REPORT CARDS

Alright Class.

I want each and every one of you to take these home and bring them back tomorrow signed by your parents or legal guardians.

Here ya go — your grades from week 15 of Charger Football 101.  Please take one, pass the rest around…

RUNNING BACKS:

Not only did LaDanian Tomlinson further cement his bid for league MVP, but his back-up Michael Turner also made more than half the teams in the NFL jealous.  LT was THE offense Sunday night…rushing for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns — remarkable considering his quarterback took an early Xmas vacation this night and forgot to call in the Temp.  What’s even more impressive than his nearly 200 yards and his mind-blowing 8.0 yards per carry, is the staggering realization that he accomplished this despite the fact that everyone on the field knew LT was getting the ball.  Everyone (Yes, everyone, including the cheerleaders and even the blind/deaf guy playing Pictionary in row 11)!  And they still couldn’t stop him.  His back-up, Mister Turner, did pretty good too — averaging 8.3 yards per carry.

GRADE: A+

QUARTERBACK:

Most people might be tempted to hand out a “F” here, but not this Professor…err…blogger.  Yes, Philip Rivers played terribly.  Yes, he had a QB rating that nearly rivaled the Great Rex Grossman.  Yes, he threw two interceptions (one almost extremely costly).  Yes, he lost some of his composure.  Yes, he made the Chargers practically one dimensional offensively for most of the second half.  Yes, he looked like a rookie for the first time.  And yes, he justified Martyball.

BUT…

He delivered in the one category he is supposed to above all else. 

He came through in the one area that we should all value above all else. 

That of course being…his team won.  Meaning, he still played well enough to secure a SD victory.  And because of that, Rivers earns a passing grade.

But this ‘grade’ comes with a couple of side notes.  First being, this kind of performance cannot happen again IF San Diego is to advance to a Super Bowl.   AFC playoff teams are much too good for LT to carry the load all by himself (especially if we are talking a defense as dominant as Baltimore’s).  Further, if Philip or anyone who speaks to him on a regular basis reads this — please handle the jumpy feet.  Yes, I said it — Jump-y-Feet!  In every half in which he has struggled this year, he has had the “jumpy feet” going.  When he experiences the JF’s, he constantly throws off balance, loses accuracy, looks less confident/more anxious, and throws without planting or using his front legs for thrust.  

Those JF’s need to go if the Bolts are thinking Super Bo(wl)!

GRADE: D

OFFENSIVE LINE:
A+ blocking for the run; D- for pass blocking. 

River’s poor play was not ALL his fault.  He was under constant duress.  He had a man in his face all NBC-Nationally-televised-Night-long…and very little time to throw.  But on the flip side, by dominating the line and allowing their backs to rush for nearly 300 yards, this under-rated unit proved they are definitely not a finesse team (as Chief’s rookie Tamba Hali suggested after the team’s first seasonal encounter)!  Good job! By the way, Lorenzo Neal and his powerful blocking is getting grouped with this unit today –since this is where his true value lies (though he does get a couple chocolate chip Kudos  for his timely short yardage rushes)

GRADE: B+

WIDE RECEIVER:

I don’t know what to give them (a consolation ribbon? A picture on back of a milk carton?  A hug?).  Did they play? I mean Vincent Jackson didn’t even have a chance to flip the ball to the ground after a first down catch (before even being touched of course).  I know they can’t catch what isn’t thrown to them…but nevertheless, they could have probably done a better job of getting open.

GRADE: C

FRONT SEVEN:

Quite possibly the best game of the year for the defense–which of course starts and ends with this unit.  The scoreboard read 20-9, but in reality, the defense played better than even the score indicated.  The Chargers allowed only three field goals.  But, two of these kicks came following 2 interceptions which gave Kansas City possession deep within Charger territory. 

Holding a very good (but not great) Kansas City team without a touchdown is remarkable (first time since 1994).  And they did this by shutting down the former rushing leader, Larry Johnson,  and suffocating QB Trent Green with ferocious pressure (can you say six sacks?).  Donnie Edwards, in particular, played one hell of a game (best trade of the year was the one that never happened).

GRADE:  A-

SECONDARY:

Quentin Jammer played quite possibly his best game as a Charger… and on top of that, we hardly heard anyone else’s name called downfield during the broadcast.  And we mean both Charger DB’s and Chief wide receivers.  Advantage San Diego.

GRADE: A

COACHING:

I might have done a couple of things differently (like toss in a couple of bootlegs and play actions to help out Rivers), but I can’t argue with the results.  12-2!

GRADE: B+

SPECIAL TEAMS:

Nate Kaeding was perfect. Michael Turner had a couple of nice returns.  They held the dangerous Dante Hall in check and pulled off an effective fake-punt. Overall nice job.   The only smudges were the blocked punt (which turned out to be a blessing in disguise) and a less than average performance by the hopefully Pro Bowl bound Mike Scifres.

Speaking of punting– I have a big Quarter Pounder with cheese beef!  When will so called experts stop rating punters by the average yards they kick the ball?  That is the most over-rated and practically pointless stat in the game.  The true value of a punter should be placed on kicks pinned inside the 20 (which Scifres is the league’s best at), hang time (another strong suit of Scifres) and net average (in which he more than holds his own).    In other words, Scifres better be representing the AFC in Honolulu.

GRADE: B+

Now onto other subjects…

TENNESSEE: 

Remember when this team was 0-5?  Seems like a distant memory now doesn’t it?  I keep waiting for Cinderella’s win streak to turn into a pumpkin… but after impressive wins over the Eagles, the Giants, the Colts and now the Jaguars (not to mention a near upset over Baltimore) the Titans have won me over.  Not only that— but Vince Young has stormed towards the front of the rookie of the year race, Coach Fisher will garner some Coach of the Year votes and the Titans, if the rest of the AFC isn’t careful, might pull off their biggest upset of them all and sneak into a wildcard slot.  Okay, maybe not…but just the fact, that this topic can be brought up without a hysterical laugh, is a tribute to their impressive five-game win streak.

GRADE: A

NEW ORLEANS:

Wow — just when choosing the Saints to come out of the NFC became more fashionable than a pair of [fill in name of high-priced/super trendy shoes here], they go ahead and lose…to Washington!  So much for clinching their division.  Oh wait, they did that anyways.  Oh hum…so goes the NFC.

GRADE: D-

NEW YORK GIANTS:

They blow another game… at home…to a divisional rival.  They have now lost 5 of 6 and are a pathetic 7-7.  Oh, and they still control their own destiny as far as qualifying for the playoffs.  So goes the NFC.

GRADE: D

PITTSBURGH:

The Steelers absolutely crush the Panthers 37-3.  They’ve now won 5 of 6 and are back to .500…and Willie Parker might have just played himself into a Pro Bowl spot.

Too little too late.

Too bad they don’t play in the NFC

GRADE: C 

SEATTLE:

Two consecutive loses (at Arizona and at home against San Francisco) to inferior divisional foes.  Looks like the second year in a row, we won’t be crowning the Seahawks NFL Champs.  On the bright side, they play in the NFC, so they could still repeat as NFL runner-ups.

GRADE: F

NEW YORK JETS:

They’re not very good.  They don’t scare you.  And they just might surprise EVERYONE and grab the 6th and final playoff spot.  And in the AFC no less.  Eric Mangini should get some serious Coach of the Year votes.

