Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
The Lineman: Week Seven NFL Picks
That was more like it, a very solid 5-1 effort in Week 6 after a very tough month of average results.
Could we be perfect in lucky Week 7? Feels good.
Record: 19-17. Last week 5-1
Pick of the Week: 5-1
PICK OF THE WEEK
Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Minnesota Vikings (1-5)
The Lineman’s NFL Picks — Week 2
Just like the New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers it was a decent if unspectacular start to a new season for the Lineman, who was a respectable 4-2 in Week One.
But still room for improvement so here we go with another Six-Pack for Week Two.
Record: 4-2. Last week 4-2. Pick of the Week: 0-1
PICK OF THE WEEK
Houston Texans (1-0) at Washington Redskins (1-0) (Line Texans minus-2.5): The Washington Redskins continue their Texas two-step start to the season following up a shock Week One win over the Dallas Cowboys with a visit from the Houston Texans.
It seems weird that Houston would represent the tougher game of a Texas doubleheader but there is a power shift going on in the Lone Star state with Dallas on the decline.
The Texans roll into D.C. bristling with confidence after a season-opening win over Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
Interesting to see what sort of reception Vick gets, especailly from dog lovers…
New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl: How It Happened
New Orleans Saints 31 Indianapolis Colts 17 … Saints win Super Bowl … this is how it happened.
Phenomenal eight or nine hours of build-up coverage from the US networks, astonishing to see for someone watching the SB from the right timezone for a change.
Is anyone outside of Indianapolis cheering for the Colts?
Superbowl is not the greatest show on earth
North Americans call it “the greatest show on earth” but in reality not much of the world is really paying attention to the Super Bowl.
Sunday’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints will be broadcast in 230 countries and territories but the evidence indicates that in most parts of the world few people will be organizing their days around the game.
Once regularly described as having a “potential global audience of a billion,” conjuring up images of sports bars around the world packed with NFL fans tucking into chicken wings, the figures indicate something different.
The annual survey by Initiative Futures Sports and Entertainment showed last year’s Super Bowl was beaten into top spot in annual sports events, for the first time, by the final of European soccer’s Champions League. Last year there was no soccer World Cup or Olympics which regularly beat Super Bowl.
Last year’s Super Bowl was watched by a global audience of 162 million but the vast majority of those tuning in were in the United States with neighbors Canada and Mexico the next biggest markets.
There is no doubt Super Bowl is the biggest sports and television event in the United States but it is limited in its global impact by a kickoff time which is unsociable in many parts of the world and rules that casual fans find unfathomable.
I used to watch the NFL, and I still sometimes watch the CFL (that’s the Canadian version, for any who don’t know). I used to even like it.
But now? I’ve moved on. It’s very overrated. For example, there was a study done by the Wall Street Journal that pointed out how little of a game was actually played. Their number was 11 minutes. That’s 11 minutes of action in a game that claims to be 60 minutes long. Heck, there were 17 minutes of replays. More replays than actual play is just…well, boring. I turned on the Super Bowl, left it on while I used my computer for about 10 minutes, then turned it off because of how boring it was. There’s as much downtime as in Baseball, and that’s saying something.
So Cyrus_Roy, I can tell you most of the rules, and I don’t care about the attention it gets (hockey gets more all year, except for the super bowl, and that’s what I love). I can even tell you that the NFL rules originated because the field at…Harvard, I believe…anyways, it was smaller than the field at McGill University, in Montreal. The first game in the US was played between the 2 schools, and they had to modify the rules because of the smaller field, and then they chose to change a couple other rules (rules that were never changed in Canada, such as the number of downs or the size of the ball).
So I’ll complain about the NFL because it’s a boring sport played with a lot of overweight people. It’s a game that is popular because of the amount of advertising they can fit into it (which is also why soccer is not popular in the US), and because people like to see hard hits and collisions. I cannot, and will not, deny the skill of the athletes to do what they do, but I also can’t be bothered to watch it.
-Kevin
p.s. The Champions League is only in Europe, so other places have no reason to watch it other than the skill of the players. The World Cup final is a better comparison, and it demolishes the Super Bowl every time.
from MediaFile:
Saints over Colts, says EA’s “Madden”
If Electronic Arts’ recent track record on Super Bowl predictions is any guide, it looks like New Orleans may well bring home the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.
EA ran a simulation of the Super Bowl XLIV matchup through its popular “Madden NFL 10” game on the Xbox 360, and the Saints edged the Indianapolis Colts 35-31.
A little taste of play-by-play from the world of make-believe sports:
“With the game hanging in the balance, Drew Brees hits David Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown and the game winning score. Drew Brees takes home MVP honors as the Saints earn their first Super Bowl Championship title in the franchise's 46 year history.”
