NFL Preview and Week One Handicapper

Here we go, the weekend we’ve been waiting for since Tom Brady’s hail mary pass fell incomplete and the clock struck zero in Super Bowl XLVI. Before we take a look at my picks for this week, here is a brief look at how I see the standings this season. You will notice two themes probably. A “changing of the guard” in the NFC, while “more of the same” in the AFC.

AFC

East

1. Patriots (12-4)

The Patriots have improved their defense a little (which wasn’t that hard to do), and while they have an easy schedule as usual, it’s really only easy in the middle weeks. The beginning and end are pretty tough, though ending with Jacksonville and Miami is a nice Christmas present.

2. Bills (8-8)

The Bills begin and end the year with the Jets. So Sanchez gets to face the Bills when Ryan Fitzpatrick is good for the first few weeks, and Tebow gets to face him when Fitzpatrick is back to his normal awful self. Score another one for God!

3. Jets (7-9)

I don’t think the Jets will be as bad as a lot of people are predicting. The offense has potential to improve with Tony Sparano, and the defense is still going to be stout. I do like how most of their four (four!) primetime games are in the latter half of the season…it’s as if the NFL expects the Jets to be a different team later in the year or something!

4. Dolphins (7-9)

I can’t find the link anymore, but about 40 minutes into episode one of Hard Knocks, Chad Johnson says “I’m gonna get arrested” and everyone laughs. Go back and watch it.

North

1. Ravens (11-5)

A very rough schedule, but they should be able to come out on top in the division for a second straight year. However, could very well start the year 1-2 or even 0-3, and now since I live in Baltimore I will get to hear the panic on a daily basis on the way to work. Great.

2. Steelers (10-6)*

Offensive line woes were the problem last season, and they seem to have addressed them in the offseason/draft. I still think the Steelers are one of the top 4 teams in the AFC.

3. Bengals (8-8)

The only playoff team I don’t have returning in the AFC this season, but they should get out to a fast start before their bye week. November and December are brutal however.

4. Browns (4-12)

The Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback was once traded for this man.

South

1. Texans (11-5)

I love their formula to win football games. So balanced on offense, so good on defense.  The problem is, something along the lines goes wrong during the season (usually an injury to AJ or Schaub) and their whole formula goes out the window. They have the best strategy for winning football games, the problem is they can’t adapt. That said, I have them as my Super Bowl team in the AFC.

2. Titans (8-8)

I think Jake Locker is going to be good someday, so I was happy to see him win the job in the preseason. I also have Chris Johnson in two of my fantasy leagues (not sure how) so hopefully that works out for me.

3. Colts (6-10)

Thanks for Peyton.

4. Jaguars (6-10)

I think the offense should improve from last year, but not enough to make a dent in the division. The defense has always been strong, and I’m hoping Jack Del Rio brings that effect over to the Broncos. (Oh sorry, was that two in a row where I spoke as a Bronco fanboy? Sorry, won’t happen again.)

West

1. Broncos (10-6)

We got Peyton Effing Manning!  I worry he will be as good as he was, but even if it’s just 90% that should be an upgrade. Hell, 50% would have been in upgrade. I’m just hoping a. he stays healthy and b. he “knows how to win” as much as the previous QB.

2. Chiefs (9-7)*

The dark horse of the division. The Chiefs scare me.  They had a ton of injuries last year, that most people forget how good they were in 2010.  Also, yes I picked two teams out of the AFC west to make the playoffs. This division is as good as it’s been in awhile.

3. Chargers (9-7)

Objectively: #FireNorv.   As a Broncos fan: #FourMoreYears!

4. Raiders (7-9)

I’m just thinking how badly Jason Campbell got screwed when he got injured and they brought in Carson Palmer, who was supposedly better according to the experts (or at least the people in charge of the Raiders) but is not.  And now he’s backing up Jay Cutler. And a quick google search tells me that I’m not the only one who thinks so.

NFC

East

1. Eagles (11-5)

The Dream Team/Dynasty was starting to look very strong in the last four games of the season, and I think a lot of people are forgetting how good they have the potential to be. 