GRADE: A-

PHILADELPHIA:

The year was supposed to be over when Donovan McNabb went down for the season.  Instead they are playing their best ball of the year and IF they win out, will be hanging the NFC East title banner from the Liberty Bell.  Andy Reid deserves a lot of credit for keeping his team in the thick of things…even IF its only the NFC

GRADE: A

BALTIMORE:

Lose their quarterback for most of the day, yet they still look strong!  Man, that defense is nasty!

GRADE: B+

CHICAGO:

Lucky they escaped with a V over Tampa Bay.  But as they say, the good teams win ugly.  And boy did they look ugly in the fourth quarter!

GRADE: C

REBOUNDERS:

These teams bounced back from disappointing loses the previous week and grabbed much needed victories…

New England, Dallas, Indianapolis, Denver, San Francisco and Buffalo.

GRADE: B 

TIME TO START CRYING:

Detroit, Oakland, Cleveland, Arizona, Texas, Tampa Bay (though they can hold their heads up high for at least one week after that comeback in Chicago), St. Louis…

GRADE: F

GET THOSE TISSUES READY:

Carolina, Green Bay, Kansas City, Miami, Washington (only this high because they knocked off the Saints), Atlanta, Minnesota…

GRADE: C-

Okay, remember, these are due back signed manana.  Failure to do so will no doubt result in another poor Monday Night Football match-up   Be warned!

Coin Cliff Notes

Apparently, someone got word.

Someone heard about the pop quiz.

And I’m not going to reveal who it was, but someone stole the answers to the test — and being the accomplice that I am, here I am passing out the answers. 

I’m so ashamed.

So, since you already know the answers, there’s no need to study.

There’s no need to spend countless hours upon countless hours studying…researching the net, phoning General Managers, combing the injury reports….

Nope, no need for any of that!

In fact, all you have to do is read what the Coin and I have prepared for you.  All you have to do is review these Cliff Notes…and you’ll pass the upcoming football week with flying colors.

But before we start, let’s review.  I predict the winners for  each game… and then flip a Coin to make it more interesting. 

Heads = Home team                Tails = Road team

Then we compare — and hopefully, I come out better than the Coin

You ready?

Before we hit Sunday’s games, here were the picks for the early NFL Network games that none of us actually got the pleasure of seeing (and thus, weren’t worthy enough for an early From the Bleacher’s Blog entry)…

Thursday:

Adam picked Seattle to knock off the 49ers…and unfortunately paid the price for believing Seattle was actually talented.

The Coin, believe it or not, predicted the upset and chose the ‘Niners.

On Saturday –

Adam re-deemed himself by correctly flexing his Dallas Cowboy muscle…

As did the Coin — who with his sudden brilliance behind the crystal ball, is raising metaphysical steroid accusations. 

So stay tuned…

So going into Sunday, the standings look like this:

Coin: 2-0                                    Adam: 1-1

SUNDAY!!!!!!!!

MIAMI @BUFFALO:

Both of these teams have been hard to get a feel for.  On any given week, either team can knock off an NFL elite, only to fall to the likes of my High School Junior Varsity squad the next.  So frustrating! And so is the day-in-the-life of NFL version 2006 …PARITY!  Anyhoo, logic tells me Buffalo has the advantage playing at home in frigid December.  So I’ll pick…

Adam: Dolphins 29  Bills 17

The Coin: Bills

JACKSONVILLE @ TENNESSEE

Considering the AFC wildcard race is so tight….considering one loss drops you from the popular consensus playoff bandwagon…considering a win combined with an Indy loss to the Bengals suddenly puts you in serious contention for the division title…and considering this has become one, long semi-run-on sentence — (ahem) this is a must win for Jacksonville.   Here’s betting that the Titans’ recent string of late game heroics and overall-impressive play comes to an end this week (despite the Jags poor road play this season). 

Adam:  Jaguars  20   Titans 17

The Coin: Titans

PHILADELPHIA @ NEW YORK GIANTS:

A couple of weeks ago, who would have figured this would be one of the marquee NFL match-ups of the week?  But back-up quarterback, Jeff Garcia has played remarkably, keeping the Eagles in the race.  The Giants, on the other hand, have a starter who has played like a back-up at times.  But they are slowly getting healthy again and Eli Manning looked fairly decent last week against Carolina.  A win for New York puts them in great position to make the playoffs (especially on the heels of the Falcons loss)

Adam:  NY Giants  27   Eagles 20

The Coin:  The Eagles

LUKE SKYWALKER @ DARTH VADER:

This bitter rivalry couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, with the Republic crumpling and with the Galactic playoffs on the line.   Luke has really improved with his use of the Force  in recent flicks, but still shows vulnerability to whining (which is a huge obstacle come sequel time).  The Big Black darthed-one is scary come December, especially at home where his mastery of the Force makes breathing virtually impossible for the weak of mind.  With the survival of the Universe on the line, Luke needs this one more — look for an upset with Skywalker beating his dad in the final moments.  But not without losing an arm first!

Adam:  Luke Skywalker over Darth Vader

The Coin: Luke Skywalker

KANSAS CITY @ SAN DIEGO:

KC running back Larry Johnson has religiously eaten up the best front seven in the league.  He is one of the few backs in the NFL who has had his way against the Chargers.  But look for the tide to change a little this week.  The Chargers have revenge on their mind (The Chiefs not only handed SD a loss earlier in the season, but also called the Chargers ’soft’).  While, the Chargers are battling for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, the Chiefs are battling just to make the post season.  So this game means a lot to both sides.  Look for the Chargers to triumph in front of a National TV audience.

Adam: Chargers 28  Chiefs 16

The Coin: Chargers

CINCINNATI @ INDIANAPOLIS:

The Bengals are hot! The Colts are not!   ‘Nuff said!

This game will say a lot about how each team will fare come the post season.  Should be a good one!

Adam: Bengals 34   Colts 27   

The Coin: The Colts

BEST OF THE REST: 

Adam: Bears 27   Bucs 6

The Coin: The Bears

Adam: Green Bay 21  Detroit 14

The Coin: Lions

Adam: Jets 24    Vikings 20

The Coin:  Jets

Adam: Patriots 24  Texans 6

The Coin: Texans

Adam:  Saints 31   Redskins 20

The Coin: Saints

Adam:  Steelers 21   Panthers 13

The Coin: Panthers

Adam:  Ravens 23   Browns 9

The Coin: Ravens

Adam: Broncos 24  Cardinals 19

The Coin: Cardinals

Adam: Rams 20   Raiders 13

The Coin: Raiders

Good luck on the test!  No cheating  :)

MAILBAG (just in time for the holidays)

Wow-whee!

I just had my Secretary bag all my mail from the past two weeks — she just brought it all in here.  ZOINKS– there is A LOT of mail! 

I guess I better get to opening and responding, huh? Okay, let me just pull out a handful and answer them on the spot.

Junk mail.

Junk mail.

Lost child handbill.

50% off my next purchase of a personalized photo throw rug …

Letter for jury duty.

Ahhh, here’s one.

When Will the Lunacy End?

Reader: I just heard the Texas Rangers signed Closer, Eric Gagne to a one year/8 million dollar contract.  Wow! I was hoping the Red Sox would get him for about $3 to 4 million.

 Fen, San Diego

Adam: No, that would be much too cheap for the Red Sox.  Supposedly Boston was prepared to pay Gagne’s agent in the ballpark of $40 million just for the rights to talk to the relief pitcher.  If accepted, they then hoped to try to negotiate a multi-year contract in the neighborhood of $10 million/year.   When informed the $40 million exclusive negotiating rights weren’t necessary, the Sox got frazzled and pulled out — threatening to turn their interest towards over-paying some unproven South African middle relievers.  Gagne’s people tried to reassure the Bostonians that they could sign Gagne without even throwing the $40 million rights fee into the package.   Boston refused, saying the $40 mil was mandatory and imposed a one week deadline for Gagne to accept their terms.   I guess Gagne and his agent got sick of the nonsense and quickly turned around and signed with Texas.