EA’s prediction is nothing to be scoffed at. Last year, the game publisher predicted Pittsburgh would top Arizona 28-24 – eerily close to the game’s actual results, which the Steelers won 27-23.
EA used “Madden” to predict the results for both the AFC and NFC championship games within a margin of three points. And the company said it has correctly predicted the Super Bowl winner in five of the last six years, since it began running the simulation in 2004.
The pursuit of perfection vs the goal of a championship
Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell stressed all season that his goal was a Super Bowl victory, not an undefeated season. He felt his team had a better chance at capturing the Lombardi Trophy if he could keep them rested and healthy.
With their place atop the AFC secured, Caldwell pulled many of his key starters in the third quarter against the New York Jets two weeks ago. The result was a 29-15 loss, ending any hope of the Colts joining the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only NFL team to go undefeated for an entire season.
Some said that by pulling his starters, Caldwell was tampering with the integrity of the game. As former Jets coach Herm Edwards famously said, “you play to win the game.”
Others felt the Colts, or any team that enters the final few weeks of the regular season with nothing to gain from a win, earned the right to decide who plays and who rests.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, obviously unimpressed with teams not fielding their best possible lineups during regular season games, said on Sunday the league is looking at ways to reward teams for playing their starters, even in games that will not change their place in the standings.
The debate was front and center again on Sunday when New England Patriots’ leading receiver Wes Welker suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first quarter of their game against the Houston Texans. Even though the Pats were not seeking perfection, win or lose they would be hosting a first-round playoff game next week.
While some were quick to point out that this validated the Colts decision to pull key starters, others said regardless of Welker’s injury, Caldwell’s decision was still wrong.
NFL Week 17 Blog picks
Well, here we are at the end of the regular season staring at a .500 record. Let’s go out with a bang.
PICK OF THE WEEK
Chicago Bears (6-9) at Detroit Lions (2-13) (Line Bears minus 2 1/2)
End of season games between two teams with nothing to play for are always tricky but I can’t imagine the Bears losing this one to their NFC North rivals.
Jay Cutler has had a ghastly first season with Da Bears, tossing an NFL high 26 interceptions but gets to end the campaign against the league’s worst defence. Running back Matt Forte can expect a big day lugging the ball.
If you are a Lions fan this year has already been wildly successful compared to last year’s winless season, picking up two wins. But the Lions still have more troubles than the auto industry on both sides of the ball.
The Bears wheel into the Motor City riding the momentum of a big win last week over the Vikings and I don’t expect to see them go into hibernation with a loss to the toothless Lions.
Week 14 NFL picks
Could see the blitz coming last week but just could not stop it. The Lineman’s Spider sense told him something just felt wrong but ignored the danger and well…the end result was a crushing 1-5 Week 13.
But we have followed up disappointing weeks with big ones all season and we are still hanging just above .500 so bounce back week is in order.
Record: 40-38. Last week 1-5
Pick of the Week: 7-6
Week 11 NFL picks
Well, that was a bruising week but 2-4 still leaves the Lineman above .500.
After the last 2-4 we had a big bounce back week so that’s the game plan again.
I was going to start off by making the Miami Dolphins my Pick of the Week but since that game has been played, well that would be cheating (I think).
Anyway, I get the impression many of you think I would still make the wrong pick – even if the game had been played.
But the Lineman can take a hit and is looking for revenge this week — starting with Pick of the Week.
http://blogs.reuters.com/sport/2009/11/2 1/week-11-nfl-picks/ is great! you have many fans in my country.
What was Bill Belichick thinking?
Bonehead move or brilliant gamble? Gutsy call or clueless mistake?
With the New England Patriots leading the surging Indianapolis Colts 34-28 with just over two minutes to play and staring at a fourth and two gamble on their own 28 yard line, was Bill Belichick’s decision to go for the first down rather than punt the ball away the right one?
The result, a shock 35-34 Colts comeback victory says Belichick made a boo boo.
Right or wrong, “The Call” sparked a debate more heated than healthcare reform across the United States on Monday and threatens to rage on for weeks to come as fans and commentators try to get inside one of the NFL’s greatest minds and get the answer to one question; “What was he thinking?”
Headlines Monday morning indicated many already had their answer.
“Beli-flop”screamed the headline in the New York Daily News while internet chat rooms were buzzing hailing Belichick “Bozo the Coach”.
Under cross-examination, Belichick stood by his decision but his body language as the final seconds ticked down on Sunday was saying something else like “What did I do?”
How could the Pats defence have been out of gas. They were on the field for only 4 minutes in each of the 3rd and 4th quarters. If they were out of gas after spending most of the 2nd half sitting on the bench, then NE has a serious problem with conditioning.
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Resident Left Field Expert
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