Comparions of NFL teams to pop culture figures

Teams seem to each take on a personality. They sometimes seem to take on the personality of a celebrity. Lets take a look as some of them.

AFC East
*New England Patriots: Brad Pitt
Continues to excel. Loved by the media on all ends. Constantly in the spot light. Has its downs but always comes back strong.
*New York Jets: Jessica Biel
Have plenty of redeeming qualities and a great asset, but never seem to be able to put it all together.
*Miami Dolphins: Madonna
They were very popular and successful in the past. Recently have not had nearly the success. Had a few down years. Now use unusual means to remain relevant and competitive.
*Buffalo Bills: Mario Lopez
Highly popular, loved and adored in the early 90’s. Since has been mediocre taking whatever they can to get by and remain in the limelight.

AFC North
*Pittsburgh Steelers: Robert De Niro
A usually hard-nosed persona has lightened up recently and adapted to the changing world. Still performing at a top level.
*Baltimore Ravens: Mark Wahlberg
A tough in-your-face personality. Has an off year every once and a while, but perennially strong.
*Cincinnati Bengals: Nick Nolte
Has fallen on hard times recently. Shows signs of resurrection but you can feel another collapse coming if they don't stay focues
*Cleveland Browns: Rosie O’Donnell
Just plain ugly. Never has been good and is getting worse.

AFC South
*Indianapolis Colts: Will Smith
Has been a picture of success for the last decade. Year in and year out, they create winner after winner. Don’t have many weaknesses and will continue to succeed in the future.
*Tennessee Titans: Colin Ferrell
Manages to fool everyone into thinking they are good by having a solid performance every once and a while. Completely awful at points and show their true colors.
*Houston Texans: Jessica Alba
Everyone always has big hopes for them, but they usually just end up being average.
*Jacksonville Jaguars: Sarah Michelle Gellar
Has had a few good things here and there. Never spectacular. Has also had a few bad things too.

AFC West
*Denver Broncos: Justin Timberlake
Young, popular and successful. Got dumped by an ex, to only move on to another and succeed. Seem to lack many weaknesses and should be successful for years to come.
*San Diego Chargers: Charlize Theron
Always looks good. Consistent year in and year out but never can stand above the rest. Will need to make some drastic changes and go ugly to win the big one.
*Oakland Raiders: Michael Douglas
Historically great in the past. Things seem to be getting worse year after year. Looks like they are almost dead at this point.
*Kansas City Chiefs: Lindsay Lohan
Has been up and down for years, now is just plain terrible. Has long road ahead to recovery.

NFC East
*New York Giants: Barack Obama
Vastly supported yet very polarizing. As many people hate him as well as love him. Recently lost some support due to poor performances, but still as solid as ever.
*Philadelphia Eagles: Bruce Willis
Have been tough and consistently solid for the past 20 years or so. Still great today.
*Dallas Cowboys: Jennifer Love Hewitt
Loved by some, hated by others. Continues to be popular over the last 15-20 years. A lot on the surface, but yet to do anything of significance. Not much beyond outer shell and media hype.
*Washington Redskins: Paris Hilton
Lots of money. No real amount of talent but continues to be in the public eye and is always in the news.

NFC North
*Minnesota Vikings: Charlie Sheen
Have faced legal trouble in the past. Are doing great as of now.
*Green Bay Packers: Jennifer Aniston
Team everyone loves to love. Everyone is pulling for them since the biggest thing to happen to them left them for another.
*Chicago Bears: Bill Murray
Was awesome in the 80’s. Haven’t done much recently except 1 good year.
*Detroit Lions: Hugh Grant
Will always be associated with 1 particular VERY embarrassing thing from their past, not matter how much success they may have in the future.

NFC South
*New Orleans Saints: Shia LeBeouf
Recently became popular. Seems to be unstoppable at this point. Puts big numbers on the board every time out.
*Atlanta Falcons: Megan Fox
Jumped onto the scene as the new hot thing. All over the media. Still yet to prove they are for real and will be successful for a while.
*Carolina Panthers: Jennifer Lopez
Have been successful since entering the scene in the 90’s. Recently been publicly scrutinized for decision making.
*Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tobey Maguire
Other then a short time frame in the 2000’s, they never really have been good.

NFC West
*Arizona Cardinals: John Travolta
After years of poor performance, shocked the world with an impressive improvement when taking advantage of a little good luck.
*San Francisco 49ers: Robert Downey Jr.
Was great in the 90’s. Had a very public falling out and years of hardship. Has drastically changed themselves as they push towards the top again.
*Seattle Seahawks: Keanu Reeves
One minute can put up something great. They next be absolutely terrible.
*St. Louis Rams: Pamela Anderson
Couldn't be stopped a few years ago. Now they are terrible and really only have 1 thing worth looking at.