Ahhh, here’s another one — it’s in a light blue envelop. How quaint

What Will the Padres Do?

Reader: I have been very disappointed with San Diego’s off-season.  They came in bragging about how they finally have tons of money to spend and were looking for a big name to help boost attendance etc.  Instead, they are slower, older and believe it or not, even more anemic with the bat than before they started.  Do they even have anyone who can hit it out of the infield?

Mikey, Vista

Adam: Reports are out that the Padres are about to sign a 2 year deal with Absolutely Nobody.  The 2 year deal is reportedly worth $30 million…with a no trade clause that will totally crush any future flexibility in signing or trading for anyone of any significance.

What Are You Doing Tonight?

Reader:  Hey you,  had fun last night.  Bet you didn’t  know females were that flexible.  You up for a rematch? Why don’t you gi…

Leah, San Diego

Adam: Heh heh {BLUSH} OMG, Whoops! {crumble, crumble} How did that one get in here? {blush} Ahem.  Let’s just move on to the next one shall we?

 10 Yard Penalty:

Reader: I feel the NFL has become a pansy league.  You get penalized for almost everything these days.  Which do you feel are the worse rules?

Charles, Denver

Adam: I agree there are a lot of lame ones out there right now.  Atop the list are… the defensive holding call that results in an automatic first down (even if its 3rd and 45.  I’d rather it just be a big yardage-penalty like say 15 or 20 yards); the 15 yard penalty for whispering sweet nothings at the line- of-scrimmage (hey, come on, sometimes, players are just in the mood);  the 5 yard penalty for coughing without covering your mouth; the unnecessary roughness call for touching a quarterback anywhere above the belt or below the thigh…and of course, any penalty that helps the Broncos

Who’s At First…errr… Second?

Reader: I heard the Atlanta Braves released Marcus Giles.  Considering the Padres chased after him hard and almost traded Scott Linebrink for him, do you think he could wind up at Petco Park?

Cynthia, Chula Vista

Adam: Yes, if I were a betting man (I’m not — I just flip coins), but if I were, I’d bet the younger Giles was coming to San Diego.  He would come without the Padres having to give up their valuable set-up man and supposedly at a cheaper salary than if he would have been traded here directly from the Braves.   Plus, he really wants to play here and be with his brother! Now, the bigger question is — do you think it will be Giles, Giles and Gonzalez atop the batting order?  That’s three G’s    Just for fun, they should bat Greene clean-up.

Let me grab a few more letters here…

NP What?:

Reader: It was repeatedly reported this morning on NPR that the Chargers have clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  This is why I don’t rely on NPR for sports news.  I guess that’s not a question.  Sorry.

David, Hillcrest

Adam: Uhm, yeah.  Thanks (eyes roll) Dave.

Where Will Clemens Land? 

Reader: Do you think Clemens will return to the Show in 2007? If so, do you think he’ll land with Houston? Boston? or New York?

Terri, San Jose

Adam: The Yankees see Clemens as the final piece to their Retirement-Home starting rotation.  Mike Mussina (39), Randy Johnson (43), Andy Pettitte (34),  Clemens (44) are about 350 combined innings shy of walking to the mound with the support of cleated-canes.  In fact, the Yankee brass enjoys the idea of having the oldest pitching staff this side west of the Mississippi -over-60- Sunday-softball league so much, that they are quietly taking offers for youthful staff ace Chien-Ming Wang (only 26).  They are seeking another seasoned vet in return.   If they can’t find a suitor, and if the oft-injured, Carl Pavano doesn’t satisfy the coaching staff by March, rumor has it that the Yanks were thinking of asking former all-star, Ron Guidry, to leave his spot on the bench and fill in as their 5th or 6th starter.  Stay tuned…

Running Bases:

Reader: The Padres have had a disappointing off-season.  A lot of  subtractions, a few luke-warm additions.  Can you think of any late moves they could make to fill remaining holes in LF and 2B?  Do you think this guy Bud Black from Anaheim can steal as many bases as Dave Roberts did?

Daveson, Las Vegas

Adam: Sensing he couldn’t steal as many bases as Dave Roberts, Bud went ahead and stole Dave’s cleats.  He also ‘borrowed’ Roberts’ love letters from his wife and two rolls of TP from his guest bathroom.  He figured, if he couldn’t steal more bases than the former Padres, he could at least steal more stuff than the former Padre.    By the way, make sure you lock your car doors this year if you park at the stadium…

ps. I hear Allen Iverson is in the mix for the left field job

Okay, one more fan letter…

Fantasyland:

Reader: One of my three solid RB’s — Ronnie Brown — is probably out again next week, and it’s playoff time! Who should I start in my swing (RB/WR) position? My bench choices are… Laurence Maroney vs HOU, Cedric Houston at MIN, Chris Chambers at BUF or Greg Jennings vs DET? I’m leaning toward Maroney, despite NE’s unpredictability.

ps. For some reason, I passed over LT in the first round of my fantasy draft in order to select LJ. In other news, CHI defense is the second highest scoring “player” in my league. So who is more screwed up…. me for not selecting LT, or a league scoring system that allows a DEF to be the second best player? (…and BAL is third!)

Ennema, Boston

Adam: Ennema, I can’t believe my blog has fallen soo low that we are actually talking about fantasy football.  I’m so ashamed.  But since we’ve resorted– SHAME on YOU for picking Larry Johnson over LaDanian Tomlinson!  You deserve to be playing in a league that has Chicago’s Defense coming in as the second-best player in an offensive stat driven race.  Shame-on-you!  And oh by the way, I’d say go with Malroney.

Football Picks (Adam v COIN II)

You know…

I have to admit.  Life in the fast Blog lane has been great! 

Better, in fact,  than I could have ever imagined. 

The fan mail, the comp-tix, the hundreds upon hundreds of girls knocking my door down just for the chance to see THE keyboard (yes, the one and only) that makes all of this sports magic happen…I have no complaints.

But I do have to confess — I thought the only thing that could ever stop me from spitting out fine, quality blog-material would be Writer’s Block.  That, I figured, would be my kryptonite…my Achilles’ heel…my writer’s equivalent of smelling something foul, only to look at the bottom of your shoe and realize…DAMN!!! 

Anyhoo… as I was saying…I figured if anything got in the way of me producing a blog entry it would be Writer’s Block — NOT the Cable Company!!!!!

Yes, ladies and gents, the Cable Company.  The same Company that brings you TV and other boob tubular entertainment — also completely jacked up my internet connection!

And without internet hook-up, there is no blog.  Oh hum.

So, as a result, my weekly football picks entry will be super abbreviated (since I’m running out of time—the games kick off soon!!!)

Okay…so…. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!

Adam vs the COIN part deux!

For those of you new to the From the Bleachers blog, this is how it works.  For each match-up, I predict the winner and then flip a coin (to select the Coins’ choice). 

Heads = home team                            Tails = road team

We then compare how we did … which hopefully for my creditability’s sake, results in my favor. Geesh!

Last week, for all you  curious readers, went down like this.

The Coin actually nailed a couple of remarkable upsets in selecting the Titans (over the Colts), the Cardinals and the Texans…and almost made us all look bad when he picked the Lions over the Patriots. 

