NFL Week 7 Picks

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 5-8
Season: 43-49-1

Home team in CAPS

BILLS (-4) over Titans

Not for nothing, I did say the Bills would be a playoff team. And right now they're tied for first in the AFC East. I keep telling myself this.

VIKINGS (-7) over Cardinals

Remember when Arizona was 4-0? It was actually a thing, just like the National Hockey League.

COLTS (-1) over Browns

Real simple: Andrew Luck over Brandon Weeden.

Ravens (+6.5) over TEXANS

My second favorite game of the week, for sure. A match-up of the only two AFC teams with winning records, as a matter of fact. I like the Ravens simply for the emotional boost of Terrell Suggs, knowing how hard he'll be balling.

PANTHERS (+3) over Cowboys

Don't worry Cam. I still got your back.

Redskins (+6.5) over GIANTS

The Redskins beat the champs not once, but twice last year. And they did it not once, but twice, with Rex Grossman. You see where I'm going here? Big day for Robert Griffin, the third victory in a row over the Giants.

Saints (-1.5) over BUCCANEERS

Big emotional boost from Jonathan Vilma in this one. And did you know that once this game is over, the interim interim coach steps aside for the interim coach? Good times in Nawlins.

PATRIOTS (-10) over Jets

I'm not going into any detail, other than there WILL be blood.

Jaguars (+6) over RAIDERS

Oakland looked great in defeat against Atlanta last week, right? Now they'll show you one of the many other variety of ways in which they can blow it.

Steelers (+1) over BENGALS

Steelers ain't finished playin' just yet. Anyone else pumped to hear Cris Collinsworth commentate his former team tonight, the Bengals? I mean I'm always pumped to hear Cris Collinsworth, but especially tonight.

BEARS (-6.5) over Lions

Bears have been absent for seemingly forever, and it continues all the way to tomorrow night, where they'll finally get a chance to remind everyone just how dangerous they are.

Seattle Slewed

I'd like to be more optimistic about the fact that the Patriots have lost their 3 games by a combined 4 points, but I can't. That means they can't win the close games. "Missed opportunities" would be the go-to cliche for this one. Brady had 395 yards, but that was probably the worst he's looked all year. Not in sync with any of the receivers, especially in the second half.

Give the Seahawks credit where it's due, they're a helluva team. Didn't realize just how good they were defensively.

Having said all this, I'm so beyond stoked for this Jets game next week I can't even put it into words. We are going to beat them. We are going to embarrass them. We are going to make Mark Sanchez wish he'd never crossed the border. We're going to make Tim Tebow....eh I won't make a Tebow joke at the risk of being struck down, but you get the point. I'm talking this is going to be like the 45-3 game from 2010. You heard it here first....

NFL Week 6 Picks

Some day, I'll wake up early enough on a Sunday to actually write a legitimate picks blog again. Til then, quick picks it is.

Last Week: 7-7

This Week: 0-1

Season: 37-41-1

Home team in CAPS

Bengals (-2) over BROWNS

The Browns gained a lot of draft picks in the Julio Jones trade with Atlanta, but they used one of them on Brandon Weeden. As if it wasn't enough to see what Jones is doing in Hotlanta.

Colts (+3) over JETS

Colts beat Packers, yet are underdogs to Jets? What planet is this? Jets are one of the worst 5 teams in football.

Chiefs (+4.5) over BUCCANEERS

Bucs are 1-13 in their last 14 games.

FALCONS (-9) over Raiders

Lock of the Week.

RAVENS (-3) over Cowboys

Remember when Dallas beat the Giants on opening night? We sure that wasn't opening night 1995?

EAGLES (-3.5) over Lions

Can't trust either team so I'll go with the home squad.

Rams (+5.5) over DOLPHINS

With apologies to my man Jake Sorensen, attending his first ever Dolphins game, this is the best Rams team of the last 6 or 7 years. Sure they've never finished better than 7-9, and even won just 6 games over a 3 year span at one point, but still.

Patriots (-3.5) over SEAHAWKS

Just watching ESPN as I'm writing this, did you know Pete Carroll has the second highest winning percentage in Patriots history? Don't think he gets any closer to reclaiming that one today.

Bills (+5.5) over CARDINALS 

Are the Cardinals the most fraudulent 4-1 team in recent NFL history? Other than Larry Fitzgerald there isn't a competent player on the entire offense, and that includes the O-Line.

REDSKINS (+1.5) over Vikings

Can't wait to see RGIII back out there.

49ERS (-7) over Giants

Don't even get me started on the NFC Championship.

Packers (+3.5) over TEXANS 

The Packers have already tripled their loss total from a year ago. Quadrupling it in just October? That ain't right. Texans will miss Brian Cushing, but I ain't crying for him. He's a roider.

BRONCOS (PK) over Chargers

Peyton Manning on a Monday night vs. Norv Turner. You tell me.

NFL Week 5 Picks

I'm rushing these picks but I wanna get them out there in print. Apologies I'll try harder next week.

Last Week: 6-9
This Week: 0-1
Season: 30-34-1


Home team in CAPS

Falcons (-3) over REDSKINS
STEELERS (-4) over Eagles
Packers (-6.5) over COLTS (Lock of the Week)
GIANTS (-8) over Browns
VIKINGS (-6) over Titans
BENGALS (-3) over Dolphins
Ravens (-6.5) over CHIEFS
PANTHERS (-2) over Seahawks
Bears (-6) over JAGUARS
PATRIOTS (-6.5) over Broncos
49ERS (-10) over Bills
SAINTS (-3.5) over Chargers
Texans (-8) over JETS

NFL Week 4 Picks

I'm almost happy I forgot to post my picks last week. Actually, I'm straight up thrilled I forgot to. Why? I undid all the good I had accomplished through the first two weeks. You know, getting off to a pretty solid 19-12-1 start calling games. Very, very solid as a matter of fact. But last week?

5-11.

Bringing me back to square one. 24-23-1, and now the Ravens handed me another loss by not coming even close to covering against the Browns. So I'm at .500.

But you know what? Maybe I shouldn't count last week. Or any of the first three weeks for that matter. We all know there's a little asterisk next to many of these games due to the replacement officials. According to John Buccigross's twitter, the ref who worked the biggest travesty of them all (the Green Bay/Seattle game, which was the equivalent of the Nagasaki bombing in that there was just no way the Japanese could continue on the charade of having a chance, much like the owners and Roger Goodell couldn't carry on the charade of "these guys are doing a good job"), was working a high school game in Texas on Friday night. Well, then.


By the way, I gave myself a win for that Packers/Seahawks game. If the correct call had been made, Green Bay would have won 12-7 and covered the -3 spread. Sue me. On to the picks.

Last Week: 5-11*
Season: 24-24-1*
This Week: 0-1
Locks of the Week: 1-2

Home team in CAPS

Patriots (-4) over BILLS

I keep getting flashbacks to my 12-year-old self, which is what I was the last time the Patriots were below. 500. The last time they were two games below .500? We'd have to go back to 2001, and my 10-year-old self. I'm not feeling it either. Sometimes you just have to go with what makes the most sense.

LIONS (-4) over Vikings

I'd say the law of averages is in play for this one too. Minnesota looked a little too good last week in upending the 49ers, while the Lions lost a coin-flip game with the Titans that really could have gone either way. When it's a situation like that, go with the home team.

FALCONS (-7) over Panthers

Obviously this isn't a pick I want to make. But I've argued all week that the Falcons have been the most impressive of the undefeated teams thus far, with Matt Ryan truly making a leap to elite quarterback status. Perhaps no better 1-2 punch at receiver in the game with Roddy White and Julio Jones, not to mention a top-3 tight end of all-time rounding out his career in Tony Gonzalez. (Who else is in the top 3? Simple. Ditka and Gronk).

49ers (-4) over JETS

Rex Ryan trying to go all Belichick on us and toss an offensive player, in this case Joe McKnight, in to the defensive backfield. Troy Brown's ain't a dime a dozen. I like this plan to flop just like pretty much everything else has with the Ryan-era Jets. We realize we were a few Dan Carpenter missed field goals away from full-on Tebowmania this week?

CHIEFS (+1.5) over Chargers

Jamaal Charles's ACL looks to be alright. So does Norv Turner's September ways, as the Chargers were full-on embarrassed last week by the Falcons. I'll go with the home team getting points here.

TEXANS (-13) over Titans

Matt Schaub ain't afraid of Mike Tyson.

Seahawks (-3) over RAMS

The Seahakws have been the benefit of two of the most notorious calls of the fake-ref era. We all know about last Monday, but remember Week 1, when they were awarded 4 timeouts in the second half? They couldn't capitalize since they put their faith in Braylon Edwards, a known mistake, but things are happening in Seattle. New arena being built for the return of the NBA and maybe even NHL. The Oilers owners were in town last week touring Key Arena. You know, assuming the NHL ever has a season. Or future.

