It's time for our second annual March Madness tournement. Compete against the hosts and last years winner Clint, trust me he's already talking smack. Winner gets a prize. It's a yahoo league you can enter here. No password needed.
I've been planning on writing Blazers trade blog for the last couple of days, but I figured I'd go something like this.
Blazers fail, again, to use their "assets" to pull off a meaningful trade.
Honestly after the Wallace trade seemed to fall through yesterday I was PO'd. But I've got a big Blazer smile on my face today. Now will this trade bump the Blazers into title contender status? No, but it is a step in the right direction. The Blazers were able to acquire the best player off a team for their own spare parts. Let's break it down.
Blazers get:
Gerald Wallace. A starting small forward and an upgrade at the position. Yes I know most Blazer fans think Batum is the next Jesus Shuttlesworth but will never be much more than a third option on a team and he's not there yet. Wallace has proved he can score rebound and defend in this league. He was even on the All NBA defensive team last year along with averaging a double double.
Wallace's style of play should have a great positive affect on the stale Portland offense. The team is constructed of jump shooters and Wallace is a take it to the rack kinda player. Couple this with the now constant double teams LaMarcus is facing and he should have plenty of assists to the new guy.
Blazers lose:
Joel Przybilla. At this stage of Joel's career he's a back up and looking at him play recently he's a hurt back up. Sure the guy brought toughness and a take no crap attitude. But when all is said and done he was on the last year of a contract that was paying him $7.4 million a year and that's a trade chip that cannot go unused.
Dante Cunningham. A cheap role player. Sure good teams have players like Cunningham on their roster, but you can find these guys everywhere. Dante was also on his last year of a second round draft contract which means he was due for a raise if the Blazers wanted to keep him after this year they'd need to go deeper into the luxury tax and this is not the type of player teams do that for. Sure he brought a toughness and go get'em attitude but Portland got that back in Wallace.
Sean Marks. I was surprised a found a player profile on Marks on NBA.com. Some say he might be the worst player in the league but he's got a big body and that can be enough to keep a job in the NBA. Reports indicate the Bobcats will waive him.
New Orleans #1 pick in 2011. This is the pick Portland acquired in the Bayless trade at the beginning of the year. So Cho was right when he said he was accumulating assets. This pick should be in the early 20's this year much like the Blazers own pick.
Portland's 2013 first round pick. This is a couple of years off so the Blazer obviously feel they won't be a lottery team then and I'm inclined to agree. If the Blazers think they need a mid to late fist rounder in 2013 they have time to complete a trade or just flat our buy one, which they've done twice in the past 3 years.
Tomorrow, February 20th, the 13th annual Roofball World Championships will be played, and if you pay attention to our show, blog, facebook page or twitter feed, you know that Loren and I love us some roofball.
The WCs should see a full 24 player field with many of the usual suspects. Adam Willis, Casey Campbell and Buddy Emmons have 4 Roofball titles each. Steve Stupey has played in 5 tournaments and has finished in the top 3 all but once. There will also be a some players such as Travis Demers and Matt Azar who've come close to winning before but just can't make it over the hump...yet.
But this is a PMS blog so I wanted to concentrate on Loren and I.
Loren has played in 3 tournaments making it to the second round twice. With one more game he'll have the minimum number of games played to be listed on the record page. Loren hasn't gone deep in a tournament but he does have 3 Roofball Games Gold medals.
I've had the pleasure of winning two tournaments and finishing in the semifinals 3 times. I really have two goals entering this tournament.
1. To win, of course, is one of them, but this tournament means something more. Ask any long standing roofballer and they'll tell you this is the big one. It's also the one tournament I haven't won. A win here and I'll be the first roofball player to win all three tournaments.
2. I'm also looking to become the 7th roofball player to score 1000 career points. I sit 78 points away.
Our most recent episode, 02.11.11 ran long so we had to remove some of the content. Below you can find our 2011 NBA All Star predictions which didn't make the cut, you can also find a review of the new MLS Portland Timbers Jerseys which did make it in to the show.
Well the outcome doesn't matter as far as the NFL pick duel between Loren and myself goes, but I guess it's a big game or whatever.
Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh
Loren – Green Bay. Since I don’t have to worry about being right, I’m going with my heart over my head. It’s hard not to see the Steelers as the favorite with more experience, veteran leadership, consistent ground game, and consistent defense. But I’ll take Green Bay because I’d love to see the Packers usher in a new era and sever any lingering nostalgic ties to Favre.
Derek - Pittsburgh. And I'll take the Steelers for all the comments Loren made. Basically they can play with anyone and can beat anyone any day of the week, including a super Sunday. Rodgers might be the better QB but he hasn't played like it 3 out of the 4 last weeks. I expect a great game and I hope we get it.
Well...it's a little elementary at this point since I'm up five with three games to go, but no one will ever be able to say we don't follow through! Still, for there to only be a difference of five games is a testament to either how good we both are or how much be both suck. You be the judge.
Well the Eagles cost me another game, I'm now down 3. Desperation sinks in.
Baltimore at Pittsburgh
Loren - Pittsburgh. They're rested, they're at home, and they are going to throw the kitchen sink at Flacco. I expect this to be a good game, but I expect the Steelers to win.
Derek – Baltimore. I’m down so I might as well go against Loren when there’s a chance. This should be a good game first one to 21 wins, but it might not take that much.
NY Jets at New England
Loren - New England. Revis and Cromartie won't be enough to slow Brady down. The Jets think the 45-3 loss a few weeks ago stung, wait till the Pats hang 'em out to dry in the playoffs.
Derek – New England. Yeah I think they’re going to win it all.
Green Bay at Atlanta
Loren - Green Bay. This game was the hardest to pick. I like the Falcons ability to control clock, but I don't know if their secondary can handle Rodgers for a full 60 minutes. Odds are against the number 1 seed losing in the divisional round, but the Packers have essentially pulled out three win-or-go-home games in a row.
Derek – Atlanta. Home team that plays well in a dome. Number 1 seed on rest. Sound like the way to go for me, they can run it and keep the ball away from Rodgers.
Seattle at Chicago
Loren - Chicago. Last time I made fun of the Seahawks they destroyed the Saints. So I won't make fun of them, but I still don't think they'll win. Frankly, they are not as talented as the other playoff teams and that will catch up to them sooner or later.
Derek – Chicago. Seattle had a lot of advantages last week with the home game. But they are the ones that have to travel this week.
I begin the playoffs down two. The pressure mounts.
New Orleans at Seattle
Loren – New Orleans. I don’t think I even need to say anything here.
Derek – New Orleans. The Saints do have to travel a long way, have one day less to prepare and Qwest is a difficult place to play. So yeah they should win by 24+.
New York Jets at Indianapolis
Loren – Indianapolis. This pick scares me, but I want to force Derek to think about taking the Jets. I figure Manning is good for at least one playoff win, especially considering it looks like he’s gelling with his battered receiving corps. Unfortunately, Garcon looked tired last week and the Jets will put Cromartie on him. That match up could decide the game.
Derek – Indianapolis. Since I’m behind I could talk myself into the Jets but I just think Manning is too good against the Jets to lose this one.
Baltimore at Kansas City
Loren – Baltimore. KC just won’t be able to sustain enough scoring drives to keep up with the Ravens.
Derek – Baltimore. I think the Ravens are going to be able to stop the Chiefs running game and will score just enough to win an ugly one.
Green Bay at Philadelphia
Loren – Green Bay. I like the momentum the Packers have headed into the playoffs, while the Eagles ended their season with two straight losses. Yes, they weren’t playing full strength against Dallas, but you don’t want to give the mental edge to the other team, particularly when Green Bay is coming off two huge wins and Rodgers is throwing darts.
Derek – Philadelphia. Well I have to pick on different, might as well be the team with the QB playing for a big contact.
I started last week down 6 and after taking four games from Loren, I'm not only down two. Let's see if I can make up more going into the playoffs.
Tampa bay at New Orleans
Loren – New Orleans. As I said on our upcoming show, the Bucs haven’t beaten a good team this year. Things won’t change this week.
Derek – New Orleans. Tampa Bay might be the surprise team of the year but I don’t think they’re going to beat a Saints team whose playing well in the Superdome.
Jacksonville at Houston
Loren – Houston. Don’t see the Jags winning this one on the road without Garrard and probably missing MJD, too. Doesn’t matter since Indy (see below) will win and get in.
