Crazy Blazer bets

With the dawn of the regular season upon us it's time for our yearly Crazy Blazer bets. As a recap we make predictions related to the Blazers that are so far fetched that if anyone of them were to accutally happen you'd be willing to pay $5 to the person who made that bet. As always please feel free to add your predictions to the bottom, of course you're not eligible for the cash.

Derek - Raymond Felton will average 12 assists a game, lead the leauge in assists and have 3 or more games of 20+ assists.

Loren - LaMarcus Aldridge averages 30+ points a game, 12+ rebounds, 4+ assists and 2+ blocks a game and is named MVP.

Philipp - Oden will play an entire playoff sereis average a double double in the playoffs and the Blazers will advance past the first round.

Ryan - Patty Mills, Joel Pryzbilla and Jeff Pendergraph will all play this season for the Blazers.

Cliff - A Blazer will be voted into the starting line-up for the All Star Game.

Carlos - A Blazer will be named First Team All NBA this year.

Mike - Luke Babbitt scores 30+ points in an NBA game this year.

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NFL week 16 picks

Well here we are week 16 only two weeks to go for the regular season that almost never was, ok we all knew that it'd be played. Loren and I split our different picks last week going 4-2. I'm sitting with a record of 59-31 while Loren has a stellar 57-33 record.

Oakland @ Kansas City
Derek - Oakland. Tough one. I"m going against the Chiefs. I'm thinking let down game, but you gotta like what you saw out of Orton though. I think Oakland can run behind Bush long enough to old out for a FG victory.
Loren - Kansas City. The loser here is out of the race for the AFC West, while the winner may get a chance to take the division with a win in week 17. I'm going with KC at home. Oakland is still missing a lot of pieces to injury and KC is building momentum with that huge win against Green Bay. With the win, KC sets up a game at Denver in the final week with Kyle Orton getting a chance to beat the team that let him go and get the Chiefs, most pundits cellar pick, into the playoffs as a division champ.

Denver @ Buffalo
Derek - Denver. Buffalo is on a 452 game loosing streak and Jesus won't let the Broncos lose more than 1 in a row. The bills gave pup 200 yards to Reggie Bush on the ground how do you think they'll do against the Broncos rushing attack.
Loren - Denver. Just like New England, the Bills have a porous defense that could make Tebow look good (assuming he doesn't turn the ball over and gets a little more help from his line). Unlike New England, the Bills no longer have the kind of offense that can make up for their porous D. Denver wins and depending on the outcome of the Giants/Jets game, keep the inside track on a playoff berth.

NY Giants @ NY Jets
Derek - New York Giants. Hmm not sure which players have to travel more for this one. The Jets just don't look good, while the Giants flux between good and bad. Seems like I have a 50% chance if I go with Eli and friends.
Loren - NY Jets. Since the Giants can't run the ball, they'll have to continue to rely on Eli. Unfortunately, Manningham is out again and the Jets secondary can lock down receivers on both sides of the field. I just don't see the Giants being able to move the ball and stay mistake free.

San Diego @ Detroit
Derek - Detroit. San Diego drilled the Ravens last week but that was a bad game by the ravens good D by the Chargers and the benefit of playing an east coast team at home. The tables are turned for this game and I expect Stafford to go to Megatron early and often.
Loren - San Diego. The Chargers finally figured out how to win. Better late than never? Probably not for their fans. Detroit has needed luck to pick up wins against Minnesota and Oakland the last couple of weeks, while San Diego has three throttling wins including Baltimore.

San Francisco @ Seattle
Derek - San Francisco. Classic Unstoppable Force meeting the immovable object. Lynch has scored a TD in his last 7 games, the 49ers have not allowed a rushing TD this year. Think about that for a second. No team has done that in a 16 game season. I think the 49ers D will be enough to stop Lynch and I'll take Alex Smith versus Tavaris Jackson.
Loren - San Francisco. I took Pittsburgh last week thinking the Niners had slowed down a bit, and it cost me a chance to tie Derek. I'm not making that mistake again. The Seahawks have played well lately and have been a lot of fun to watch, but their playoff chances are officially over after a loss to the Niners this week.

Atlanta @ New Orleans
Derek - New Orleans. Should be a high octane offensive game but I can see the Falcons scoring in the 30's and losing by double digits. Can't stop Brees right now and he only needs a partly 305 passing yards to break Marino's record for most passing yards in the regular season.
Loren - New Orleans. The Falcons have exactly one win against a team with a record above .500 and they already lost to New Orleans once this year. Drew Brees is the kind of QB who, when given a second shot at a team, figures out their weaknesses and exploits them. Tough loss for Atlanta but they'll still be playoff bound.