CARDINALS (-4) over Dolphins

The Cardinals are about to become one of the most perplexing 4-0 teams of all-time. Seriously did anyone see this coming? Like, anyone? And with Kevin Kolb no less? By the way, Philly fans, how's Vick doing?

BRONCOS (-7) over Raiders

Much like Tom Brady, I can't see a Peyton Manning-led team falling two games below .500. Or losing three in a row, for that matter, with two of the losses coming at home.

Bengals (+1.5) over JAGUARS

Ordinarily, I don't think there's any reason to get excited over a Bengals-Jaguars game. I'm having a hard time thinking if both teams were ever relevant at the same time. And they aren't of equal relevance today, either. But you know who's officiating this game today? It's the return of Ed Hochuli! Must-see TV all of a sudden. I can't figure out why the NFL didn't drop him on a primetime game for the life of me but hey, I don't think I've ever been more excited to see another man's biceps. In fact this is the only time I've ever been excited to see another man's biceps. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

PACKERS (-7.5) over Saints

I'm a little disappointed Mike McCarthy's post-game press conference after the debacle Monday night didn't result in one of the all-time great blooper moments, along the lines of a Jim Mora "playoffs" or Dennis Green "they are who we thought they were". But I'm pretty sure off camera, he couldn't have been too thrilled, and nor could anyone on the Packers have been. For what it's worth, though, they still only would have won 12-7.....where's the offense? I'd say against the depleted Saints it finally wakes up. I'm confident enough in that I'll bestow Lock of the Week status here.

Redskins (+2) over BUCCANEERS

If it's essentially a coin-toss of a game, look to quarterback play. RGIII over Josh Freeman any day of the week and twice on Sunday's. Which is perfect, because today's Sunday.

EAGLES (-2.5) over Giants

Nick Foles isn't about to become a starting NFL quarterback.

COWBOYS (-3.5) over Bears

Has any team looked uglier than the Bears the last two weeks, despite winning one of those games? I think they'll play better against the 'Boys, but it's time for them to have a breakout game too. Home team on a Monday night.

The 2004 Red Sox Reunion Show

An eight year reunion? Oh really? What's next, the 17 1/2 year reunion in April 2021? Don't forget the 23 2/3 year reunion in June 2027. I guess I get that it's the 100th year of Fenway but other than that just another "desperate move by a desperate player", in the words of Chris Boyle. John Henry and the gang trying to cash in on a soon-to-be 90 loss season. Last time Red Sox lost 90 games? 1966, but I digress.

No why I'm really writing this is that Nomar was there. Nomahhhhhhh. Let it all out. Bettah than Jetah and A-Rawd once upon a time, right? How quickly people seem to forget.....

....that Nomar was actually traded away during the 2004 season? Like we won in spite of Nomar? July 31, 2004, one of the most important dates in your Red Sox history books. Out goes Nomah, who'd played in just 38 of the teams first 90 games. In comes Orlando Cabrera to save the day at shortstop, rescuing us from an August and September of the Pokey Reese/Caesar Crespo/Ricky Gutierrez triumvirate. 

How quickly people forget that if that trade isn't made, the Red Sox don't win the 2004 World Series. End of story. And who knows what the chain of reactions would be that followed? They wouldn't necessarily have won it all in 2007. A change in course could have occurred following '04. Remember, aside from Nomar, Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe were also slated to become free agents following the season. Neither of them returned as it was. Could you imagine losing both of them after not winning it all?

So my gripe, basically, is that the team acts like Nomar was an integral part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Letting him hold the trophy at the like. No he wasn't! You know who was at Fenway more times than Nomar in August and September of that season? ME! I WAS THERE TWICE! HE WAS IN CHICAGO! I remember this game very clearly, D-Lowe having the Angels at his mercy. Couldn't tell you the second game, but I remember distinctly me and Jesse screaming at Kevin Millar and ultimately getting him to wave at us. Hey I was 13, right on that fringe of it being cute or pathetic.

Speaking of cute or pathetic, this reunion show fell on the side of "pathetic". A Two and a Half Men reunion show with Charlie Sheen would have made more sense last night than this. John Henry though.....all about the fans.

.....Nomahhhhhhhh!

Torrey Smith, "The Last Time", and the best commissioner in sports

Disclaimer 1: Sorry I forgot my picks column yesterday. I did write them down, just never posted them. Went 6-9 through the first 15 games of the weekend. My "Lock of the Week" was Saints over Chiefs. We saw how that turned out.

Disclaimer 2: This isn't a recap of the Patriots game yesterday. My quick opinions: officiating was equally horrendous for both sides and therefore cannot be blamed for the loss. Try more handing the ball off to Danny Woodhead 15 times for just 34 yards, including some inexplicable run calls in the 4th quarter. Whether the kick was good or not, we may never know. 

Torrey Smith's performance last night could be described with one word: Favreian, as I tweeted last night. What's the correlation? Remember when the gunslinger played a nationally televised night game just a day after his father's death, torching the Raiders for 399 yards? Smith, in case you didn't hear, dealt with the loss of his younger brother in the early morning hours of Sunday. It would have been easy for him to take the game off and tend to his family. Instead? 6 catches, 127 yards, 2 touchdowns. He's another level of mental toughness I can't even begin to explain, just that it's Favreian.

Okay, now for the Patriots aspect of things. One of my favorite games to play is "the last time". Like, "the last time this happened, that happened." And it has to be something mind-boggling. For example: "before this season, the last time the Orioles had a winning record, Seinfeld was still in its 9th season and Hong Kong was still under British rule" or "the last time Frank Ryan won anything meaningful in fantasy sports, both members of the Levin family got straight A's." Only one of these scenarios is true, by the way.

What's this "the last time" for? The Patriots currently sit at 1-2, below .500. The last time they were below .500 at any point in a season? September 7, 2003, when the team was blown out by the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, 31-0. Consider the last time the Patriots were below .500,

• Drew Bledsoe was the starting quarterback for the Bills that day.

• Among other starting quarterbacks that weekend: Patrick Ramsey, Quincy Carter, Tommy Maddox, and Jeff Blake

• David Wells out-dueled Jeff Suppan, as the Yankees beat the Red Sox 3-1. Mariano Rivera earned save no. 276 on his career, a total he's since more than doubled to 608.

• The following Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks were still in college: Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers.

• The first NHL lockout hadn't even happened yet!

• Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, West Virginia were still in the Big East; Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M, and Missouri were still in the Big XII, and Penn State's losing streak was only at 62 games.

• Major combat had been over in Iraq for nearly 4 months. Seriously, look it up.

• "Shake Ya Tailfeather" by Nelly, Diddy, and Murphy Lee was no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. "P.I.M.P" by 50 Cent was no. 4

• I'm not sure what the demographics of are the blog these days, what the split of readers is between Hingham and Rhode Island, but I'd guess that less than half of the people reading this knew who I was. In fact, some of you were at least 6 years away from getting to know me, at least.

• Two and a Half Men would be making its series premier in three weeks

• There were only 313 episodes of The Simpsons. We're now at 508, with Season 23 set to premier this coming Sunday.

• Carly Rae Jepsen was a senior in high school.

Get the idea? It's been awhile. 

Now on to the most pressing of issues: Who's the best commissioner in professional sports right now? Is it Gary Bettman, who's league is currently in it's third work stoppage under his watch, and looking at a second cancelled season? 

Is it David Stern, who infamously vetoed the Chris Paul deal to the Lakers, almost lost an entire NBA season, dealt with the Tim Donaghy scandal, who's almost certainly rigged some draft lotteries, and let the SuperSonics literally be stolen from Seattle?

Is it Bud Selig, a man who's cancelled the World Series, declared the all-star game a tie, dealt with (by far) the most rampant use of performance-enhancing drugs of the four leagues, and currently has a post-season format for the Divisional Series (this season, anyways) where the team with home-field advantage won't play a home game until Game 3 of the series? And these are 5 gamers.

Or is it perhaps Roger Goodell, the man in charge of the most popular of the leagues, the one who's dealing with so much fallout from concussion lawsuits the league has been turning an eye on for years, the one who's league brought in roughly $10 billion in revenue a year ago, yet won't pay professional referees a matter of $5 million more per season, a man who despite all we've learned about concussions wants to add two regular-season games, a man who by letting these replacement officials run around, has essentially turned the league into the WWF? Yet another commissioner who almost lost a season due to a lockout? A man who's had no checks and balances in handing out punishments for players, most notably the Saints bounty scandal?

I defy you to come up with an answer for this one, because I sure as hell can't tell who it is. Be sure to vote in the poll. At the top of the page.