Derek – Jacksonville. Andrea Johnson isn’t going to play in this one and I think the Jags D will score and hold Houston down enough to get the big win.
Dallas at Philadelphia
Loren – Philadelphia. Both teams will be playing without their starting QBs (and the Cowboys will be on their third stringer), and the Eagles might sit McCoy. Doesn’t matter, I’ll take Andy Reid over Wade Phillips. Yeah, Cowboys fans, it’s okay to cry. I’d cry too if Wade was my coach.
Derek – Philadelphia. I’m not sure if Loren knows Phillips was fired weeks ago. Anyway The Eagles are at home and you can’t trust a third stringer.
Chicago at Green Bay
Loren – Green Bay. Yeah, Chicago’s starters might start, but it sounds like they won’t play the whole game. I’m taking Green Bay here. They control their path to the playoffs and I like the way Rodgers responded last week in the beat down at New York.
Derek – Green Bay. I think Chicago will be locked into the 2 seed when this game starts and they’ll rest some of their players. Couple that with a Packers team that needs to win and playing at home and you can see the Pack will take it.
Tennessee at Indianapolis
Loren – Indianapolis. I like Indy’s chances in a “win and in” scenario, especially facing an inconsistent team like the Titans. Manning will put the team on his back and deliver under pressure.
Derek – Indianapolis. Really, Manning isn’t going to let this team lose and miss out on the playoffs.
St. Louis at Seattle
Loren – St. Louis. Seattle is prepping Charlie Whitehurst at QB for Sunday. Meanwhile, Bradford attained the record last week for most completions by a rookie QB. The difference maker, though, might be Steven Jackson. He deserves to make the playoffs after being the lone bright spot on this team for several seasons.
Derek – Seattle. What? I know I can’t believe I’m picking them, Whitehurst is terrible but I think the Seahawks will play inspired and have the home field advantage.
With two weeks in the regular season left I need to make a move, Loren is now up 6.
San Francisco at St. Louis
Derek - St. Louis. I'd like to pick the 49ers here but I just don't see them winning on the road when they can't even decide who should play QB.
Loren – St. Louis. Really, Derek? I know this is a game with division title implications, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth picking. I guess when you’re somewhere between 6 and 47 games down, you have to throw a few toss-ups into the mix. Why am I taking the Rams? Because I think Sam Bradford has responded well this year and they’re playing at home. If I had my way, though, both of these teams would lose and none of the NFC West teams belong in the playoffs.
Tennessee at Kansas City
Derek - Kansas City. The Chiefs will be able to run the ball on Tennessee and with Cassell back in action I expect to see Bowe have a big day.
Loren – Tennessee. KC won’t be able to stop the ground game. The final two weeks will show that KC is an average football team in a subpar division. Tennessee, meanwhile, won’t make the playoffs but just might finish .500 if they win here and against Indy in the final week.
NY Jets at Chicago
Derek - Chicago. Chicago has the home game and have wrapped the division I think they'll still try to play hard since they can still get a bye the first round. Bears special teams will win it.
Loren – NY Jets. How do the Jets lose to Miami then come back and thump Pittsburgh? I feel like the Jets are the football equivalent of the Wookie defense; they just don’t make sense. They are 4-3 at home but 6-1 on the road. Huh? They only have a +36 point differential but have managed a 10-4 record. Huh? Since Chicago is only 4-3 at home as well, I’ll take the Jets and their stingy D, but I won’t be happy about it.
Houston at Denver
Derek - Houston. Yeah the Broncos are a plain bad team. Houston has nothing to play for but their talent should be enough.
Loren – Houston. Ugh. I think Derek put this game on here hoping I’d take the Broncos and he could get an easy win. No such luck. I’ve abandoned all hope for this god-awful excuse of a team. I hope they win, but I sure won’t be picking them.
NY Giants at Green Bay
Derek - Green Bay. I'm going with the home team on this one. The Giants had a bad ending to the game last week and I think there might be some carry over. The Pack need a win to stay in playoff contention.
Loren – NY Giants. The G-Men were awfully close to knocking off Philly last week, but close only left them with a gut punch headed into their match up against GB. Still, I like the Giants’ resolve. This is a tough team and I wouldn’t want to take out their frustrations from last week on me.
