Thats some mighty fine defense

Check out the video below. It's from our show recorded on 12.5.08.

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How about some more NFL Picks?

Contrary to Derek's assertion last week, I did pick up a game last week. I correctly called Pittsburgh over the Pats, so that leaves the deficit for me at 4. Derek's note. Poor Loren must be confused the comments I made on the week 13 picks obviously refer to week 12 when he went O for 5 and I went 1 for 5, giving me a 5 pick lead. Last week we both went 2 for 5. So I still have a 5 pick lead. Yippie!

On to this week's picks.

Derek

Atlanta @ New Orleans
Atlanta. Ok for a few weeks now I have been picking against the Falcons until they proved to me they could keep it up. Well I think they have done it. Both of these teams are dome teams so expect a high scoring game. 38-31

Miami @ Buffalo
Miami. Buffalo has faltered down the stretch. Miami has played winning football but not great. This game is inside in Toronto, so the Bills home field advantage is out the door. Low scoring game, but the Fins D will stop Lynch. 21-13

Dallas @ Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh. I’m on the Dallas bandwagon but playing in Steal town is a tough task. Pitts D is good enough to hold Big D to a minimal amount of points. 24-14

Tampa Bay @ Carolina
Carolina. The Panthers are one of the few teams I think can run on Tampa Bay. And I don’t think the Bucs O can score versus the Panthers D. 17-6

Washington @ Baltimore
Baltimore. Baltimore is really turning it around right now at the perfect time. They can actually pass the ball for the first time since…ok well this might be the first time. 24-13


Loren

Atlanta @ N.O.
Saints. Since I need to pick up a couple games, this seems like a good opportunity. I'm still not sold completely on Atlanta, and I think the Saints will play with a chip on their shoulder after the loss to Tampa. 35-31

Miami @ Buffalo
Miami. I hate the fact that this is in Toronto, and the Dolphins historically play poorly in cold conditions. However, the Bills are fading and the Dolphins are still playing with confidence. 27-10
Dallas @ Pitt
Steelers. Derek is right, playing in Pittsburgh is tough. The Steelers D has been playing lights out, and the offense is gelling too. This is a dangerous game, though, because Dallas has all the right pieces on offense playing the right way. 31-27

Tampa @ Carolina
Carolina. Tampa is for real, but the Carolina offense is multi-dimensional. They will be able to throw so many looks at the Bucs that they get some open space. Tampa's cover 2 D isn't designed to stop the run, and their front line should get moved around just enough to let Carolina run. 24-12

Washington @ Baltimore
Washington. The Redskins are hit and miss, and it's about time for them to hit. The Ravens are due to get a rookie game from Flacco, and that usually spells a win for the other team. 21-10

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NFL Picks - Week 13

It’s becoming more and more obvious that Loren and I have no idea what we are doing. Loren put up another “0”fer this past week, while I was able to get 1 right. However that puts me up 5. I’ll go get my Marino Jersey ready.

Derek

Carolina @ Green Bay
Carolina. I think Green Bay is sliding down the charts. I think teams have figured out what they do. Carolina on the other hand will be getting a bad taste out of their mouth. They have the game to play in cold weather. RUN RUN RUN. 24-13

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay
New Orleans. I like the way New Orleans is playing that and they get back Reggie “I catch more than a wide receiver” Bush. 38-14

Atlanta @ San Diego
San Diego. I just can’t trust the Falcons, prove it first. San Diego has been there before and I’ll go with them. 21-17

Pittsburgh @ New England
New England. Mark my words New England will win the rest of their games this season. The O is clicking and will roll people from here on out. 38-20

Chicago @ Minnesota
Minnesota. AP will run over the Bears D. QB’s are a blight on this game. 17-13

Loren

Carolina @ Green Bay Carolina. The Saints exposed a weakness in the Packer's D, and while the Panthers don't have the same passing attack, they can go vertical and have a better ground game to complement it. 34-27

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay New Orleans. Brees is a legitimate MVP and has a chance to break the all time single season passing record. Tampa's D is better than Green Bay's, but the Saints should still be able to get up the field. 35-17

Atlanta @ San Diego San Diego. It's at home, and the Chargers can smell the Bronco's blood in the water. Despite Atlanta thumping Carolina last week, I still think they're too inconsistent to pull off a big road win against a physical team. But they're not far off...27-16

Pittsburgh @ New England Pitt. Like the rest of the country, I'm curious to see if Cassel can handle a team that punches you in the mouth as often as the Steelers. Pittsburgh can also score in a myriad of ways, but if they get in a shootout with New England they're in trouble. 27-21

Chicago @ Minnesota Chicago. Another tossup game. I can't find a reason to pick one team over another other than possibly the QB situation in Minny. They don't have the ability to efficiently execute an offensive scheme on a regular basis. 31-19

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NFL Picks - Week 12

Last week's results first. Derek went into the week with a 3 game lead, the largest lead of the season so far.

Well it got bigger thanks to Washington's amazing ability to beat themselves at every opportunity. Derek called Dallas over Washington and Tampa over Minnesota, while I picked Denver over Atlanta.

The net result is a +4 for Derek over the season. Plenty of games left, no desperation yet. Everything is fine. No reason to panic...