PS I have absolutely no idea who the MLS commissioner is, or if they even have one, but props to him for staying out of the headlines. Although with all sports in such disarray at the top, wouldn't this be an excellent opportunity for soccer to enter the mainstream in America? If not now, then never.

NFL Week 2 Picks

It's easy to forget just how great these Autumn Sunday's can be. Having the NFL back on puts the Funday back in Sunday. The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Cleveland Browns spent a 1st round pick on a 28-year old quarterback who posted a 5.1 quarterback rating. Anytime a QB rating is just three points higher than my GPA, that should be a major red flag.

What else stayed the same in Week 1? How about the Patriots offense looking as spry and dynamic as ever. Gronkowski and Hernandez had about as close to identical stats as you can get. Gronk: 6 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD. Hernandez: 6 catches, 59 yards, 1 TD. Is it a stretch to say the Patriots have the best two tight ends in the NFL? I'll spot Jimmy Graham and maybe Vernon Davis (despite being denied by the crossbar). But having two of the top four tight ends in the league is a luxury that, well.....it really makes you laugh about the Ben Watson and Daniel Graham days. Alright Grahmer was a decent blocker but lets move on.

After a fairly sluggish 2011 picking games, finishing well below .500, I got off and running last week. 10-6, against the spread? If I were a degenerate gambler I would've been buying everyone rounds at Bon Vue this past week, I'll leave it at that. Straight cash homie. But how do I avoid a Week 2 let down? It's quite simple. Certain things just CAN'T happen. For instance, Thursday night's game, Green Bay vs. Chicago? I would've bet my left testicle the Pack would prevail. Why? A team that went 15-1 a year ago isn't going to start 0-2 at home. Can't happen, won't happen. Easy money.

So that's basically the key: there's certain things which after surveying the previous season just simply can't and won't happen. Think the Steelers are going to start 0-2 against a Revis-less Jets team? I'm saying lay out your "Terrible Towels" on Revis Island today. Patriots losing a home opener for the first time since like 1994? Yeah that ain't happening either. Just remember these things as you read through my picks.

Last Week: 10-6
Season: 11-6
This Week: 1-0
Locks of the Week: 1-0 (Patriots over Titans)

Home team in CAPS

GIANTS (-8) over Buccaneers

Here's another easy one for the law of averages. The worst defending Super Bowl champions of all time won't start 0-2. Although it would be comical that they'd be 9-9 in their last 18 regular season games. But remember kids, you can't spell "Elite" without "Eli". Or something.

PATRIOTS (-13.5) over Cardinals

What happened the last time the Patriots played the Cardinals back in 2008? New England won 47-7. Arizona later went to the Super Bowl and the Patriots missed the playoffs despite going 11-5. Keep in mind Kurt Warner was under center for the Cards that today; today, it's Kevin Kolb. Absolutely no bitterness about the 9-7 Cardinals making it to the Super Bowl that year though (and damn near winning). I just don't get it sometimes.

COLTS (+3) over Vikings

Does Andrew Luck get outplayed by Christian Ponder? No, no he doesn't. Jim Irsay will be pulling all the punches he can for Indy's home field advantage. By the way, top follows on twitter in no particular order: @thechrisburnham, @DanaB_Number3, @FauxJohnMadden, @buffspartan28, and @JimIrsay. For what it's worth.

PANTHERS (+3) over Saints

My buddy Robert Danis, freshman at Elon University in North Carolina, is attending Cam's home opener today. More jealous I could not be. He asked me who I had in this game, and obviously I went with Cam. My explanation? It's his world, we're just living in it.

BILLS (-3) over Chiefs

I picked Buffalo to win an AFC wild-card. Can't abandon ship after just one week. Remember, the 2003 Patriots lost their season opener 31-0 on their way to winning the Super Bowl. Just disregard that Tom Brady was the quarterback in that one, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is in this one, and it makes perfect sense.

Ravens (+3) over EAGLES

I'd say 99% of the time, lines in the NFL make sense. This is the 1%. Baltimore won 44-13 in Week 1. Philadelphia did win, 17-16, but it was against the Browns and Mike Vick had 4 interceptions. I don't get it but take these three free points, they don't come around often. Do I hear Lock of the Week? Yes, yes I do.

Raiders (-1.5) over DOLPHINS

Raiders have been favored in their first two games. Maybe the times are a-changin. They're still brutal, but not nearly as brutal the Ryan Tannehill Express. Did I mention his wife is a certified smokeshow though? It evens out for the kid.

BENGALS (-7) over Browns
Texans (-6.5) over JAGUARS

Mediocrity never wins, so why start now?

Cowboys (-3) over SEAHAWKS

I'm not saying I'm completely buying Tony Romo's Week 1 performance just yet, but I'm definitely jumping on the bandwagon if he can duplicate it in Seattle. Winning against the worst defending champs of all time on opening night, followed by an extremely difficult stadium to win in, Seattle? The Romocoaster is trending upwards.

Redskins (-3.5) over RAMS

The DC area now has RGIII, Bryce Harper, Steven Strasburg, and Alexander Ovechkin to root for. Not a bad haul from the days of Rex Grossman, no baseball team followed by Livan Hernandez, and Peter Bondra, is it?

STEELERS (-3.5) over Jets

Biggest mirage from Week 1? 48 points from the Jets, and it's not even close. I'll be surprised if they score 48 more points the rest of the month, especially without Dustin Keller today in the Steel City. Get ready for Skip Bayless tomorrow morning, in other words.

CHARGERS (-6.5) over Titans

For once, the Chargers are flying under the radar thanks to a certain surgically-repaired quarterback in Denver. Could be a role they thrive in, with tempered expectations. But if they finally figure out how to win in September and October under Norv Turner? Just remember to thank me when the Chargers are 6-2 and the national media picks up the scent.

49ERS (-7) over Lions

Rand University's most famous alum had his best game since leaving Foxboro, and I couldn't be happier for the man. I just wish he was still splitting through defense in our neck of the woods, but he sure looks like he's going to be more and more useful for the 49ers. If Peyton's neck falls apart, he's a lock for Comeback Player of the Year....

Broncos (+3) over FALCONS

....I'm not doctor, but Dr. Collinsworth put it this way last Sunday. So I'll close it out with the wise words of Cris Collinsworth himself: "I'm not sure how his neck feels, but his brain sure looks fine".

NFL Week 1 Picks

Damn I haven't blogged since June 29? If the Summer of Gronk was a 10, and the Summer of George was a 0, I'd clock in right around the middle at 5. It was a great summer, just not one filled with mixing it up with porn stars a la Gronk. But I didn't slip and fall on invitations while being unemployed, either. So I'll put myself in the middle.

I regret not blogging at all, however. I mean sure I was busy this summer, trying out a few new jobs and what not, but all kinds of crazy things have happened since late June. For what it's worth, that's the day I started work for my father, so I guess I was stripped of my soul in some ways.

So I already went over my NFL predictions on the air between last Thursday and Friday's show, but a quick recap of your 12 playoff teams:

AFC: Patriots, Steelers, Texans, Broncos, Chargers, Bills
NFC: Cowboys, Packers, Falcons, 49ers, Bears, Panthers

Super Bowl XLVII: Patriots over 49ers

Now there's no telling how many brain cells I've destroyed between now and my most recent blog posting, but have no fear, I will continue to deliver high quality blogs with my picks all season long. I'm back. And maybe I'll even start writing about some other things again. To be fair, nobody really wants to read about the Red Sox soap opera, do they? But so help me God if there's an NHL lockout, my opinions of Gary Bettman will make their way to a computer screen near you.

Alright how about these Week 1 picks? I already sniped Dallas over the most fraudulent defending champions in recent memory on Wednesday night, so I'm gonna try to keep batting 1.000 here.

Home team in CAPS

BEARS (-9.5) over Colts

For years, the Bears defense has been their signature, the reason they've been an intriguing sleeper candidate all along. I mean Rex Grossman sure as hell didn't lead them to Super Bowl XLI. Between Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, you knew week in, week out, you had two of the best linebackers on the field at any given moment in Chicago. And that's still the case. However....

....this is the best offensive team fans at Soldier Field will have witnessed since....ever? Not to compare Matt Forte to Walter Payton by any means, but it's been so long since even an average offense existed in the Chicagoland area. The build-up has been coming for a few years now, since drafting Forte and acquiring Jay Cutler, but the moves the team made this off-season could put them over the top. Brandon Marshall is what he is, a completely insane yet driven individual who thrived with Cutler during their marriage in Denver. 102 and 104 catches, respectively, in their two full seasons together (2007-08). The addition of Michael Bush to the backfield to spell Forte is a monumental upgrade over Marion Barber.

Andrew Luck and the Colts will be competitive, just not this week against a surefire playoff team.