New Orleans at Atlanta
Derek - New Orleans. The Saints have some of their impact players back and should start gelling now. These teams know each other well and I'll be surprised if it's a high scoring game.
Loren – Atlanta. I told everyone Atlanta would be good this year. Granted, they have wins against SF, Arizona, Seattle, Carolina and St. Louis, but they also have wins against NO, Tampa (2), Green Bay and Baltimore. One of their two losses was in OT against the Steelers in the first week of the season. Since that game, they have gone 12-1. The Saints are giving up too many yards on the ground and Michael Turner is going to make them pay this week.
For crying out loud! Loren and I split again, so I'm still 5 back.
Philadelphia at NY Giants
Derek - Philadelphia. I don't see the Giants putting too many points on the board. The Eagles continue to score in bunches and hold on late.
Loren – Philadelphia. With Steve Smith done for the year, Manning has even fewer offensive options. Meanwhile the Eagles continue to roll along. I don’t think the Giants can match the Eagles’ speed for the duration of the game.
New Orleans at Baltimore
Derek - New Orleans. The Saints have a better offense and won't get behind like the Texans did agasinst the Ravens. The Ravens D looked tired at the end and seeing all the stats about games given up in the last quarter makes me think the Saints will win a big game on the road.
Loren – Baltimore. After seeing the way the Texans came back again the Ravens last week, I had to think twice about this one. However, Ray Rice is a wrecking machine to complement the bulldozers on the Raven’s D. I think they’ll wear the Saints down with the help of the home crowd.
Houston at Tennessee
Derek - Houston. Collins hasn't be able to open up jack this year for CJ. The Texans will stick with throwing it to Johnson and running it with Foster, that'll be enought to beat the Titans.
Loren – Tennessee. I never thought I would say this, but now that 65 year old Kerry Collins is under center, I think the Titans have a much better chance to win. He knows how to manage games and should be able to open the field back up for CJ.
Jacksonville at Indianapolis
Derek - Indianapolis. Last year Miami lost to the Colts even though the Fins held the ball for 45:07 and ran for 239 yards. Those stats mean little to the Colts. Every week Manning feels more and more comfotable with his WR.
Loren – Jacksonville. The Colts are giving up 141 rushing yards/game. Jags are second in the league in yards gained on the ground. Unfortunately for them, the roles are almost exactly reversed for the Colts passing vs the Jags secondary. I’m counting on the Jaguars being able to control the clock and keep Manning off the field just enough.
NY Jets at Pittsburgh
Derek - Pittsburgh. This is a classic case of one team playing well and the other ramming their heads to the ground, or is it knees. Plus I can jump back on my early season the J E T S sucks bandwagon.
Loren – Pittsburgh. With all the alternating hype and drama surrounding the Jets, it’s masked the fact that they at a couple of bad plays/bad calls/missed tackles from a 6-8 record. Without a last minute INT against Denver or their OT wins against Detroit and Cleveland, we could be talking about how far out of the playoff picture they are. All that to say I like the Steelers’ chances at home.
Green Bay at New England
Derek - New England. The Pats are good.
Loren – New England. See my comments about the Jets above. Plus, the Pats are taking no prisoners and you couldn’t get me to bet against Brady right now.
Loren and I split our games last week. He got Jacksonville over Tennessee and I got New England's thrashing the Jets. Heck I even said it'd be lopsided win. But that doesn't matter, I remain 5 games back.
Tampa Bay at Washington
Derek - Washington. The Bucs have a lot of starters out for this one and suffered a bummer of a loss last week, I think they'll drop this one on the road.
Loren - Tampa Bay. The Bucs have a below average rush defense and a great pass defense. Who better for them to play than the Redskins who have no rushing attack? And with the Redskins ranking near the bottom in both run and pass defense, this one probably won't even be close.
Oakland at Jacksonville
Derek - Jacksonville. Oakland has to travel all the way across the country in an effort to stop MJD from his getting his 6th 100 yard game in a row.
Loren - Jacksonville. The Raiders want to pound away with the ground game but the Jags have been great lately at plugging holes. The Jags are second in the league in yards on the ground and the the Raiders front line D has been suspect. This will be a war of attrition and I expect the Jags to win at home and stay in 1st place.
Denver at Arizona
Derek - Arizona. This could be one of those games where a team loses their coach and goes on to play better. Unfortuantly the Broncos are just no good.
