Day: September 11, 2013

Week 1 is in the books and my fantasy team has its first win. I survived Manning’s historic night by starting 3 Eagles players at the ‘skill’ positions. Each earned me 16+ points. I ended up with a 9 point win in what will soon prove to be the start of a solid season; more solid than my picks this week. I went 11-5, landing me in a tie for 4th with Jaworski, Shlereth, and Shecter in the ESPN arena. The fan-created pick-em went 12-4, placing the world tied for 2nd above me. It ends here.

NE over NYJ
I’m going to bet against the Jets all year in hopes of being wrong every time. This time I don’t think they have the run game or depth to deal with a very fast and pass happy Brady bunch who, even without a recognizable TE, will dictate the pace of the game.

STL over Atlanta
Atlanta starts out 0-2 and STL looks like AZ did early last year. Fact: STL was really strong in their own division last year and they look to have taken the leap since then.

BUF over Carolina
Again the absence of a run game is a problem for the loosing team. CAR is a team that can put up a lot of points but do so slowly and must do so in a way that controls the pace of the game and dictates to the offense. You cannot take what BUF gives you. What they give you are sacks.

MIN over CHI
Peterson is the man. After watching Shady run wild on Monday, Peterson is certainly looking to add to his total. He will. CHI will feel his wrath.

WSH over GB
GB doesn’t have the backfield weapons Philly deployed. You’ll see an angry defense that gets to the QB and causes turnovers.

IND over MIA

KC over DAL
6 turnovers and its still a game in the final minute? Sorry, DAL, you are the weakest link in the NFC East. Goodbye, winning record.

PHI over SD
I want to start Rivers here, because they’ll be playing catch up and Kelly will not be letting up off the gas. I just don’t know if I am willing to bench Vick or Stafford.

BAL over CLE

HOU over TEN

AZ over DET
There will be a lot of hitting in this game and it will cost DET the win.

TB over NO
The run game will come to life in week two, allowing them to play more ball control offense and giving the QB a chance to work play-action where he is most effective.

OAK over JAC
No starting QB? No hope.

NYG over DEN
This Manning bowl goes to the NY Manning, because to score that many TDs two weeks in a row seems unrealistic. Also, to fumble and turn the ball over that many times two weeks in a row seems unrealistic. Fewer turnovers means a Giant win.

SF over SEA
Boldin gets the #1 receiver treatment this week and Colin K realizes that he needs to target his TE a lot more. The end result? CK with the win and RW without an eyebrow.

CIN over PIT
Chalk this up to your center going on IR, a top LB gone, and a backfield in flux. Big Ben is almost checked out of the offense to the point where I see this team trading him for Rivers in the offseason. Stranger things have happened…

 

Some Thoughts:

1. I feel like my comments on the OSU scandal downplayed the importance of exposing the crime. The article leans in the direction my comments did. Several times they justify the paying of players by showing how much the players need the money and how the money was used. This is true. As an athlete I wasn’t allowed to have a job during the season. It got tight. I had an academic scholarship, which covered a lot, but I needed cash for a social life (or the illusion thereof). Did I cheat and work? Hell yes. I had to. Did that duality eventually break my dream of college ball? Yep. Can’t be everything to everyone, so having a steady payment plan allows you to be the one thing you need to be in order to be successful in athletics: a hard studying gym rat.

I often find myself wondering why some shows are successful in spite of spotty numbers and others fall flat. I think one way is a willingness to sell out. One of the main summer shows I watch is Rizzoli & Isles, a crime drama based on the Tess Gerritsen books. The show is a very fun buddy flick that spends as much time on fashion and friendship as it does on murder. It also spends a great deal of time promoting products. I’m not talking about commercials.

I’m talking about product placement.

Google Rizzoli and Isles and among the links list directing you to TNT, you’ll find a link to Scholls. They are a sponsor of the show and you’ll see their products (along with many others) floating through many of the shows most poignant scenes. This isn’t a new practice, but devoting dialogue and sometimes even complete scenes to a product is pretty new. It is a way to make money that is without a doubt selling out, but is it wrong?

Some Thoughts:

1. Tonight’s post is a palindromic number–not the first i’ve ever had, btw, but it is only the 3rd since I broke 1000. Silly nerd stuff.
2. I am coming around to understand a woman’s sometime insatiable need for handbags.
3. The Oklahoma State scandal is nothing we haven’t heard, fictionalized, and rationalized before. The sex makes it salacious, but the money is what is most familiar and common about the tale. We know players get paid at the college level. We know grades are fixed, we even know that sex is handed out like helmet stickers. We just don’t want to change our sport bad enough to make it stop. Case and point: Ohio State was in the penalty last year for numerous ‘supposed’ violations.  This year, they are being cheered as potential national champions. Nobody cares about the rules. They care about the wins.