What a doozy of a week

The week 3 in the NFL blog.

Wow.

Simply, wow.

The week begins with the unprecedented trade of Trent Richardson from Cleveland to Indy for Indy's 2014 1st round pick.

Wow!

Liking the new digs

Trades NEVER  happen in the NFL, particularly never like this.  Middle of the week, a potential superstar, a 3rd overall pick LAST YEAR, I mean, this is nuts.  Cleveland's front office either knows something we don't, or thought "Hey, let's get another first rounder!  Who cares if we trade off our best player!"

And don't get me started on the yards per carry thing.  All week I've been hearing about how his 3.5 YPC average sucks.  I have heard multiple sources say "Adrian Peterson averages over 5."

No shit!  He's Adrian Peterson.  The greatest running back of his generation.  That's like saying Russell Wilson isn't good because he's not putting up Peyton Manning's numbers.  You give me 3.5 yards a carry, and I'll give you a first down on 3 carries.  As far as I'm concerned, you give me over 3 yards a carry, that's a win.  On Monday Night, Darren McFadden gave Oakland an astounding .7 YPC.  .7!  I can't make that up!  And people think Run DMC is better then Richardson. 

He rushes to the right for... no gain!

So while we're still digesting all of that, we get to the hypocrisy that is Thursday Night Football, the sloppy game of the week where nobody is ready and usually results in severe injuries for somebody.  This week it was the Chiefs versus the Oregon Eagles, and shocker!  It turns out when the talent on the field is even, the Oregon offense doesn't work.  Maybe the Chiefs are for real too, they're playing solid defense, not turning the ball over, and running it well.  That's a recipe for success if I ever heard one.  While the Eagles are... not running the ball well, losing the time of posession battle by about 20 minutes a game, and not playing defense.  That sounds like, well, not good.

Sad face

But my real problem with Thursday Night Football is more complicated then who played and the (usually) crappy level of football being played.  It's simply the fact of the hypocrisy of it all.  The NFL claims to want a safer league, that all the rule changes are in the best interest of player safety.  Yet they still trot out two teams who played 4 days ago, have had little time to prepare, and no time to recover, and pits them in a game against each other.  This is just terrible.  These guys are banged up, tired, and haven't gotten a day off between games.  Then there is the travel time they have to do, the pregame preperation, they simply cannot do it all.  But these games will continue to happen as long as the NFL continues to make money on them.  That's all these games are, is a money grab.  And the ONLY reason to watch the NFL Network.  Everything else on there is garbage.  Oh wait, these games are too.  Remember when the only Thursday games were on Thanksgiving?  Yeah, me neither.

Boooo!  Go away!  No one wants to watch NFL Network anyways!

Then on Friday, we have something serious occur.  49ers LB Aldon Smith is involved in a one car crash, where here is arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana.  The weed part doesn't bother me, the DUI part does.  Sunday rolls around, and he's suited up playing for San Fran, which I personally don't agree with, but after hearing what both Cris Carter and Mike Ditka had to say about that, I'm more okay with it then I was at first, but still think he shouldn't of played.

Get help young man

However, after the game Smith owned up that he was wrong, and is now seeking help at an inpatient facility.  While I disagree with him playing and am very upset about the DUI part, I do applaud him for seeking help.  Too many times in this league players do things like this, shrug it off, and continue with their lives.  Smith believes he has a problem, and is seeking help for it.  While I am a major San Fran hater, I hope for Smith's own personal well being that he does indeed get the help he needs, and he is able to live a good life for himself, whether or not that involves football.

Ok, now for the shockers.

Carolina 38, NYG 0

Owww...

Wait, ZERO?  Wow!  I knew Carolina had a solid front 7, but to hold the Giants to 0, despite how bad they are, is still extremely impressive.  I remember watching the Houston/Baltimore game and seeing this score keep popping up on the ticker, going up, and up, and up, and just being absolutely boggled by how bad this Giants team is.  They can't do anything right, and they may be done with Coughlin now.

Cleveland 31, Minnesota 27

We won a game!  We won a game!

