Monthly Archives: November 2017

Trying to Make a Plan Stick

30 Thursday Nov 2017

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A combination of the Thanksgiving games and an ill-timed support call at the weekend got me thinking about the obsession with routine that many NFL head coaches seem to have.

I think the desire for routine was part of the reason that John Harbaugh was comfortable in complaining about his team’s trip to London earlier this year.

An NFL head coach is used to micromanaging. I’m sure there has to be a degree of flexibility built in, but a coach has his plan for the entire season prepared before it starts in terms of practise, travel, and everything it takes to play a game of football. This is much easier to implement if you are working in a familiar routine, particularly if you have a heavy schedule and any NFL coach, yet alone the one in charge of an entire team works an awful lot of hours.

One of the reasons that Bruce Arian’s is a favourite coach of mine is that he often talks about how important it is to maintain a work life balance and that if he hears of any of his coaches missing an important family occasion then he’ll fire them. However, in the ultra-competitive world of professional sports people are always looking for advantages and with the complexity of tactics that make up an NFL game plan you can see why coaches put in as many hours as they do.

I know from personal experience how if you don’t have a focussed plan, that you can spend a huge amount of time watching the coaching tape of a single game, and comparatively I know nothing about football. Not that I let that stop me from commenting about the game or coaching.

However, I don’t pretend that coaching is easy, and whilst I can and do share frustrations or wonder what was going on, something I heard Michael Wilbon of ESPN say really struck a chord with me.

He was talking about coaching and given how prepared these coaches are, the hours they put in, what interference and distractions must be going on for them to make the decisions they do.

Take for instance the Buffalo Bills. They have a quarterback in Tyrod Taylor that the franchise has not committed to, and with the GM and coaching regime change and apparently there still being no faith you begin to wonder what influence the owners are having. Certainly the decision to start Nathan Peterman ended badly and with Taylor back under centre this last week, the Bills were able to beat the Kansas City Chiefs.

I had a lot of time for what Sean McDermott did this season with a team that had move a lot of players on yet was still found a way to win, but for many the decision to sit a quarterback who didn’t turn the ball over for a rookie because Peterman gave them the best chance to win was fireable given how badly Peterman played. However, with a win McDermott at least stabilised the situation and what we don’t know is how many people were involved in the decision, but when it comes to a starting quarterback I wonder how many voices are involved.

Certainly with the announcement that Eli Manning is to have his starting streak of over two hundred games for the New York Giants ended because he is being sat for Geno Smith I start to wonder who was involved in the decision apart from Ben McAdoo. I’m not saying that anyone else told him to do it, but with all that is going on in New York, with the press being less than impressed with McAdoo’s handling of the team – what influenced him? The play of Eli Manning has not looked that great for a while now, and predates the loss of Odel Beckham earlier in the season, but what is he hoping to gain with his two time Super Bowl winner on the side lines.

I wonder how you get into the position to keep making the best decisions. How you have to be in lock step with all the people round you. I know how some approach it as coaches like Pete Carroll or Bruce Arians will write a book or talk about it, whilst someone like Bill Belichick reveals as little as possible.

However, I can easily see how being in the head coach’s office of an NFL franchise could be very different once you’re in there to how even an experienced coaches thought it might be.

And how only a tiny change could derail the best laid but highly complex plans.

So we move to a game featuring a coach who very much appears to be on the hot seat after a quick glance at last week’s results..

Gee:      Week 12   8-8                     Overall   97-80
Dan:      Week 12   9-7                     Overall   94-83

Washington @ Cowboys (-1.5)

The Dallas Cowboys have really struggled over the last few weeks, and the reaction of their coaching staff does not inspire confidence with a lack of creative scheming not helping a group of skills players who have not been getting it done with Ezekiel Elliott’s suspended. It maybe that Washington are so injured that they are going to lose on the road, but with both teams having played on Thursday of last week, I’m backing Washington in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Washington
Dan’s Pick:          Washington

Week Twelve Picks

26 Sunday Nov 2017

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Sometimes working in IT involves out of hours work even if you’re not supposed to be on support so here’s some hurried picks and hopefully normal services resume next week.