Eagles (-9.5) over BROWNS

Which Cleveland team has more hope, the Browns, Indians, or Cavaliers? It's almost like asking whether there's more hope for peace in Sudan, Iraq, or Afghanistan. Surely, the degrees differ. But not to the Clevelanders.

Bills (+3) over JETS

Over/under on sacks today for new acquisitions Mario Williams and Mark Anderson? Two apiece sounds fair, right? Which is funny, because I'm assuming there'll be about four plays where Tim Tebow is under center for the Jets. You may not know this, but I have a strong feeling the Tebow/Sanchez thing isn't going to end well.

Redskins (+8) over SAINTS

I kinda wish I had known the bounty suspensions would be voided before making my season predictions....but I'll stand by 'em. The Saints still can't run the ball, and who knows how effective Jonathan Vilma will be. Not saying they fall off the face of the Earth, but a 9-7 type of season feels about right. RGIII will have the best debut of the 5 rookie QB's.

Patriots (-5.5) over TITANS

Pats getting less than a touchdown? Really? This could be a 2007 type of opener, where the offense absolutely explodes to the tune of 38 points. Hopefully there's no accusations of illicit camera activity afterwards, though. I'm so confident in the Pats today I'll even bestow my "Lock of the Week" pick for them.

VIKINGS (-3.5) over Jaguars

At least Adrian Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew will actually play, albeit coming off of major ACL surgery and a holdout. Thing is, they're still the best offensive players on each team, even with their restrictions.

TEXANS (-13) over Dolphins

If I had one pick for a team that could go 0-16....it's the Fins. Ryan Tannehill's wife is the only reason to watch Miami, although it is a damn good reason.

LIONS (-9.5) over Rams

According to Adam Schefter, there's a female official in this game. I have a paper to write on women's rights due tonight. Maybe I'll have to give this game a whirl after all.

Falcons (-2.5) over CHIEFS

Tony Gonzalez back in Kansas City! This Falcons offense has the potential to be scary good this year in Tony G's swan song, and with no Brandon Flowers today, Matt Ryan should get off to a great start against the Kansas City defense.

49ers (+5) over PACKERS

Any time an offense that already had Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, and Frank Gore can go out and add Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, and Brandon Jacobs....not to mention return all 11 starters from one of the top defenses in the league....you have to be thinking Super Bowl or bust, right?

Panthers (-2.5) over BUCCANEERS

Take the money and run with this pick. Cam Newton's sophomore season is bound to be even more impressive than his rookie campaign. You don't think he's ticked off people are saying RGIII is going to be better than him? Panthers in the playoffs. Book it.

Seahawks (-2.5) over CARDINALS 

I do think the Seahawks will be a fun team to watch with Russell Wilson. I also think Bill Simmons has officially "jumped the shark" by picking Seattle to go to the Super Bowl. Really Simmons? Grantland was already a questionable enough move but now this? It's like when Survivor had Coach and Ozzy come back the same season. Just absolutely no need or correlation to anything whatsoever.

BRONCOS (-2) over Steelers

There's absolutely no ceiling or floor for what Peyton Manning could do this season. It's virtually unprecedented. Broncos could go 12-4 and make the Super Bowl and I wouldn't be all that surprised, or they could flop and go 7-9 and I wouldn't be all that surprised. Just know that if Manning's neck doesn't hold up, and there's a QB controversy somewhere in New York soon, and a certain left-handed quarterback emerges and starts winning games....like I said, it's all unprecedented.

RAVENS (-7) over Bengals

I'm afraid this is the year age catches up with the Ravens D. Ed Reed to is too fragile, and Terrell Suggs is out for at least the first six weeks. More pressure on Joe Flacco and the offense than ever before. Fortunately, week 1 pits them against a Bengals team that hasn't had back-to-back winning seasons since the early 1980's. We shall see.

Chargers (+1.5) over RAIDERS

Norv Turner has used up 8.5 of his 9 lives....and surely he won't survive another slow start this year. But I'm not buying that anything will be different in Oakland. The argument "a full season of Carson Palmer".....is that necessarily a good thing?

The New Lords of No Rings

Disclaimer: If you're looking for me to praise LeBron in this piece, I advise you stop reading now. Congratulations, Bronny. I'll let Newman take it from here.

Alright now on to far more important matters: who do we replace LeBron with for the "No Rings" jokes? Besides the fact that he was (and still is; he could win not 5, not 6, not 7 and that won't change) an egotistical, self-absorbed diva, it was so much fun to mock LeBron because of "The Decision" or that infamous "Welcome Party" the Heat threw, or when he and D-Wade mocked Dirk during the Finals last year, or his taunting KG in the Eastern Finals this year.....

Okay I'm already off track. It's going to take me a rather long while to adjust to this new world we're living in where "LeBron James" and "Champion" belong in the same sentence. But have no fear, I've picked out several athletes, both current and former, who when all combined may not be as smug as BronBron, we can still take satisfaction in jokes like "their favorite Johnny Cash song is "Of Fire"" (No "Ring" of Fire).

Roberto Luongo

Certainly the most delusional you'll find on this list, remember Luongo's comments during the 2011 Stanley Cup when he made the case that he was still better than Tim Thomas? Even after the Canucks were outscored 165-7 over the course of the series (okay it was 24-8 but still)? Then to see Luongo cowardly sit during the Canucks lone trip to Boston this past regular season, followed by a first-round flame out to the Kings? It was beautiful, all of it, especially after he got benched after Game 2. In related news, Luongo has requested a trade from Vancouver. 

Dwight Howard

D12, not to be confused with that group Eminem performed "Till I Collapse" with....actually wait that's totally perfect. Because Dwight's popularity has undergone a monumental collapse the last year or so, as he toys around with the idea of leaving the Magic to get closer to a championship (with the Nets, no less. Makes complete sense). He's waffled more times than Brett Favre ever did with retirement. He ultimately decided to exercise his option to stay in Orlando for next season, only to shut it down near the end of last season to opt for back surgery rather than try and help the Magic contend for a title. I'll tell ya, LeBron may have quit on the floor near the end of his Cleveland days, but at least he never went off the floor.

Alex Ovechkin

Hilarious enough that it is that people still think Ovechkin is better than Crosby, there's not even a need to look at the ring department here (Crosby 1, Ovie 0, for the record). Look at how his production has fallen these past several years? 109 points in 2009-10, to 85 points in 2010-11, to 65 points this past season. And isn't a guy who's (supposedly) the best player in the world supposed to at least get his team to a Cup or two? We just wrapped up Year 7 of the Ovechkin Administration in DC, and he's yet to even get his team to the Conference Finals. Am I the only one who's noticed that?

Carmelo Anthony

Due to the LeBronification of the NBA, Carmelo set his sights on leaving Denver to play for a team that would get him closer to that elusive championship. A 1-8 playoff record thus far with the Knickerbockers is exactly what he was talking about, right? Not to mention a 43-40 regular season record in games which he's suited up since taking his talents to Madison Square. It's hard to say definitively that Denver is better without Carmelo, but they're absolutely positively not worse, either. We'll give 'Melo some slack for delivering a National Championship at Syracuse, but his exit from Denver really displayed his true colors. Certainly worthy of this list.

LaDainian Tomlinson

"They showed no class and maybe that comes from the head coach"-LT after a postseason loss to the Patriots in 2006. Tomlinson actually had a good day, rushing for 123 yards and two scores, but the following season, when the teams met again in the playoffs? Two rushes for five yards with a "hurt toe". I realize he was plagued by Marty Schottenheimer and Norv Turner for much of his career, but if you're gonna talk the way LT did, better walk the walk too. Then again I guess you can't walk much with a hurt toe.

Barry Bonds

This could be any ringless slugger with ties to juicing, but why not the mastermind behind the hit reality series "Bonds on Bonds". The only guy on this list who could actually make a case at being more smug than LeBron, Barry made just one trip to the Fall Classic in his 20 year career, falling short to the Rally Monkey and the Anaheim Angels. Perhaps the one thing Pirates fans can take solace in these days is that even though they haven't had a winning season since Barroid split town in '92, he never did get that ring by the bay.

Judge Smails

Would Caddyshack have been as highly regarded if Smails and Dr. Beeper hadn't choked against Ty Webb, Al Czervik, and Danny Noonan? Really Smails's blown lead, starting right after Al broke his arm, is about equal to a team blowing a 3-0 lead in a playoff series. Even the fearless Webb had seemingly given up after he told Czervik "you, you're not good" after the Front 9. You've gotta wonder if Rocco ever tracked him down after he declined to pay Al.

The Monstars

God forbid they ever make a Space Jam II, I would actually root for these guys for a shot at redemption. Because we all know who would play the role of Michael Jordan: LeBron James. 