Derek

New York at Tennessee
Tennessee. Besides home field advantage, I just dont believe the Jets are that good of team. Their wins are not that impressive and I'm not a Farve fan. So I'll go out on a limb and stick with the undefeated team. 24-18

New England at Miami
Miami. A rematch of the first glimps of the wildcat formation. I don't think this will turn out ot be blow out like that game but I think the Dolphins will have a good chance at home. 24-20

Minnesota at Jacksonville.
Jacksonville. Power running versus power defense. Each way really. I guess I'll go with the home team. Loser is out of the playoff race all together. 17-10

Carolina at Atlanta
Carolina. The Falcons have been a big surprise this season. But I'll go with a proven team. They'll run it down the Falcons throat. 24-14

Green Bay at New Orleans
New Orleans. Packers just are not as good as they started out. New Orleans has too many weapons and will be able to move up and down the turf. 31-13


Loren

Jets @ Titans
Titans. They have a strong defense and a reliable running game, the two most important factors for long term success. The Jets counter with a very solid defense and Brett Favre. Guess which one has been providing the winning margin... 34-16

Pats @ Dolphins
Dolphins. As you'll hear in our upcoming show, I think the offensive sets used by Miami are perfect against the Pats defense. It forces them, slowed by age and injury already, to adjust before attacking. It's perfectly crafted to get Miami's players into space before the D can close on them. I agree with Derek, it will probably be closer. 26-17

Vikings @ Jags
Jags. I can't take Minnesota against any legitimate defense; there are simply too few options outside of Peterson. The Jags haven't exactly been lighting it up, either, but they're also home team. 20-14

Packers @ Saints
Packers. What's up with all these 5-5 teams. To make the matter more confusing, they all seem to have lost to each other. It makes it a little hard to prognosticate. However, I believe that the Packers can play better while the Saints are too porous on D to win consistently. Plus Bush may not play and even if he does, he won't be 100%. 35-24

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Football Picks

Okay, so we haven't been on the ball lately, what with my working and Derek playing the proud papa. However, as of our last count, Derek is up by three as the result of a horrifying week by me.

The last time we published, Derek only managed to for 3 for 5, but that beat my 0-5. So I need to pick up a few this week or we'll get out of hand quickly.

On to the picks:

Derek

Denver @ Atlanta
Atlanta. Denver seems to be sinking. Their offense has not been the same as it was earlier in the year. Atlanta on the other hand has been a big surprise this year. I’ll go with the rookie QB he should have a good game against a bad team. 24-14

Chicago @ Green Bay
Green Bay. The Packers are another team not doing as well has they were earlier in the season. However I still don’t think Chicago is that good of team and I think Aaron Rodgers will pick it up at home. 17-13

Minnesota @ Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay. A good D versus a great RB. This all boils down to ball control and I think Garcia will be able to manage the game perfectly. 17-14

Dallas @ Washington
Dallas. Romo’s back but I don’t think he will be the only difference in this game. The NFC East is due for a shake up and this game is the beginning. 28-10

San Diego @ Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh. San Diego just does not have it this year. Roethlisberger will try to take a step back and control the game. 27-14

Loren

Denver @ Atlanta
Denver. Don't buy this stuff about Denver's offense sinking. They went cold for a while but pulled it back together at the tail end of the Denver game. They've had to incorporate a number of new players into the offense due to injuries and that normally takes a couple of weeks. They will be hitting on all cylinders against an inexperienced Atlanta defense that will play too far of fthe receivers. Cutler should have a big day and Denver gets a win to keep them ahead in the pathetic AFC West. 35-17

Chicago @ Green Bay
Green Bay. This was a game I looked at closely as a possible game to pick up on Derek. I'm behind and I'm going to have to go out on a couple of limbs to get back into it. However, this ain't the game. A healthier Aaron Rogers at home with the Lambeau crowd spells doom for a
Chicago team that is inconsistent at best. 27-21

Minnesota @ Tampa Bay
Minnesota. This is going to be a tough game, but I think Minnesota will be able to win the time-of-posession battle. Peterson looks like he's got his legs back under him, and as long as Frerotte doesn't make too many mistakes...OMG, I can't believe I'm betting on Frerotte on the road. Someone shoot me now. 24-9

Dallas @ Washington
Washington. Dallas' defense is blaming everyone but themselves. Yes, Romo will help on offense, but I see Washington throwing the kitchen sink at him, knocking him down at every opportunity, and testing his hand to see if he really can throw on a line with the injured finger. Portis should have a good game, but I think it will be Cooley, Moss, and Randall-El that have the really big games against the soft secondary in Dallas. Plus it's a home game so the Skins get the nod. 31-30

San Diego @ Pittsburgh
Pitt. It doesn't seem likely that the Chargers can get back on track against one of the harder hitting defenses in the league. The best sub-plot for me is Tomlinson against Polamalu. I love the commercial showing them both growing up then going at each other in the pros, and even though Tomlinson seems to have lost a step this year, it's still good to see these powerful guys play some smash-mouth. 27-17

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Thoughts on Blazers' win and losses

Ah, the NBA season has reached us again and all is right with the world. At least it seems to be this year with an exciting Blazers team ready to make a run at the playoffs (healthy Oden or not).

