NFL Coaching Dismissals

I haven't started my post mortem on the Texans 2008 season yet. I've mostly been thinking about The Monkee Cage's 2008 Players, Coaches and Executives of the year. More on that later.

The Coaching Dismissals

I've been thinking about the playoffs and the coaching dismissals and other changes.

First off, how Eric Mangini gets fired but GM Mike Tannenbaum kept his job is a head scratcher. Mangini took the fall for the NY Jets fall. They lost 4 of 5 of their last games. Sure the coach formerly known as Mangenius bares responsibility for the collapse. He's the one calling the plays and approving the calls and game plan of his assistant coaches. Tannenbaum was the one that put the roster together. Owner Woody Johnson approved the high priced free agent acquisitions and the trade for Brett Farve. Mangini evidently had a contentious relationship with some of the veteran players. Farve was reportedly among the unhappy ones. If the locker room was divided then Mangini was rightfully fired. However, the man that put the team together should also be given a pink slip.

Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner wasted no time in making changes. He started at the top and sacked GM Phil Savage hours after the Browns 31-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The next day he showed head coach Romeo Crennel the door too. Reportedly on Saturday Lerner met with Bill Cowher and he just flat out turned him down and stated he won't coach in 2009.

Everybody's favorite dysfunctional franchise flushed head coach Rod Marinelli. A dubious 0-16 will get you canned.

It's not Marinelli's fault completely. The whole organization is just putrid. Starting from owner William C. Ford on down. Ford had a chance to purge the Lions front office. Instead of a Joe Stalin type purge, he promotes from within the team. Then again this is the owner that hired Matt Millen and kept him on much longer than he should have. It took his son going public to get Millen fired. Detroit will remain a joke for the foreseeable future.

Some Bloggers Need to Stay Off the Computer

I haven't read a good hack writer in a long time. This writes an Sports Illustrated blog called Against the Grain. It's one of the worst attempts at blogging I've run across in a while. In some of his points he just states the obvious. When he isn't leading blind into a wall, he just flat out doesn't know what he's writing about.

The subtitle for his column is:
A weekly NFL breakdown that heads in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis.(Italics his).

Yet in point one, he states the same thing just about anybody else with a microphone or keyboard is saying. No shit, Tony Romo hasn't finished a season strong. That's really in the opposite direction of your average pro football analysis. Thanks a lot Captain Obvious.

In point two, Captain Obvious strikes again. No shit, Brett Farve flirts with retirement the last few years. Where's the opposite direction in this point?

Number five is the real knee slapper. "College systems are getting very close to the pros, so some of these QBs should have success next year." He either doesn't read many scouting reports or doesn't know dick about college football. Graham Harrell, Chase Daniels and other spread offense quarterbacks are not closer to the pro game. As more college teams go to the spread offense, scouts are lamenting how unprepared they are for the pro game. In the case of Daniels, some don't even think he'll make a pro team. I will give him credit on one thing, the quarterbacks he named don't come from spread offenses. But the college game is actually breaking from the pro game with the spread offense.

I won't even comment on point six other than to say that he forgot to diminish anything LaDaian Thomplison has accomplished.

Point seven. Is he serious? Is he actually suggesting that the Eagles only get rid arguably the best quarterback they've ever had. Yes there are some issues going on in Philadelphia but to imply that it would have been better for them to lose than beat Dallas? As long as the team remains a contender there is no need to make such drastic changes. Kevin Kolb isn't ready to take over yet for Donovan McNabb.

Point eight he goes to the karma bag. Look man, they didn't ruthlessly cut Drew Bledsoe. Tom Brady supplanted him by winning a Super Bowl. Ty Law and Lawyer Malloy were long in the tooth and became expendable. Either that or the Pats didn't like players with "law" in their name.

Point nine, Bill Parcels isn't going anywhere near Detroit. The Fords are going after Scot Poili of the Patriots. Parcells just help resurrect the Dolphins. I don't think he wants another headache for another few years.

"Texans Syndrome?" Where the did you come up with that one? I looked high and low on the internet for the term and found zilch. Nada. Nothing. This was the first year they were expected to compete for a playoff spot. There were a few national media on the Texans bandwagon but it was far and few between. In fact most are just now eating crow for ripping the organization for taking Mario Williams. A better term would have been "Browns Syndrome" or "Cowboys Syndrome." The Browns were given five nationally televised games. More than anyone else. They laid a stinker of a season. The Cowboys were the anointed ones like Anakan Skywalker. They cratered after being proclaimed Super Bowl champs before the first regular season kick off.