2. Giants (9-7)

I have to admit, I did not see them losing on Wednesday and I know this isn’t really fair, but I had them right on the border as a wild card team and I think that could be enough to not make it.  But who knows, 9-7 sometimes wins divisions, amirite?

3. Cowboys (9-7)

The Cowboys’ opening game victory has them one step closer to glory.

4. Redskins (7-9)

Everyone’s hoping RGIII is the next Cam Newton, and he probably has to be to warrant giving away all those picks for him. That being said, Griffin is going to be a problem for the Ware’s, JPP’s, Tuck’s and Cole’s of the division.

North

1. Packers (12-4)

The Packers probably don’t care where they are in the playoffs just as long as they are in, seeing as they won a Super Bowl as the 6 seed, and went one and done last year losing just one game all season.  That being said, over more debate than probably needed, I took them first in the division, mostly because I trust Rodgers more than Stafford to stay healthy.

2. Lions (11-5)*

I think this team is going to be good for awhile, but they really need to get better defensively. The Packers/Patriots’ defenses aren’t good either, but they can still make plays and create turnovers. In order for the Lions to steal the division (which I think they can do) they need to assert themselves on defense.

3. Bears (8-8)

Cutler and Marshall back together again! Yay!

4. Vikings (5-11)

Did you know Adrian Peterson was born in Palestine?!? Well, Palestine, Texas, but still..thought any Jewish NFL fans would still like to hear.

South

1. Panthers (11-5)

Their defense was garbage last year, and gave away games making their record look worse than it should have been. This year I expect them to have better luck, and improve defensively. Oh, and get ready for Cam year 2.

2. Saints (9-7)

I cannot see how losing your coach for a year, then having two different interim coaches during the year can be good for Drew Brees and the Saints offense.  If they come anywhere close to putting up numbers from last year, I will be impressed.

3. Falcons (9-7)

I have them missing the playoffs, which is unfortunate because I wanted another video from this guy.

4. Buccaneers (7-9)

Should steal a few games from the other three teams in the division and probably will be one of the main reasons that only one team comes out of the division this year.

West

1. Seahawks (10-6)

Love what they did in the offseason and getting Russell Wilson in the draft.  If Marshawn Lynch can keep up his resurgent 2011, I feel pretty good about the Seahawks winning the west.

2. 49ers (10-6)*

I didn’t have them making the playoffs before Wednesday, but because I’m a great writer and didn’t get my preview out before the season actually started, I’m adjusting the standings accordingly.

3. Rams (5-11)

I’m not sure (and don’t feel like looking it up, but I think I may have picked them to win the division last year. Yikes.

4. Cardinals (4-12)

They did not look good at all this preseason. I feel bad for Larry Fitzgerald to be stuck in this mess, as Skelton and Kolb are just awful. They should probably just see if they can find any hidden talents. (Link possibly NSFW, came across it as I was writing and figured I’d share it.)

Oh I guess you want playoff picks, huh?

NFC Championship game: Packers over Eagles

AFC Championship game: Texans over Ravens

Super Bowl Champions: Texans

 

Week One picks:

Colts +10.5

Eagles -8.5

Lions -8.5

Patriots -6.5

Chiefs +0.5 (and to win)

Vikings -1.5

Saints -9.5

Bills +3.5

Texans -7.5

Packers -6.5

Seahawks +1.5 (and to win)

Panthers -2.5

Broncos -1.5

Ravens -6.5

Raiders +1.5 (and to win)

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Top Five Fantasy Football Picks

Grantland.com had a contest this past week about writing a fantasy football article to compete for a chance to write for them. And because I am a fantasy football master (here's where you snicker) I decided to enter.

The following is the article I wrote as an entry. The assignment was to write no more than 750 words on your top 5 fantasy players for the upcoming year, and one sleeper pick as well. Since the article would most likely have not seen the light of day otherwise, I decided to dust off the ol' Romote Control blog, and post it here.

 Enjoy

 =================================================

Mark Sanchez, Kevin Kolb, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder, and Brandon Jacobs.

Ok, now that I have your attention, I will now write about my top-five fantasy players of the 2012 season.