Let the Brian Hoyer era begin!  I expected absolutely nothing from Cleveland this week, and they went out and beat an admittedly bad Minnesota team, and held the reigning MVP to 88 yards.  That is no small feat for any team, let along the lowly Browns.  While I still don't know what their plan is on trading Richardson, they rallies around Brian Hoyer (I know, I don't know who he is either) and played a pretty solid game behind a mediocre QB performance.  I thought for sure when they went with Hoyer over Jason Campbell they were tanking this season, but maybe Cleveland knows something we don't.

Or, maybe God truly does hate Cleveland and decided to throw an unlikely win in there to throw us off the scent.

And this gets me to another point.  Jason Campbell.

So close.  Yet so far.

After being drafted by Washington in the first round in 2005, Campbell never got a real chance to prove himself.  I liked him at Auburn, I thought he was a great pick for the Redskins, but shortly after his arrival, there was a regime change that led to the Mike Shannahan era, and Campbell was quickly shown the door.  A quick stint on the Raiders, followed by (apparently) a year on the Bears sees Campbell now as the back up in Cleveland... who got passed over for Hoyer.  I've always liked Jason Campbell, but he keeps getting put in bad situations on bad teams.  I truly think if he was given a real chance somewhere he could succeed.  But now, at 31, the odds of that happening are near zero.

Titans 20, Chargers 17

Go Jake!  Whoooo!

San Diego is a bad team.  So is Tennessee.  But I thought San Diego's offense would score quite a bit more then 17, so I was surprised to see the Titans pull this one off.  But after I learned how they did, I couldn't help but smile, because being from Washington, it's hard not to root for Jake Locker, and seeing that he was the reason they won this game was nice.  I'm curious to see how the seasons play out for both of these teams, I'm not expecting much from either, but so far they have both proven that you can't roll over them.

Dolphins 27, Falcons 23

WOW!  I did not see this coming, even after watching how the Falcons have played this year.  Miami has had a good defense for a number of years, and they are still playing good, solid, defensive football.  I didn't think Tannehill was the answer, but it's looking like maybe he is.  Miami playing New Orleans this coming Monday night is going to be interesting, but based on how Miami is playing and how they are winning, nothing will shock me anymore with the fins.  Oh, and Tannehill's wife is HOT.  So any excuse to post photos of her is always worth finding.

Say hello to Mrs. Tannehill. 

 What is more interesting here is Atlanta.  They fall to 1-2, and have lost 2 close games so far this year.  I'm curious if they are lacking that closing mentalitity you need at the end of games, or if it's just some bad luck on their part. 

Colts 27, 49ers 7
 

This was Kaepernick's day

I did not see this coming.  Like, at all.  With all the excitement of the Trent Richardson trade, I wasn't expecting a huge game from him simply because he doesn't know the offense yet.  But he wasn't needed.  Indy absolutely dominated this game on all fronts, and looked like, well, like the 49ers looked last year.  Great defensive play coupled with a smashmouth running offense.  They came in and out San Franned San Francisco.  I still don't think Indy is a playoff team, but after these last 2 games, I'm starting to wonder if the Niners are one anymore.

So after these first 3 weeks, I look back on my playoff predictions and see I'm at about 50% on those, but as far as my yearly awards, I may have hit those on the head.  Peyton is well on his way to an easy MVP win, EJ Manuel is clearly the offensive rookie of the year, and Richard Sherman, I feel, is the front runner for defensive player.  Still a lot of football left, let's see how the rest of the season goes.

The 2013 NFL season prediction blog

So I've been meaning to do this for a while, and yeah, I'm writing this after one game was played, but that one game doesn't change what I think about those two teams (well, maybe a little) so without further ado...

THE 2013 NFL SEASON AS EXPLAINED BY NOSTRA-JAKE-US

THIS ISN'T ME!

 Or something.

Let's start in the AFC

East
This is clearly New England's division to lose, like it is every year.  The Jets are just an absolute train wreck, and while Miami and Buffalo are improving, they still have a ways to go to knock off the kings of this division.
1.  New England
2.  Miami
3.  Buffalo
4.  New York

This is your coach New York.  Remember that.