We all know the performance against the Lakers was mostly first night jitters coupled with the team's confusion about Oden's presence on the floor. I'm not taking anything away from the Lakers. They are legitimately good...no, great. They are legitimately great. In fact, this Laker's team could go down as one of the best all time and that's no hyperbole. This is a once every 10-15 years kind of team. (Excuse me, I just vomited in my mouth.)

So the Blazers shouldn't feel too bad about what happened on opening night. Granted, there were few positive things to take from that game, and it was immediately apparent that McMillan has a whole lot of decisions/adjustments to be made. But I, like most of you, was more curious about how we would respond at our home opener and, subsequently, the next night in Phoenix.

Let's start off with the good. Against both San Antonio and Phoenix, the Blazers looked faster, more athletic, and more cohesive than most of last year and a definite improvement from the Laker game.

Against the Spurs, we got the leadership type of play we need from both Roy and Aldridge and the new additions of Rudy and Batum are already paying dividends. We all anticipated that Rudy, at least, would likely be the spark plug for this team but I think it's safe to say, even this early in the season, that both of them are going to exceed expectations.

Channing Frye and Joel are both in great shape. It's can be easy to think since you're not going to be the starter, since Greg Oden is going is the new face of the franchise, since we have a deep team, that you don't need to come out ready to run decent minutes. I'm proud of both Joel and Channing for being ready to bring it from game 1.

McMillan played a masterful game against Popovich, getting the match ups we needed most of the time. Sure, he probably could have put Batum on Parker earlier in the game and he could have found more ways to take advantage of/prepare the team for the zone D the Spurs threw us. However, some of that goes on the players, too. There was one sequence were Rudy absolutely demanded the ball on the far side of the court because he recognized the poor zone match up on the baseline. Those head's up plays rub off, they get everyone to pay attention and look for the match ups, make the extra pass, see the whole court.

Now, for the bad.

This team could easily be 0-3 right now. The Spurs shouldn't have been in position to make a 15 footer at the buzzer to win it. One of the major problems that plagued us last year is still rearing its ugly head...

Perimeter defense.

Fisher, Farmar, Parker, and Nash all pretty much penetrated at will. Blake is a decent defender against a straight ahead PG. Unfortunately, our schedule is riddled with slasher/scorer PGs. This Blazers team doesn't have the discipline yet to use help defense correctly the majority of the time. This leads to easy kick outs (Spurs) or open cutters (Suns). Something has to give. We can't allow PGs to get in the lane at will.

Maybe Batum, with his wingspan and quickness, will be the answer. But putting him on the other team's PG means we can't use his length against the 2 and 3. It also means he has to play against the other team's starting unit, placing him more in our starting unit. And that ultimately leads to less playing time for Blake or the SF, be it Outlaw, Rudy, or Martell.

I also have a bone to pick with Roy. Why does he consistently hold the ball and wait for the defender to set his feet? I can't count the number of times he did this against the Spurs and Suns. He did the same thing last year so I don't think he's just easing his way into the season. Roy likes to take the pass, tuck the ball on his hip, take that slow half-step back with his lead foot, and stand still for 2-3 seconds looking at the basket, the defense, the lane, etc.

STOP IT! All that does is give time for the defender to close on you, cut off the left or right lane, and allow the other players to make defensive adjustments. Why is no one else talking about this?

Roy is good enough that he can usually still take advantage of the match up. But if we want to start tearing up defenses the way they are tearing us up, he's going to have to make more moves as soon as he receives the ball. This will force defenses to collapse and that always opens up the floor.

The last negative I'm going to talk about is nothing the players or the coaches can do anything about. We are getting about half the calls we should be getting, continuing a theme from last year. I don't know if this is because we are still perceived as being the young and inexperience team. Or maybe we're allowing teams to physically dominate us (don't kid yourselves, it's true) and the refs always give more calls to the aggressive team. Whatever it is, it's painfully obvious that we're going to have to fight the refs, at least in the early going this year. I hope the calls even out later in the year, but don't hold your breath.

All in all, I'm still very excited about this team and our playoff chances this year. There's a lot to be enthused about, a little to be worried about (but there always is), and 78 more games to go.

Go Blazers!

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NFL Duel - Week 9

Another football filled Sunday is almost upon us and with that brings our picks. Both Loren and myself continue to struggle both going 2-3 last week leaving us tied at 14 correct picks.

Derek

Baltimore @ Cleveland
Baltimore. Cleveland is terrible, Derek Anderson will be benched in the next three weeks and this game will have a lot to do with it. Flacco plays under control and the Ravens D will score. 21-10

New England @ Indianapolis
New England. Just like last week and I can’t pick the Colts right now versus a decent team. The Pats have enough players on their team to make up for Brady’s absence and they will continue to do so. Manning is just a few inches off this year. 24-17

Pittsburgh @ Washington
Pittsburgh. The Steelers D will keep Portis at bay this game, holding him below 100 yards rushing for the first time in what seems like forever. Without that threat Campbell will not be nearly as effective and the Steelers will run them over. 31-14

Houston @ Minnesota
Houston. Unlike Loren I realize that Ahman Green was back last week, but it’s Slaton’s versatility out of the back field that is going to tear up the Viks D. Sure Peterson will have his yards, but that’s about it. 24-14

Miami @ Denver
Miami. Call this a true homer pick. I’ve been going with what I think will happen this entire time, but when it comes to my team versus Loren’s team I have to stand up. Denver’s great O coming off a bye week, please I’ll take a bunch of WR you’ve never heard of. 35-31

Loren

Baltimore @ Cleveland
Browns. The Browns have been playing better as of late and get Winslow back on the field for this one. The Ravens can beat any team if they play without turnovers and mistakes, but that doesn’t happen often with a rookie QB. It’s true they have a very solid D, but it’s an aging D that has started gambling more and playing less fundamentally sound. 31-13.