At number five on this list (that’s right I made it into a countdown for added suspense) is our only quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Now, before you say “wait, what about Brady?” “..Brees?” or (if someone in Detroit is reading this) “..Stafford?” And yes, the three of them had amazing 2011 seasons for sure. But Stafford is far from a guarantee to duplicate those numbers and has had injury problems in the past. Brees is missing his head coach for the whole season, not to mention defenses will soon recognize that they need to focus on shutting down Graham and Sproles in order to force Brees into poor decisions. And Brady? Well, he is as cool as they come..I don’t really have anything to steer you away from Mr. VMAN magazine. All three of those guys will probably have phenomenal years, but I’m taking Rodgers first. Here’s why: Of those four quarterbacks mentioned, only Rodgers has had a QB rating +100 in each of the past three seasons. He is the definition of consistency, and the safest bet among the elite fantasy QB’s.

My number four player is Maurice Jones-Drew, with the caveat that he actually plays this season and quits his holdout. MOJO is a supremely talented back and a tremendously versatile weapon. However, as he resides in Jacksonville, he is a weapon with little around him, sort of like Michael C. Hall on Dexter especially in the past two seasons. He also has carried quite the bulk of the load for the Jaguars the past few seasons, and while I do not expect it this upcoming season, he could be due for a breakdown in the near future (best guess is in 2014). Your first pick should be as worry-free as possible. MJD will likely have a great season. However, as far as the elite four running backs go, Jones-Drew is probably the one I worry about the most.

Number three on my list is a guy who looks a lot like MJD: Ray Rice. Rice was on my fantasy team this past season and carried me to a championship.  Rice led the NFL in all-purpose yards from scrimmage with 2,068. He essentially has no one to split carries with this season, since Ricky Williams retired a year after Willis McGahee left for Denver. (No word on which long-time AFC East running back the Ravens plan to spell Rice with this year, although I hear Laurence Maroney’s available.)  Look for Rice to have a very similar season to his ’11 campaign, with Flacco incorporating him often in the passing game.

Number two is LeSean McCoy.  McCoy is just 24 years old, and Mr. Everything in the Philly offense. Shady carried the rock 273 times last season and rushed for 1307 yards and 17 touchdowns, despite losing a good number of carries to his own quarterback.  With defenses beginning to figure out Michael Vick, look for McCoy to get an increased number of passes his way this year too, as no one loves a good screen pass more than Andy Reid.  

The top spot on this list belongs to Arian Foster of the Houston Texans. I cannot really explain what it is that makes Foster such a fantasy monster. Perhaps the best way to rationalize it is this: Last season, Foster missed four games, three to a hamstring injury in the beginning of the year and the fourth sitting out a meaningless Week 17 game. Without playing in a quarter of the season, he STILL finished as the fourth-best fantasy running back.  While he has the quite underrated Ben Tate backing him up, Foster is still the closest thing to a lock in fantasy football.  Foster also benefits fantasy-wise from a need to run the ball in order for his team to win (whereas the Eagles and Ravens can win games with Vick/Flacco, the passing game, and their defense). 

Finally, since I haven’t mentioned wide receivers this whole time, one sleeper for this season is Titus Young. Matthew Stafford has proven this past season that he can throw it to more people than just Megatron, as he developed nice rapports with both Young and Brandon Pettigrew in addition to Charles Johnson. Look for the second-year wideout from Boise State to have an even bigger year in 2012.

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HBO's Girls

 

“Girls” is a comedy series on HBO that started a couple weeks back.  Just about every famous funny person I follow on Twitter told me about it, and I saw that it was produced by Judd Apatow, and I’m not really at a shortage of free time right now, so I started watching it. 

Girls is written and directed (at least the first three episodes, others will direct later episodes) by Lena Dunham, a 25-year-old New Yorker, who caught Apatow’s attention at South by Southwest film festival.  Dunham also stars as the main character, Hannah, who is a writer and, in the pilot, cut off financially from her parents.  Allison Williams, daughter of NBC News host, Brian Williams, plays Hannah’s best friend, Marnie, who works as an art gallery assistant.  Jessa, played by Jemima Kirk, is her other friend who is both British and travels a lot.

