Archive for January, 2010

FWG-NFL Presents Your Guide To The NFL Playoffs- Part II

// January 15th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 pm. (MIN -2.5)

Bears Vikings Football The Cowboys are playing very good football right now. It seems like they are peaking at the right time. Romo is playing out of his mind and the defense is playing the best they have all season. I just have a feeling that the Boys won’t continue to play this good. The Vikings ended the season by whooping up on the Giants. They should be ready to go and I think the Cowboys run to the Super Bowl ends in Viking country. The combination of Brett Favre and Ragnar should be enough to derail the D-Train. I think the Vikes should get AP 25-30 touches in this game. It will be a good battle between the Dallas D-line and the Vikings O-line. Dallas did a great job of shutting down DeSean Jackson two weeks in a row but can they do the same with Offensive rookie of the Year, Percy Harvin?

Bottom Line: I’ll give the 2.5 points and take Minnesota, 31-24.

New York Jets at San Diego Chargers, 4:40 pm. SD -9

fong_steelers_f-500x400 This game reminds me of the old paradox,” What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?” Corny? I know, but honestly, the Jets defense is playing awesome right now and the San Diego offense is as hot as any. The Chargers own an 11 game win streak. It will be interesting to see how this game unfolds. If the Chargers can put up some points and make the Jets throw the ball a lot, Sanchez will be in serious trouble but if the Jets can dominate the time of possession and keep the score close, so they can rely on the O-line and run game then I think the Jets can hang in there. I am leaning towards the Chargers getting it done. I think Antonio Gates is too big of a mismatch for the Jets (or any team). I am also going to go out on a limb and call for Darren Sproles to have a big game. He is my dark horse. He is such a weapon in the kick return game and is awesome on screens and draws. The Jets love to bring pressure, so look for Sproles to sneak out of the backfield and be unaccounted for. All Rivers needs to do is dump it off to him and he can do the rest. I’m torn on this game but I think the Jets run out of steam. Also, how can the Chargers lose with LT in the backfield? (see below)

Bottom Line: I’ll give the 9 and take Saint Diego , 27-16.

FWG-NFL Presents Your Guide To The NFL Playoffs- Part I

// January 14th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Hi. It’s me Jay. I’m back again this week with part one of my NFL playoffs breakdown….

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints, 4:30 pm. (NO -7)

…”Get your popcorn ready” would have been such a good line if the Bills had made the playoffs in, oh, say the last decade. But this game fits the same bill; two great offenses going head to head. The Saints limped into the playoffs with three straight losses . They took almost all of last week off to get healthy. CBs Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter are back after missing almost the whole second half of the season. This should help but come on, I don’t care if the Saints play with 13 guys on the field, the Cards offense is explosive. Warner could go out there with me playing receiver and they would still put up points (that may be stretching it a bit but you get the point). In all honesty, I think the Saints need to try to put pressure on Warner and make him make quick decisions. This may work and at the same time it may backfire but the whole world saw what happens when you let him sit back there with time. A lot of people will be high on the Cards after an exciting win at home. I think the Saints like the role they are playing this week. There hasn’t been much talk about them. They play at home and the Superdome should be rocking. Look for Drew and Crew to get back on track here and take down the high flying Cards.

Bottom Line: Saints win, but as far as the spread goes, bet your cake on the Cards. Saints, 34-31.

Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts, 8:15 pm. ( IND -6.5)

The Ravens played a very good game in New England last week as they dominated the Pats in every aspect. The Pats came out flat and had no idea what hit them. It will be a different story in Indianapolis this week. The Colts have taken a lot of heat for resting their players. Now its time to see if their strategy worked. I’m calling for a big game from Peyton Manning (real shocker, huh?) You could see how pissed he was when they let perfection slip away. Plus give the smartest guy in the NFL two weeks to prepare for 1 team? The Colts need to force the Ravens to beat them through the air (last week Flacco was 4 of 10 for 34 yards) That SHOULDN’T cut it in an NFL playoff game. If the Colts can get the Ravens into 2^nd and 3^rd and longs, it could be a long day. Rookie Coach Jim Caldwell makes his playoff debut but lets be serious about who is running that team. If I had to rank my top 3 coaches in the NFL it would go: 1. Peyton Manning 2. Brett Favre and 3. Sean Payton. Look here: caldwellmanning_medium

That conversation probably started something like, “Hey Peyton, what do you think we should do this week?”