I, on the other hand, struggled mightily — suffering one of my worse week’s of the year (I knew I should have busted out the tarot cards for pre-selection consultation).  Luckily for my sanity, I still finished atop the coin.

Last week:

The Coin:  7-9               Adam: 10-6

THIS WEEK:

Thursday:

Adam picked the Steelers (a last second change of heart, once he realized the Browns were starting their back-up QB)  Good choice Adam — as the Steelers crushed Cleveland 27-7.

The Coin picked: The Steelers

So going into Sunday’s action…

Adam: 11-6                    the Coin 8-9

THE BEST OF THE BEST:

Oakland @ Cincinnati:

The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the league right now…I don’t see the Raiders slowing them down at all…especially in Ohio.

Adam says:  Bengals 27    Raiders 9

The Coins says: The Raiders

Apparently, the Coin thinks he’ll keep getting lucky by picking huge upsets.

MINNESOTA @ DETROIT:

OOOOOH, hope this games on TV   Both teams have high post-season aspirations — too bad ‘post season’ for them means, watching movies on the couch with the ‘fam.  (Heh heh watch, i probably just jinxed it and the Vikes will sneak in and capture the final NFC playoff spot LOL)

Adam says:  Vikings 20  Lions 13

The Coin says: Lions

For those of you new to Adam V Coin — he likes to pick opposite me in the early going.

BALTIMORE @ KANSAS CITY:

One of the better games of the week — and possible playoff preview!  That is, if the Chief’s loss to the Browns last week doesn’t come back and bite them in the you know what.  The Ravens are a better team right now than the Chiefs, but Kansas City’s tough to beat at home — and they NEED this win more than the Ravens do.  Plus, I’m rootin’ for KC (one of the few times you’ll ever hear me say those words together in a sentence).

Adam says:  Chiefs 16  Ravens 14

The Coin says: Ravens

Yep, the Coin is pissin’ me off…

NEW ENGLAND @ MIAMI:

This should be a very intriguing match-up.   Two injuries of note:  Junior Seau out for the year with broken arm,  and Miami’s missing their starting running back Ronnie Brown.  Before I reveal my pick — Did you know the Patriots are 5-0 on the road this season?  More importantly, did you know that the Dolphins aren’t as good as the Pats?  

Adam says:  Patriots 24  Dolphins 17

The Coin says: The Patriots

Even the Coin knows better than picking against the Patriots two weeks in a row.

ATLANTA @ TAMPA BAY:

Two teams playing Super Bowl Caliber ball right now.  But believe it or not, the Falcons are still in the heat of a playoff battle.  Let’s see if they can prove they belong?

Adam says: Falcons 3  Bucs 2  Falcons 23  Bucs 10

The Coins says: Bucs

The way the Falcs have been playin’, I can’t really fault the Coin for picking that way.

NEW YORK GIANTS @ CAROLINA:

This is actually a HUGE game –as both teams are battling each other for what could very well wind up being the last remaining playoff spot.  The Giants played better last week, despite a tough loss.  NY is also slowly getting healthy…Carolina played terrible in front of a nationally televised audience last Monday –and to make matters worse, will likely play without their starting QB.  The Giants are due!  I mean REALLY DUE!

Adam says: Giants 26  Panthers 17

The Coins says: Giants

The New Yorker in me would have kicked Coins’ a-s had it picked the cats.

INDIANAPOLIS @ JACKSONVILLE:

Many people are prognosticating a Jaguar upset over the Colts this week — stating amongst other things that the Colts aren’t as strong as last year and that they don’t play well against the Jags.  I think the fact that soooo many are starting to count the Colts out spells doom for the Jags — look for a Colt team with something to prove against an inconsistent, but dangerous team! (Though I will be rootin’ hard against Indy)

Adam says: Colts 28  Jags 14

The Coins says:  Jags

Of course — it wouldn’t be fun if the Coin agreed with me on such a big game. 

DENVER @ SAN DIEGO:

The Chargers are getting healthier on defense.  First Shawne Merriman returns last week – this week Luis Castillo is due back! And they’d love nothing more than to take out weeks worth of frustration on rookie Jay Cutler.  This is San Diego’s chance (with a convincing performance) to show once and for all they are the class of the division.  QB Philip Rivers is due — and needs to have a strong game this week to prove to himself, the team and to the league he is still for real…especially with San Diego battling a new round of injuries to their receiving corps.

Adam says: Chargers 27  Broncos 16

The Coin says: Chargers

San-dee-a-go…Supe-er-Char-gers!!!!  (even the coin can’t deny that’s one killer song)

NEW ORLEANS @ DALLAS:

This was the hardest game of the week for me to pick.  Should be a good one — and as much as I’m rooting for them, I just don’t think the Saints have enough to beat the over-hyped Cowboys in Dallas.  But, I hope I’m wrong.

Adam says:  Cowboys 27  Saints 23

the Coin says: Saints

I wish I had the same courage as the Coin to pick the Saints in this game.

BEST OF THE REST:

Adam says: Eagles 30   Redskins 17

Coin says: Eagles

Adam says:  Titans 23   Texans 16

The Coin says: Texans

Adam says: Seahawks 23   Cardinals 17

The Coin says: Cardinals

Adam says:  49ers 33   Packers 21

The Coin says:  Packers

Adam says: NY Jets  27  Bills 21

The Coin says: Bills

Adam says:  Bears 21   Rams 12

The Coins says: Rams

Well, that’s all of this week’s picks! Thanks for reading…enjoy the games everyone!!

ps.  I guess I unintentionally lied — this entry wasn’t THAT short after all.  Just slightly abbreviated  

SHAQ V KOBE

Years later… 

Who got the better of the deal?   

Miami or the Lakers? 

Shaquille O’Neal got an extra ring.  So obviously, this was an amazing deal for the Heat.  Period.  No questions asked.  But they already had Dwyane Wade in place (which of course, makes the argument even stronger for the Heat).   The Lakers got Lamar Odom…and Caron Butler… and Chucky Atkins and…err…Brian Grant…which later through separate moves, essentially morphed into Kwame Brown.   Talent-wise, no contest.  Shaq was the most dominant player in the league.   What did the Lakers get? Younger— a lot younger – and unfortunately they also got into some deep salary cap issues. But that was then. 

Let’s look at NOW. Let’s be honest, Shaq is barely holding on.  The Heat look old.  Odom looks like he might FINALLY have blossom into the player everyone always felt he could be.  The Lakers are finally playing as a team.   The Lakers dropped from a dynasty to the bottom tier…and now back up again.  How far up? We’re not sure yet.  But they are currently in first place, playoff-worthy (and probably bound)…and exciting again. But despite all of this—the real question lies in the following debate: Considering the Lakers were in an unenviable, awkward position a few years ago where Kobe Bryant and Shaq were not going to co-exist any longer…and the team HAD to trade one of their stars…did the Lakers trade the right guy? 

It’s not so easy is it?  If the Lakers got rid of Kobe – this might very well be the final season they would be competitive.  Shaq is looking more and more mortal every day, and as much as I personally respect him on the court, he is no longer dominant (good still, but not dominant).  They probably, however, would have competed for if not won at least one more title along the way.  Shaq was that dominant. But that didn’t happen. 

  Shaq will retire (relatively) shortly I imagine – and
Kobe, while recovering from a serious knee injury is still in his prime.  The Lakers, from what I understand,  have some salary cap flexibility coming in the off season and could be players in terms of adding a free agent – and theoretically could be in contention for at least one more title themselves.  Let’s break it down further.  In terms of box office – in terms of excitement – in terms of marketability (rape allegations aside…and which by the way, the positive mage of Kobe seems to be returning.  Case in point all the new endorsements he has signed and all the commercials) Kobe is the clear choice – he is a human highlight reel (sorry for stealing the ‘nick’ Dominique). 