New England @ Indy
Patriots. Indy’s D is porous as usual, and the offense isn’t firing every week. The Pats are a respectable 5-2 on a semi-soft schedule, but they’re playing with a chip on their shoulder. They want to prove to everyone that Brady isn’t the sole reason for their success and they are playing smash-mouth football every week. Indy wont’ be able to get their pass attack going without some semblance of a running game, and this won’t be the week they pull it together. 35-23.

Pitt @ Washington
Redskins. Washington is still being overlooked, even at this point in the season. Campbell is better than people think, Portis may be the most under-hyped and under-rated RB in the league, they have a decent D, and their offense can grind it out or go for the quick strike. The Steelers are good, too, but playing at Washington this week they will be overwhelmed. 27-17.

Houston @ Minnesota
Texans. Seriously, I can’t stand either of the teams from Texas. The Cowboys have the most obnoxious band-wagon fans in the league, and the Texans have the dumbest name in all of pro sports. So I’d like to pick Minnesota here…but I just can’t do it. Houston is vastly improved even if their record doesn’t reflect it. They have a ground game that is on the verge of getting a lot of air time on sports shows and Schaub is holding his own and being effective. Playing against Detroit last week likely gave them some confidence they can take into Minnesota. Plus, they’re getting Ahman Green back this week. 24-16.

Miami @ Denver
Broncos. They’ve had a bye week to get healthy after the butt-whooping the Patriots gave them. They’re getting their prize rookie RB out of ASU, Torain, on the field the first time this year and the rumor is TE Tony Scheffler might be out there, too. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help their terrible run defense, but maybe it will keep the Dolphins offense off the field for long stretches. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them put 8 in the box and dare Pennington to beat them through the air. 35-23.

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NFL Duel - Week 8

Well we set a record for getting our picks up here faster than ever before. Last week did not count based on my cohort’s lack of posting so we are currently tied with 12 correct picks. And I’m not sure why we don’t have San Diego @ New Orleans, but hey what can you do.

Derek

Tampa @ Dallas
Tampa. I think this is the first time I have picked against Dallas this year. That being said I’m not sure you can pick Dallas right now. With out Romo or a decent person in the secondary this team is a mess. Sure Brad Johnson can throw it 121 yards in the air but that’s not going to help out the Cowboys D. 28-17

Buffalo @ Miami
Buffalo. Sure the fins are my favorite team but I have to go with Buffalo here. They are too good of offense for the Dolphins. Lynch is going to run for over 120 and at least one TD. Now the Dolphins will have a good running game but this will be Ricky’s day and not Brown’s. 24-13

St Louis @ New England
New England. Say what you will about Cassell (I have) but I think he is coming around. This will be a close game but Jackson is the only player on the rams who can do anything. 21-13

NY Giants @ Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh. I really think Pittsburgh is the best team in the AFC. Of course the same thing could be said about the Giants and the NFC. So this comes down to home field advantage and turnovers. Manning will have two picks and the Steelers will stop Jacobs. 31-14

Indianapolis @ Tennessee
Tennessee. I’ll go with the team that has not lost yet. The Colts are killing me on this pick’em thing. Payton needs to throw to his guys and turn this thing around, unfortunately for him this is not the week for it to happen.

Loren

Tampa @ Dallas
Tampa. The cowboys are a mess and the Bucs are playing with new life.
Garcia is getting a chance to show his talent again (how does the league
keep forgetting that he's a good QB?) and the Bucs D is as stingy as
ever. This may be the nail in the coffin of the Cowboys' season. 24-13.

Buffalo @ Miami
Miami. Who would have that that these two teams would be playing in week
8 with serious playoff considerations? I think Buffalo is good, but the
majority of their talent is on the offensive side of the ball. Miami
isn't great by any means, but they have a hard-nosed D and new life on
offense. Plus they're playing at home. 31-21.

St Louis @ New England
St Louis. I know they're the Pats, and I know they just put a licking on
the my Broncos, but that win was more about the Broncos imploding than
it was about the Pats playing great. St Louis has finally figure out
that they need to go more verticle and get Steven Jackson heavily
involved in the game. Their win over the Cowboys was due in large part
to Dallas self-destructing, too, but the Rams will have the ground and
air game going against a banged up Pats team. 35-24.

Giants @ Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh. This was probably the toughest game for me to call this
week. Ultimately it came down to these three things. 1) Playing in steel
town. 2) The Steelers offense has been clicking, allowing their D to
catch their breath on the sidelines. 3) Their defense will play the run
well, forcing Manning to air it out. This is exactly what the Steelers'
opportunistic secondary wants. 27-17.