I thought I found a new column to read just for some new insight. He's right about one thing. His writing and analysis is in the opposite direction of average pro football analysis; the downside of the average that is.

You know, I might actually read his previous posts just to see what kind of crap he writes and laugh my gut sore.

NFL Week 17 Picks vs. the Spread

The last week of the season. I haven't tallied my season totals yet but I'm guessing I'm well into the losing side. Not much chance at making up ground but I'll give out my week seventeen picks anyway.

Raiders(+12.5) @Buccaneers - Sucker bet at double digits. Raiders are a mess but the Bucs are also in disarray. Raiders

Lions(+10.5) @Packers - Another sucker bet. The Packers have nothing to play for. The Lions will try and fight to keep from being the first 0-16 team in NFL history. Lions

Cowboys(+1) @Eagles - Maybe the toughest pick to make. Both teams are playing for a post season berth. Cowboys are coming off a stunning loss to the Ravens in which they kept getting close only to be kicked in the teeth by two long TD runs. Eagles have been hot and cold all season. I have an rule: Never bet the Cowboys in December. Eagles

Giants(+7) @Vikings - The Giants have the number one NFC seed wrapped up. The Vikings need a win to get into the playoffs. Who plays harder? Will Giants coach Tom Coughlin rest starters? Tough call. Giants

Bears(+2.5) @Texans - The Texans have been kicking me in the chin all season. I pick against them and they win. I pick them and they lose. Guess what? I'm passing on this game. I can't. It's against my own rules. Texans

Panthers(-2.5) @Saints - Another disappointing season for the Saints and the Panthers have the bye week wrapped up. Time for the Panthers to rest some players. Saints

Rams(+14) @Falcons - Falcons need the win to wrap up a post season slot. Rams are a team that can't find their asses with both hands. Double digit line can be lethal though. Falcons

Chiefs(+3) @Bengals - This is one of the sick men of the NFL match ups. I don't like taking either team but I must. Bengals

Jaguars(+12.5) @Ravens - Are the Jags that bad? I expect no fight from them. Double digits is a to much though. Jaguars

Titans(-3) @Colts - Nothing on the line for either team. Colts

Browns(+11) @Steelers - Nothing on the line for either team. Is there an echo in the room? Steelers

Dolphins(+2.5) @Jets - Jets are sinking with Brett Farve's arm. Dolphins

Patriots(-6) @Bills - Have the Bills moved to Toronto yet? Patriots

Seahawks(+6.5) @Cardinals - Arizona is a really bad team all of a sudden. The line is a little to big for the way the Cards have been playing lately. Seahawks

Redskins(+3) @49ers - Really, who cares? 49ers

Broncos(+8) @Chargers - Are you kidding me? +8? No way. Broncos

NFL Week 16 - Texans Only

Well it had all the makings of a trap game and the Texans fell in it. They looked like total turds in losing to the Oakland Raiders for the first time in the team's brief history.

For God knows how many times, they opened the game with a beautiful drive for a touchdown. It was down hill from there.

I turned off the TV when head coach Gary Kubiak called for a pass play on a 4th and inches. Instead of going for the first down and three more shots at the endzone, they go for it all in one stupid play and effectively ending the game.

I think this loss is disturbing for a few reasons.

First, the team started to believe their own hype. The national media was starting to sing them a few praises. Kubiak and the other coaches were not able to keep them focused on the Raiders.

Secondly Kubiak is still making the same stupid mistakes at coaching. I don't understand how you throw a pass for the endzone when you only need inches for the first down. Last week against the Titans, Kubiak never abandoned the running game. He kept on pounding the rock and it paid off. Steve Slaton is the second best player on offense. The offensive line has been glowing with confidence. Give them a chance and show you can trust them to get a few inches for the first down.

Third, Richard Smith still needs to go. The defense regressed big time in this game. JeMarcus Russell has struggled all year long. The coaching changes in Oakland have him struggling to develop. Repeatedly the Texans gave up plays that he hadn't really been making Russell shouldn't have been making consistently.