Loren - Denver. Okay, with the likelihood that Arizona will be starting a rookie QB, I feel fairly confident picking the Broncos. With Josh McDouchebag gone, I think the team will feel that a weight has been lifted from their shoulders and play to have some fun.
Kansas City at San Diego
Derek - San Diego. The Charges will get back on track with their late season surge. KC has a chance to control the ball but without Cassell it's going to be difficult to score TDs.
Loren - San Diego. If the Chiefs had trouble with the Broncos passing attack, they're gonna get floored by what the Chargers bring. I just don't think the Chiefs have the talent to carry themselves to a division title.
New England at Chicago
Derek - New England. This could be a let down game for the Pats. But they are playing too well to lose this one.
Loren - New England. Is there really any reason to pick against them at this point? Well, if you're several games down in a contest with a friend and are desperate to reverse the trend...come on Derek, take the Bears!
Baltimore at Houston
Derek - Baltimore. This could be a good game, high power offense up against a strong D. The Ravens are going to have to score more than 20 but they'll get there.
Loren - Baltimore. The Ravens D shuts down the ground game of the Texans and the Texans don't have enough firepower on defense to keep the Ravens out of the end zone.
Well well well, I was able to pick up a game last week, that leaves me 5 games back. Getting to desperation time.
San Francisco at Green Bay
Loren – Green Bay. No Gore, no chance.
Derek - Green Bay. Yeah uh see, Green Bay is a much better team playing at home.
Denver at Kansas City
Loren - Kansas City. Okay, so the Broncos have finally let me down enough this season that I’m picking the frickin’ Chiefs. Of course, this means the Broncos will inexplicably destroy KC 63-0.
Derek - Kansas City. Loren is supposed to take the Broncos here, oh well. The Chiefs are a suprise team this year and it's not going to stop here.
Jacksonville at Tennessee
Loren – Jacksonville. The Jags mediocre record and negative point differential doesn’t reflect it, but this is a good, hard-nosed football team that is currently tied for 1st in a tough division. Tennessee is a game back, but moving in a different direction with a rookie QB. Jags big in this one.
Derek - Tennessee. The Titans have it at home and have to rely on the running game, not sure if you know this but they have a good running back. The Jags know this too which is why we'll all be surprised by the passing game, Moss will score his first Titans TD.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Loren – Atlanta . I’ve been riding ATL all season and they are living a charmed life right now. The Bucs are better than anyone thought, but not as good as the Falcons.
Derek - Atlanta. I wasn't THAT high on the Falcons, but I might be now. They'll win a close one but a win is a win.
Oakland at San Diego
Loren – San Diego. I’m taking the Bolts at home against a team with future aspiration but current lack of talent.
Derek - San Diego. What a shock the Chargers are making a late season surge. They'll control this game through out.
NY Jets at New England
Loren – NY Jets. They beat the Pats once already this year and they are getting more confident with every hard won game. If any secondary can slow Brady down, it’s this one. Jets in a squeaker.
Derek - New England. It's hard for a team to beat the same team twice in one year. The Pats are going to pull this out in normal Pats style, by beating the Jets big.
Well last week didn't go my way, but what's new. Loren is up by 6 or something like that. On to the picks.
Green Bay at Atlanta
Loren – Atlanta. Why The Falcons have won four tough close games in a row. Matt Ryan looks like he’s regained the form that led people to think he could be a pro-bowl QB. D is still a question but they’ve done enough.
Derek - Green Bay. True the Falcons have won four in a row but they won't make it five. The Packers are the best team in the NFC and will prove it over a tough and probable playoff preview opponent. Green Bay's D is good enough to stop both the Falcons passing and rushing attack.
Jacksonville at NY Giants
Loren – NY Giants. The Giants D will harass and interrupt Garrard all day long and the Jacksonville D isn’t strong enough to keep the game within reach.
Derek - NY Giants. Jacksonville, can hang with most teams for about a half. The Giants D will snuff out the Jags running game and Garrard isn't good enough to make up for it.
Tennessee at Houston
Loren – Tennessee. Maybe now that Vince Young is gone the Titans will get back to their bread and butter, letting the best RB in the league run wild. Houston has the worst passing defense in the league so even Rusty Smith should be able to keep the Texans honest enough to give CJ some running room.