In terms of the future: Like I said, the Plus goes to the Lakers here. Without trading Shaq, who knows who the Lakers would have on their current roster.  Sure wouldn’t be Odom, Kwame, Andrew Bynum (they wouldn’t had drafted that high if Shaq and Kobe were still winning titles)…and probably not Jordan Farmar, Maurice Evans etc etc. 

At the time, word on the street (Encinitas Blvd to be exact) was that Kobe was a cancer.  Selfish.  Terrible team player.  Hard to be around.  Ball hog.  Me me me me me etc etc etc 

Were these things true?    Who knows? But today? Look at him. His teammates seems to enjoy playing with him.  There’s no power struggle.  He passes (on occasion).  He’s smiling.  His teammates are smiling.  We no longer hear unidentified teammates mocking Kobe and management by saying Kobe is the “real General Manager”.  The Lakers are fun to watch again.  Odom is becoming consistent and stepping it up (which by the way, Kobe claims Odom making the All-star team would make him so happy he’d sign up for ‘Dancing with the Stars’.  Okay, not that happy – but you get the drift.). 
Kobe doesn’t need to score 50 points every night for the team to be successful – he’s getting his teammates involved more.   He has matured on and off the court. And — the Lakers are in first place! 

Miami? Let’s just say they’re 7-10.   In third place behind Orlando and ATLANTA!  (okay, tied with Atlanta.  But is that really any better?  I mean, no offense, but we’re talking ‘bout the Hawks here.) 

And Shaq is down – and counting.  Granted, it’s early and the regular season doesn’t mean all that much for Shaq-led teams (though this team is actually led by Wade)…or for most of the league for that matter (Man, trim the regular season!  It’s too freakin’ long).   For all we know, the Heat may still compete for another title this season.  But the writing is on the wall.   

The tides are changing.     One team is heading upwards (how high? Again, nobody truly knows).  And one team has already peaked and is starting is gradual descent downward. I will be the first to argue that I still think the Lakers messed things up by trading Shaq in the first place.   I understand there was a good chance Kobe would have walked had they done so…but breaking up the best duo probably in the history of the NBA (Yeah what? I said it!) was heart-breakin’.  It was sad.  Who knows how many more titles the Lakers would have won.  You can’t tell me they wouldn’t have won at least one more ring together – if not more!  You can’t tell me the Lakers wouldn’t have been able to swing a couple more Karl Malone / Gary Payton-esque free agent signings, where the players take very reduced salaries in order to have one last shot at a ring.  You can’t tell me that at the very least,
Los Angeles would have been seriously competing for titles every one of theses past few years.   

But they didn’t.  What they did was trade one of the best Centers to ever grace the hardwood.  What they did was trade the most dominant player in the game.  What they did was break Lakers fans’ heart all over Los Angeles. What they did was have to make one of the toughest decisions in NBA personnel history.  What they did, considering the circumstances, was make the right decision. 

And that my B-ball friends, breaks my heart. But the real tragedy was that Kobe, Shaq, Phil Jackson and Jerry Buss couldn’t just work it out as one big unhappy family. 

So….LA’s divorce was indeed Miami’s gain …even if Los Angeles did in fact make the right decision. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: 

I am proud to announce that From the Bleachers is now syndicated! Awe yeah!  Check out www.meetafan.com    

And check out the new sports blog while you’re there – you will find a new and improved From the Bleachers!!!   http://www.meetafan.com/blog.aspx

TUESESDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

1.3. 

Nope, that’s not the average household # of cars in the U.S.  

We’re not even talking Grade Point Average. 

We’re talking Quarterback Ratings. 

Yes, a 1.3 QB rating. 

A 1.3 QB rating!  

That my friends is what Chicago Bear quarterback Rex Grossman produced this past weekend. A one point freakin’ three quarterback rating.  

I didn’t know the rating system even went that low.  Apparently it does. 

It’s mind-blowing that a NFL starter can play THAT poorly. 

Funny thing is: the Bears won the game.  Granted, I think it had A LOT more to do with that defense of their’s than the offense –BUT STILL! 

No wonder fans in Chicago are calling for his head…err…I mean his backup – QB Brain Griese. 

Same went for Denver’s out-of-a-starting job Jake Plummer.  Though …and again granted, his QB rating never sunk as low as 1.3. 

I mean my sister could strap on a helmet and get at least a 3.8. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, his former back-up throws a nice spiral. I’ll give that to new Bronco starter Jay Cutler.  But does that warrant a starter’s job? 

It’s the timing that I’m referring to. 

Two teams who only a couple of weeks ago were talking Super Bowl…now are talking QB change (or in Denver’s case– already changed).   

Isn’t it a little late for that? 

Folks — its week 13 going on 14.  It’s the most crucial part of the season.  Changing the most important position on the team now would be like me changing blog writers in the middle of a blo… 

“Hi everyone my name is Roger Cornchowder…and I’m filling in for Adam for the rest of the paragraph.  I’m not really qualified to write here since I’ve never actually read his blog nor have any idea what his style is like.  Sorry about that.  I’m just here to help paint an analogy and take up space.  Hope this doesn’t cost him a shot at getting nominated for the Nobel  Sports Prize. ” 

Ahem… It just doesn’t work – it’s too late.  

It’s not like these teams are bad with nothing going for them outside the hope of what next year may bring.  No, these are supposedly two premier teams – battling it out for the chance to call themselves Champs come season’s end. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the season is almost over.  You have just played 12+ games plus all of pre-season under one field general…and both teams are still legitimate playoff teams.  How can you expect a quarterback to suddenly come in at this juncture?   

It’s less of an issue for Chicago since Griese is a proven veteran.  But replacing Plummer (who yes, has a bad habit of messing up at the worse possible moment) with a rookie at this point seems moronic to me.  (Note: This same Plummer-guy is also the same guy who leads current active quarterbacks in fourth quarter comebacks.) 

Despite consistent poor play, it’s just too late in the season to pull the Back-up Card.  

To make such a change, you would have had to do it much earlier in the year like Dallas did with Tony Romo.  Bill Parcells made the change early enough, where both Romo and the team could grow together, get enough snaps and GAMES under their belts to actually have a fighter’s chance come playoff time. 

How does Denver expect to make a deep run with a rookie who will only get five games to learn not only his team… BUT also THE NFL?!!!  To me, this move by Denver signaled the white flag for this year.  I’m not saying Cutler isn’t the quarterback of the future for the Broncos.  I’m just saying Denver wins last Sunday’s game against
Seattle with Plummer under center…and I’m saying Plummer (despite his poor play) gave the Broncos the best shot at winning this year!   

Bear fans – you still have hope!  But time is running out in Chicago (still the favorite by some over Dallas to come out of the NFC).  Keep in mind, if Grossman continues to play poorly, the fans will grow increasingly restless…and you’re already past danger-time.  You need to make a decision once and for all on who your starting QB is the rest of the season…because the longer you wait, the greater the chances you will have diminished success come playoff time. 

And as you know, this is the worst possible time of the year for a quarterback controversy! 

TIME FOR SOME CHARGER TALK: 

• W. McGahee, the self-proclaimed “best running back in the league” was held to 26 yards on 16 carries.  His 1.6 yards per carry easily out did LaDanian Tomlinson’s 178 yards (on only 28 carries) and 2 touchdowns.

