Let's not buy play-off tickets.....just yet.....
Oh what might have been. The Atlanta Falcons trailed the Denver Broncos 24-20 with less than 2 minutes left........On third-and-18 from the Denver 45 - yard line, receiver Roddy White got open .....if for just a split second.....and was there for Matt Ryan's heave....
The pass went just off his finger-tips.......and instead of a Falcon lead of 27-24 with just 1:16 left.....The Birds were left.....and the Broncos had won.
Strange game..........a very subdued crowd. And even though it was a sell-out........there were an awful lot of empty seats.
Meaning the ATL has not really gotten as behind this team as much as the talking heads have advertised.
Maybe this team is not quite ready for "prime time"........much less the play-offs.....
Let the ATL take a deep breath........take a good look..........within this team.....
Something is missing........All those empty seats........all that silence........I think the average fans know........These Birds are not there yet..........
Another uninspiring win...
Speaking of not being there yet..........The former "pre-season #1"...........Georgia Bulldogs won a game Saturday........17-13 over an Auburn team which has been less that stellar this year.
And the "Dawgs" had to once again hold on for dear life to win the game......Same old Georgia......stupid penalties........red zone problems for the offense.......special team mishaps.....defensive lapses.....
At 9-2, one might wonder, why is there such a negative attitude surrounding the program?
Well........Maybe it's because the 2 losses were, 41-30 and 49-10.........against the 2 SEC leaders in Alabama and Florida.
And the games were not even close........2 losses..........2 blow-outs..........too bad..........
The Bulldog Nation is famous for making excuses for their beloved "Dawgs".......Too many injuries........bad officiating.......difficult schedule.......
Maybe.......just maybe...........these Bulldogs are just not as good as advertised...........These Dogs have yet to put 4 quarters of dominant football together on any Saturday they have played.
And pressed ..........on the highest level ........against other big time schools.......these Dogs have not bothered to show up and compete. See Alabama and Florida..........
Speaking of Florida........
The Gators spanked Steve Spurrier and the South Carolina Gamecocks, 56-6............"fiddy"......as in a fifty point win.......Spurrier's worst lost.....as a player or coach.....ever.
Vegas was not kind..........
Friday Picks saw us go 2-3........2-1 in the college games ........and 0-2 in the NFL..........It makes one want to just quit........
But ........there is always next week.
Wall Street....or Vegas?
We ask because......historically one could always depend on both of them. Lately though, Wall Street and the stock market have been taking a severe beating.
Not unlike the beating Vegas gave us last week.
The two are very similar .....Wall street has "bulls" and "bears".....Vegas has "favorites" and "underdogs".
It's.......where you put ..."your"..... money.......that counts.
Anyway..........another Friday is upon us......and with that.....our "Friday Picks":
Last Week: 1-4
Season: 19-16
Wake Forest (+2 1/2 ) over Miami......
The Demon Deacons were embarrassed by Maryland last week, 29-0. They will rebound this week against a Miami team that's still a year or two away from contending again in the ACC. Take the points....and Wake.
Arkansas (+ 5) over Mississippi....
Intriguing match-up featuring former Arkansas coach, Houston Nutt, returning to Fayetteville as the head coach of the Rebels. As much as I dislike Razorback coach Bobby Petrino.....facts are facts. Arkansas is due...... They are playing at home.....and Nutt's welcome back party will not be pleasant. Arkansas by a touchdown.....late.
Penn State (-2 1/2) over Ohio State....
So I sipped some of the Nittany Lion cool-aid....... Why not? This team has been dominating from the start of the season. Playing on the road? At night? No problem.....Penn State continues to roll.
Philadelphia (-9 ) over Atlanta.......
Not a good match-up for the Falcons...... The last two truly physical defenses they faced ....destroyed them (Tampa Bay and Carolina, by the identical score, 24-9). Both teams had a bye week last Sunday and the Eagles are now getting healthy. This could get ugly.
San Diego (-3 ) over New Orleans.....
This game is unfair to both teams....This is the annual "London" game.....played across the pond known as the Atlantic Ocean. Both teams are 3-4....and have been disappointing. The Saints, however, lost a huge chuck of their offense when Reggie Bush injured a knee last week and is out for at least 4 weeks. The Charger defense will carry them enough to lay the points and cover.
So there..........another vain attempt to beat the boys in Vegas........
You think it would be easier on Wall Street?
Vegas.....gave us a "beat down".......
Just when I was getting the "big head" and thinking I was on a serious roll in the "Friday Picks"( 8-2 in the last two weeks).......Vegas dealt a humbling blow.
0-3 in the college picks.....and 1-1 in the pros. But oh how close it was. Betting against the point spread is a risky thing. Think about the picks......Clemson was winning......but lost in the final minutes. Oklahoma won easily.....but didn't quite cover the 19 point spread. Kentucky won.....but only by 2.....the spread was 7 1/2.
In the pros........Indianapolis laid an egg. The Colts lost........straight up. The only winner was the Chicago Bears and they had us chewing our collective fingers until finally winning, 48-41....and covering.
There is always next week.
Tampa Bay......."shamed" the devil.......
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays........who this year.......ditched the "devil".....to be known as simply the Tampa Bay Rays.....are in the World Series.
Good for them! Now , I am not a religious man , but I applaud them for the name change.
In the Rays mere 10 year existence, they had never had a winning season. They had never even won 70 games in a season.
Tampa also plays in the division of the "best teams money can buy".......as in the N Y Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and the Baltimore Orioles.
And they rose above ........with a payroll.....a fraction of the big boys.
The Rays feature a nucleus of talented young players.....drafted and developed in their farm system.
How refreshing.
The BCS.......has started its' mess...........
The first "Bowl Championship Series" (BCS) poll has come out..........This poll incorporates the "Harris Poll", the "Coaches Poll", and a computor poll to figure out who will ultimatly play for the national championship. No major surprises. 3 conferences dominate: the SEC, the Big 10, and the Big 12........with USC the lone representative from the Pac 10. Noticeably absent are teams from the Big East .......and the ACC.
The top 10:
Bowl Champ. Series Ranking
At 43.......Bernard.....is "da man"!!!
Saturday night in Atlantic City, Bernard Hopkins and his 43 year old body won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Kelly Pavlik (26).........Hopkins confused and dominated the Youngstown, Ohio native in a non-title middleweight fight.
Bernard........you have made all of us "old men" proud....
We salute you.
As if we needed further proof.......
Vegas knows what it's doing. This week , we went 1-4.......against the spreads in our weekly football picks.
And the multi-million dollar hotels and casinos continue to prosper in the desert.
Here's a quick recap :
We picked Ohio State (+11 1/2)........Southern Cal had other ideas.....not only did the cover....they destroyed the #5 team.......35-3. Ouch!
We had Virginia Tech covering 6 1/2........They won .....but did not cover against Georgia Tech, 20-17........But we did have a winner in Notre Dame putting the beat down on Michigan.
In the pros, we missed badly. Denver won but did not cover a measly 1 1/2 points in beating San Diego, 39-38.
And ........if the Oakland Raiders are a train wreck..........where does this leave Kansas City? Whom they smacked around, 23-8.
Oh well.......there's always next week.