Weekly Predictions: Week 10

ESPN is making a case that "there already is a playoff system in college football, because every week has must win games." Although I disagree, they do have a valid point. There are games every week that work out like a playoff game. But did you want to see Iowa's National Title hopes go down the tubes to Northwestern, or would you rather have seen them play a top 10 team???

Every week SI.com does a top 16 tournament bracket. I reccomend a 12 team bracket with the top 4 teams getting first round byes (just like the NFL). Imagine the intensity of Selection Sunday, held the day after the conference championship games. It would be just like college hoops. It could still be done by committee, and they could get rid of the BCS rankings system.

Anyways, lets take a look at the "playoff" games for this weekend.

NCAA
#25 West Virginia @ #5 Cincinnati (-9)
Notre Dame @ #12 Pittsburgh (-6.5)
Another big weekend in the Big East. The top 3 teams in the Big East (Cincy, WVU, Pitt) all play each other between now and Dec. 5th. It will come down to which defense will show in Cincinnati.... The one that shut down South Florida in Tampa, or the one that gave up 42 points and tons of yards to UCONN?
picks: Cincy 30-24; Pitt 27-13

#16 Utah @ #4 TCU (-19.5)
The biggest game in TCU in a looooooong time. They have a dominant defense, strong running game and an decent QB. Utah only has 1 loss this year, in Eugene to Oregon, so they are no slouch.
pick: TCU 20-10

#10 Iowa @ #11 Ohio State (-17)
Will Terrelle Pryor be able to get by the Hawkeye defense? How will a red-shirt freshman do on the road in Columbus? This game will come down to turnovers and big plays on special teams.
pick: OSU 20-13

My Heisman pick for this week
Case Keenum - QB Houston
Last week: 40/60, 522 yrds, 3 TDs
Season: 325/458, 3815 yds, 28 TDs, 5 INT

Keenum had another 500+ yards passing last week in a last second win over Tulsa. Traling 45-37 with :21 left in the game, Keenum threw a 1 yd TD pass. They failed the 2 point conversion. After recovering the onsider, Keenum completed 2 passes to move within long field goal range. Freshman kicker Matt Hogan nailed a 51-yarder to win 46-45.
Pat Forde from ESPN has stated that people need to "get on the Case" for Keenum for Heisman. All which I have been saying for the last 6 weeks.

Bowl Projections
This is not exactly how I think they will end up, this is how I think they should end up.
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar: Florida vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. USC
Rose: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Champ: Alabama vs. Texas

NFL
Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh (-7)
Just a year ago, this game would have been looked at as a joke. This year, it is to be in the driver seat in the AFC North. 2 physical, talented teams that can beat you with the run or the pass. 2 good defenses that are both trying to pull the "disrecpected card" on the season. The Bengals have beaten the Ravens twice, proving they are for real. Pittsburgh has won 5 straight games and destroyed Denver in the second half Monday night. Both teams are fighting injuries on defense.
pick: Pit 23-17

Philadelphia @ San Diego (-3)
Both teams aer 5-3. Both have beaten the New York Giants. Both are loaded with talent and have shit-for-brains head coaches. This game will come down to poor clock management, and Andy Reid seems to have that down to a science.
pick: SD 27-23

Dallas @ Green Bay (+3)
How many sacks will DeMarcus Ware have this game... 6? 9? Green Bay gave up 4 sacks to Tampa, who is absolutely terrible. I am a huge Aaron Rogers supporter, but he holds the ball waaaaaay too long (kinda like Roethlisberger used to do).
pick: Dallas 31-17

New England @ Indianapolis (-3)
The great debate continues. Brady vs. Manning. Which is the better QB. Manning has 3 MVPs, 1 ring and a Super Bowl MVP. Brady has 1 MVP, 3 rings and 2 Super Bowl MVPs. Look for this to not stand up to the hype. Peyton will keep Indy in this game, but injury holes in their secondary will eventually be the end of them.
pick: NE 34-24

Hot Chick of the week:
Gisele Bundchen

Since her hubby is playing in the biggest NFL game of the weekend, we will show her being hot.

NFL Mid-Season Report

Lets take a look as some of the predictions I made on August 4th for the 2009 NFL Season.

Team most likely to have a major drop off from last year:
My picks: Dolphins, Cardinals, Panthers, Broncos
Resutls: Somewhat correct
Dolphins and Panthers are both at 3-5, and will most likely miss the playoffs.
Cards are 5-3, Broncos 6-2. Both teams lead their division. Cards are a week to week project, Broncos seem to be slipping the last 2 weeks.