I think the Texans have a long way to go before they are a playoff contender. Consistency on the defense and some help for Mario Williams is at the top of the list. Kubiak needs to show he can coach this team up. I think he's done it with offense but they need to be more consistent too. They need a short yardage back so maybe then Kubiak will have confidence in short yardage and inches to go situations.

One more game to go. The Bears come in playing for an outside shot at the playoffs. The Texans have no motivation to win this game what so ever. How they come out prepared and how they perform will definitely mark the starting point for next season. This one is over. Start plannig and playing for next season.

Things I Want to Disappear From the NFL

Dear Commish Roger Goodell,
Please eliminate the following from the NFL:

1. Thursday night games. I love football and I watch every game I can but enough with the Thursday night games. It creates an unfair disadvantage for the teams playing. Football is a violent enough game without cutting down the days to recover from one game to the next. It serves no real purpose other than to create another cash cow for the league.

2. Staggered bye-weeks through the middle of the season. Why give some teams a week three bye and others a week ten bye? If you must give bye weeks, do two weeks in the middle of the season. One week for half the teams and the following week the other half.

3. Overseas regular season games. Really what's the point? It takes away a home game for one team and forces two teams to do something no other teams have to do during the season. I'd be really upset if I only got seven regular season games to see the Texans. The season is short enough with only eight home games. Why rob a home team and its fans of a game?

4. Sudden death overtime. At the very least give both teams a possession with the ball. If after one possession each the game remains tied then let it go to sudden death.

5. End the exclusive agreement with DishTV or whoever you have the deal with for the NFL Sunday Pass or whatever the hell you call that monopoly. The NBA, NHL, MLB and even MLS allow both satellite and cable to carry their seasons for a premium price. Why not the NFL? Any revenue lost from the Thursday night games will probably be made up from opening up this market. Plus not everyone has a southwest exposure to point a dish satellite dish.

And a corollary to 5, quit your little pissing match with Time Warner and other cable companies about witch tier to carry the NFL Network. To state that it limits NFL viewership while the NFL maintains an exclusive satellite coverage with one company just isn't right. Open all the markets up or quit complaining about shoddy treatment from cable companies.

In summary, a theme develops here. I want the best competition on the field for as many viewers as possible. Eliminating the Thursday night games, the staggered bye weeks and overseas games keeps the playing field level. Altering the overtime rules gives a fair chance to both teams. And finally opening up coverage by ending an exclusive agreement with satellite and settling differences with cable companies widens the market of viewers.

Drayton McClane's Cheap Ass Strikes Again

Drayton McClane strikes again. I've been silent lately on the Astros. Mainly cause there isn't much to talk about. McClane opened up the bank for two retread players. Not wanting to tender an offer to Ty Wigginton. I'll be honest, I don't know what Wigginton would have cost the Astros. I'm assume quiet a bit since McClane let him walk. Looking at his numbers, they were not bad and he had a little pop in the bat with 23 homers and 58 RBIs with a .285 average over 111 games.

So who does the Astros brain trust bring in? Aaron Boone. A 35 year old retread. It's just a sorry ass signing by cheap ass McClane. What the Astros get is an 11 year vet who batted .241 for 4 HRs and 28 RBIs. That's just a freaking terrible trade off in order to save a few bucks.

Ever since McClane's ego ran off Gerry Hunsicker, the Astros have wallowed in mediocrity. McClane's goal is remain marginally competitive. Just enough to tease and keep fans interested through out the season. Sprinkle in a few big name veterans like home grown Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt and an occasional big free agent splash like Carlos Lee and he can point and say look at all he's doing to get them to win.

I've harped on it before and I'll continue to harp on it. He's to cheap to give signing bonuses to drafted players. As a result the farm system is rated the worst in the league. There are virtually no prospects in the pipeline to make the major league club. How telling is it that the Astros signed aged Mike Hampton instead of bringing up a couple of young arms to compete for the starting job? I think it points to the complete breakdown of the minor league clubs.

Mike Hampton. That signing is just a complete joke. They are bringing a broken down player who more than likely won't last the season. He had 13 starts in 2008 and was out completely for 2006 AND 2007. I'd rather the Astros take a chance with a young arm who just might last the season. Oh that's right, there is no one coming up.