Bottom Line: Colts win (and cover), 27-17.

WTIC Sports Radio and FWG

// January 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Yeah this is the first post of the day. And, yes, it is noon. I’m working non stop to launch a new NFL site, stopping only for handfulls of Tostino Pizza Rolls, which are by the way, like popping little lava-filled pizza dough in your mouth. Exploding as you chomp in, what I can only describe as, as a highly sympolic, slightly metaphorical allegory for tempation and “good things come to those who wait.” Anyway, here’s a radio interview from UConn’s Bowl Game to tide you over.

Jay’s 2010 NFL Playoff Weekend Recap….Pats Blew It, You Knew It

// January 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

For those of you unfamiliar with Jay, The guy was like 80% on NFL Bets this year. Which is why I’m celebrating by eating steak, everyday, for the entire month of January.here was his intro post from last week.

nfl-playoffs-748167 Here’s Jay:

Cardinals outscore the Packers, 51-45

This was by far the most exciting game of the weekend. Just take a look at some of the offense numbers in this game: 62 first downs, 1,024 yards of total offense and 96 points. This was such an exciting game to watch. Arizona came out quick, taking a 17-0 lead into the second quarter. Give credit to the Green Bay offense as they just kept plugging away to keep themselves in the game. They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime but not before Arizona kicker Neil Rackers had a chance to win the game with only seconds remaining on the clock. His kicked hooked way left giving the Packers life. With no defense being played on either side of the ball in regulation, go figure that in overtime the game ended with a sack and fumble return for touchdown by Karlos Dansby. To be honest, at times it seemed like a 7 on 7 drill or that maybe the defenses were only playing with 9 guys on the field. The star of the show was Kurt Warner. He was 29 of 33 for 379 yards and 5 TDs. He had more TD passes than incompletion. With all of the talk this week about this being Warner’s last game, he went out and put on a show. After that performance I hope that he decides to come back because he is an absolute treat to watch. His counterpart wasn’t too shabby either. Aaron Rodgers threw for 422 yards (a Green Bay playoff record) and 4 TDs. These are the games that I love to watch. A straight shoot-out with great plays being made all over the field.

Jets run to victory over the Bengals, 24-14

The Jets run game keyed the victory over the Bengals. Rookie running back Shonn Greene had a great game, rushing for 135 yards on 21 carries and a TD. The Jets totaled 171 yards on the ground and two scores. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez also played very well. He didn’t turn the ball over and was 12 for 15 passing. I think a lot of credit must be given to Jets Offensive coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer. Time and time again he put Sanchez in great positions to make plays and to his credit, he did. Sanchez didn’t try to force anything but then again he didn’t have to. As far as the Jets defense, look no further than Darrelle Revis. For the second straight week he shut down Chad Ochocinco, holding him to only 2 meaningless catches for 28 yards. Revis had 3 tackles, 1 pass deflection and 1 pick. He should be named Defensive Player of the Year later this week. The Bengals offensive looked really out of sync. They really couldn’t get anything going. Cedric Benson had a nice day running the ball as he went for 169 yards and a TD. The Bengals were hurt twice by Shayne Graham as he missed two field goals. Both were less than 40 yards, one being a 28 yarder with 3:49 left in the game that sealed the victory for the Jets. The Jets just looked very confident playing on Saturday. Give credit to Rex Ryan for instilling that frame of mind into his players. He said they should be favored and that is how they played. Next up for the Jets is a trip to San Diego to take on the RED HOT Chargers.