Celtics vs. Heat: The Morning After

When someone gets voted out of the game of Survivor, the CBS producers always wait to interview them until the following day. Let the emotions settle, let the bitterness or humility simmer down, let things come into focus. It's a wise move, because who knows how caught up in the moment one could get immediately after being eliminated from the game.

So along these same terms, I let last night's Celtics defeat settle for a few hours, grasp the fullness of it, and what it means moving forward. Don't get me wrong, last night sucked, but I didn't take a bottle of tequila to the face (Super Bowl XLVI), or stare blankly at a ceiling for half an hour (Super Bowl XLII), or cry (Aaron Boone). In those three instances, it's pretty clear the Patriots were the better team on both occasions, and that the Red Sox beat themselves via a managerial [in]decision. And that's what made them all so damn frustrating. But last night?

The better team won.

And it kills me to say that, because the game was tied after three quarters. And because Game 2, above the others, was so poorly officiated. And that for the third time in the Pierce/Garnett/Allen epoch, the Celtics blew a 3-2 series lead. And that it's entirely possible we've seen the last of KG and Ray-Ray on the parquet floor.

But make no mistake about it. The Heat were the better team last night. Don't believe me? The Celtics scored 88 points. You know how many of those came from the bench? 2. Two. Dos. Duex, on a second quarter bucket from Ryan Hollins. Granted, the Heat had only one player come off of the bench who scored, but it was Chris Bosh, who chipped in 19. Including three 3-pointers.

I wrote yesterday that the Celtics would be in an excellent position to win if Paul Pierce scored 25 points. He put in 19, on 7-18 shooting. His quest to secure his legacy in Celtics lore remains out with the jury.

The Celtics were ultimately undone by a lack of bench. Injuries to Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and even Chris Wilcox really limited the upside of this team. Bradley was proving over the course of the season, and into the post-season, that he was among the best on-ball defenders in the entire NBA. Jeff Green, who's run here could be classified as an unequivocal disaster so far (especially considering what the Thunder have done without him). But you don't think his presence would've taken the burden off of Pierce at any point this season? The Truth, more than KG or Allen, was done in by the lack of scoring the Celtics were able to provide off the bench. Allen, if you remember, was coming off the bench for Bradley by later in the season. And Garnett, for whatever reason, turned back the clock to 2008. But in the end Pierce, the longest-tenured current Celtic, was the largest victim of his age.

Moving forward, I've been on record all along that KG will be back. And why not? Assuming the Celtics draft a real center later this month, KG will be able to cut back his minutes tremendously next season, as he can continue to be spelled by Brandon Bass. Who was outstanding this season, by the way. Let Garnett ride off into the sunset here in the same manner the Spurs are doing with Tim Duncan. You know, like earning the 1-seed in back-to-back post-seasons. And really, there's no reason to let Ray Allen go either. I personally think he'll retire, but if he could come back on a cap-friendly deal, by all means. Could there be a more lethal sixth man in the league than Jesus Shuttlesworth?

The key difference between the Celtics and Spurs again problems, however, is this: we happen to have Rajon Rondo. In other words, even once the Big 3 do move on to the retirement home, the Celtics will still have one of the 10 most valuable players in the NBA. Rebuilding on the fly. It can work.

As for the Heat? Sure I said all the right things earlier, but does that mean I'm rooting for them now?

Not bloody likely. And if you don't understand the significance of the SuperSoncis pennant here, then, clearly you don't know me all that well. Or the follow the NBA, one or the other.

LeBron's legacy on the line? How about Paul Pierce

"Predictions are worthless".

Bob Ryan, the famed sportswriter for the Boston Globe, told me this in an encounter I had with him at Tiger Mart on the afternoon of Game 1 of this series. It's not the first time I've run into Ryan, but it's the first time I got to have somewhat of a conversation with him. I once sold him a jockstrap at Pro Sports (true story), and I also held a door open for him once (he didn't thank me). So I figured third time would be the charm.

When I say "conversation", I really mean that maybe two or three sentences were exchanged by each of us. I asked him if they [the Celtics] were gonna do it tonight, and he gave me his words of wisdom. Predictions are worthless.

Of course....I did say heading into this series it'd be a 7-gamer. I didn't figure the Celts would drop the first two and then win three in a row, but no matter how we got here, the bottom line is we got here.

LeBron James has been downright brilliant at times this series, and downright frustrating in others. I mean I still can't get over the fact he decided not to drive on Mickael Pietrus at the end of regulation in Game 4, opting instead to pass the ball. In typical LeBron fashion, he had a monster first half in Game 6. His onslaught continued into the second half, putting the game out of reach. There's really no joke I can make about the fact that just 4 of his 45 points came in the 4th quarter, either, because as I said, the game was out of reach.

The key tonight for a Celtics victory isn't so much slowing down James, because quite frankly I just don't see it happening. But if they can neutralize D-Wade the way they've been doing (for the most part) this series, it will take another Jordan-esque effort from LeBron for the Heat to have a strong chance of winning. Yes I just said Jordan-esque. I'm not ready to live in a world where LeBron James is considered "clutch", and neither should you.

Another aspect of tonight's game that will be crucial is pretty simple: which Paul Pierce shows up. Obviously he won't go 4-18 shooting again, but can he reprise a previous Game 7 battle with LeBron, back from 2008? I have no doubt in my mind Hondo and KJ Rondo and KG are ready to go for this one tonight. I'll say this right now: Paul Pierce doesn't have to go for 41 like he did back in '08, but if he can score 25 points, the Celtics will win this game. I truly believe that is the X-factor.

Paul Pierce has been a Celtic his entire career. He's been through it all. Antoine Walker. Bimbo Coles. Tony Delk. Vin Baker. Dan Dickau. Wally Szczerbiak. The Big 3. Through it all, he's got one ring to his credit. That's enough for players on most teams to cement themselves as an all-time great, but not in the land of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and the others. Pierce may be the Celtics second all-time leading scorer, but if he ever wants to be mentioned consistently in the same breath as Russell, Bird, Havlicek, Cousy.....it's gonna take some more bling. And this may well be Pierce's last chance to accomplish that.

Forget LeBron. He'll have more chances. Paul Pierce has just as much on the line tonight from a historical perspective, probably more so.

So back to this whole prediction thing. Whatever Bob. I think predictions matter coming from the right people , if they know what they're talking about. I'm not saying that I do, and I'm not saying that I don't. But I'm 100% saying that the Celtics are going back to the NBA Finals tonight, to the tune of a 100-95 victory in South Beach. Bring on the SuperSonics.

Stanley Cup Preview

Alright, so it doesn't quite have the flair of Bruins-Canucks from a year ago. I'd like to think that one was an all-time great, a series that could captivate audiences from coast to coast. And north of the border, of course. A team that had never won the Cup from Canada, up against an Original Six team that hadn't raised it in 39 years. Additionally, the Canucks were the President's Trophy winners (and therefore a 1 seed out West), while the Bruins had at least won their division (as the 3 seed).

This year, the Devils won the East as a 6 seed, while the Kings upended the Western picture as the 8 seed. To the pink hat novice hockey fan, this one may seem like a fluke, a snoozer.

Far from it.

Everyone who knows the most minuscule amount about hockey knows who plays goalie for the New Jersey Devils: Martin Brodeur. In his 18th season, the NHL's all-time winningest goalie remains in elite form. The Devils got to this point thanks in large part to Marty, who's gone 12-5 during the post-season with a 2.04 goals against average (GAA) and a .923 save percentage (SV%). Brodeur has already won 3 Stanley Cups in his career, but none since 2003. For what it's worth, Brodeur has never won the Conn Smythe award as the MVP of the playoffs during the Devils' Cup runs. His numbers are more than qualified for such an honor this time around, should the Devils prevail.

The Devils also feature Ilya Kovalchuk, who's in just the second year of a 15-year, $100 contract he signed with New Jersey prior to the 2010-11 season. The former 50-goal scorer with the Atlanta Thrashers struggled mightily his first season in the Garden State, particularly in the season's first half. He finished up with 31 goals and 29 assists for 60 points, a far cry from his 91 points in 2008-09, his final full season in Atlanta. Kovy rebounded nicely this year, putting up 37-46-83 totals, especially remarkable considering the Devils defensive-minded system. In other words, the contract doesn't look quite as much of a bummer as the 15 year pact signed by Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro back in 2006.