Once again I will vote by my wallet and not put any money directly into Drayton McClane's team by going to the games. I know I'm just one person but I've had it with the Astros and McClain's ego getting in the way of what has been and could be a premier franchise in the Major Leagues.

NFL Week 15 Results, Week 16 Picks

Holy Crap! What a horrible week. 5-9-1. I really stank it up and polluted the air this week.

A quick break down. Not much on the positive side. I called it right that the 49ers wouldn't win but the Dolphins would fail to cover. I also got the Seahawks, Panthers, Patriots and Eagles correct. All won and covered. The push was the Falcons beat the Bucs by three.

On the bad side there was plenty that went wrong. Evidently the Pack are worse than the Jags. I got burned by the 17 point line of the Colts over the Lions. The Jets beat the Bills but failed to cover the 7.5 spread. My hometown Texans have burned me the last three weeks. I picked the Titans to win easily. The Texans pulled off the upset. The home favorite Ravens let me down against the Steelers. The Cardinals laid a total egg against the Vikings and the Giants did the same against the Cowboys.

I'll never make a living at this.

Week 16 Picks

Colts(-6.5) @Jaguars - Colts are peaking and fighting for a home date for the wildcard. Jags have nothing to play for. Colts

Raves(+4) @Cowboys - This is a tough one. I expect a street fight, low scoring affair. Both defense have been playing well. I'll go with the road dogs. Ravens

Steelers(-2) @Titans - Still getting low lines, the Titans are underdogs at home. The Steelers are so unpredictable offensively. I think the Texans may have exposed the Titans a little. Steelers

Dolphins(-4) @Chiefs - GM and team president Carl Peterson resigned and Herm Edwards may be out the door to. What do the Chiefs really have to play for? Dolphins

Cardinals(+8) @Patriots - The Cards dropped a stinker at home against the Vikings. They don't play well on the East Coast. Patriots

Bengals(+3) @Browns - I don't understand this line. The Browns favored? I'll take the Bengals

Eagles(-5) @Redskins - The Redskins are circling the drain with the self proclaimed worst coach in America. Eagles

49ers(-5.5) @Rams - Rams a pretty pathetic bunch of players with nothing to lose or gain. Mike Singletary has probably earned the head coaching job. 49ers

Falcons(+3) @Vikings - Vikings exposed a weak Cardinal team. It won't be so easy against the Falcons but playing at home helps. Falcons

Saints(-7) @Lions - The Lions still showed some fight last week. Saints lost Reggie Bush for the year. I think the Lions keep it close. Lions

Panthers(+3) @Giants - Giants are really struggling to find themselves post Plaxico Burress. Panthers demolished the Bucs two weeks ago and will look repeat the performance against the Giants. Panthers

Jets(-4.5) @Seahawks - Jets are a riddle wrapped in an enigma. Jets

Texans(-7) @Raiders - Texans are undefeated lifetime against the Raiders. Granted it's a short lifetime and things don't look to change soon. Texans

Bills(+7) @Broncos - Broncos

Chargers(+3.5) @Buccaneers - Buccaneers

Packers(+4) @Bears - The Packers defense has been atrocious. The Bears don't excite me to much though. Bears

NFL Week 15

Here I go. To much time on my hands at work again. Week 15 brings sadness as I watch another season end with the Texans out of contention and looking to next season.

Just a few things that stuck out this week.

Those damn Steelers keep pulling victories out of their asses. Last week it was the Dullass Crygirls and this week it was a favorable TD call against the Baltimore Ravens. I think it was a piss poor call by the ref to overturn the ruling on the field. The criteria for overturning a call is indisputable visual evidence that a call is wrong. Replays don't show where the ball is. It should have been stuck outside the goal line. Bad call but I still don't think replay should be banished or tinkered with.

The Giants are in some trouble. Looking like heavy favorites to repeat, they are now on a two game losing streak and looking lost. How much is it injuries and how much is it missing Plaxico Burress and any hangover affects from the whole fiasco? Probably all of the above.

Jim Zorn stated that he feels like the worst coach in the league. Don't sweat it, Jim. Herm Edwards and Jack Del Rio are still employed. You're at worst the third worse coach in the league. What you have to worry about is owner Daniel Snyder ousting you after one season. The Washington Redskins are Snyder's real life fantasy team and he treats it as such. When Jerry Jones turns into Al Davis, Snyder turns into Jerry Jones. Snyder is an idiot. There has been no stability to the organization since he took over. Until he puts his ego aside and hires real football management, a once proud Redskin organization will continue to be dysfunctional. Maybe I should start calling the Cowboys the Oakland Raiders Central and the Redskins Oakland Raiders East.