North
When you have the defending champs, you have to give them respect, even if they just firesold their entire team.  This division is slowly getting weaker as Pittsburgh is in a tail spin, Cleveland is... well, Cleveland, and Cincinatti is proving that they are good, but mediocre good.  This all points to a fairly easy Baltimore division crown.
1.  Baltimore
2.  Cincinatti
3.  Pittsburgh
4.  Cleveland

He's slow, old, prone to injury, and a douche.  Have fun with that Pittsburgh

South
This division has one of the more interesting bad teams in Jacksonville, the cream of the AFC in Houston, and the intriguing and young Indianapolis.  Oh, and Tennessee is in the division too.  Houston should win this, Indy will be decent, but watch out for Jacksonville.  They're slowly turning that team around, and while this may not be their year, they are getting better.
1.  Houston
2.  Indianapolis
3.  Jacksonville
4.  Tennessee

This man will destroy you.

West
The AFC West is the NFC West of 5 years ago.  If Denver wasn't in this division, the winner here would go 6-10.  They're that bad.  I know Kansas City is a hot dark horse pick, but I don't like it.  Alex Smith is not the answer.
1.  Denver
2.  Oakland
3.  Kansas City
4.  San Diego

Just think - he's going to be your QB for, what, another 10 years?

AFC Playoffs
Byes - Denver and New England
1st round - Houston over Miami, Baltimore over Cincinatti
2nd round - Houston over Denver, New England over Baltimore
Championship round - Houston over New England

So back in the day I loved Warren Moon on the Oilers, so I've always had a soft spot for Houston.  I think they're doing everything right, and EVERYBODY is coming back for them.  Barring a crazy rash of injuries, I think they are the team to beat in the AFC.

Get this man a ring!

NFC
East
The NFC East was hyped for years as one of the best divisions in football.  Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Washington will explode the moment RG3's knee does.  Philadelphia has atrocious talent, plus Chip Kelly coaching today Michael Vick, which is not a good idea.  Kelly coaching Vick 10 years ago?  Match made in heaven.  Dallas is just... ugh.  And I've never been a fan of Eli Manning, so I don't like New York - especially with how they blew up their running game.  I think at best you're looking at a team going 9-7 and winning this division.
1.  New York
2.  Washington
3.  Dallas
4.  Philadelphia

He's the best of this division.  Kinda sad.

North
Green Bay is falling.  Not many people see it because Green Bay fans permeate everything much the way Notre Dame fans do.  Their defense has a bend don't break philosphy with the nasty habit of breaking, and a constantly changing receiving corp coupled with ABSOLUTELY NO RUNNING GAME  makes them a scary pick.  Except they play in the North.  The division where the other QB's are Jay Cutler, Matt Stafford, and Christian Ponder.  Game set and match.
1.  Green Bay
2.  Detroit
3.  Chicago
4.  Minnesota

When your best player keeps stomping on guys junk, you got a problem.  Hey, at least he's not Jay Cutler.

South
Sean Payton is back!  Sean Payton is back!  Sean Payton is back!  That, coupled with a horrendous Tampa Bay team, a Carolina team led by a stat padding RB as their QB, and Atlanta, who... wait, Atlanta's good too.  I have more faith in Atlanta's D then I do New Orleans, but I would also take Brees over Ryan any day of the week.  I think there is going to be some rust that needs to be shaken off of Payton at the beginning of the year, and a slow New Orleans start will be the only reason Atlanta wins this division.
1.  Atlanta
2.  New Orleans
3.  Carolina
4.  Tampa Bay

He's baaaaaaack...

West
Arguably the two best teams in football play in this division - and they play each other twice!  Awesome.  Seattle and San Francisco are not only great, they return many starters and both have exciting young quarterbacks, even if I think Kaepernick has the decision making ability of... Tony Romo.  Combined with the nasty injury bug that has already bitten the Niners and their absolute dick bag of a coach has me seeing Seattle with this division crown.  Oh, and St. Louis and Arizona will play sometimes too.
1.  Seattle
2.  San Francisco
3.  St. Louis
4.  Arizona

Seriously San Fran?  You have faith in this guy?