Dallas roughs up the Eagles for the second straight week, 34-14

After a scoreless first quarter the Dallas Cowboys offense exploded in the second quarter, putting up 27 points and taking a 20 point lead to halftime. Tony Romo was great again, throwing for 244 yards and 2 TDs. The real star for the Cowboys offense was Felix Jones who ran for 148 yards on 16 carries (9.3 average!) and 1 TD. The Cowboys did a nice job with ball control in the first half, allowing the Eagles to run only 18 plays and 140 yards. (76 of those yards came on one play. Vick TD pass) The Eagles offense looked awful in the first half. DeSean Jackson was completely shut down by the Dallas secondary. Just watching the game, I felt like Dallas really dominated the line of scrimmage, winning the battles on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The game in general was very sloppy. There were a combined 23 penalties for 228 yards (Dallas had 14 for 112 yards). Dallas had two chances in the first quarter to get field goals but were taken out of FG range because of penalties. Fortunate for them that it didn’t cost them this game but down the road it will. That was the only negative that I could see when watching the game was the amount of penalties. The Eagles offense was really shut down as a whole. They couldn’t get anything going on the ground (56 yards on 13 carries).

Baltimore’s Defense shuts down Brady and Co., 33-14

A quick start keyed the Baltimore win. The Ravens outscored the Pats 24-0 in the first quarter. With 10:29 on the clock in the first quarter, the Ravens had already taken a 14-0 lead. Less than 5 minutes into the game, the Ravens had completely taken home field advantage away from New England as the crowd sat in silence. On the Ravens first play from scrimmage, Ray Rice took the handoff 83 yards to give them an early lead. On New England’s following possession, Tom Brady was sacked and fumbled. The Ravens recovered and shortly punched in another TD. The Ravens couldn’t have asked for a more perfect situation in Foxboro. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco only attempted 10 passes (He was 4 for 10 for 34 yards and 1 INT). On the ground, the Ravens racked up 234 yards on 52 carries. I don’t think the Ravens could have hoped for this to come out any better. 52!?! rush attempts to only 10 passes (WOW). Terrific Tom Brady was anything but that, as he turned the ball over four times (3 INTs, 1 fumble). The Ravens defense was awesome holding New England to only 196 yards of total offense. As good as the D was, you can’t help to wonder how much of that was due to the absence of Wes Welker. The Patriot offense just lacked flow and the WR’s couldn’t seem to get open. Also, the running game never got going for the Pats. The Pats were handled from the opening play and just weren’t playing with the same fire that the Ravens were.

Maybe I’m Getting Ahead Of Myself, But I Love Super Bowl Commercials

// January 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Thanks to Mike for emailing this to me.

I’m glad to see the Verizon FiOS guy is still finding work….

NFL Wild Card Weekend Part Two

// January 8th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Minnesota, Uncategorized

Jay Says….

Wild Card Weekend – The “Weekend of Rematches”

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals, Saturday (1/9/10) 4:30

The Jets and Bengals meet again for the second time in two weeks but this time in Cincinnati. There are a few keys to this game. Right now, the Jets have a recipe for success. They run the ball very well and play good, aggressive defense. In my opinion they have the best corner in the NFL, that being Darrelle Revis. Last week he held Chad Ochocinco to ZERO catches. It was the first time since 2003 that Ochocinco failed to catch a pass in a game. Revis has been solid all season shutting down the best WR’s in the league. Better news for the Jets is that David Harris, there leading tackler, returned to practice Thursday after missing a few days with an ankle injury. The Jets also have the best offensive line in football. With Nick Mangold and Alan Faneca leading the way (both heading to the Pro Bowl) Thomas Jones should have a big day. They are number 1 in the league allowing only 172.2 yards per game. One big question is how will rookie signal caller Mark Sanchez play? At times this year it looked like he was playing for the other team throwing 20 interceptions. I think if you’re the Jets’ coaching staff you don’t let Sanchez throw more than 18-20 times. I liked the mix they had last week with former Mizzou QB turned Mr. Everything Brad Smith taking some snaps under center. He is very good with the ball in his hands and can help the Jets offense. A steady dose of Thomas Jones and rookie backup Shonn Greene behind that great offensive line should take the Jets to victory. The Bengals had a great year but many times I felt like they played to the level of their competition. They lacked consistency and that is never a good sign for a NFL team. The Bengals will have Cedric Benson back this week as he sat out last Sunday’s matchup. The weather is supposed to be lousy with snow in the forecast and that sets up perfectly for the Jets. If Sanchez can hold onto the ball and limit himself to MAX one turnover, I think they Jets will ride that offensive line to the winner’s circle. J-E-T-S. Jets Jets Jets, 20-16.