Last week there was word that Herm Edwards was probably getting another year in KC. With the resignation of Carl Peterson, Edwards may be out soon too. A new GM usually wants to bring in his own coach and considering Edwards' record, a new GM would be wise to bring in a new coach.

If Edwards is fired and Texans defensive coordinator Richard Smith is let go, I'll have scored the hat trick this year. Matt Millen was the first....come one Edwards and Smith.

Player of the Week: Who else but Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. He made the Tennessee Titans defensive backs his little bitches in going 207 yards on 11 catches and one TD. Honorable mention goes to Texans RB Steve Slaton. He's the only RB to rush for 100 or more yards against the Titans....and he's done it twice....

Joe Pisarcik/Carson Palmer Players of the Week: The entire Tennessee Titans organization. 1.)Fat Albert Haynesworth. He talked smack all week about how quarterback Matt Schaub was weak and that they planned on knocking him out of the game in the first quarter. Further stating that they were going to hit Schaub so hard that he would be looking for the defense instead of looking downfield for his receivers. Paybacks a bitch, isn't it Fat Albert? Fat Albert was the one dragged off the field after a Texan lineman fell on his fat ass. He's out for the regular season. 2.) Jeff Fisher. Not so much as not going for the field goal near the end of the game but the play call for it. Kerry Collins channeled his inner Vince Young and looked like crap most of the game. The Titans have the second best running duo in football. So Fisher decides to trust Collins off target arm for the first down. At least let your best players try to make the play. 3.) Running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White. The two were kept in check by the Texans defense and never did any serious damage on the field. As one Texan defender put it,"Dash and smash turned into crushed and smushed." 4.) Vince Young. I watched the Son of Zeus the whole game. He isolates himself from the team. Whatever end of the field the action was going on, all the bench players were standing on that side and watching the action. Young would stand as far from them as possible and watch from there. When the action shifted he would move away from the bench players and stand alone as far away as possible. Only a couple of players would talk to him during the game and I think a waterboy or low level coach would talk to him a couple of times. 5.) Bud Adams. He drafted Vince Young. Enough said. 6.)Cortland Finnegan. He's just a little douchebag cheapshot artist. His helmet to helmet hit to Schaub was about as ugly as it gets. In the same series he speared TE Owen Daniels. That should have gotten him ejected from the game. 7.) All the dorks wearing Vince Young jerseys to the game. They looked like a bunch of idiots with the jersey of the back up quarterback. 8.) Richard Justice. Why Justice? For his column on Vince Young and the statement that Young is loved "unconditionally" in Houston. Major props to all those that wrote him and put comments that he isn't unconditionally loved. Justice, Rich Lord and Jerome Solomon usually have cat slap fights to see who gets to orally pleasure Vince Young first.

I gotta admit I liked what I saw from the Texans this week. The Titans came in with a street brawler's mentality and tried to beat up on the Texans. I don't blame them. In the past, the Texans would have folded up like a card house and curled into the fetal position. This time they fought back. The Titans tried to set the tone early and Texans linemen had no problem getting up and push, shove and hit back after a play was over. Like Lance Zeurlien of the Houston Chronicle said, the Titans are one of the five nastiest teams in the league and the Texans played them at their
own game and won. I'm damn proud of the Texans for playing like that. How many teams out of playoff contention would have bothered to get into a fist fight game like this? Not to many. Hopefully this is something they can build on and keep up next year.

I think that's about enough for this week!

NFL Week #14, Week 15 picks, Week 13 results and an Answer to Richard Justice on Vince Young

All right. I'm running way behind on this blog. Quiet a bit of ground to cover. I'll start with my week 14 takes on the NFL.

NFL Week #14
I was a lazy phuk last week and didn't feel like coming up with my usual bull Shiite. And now the B.S.

I'll start with what I stated a few weeks ago.

I hate the Dallas Cowboys!