Player most likely to have a down year:
My Picks: Jay Cutler - QB Bears; Anquan Boldin - WR Cardinals
Result: Pretty close.
Cutler is sitting at 4-4 and watching his old team excel at 6-2. He is having a statistical drop off and will probably miss the playoffs.
Boldin is on pace for less catches, but the big difference: 2008 season - 11 TDs 2009 Season 1TD

Player most likely to have a return to All Pro:
My picks: Larry Johnson - RB Chiefs; Joseph Addai - RB Colts
Results: Major strike out
Addai is the lead running back on the 4th worst rushing attack in the NFL.
Johnson is a complete disaster. After gay-bashing reporters and whining about his coach, he has been released and may not end up on another team this year.
(side note: he still have potential to get picked up by a good team and have a good last 8 weeks)

Team most likely to shock the NFL:
My picks: San Francisco 49ers; New Orleans Saints
Result: Jackpot
49ers started 3-1 but have lost 4 straight. They have an easy schedule so should finish around .500
Saints are 8-0. Enough said.

Break-out Player of the Year:
My picks: Leon Washington - RB Jets; Jonathan Vilma - LB Saints
Result: Not quite there

Washington was having a good year until he broke his ankle last week and is out for the year.
Vilma is a major contributor on a majorly turned around team. He is on pace for over 100 tackles and is a factor in the run-game. Not a lot of big plays out of him yet.

Pro Bowl selections:
I will review the Pro Bowl players at the end of the year. To early to tell.

5 Bold Predctions for the 2nd half:
1) Neither the Saints or Colts will finish 16-0. (ok that one is not that bold)
- The Saints have the easier schedule remaining but still play at Carolina, at Atlanta and have New England and Dallas at home.
- The Colts have no running game and are pretty hurt in the secondary. They will probably loose this weekend when they host New England. They also still have at Houston, at Baltimore, and Dever and the Jets at home.

2) Chris Johnson will break the rushing record this year (2,105 yards)
- Here is their schedule for the remainder of the season: (look at the bad defenses)
Buffalo, @ Houston, Arizona, @ Indy, St. Louis, Miami, San Diego, @ Seattle
He already has 959 yards and Houston and Indy are the only teams remaining really playing good defense.

3) The New York Giants will finish 8-8
- They are falling apart. They have an injured QB and a depleted secondary. But, most importantly, their bread and butter; running the ball and pressuring the QB with a 4-man rush; is not working... at all. Their schedule is not set up for help either:
Atlanta, @ Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, @ Washington, Carolina, @ Minnesota
The will have to win 4 of those to finish with 9 wins. Its gonna be tough.

4) The Houston Texans will make the playoffs
- PLAYOFFS!!! That's right. Their last 2 difficult games (Indy, NE) are both at home. If they can learn to hold onto the ball, they can finish the year with 10 or 11 wins. They now have 2 good running backs, a solid defense, and the best WR in football with a pretty good QB throwing to him.

5) 7 teams will finish 4-12 or worse
Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay, St. Louis, Cleveland, Oakland & Kansas City
Looking at their upcoming schedules, there is no way I see anyone one of these teams getting enough wins to get beyond this except MAYBE Washington.

Final Predictions:
AFC
1. Indianapolis: 14-2 **
2. New England: 13-3
3. Cincinnati: 12-4
4. Denver: 11-5
5. Pittsburgh: 12-4 *
6. Houston 10-6 *

** Conference Champ
* Wildcard

(Pittsburgh and Cincinnati split the season series. Cincy wins tie-breaker with a better division record.)

NFC
1. New Orleans: 15-1 **
2. Minnesota: 13-3
3. Philadelphia: 11-5
4. Arizona: 11-5
5. Dallas: 11-5

6. Atlanta: 10-6

** Conference Champ
* Wildcard

(Philadelphia and Dallas split season series. Philly wins tie-breaker wtih better divisional record)

I will make playoff and Super Bowl picks at the end of the season.

Weekly Predictions: Week 9

I have decided against picking all the games for a while. We will just do the important games with some analysis.

NCAA
Uconn @ Cincinnati (-16.5)
Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (-21.5)
Louisville @ WVU (-20)
3 games of much lesser opponents. All of the remaining possible Big East champs play weak teams at home. If any of them should slip, it opens the gates for the other 2 to get into a BCS Bowl.
picks: Cincy 31-10; Pitt 27-13; WVU 45-17

LSU @ Alabama (-7.5)
This is going to be another defense struggle for both these teams. Neither has been overly effective this season on offense. Look for a low scoring rumble between these 2.
pick: Alabama 14-10

Ohio State @ Penn State (-3.5)
This outcome of this game will seal the fate of the other within the Big 10. If OSU pulls off the upset, PSU goes to 2 losses in the Big-10 and has no chance of winning it. If Penn State wins, the Buckeyes pick up their second loss on the season and still have Iowa to play. These teams are evenly matched, except at QB. Daryll Clark is what Terrelle Pryor needs to be in 2 years.
pick: Penn State 20-14