Across the coast, the Kings have plenty of star power fit for their LA location. "Flyers West", they've been hailed, as prominent former Philadelphia players Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, among others, now call SoCal home. Richards has spent the entire season with Los Angeles; Carter moved there at the trade deadline, via Columbus. Richards recorded just 44 points this year (18-26-44), his lowest since 2007. Carter, who played 39 games in the hockey purgatory that is Columbus (plus 16 with LA) produced just 36 points, the lowest of his career. The two players are forever linked, as they were each drafted by the Flyers in the 1st round of the historic 2003 NHL draft (featuring former King/Hingham native Brian Boyle, for what it's worth). The pair has put up a combined 20 points through the Kings 14 playoff games so far. Not exactly setting the world on fire, but when you have Jon Quick between the pipes....

....remember Tim Thomas during last year's Stanley Cup run? You know, the 1.98 GAA and .940 SV%? (Cue up the Bachman-Turner Overdrive....) You ain't seen nothin' yet. Quick, through 13 post-season contests, is 12-2 with a 1.54 GAA and a .946 SV%. Numbers so gaudy, he could be in a position to win the Conn Smythe, win or lose, for the Kings. The UMass Amherst product, for comparison, has numbers even better than those of J.S. Giguere circa 2003. Giguere, to date, is the last goaltender (and player, for that matter) to win the Conn Smythe on a team that ultimately lost the Stanley Cup. Coincidentally, Giguere's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, another SoCal team, lost to the Devils that year.

So now that you know about all of the star power....actually we still haven't covered American hero Zach Parise, rookie sensation Adam Henrique, or the ageless Patrick Elias for the Devils. Nor have we covered Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, or Dustin Brown for the Kings.

We've got two pretty even teams here. The Devils have a far superior Power Play (18% vs. 8%); the Kings are the better penalty-killing team (91%-74%). So special teams will no doubt be a factor in this series. I figured throughout the post-season that this would be Marty Brodeur's last run at another Stanley Cup, but he said the other day he plans on returning next year regardless. Maybe I'm reading too much into those comments, maybe I'm not. But the sense of urgency level for the Devils has probably dropped juuuust a bit due to those comments.

Meanwhile, LA, a Second Six team formed in 1967, has never won the Stanley Cup. Heck, they've only been to one Cup all-time, with Wayne Gretzky back in 1993. And there's a slight trend here. Blackhawks break a 49-year drought in 2010. Bruins a 39-year drought in 2011.

So I guess I'm gonna go Kings in 7. Sorry, Puddy. You can always invest in a Jonathan Quick jersey.

The Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Heat Fans

Good looks leaving the game early, really. How many Heat "fans" actually existed before LeBron signed with Miami? Honestly? I know one true loyal Heat fan, Jake Sorensen of Nebraska. That's right, an entire time zone and like eight states away. And he'll surely tell you that was a pitiful display by their fans tonight. Of course....

Was it as pitiful as the officiating? Listen I'm not one to blame officials. Not my style. I've been calling balls and strikes many years and I know how it goes. And while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were no doubt kidnapped by the Monstars before the game, you can't look past some of the technicals calls on the Celtics tonight, as well as the ones that weren't called against the Heat. Doc got T'd up for yelling "Come on, Eddie!" at an official. Erik Spoelstra yells "Come on!", and nothing. LeBron openly taunts KG right in front of an official, and ESPN even happened to enhance the audio on the court for the incident. No call. KG taps the ball a little further away from the basket after a Rondo layup. Hardly throwing it away, a tap. A tap and a technical. Rondo gets boxed all the way out of bounds by Shane Battier, who gets no call. Rondo retaliates, which he shouldn't have done, but nevertheless, technical. And I don't even remember what Ray Allen did, but he got one too.

If there's any sign of optimism from tonight's game, it's that the Heat have absolutely no answer for KG down low. None. They're like the French army down there (Joel Anthony is originally from Montreal. Just sayin'.) And literally no one else on the Celtics bothered to show up. There can't be and won't be another no-show from these guys in Game 2. At least I keep telling myself that. 

Celtics vs. Heat: What's at Stake

People always tell me I should "stick to hockey" whenever I start talking about basketball. Make no mistake about it, I'm much more of a hockey fan than I am a hoops fan these days. Doesn't matter that the Bruins were the flavor of the month last year, and that the Celtics were, in the words of Rick Pitino, "grey and old". I've just always had a little bit more interest in the black and gold than the green and white.

It's funny though, because I was a John Barker basketball legend from 2nd grade through 8th grade. That game on ice? Never played a real game of hockey in my life. One of my biggest regrets, while we're at it. But at the end of the day, I probably do know a little bit more about basketball than hockey. Weirdly enough.

Why am I telling you all this? Because this series the Celtics are about to play against LeBron James and the Miami Heat re-commit me to professional basketball, or forever turn me off. There's not much of an in-between. If you've been watching these playoffs, and I begrudgingly have (mostly due to the Bruins early exit), you can tell the officiating as been, as expected, suspect at best. More so than any other league, basketball is a sport where the stars get away with what they want, when they want. It's akin to the benefits celebrities have when they get in trouble with the law. Somebody like Paul George gets hacked on the arm? May or may not get called. Somebody like LeBron or D-Wade? Automatic two shots, plus probably a technical or a flagrant. I'm slightly exaggerating, but that's the way it is.

So what's interesting about this Celtics-Heat series is that Boston certainly has the star power to run with the Heat. The Celtics have a better overall team than the Heat. If you were going to hold a school-yard pick 'em for this series, LeBron would go 1, D-Wade would go 2, but the next 5 players would all be Celtics (I'm taking a healthy Brandon Bass over Chris Bosh, and still might anyways, regardless of health).

Of course, it's hard to tell exactly what the NBA wants out of the Heat. Does David Stern enjoy the hoopla surrounding LeBron and his inability to win big games? Do referees look at the self-titled King differently in big spots? It's inconsistent. LeBron gets all the calls he wants leading up to these big moments, but it seems that when the true money is on the line, where his legacy can be re-made, he becomes just any other player. Look no further than the Dallas series from a year ago.

This being the Eastern Conference Finals, and not the NBA Finals, it will be interesting to see if the NBA deems this a "legacy-shifter" for LeBron. He did already exorcise his Celtics demons last year, remember. Having said that, the Celtics pretty much owned the Heat this season, taking 3 of their 4 contests by an average of 7.8 ppg* (the final meeting, a 78-66 Celtics victory, featured only Paul Pierce in terms of relevant players from either side. Sasha Pavlovic led all scorers with 16. So, yeah).

At the end of the day, what this all comes down to for me is one thing, and one thing only:  if this series is officiated fairly, I have no doubt in my mind that the better team is capable of winning. And the better team is the Celtics. If LeBron and Wade are getting calls in star-mode, and for whatever reason KG/Truth/Rondo/Ray-Ray aren't, this could be a long one.

Funny as it sounds, we're living in a world where Chris Bosh is an X-Factor for this series. For as much maligned as he's been since taking his talents to South Beach, Bosh could seriously swing this series in favor of Miami. Based on what I've heard so far, if he does show his face, it won't be at 100%.

And whether he returns or not, there's all kinds of nostalgia at stake here. For both sides. Celtics win, and three NBA Finals appearances with the "Big 3" makes them a minor-dynasty. At least a footnote dynasty. The Heat win, great and all, but it won't matter unless they win a Championship. I would make a "not 5, not 6, not 7" joke here, but have the Heat looked more vulnerable since The Decision?

Call in blind loyalty, call it rationale, call it what you will. I'm taking the Celtics in 7.

Exit Sandman

If this is it for Mo, and all signs point to it indeed being the end, whatta shame. Coming from my extremely homersexual Boston perspective, a damn, damn shame. That's not how I wanted to see one of the greatest baseball career's of all-time end. If it had been during an actual game, although I'm not entirely sure how a pitcher goes about tearing an ACL on the mound, it'd be one thing. But shagging fly balls? In Kansas City, of all-places? Shakespeare himself couldn't have written such a tragedy.

Hey, I'll remember Mo for the good times. Bill Mueller's walk-off home run in the Varitek/A-Rod game. The 2004 ALCS when he couldn't pick off Dave Roberts. Opening Day at Fenway in 2005 when he got a mock cheer from the crowd.

Make no mistake about it, for as mortal as he looked at times in 2004-05, that was eight seasons ago. He was off to a great start again this year (5/6 save opportunities, 2.16 ERA). He'd been dropping hints during spring training that this season would be his last anyways, but I'm sure no one envisioned this being the situation.

Also as Mo goes, so goes the no. 42, never to be worn again by a major league baseball player. So there's that as well. Jackie Robinson's number is officially retired.

Fortunately for the Yankees, this David Robertson kid seems like the real deal (hasn't allowed a run yet this season in 11 innings, striking out 18 batters while walking just 3). My colleague Anthony Russo has been pumping up Robertson as the heir apparent for awhile now, so we'll see how this works out. It's one thing to put up those numbers as a set-up guy; it's a whole other to do it following the undisputed greatest closer of all-time. Just ask Alfredo Aceves how that's going in Boston.