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots, Sunday (1/10/10) 1:00 pm

This is the only game of Wild Card weekend that isn’t a rematch from last week however these two teams did meet earlier in the year at Foxboro with the Pats holding on for the win, 27-21. The big story coming in, probably the biggest story in the NFL right now, is that Wes Welker will not play for the rest of the season with a torn MCL and ACL. A lot of people are saying that they should have rested their starters like the Colts did but Welker’s knee injury was a non-contact injury. It is very unfortunate but it could have happened in practice. I like that the Pats always play to win. Enter Julian Edelman, a former college QB at Kent State. Now don’t get me wrong, Wes Welker is one of the best WR in the NFL but Edelman will fit in just fine. Lets remember 2 things. 1. They still have Tom Brady. 2. In the 3 games that Edelman played and Welker didn’t (the two at the start of the season and last weeks game) Edelman had 21 catches for 221 yards receiving (last week he had 10 catches for 103 yards). Once again, I want to reiterate, Julian Edelman does NOT equal Wes Welker but with Tom Brady behind center, the Pats should still be very successful on the offensive side of the ball. For the Ravens, Ed Reed, their star safety, will be playing for the second time in 6 weeks and still won’t be 100%. He played a little last week, splitting time with Tom Zbikowski. I think the Ravens are hurt more without Ed Reed than the Pats are without Welker. The Ravens will need to rely heavily on Ray Rice. He does it all for the Baltimore offense but there is just something about Bill Belichick and the Pats at home. In a close game I like Brady and the hoody to come away with the win. They have won their last 8 and haven’t lost a home playoff game since 1996. I’m going with the Pats at home, 21-20.

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday (1/10/10) 4:40 pm

Another rematch from a game last week. I like the Packers to win again. Aaron Rodgers is playing as well as any QB in the league right now. His last three games he has had a QB rating over 100 and has thrown 5 TD passes and 0 interceptions. On the season Rodgers has thrown for close to 4,500 yards. He is an absolute star in the making and I think the Packers are one of the most dangerous teams in the playoffs. Also, their defense has been solid all year ranking 2^nd in total defense with 284.4 yards per game and 1^st in rushing defense with only 83.3 yards per game. Arizona has a dynamic offense but at times have been stagnant. The big question will be if Anquan Boldin can play. He hurt his knee/ankle in last Sunday’s game and without him the already talented Green Bay Secondary can pay more attention to All-World Receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The Cards also saw DE Calais Campbell break his thumb and talented CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie go down with a bruised left knee. I also like the Packers ability to run the ball better than Arizona. Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower have had a tough time holding onto the ball this year fumbling a combined 9 times. On the other hand Packers RB Ryan Grant has not fumbled all year (sorry Ryan, I know I just jinxed you). So with having a better defense and a better running game I am going to pick Green Bay. I like the Pack 31-27.

With College Football Season Now Over, It’s Time To Launch FWG-NFL

// January 8th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

Going to start doing more NFL Posts, besides the occasional Buffalo Bills post, which apparently appeals to only about .14% of my readership. So I’m bringing on another writer. Feel free to blast him if he sucks, or congratulate him if he’s awesome. He’s another fatty like me, well sort of. Introducing “Jay”. Yes, the name is singular. Like Madonna, or Yianni he has no last name. Just “Jay”. Apparently to some, keeping your full name off Google and thus your “employment opportunities” intact is a big deal. It’s too late for me. But here he is anyway. Oh, and in case your wondering why you should listen to him, he’s a former college QB and all around sports betting guru.