NFC Playoffs
Byes - Seattle and Atlanta
Round 1 - New Orleans over New York, Green Bay over San Francisco
Round 2 - New Orleans over Atlanta, Seattle over Green Bay
Championship - Seattle over New Orleans

SUPER BOWL
Seattle over Houston.  Honestly, not a 100% homer pick, but that is a factor.  Couple that in with the best secondary in football and the best running game in the league, I think this will *finally* be Seattle's year.

Number 1 bitches!

And the Super Bowl is in New York.  A cold weather Super Bowl.  Totally Seattle's win.

Yearly awards
MVP - A big part of me wants to write Russel Wilson here, but I can't quite get there.  Before the season I was in a toss up over Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning, and I think Denver has a better team, so I'll go with Manning.
Defensive player - Richard Sherman.  Homer pick here, but I know he's the best player in the league at his position, and now that everybody knows about him, he will be picked on, and he will thrive.
Comeback player - Alex Smith.  I don't think he'll take Kansas City to the playoffs, but he got jobbed bad in San Fran, and I think he'll do fantastic under Andy Reid.
Coach of the year - Sean Payton.  There's no way in hell the NFL will let this happen, but he will prove that he deserves this award, whether or not he gets it.
Offensive Rookie - EJ Manuel.  He'll get the most playtime of any rookie, and if he spends the entire year just heaving it to Stevie Johnson, he'll lock this up by week 4.
Defensive Rookie - Desmond Trufant.  He'll see a lot of play time opposite Asante Samuel (I believe) and he'll show why he was a first rounder early and often.

Dark Horse
The Jacksonville Jaguars. 

They still need to find an answer at Quarterback, but they're slowly rebuilding the right way, and while it may not pay off this year, I won't be surprised if they shock the world and beat some teams they have no business beating.

Tune in at the end of the season where we go over every single wrong pick I made - except for the Seattle pick, of course...

An entertaining end to a Friday night

Last night I covered the Gatesville high school football game in Gatesville, which is about 40 minutes away.  The night ended kinda crazy, and here is the story of that. 

Game ends around 10:30, my deadline to get my story into my editor is 11:15.  I asked the press box hostess (yes, that was her actual title) about the wifi situation in the press box.  Apparently they don't have any because they just finished renovating and they haven't gotten it set up yet.  This means I had to find wifi somewhere after writing my story so I could send it in on time, as I was about 45 minutes away from home.

Gatesville, home of the Hornets.

So when the game ends, I head down to the field to talk to the head coach, and after a few minutes, I thank him for his time, congratulate him on the win, and then run to my car.  I sit in the drivers seat with the AC on (It was 10:30 at night, but still 90+) and write the story.

Once I finish up writing, I start to put together the box score to send in as well, when I notice the time.

11:05.

Crap.

I throw all the stats in the passenger seat of my car, and peel out of the parking lot.  Previously, my editor had told me that the local McDonald's there has wifi if the press box didn't for whatever reason.  I head that way, and pull into the McDonald's parking lot, where the tablet is not picking up any McDonald's wifi network. 

Double crap.

I did notice some other secure networks it picked up though.  Like the one from the sketchy hotel across the street.  I zoom across the street and park, and head to the front desk to ask for the password, when I notice the lobby is locked.  There are two doorbells there, so I push both and stand there jumping up and down like I have to pee.  Nobody responds.

The time is 11:10

I am running out of time, so I scan again for wifi networks, and see one for the drug store by the McDonalds.  I head over there, and see that the drug store is closed.

Triple crap.

I'm still in my car, when off in the distance, I notice something that may be my salvation...

Oh sweet, sweet Taco Bell!

I drive across the parking lot and straight across the 5 lane road seperating me from the Taco Bell, and connect to their free wifi.  This prompted a terms and conditions screen to pop up, and I figured this would mean I would need a password as well.  So I head to the front door of the Taco Bell, which is locked.

But I didn't need a password!

So I set the tablet on top of the garbage can that was by the door and send in my story to my editor.

It was 11:13.

I got it in on time.

And I only lost 4 pounds in sweat while doing it.