After watching the first two episodes of Girls, I was not sold.  However, I did not hold that against it. (It took me a whole season to buy into “Breaking Bad”, which, in my opinion, is the best show currently on television.)  I enjoyed the many witty lines sprinkled in between the introduction of characters, but I was not sure if Girls was a legit show that was worth following, or just a guilty pleasure that I was unsure I like or hate but want to see what happens anyway.

My verdict has been made up after watching the third episode, “All Adventurous Women Do”.  The show is definitely worth watching. 

Maybe it is because it takes two episodes to fully understand the concept and relation of the characters, but I found this past episode to be the funniest and best one yet.  The dynamic that Hannah has with each of the other characters was in top form this episode, as her back-and-forth’s with Marnie’s boyfriend (only a matter of time before he's gone...my prediction), her detached lover, and her former boyfriend were genuine and hilarious. Subtleties like when she grabs the glass of wine as the conversation with the last of the three takes an unexpected turn are on point.  The type of verbal one-upmanship that we are used to seeing from Liz Lemon was nice to see from a character of our own generation.

The friendship aspect between Marnie and Hannah was well evident in this episode as well. Not to say that I could not tell they were friends in the first episode (they woke up spooning), but nothing says friendship better than when you’ve just found out you have HPV and your friend comes home and starts dancing with you spontaneously. I could not help but smile at this scene.

Two of my other favorite moments of this week’s show included Adam’s reaction to when Hannah asked him if he gave her HPV. The other one was when Hannah was talking to Shoshanna (Jessa’s cousin and new roommate) about how to tell her ex-boyfriend that she now has HPV.  While I found humor in the fact that the virgin is the expert on the etiquette of STD notification, even funnier was the line “Sorry I passed you the STD but I enjoy your quirky web presence.”

At times “Girls” makes me feel out of place, but definitely in a good way.  As a guy, I am used to relating to either the main character in ideologies or, more often, the nice funny best-friend who appears to not give a shit most of the time until he has his one focused episode when the viewer realizes deep down he has feelings too.  But in Girls, clearly that is not 100% the case.  (Of course, broke/making dumb decisions… I can relate to Hannah as far as tangible qualities are concerned.) 

I actually like how in Girls we see how male characters fall into prototypes through the eyes of girls.  Marnie’s boyfriend, the overly-nice guy, is portrayed so that the audience does not side with him; the contrast to the usual sympathetic “oh, look, the nice guy always finishes last..but his intentions are so good!” way of thinking.  This may be because he is shown as trying too hard in a way that’s almost creepy, even though they have supposedly been together for three years or so.  Perhaps this character is a portrayal of how sometimes girls view the “nice guy” and how it can be a justifiable turn-off. (And also, screw their whole relationship, because there is no way the hottest chick on the show is putting up with that dude for three years. This aspect of the show perplexes me.)  Then there is Adam, who, in this most current episode, is interrupted from his bench presses by Hannah, explains to her that he eats “for fuel” and gives her the brush-off in the form of aerial bicycle kicks.  I think you can see the character traits portrayed by him.  Finally, I like the idea of Jorma Taccone’s character being “a man, and knowing how to do things”, but I found it missed the mark a little bit just because Allison Williams is like three inches taller than him.  You want a man who knows how to do things, find a tall guy for the role (signed, a tall guy).

My biggest gripe about the show is that I only seem to care about the supporting characters when they are interacting with Hannah.  To a lesser degree, Marnie and her boyfriend are somewhat entertaining, but the show seems to shine by leaps and bounds when it focuses around Hannah.  It’s possible that as the show continues I will care more about characters like Shoshanna and Jessa, but as for now they are only interesting when they are in scenes with Hannah. 

The show is on a half hour after Game of Thrones, Sundays on HBO.  Or watch it on-demand like I usually do.

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Hockey Preview 2012!

Ah, playoff hockey.  The games just become 100 times as intense for some reason.  This is possibly because the stakes are higher, or because I watch about 20 hockey games a year during the regular season.  But have no fear; there is still reason to read my predictions.  (also, check out the sick semicolon usage in the previous sentence…only top-notch sports writers such as yours truly can pull that off) 

The reason is that last year I picked the Bruins in the Stanley Cup Finals.  True, I picked them to lose to a team that got swept in the Western Conference Finals, but still, a bold pick nonetheless.  So coming off what I view as a successful prediction field last year (only got 1 series wrong in the first round last year, too), I believe I will only shine brighter this year as I have legitimately followed hockey this year, unlike in years past where I would just read the occasional recap on ESPN. So anyway, here goes:

EASTERN CONF.