• Did anyone notice that Donnie Edwards had eighteen, count them, 18 tackles Sunday?! 12 of them solo.  He also had two ham sandwiches, three speeding tickets and blocked seventeen pre-teens from getting illegal tattoos of their second grade boyfriends’ names (boyfriends who wouldn’t last the month by the way).  Check the box score!

• Sunday’s game marked a return of sort’s to a dominant output by San Diego’s defensive unit.  The Charger defense limited
  Buffalo to a mere 63 yards rushing (26 coming from a srambling QB), forced 4 turnovers and unleashed 3 sacks. 

Poor third quarter play by the team’s other units (ahem…offense… and let me clear my throat…special teams…ahem) were responsible for 14 of Buffalo’s points— and a combo of a turnover and a semi-prevent defense at the end of the game led to Buffalo’s final score.  In other words, the game was not as close as the final score indicated.  The defense played solid… despite STILL not being close to full strength.   

• With 2 sacks, Shawne Merriman joined Shaun Phillips as co-sack leaders in the AFC!  Not bad for a duo who have both missed time to injury and …err…other  reasons

• 7 catches for 90 yards and a TD – welcome back to Antonio Gates!!!!!!

• A great day around the league for the Chargers! 
  Indianapolis lost (dropping the Colts into a virtual tie for both home field advantage throughout the playoffs and the top seed in the conference.  I say virtual, because the Colts currently hold the tie-breaker in that they have a slightly better conference record than do the Chargers.), Denver and Kansas City lost (dropping both teams a whopping three games behind San Diego!!!!!!), and the Raiders lost (which doesn’t really mean anything as far as the playoffs go…but its just plain fun to see). This all comes on the heels of the Ravens losing Thursday night!   Yippee!

• If this type of stuff interests you:  The Chargers are atop ESPN.com’s Football Power Rankings this week.  Ahead of
  Indianapolis (#2) and Dallas (#3).  The Patriots (#5), Ravens (#6), Bengals (#8), Chiefs (#12) and the Broncos (#13) round out the rest of the teams of interest to the Chargers right now.

• Did you know:  San Diego clinches a playoff spot with a victory Sunday over Denver.   Further, they clinch the AFC West title with both a win combined with a Kansas City loss to
  Baltimore.  However, considering their current three game lead over the Chiefs (with only four games remaining), it may ultimately be better for San Diego’s cause if the Chiefs knock off the Ravens.  Why?  The Ravens are only one game behind the Chargers for home field advantage and hold the tie breaker.  At this point, playoff seeding takes precedence.  More space between the Bolts and the purple birds may be more advantageous than a four game gap over the Chiefs…

IN OTHER NEWS: 

• Speaking of the Raiders (well a couple of paragraphs ago): did you hear that they lost despite the fact that their defense held the Texans to -5 yards passing?  That is not a typo. 
  Houston had negative yards for the day passing the ball (I didn’t know that possible) and the Raiders still found a way to lose. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  What else can they do?  Maybe we should see what would happen if we just put a bunch of mannequins on the field…I wonder if the Raiders would still lose?

 

• Someone at the SD Union Tribune is smoking crack.  They picked Buffalo at the Jets as  the “best game next week” Say what?  Over Denver at San Diego? Over Baltimore at
  Kansas City?  Over NY Giants at Carolina?  Over
  Indianapolis at Jacksonville?  OverNew Orleans at
  Dallas (which NBC picked as the game of the week for broadcast)?  Ooooooookay….

• Speaking of smoking crack – 
  Buffalo should permanently return to their throw-back blue and white uniforms that they wore against the Chargers.  These are such a tremendous step above their normal dark blue/white/red with squares monstrosity they have been wearing the past couple of seasons.   Whomever made the decision to change to those from their old blue and red unis (that they wore during their 4 Super Bowl-runner-up glory days) was smoking something – im thinking Crack   Man, those are hard on the eyes!

• Speaking of hard on the eyes – the red-shirted costumes (yeah, I said ‘costume’) the NY football Giants wore again Sunday gave me headaches.  Talk about a hideous uniform.  Nothing matches – and the only blue is on the helmet and it looks weird teamed with the red tops!  Why wear those when the Giants normally sport one of the best uniforms in the league?  Seriously, both the Giants and the Jets perfected the throw-back threads …why mess with what works?

Talk with you tomorrow…

 

ps. Greg Maddux has signed a 1 year deal with the Padres with a mutual option for year two.  Stay tuned…

FOOTBALL PICKS (Adam versus the Coin)

I NEED A GIMMICK.   

Some writers pick games and compare their results against other experts.   

One ESPN writer actually picks games and then to make it interesting, also has his wife pick games…and then they see who does better.   

I figure, I too, need a gimmick!  So after tens of minutes of deep-thought, I decided I will compete against a Coin.   

Yes, an ordinary American-brand 25 cent piece of mixed copper/nickel metal alloy (did you know that US Quarters stopped being made of Silver in 1965?).   

Cool huh?   

You see, this is how it works.  For each game, I will make my selection.  Then I will flip the Coin:  Heads means the Coin picks the HOME TEAM; Tails means the Coin picks the ROAD TEAM.  Then we will list and compare our respective picks. 

I just hope I do BETTER than my competitor here! 

Okay you ready?!   

[insert NFL Films / Sam Spence music here] 

—- GAMES OF THE WEEK —- 

SEATTLE @ DENVER:

Believe it or not, I think the Broncos take this game with Jake Plummer behind center.   But, as we all know, that’s not the case this week.  Seattle’s getting healthy again and I can’t see a rookie beating the NFC champs in his first ever big-league start  – during a primetime, national broadcast no less.  The game will still be close.  Denver is still one of the toughest home teams in the league and they desperately need a win.  I mean they need a win in a bad way after dropping two in a row to divisional foes (which ironically, a few years back, this would have been another AFC West showdown).  But it won’t happen this night. Look for Seattle to stack the line and force Jay Cutler to beat them with his arm. 

Prediction: Seahawks 23     Broncos 17

The Coin says:  Broncos 

Apparently the Coin thinks Cutler is more seasoned than I do. 

DALLAS @ NEW YORK GIANTS:

I have a bad feeling I will regret this pick.  After all, these two teams couldn’t be headed in two more opposite directions.   Tony Romo is the new Next-coming in the eyes of many and the Giants could make a good case for an episode entirely devoted to them on ER.  At full strength, or even three weeks ago (remember a few Monday night Football games ago?), this would have been a no-brainer pick for me.  The Giants talent-wise are a NFC Title contender … but the game isn’t on paper.  What this game is however, is the Season for the boys in darker-blue.  Yes, it’s that important.  A win gives them a sweep against “America’s team” and first place in the division (not to mention an end to a devastating losing streak).  A loss, though, could all but end their season’s aspiration.  Osi Umenyiora’s potential return could give the Giants a boost.  Then again, it might not. 

Prediction:  Giants 31   Cowboys 27 The Coin says:  Cowboys 

Figures, an American currency would pick “America’s Team”. 

HOUSTON @ OAKLAND:

NBC tried desperately to select this game as their Sunday night game of the week.  But CBS protested and threatened legal actions if their rivals continued discussions with the League concerning this match-up.  Fortunately, for all parties (and for all of us watching at home), the two sides agreed to a compromise with the help of the FOX Network – and agreed to work a deal to have the Seahawks and Broncos square of under the lights.   As far as the game, Oakland’s defense continues to show it belongs amongst the league’s elite…and should be enough to squeak out a rare victory.  But again, I wouldn’t take this pick to the bank (I mean it is the Raiders we’re talking about.)  

