2013 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 12

49ers at Redskins 8:40 P.M. ESPN

Synopsis:

At the start of this season I thought this game would seem much more interesting heading into the week of football, but that does not seem to be the case.

The 49ers had a great first game in which Colin Kaepernick threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns, but since has only gone over 200 passing yards in a game once and he has only completed 56.2% of his passes. While the absence of Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham have hindered the passing game this still comes as a shock.  This game is a must win for the 49ers whose division is a tough one and is heating up now with the Arizona Cardinals in with a record of 7-4 who just blew out the Colts.  The 49ers will hold the same record as the Cardinals if they win this game but would be second place because they beat Arizona in their first meeting of the season.

The Redskins are a mess, players are seemingly calling out Robert Griffin III who has shown some shaky playing and has already doubled his interceptions from last season as well as his fumbles lost.  He also has not been able to score a rushing touchdown as opposed to last season when he had 7.  This is not the RGIII that we have seen in the past, but his injury not allowing him to play in the preseason which I think has hurt his ability at the season’s start. 

The bright spots for these teams is that both rank in the top 5 in rushing yards, the Redskins are ranked 1^st and the 49ers rank 5^th.

Prediction:

49ers win 31-17, the Redskins defense hasn’t been able to do much in 2013 and this could be a great game for the 49ers to get back on track following back to back losses. 

All statics have come from nfl.com

State of the Quarterback: St.Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are in an interesting spot right now when it comes to their quarterback situation.  Sam Bradford was the top pick in the 2010 NFL draft and has yet again suffered an injury making it the second time in his four seasons in the NFL that he has not played a whole season, however to his credit he played well before his injury this season.

His statistics this season are*:

14 touchdowns

4 interceptions

60.7 completion percentage

90.9 passer rating

When he was injured I truly thought he would be done with the Rams, I was even beginning to wonder if he would play well because I have seen ups and downs from him, but looking at how he has improved from last season to this one I think I am wrong for thinking what I stated.  The Rams added receiver Tavon Austin who is a heck of a talent as shown against the Rams win over the Colts, this is something Bradford had missed the previous three seasons.

The Rams could cut bait with Bradford, but I think that would be a mistake, the Rams have found a running game since Bradford had left, but when you have Kellen Clemens as your quarterback you have to do that to win games.  If the Rams keep Bradford and they can continue to build that running game he will have better chances to win games and also set up the play action.

I like Sam Bradford’s chances when he comes back, the Rams will continue to draft talented players and head coach Jeff Fisher will put his players in the right place to succeed, there is no reason Sam Bradford can’t come back next season and help this team win more games.

Another reason and my final one for the Rams not to let him go is they would have to start over yet again with a rookie quarterback unless for some reason Jay Cutler doesn’t go back to the Bears, the Rams need to see how Bradford plays next season to really judge him.  Bradford played well before his injury this season, he is deserving of having another shot at staying the starting QB for his team.

*Stats from nfl.com

2013 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 11

Patriots at Panthers 8:40 P.M. ESPN

Synopsis:

The Patriots are coming off a bye week which followed their blowout win over the Steelers and the Panthers are on a 5 game winning streak making for an interesting game.

The Patriots had a sluggish start to the season but have since been able to improve on offense scoring at least 27 points in each of their last 4 games including 55 points against the Steelers.  The Patriots must continue to improve, but they will have an obstacle in the Panthers defense which has been tough.  Luckily for the Patriots Aqib Talib has a chance to be back on the field for this pivotal matchup, that will be huge for the Patriots. 

The Panthers defense is ranked among the best this season, and quarterback Cam Newton has been finding his groove and has been playing well in a stretch of games which is a must for a franchise quarterback.  The running game is back and Newtown has seemed to find rhythm with his receivers, and as stated the defense is not easy to score on, they have not allowed more than one touchdown in each game during their 5 game winning streak.

Prediction:

Patriots figure out how to score on the Panthers defense and win 24-17.

State of the Quarterback: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been a model of inconsistency and often poor play for the better part of the past three seasons since Blaine Gabbert was drafted and this team needs to start looking into their future and I don’t think Gabbert will be part of that.

Gabbert is not the only quarterback that will be gone from the Jaguars this following this season, I think Chad Henne will also be gone, he isn’t a starting caliber QB and I don’t think the Jaguars will want to keep him around.  This team needs to start over at the quarterback position because in the NFL you need better play then what they have been getting.