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NFL Week 15 picks

Wait does that say week 15? Wow that went by fast. Loren picked up a game on me last week so I'm up 2 with a 55-29 record while Loren sits at 49-31.

Detroit at Oakland

Derek – Detroit. Palmer isn't what the Raiders thought he was, or at least they're not getting out of him what they think they should have. We'll see if time turns it around and they are hosting the a team traveling a great distance, but I think the Lions will do enough on D to win this one.

Loren - Detroit. Getting Suh back will help Detroit. Not having McFadden on the field yet again is going to hurt Oakland. The Raiders once looked like a lock to win the division, they may not be able to stay out of the cellar if they can't pick up another victory.

Miami at Buffalo

Derek – Miami. Buffalo has struggled lately while Miami has turned a bit of a corner. I don't like picked the fins in a cold weather game but the way they are running it and playing D recently makes me think they are a cold weather team.

Loren - Miami. Even though they got beat up by Philly, I think the Dolphins D is enough against an increasingly ineffective Buffalo offense. Probably a low scoring and relatively close game. The weather is supposed to be cold but clear. If that changes, so could the outcome of the game.

Seattle at Chicago

Derek – Chicago. Ehh tough choice. If this was in Seattle I'd be picking the Seahawks, but I can't seem them winning twice on long trips this year. They have Lynch but the Bears still have their D. It'll be close.

Loren - Seattle. Too many players out for the Bears when they are already feeling depleted and down. They're going to have to throw the kitchen sink at Marshawn Lynch, who is definitely finding a rhythm with the Seattle offense, and even that may not be enough. The loss to Denver may have been the final straw for Chicago's playoff chances. They are looking at a long uphill climb to make it and I don't think they have the talent or the heart to make it happen.

New England at Denver

Derek – New England. I think the Broncos will put up some points but I think Brady is the guy to figure out Denver's D. We'll see if the Broncos can tackle a TE, most teams that play against the Pats can't.

Loren – New England. This was a much more difficult decision than I had anticipated. The Patriots just don't play well in Denver, Brady doesn't play well against the Broncos, and the Pats defense is so porous they could actually make Tebow look like a gifted passer. The deciding factor, though, is that the Broncos secondary is dealing with injuries and Brady knows how exploit patchwork secondaries. Of course, I wouldn't be sad to see Von Miller harass Brady all day and help the Broncos stifle the Pats.

Baltimore at San Diego

Derek – Baltimore. Again I'm picking a visiting team. Boy I'm not sure how I'm going to do this week. The Ravens are the better team and they should be stop what the Chargers throw at them. Flacco makes two TD passes and Rice scores on the ground 21 should be enough.

Loren - Baltimore. Behind Green Bay, this is the team no one wants to play right now. At least with the Pats or New Orleans, you think you have a chance to score some points. The Ravens play physical on both sides of the ball and they're getting Ray Lewis back this week. Bodes very poorly for San Diego who have lost to every quality opponent they've played this year.

Pittsburgh at San Francisco

Derek – San Francisco. I think Big Ben might have some issues moving and he needs to move to be effective, oh yeah they'll be playing the 49ers D who can get after you too. Don't forget the cross country flight. Everything points to a San Fran win.

Loren - Pittsburgh. Everyone is making such a big deal out of Roethlisberger's injury. They're not talking as much about Gore being injured and slowing down as the season progresses, or that Alex Smith has had one decent start in his last 5 games. The Steelers are physical enough to control this game and they just know how to win when it counts. San Francisco is still learning how to do that.

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NFL week 14 picks

Loren and I only picked one game different last week and I took that one with Miami's 34-14 destruction of Oakland. I'm ow up 3 with a 51-27 to 48-30 record.

Atlanta at Carolina

Derek – Atlanta. Carolina showed up last week but I think the Falcons are just about to the point I thought they'd be during the beginning of the season. Turner is going to run and Ryan is going to hit White all day. They'll outscore the panthers with ease.

Loren - Atlanta. As much as Atlanta has been struggling recently, they should still have enough in the tank to take care of Carolina. I think Atlanta buckles down, gets the ball in the hands of Turner more, and grinds their way to the playoffs.

Philadelphia at Miami

Derek – Miami. One team moving up and one team sinking down. At this point a road game for the Eagles might be a blessing. They've looked bad, but Vick's back and that has to count for something. But won't be enough to be the Fins, who've played like a playoff team the last few weeks.

Loren - Miami. You just can't feel comfortable taking Philly against just about anyone right now. They haven't demonstrated the ability to use their talent effectively and beat the bad teams they're supposed to beat. I'll take team with the hot hand and the momentum, especially when they're the home team.