NFL WILD CARD WEEKEND

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys

The Rematch in Big D. Can the Cowboys beat the Eagles for the third time this year? Or will the Eagles, like the 2007 New York “Football” Giants, down Jerry’s Boys after losing twice in the regular season. I’m leaning towards the Cowboys getting it done. Here are a few reasons I like the Cowboys. Tony Romo is playing awesome right now. Look at his stats the last 5 games, 9 TD passes and only 2 interceptions. Also, in 4 of those games Romo had a QB rating higher than 100. Not to mention it was against pretty solid competition, 3 being playoff teams. (NYG, SD, NO, WAS, PHI) Alright lets get away from stats because in the end it’s about wins and losses not about stats. The Dallas defense has been playing inspired with great play from DeMarcus Ware and Jay Ratliff (both Pro Bowlers and both very deserving) I think the big turning point in the Cowboys season was beating the Saints. After falling in consecutive weeks to the Giants and Chargers, all the talk was how they couldn’t win in December and another year when Dallas tanks. But it wasn’t just beating the Saints that changed the attitude in the locker room. It was that DeMarcus Ware decided to play despite being hurt (2 Sacks, 2 FF). He sent a message that even with a neck injury he was going to put it on the line for his team and all of those guys with sprained ankles and sore toes better rethink sitting out. The Cowboys haven’t looked back since. The Eagles will put up a better showing than their 24 point stomping from a week ago however they will be without their starting center, Jamaal Jackson who has a torn ACL. It may not seem like a big deal but for all of those who played football, you really know how much a center means to an offense. The back up Nick Cole will have a busy day dealing with Jay Ratliff. I like the Cowboys to win 28-20.

College Football Season Is Over, Alabama Is On Top

// January 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

You know everyone wants to talk about Colt McCoy’s injury. Okay, sure. Awful way to end a career, and I get that. But let’s talk about Marcell Dareus’s interception, and touchdown run. Who doesn’t love it when the big men score. Communists and Texas fans, thats who. This made my night. Watch as he pirouettes, rumbles, spins, and of course give Texas freshman QB Garrett Gilbert (fresh from the high school prom) the strong armed “Sha-mone.” I always love it when fat kids get the ball, but when they do it with style, well it brings a tear to my eye.

Don’t you think there should be a rule that if your over 290lbs and you score, they wave the 15 yarder and let you celebrate. ‘Cause let’s be honest, it hasn’t happened before and won’t happen again. Let the fatties live a little, will ya?

This Has Nothing To Do With Sports or Football, But I Can Stop Watching It

// January 6th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

How well timed this would have been for my year end post. Shit.

“Twitter has quickly become…MEGAN MCCAIN’S BOOBS!”

Baseball Hall Of Fame Voting Forces Me To Get Nostalgic

// January 6th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

fred-mcgriff Today is Hall of Fame announcement day and I would be lying if I said I was actually interested. That was before I saw one name, Fred McGriff. Am I really getting that old that Fred McGriff is on the ballot? Am I the only one that remembers all those World Of Baseball Info-Mercials he did? He better be a unanimous decision, after which he’ll be wearing a Baseball World cap, instead of the Atlanta Braves as he makes his acceptance speech, closing with the line “I’m Major League Super Star Fred McGriff, thank you Tom Emanski, thank you America.” fred-mcgriff-2 I’ve searched the internet far and wide, and I can’t find the video anywhere. I’m a strong believer that, between Google and YouTube, the world is your oyster. So my inability to find this prized video means that as a population, as a species, we’ve all taken a step back.

UPDATE!
I did find this interview with McGriff, where he answered every question asked him about the filming of the now famous comerical.
Fred McGriff and the Endorsement That Lives Forever [NYT]