Indy @ Tennessee
Tennessee. Until they lose, how can you pick against them? It doesn't
hurt that Indy has been vulnerable this year. It looks like the Titans
can run them into the ground, bang up their defense for 4 quarters,
control the ball and the clock, and remain the only unbeaten team in the
NFL. 26-17.

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Missing picks?

Ok I know we suck, we missed week 6 all together and we did not post for this past week (week 7). I blame that fully on Loren, heck I emailed him my picks Saturday night at 9:30. What’s his problem? Any way I’ll post my picks, even though they were terrible.

San Diego at Buffalo
San Diego. I'll make this easy San Diego is better than they have been playing and Buffalo is not as good. So this one is San Diego but the trip to the east coast will be tough but... 24-16

New Orleans at Carolina
Carolina. Last week was an aberration for Carolina, they are better than that and will run for 4 TD. New Orleans will keep it close but Carolina D will slow down Bush for the first time this year. Oh yeah they want punt to him at all. 31-24

Indianapolis at Green Bay
Indianapolis. Indy took a few games to warm up but they seem to be rolling now. 31-17

Denver at New England
Denver. Even Denver's D will stop Cassel. Cutler keeps showing up in big games and Denver survives a trip east. 24-10

Baltimore at Miami
Miami. Wildcat formation gets another TD and Pennington controls the ball. Flacco commits a big turnover and the Fins capitalize. 17-10

As you can see I only got one out of four right, still one to go. Why did I pick two west coast teams to win on the east coast?

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NFL Duel - Week 5

Uh-oh. Not a great week for either of us.

I said the Washington/Dallas game would be close, but we both ended up on the wrong side of that one, likewise with the Chicago/Philadelphia game. I took Cleveland's match up while Derek won with Tampa.

The end result is an ugly 2-3 week for both of us and still a tied game at 10 correct picks apiece.

On to week 5.

Derek

Washington @ Philadelphia
Philadelphia. I don't think Washington is has good as they are playing, Campbell will have a tough time versus the Philly D, and McNabb will have a huge game. 28-10

Tennessee @ Baltimore
Baltimore. The Titans luck is over versus the Ravens D. The rookie QB takes another step for the Ravens and play turnover free ball. 17-15

Tampa Bay @ Denver.
Denver. Can any D slow down Denver? Please note I don't think KC has a defense. I think it's more of a case where Denver beats them selves. That said I think Denver gets back on track at home. 27-13

New England @ San Francisco
New England. Normally I put a home team hosting a team across the country at an advantage. But the Pats had a week off to think about their humiliating loss to Miami and I think they will be prepared. 31-20

Pittsburgh @ Jacksonville
Pittsburgh. I really want to go with the Jags here but I don't seem them keeping up with the Steelers on offense. 24-13

Loren

Washington at Philadelphia
Philly. Contrary to Derek, I think Washington is a very good team. I also wouldn't be surprised to see them finish second in their division. But I also think Philly is better than they are playing, and they're at home. 31-17

Tennessee at Baltimore
Tennessee. T's D will throw some things at Flacco that he hasn't yet seen this year. Flacco is still developing and, while I think he will be a great QB, he's too green to stand up to the pressure Tennessee will bring. 21-9

Tampa Bay at Denver
Denver. My Broncos looked pretty weak against a horrible, and I mean horrible, KC team. That embarrassment should be enough to get them to play a little tougher this week. Plus they're at home and TB doesn't have anywhere near as good a back at LJ on their squad. 35-20.

New England at San Francisco
Pats. I'm not taking the Pats here without a little bit of uncertainty. They look silly against the Dolphins two weeks ago. But Belichick always devises great schemes off their bye weeks, and two weeks of practice to get Cassel in sync with the offense will do them wonders. Look for more down-field passing to get Moss involved, and the Pats take it relatively easily. 30-13.

Pitt at Jacksonville
Jacksonville. I think the Steelers are banged up, they have yet to really get the passing game going, and their D has been bending uncharacteristically. That gives the Jags ground game hope, and all Garrard has to do is not lose the game for them. 20-17.

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NFL Duel - Week 4

Well, the race can't get any closer. Last week Derek went a perfect 5-0 while I managed a very respectable 4-1 (Peyton Manning, you get back to being a superstar right this instant!) This ties us at 8-8 heading into this week's action.

There weren't a lot of marquee games to choose from this week, in which there's a legitimate case to be made for a close call. That being said, it's still entertaining as hell to read. Derek has moved from predicting specific plays, to predicting specific yardage on plays. I'm fine with this, as it will ultimately give me more ammunition against him. At this rate I'm going to need a bunker for all the ammo he's giving away.

Here's the picks.