I hate the New Orleans Saints! The Saints fans are just the most annoying douchebags in the NFL. I get so sick of that stupid,"Whoddat, Whoddat, Whoddat gonna beat dem Saints???!!!" For heaven's sake, a lot of teams did and do. So shut the hell up. Nothing was sweeter last year than the Texans shutting up those idiot fans in beating the Saints at Reliant. What a bunch of douche nozzles. And John McClain from the Houston Chronicle thinks they deserve to win a Super Bowl cause all they've been through from Hurricane Katrina. That's a stupid, retarded line of thinking. Nobody deserves shit. Gotta earn it on the field. No one team deserves a Super Bowl just because of some tragedy and destruction. Screw the Saints and their inbred, webbed fingered, sister marrying fans. It's worth saying again. What a bunch of douchebags. One quick question: If a couple in Louisiana gets divorced are they still considered brother and sister?

Nice comeback win by the Steelers against the Cowboys. Mr. Jessica Simpson threw a beautiful INT that was returned for a TD. I was laughing so hard I think I coughed up blood. Just kidding about the blood. The Cowboys are the NFL's version of the Texas Longhorns. They think they deserve to finish at the top just because of who they are. Watching another Dallas December collapse warms my nuts in the cold of winter.

Cowboy fans just need to look over in Oakland and to see where the franchise will be in about ten to twenty years. Jerry Jones is like Al Davis in that he can't keep his nose out of on the field business. This week the Al Davis in waiting questioned Marion Barber's toughness and said he thought Barber should have played. Way to show your loyalty to the players. I'm sure the coaches and medical staff appreciate the comments too. As much as I hate the Cowboys, I respect the way Barber plays. He's one of the few running backs that will look to run through a defender. He's one tough SOB so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Now for the Player of the Week: Brian Westbrook of the Eagles. He put up some obnoxious numbers: 6 catches for 72 yards and a TD plus 33 carries for 131 yards and a TD.

The Joe Pisarcik/Carson Palmer Player of the Week: Hines Ward of the Steelers. He had an outstanding 1 reception for a mind numbing 2 yards. Congrats. That took a lot of effort to achieve.

Bad news or good news, I don't know how to take it. Word is Herm Edwards probably gets another year in Kansas City. Good cause I get to rag on his dumbass another season. Bad because I want to elevate Jack Del Rio to worst coach in the league. As long as Edwards in the league I can't take that distinction away from him.

As usual, the Texans are last. I don't care how far the Green Bay Packers have fallen. Going into 5 degree (I think that was temperature at kick off) and beating the Pack is a big deal. At least for this franchise it is. But damn Texans, try not coughing up the ball so much. I'm going to have ulcers if they keep this Shiite up next year. I also like that the players haven't quit on Gary Kubiak. The players could have started mailing it in a few weeks ago after losing to the Vikings and Colts. It says a lot about the character of the team and something about the respect they might have for Kubiak.

Oh screw it though, I don't want a good character team. I want a mean, nasty team. I want a team that defense punishes an offense. I want maulers on the offensive line. I want a back that's going to laugh as he plows over a linebacker.

I wonder how many Vince Young jerseys the natives will be wearing on Sunday at Reliant. I wonder if I'll see any Collins jerseys?

NFL Week 15 Picks
Obviously I'm excluding the Thursday night game. My selections are in bold.

Packers(-2.5) @Jaguars - I think Jack Del Rio's bunch have given up on him for the season. Packers

Lions(+17) @Colts - Wow. 17 point underdog is that double digit thing again. A few weeks ago I would have definitely gone with the Lions and the points. Not anymore. They truly are rudderless now. Colts

Redskins (-6.5) @Bengals - That's about the right line. Redskins

Buccaneers(+3) @Falcons - Same story with the 'skins-Bengals game, the line is just about right. Falcons

49ers(+6) @Dolphins - To high a line favoring the Dolphins. Mike Singeltary has the 49ers playing better ball lately. Just ask the Jets. I think Miami wins but fails to cover. 49ers

Seahawks(-2.5) @Rams - This is a game I wouldn't touch with anyone's money. Since I have to though, I'll go with the Seahawks.

Bills(+7.5) @Jets - Both teams are in a bad funk. Jets have a two game let down after beating the Titans. The Bills just flat on their faces after a hot start. Jets

Titans(-3) @Texans - My former hometown team vs. my current hometown team. And I'm not the one that moved. I'm surprised at how low the line is favoring the Titans. They repeatedly not been favored by much and still beat the odds. I loved the Oilers but don't like them as the Titans. Pick against them at your own peril.

