding resumes in all of MMA. He faces a tough matchup in Rua and will also have to avenge his loss to Machida at some point, but for now he is still an elite.
9. Jake Shields: Its hard to argue with 15 straight wins and previous belts in Elite XC, Strikeforce and Shooto championship to his credit, but Shields still seems to have something to prove. He fights GSP in April, and win or lose, how he fares against the #1 fighter in the world will speak volumes to Shields status among the MMA greats.
10. Fedor Emelianenko: This 10th spot was up for grabs for me, and although I would much rather give it to Fitch, Emelianenko deserves this spot until he proves he isn't a powerhouse anymore. His loss to Werdum could easily have been a fluke, but the fact that he hasn't fought since then hasn't helped his legacy. Prior to that, he had an 11 win streak and a 17 win streak sandwiching a No Contest to Nogueira. That's as good as it gets.
Honorable Mentions: Jon Fitch, Lyoto Machida, BJ Penn, Gilbert Melendez, Gray Maynard
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2010 NFL Picks - Week 17
I'll keep Bob alive by not picking what would be my Pick of the Week (Giants).
**Jacksonville (+4.5) at Houston**
I know it's Trent Edwards and Rashad Jennings leading Jacksonville but Garrard and MJD are only 2 of 11 guys out there and as a team Jacksonville has alot more motivation to win. They won't know what Indy has done yet so they will be playing hard.
Chicago (+10.5) at Green Bay
I'm banking on Green Bay winning but Chicago won't make it easy for them
St. Louis (-3) at Seattle
Throw the records out. This is a playoff game in Week 17. I'm very uncomfortable going with a road favorite in a game that determines who goes to the playoffs but I'm going with the better team here.
Last Week: 3-0
Overall: 28-18-2
Pick of the Week: 10-5-1
**Jacksonville (+4.5) at Houston**
I know it's Trent Edwards and Rashad Jennings leading Jacksonville but Garrard and MJD are only 2 of 11 guys out there and as a team Jacksonville has alot more motivation to win. They won't know what Indy has done yet so they will be playing hard.
Chicago (+10.5) at Green Bay
I'm banking on Green Bay winning but Chicago won't make it easy for them
St. Louis (-3) at Seattle
Throw the records out. This is a playoff game in Week 17. I'm very uncomfortable going with a road favorite in a game that determines who goes to the playoffs but I'm going with the better team here.
Last Week: 3-0
Overall: 28-18-2
Pick of the Week: 10-5-1
Bobs NFL Picks: Week 17
Im still alive, barely. Keith is 28-18-2 and I am 25-20-3, so I can still technically tie or win if Keith goes 0-3 to my 3-0. So these are big picks in a brutally tough week to make picks.
Pittsburgh (-6.5) @ Cleveland: Pittsburgh can lock up the division and a bye if they win and Baltimore loses, so I expect Pitt to take care of their business.
Giants (-4.5) @ Redskins: Why on earth would I pick Big Blue after the last 2 weeks? Well, first and foremost they are better than the Redskins. Second, they do still have a glimmer of hope for the playoffs. And third, they might be playing for Coughlins job.
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-7): I originally had Jacksonville with this 3rd pick until finding out MJD is out. Tampa Bay still has a playoff shot, but its a slim one and the Saints have a bye to play for. I'll take Brees.
Last Week: 2-1
Season: 25-20-3
Pittsburgh (-6.5) @ Cleveland: Pittsburgh can lock up the division and a bye if they win and Baltimore loses, so I expect Pitt to take care of their business.
Giants (-4.5) @ Redskins: Why on earth would I pick Big Blue after the last 2 weeks? Well, first and foremost they are better than the Redskins. Second, they do still have a glimmer of hope for the playoffs. And third, they might be playing for Coughlins job.
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans (-7): I originally had Jacksonville with this 3rd pick until finding out MJD is out. Tampa Bay still has a playoff shot, but its a slim one and the Saints have a bye to play for. I'll take Brees.
Last Week: 2-1
Season: 25-20-3
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