Derek

Cleveland at Cincinnati
Cincinnati. One of these teams has to breakout and I’ll go with the home team. Back in these QB’s college days I used to call Palmer “Carsonception” for all his INT’s his junior year and for “Andersception” for all of DA’s INT’s he threw well… his entire college career. 24-13

Green Bay at Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay. Gruden will have the D flying to Rodgers. Rodgers throws 2 picks and 4 Green Bay fans start a plot to get Favreeeee back. 21-13

Washington at Dallas
Dallas. Romo keeps throwing to TO, and Barber keeps blugging away. No contest. 31-14

San Francisco at New Orleans
New Orleans. Brees hits Bush for a 54 yard TD pass with a few minuets left in the game to win. 20-14

Philadelphia at Chicago
Philadelphia. Chicago is not that good. McNabb takes more of the burden since Westbrook will be out. But he finds WR you’ve never heard of for 3 TD’s. 24-10

Loren

Cleveland at Cincy
Cleveland. I think Cleveland is the better team, but that's not saying much because they're both pretty bad. Last year the Browns snuck up on people and played their minds out for almost the whole year. These things never last, though, and now teams are prepared for them. Braylon Edwards hasn't shown up yet, but the entire Bengals team hasn't really shown up yet. 24-17

GB at TB
GB. I'm a big Brian Griese fan, so it's hard for me to pick against him. Griese is a cerebral QB who can do great things when he has the talent around him. TB, unfortunately, doesn't have a lot and the Pack's D is underrated. They're coming off a tough loss to Dallas and they have something to prove. GB is 100% healthy, but they have a team built to withstand. 17-10

Washington at Dallas
Dallas. Okay, new rule. We are temporarily suspending Dallas from out pool. I just can't take it any more, complimenting this team is gonna be the death of me. Unlike Derek, I think this game will be closer. It's a huge rivalry and the Skins should show up, but this game could also be the death knell of their season. If they get torched, I see changes coming. 28-23

SFO at New Orleans
New Orleans. The Niners are a good story, we all love what J.T. O'Sullivan has done so far but, come on, they don't have the personnel in place yet to hang with the stronger offenses in the league. I see the Saints picking these guys apart, running some stuff we haven't seen much (like Reggie Bush actually running the ball) and San Fran will have to play from behind. That's too much pressure for a rooking QB. 35-23

Philly at Chicago
Philly. Look, we only put this game on here because the guy helping us figure out why the hell we couldn't film our cable show asked us to. And there weren't a lot of other games to choose from. I don't think much needs to be said, except that the Bears really really really really need a QB. Seriously. Please. In order to be remotely watchable. Please, get a QB. For me? 27-9

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NFL Duel - Week 3

Howdy everyone!

We had an exciting duel between Derek and I last week for football picking supremacy. The final tally was Loren with 4 correct picks and Derek with 3. Both of us managed to get lucky with the Carolina pick over the Bears and made the fairly easy call with the Patriots over the Jets.

I'd have had a perfect week if my pride hadn't tricked me into taking the Dolphins in an effort to rub it in Derek's face, but he had the right call with the Cards. We both predicted a high scoring Monday night game, but I managed to pull that one out with a vomit inducing pick of the Cowboys while Derek was on the early Eagles bandwagon.

The best game, for this contest's purposes, was definitely the Broncos/Chargers. I went with my hometown team and, regardless what you want to say about the officiating, they pulled it out. Barely.

So we head to week three with the score, again, at 4-3. On to this week's picks.

Derek

St. Louis at Seattle
Seattle. Sure Seattle has looked terrible so far, but I have to think that they can turn it around against St. Louis. Seattle should be able to hold the Rams to two scores or less and I₼m thinking the crowd will win this won. 24-10

New Orleans at Denver
Denver. New Orleans needs to step it up big time. They are playing well below their ability but they have been doing this for over a year now, so there is no reason to think they will change. That and the game is in Denver should be more than enough to get Denver to 3-0. 27-20

Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Jacksonville. This has been a close game for the past 2 or 3 years. I think this year we will start to see separation by Jacksonville. Indy is getting to the point where their reign is over. Jacksonville run for over 200 yards. 23-14

Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Philadelphia. I could go back and forth on this game all day. Pittsburgh has looked very good so far. But I have a feeling that Fast Willie Parker is going down, while being booed by the Eagle fans. McNabb is too much for the Steelers blitzers. 28-20

Dallas at Green Bay
Dallas. Aaron Rogers faces a hard hitting D and throws 2 picks one returned for a TD. Romo and TO continue their high scoring pace. 38-21

Loren

St. Louis at Seattle
Seattle. The 'Hawks will be playing with the urgency of know that if they go 0-3, Holmgren's last year will likely be down the drain. They've not yet put together a consistent game, but neither has St. Louis. The Rams want to feature Jackson more, the Seahawks just wants someone to catch a ball. The offenses will sputter, so it comes down to D, and the Rams are bad while Seattle can/should be good. 21-17

New Orleans at Denver
Denver. Some folks are calling this a let down game for the Broncos after a crazy win over division rivals Sandy Ego. Normally, I'd be with them on this, but I have a feeling that the Broncos aren't satisfied with the magic act they pulled in the second half last week and they want to show the world it wasn't a fluke. They'll come out strong and the defense will be more consistent in the second half. Bush will have a huge game, but it won't be enough. 35-20 in the mile high air.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Indy. Whew, I'm having a little trouble with this pick knowing that Jacksonville's D is as good or better than Minny's and Chicago's, Indy's first two victims this year. Losing Bob Sanders is a major blow for the Colts, too. But they are nothing if not resilient, and they have that one guy...oh yeah, Superstar (and most complete QB in the league) Peyton Manning. I see the Colts taking another one on a last gasp drive. 23-20

Pittsburgh at Philly
Eagles. They're likely getting Reggie Brown, arguably their best receiver, on the field for the first time this season. They're playing at home. They have consistent play makers at the three key offensive positions. The Steelers are good, but they sometimes get by on grit. That won't cut it this week. 31-24.