ESPN's coverage of Junior Seau

Let me say first, Rest in Peace to one of the greatest linebackers who ever lived. From his glory days with the Chargers, to his time in South Beach with the Dolphins, to his renaissance with the Pats, one of the classiest and most professional guys to strap on a helmet.

Now this post isn't so much about Seau as it is the way ESPN has been going about covering his death. Which is, how shall I put this: shameful.

Granted it seems as though all kinds of media outlets have been guilty of this too, but you'd think the Worldwide Leader would be better than this. Setting up shop in front of Seau's house, interviewing his parents--his clearly devastated parents? Where is the privacy? They just outlived their son, something no parent ever wants to do. Ever. And then broadcasting the interview/press conference/whatever you want to call it? How in a million years can you justify airing that? Especially considering the next point....

Easy as it may be in trying to solve the pieces of the puzzle, shame on ESPN again for speculating the cause of Seau's apparent suicide. We simply do not know at this time. Me, you, anyone. Speculating is no different from assuming. And it's been said a million times, but it'll be said again right here: when you assume, you make an ass of you and me. There is absolutely no proof just yet that Seau's suicide was linked to his football career. It may appear that way, as a guy who played 19 seasons at one of the most demanding positions in all of professional sports, but again, there is no concrete evidence as of yet.

Sadly, I can't say I'm surprised by ESPN's coverage. It's the same network that beats LeBron James, Tim Tebow, and (once upon a time) Brett Favre down our throats 24/7. Learn your audience.

If this post in any way sounds like I'm trivializing the death of Seau, you are sadly mistaken, because that's not what this is about at all. It's simply about the appalling coverage by the supposed top dog in the sports industry. Junior would not be happy with this, not in the least. Rest in peace.

Patriots Draft Review, featuring Tom Fiascone

Scone's draft preview was such a success with the fans, we decided to bring him back for an encore. My own personal take, real quick? Belichick must've been listening to me on the radio last week. Tom Brady will be 35 when next season starts. And finally, BB didn't stockpile picks for a future season, but used them for the here and now. I think both Chandler Jones and Dont'a Hightower could start this season for the Patriots, and have a pretty big impact at that. The Pats needed D, and D they did. So here's Scone's review.

Patriots’ fans finally got the draft they’ve wanted for years now. Ask Todd McShay or Mel Kiper Jr. what the Pats’ number one need was in each of the past few drafts they’d say a pass rusher. When now Pittsburgh Steeler outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley was on the board in 2007, Bill Belichick pulled the trigger on safety Brandon Meriweather. You can’t knock the 2008 Jerod Mayo pick, but as good as he is at ILB, he has only produced 5.5 sacks in a Pats’ uniform. In 2009 they passed up Clay Matthews Jr., instead opting to pick four times in the second round. They selected Jermaine Cunningham in 2010, who has become infamous for his ability to get remarkably close to the QB without actually sacking him. And finally in 2011 they opted for OL and secondary help with multiple DE’s on the board.

Now I’m not second-guessing Coach Belichick. The draft picks the Patriots received in the Clay Matthews deal eventually turned into Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman (plus Darius Butler and Brandon Tate, who didn’t amount to much). Belichick rarely misses on picks in the first round, with Meriweather and Laurence Maroney being the two notable exceptions in BB’s Patriots career, each of who were serviceable in their own rights. So its not like Belichick has been forgoing pass rushers for guys who don’t have an impact. But nevertheless, pass rushing has been a huge weakness for the Patriots since the Superbowl victories.

Well this year the Patriots really emphasized the “D” in Draft, selecting defensive players with every pick but their last. And further breaking recent trends, Bill Belichick actually traded up in round one, not once, but twice. BB traded up to take Syracuse DE Chandler Jones at #21 and Alabama LB Dont’a Hightower 25th overall. In round two he took Illinois S Tavon Wilson, and in round three, Arkansas DE Jake Bequette. They filled out the rest of their 2012 draft class with DB/Special Teamer Nate Ebner, CB Alfonzo Dennard, and WR Jeremy Ebert. The last time the Patriots traded up in round one was in 2003 for DE Ty Warren who led an extremely productive career, and the last time they took two first rounders was in 2004, taking Vince Wilfork and Ben Watson.

The 2012 first round picks, Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower, should help the much-maligned Pat’s D. Jones, at 6-6, 265, could project as an OLB in the Pats’ 3-4 or a DE in the 4-3. He is a freakishly good athlete in the mold of Giants DE Jason Pierre-Paul. Jones has extremely long arms to fight off blockers and hold the edge, and he has an improving pass-rush game. Jones is also very young, and with defensive mastermind Bill Belichick as coach, his potential is through the roof. Mike Mayock, one of my personal favorite scouts/analysts out there (Sorry Kiper) actually had Jones ranked as his ninth overall prospect, and said that Jones could be the top D prospect from this class three years from now. Hightower comes from Nick Saban’s vaunted national champion Alabama defense. Hightower was the signal caller for the D, and a two-time captain. Furthermore, Alabama played a 3-4 D similar to the Patriots, where Hightower played ILB, OLB, and DE, showing versatility that BB always looks for. Hightower will probably have more of an immediate impact for the Pats, with Jones having a higher potential.

2nd Round Pick Tavon Wilson played all over the field at Illinois, though he appears to be a solid compliment to Patrick Chung as a free safety. Wilson can also play outside on the corner and in the slot. Wilson was above all, another Belichick pick. A combine snub, most analysts were scratching their heads at the pick. On film, Wilson appears to be rangy and have average ball skills. Wilson spent the 2011 season as Illinois’ defensive captain. Wilson is a high character guy, overcoming loads of adversity in his personal life (Google it for some intense stories). He started a lot of football games for the Fightin Illini, and has ample experience on special teams. The pick is reminiscent of 2009 2nd rounder Sebastian Vollmer, another combine snub who ended up a very solid player for the Pats. There may have been more heralded safeties on the board, but as I’ve learned when it comes to the draft: In Bill We Trust.

The Patriots traded their second 2nd rounder (you didn’t think they weren’t going to trade back at some point, did you?) for a 3rd and a 5th. In the 3rd, they selected another two-time team captain, Jake Bequette (pronounced Beckett). Bequette was a solid DE for Arkansas, and stands at 6-5, 275. He, like Jones, projects as either a DE or a LB, depending on the defensive alignment. Bequette had an explosive combine workout, running among the best 3-cone drill and 20 yard shuttles for DE’s, and a 34” vertical. Bequette is a high motor player, which makes up for his only above average athleticism. I really like the film I’ve seen on Bequette, and he could be an outstanding role player, with the potential to be better than that.

Nate Ebner, taken in the 6th after another trade, looks to be a special teams player, though an impact one at that. He walked on to THE Ohio State football team, and is a very prolific rugby player. Don’t hate the pick at all, special teams are one-third of the game as they say, and Ebner could be a great role player.

Alfonzo Dennard, CB from Nebraska, had a great junior year two years ago followed by a below average senior season. He’s had some off the field issues, punching a police officer and ultimately having to be restrained by four cops. Personally I don’t see that as a huge flag as I’m actually impressed that it took four officers to hold back his 5’10”, 200-pound frame. Dennard was rated as a possible second rounder before his arrest on April 21. Dennard had a solid vertical at the combine, making up for his lack of height, but he has short arms, and can get tangled up in man-to-man coverage. Dennard could prove to be a steal, however, if he can clean up his act.

The Patriots’ last pick was Northwestern WR Jeremy Ebert, who amassed 173 receptions for 2,400 yards and 21 TD’s in his four-year career, most of his production coming in the last two years when he was a starter. He could project, after some seasoning, as a good slot receiver. Ebert is most likely a developmental prospect, but an important one at that as current slot recievers Julian Edelman, Wes Welker, and Anthony Gonzalez’s contracts all expire after this season (barring and extension for the franchise-tagged Welker).

Overall, three words really sum up these draft picks for me: Versatility, Character, and Upside. The Pats only took seven players, one of their smaller draft classes in recent memory, but the impact on the defense could be huge. For those Pats fans out there asking for more help for the aging Tom Brady, think about it this way: an improved defense will gave the already dangerous Patriot offense more time on the field. One of the keys to beating the Pats in 2011 was sustaining long drives on offense against the Pats’ weak defense. Jones, Hightower, and Bequette, who are all above average pass rushers, will undoubtedly help on those third and longs that opponents seemingly converted with ease. The rest of the class looks like they could contribute as well, and I think the Patriots had a great overall draft. They broke from their trend and did not pick up any extra picks for next year, but with multiple important contracts expiring soon, they should have enough cap space to resign guys like Hernandez, Gronkowski, Chung, Vollmer, and Welker.