The Jaguars will most likely end up with the top pick in upcoming draft next year, and there should be some quality QB’s entering the draft such as Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel who could both be franchise players.  The Jaguars have to look at these options because they could really miss out on a player that can help them win games, I am confident that Bridgewater will enter the draft this year but I am unsure about Manziel.

The Jaguars passing stats are as follows*:

1921 yards, ranked 25^th in the NFL

6.5 yards per attempt, ranked 27^th in the NFL

4 passing touchdowns, ranked 32^nd (last in the NFL)

14 interceptions, ranked 3^rd worst in the NFL

Those are some pretty horrendous numbers and they could possibly be worse than the Cardinals passing numbers from last season, and to make matters worse the Jaguars have not scored one touchdown at home.  That stat along with these numbers and record of 1-8 show the ineptitude of their passing offense.

The Jaguars need to part ways with Gabbert and Henne and start all over again, by doing this they will be able to clear cap room and can draft another quarterback and groom him to be a franchise player.  By doing this the Jaguars can then use other draft picks and free agency to bolster their roster to help improve the team and get their quarterback of the future some help.

Statistics taken from espn.com

2013 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 10

Dolphins at Buccaneers 8:40 PM ESPN

Synopsis:

If anyone had told me at the season’s start that this game would feature two teams that are having issues with coaches, players and the locker room I would have probably not believed it, but here is that very situation.

The Dolphins have to be distracted with all the issues involving the Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin bullying issue, that and the “honorary black” issue as well, this will be a factor in the game tonight.  The Dolphins are a mixed bunch on those topics as seen in interviews which to me shows a locker room that has some division and definitely some issues.  I don’t believe in the Dolphins right now, and that will play into my prediction for this game.

The Buccaneers have their own issues as well when it pertains to the coaching position, head coach Greg Schiano is under a lot of fire right now for his team’s record and was under heat earlier in the season with the Josh Freeman situation.  The team has either been embarrassed or lost heart breakers all season long en route to a 0-8 start, but to give them credit they hung in there with Seattle in Seattle which is not an easy 

task.

Prediction:

Buccaneers win their first game of the season, regardless of how things ended in Seattle I think they showed toughness.  The Bucs will win 27-14.

My Thoughts on the Richie Incognito Bullying Issue part 2

The Miami Dolphins should be ashamed of themselves for the situation at hand involving the bully Richie Incognito and the person suffering at the other end of this Jonathan Martin.

Never before have I seen such an egregious situation involving racism in football and probably sports in my lifetime, and this wasn’t just someone that hates blacks but someone that is a violent individual.  When you call someone the N-word, threaten to slap their mother and threated to kill your own teammate you are a putrid individual who is a blatant racist and is very violent.

What I find most disturbing is how the Dolphins have handled this situation so far, it sounds like Coach Joe Philbin has been speaking off of speeches he put together right before he talks to the media.  That is not the only issue I have with this, in an article I read on the Huffington Post’s website that was wrote by Chris Greenberg there are quotes from wide receiver Mike Wallace that I found to be surprising.  He said that he loves Richie and that many teammates still do, that this situation was Richie being himself, that he respects Richie and that he loved playing with him.  While Wallace did say that this was a serious situation following what I just listed above there is still no room to say what he did. 

Not only is Wallace a big free agent signing but also a leader in the locker room which shows that this sort of behavior might have been tolerated in the locker room for some time.  It also makes me believe that this team knew about this situation that was ongoing but turned the other way or thought maybe Richie would not do this again.  That is not professional at all, and that creates an environment that allows for bullying and hazing to occur without consequence to the player(s) that are creating the issues.

Bullying and hazing are in no way a rite of passage for anything in life, why should someone be harassed and chastised with racial slurs in order to be part of a team or for that matter be part of any organization? 

The NFL better do a great job investigating this issue and those responsible for the bullying and those that chose to ignore it better be punished, that not only includes players but also the coaching staff, the GM himself Jeff Ireland and the ownership.

On a final note I seriously doubt Incognito will every play again and I truly hope he does not ever play again because players like him who abuse the privilege they have to play in the NFL don’t deserve that chance to play…. 