Round 1.

NY Rangers vs. Ottawa Senators – 

 In 6

 

Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals – 

In 6

Florida Panthers vs. New Jersey Devils – 

In 5

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers –

In 7

WESTERN CONF.

Vancouver Canucks vs. LA Kings

 In 6

St. Louis Blues vs. San Jose Sharks

 In 5

Phoenix Coyotes vs. Chicago Blackhawks

In 7

 

Nashville Predators vs. Detroit Red Wings 

In 6

Next Round:

Eastern Conf.

NEW YORK RANGERS vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

In 7




BOSTON BRUINS vs. PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

In 6





Western Conf.


ST LOUIS BLUES vs. LA KINGS

In 5




PHOENIX COYOTES vs. DETROIT RED WINGS

In 6




Eastern Conf Finals:

BOSTON BRUINS vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

In 7

Western Conf. Finals

ST LOUIS BLUES vs. DETROIT RED WINGS

In 6

Finals Predictions:

ST LOUIS BLUES vs. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

IN 6 

So there you have it.  Blues over Devils in 6 is my NHL playoffs prediction.  Did I just make it so I could use Blues Clues .gif's? You decide.

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MLB Preview 2012

American League

AL East

New York Yankees –

In the blink of an eye fixed their rotation issues and appear to have no holes as they enter 2012 as the class of the American League.  Their division, as usual, is stacked, but with the addition of the second wild card, they should be safe in case they have a down year or rewarded when they more likely win the division.

Predicted win total: 94

Tampa Bay Rays –

Provided us with a tremendous end to the 2011 regular season.  Their rotation should be able to keep them in the race all year without having to frantically come back in the final weeks this year.

Predicted win total: 92

Boston Red Sox –

New manager, new GM, new closer.  I expect the Sawks offense to be more consistent this year, with no poor start or the well-documented poor finish.

Predicted win total: 90

Toronto Blue Jays –

Their success depends on their pitching, because the offense will be there.  I would not be surprised if they crack the top three this year.

Predicted win total: 85

Baltimore Orioles –

Going out on a limb: they will finish a distant last.

Predicted win total: 73

AL Central

Detroit Tigers –

I predict that the power from their corner infielders will more than make up for their lack of mobility.

PWT: 92

Kansas City Royals –

The rest of the division is such a crapshoot, so I’ll take the team with the most upside second. 

PWT: 84

Minnesota Twins –

Maybe this will be the year Mauer and Morneau stay healthy?

PWT: 80

Cleveland Indians –

I don’t really see why some experts are picking them to compete this year…

PWT: 77

Chicago White Sox –

Are they rebuilding or aren’t they? Mid-season I believe they choose the former, and then fall apart.

PWT: 75

AL West

Texas Rangers –

Third time the charm? Could be. Could very well be.

PWT: 95

Los Angeles Angels –

All of the sudden the AL West became just as intriguing as the AL East.  Well, at least the top of it did.

PWT: 90

Seattle Mariners –

They already had an offensive explosion (for them) in the opening game in Japan when they scored 3 runs, so maybe they can build on that.

PWT: 79

Oakland A’s –

Prediction: No cinematic story this year.

PWT: 77

National League

NL East

Philadelphia Phillies –

Charlie Manuel is going to have to have his best managerial season if the Phils want to finish first in the division this year.  The lineup is already with holes, but thankfully the rotation is tops in the division.

PWT: 91

Atlanta Braves –

Thanks to the Sawks, nobody really remembers how epic the Braves’ collapse was. I expect Heyward to have a bounce-back year, and a full year of Bourn should help too.

PWT: 88

Washington Nationals –

Not sure when they plan on bringing up Bryce Harper, which is probably why they are third on my list and not second.

PWT: 87

Miami Marlins –

They need Josh Johnson to be back to 100% if they want to compete.  Also, the left side of the infield is liable to go through stretches when they just don’t feel like playing.

