Are you ready for some F O O T B A L L ?
We are, although being a Fins Fan this year will be tough, starting Monday night.
Suicide Pool, week one 2011:
29 people indicated they wanted to enter the 2011 suicide pool by stating that “Joel Brown Makes Me Frown” {(c)Rumpole 2011, all rights reserved}, but we are still waiting for many picks. As of last night, before the vino kicked in, here were the picks we have received:
Rumpole: late switch to KC; DOM: Browns; Shumie’s Cigar: Cowboys; Rick Freedman: Cardinals; Colby: Jets; Plea D: Cardinals; Orlando Rodriguez: Cardinals; Caped Crusader: Falcons; Juan Gonzalez has no faith in the Manning-less Colts-Texans-ditto for Michael Grieco; Stephen ImMache- Browns; Fake Alex Michales: Browns; Dustin Tischler: Browns; Dan Lurvey: Cardinals;Clay Kaeiser: Packers-verified email arrived on tim, the mistake was Rumpole's; Cary Clennon: Cardinals; Peter Sautter: Chargers; Robert Kuntz: No pick; Kenneth Weisman, et.a;., Chargers; Fake Freddy Moldovan: KC Chiefs; Marshall Dore Louis: Dolphins???(short season for you MDL); Miguel De La Over: KC Chiefs; Iftikhar Memon (hereinafter IM) Browns; Nick Basso: Cheaters; Adam 2T: Cardinals; and finally BDTD who has again provided us with a pick for every week of the season: Eagles ( could be a short season for BTDT- see below).
Picks: As we wrote earlier, due to many unforeseen circumstances (although how 52nd Street Irwin didn’t know that guy was a fed is beyond us) we will not be making picks every week. But we do have some thought$ on week one:
If you can get the line at 42, take the under in the Buffalo/KC game for 300; ditto for Tennessee at Jax; also hop on the Titans for the same amount +2;
Upsets of the week: Dream Team, schweem team, the Eagles giving 4 on the road to the Rams go down and Vick is not the pick. Indeed, if you want, take the money line of +175 Rams (meaning you are not taking any points and laying 100 to win 175). We did this 300 times; and how about those Cowboys? WIthout the worst head coach in the league (Vanilla Phillips) calling the shots anymore, the Cowpokes are posed to ride their talent to a surprisingly good season.
Last year we told you to bet against the Cowpokes at every possible opportunity. This year we are telling you to take the plunge and the points (+4 at the Jets in New Jersey) and watch them surprise some people, including the slow starting Jets. Cowboys +4 over Jets, 200X.
Let us give you some trends to capitalize on in 2011:
1) The Cowboys are a legit Super Bowl Contender- hop on them before the public catches on.
2) The Steelers are headed for a downfall. An aging defense and no change in a very suspect secondary allow the league to catch up to the men of steel. Stay away from them on any plays involving your wallet as we don't know when the dam breaks, but the cracks are there. NB- if they contend it will be with a high powered pass centric offense-hardly "Steeler football."
3) J..E...T....S.... hype hype hype. Rex Ryan's heft surpasses his teams win totals this year. The Jets will disappoint.
4) The Lions are for real- but no surprise there and their vastly improved defense has already been factored into the spread so you won't find value in their games.
5) With Vanilla Phillips gone in Dallas, Norv Turner assumes the mantle as ...drum roll please: "The worst coach in the league!!" The Chargers will win games and look impressive. And then lose in the playoffs, probably to the Steelers or Patriots.
6) Here's what happens when you send amateurs to do a professional's job: In Miami at Regional Counsel they fired two extraordinarily talented and respected lawyers on the eve of a re-trial of a man who murdered a police officer in 1977; In Jacksonville they release the starting quarterback after the end of all pre-season games and name a QB who hasn't started since 2008 or something ridiculous like that. The only question we have is whether the Bengals or the Jaguars are on the clock first for the 2012 draft? Probably the Jags win the race to the bottom.
7) The Dolphins reach mediocrity. 8-8 sounds about right as the Tony Sparano watch officially begins Tuesday morning.
8) The Rams are for real. A good offense and defense minded head coach will allow them to surprise some people, starting with the Eagles today.
9) The Seattle Seahawks are going no where fast with a back-up qb starting.
10) Can Donovan McNabb get back to the Super Bowl with the best offensive player in the league running the rock behind him? Nope.
11) Tampa Bay will improve from last year, but today's game is a tough call.
12) The Browns will improve from last year and may contend for a playoff spot as their QB is for real. They will surprise some people and you can find some value in their spreads.
13) The Redskins have a real defense, but their offense concerns us in a tough division.
14) No playoffs this year for the Giants.
15) Tom Brady carries the Patriots to the playoffs, but a weak defense is their un-doing.
16) We like the Texans this year. We don't like the Colts without Peyton.
17) The Titans are re-building. Stay away. Ditto the Bills.
18) The Bears stink. They are miles away from being a half away from the Super Bowl. The Packers march back to the big show without much of a challenge until they meet the Cowboys or the Falcons in the NFC Championship game.
19) Can the Ravens finally beat the Steelers in the playoffs? Yup.
20) Is the third time the charm for Alex Smith and the Niners? Nope.
21) KC and the Sunshine Band had more hits than the KC Chiefs will deliver this year.
Today is 9/11. Take a moment to reflect on how much they day has cost the families of average Americans who are no longer with us. From ground Zero to Iraq to Afghanistan, Americans lie in early graves because of that horrible horrible day.