Oregon @ Stanford (+6.5)
Oregon could have a major let down a week after wiping the field with USC last Saturday in Eugene. Despite being a push over for the last 15 years, Stanford can be dangerous at home (google USC @ Stanford: 2007)
pick: Oregon 33-20

My Heisman pick for this week:
Case Keenum - QB Houston
Last Week: 44-54, 559 yds, 5TDs

Season: 71% comp, 3293 yds, 25 Tds

Keenum leads the nation in both passing yds and passing touchdowns. He has a huge test this week at Tulsa. If he can pull out a win, his name will move toward the top of other Heisman Boards


BSC Bowl Projections:
This is not exactly how I think they will end up, this is how I think they should end up.
Orange: Georgia Tech vs. Penn State
Sugar: Alabama vs. TCU
Fiesta: Boise St. vs. Cincinnati
Rose: Oregon vs. Iowa
Champ: Florida vs. Texas


NFL
Baltimore @ Cincinatti (+3)
Vegas put the line at Baltimore giving points for a reason. They are coming back healthy after a bye week and whooping up on 6-0 at the time Denver. This is the kind of game that Baltimore wins and Cincy looses.
pick: Baltimore 24-20

Houston @ Indianapolis (-9)
ESPN has been saying "this is the biggest game in Texans history!" I will agree under 1 circumstance, they win. If they do, Houston will be 3 games over .500 (6-3) ever. Within 1.5 games of the division and at the forefront of the wild-card race. Can they slow down Peyton. (Bonus fun fact: Houston leads the NFL in defensive 3 and outs)
pick: Indy 24-22

Miami @ New England (-10.5)
The Wildcat is dwindling and exposing holes in the Miami defense. They only gained 104 yrds out of the "cat" last week against NY. Brady will expose a porous Dolphins D, control the clock with long drives and run away with this game.
pick: NE 27-17

San Diego @ NY Giants (-4.5)
2 surprisingly struggling teams this year face off in chilly New Jersey. As I have stated before, this was my projection for the Super Bowl... (whoops!) Now each is fighting for their playoff lives. Weather could be a huge factor in this game.
pick: NY 20-17

Dallas @ Philadelphia (-3)
5-2 vs. 5-2. The Cowboys have crept back into the NFC East with a favorable schedule. (at KC, Atl, Sea) The Eagles blew a game in Oakland and should be 6-1 right now, with their lone loss to undefeated New Orleans. Just like Cincy-Balt, this is the kind of game that Philly wins and Dallas looses.
pick: Philly 34-27

Pittsburgh @ Denver (+3)
Huge game jockeying for position in the AFC. Denver got destroyed by Baltimore last week. They still have Philadelphia, SD, NY Giants and Indianapolis left on their schedule. They need this game more than they think.
Pick: Pittsburgh 16-13

Hot Chick of the Week:
Kate Hudson

Her boyfriend finally broke his playoff drought and got himself a World Series Ring last night. We will celebrate by showing her.

Weekend Review: Week 8

Really bad weekend for picks. Really bad.

NCAA
spread: 9-12
season: 62-64-1

5 notes from the weekend
1) The ending of the Houston-Southern Miss game was insane. With the game tied at 43 and Houston driving with :21 to go, Southern Miss showed blitz and jumped offside. The cornerback stopped because he thought the play was over. Keenum throws a perfect strike to a wide open receiver. Houston wins 50-43 (fun fact: there were over 1,300 yards of offense in this game)
2) Virginia Tech decided to lay an egg and blow any chance at a BCS bowl by loosing to a bad UNC team.
3) Iowa has the feel of a “we refuse to loose” to them. They had 3 touchdowns of over 80 yards, scored 28 points in the 4th quarter, and went from possibly getting upset at home by Indiana to winning by 18.
4) Tebow looked like Tebow as Florida rolled Georgia in Jacksonville. That game was over 10 minutes into it.
5) Is all the love I have given to Tony Pike too much? It is just the system that Cincinnati has installed and all the credit goes to coach Kelly??

NFL
spread: 3-10
seasson: 58-57-1
picks: 7-6
season: 77-39

5 notes from the weekend
1) I am not good at picking games against the spread this week.
2) The Jets defense only allowed 164 yards and 9 points to Miami. The Dolphins had 2 kick return TDs and 1 defense TD to win.
3) Kurt Warner threw 5 INTs and lost a fumble. Glad to have you back big guy.
4) The Titans and Jaguars combined to rush for 522 yards on Sunday.
5) The Saints are a really good running team, with an awesome passing game.