Predictable results, new game

Last Week: 3-0
Season: 6-3


PREDICTION: LSU -3.5 over Miss. St.  RESULT: LSU 19 Miss St 6
This was a close game, but a 10-point fourth quarter by the Tigers put the game away.

PREDICTION: E. Mich + 28.5 against Mich.  RESULT: E. Mich 3 Mich 31
Thankfully the Wolverines final drive stalled and Michigan kicked a field goal, or else this would have been a loss. Also, thank goodness for those half-points!

PREDICTION: Chargers/Patriots over 53  RESULT: SD 21 NE 35
San Diego had three consecutive first-half-drives into the 30-yard-line, but came away with zero points. It looked like New England would be able to just sit on the ball and force the under. But Philip Rivers and the Bolts got their act together in the second half (14 fourth-quarter-points) to push the point total to 56.


Since I am a little late in making predictions, that means no college games on the docket for me. Oh well. I'm OK with nothing but NFL, are you? Plus, I will introduce a new game at the end of this entry that everyone can participate in. Should be fun.

CAROLINA -3.5 over Jacksonville
Cam Newton has been the surprise of the season so far. He has more passing yards (854) than Philip Rivers (713) and Drew Brees (689). Only Tom Brady (940) has more passing yards than the rookie from Auburn. But Newton and the Panthers have zero wins to show for all of those yards. So why will Carolina finally win a game? Because the Jaguars are on the road and Blaine Gabbert is making his first NFL start. While Gabbert could have a Newton-esque performance in his first full game (Newton threw for 422 yards with 2 TDs in Week 1 against Arizona, a game the Panthers had a chance to win that game in the final seconds), the Panthers have better supporting cast surrounding Newton than Gabbert has around him.

NEW ENGLAND -10.5 at Buffalo
The Patriots have a chance to go 3-0. Yawn. The Bills have a chance to go 3-0. Whaaa....!?!?!? But before Chris Berman does his "Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills," realize the Patriots are for real. Or, as my niece would say, for real for reals. The Bills? They beat an abysmal Kansas City squad and squeaked out a last second victory over an average Oakland team. The Patriots are the Patriots. Buffalo and Ryan "They Call Me Fitz" Fitzpatrick are a great feel-good story, but Tom Terrific is leading a team that honestly has a chance to go 16-0. Again.

CINCINNATI pick 'em over San Francisco
Cam Newton is the headlining surprise rookie of 2011, but Cincinnati's Andy Dalton has more passing yards and TDs (413, 3) than the 49ers Alex Smith (303, 2). San Francisco played hard against Dallas, but 13 unanswered points by the Cowboys sealed the deal. It's not as if the Bengals were brilliant in their loss against Denver last week, but I think you go with the team who fell short of a comeback as opposed to the team who allowed a comeback. Especially if the come-from-behind team is playing at home.


And Now For Something Completely Different
My dream job, as long as I can remember was to be a sports broadcaster (actually, I think the first job I wanted as a kid was to be a zoologist, but then I realized I had to take a LOT of science classes and decided against it). Growing up in the Los Angeles television market meant I had the privilege of listening to and watching some of the best of all time (Chick Hearn with the Lakers; Vin Scully with the Dodgers; Bob Miller with the Kings). I also read LA Times legend Jim Murray, so there is no surprise I went into sports journalism.

As a sports fan in general, and someone who wanted to be a sportscaster, I watch and listen to what the announcers say. There are some I really enjoy (Charles Davis and Gus Johnson pop to mind right away), but a lot of the time I cringe with the cliches and the obvious observations.

For the two nationally televised NFL games (Sunday and Monday nights), I will post a list of phrases and cliches to listen for; some are always on the docket, others are game-to-game decisions. You can do whatever you would like when you hear/see the cliches/phrases, but I suggest a  drink of whatever beverage you are enjoying (the New England Patriots public relations department would insist I am talking about drinking water).

STEELERS AT COLTS
Drink for any mention of:
*Steel Curtain
*former Pittsburgh players of the 1970s
*Bill Cowher
*Johnny Unitis
*Andrew Luck
*"Big Ben"
*video of Roethlesberger's stiff arm against Terrell Suggs

REDSKINS AT COWBOYS
*any mention of Rex Grossman as a Super Bowl starting quarterback
*comparing Tony Romo to Bret Favre
*Drew Bledsoe and Tom Brady
*Wally Pipp and Lou Gehrig
*Announcers are in awe of Dallas stadium, specifically the JumboTron

BOTH GAMES
*every time an announcer says a team/player is the best at something, or one of the best at something ( i.e. "Nobody throws a prettier swing pass to the running back than Romo.")
*saying "National Football League" instead of NFL
*"This is a must-win game."
*"They really need to score on this drive."
*Announcer says the wrong player/wrong number but you know the correct player/number
*Total flub on telestrator (i.e. circles the left defensive end, when it was the outside linebacker stunting inside to make the tackle)
*A key to the game that is the key to game for every team that has every played football from Pop Warner to the Pros (establish the running game, contain the star player on the other team, put up points)

Please drink responsibly, do not drink and drive, and please tip your servers.