Dallas at Green Bay
Dallas. Good lord, I've had to take Dallas two weeks in a rown. Any more of this and I'll be able to call myself bulimic for all the vomting I've done. Just like last week, heart is with Green Bay, head is with Dallas. But this is one game I wouldn't mind picking wrong. I actually agree with Derek that The Aaron Rodgers Balloon loses a little air with one or two costly interceptions (though I won't go so far as to try to prediction individual plays?!?! On a screen to the week side, Ryan Grant gets hit early, the ball pops up in the air, two Dallas defenders converge on the ball, and CB Mike Jenkins takes it, reverses field, and runs 63 yards for the TD). Anyway, 27-17 for Dallas.

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Derek and I Duke it Out Through Football

In the spirit of competittion, and so that one of us will have something to lord over the other, Derek and I have decided to pick the winners of 5 NFL games each week. At the end of the season, the loser has to wear paraphrenalia of the winners choice on an episode of our show.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Derek in an Elway jersey.

Anyhow, here's this week's picks. BTW, this is getting posted after the games start, but the picks were made in advance.

Games: Chicago at Carolina, New England at New York (Jets), San Diego at Denver, Miami at Arizona, Philidelphia at Dallas.

Derek's Picks

Chicago at Carolina
Carolina. Home team with a D that can easily shut down Chicago. The question is the Panthers O versus the Bears D. I think the Panthers have enough young talent that will come through. 17-13.

New England at New York (Jets)
New England. Sure the Pats lost one of the best offensive players in the league, but that team won 18 games last year and you don’t do that just because of your QB. The Jets could barley score on a bad Miami team the Pats will hold them out of the end zone all day. 17-6

San Diego at Denver
Sand Diego. Even with Denver’s impressive win against Oakland last week I’ll stick with the Chargers. They have the running game and now an entire off season with Rivers and Chambers to get the deep threat going. 24-14

Miami at Arizona
Arizona. Miami is just too young to go on the road and win a game against a decent team. They will make too many mistakes and be flagged to many times. Arizona will be able to throw all over them. 31-13

Philadelphia at Dallas
Philadelphia. This game will be the game of the week. You will see great plays on both sides of the ball from both teams. But Andy Reid is much better than Wade Phillips, and he will make the half time adjustments to keep Dallas to one score in the second half. 27-24

Loren's Picks

Chicago at Carolina
Carolina. The Panthers have a decent offense and Delhomme looks more comfortable than we've seen him since the Super Bowl run. The Bears were surprising against the Colts but, come on, we're talking about an Ortman/Grossman led team! They can't keep it up and the Panthers D is better than people think. 24-10

Pats at Jets
Pats. The Patriots are still the team to beat until someone proves otherwise. They have a physical (if old) defense and they still have great skill on the O line and at receiver. Even if Cassel isn't terrific, his receivers are good enough to bail him out if necessary. 28-17

San Diego at Denver
Broncos. Believe me, this isn't just a homer pick. They're playing in Denver which is always trouble for sea-level teams. The Chargers didn't look sharp last week, while the Broncos did, and Denver will be getting back their greatest offensive threat not named Cutler. If this game were being played in San Diego I might not be able to see Denver taking this one. Good thing it's not. 27-17

Miami at Arizona
Miami. Here's the thing. I'm just taking Miami so that I can say to Derek, "Dude, I won with your team!" I'm not sure if Miami can pull this one out, but I don't think they'll go winless this year, so they have to win some time, and Arizona is as good a chance as any. If the Dolphins can keep Brown and Ricky Williams fresh by interchanging them, they may be able to punch it in late in the game. 16-14

Philly at Dallas
Dallas. My heart is with Philly, but my head is with Dallas, mostly because they are playing in Dallas. Screw defense, I'm hoping, and predicting, that this will be an offensive explosion. Dallas in a barn-burner. 38-31

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Time to play catch-up

Well...

It's been a while since I updated on here, so props to D for keeping the dream alive while I've been just daydreaming.

A couple thoughts for you. First of all:

GO BRONCOS!

That was a pretty sweet ass-kicking they put on the Raiders last night. Now, I know it's the Raiders, but still the Broncos looked really sharp and, more importantly, Jay Cutler was totally on his game even though the team was missing Brandon Marshall. And I can't even express how impressed I was with Edidie Royal. He's a rookie WR and last night he was asked to shoulder a huge portion workload. Not only did he respond, but he went above anyone's expectations. The most impressive thing about him, though, was his complete composure. He never retaliated when DeAngelo Hall hit him for two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and he wisely threw the ball away on a play where he was QB and all the receivers were covered.

I have to say, the defense still needs some work. They're supposed to have a great secondary and they didn't play like that consistently last night. We know their run defense is suspect, but it should be better this year than last (it can't really be worse, 30 out of 32 teams last year). All in all, I've got goosebumps about this team.