New Orleans at Tennessee

Derek – New Orleans. The Saints are rolling, and some, Byron Saints fan, says this might be a trap game. I say no and Coloston will have a huge game. At least I hope so, I'm playing Loren for the last Fantasy Football playoff spot.

Loren – New Orleans. Titans have looked much better recently and I wouldn't be surprised to see them make the playoffs, but a win this week is far-fetched. The Saints are on a roll and will win a game that should be closer than most people think.

Buffalo at San Diego

Derek – San Diego. Too far to travel for a slip sliding Bills team. Rivers had a great game last week and will most likely continue.

Loren – San Diego. A match up of two teams with busted hopes. Injuries in Buffalo have taken a toll, as has the thin receiving corp. San Diego can't stop anyone on the ground and defenses are sitting back on Philip Rivers because the Chargers are ineffective running the ball. If the Chargers pull out a win at home, they'll still have an outside shot at the playoffs if the Broncos or a wild card team fade.

NY Giants at Dallas

Derek – Dallas. Home team just a bit more consistent than the G Men. It could be a toss up but I think Romo has the better/healthier weapons.

Loren – NY Giants. I've learned never to trust the Cowboys this late in the season. Remember, this is the team that lost to Arizona last week, beat Miami by one point, and needed overtime and luck to beat Washington the week before. Sure, the Giants have been struggling, too. However, they've only had one bad loss in the last four, and played SF, Philly, and Green Bay close. The Giants know that a win against Dallas vaults them into first in the division and gives them the mental edge in the final week of the season, a rematch with Dallas.

St. Louis at Seattle

Derek – Seattle. Seattle's played well lately and at home they have a distinct advantage. Should be an easy one as long as they don't shoot themselves in the foot.

Loren - Seattle. Just a little regional love for Seattle since they hadn't been featured here for a couple of weeks. Here's the crazy thing: with Detroit fading and facing a tough schedule, and the futures of the Giants and Bears uncertain, the Seahawks have a dark horse shot at a wild card spot. Three of their last four are winnable, which could leave them at 8-8. That might be enough to slip in ahead of the Bears, particularly if they can beat them next week.

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NFL week 13 picks

For the first time all year I had the lead and then extended it. I'm up 2 games on Loren now with a 46-26 record compared to his 44-28.

Carolina at Tampa Bay
Loren - Tampa Bay. Freeman will probably be back for the Bucs, and playing at home should be the extra edge Tampa Bay needs to their losing streak. Wait, I think I said something similar last week, too. Crap...
Derek - Tampa Bay. Blount will be able to run the ball and control the game for the Bucs, Newton to Smith won't succeed and that'll be enough.

Oakland at Miami
Loren - Oakland. True, Miami has played better recently, and we may not see McFadden for this game, and the Raiders are traveling across country...damn it I can't believe I talked myself into this one. Well, I'll take Palmer and Bush over Matt Moore and ???.
Derek - Miami. I went back and forth but what got me was the cross country travel for Oakland and that Miami had extra rest since playing on Thanksgiving.

Denver at Minnesota
Loren - Denver. With AP out of this game, the vicious Broncos D can spend all day knocking Ponder around. This will probably be the closest to a winning blowout the Broncos get all year.
Derek - Denver. As the fake Kyle Orton said "I didn't realize that to be a good QB all you have to do is hand the ball off." That's all Tebow needs to do in this one.

Tennessee at Buffalo
Loren - Tennessee. Sad to say it, but the Bills won't be able to pull out of their nosedive this week. The Titans smell blood now that Houston is starting someone we've never heard of. They just need to take care of business and watch Houston slowly crumble. The Bills could have been helped in this game by a dose of nasty Buffalo weather, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.
Derek - Tennessee. The Bills are looking like the team we thought they'd be. Stevie Johnson was fined but will play but won't be enough for the suddenly healthy CJ.

Green Bay at NY Giants
Loren - Green Bay. Why start losing now?
Derek - Green Bay. I won't be surprised if NY wins this one they are so up and down, but have a history of knocking off undefeated teams Denver in 98 and New England in the Super Bowl a few years ago, but I'm riding Rodgers all the way.

Detroit at New Orleans
Loren - New Orleans. Losing Suh is a big blow to Detroit's defense, but they have a lot of depth. More concerning is Matt Stafford's TD/INT ratio of 7/9 over the last three games. If they're to have any shot, he's got to clean up those mistakes. Unfortunately for Detroit, even a perfect game might not be enough to beat the Saints.
Derek - New Orleans. The Saints roll points on the board in any big national game, guess when this game is? Sunday night. Win by double digits.

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