Prediction:  Raiders 19   Texans 10 The Coin says:  Texans 

Wow—the Coin seems to be purposely picking every game opposite of me.   

49ERS @ SAINTS:

Drew Brees has been Red Hot.  The 49ers wear red uniforms—sounds like a match made in heaven  The 49er defense has improved a bit of late, but the Saints have been proficient offensively this season and strong at home.  This is a game the Saints need if they are serious about winning their division.  Likewise, this is a must-win for the 49ers’ playoff push.  Actually, never mind, who we kidding?  It’s the NFC – they’ll still be in the hunt even if they lose. 

Prediction:  Saints 29   49ers 17

The Coin says:  49ers 

I swear I’m not just putting down the opposite of what I pick for the Coin. 

—– THE REST OF THE PACK —— 

SAN DIEGO @ BUFFALO:Last I heard, snow was forecasted for Sunday.  But despite playing in warm weather, the Chargers should be well-suited for the cold.  They have all the ingredients: dominant running game, a strong defense against the run, and a spark, sure to warm the team up coming in the return of Shawne Merriman.  In other words, it might be a keen time to play a little Martyball this week.  Note: I said a LITTLE Martyball!  This could be a dangerous game for the Chargers…but something tells me they know this and the coaching staff and team veterans won’t let them fall.   Buffalo is up and down – so if the UP-team comes, could be a close game.   

Prediction:  Chargers 26    Bills 13 The Coin says:  Chargers 

Finally, we see eye to eye. 

MINNESOTA @ CHICAGO:The Bears are coming off a tough defeat to the Patriots and will be hungry to show the Country that they’re still the Class of the NFC.  The Vikings, on the other hand, are not the same team they were at the beginning of the season when they almost knocked off the Bears at home.  Plus, this isn’t home sweet dome – this is frigid Soldier Field – where Rex Chapman plays a lot better.   Look for the Bears in a defensive battle. 

Prediction:  Bears 23   Vikings 9 The Coin says:  Vikings 

Man, you should hear the smack the Coin’s spittin’ right now.  

TAMPA BAY @ PITTSBURGH: These are two of the three teams giving me ulcers when it comes to picking games.  I just can’t get them right.  Two teams who are supposed to have good defenses, but don’t. They play good one week and then embarrass themselves the next.  Honestly, I kept thinking Pittsburgh had one last run in them – until last week.  It’s over, they’re done.  Unfortunately for me, so is Tampa Bay (0-5 on the road).   Steelers playing for pride, take this one… but does anyone care?  Heh heh, I’m surprised this isn’t the Monday night game this week  

Prediction:  Steelers 28   Bucs 20 The Coin says:  Steelers 

I’d say great minds, BUT…

ARIZONA @ ST. LOUIS:
Battle of one time St. Louis teams…the Cardinals are the ex-wife…and the Rams are the new adopted child.  Or something like that. Either way, this insignificant sub-plot will probably be more interesting than the game.   

Prediction:  Rams 34   Cardinals 19

The Coin says:  Cardinals 

If the coin talks about my Grandma like that one more time… 

INDIANAPOLIS @ TENNESSEE: Vince Young has already shown flashes of the magic he showed at Texas and it spelled bad news last week for the Giants.   These aren’t the Giants however.  Further, this isn’t the NFC East, for which Tennessee has dominated.  And even though the Colts are a little banged up offensively right now, they should still have enough to keep some distance between them and the Oilers…err I mean Titans. 

Prediction:  Colts 28   Titans 12 The Coin says:  Titans 

I guess when it comes to putting his money where his mouth is, Mr. Quarter felt it’s better to keep the horses on the racetrack. 

JACKSONVILLE @ MIAMI:
Jacksonville has been a terrible road team this season.  They’ve also played down to their opponents all year long.  So the question is, do they view the Dolphins as being a good team or not?  My guess is, yes, they do.  This is one has the makings of being one of the more interesting games this week – could be a good one!  (and also the game I found most challenging to pick.) 

Prediction:  Jaguars 19   Dolphins 13

The Coin says:  Jaguars 

If they met in the wild, a jaguar would rip apart a dolphin.   

ATLANTA @ WASHINGTON: The Falcons are due.  Michael Vick is pissed.  The Redskins are just plain lousy.  If Vicks’ middle finger still works, take the birds. 

Prediction:  Falcons 27   Redskins 14 The Coin says:  Redskins 

Hold on, I’m going to roll the coin down the driveway a few times– I’ll get right back. 

{Okay, it’s five minutes later:  I think we’ll find a much politer Quarter from here on out.} 

KANSAS CITY @ CLEVELAND: Did you know CBS picked this game as one of their HD games? Over SD vs Buffalo!  Oh well.  I don’t have HD anyways…   

Prediction:  Chiefs 24   Browns 14 The Coin says:  Chiefs 

Looks like I rolled some sense into my Coin. 

DETROIT @ NEW ENGLAND:
New England plays game number two on their new turf.  I hate seeing natural grass get replaced, but the stuff they put in looks pretty good – it’s hard to tell it isn’t real.   Sorry for the tangent, but I guess it was more interesting to me than this game is going to be. Prediction:  Patriots 27   Lions 7

The Coin says:  Lions  I think Coin is smoking crack. 

NEW YORK JETS @ GREEN BAY:The Jets need this win to keep any hopes of making the playoffs alive.  The Packers do too…though at 4-7 they don’t deserve to be in contention.  This game on the road will tell a lot about how good the Jets really are…if they lose, they aren’t good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as P-L-A-Y-O-F-F-S… 

Prediction:  Jets 21   Packers 16 The Coin says: Packers 

The Coin and the human differ in this battle of green-jerseyed teams. 

CAROLINA @ PHILADELPHIA:The Eagles’ season ended when Donovan McNabb went down.  Carolina should run all over Philly.  It’s Monday night, so it probably won’t be a good game  

Prediction:  Panthers 30   Eagles 13 The Coin says:  Panthers 

I’m glad we were able to agree amicably on the last pick. 

YEAR TO DATE:

Adam’s Record: 1-0

Coin’s Record:   0-1 

I picked the Bengals over the Ravens.   The Coin chose tails. 

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS FROM THE GRIDIRON: 

The Chargers picked up a big victory Thursday when the Bengals knocked off the Ravens!  (Thanks NFL Network and my local Cable Company from blocking me from watching the game!)  With the victory, San Diego moved up to the second seed in the American Football Conference (one game behind the top seeded Colts). 

Remember, in the current playoff system the top two seeds get the HIGHLY important first round bye.  And considering how tough and deep the AFC is, that’s HUGE!   Every AFC team that advances to the post season will be legitimate contenders! 

If the Chargers can maintain one of the top two seeds, then it also ensures they wouldn’t have to travel to notoriously bad-weathered (and challenging) cities such as Baltimore, New England, Denver, Kansas City, Cincinnati etc.  And it would also mean, they would be only one upset away from having the Road to Miami (aka the Super Bowl) go through San Diego. 

So Chargers fans, time to root harder against Indy, New England and
Baltimore (the biggest threats to the top two seeds).  Go BOLTS!  

ALBERT BOO HOOJOLS

Did you hear? 

St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols complained to the media that he was snubbed out of winning the National League MVP award.   

Oh boo hoo. 

Upon losing to Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard, he said “Someone who doesn’t take his team to the playoffs, doesn’t deserve to win MVP.” 

Wow! Did Albert think this? Or actually say it out loud?   

‘Cuz that sounds like something you say in your incy bitsy tiny weeny voice when you are in the privacy of your own home or with close-personal friends…but NOT to the media. 