Steelers(+2.5) @Ravens - Probably the game of the week. Ravens QB Joe Flacco did well in his first game against the Steelers at Heinz Field. I think he does better at home. Ravens

Broncos(+7.5) @Panthers - Panthers are on a roll. Broncos are hot and cold. No defense for the Broncos is the downfall though. Panthers

Chargers(-6) @Chiefs - Disappointing Chargers should take care of the Chiefs.

Vikings(+3) @Cardinals - I haven't even looked if Gus Frerotte is going to play. I don't think it matters much. Cardinals

Patriots(-6.5) @Raiders - I misjudged the Pats last week but I won't this week. Patriots

Giants(+3) @Cowboys - I like the road dogs in this one. Giants

Browns(+14) @Eagles - Browns are down to Ken Dorsey at quarterback. Eagles



NFL Week 13 Results
I'm a couple of weeks late. I got lazy and didn't tally my picks until this week and didn't make any picks in week 14. I went 8-6. Brief recap on what right and wrong.

First the winning side of the ledger. I'd been preaching against taking double digit spreads. In week 13 I went against my own sermon. Why? The Titans were playing the hapless Lions and the Cowboys against the ailing Seahawks. It paid off. It was just to rich to pass up. I went with two road dogs and won. I picked the 49ers(+7) against the Bills and the Falcons(+5) at the Chargers. I expected a better game from the Redskins but I took the Giants and won. Ravens(-7) on the road against the Bengals was a lay up. I took the Texans over the Jaguars in the Monday night game. Texans just have the Jags number most of the time.

Now the ugly side of the ledger. The road dog that I pick that lost was the Cardinals(+3) at the Eagles. I thought the Eagles were on the downward spiral. Evidently not. The Jets had the let down I feared. I didn't go with my instinct and lost the Jets game. I completely misjudged the
Patriots. I thought they would survive in Pittsburgh. The Buccaneers won but didn't cover as did the Colts. I picked both teams and they gave me a loss. I took the Packers by virtue of playing at home. Dumb idea. Panthers beat them and then they lose again to the Texans at home.

Not a bad week but not enough to probably make up for all the bad weeks I've had. I'm not making a living at this anytime soon.

Richard Justice's Column on Back up Titans QB Vince Young

Ah yes, the Old Rusty Tromboner (look up "rusty tromboner") Richard Justice is at it again. While he's not making excuses from Son of Zeus Vince Young, he still likes to stroke Vinnie's Weenie. I'm sure the Tromboner is creaming his panties in anticipation of the Fruit of Zeus's loin comes home to Houston. To quote the Tromboner:

"This weekend, Young will be returning to a place that loves him almost unconditionally. Welcome home, Vince."

Yeah right Justice. Everybody in Houston loves Vince Young unconditionally. The Texans loved him so much they drafted Mario Williams. The Texans loved him so much they kept David Carr. The Texans loved him so much they almost drafted Reggie Bush. The Texans loved him so much that they passed on him with the first overall pick in the draft. The Texans passed on what would have been an incredible marketing coup. Vince Young, Hometown Hero Returns. Reliant would have been rocking and rolling. That's unconditional love Texans style.

Then the lamest argument from Vinnie's ball washers: Bud Adams took Young to stick it to the Texans. How? Just how is it sticking it to the Texans? Texans had first shot and passed him up. He's Adams' problem now.

Those with blinders saw Vince for what he is. An incredible college athlete whose style of play would revolutionize the way quarterback was played. Kind of like Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Randall Cunningham and Duante Culpepper. Oh wait, Vick, McNabb, Cunningham and Culpepper didn't revolutionize the game. They learned the professional game and turned their natural abilities to a higher level in the pros. According to Pro Football Weekly, Titans starting QB Kerry Collins even offered to teach him to watch film and learn the game. Young turned a would be mentor down.

Young sits on the bench and pouts. His vagina hurts when he's booed. He doesn't want to talk to reporters anymore cause part of his problems are due to the media. His mommy has to come out and defend him cause he's hurting. Grow up, Vince!

So go ahead Justice put on your Longhorn Vince Young jersey and wear it to the game Sunday. Your hero will be on the bench. But whatever you do Justice, don't break your chin on Vince's balls.