PWT: 87

New York Mets –

They're moving the walls in closer at Citi Field which is a shame because the seats in the outfield were so far away you almost were not forced to watch the Mets.

PWT: 75

NL Central

Cincinnati Reds –

This is going to be a tight division race too.  I’m going to give the edge to the team that did not lose their star first baseman to the American League.

PWT: 87

St. Louis Cardinals –

They don’t have Carpenter to start the year, but they gain Wainwright, who if healthy, is probably better than Carpenter anyway.

PWT: 86

Milwaukee Brewers –

Rotation looks good, but if Braun’s numbers mysteriously drop this year, I’m not sure where the pop is going to come in the lineup, unless Aramis Ramirez has an unforeseen Renaissance.

PWT: 86

Chicago Cubs –

Every year I toy with the idea of picking the Cubs higher than usual. Then I remember they are the Cubs.

PWT: 77

Pittsburgh Pirates –

They played great in the first half of 2011. Then the second half happened.

PWT: 73

Houston Astros –

I don’t even know who they have left to give the Phillies midway through the season this year.

PWT: 65

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks –

Last year I called them to be my sleeper team in NL, but when it came time to put them somewhere I still put them fourth.  This year, I will have more cahones. 

PWT: 91

Colorado Rockies –

I would be really surprised if they have 73 wins like last year.  I’m feeling a bounce-back year.

PWT: 85

San Francisco Giants –

Where, exactly, is the hitting going to come from? I’ve been asking this for 5 years now.  Granted, one year it actually came from unlikely sources, so what the hell, right? Still Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner is quite a top three. UPDATE: As I type this, they just signed Cain to long-term contract for Barry Zito money.

PWT: 84

Los Angeles Dodgers –

Kemp and Kershaw can only take a team so far… Eithier needs to play as well as he has this spring all year.

PWT: 80

San Diego Padres –

Some nice prospects, but 2012 is a lost cause, unless Carlos Quentin can outdo that one awesome year he had.

PWT: 75

Playoff teams:

1.       Rangers

2.       Yankees

3.       Tigers

4.       WC = Rays

5.       WC = Red Sox

1.       Diamondbacks

2.       Phillies

3.       Reds

4.       WC = Braves

5.       WC = Nationals

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Super Bowl Preview + PROPS contest

I’m 7-3 this postseason with my picks (5-5 non-spread, but who gives a crap about that!).  Whether I get Sunday’s game right or wrong, this will be my best postseason ever.  So I’m either going to pick the Patriots or the Giants, I’ll either be right or wrong, and then we will have no football for another seven months.  Do you know how long that is!?!  Screw this.  We have to milk this game for all it’s worth.  I can’t just pick the game with a few paragraphs of analysis, ignore my second guessing that says to go with the other team, and add a few jokes like I always do. 

Thankfully there are Super Bowl props!

Now most of the ones that you see floating around are just boring, standard, and frankly, hard to predict.  Like, “Will Tom Brady throw for more than 300 yards?”… who knows.  Or, “who will win the coin toss?”  … true story, I actually won 3 dollars from the coin toss my junior year in college because right before the coin toss I said the Saints would win the toss, it would be heads, and they would receive...and bet a dollar on each.  All three came true. Thanks, Klein.

Well because I don’t want the NFL season to end, I came up with a list of not so ordinary prop bets.  Also, if you like, you can play along with me.  Just make your picks below in the comment section and whoever has the most right will get a shoutout tweet, bragging rights, and some other prize that I can’t think of yet.  Maybe if I become famous one day I’ll send you a t-shirt.  Maybe.  Just make sure your answers line up with the number of the corresponding question.

HERE WE GO!

1.  Who will catch a pass first? 
A. Rob Gronkowski
B. Aaron Hernandez

2.  Will Victor Cruz do the salsa dance?
A. Yes
B. No

3.  How many field goals will be MADE in the game by either team?
A. None or 1
B. 2-3
C. 4-5
D. 6 or more

4.  Number of times Al Michaels/Cris Collingsworth will mention COOPER MANNING?
A. None
B. 1 or more

5.  Will Madonna play “Like a Prayer” during the halftime show?
A. Yes
B. No

6.  Which total will be greater?
A. Number of Wes Welker receptions + Number of Eli Manning touchdown passes
B. Number of points Lawrence Tynes will score

7.  What will be the first score that the GIANTS get?
A. Touchdown
B. Field Goal or Safety

8.  The person who scores the first touchdown of the game for either team will be wearing…
A. an even-numbered jersey.
B. an odd-numbered jersey.