Point After Attempts:

-Most analysts thought Baltimore would trade up and draft Hightower as an eventual Ray Lewis replacement. That’s high praise for Hightower, as the Ravens rarely miss on their first round picks, not to mention the idea that he could’ve taken Lewis’s spot someday.

-As always, Bill Belichick conducted a hilarious post-draft press conference. You gotta wonder if he chuckles to himself when he steps off the podium after artfully dodging every single one of the reporter’s questions. His linguistic ability is reminiscent of one Jackie Chiles. When BB finally retires from the game he should seriously consider a career as a defense attorney for white-collar criminals.

-My first round bust pick: Morris Claiborne, CB, 6th overall to America’s Team. Dallas traded up to get Claiborne who scored a 4 (out of 50) on his Wonderlic test (similar to an IQ test). CB is one of the positions where a high Wonderlic may not be that important, but what may be more troubling is that Claiborne now tries to assert he blew off the Wonderlic. I’m not sure what’s worse, his awful score, or the fact that he blew off part of what is essentially a job interview.

-Luke Kuechly will thrive in Carolina under defensive mastermind Coach Ron Rivera. I know I speak for my fellow Eagles when I say Kuechly will be sorely missed in Chestnut Hill this fall; he was really the bright spot of a bleak program during his amazing three-year career.

-Look for the Patriots to sign a handful of undrafted free agents (UDFAs) and expect at least one of them to stick on the roster. Recent players falling under this category include: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Dane Fletcher, Kyle Love, Stephen Neal, Sergio Brown and Brian Hoyer.

Red Sox Sweep the Twins!

I think I lost track of how many runs they scored during the series, what was it again? Like 90? Alright it was only 24 but still, 8 runs per game! David Ortiz went 0-3 tonight and is still hitting .428, I mean what more do you want from a ball club? Cody Ross is restoring the glory to no. 7 that Trot Nixon once gave it. And so what if the bullpen is a heart attack waiting to happen, makes the games more exciting, right? And Bobby V in the dugout? You never know what he might do next! It's fun to watch baseball here in Boston again!

At the end of the day all I know is that the Red Sox are 7-10 with a cake schedule coming up (@ White Sox for 4, home vs. A's for 3, home vs. Orioles for 3, @ KC for 3, home vs. Cleveland for 4, home vs. Seattle for 2). Um, making up ground anyone? This season is just beginning. You can never write off a team in April. At the dawn of each morning hope springs eternal, or something like that.

Alright real talk I need a hug and a 30 of Miller Lites and I needed it an hour ago. Joel Ward? Really? Joel Ward? I won't say anything else except post his NHL statistics right here. Since the Bruins won the Cup last year the Red Sox had the worst September collapse in baseball history, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl to a team with a negative point differential, and now this. 

Patriots Draft Preview 2012: Featuring Tom Fiascone

Every now and then on the Experience, we like to let a voice other than mine be heard. Especially when it's on a subject I'm not the most knowledgeable on (hard to believe that such a subject exists, I know). But I believe what we have in store for you tonight is a real treat, from the aspiring Todd McShay/Mel Kiper Jr. Introducing Tom Fiascone from Boston College (aka the Supaaaaaaaaah Fans) as the latest Experience apprentice to try his craft.

A little more background on "Scone". He's a helluva sports fan, makes his money on baseball on the NFL draft. I disagree on literally every issue with him when it comes to the Red Sox (Exhibit A), but hey what fun would it be if everyone agreed?

In addition to sports, Scone is the mastermind behind the great Frank Ryan nickname of "Chef-R", which has since been shortened to simply "Chef". So without further ado, here is Mr. Fiascone's take on what the hell is going through Bill Belichick's mind right about now.

As far as the "Superfans" go, Scone is one of the few likable ones we've encountered. So tune in to what he has to say.

The Patriots will most likely trade one of their first round picks, though this might be the year where enough value is at the end of the first round to the point where they could stay put. I think their most obvious needs are S, OLB, DL, CB, and WR. Then again, Bill Belichick could surprise us all again and build some depth on the O-line. The point is, you never know what BB is thinking, but here’s my best guess as to some potential Patriots based on need, projected draft slot, and previous drafting tendencies:


Harrison Smith – FS – Notre Dame

Smith is a guy who was originally projected as a second rounder, but with a very solid combine has worked himself into late first round consideration. He stands at about 6’2”, 215 lbs, which immediately brings size comparisons of a former Pats safety, Rodney Harrison. Smith is a major contributor in run support, and shows a mean streak making tackles near the line of scrimmage. He shows great pursuit and squares up to make solid tackles. He doesn’t hit stick people as much as Harrison, but he is a consistent tackler; something that was often times a glaring need for the Pats in 2011. In coverage, Smith is more quick than fast, making him more of a zone player than man-to-man. He does read the QB very well at the college level, which makes up for his lack of elite speed. Belichick might wait on him and see if he falls to round 2, but I don’t think he will. He would also be a great special teams contributor due to his plus tackling skills, high football IQ, and constant motor. And lets not forget the Charlie Weis-Bill Belichick connection. Weis recruited Smith to ND.

They could also target Alabama safety Mark Barron if he is available. Barron will be able to start right away, and is almost unanimously ranked the top safety available in the 2012 draft. He was the leader of a staunch Alabama defense, and was a top player in the highly competitive SEC. All these factors, however, lead me to believe he’ll be off the board before pick #27.


Shea McClellin – LB/DE – Boise State

McClellin says he models his game after Mike Vrabel, and his film, as Rasheed Wallace would say, “Don’t lie.” McClellin measures up at 6’3” 260lbs, which is fairly consistent with the height/weight combo Belichick usually looks for in his 3-4 OLBs. McClellin was all over the field at Boise St, playing inside and outside linebacker, D-end, and even D-tackle in some pass rushing situations. His film really shows off his nonstop motor and above average ability to seal off the edge. He will have to become a factor in the pass game in order to be an every down player in the NFL, but his versatility alone would make him a good role player. However, this begs the question of whether BB would use a first rounder on McClellin. BB usually looks for every down players early in the draft. McClellin only repped 19 on the bench press at the combine which calls his strength into question, however, last years 1st round pick Nate Solder only put up 21 reps and he looks like Solder’s on his way to protecting Brady’s blindside for the foreseeable future.

If he’s available USC DE Nick Perry is a guy who has plenty athleticism and talent, but would be a project to translate to 3-4 OLB.



Michael Brockers – DL – LSU

Brockers was the rock on LSU’s fantastic D-line last year. As such, he handled a good deal of double teams, a plus for any D-linemen in a Belichick scheme. He’s all of 6’5” 322, and plays with a lot of force and purpose behind that frame. He’s very adept a shedding blocks and making plays on the interior, and shows the capability to hold the edge on the outside. He is still raw, which can be looked at as a plus and a minus. On the one hand he has a tendency to play too high and is only an average pass rusher. On the other hand, imagine what he could do with a little Belichick coaching…

Could also take DL Jerel Worthy from Michigan State. Worthy is massive and strong, but has a tendency to take plays off here and there – wouldn’t fly with BB


Dre Kirkpatrick – CB – Alabama

I know what you’re thinking, another early round CB. I just have the feeling its gonna happen, and apparently you can never have too much depth (See: Moore, Sterling, and Molden, Antwuan) Leading off, there’s the obvious Saban-Belichick connection to be aware of, BB respects Saban’s opinion which could be important in Kirkpatrick’s case. Kirkpatrick is said to be a bit of a problem on and off the field, with motivation problems. Could the Patriot Way cure him of this? On talent alone, Kirk could be a top 15 pick. He’s tall and rangy, fast, and has great ball skills. He’s excellent at man-to-man and zone coverage. Only questions surround his motivation and thin frame.

Could also take CB Alfonzo Dennard from Illinois. Dennard is smaller than Kirkpatrick, and missed some time with injury, possibly pushing him to the high second round. He’s solid all around, yet lacks elite talent in any one aspect. Low bust-potential, but probably not a number one corner either. Plus vertical at combine eases some fears that his 5’10” frame might be a disadvantage. Also look out for N. Alabama (previously Florida) CB Janoris Jenkins

Quick Hits

-Keep an eye out for Wisconsin C Peter Konz as Dan Koppen insurance.

-I love Stanford TE Coby Fleener, who has Gronk’s size and Hernandez’s athleticism. Not a need whatsoever, but hell, its Belichick, can’t rule anything out…

-LB Luke Kuechly from Boston College will be a steal wherever he goes. He has the highest football IQ and instincts I’ve ever seen, and put up impressive strength/speed numbers at the combine to boot. Hard to think of a top-15 pick being a steal, but this kid has the credentials and measurables to be a top-5 pick, unfortunately top-10 teams often have more pressing needs than LB’s.