Derek - Houston. With out a QB there will nine guys in the box all day. Johnson will have to earn every yard, sure he'll get his but it won't be enough.
Kansas City at Seattle
Loren – Seattle. KC is still in first place in the AFC West, playing the first place team in the NFC West. Unfortunately, these teams would both be doormats in one of the better divisions. I’ll take Seattle because they’re playing at home.
Derek - Kansas City. The Chiefs have one of if not the best running duo in the NFL. They'll be able to control the ball and pull out a win.
Philadelphia at Chicago
Loren – Philadelphia. The Eagles have crazy momentum, a ton of talent, and a bandwagon weighed down by all the people jumping on it. So why do I hesitate to pick them in this game? They beat statistically superior Giants D last week, but something about playing at Soldier Field makes me nervous. I think this will be a close game between division leaders.
Derek - Philadelphia. Philly is on a roll. This one will be a dog fight. This Vick guys seems to know what he's doing and as good the Bears D is they won't be able to shut down both Vick and McCoy.
San Diego at Indianapolis
Loren - Indianapolis. I picked against Indy last week because I believe Belichick knows how to prepare his D to face the Colts. I have no such confidence in Norv “I’m Getting My Butt Kicked And All I Can Do Is Sit Here And Look Smug” Turner. Indy big in this one.
Derek - Indianapolis. The Colts are a good team right? Right? Well I think they are but I'm not very confident in this pick.
Portland Men on Sports good friend Adam was kind enough to give us a quick interview on the Talkin' Ball set after the Blazers home opener this year.
Loren and I picked 4 games differently last week ang thanks to 2 overtime come from behind wins he now leads me by 3.
Houston at Jacksonville
Derek - Houston. I think Houstons offense is that much better than the Jags, Houston has shown me something this year and the Jags havn't.
Loren – Jacksonville. I went over and over this one and finally chose the Jags just because they’re at home. Garrard has looked really good in 3 of his last 4 games and has a very respectable 98.8 passer rating. They are also 7th in the league in rushing. They both have soft Ds but Jacksonville has more momentum.
Cincinnati at Indianapolis
Derek - Indianapolis. Cincinnati is just not a complete team, they don't have one player who can beat you. The Colts are too good to lose this game and won't lose back to back efforts very often.
Loren – Indianapolis. I may have accurately predicted the Colts losing to Philly last week, but I still believe the Colts are an elite team. Any team would need a little time to adjust to new faces in the lineup, and I think the Colts are ready to get back on track. Playing in friendly confines will help.
Tennessee at Miami
Derek - Tennessee. Chris Johnson is going to gash the Fins. We'll see if Pennington can lead the Dolphins to TDs instead of FG, but I don't see that happening often.
Loren – Tennessee. I like Miami on paper, but less so on the field. Miami has a shot if they contain Chris Johnson and make the Titans throw the ball, but I don’t think they’ll be able to do that.
Kansas City at Denver
Derek - Kansas City. The Chiefs need to atone for the terrible game vs. the Raiders last week. I see the Chiefs gaining over 150 on the ground and Cassel taking advantage of a bad defense.
Loren – Denver. The Broncos have had a bye week to get healthy and recover. The Chiefs aren’t going to sneak up on anyone the rest of the season. I’m worried about what Jamaal Charles can do against this defense that let the Raiders run roughshod over them, but the plan of attack for the Broncos D should be shutting him down and double teaming Bowe leaving no options for Cassel.
New England at Pittsburgh
Derek - Pittsburgh. I might take the Pats if they were at home but the Steelers are just too good of a team to lose this one, they can play big.
Loren – Pittsburgh. It’s going to be a long night for the Pats. Pitt’s D got a little scare from the Bengals so I expect they’ll come out with a mind to prove they are the elite D in the league. Brady is already hobbling a bit, wait till he’s knocked on his butt for the eighth time.
Philadelphia at Washington
Derek - Philadelphia. Vick is back and that adds a huge element to the Eagles plans. I don't think Washington is going to be able to keep up.
Loren – Philadelphia. I just don’t think the Redskins have the tools to shut down this offense. Even though they are just a game behind the Eagles for second in the division, these look like two teams headed in opposite directions.