9.  At any time throughout the game, will Al Michaels say the words “Tim Tebow”?
A. Yes
B. No

10.  What will be the first ACCEPTED penalty of the game?
A. Holding
B. False Start
C. Any Other Penalty

11. Which of the following will happen during the game?
A. Eli Manning will take a knee
B. Tom Brady will take a knee
C. Neither QB or Both QB’s will take a knee

12.  Which total will be greater?
A. Receptions by Patriots’ tight ends
B. Receptions by Giants’ wide receivers

13.  Will Eli Manning throw an interception?
A. Yes
B. No

14.  After the ball has been kicked off, which will happen first?
A. Bud Lite commercial
B. Miller Lite commercial
C. Coors Lite commercial

15. Who will be the Super Bowl MVP?
A. Eli Manning or Tom Brady
B. Any Other Player

16.  Which will happen during the game?
A. Tom Coughlin will throw his red flag first
B. Bill Belichick will throw his red flag first
C. Neither coach will throw a red flag the entire game

17.  Which total will be greater?
A. Patriots’ rushing total
B. Giants’ rushing total

18.  Which total will be greater?
A. The total number of points in the game
B. The length of the longest MADE field goal in the game

19.  Will ANY of the following happen during the game?
1. A fan will run onto the field
2. Someone will be carted off the field
3. The game will go into overtime
4. Chad Ochocinco will catch a touchdown

A. Yes
B. No

20.  Will Kelly Clarkson’s belly button be visible during the National Anthem?
A. Yes
B. No

TIEBREAKER: How many points will be scored in the THIRD QUARTER?

(My answers are in the comment section below.  That is where to post yours as well.)

Okay, now to the actual game:

Giants (+2.5) over Patriots.

I was pretty confident in this pick around Sunday.  Now I’m starting to worry about it.  Here is my thought process:

There is not too much different from the matchup between the Giants/Patriots one in the Super Bowl and the Giants/Packers one we saw a few weeks ago.  And that game was completely dominated by the Giants.  Granted, they were aided by a few uncharacteristically dropped passes by the Green Bay receivers, but for the most part, the Giants had an answer for everything the Packers were doing. 

But here is why the Patriots are slightly different than the Packers (Other than the fact that the Packers played the Giants outdoors in the cold, which could POSSIBLY explain the drops. Lucas Oil Stadium is of course indoors).  The Patriots two best receivers can line up (and usually do) on the line in the box.  They can pass block on occasion, or cut block then look for a pass.  This type of formation/technique is a favorite of mine, and works effectively both in the NFL and when I play noobs in Madden. 

The Giants should have a field day in the passing game.  I can’t stress to you how bad the Patriots secondary is.  You can get away with it when your pass rush steps up late in the season, or when you’re facing Tim Tebow in the playoffs who struggles to complete passes when there’s no defense, but now you’re facing the wrath of Eli.  Plus I’m pretty sure Cruz, Nicks, or Manningham will find a way to get open against Julian Edelman. 

If the Patriots do give Brady time, expect Wes Welker to have a big game.   I love the Welker vs. the Giants’ secondary matchup for New England, especially when Deon Grant will be focused on Gronk most of the game. 

Also, I wonder if the two-week break between games is going to ruin the momentum that the Giants have accumulated. 

I’m just going to make my pick before I overthink it 20 more times.  I’m going with:

GIANTS: 32, Patriots: 27.

Postseason:

Spread: 7-3

Non-Spread: 5-5

Championship Weekend:

Spread: 2-0

Non-Spread: 0-2

Good luck to everyone who posts their SB Prop picks below.  Just the letter for each answer will suffice. I will buy the winner a drink next time I see them.

(Post your picks below. Really. What have you got to lose?)

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