Reaction to the Richie Incognito Incident

The bullying situation that is plaguing the Dolphins headlines seems to be rather serious, first came the indefinite suspension of Richie Incognito followed by the release of the voicemail he left teammate Jonathan Martin as well as racist texts.

This situation is inexcusable not matter what way you look at this, there is no place in any NFL locker room for this kind of behavior because it demoralizes teammates and also because it is blatantly racist.  I saw the voicemail as it was shown on ESPN and I was horrified by what I saw.  A grown man using racial slurs and disrespecting Martin and his mother by threatening violence against both of them, that is not something a teammate or anyone should ever do.

I am unsure of what caused these issues, but Incognito has a history of offenses and this is probably a career killer for him, regardless of whatever age you are bullying is bullying plain and simple.  This is not only inexcusable but pathetic as well, this is a teammate and your brother in the locker room, and you don’t disrespect anyone in that manner at all regardless of that situation.

This event could shine light on this issue in other team’s locker rooms and I wonder how this ever happened.  Incognito should be punished by the NFL as well, and I think a suspension is at hand, but they should make it for next season because reports are out that he will not be on the team following this season and I applaud that decision.

Incognito is a repeat offender and unless you suspend someone (and it better be without pay assuming anyone would sign him) they generally continue their bad behavior.  This also needs to be done to show an example to fellow NFL players that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, behavior like this can become worse and it can lead to poor decisions. 

On a final note I find it ironic that Incognito was part of the Dolphins video on how fans need to act during their games, talk about a hypocrite….  And of course bullying does not belong in the NFL nor anywhere else, in a world plagued with bullying an example needs to be set showing it is not okay, and the NFL has every chance to help stop this awful fad from getting worse.

2013 NFL Season Monday Night Football Predictions Week 9

Bears at Packers 8:40 PM ESPN

Synopsis:

Green Bay has been playing well this season despite their injuries and the Bears have had some of their own including starting quarterback Jay Cutler. 

The Packers record is strong, they struggled at the season’s start but have since played better, and they look like a team poised to take their division and make some noise in the playoffs.  Aaron Rodgers has had a solid season thus far and his past two games he has thrown five touchdowns to no interceptions.  The Packers have also improved on the running game as they are ranked 7^th in the league in rushing yards per game averaging 141 yards.

The Bears are without Jay Cutler, and that has proven in the past to hurt this team, and now they are sitting at 4-3 and are also without defensive player Lance Briggs.  This game could make a difference in the Bears overall season, not only are the Packers hot but the Lions have been playing sound football too.  If Josh McCown can play well the Bears should have a good chance in this game, the only downside to him tonight is that this is his 3^rd start in the last 6 seasons.

Prediction:

Packers win 35-17, look for the Packers to pull away in the second half.

Reaction to the Red Sox 2013 Season and World Series Victory

The 2013 Red Sox made a huge turnaround from worst to first and to the joy of the Boston faithful the Sox took home the world series trophy in the same year that tragedy stuck Boston during the Marathon.  Like David Ortiz said “This is our (expletive) city, nobody can dictate our freedom, stay strong!”  The Red Sox embodied the “Boston Strong” theme and got the right hits, hit the right pitches and played defense in the biggest spots this season.

I think what makes this team so special is that they can be themselves, they may not have the big payrolls or biggest household names but they get it done.  The have fun playing the game and the beards were something the teammates bonded over as well, this season was huge surprise for many following last year’s disastrous season when Bobby Valentine managed the team.

This year was much different, the players were able to enjoy themselves and turned tragedy into triumph to a city that was rocked by two men who triggered bombs at the Boston Marathon.  I think the combination of both aspects helped this team make the series.  This team actually reminded me of the 2004 Red Sox they played hard and got the big plays on both sides of the ball when it mattered. 

An example would be this year’s ALCS when the Sox were down 4-1 in game 2 and David Ortiz hit the grand slam that helped Boston win the game.

David Ortiz really took his leadership role to the next level this World Series helping rally his fellow teammates to go play harder, and I can only imagine that is one of many reasons the Red Sox won the series. 

As I have previously mentioned this team helped turn tragedy into triumph and I feel it was only fitting that Boston fought hard in the World Series and then clinched it at home in front of thousands of cheering fans.  Seeing how happy the team and the fans were was something that brought a smile to my face, Boston is a wonderful city and the people are just as great they deserved it.