In general, okay, I might agree with his statement about MVP’s coming from contending teams.  But let’s look at a couple of things more closely – including the audacity of his statement. 

First off– stat-wise it’s a toss up:Pujols batted .331 with 49 HRs and 137 RBI’s.  /   Howard hit .313 with 58 HRs and 149 RBI’s. 

Yes, Pujols led his team to their first World Series title since 1982, while the Phillies missed the playoffs by 2 games (even though they were in the hunt until the season’s final hours). 

But, my dear Albert, remember that the awards are actually voted upon before the Post Season begins (which btw,  is a HUGE pet peeve of mine – that the post season isn’t included in the voting process, since much of the time, the play during this period would drastically affect a voter’s decision.  But that’s another story)

… And at this time, the Cardinals backed…no backward crawled…no, they were pushed backwards in a backward-crawler’s stance into the playoffs.   

Most predicted a fast exit from the Playoffs at the hands of the Padres…or at the very least a pathetic showing and an eventual early departure from the post season. 

Nobody, but nobody expected the Cardinals to advance to the Series, let alone WIN it!  

To be honest, I still have problems accepting the fact that they won. 

They weren’t the best team last year … and in some eyes they weren’t even worthy of qualifying for the post season.   What they were – was the hottest team at the most perfect of times.  Case in point, they were carried by Jeff Weaver and Jeff Suppan to the Series – players who will now get HUGE, outrageous contracts from a couple of foolish, slightly off-their-rocker ball clubs.  And I’m willing to go out on the limb and say, their numbers revert back closer to their pre-post season average-ness. 

What makes Pujols’ comment so hypocritical is the fact that the Phillies had a better record than the Cardinals. 

Records-

Phillies:  85-77                               Cardinals:  83-78 

What say you about that Mr. Pujols?   

In fact, the Cardinals finished one, count them, one game better than the 2005 San Diego Padres (82-80). 

Yes, the same ball club that most of America ridiculed and threw conniption fits over because they were a ‘disgrace to the post season’ and an ‘embarrassment to the game’.   

The Cardinals were one game better.  And quite frankly, with the way their season unfolded, lucky to even be that.   

The team was NOT good heading into the playoffs.  They were bad.  And for the life of me, can’t understand why St. Louis escaped the same bad-mouthing the Padres received (Yes, I know the Cardinals got the whole ‘will they choke and blow a huge lead’ media coverage during the final week of the season.   But that’s not the same as saying the Padres were ‘the worse team ever to make the post season’). 

So you see, Albert, the Cardinals weren’t viewed as any better than the Phillies heading into the post season.  Some may say, that for all intensive purposes, YOUR team didn’t really qualify for the post season. 

Heck, had Roger Clemens decided to come back a few weeks earlier than he did, we might be talking about Houston instead.  

Record-wise, in any other division or in any other year, you would be lucky to just finish Third place, let alone First.    

Not to bring up the point that you won the division with a worse record than the Wildcard (But I just did). 

Or the point that the Phillies would have won your division (leaving you to watch the playoffs at home on the tube) had you switched divisions. (Whoops, did that too!) 

But enough about that — my small mini-double-bacon-cheeseburger-beef with Pujols has nothing to do with him as a player, because I think he’s the top player in the game today …slightly edging Geoff Blum ;) .  No my beef is about his complaining to the media about his second place finish.    

Sour grapes. 

Man, if I had say, I’d probably have voted him MVP over Howard.   I’ll be honest.  But whining about not winning the award is kinda like giving yourself a nickname…or  naming your own blog (say what?). 

You just don’t do it! You don’t hear the Yankees’ Derek Jeter complaining about his not winning the American league prize, do you?  And he was certainly the favorite for that award, ahead of a Minnesota Twin who arguably wasn’t even the best player on his own team this past season. 

The truth of the matter is, both Pujols and Howard were extremely worthy candidates.  If anything Albert, complain about the timing of the voting process.  Pressure the powers that be to schedule the voting after the World Series. 

Switching Gears… 

TO THE HARDWOOD  —- and a little NBA. 

Every once in a while I get the inkling to make lists, compare and contrast and rate things.  So this is what I came up with today!

 RANKING THE DIVISIONS:  (E = Eastern Conference / W= Western Conference)  

1. Pacific (W)

From top to bottom, the most solid of the divisions.   And if Golden State proves they are for real, then every one of these teams are legitimate playoff contenders.  In fact as of tip-off today, every team in the division sports a .500 or better record.   Phoenix seems to have righted their ship and now resume their journey once again as serious Title contenders.  The Clippers can also go deep… and the Lakers are proving that their post-season outburst last year was no joke.

Phoenix, LA. Lakers, LA. Clippers, Sacramento, Golden State. 

2. Southwest (W)

This division is top heavy.  Two leading Title caliber teams in the SAME division…and a third, Houston, who not only has the top Center in the league (Sorry Miami), but also the potential to go deep.  And the Hornets are no walk in the park either.  Memphis brings down the division’s overall rank. 

Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Memphis.  

3. Central (E)

Another top to bottom consistent group.  They’re are no push-overs here.  But at the same time, every team is beatable.  Cleveland and Detroit seem to be the class of the division and challengers to represent the Eastern Conference come trophy time.  Chicago, seems to be under-achieving and not quite ready for primetime yet.  But the season’s still early and if they can turn things around, this division becomes THAT MUCH  tougher.

Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Indiana, Milwaukee.  

4. Southeast (E)

This is a tough group to judge.  Has Atlanta turned a page (in terms of being competitive)?  Orlando looks legit and are playing very very good ball right now – but can they keep it up?  Can Grant Hill stay healthy?  Washington has struggled early, but should turn it around and compete for a playoff spot.  But the defending champs, despite their struggles, are still around, and remain the Class of this division.

Orlando, Miami, Washington,  Atlanta, Charlotte

5. Northwest (W)

Utah has been the surprise of the League thus far.  And Denver has Carmelo.  But the rest of the division doesn’t exactly shoot shivers down the NBA’s collective spine.  Though, on any give night Seattle, Portland and Minnesota can still bite. 

Utah, Denver, Seattle, Minnesota, Portland.

6. Atlantic (E)

No team with a winning record. Not one.  In fact, no team with a winning percentage over .400.  We could be talking about the Worse Division in recent memory.  Case in point, the Knicks are only one game out.  If New Jersey doesn’t run away with the prize, their fans should all jump on a sinking boat…or move to Utah

New Jersey, Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Toronto. 

Before we go… 

QUICK BASEBALL TIDBIT:

Supposedly (a source said) at the Season-Ticket Holder’s meeting tonight in San Diego: Sandy Aldersen and Kevin Towers announced that Geoff Blum signed a deal with the Padres (will be announced Friday). Ooooooooh! 

And, said the source,  the club hasn’t yet ruled out Mark Loretta or Ray Durham for second base…but that Tony ‘grafineener’ Graffanino is the leading candidate at this point to fill the position.  We shall see…

Oh, and they said, they are indeed very interested in Barry Zito…but this Agent Scott Boras, is asking for about $20 mil/year…so at that price, he isn’t a realistic possibility for the Petco Park boys. 

Oh hum. Most importantly, however, they told everyone Jake Peavy and Adrian Gonzalez are not going anywhere. I think the source said they ‘promised’.   Again, we’ll see…

So stay tuned…the Winter Meetings are right around the corner… 

If time, tomorrow – football picks!!!!!!!    :)

That’s it for today folks—-enjoy NOT being able to watch the BENGALS VS RAVENS Football Fans!