Moving on. Derek needs to stop eating potato chips for dinner. Soccer starts tomorrow and I will stab a bitch if he vomits on me. Seriously.

How about a few predictions?
Blazer wins - 49.
Post-season series won - 1.
Number of players Greg Oden kills - 14.
Number he kills simply by staring at them - 2.
2009-10 season expectations - unchartable.

Derek, Philipp and I are going to be playing in the 2008 Roofball games on September 27th, in the metropolis of Beaverton. Get more info at www.roofball.org and watch for updates on the show. Speaking of shows, if you want us to discuss a topic on the show we're filming this Friday, drop us a line (or comment, like you do).

Alright, that's it for now. Go Blazers, go Broncos, go Chad Pennington...ahahahahaha. Sorry, D, couldn't resist.

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Follow up

Just a quick follow up on the Pac-10 vs. SEC. Here is a link to an ESPN article today regarding how teams schedule. The SEC has five teams on this list and the Pac-10 has one.

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Pac 10 vs. SEC

The Pac 10 versus the SEC is an ongoing debate, at least on the West coast. I’m pretty sure that it does not get much attention on the East side of the Country. I’m not going to get into the “Who’s better than who” conversation I just wanted to take a look at who schedules tougher competition. ESPN says Georgia has the toughest schedule in college football, so one point for the SEC but then ESPN says the second, third and fourth toughest schedules go to Washington, UCLA and Oregon State. Alabama does get a nod at #9. So I thought lets take a look at how the teams in each conference scheduled their first game. Please note I took at all the teams that played conference games because this would sway the numbers. Oregon vs. Washington and Stanford vs. Oregon State.

Pac 10
Arizona State/Northern Arizona II
Arizona/Idaho I
California/Michigan State BCS
UCLA/ Tennessee BCS
USC/ Virginia BCS
Washington State/Oklahoma St. BCS

BCS 66%
I 83%
II 17%

SEC
Florida/ Hawaii I
Georgia/Georgia Southern II
Kentucky/Louisville BCS
Vanderbilt/ Miami (Ohio) I
South Carolina/ North Carolina State BCS
Tennessee/ UCLA BCS
Auburn/ Louisiana Monroe I
Arkansas/ Western Illinois II
LSU/ Appalachian State II
Mississippi/ Memphis I
Alabama/ Clemson BCS
Mississippi St./ Louisiana Tech I

BCS 33%
I 75%
II 25%

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Way too soon.

Kevin Duckworth passed away last night August 25, 2008. He was 44 years old.

Duckworth was huge player on the court, 7 feet tall and 300 pounds when he played. He was even a larger person off it. He was always involved in the community and was one of those rare athletes that was accessible. A huge heart.

Back in the early 90’s when the Blazers were competing for championships, as a child I would always pretend to be on the team, always comparing myself to the big fellow.

I feel like going and shooting some hoops.

RIP Duck.

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New...

Not only do we have a new logo. We have a new show airing tomorrow (8.22.08). Our old friend Bruce stops by to talk about Timbers and MLS coming to town.

I did want to hit on one other thing. One of the biggest upsets in Olympic history happened yesterday or the day before or when ever it happened in China. The US Softball team lost a game. It does not matter who beat them (Japan) just that they lost. This is the first time in they had lost in the Olympics and the first time the US has not won the gold medal. They gave up three runs in this game the same amount of runs they had given up, until this game, in the 2008 and 2004 Olympics combined.

Unfortunately for the US this might be the last time that softball will be played at the Olympics. The IOC in their wisdom has voted not to have it as a sport in the 2012 games in London. Mostly because it has been dominated by one country. So did Japan just save the sport? Time will tell.

I just want to know how an actual sport like softball gets voted out but we still have, trampoline, table tennis, equestrian (horses can win the Kentucky Derby but not a gold medal), and speed walking (just plain stupid).

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Blazers news

Brandon Roy to have Surgery!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok everyone lets just calm down. Roy is going in for arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus. This will be the second time Roy has gone through this procedure. The first time was in college and was on his right knee, this will be on his left knee. Typical recovery time is four to six weeks.

Roy should be back right around the time the Blazers start training camp. Meaning the only time he would miss is the volunteer workouts. So all in all everything should be fine Portland fans. My greatest concern here is that this guy just does not seem to be able to stay healthy missing 24 games his rookie year and 6 last year. If Portland is going to start contending for championships it starts with Roy.

McMillan says no to OKC

Nate McMillan recently told the Seattle Times that he does not want his retired jersey to be hung up in Oklahoma City. “I never played in Oklahoma City. I spent my who career in Seattle, you know.”

Good for you Nate.

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Pro Athletes and the Olympics

For some reason this is a hot button topic to some people. I’ve always thought the answer was quite easy. If the Olympics are such a huge event then they need the best in the world competing, and most of the time a professional athlete is the better than an amateur. It’s just common sense. It’s nice to have the stories of the underdogs, who had a rough life growing up and have overcome insurmountable odds, but I want to see the best of the best playing. And just because there are professionals does not mean that you don’t get those heart warming stories. Simply put the best athletes in the world need to be there to make the games legitimate. That means both the professional and amateurs needs to be present as long as they are the best to represent their country.

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