Buccaneers @ Falcons (-8.5)

I think the Atlanta Falcons are the better team and should win this game but I’m not nine points convinced.

Gee’s Pick:          Buccaneers
Dan’s Pick:          Falcons

Bills @ Chiefs (-9.5)

The line worries me as the Kansas City Chiefs have been off in recent weeks but the Buffalo Bills have had no run defence since trading Marcell Darius.

Gee’s Pick:          Chiefs
Dan’s Pick:          Bills

Bears @ Eagles (-13.5)

This is a huge line but the Chicago Bears are on the road and Philadelphia Eagles have run up big wins against a number of teams and I don’t see that stopping this week.

Gee’s Pick:          Eagles
Dan’s Pick:          Eagles

Browns @ Bengals (-8.5)

I don’t exactly trust the Cincinnati Bengals to cover this line, but having been bitten by the Cleveland Browns two weeks in a row, they are going to have to prove to me they can cover a line before I pick them again.

Gee’s Pick:          Bengals
Dan’s Pick:          Browns

Titans @ Colts (+3.5)

The Tennessee Titans have not exactly been convincing in recent weeks, whilst the Indianapolis Colts have been competitive in their last three games despite what I said on the podcast, but in the end the Titans are just going to have too much.

Gee’s Pick:          Titans
Dan’s Pick:          Titans

Dolphins @ Patriots (-16.5)

This line is enormous and the Miami Dolphins are undeniably bad, but as good as the New England Patriots are I can’t just pick them to cover this.

Gee’s Pick:          Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:          Dolphins

Panthers @ Jets (+4.5)

The Carolina Panthers are playing so much better now Cam Newton is running more and the New York Jets have struggled in recent weeks.

Gee’s Pick:          Panthers
Dan’s Pick:          Panthers

Seahawks @ 49ers (+6.5)

I am tempted by the points given the injuries to the Seattle Seahawk’s defence, but in the end the San Francisco 49ers are just too injured and I think the Seahawks have enough to cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Seahawks
Dan’s Pick:          Seahawks

Broncos @ Raiders (-5.5)

The Denver Broncos have been undeniably bad, but I’m just not prepared to back the Oakland Raiders to win by six given the way they have been playing recently.

Gee’s Pick:          Broncos
Dan’s Pick:          Raiders

Saints @ Rams (-2.5)

This is a hard one to pick given the LA Rams loss last week, but the New Orleans Saints have picked up some knocks on defence. In the end I’m going to grab the points and look forward to the game.

Gee’s Pick:          Saints
Dan’s Pick:          Saints

Jaguars @ Cardinals (+4.5)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have won four straight and I would say they are the better team so despite the points I am backing them to cover against the Arizona Cardinals.

Gee’s Pick:          Jaguars
Dan’s Pick:          Jaguars

Packers @ Steelers (-13.5)

With all the injuries to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers finding their offence last week I can only pick one way despite the line.

Gee’s Pick:          Steelers
Dan’s Pick:          Steelers

Texans @ Ravens (-6.5)

The Baltimore Ravens defence is undeniably good, and their three shut outs have persuaded me that against the Houston Texans they can cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Ravens
Dan’s Pick:          Ravens

Quick Thanksgiving Picks

23 Thursday Nov 2017

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I’m having a compressed week for reasons I shan’t bore you with, but I am thankful to Dan for his continued help with this site and producing the podcast. I don’t know where football will be in the coming years, but I still enjoy the games and I am thankful for all this blog has taught me about writing, and reminding me that no one really knows anything. Some may argue that our picks are evidence of this, but at least we both have picked more right than wrong this season.

And so, onwards to the games!

Gee:      Week 11   7-7                     Overall   89-72
Dan:       Week 11   9-5                     Overall   85-76

Vikings @ Lions (+2.5)

This should be an entertaining start to the Thanksgiving games with the Lions welcoming the division leading Minnesota Vikings to Detroit. The Lions have almost quietly got themselves to 6-4 but this will be a sterner test than the Bears offered last week. The Vikings have been good on both sides of the ball, with the emergence of Adam Thielen as a partner to Stefon Diggs giving Case Keenum the receivers he needs to amass a 7-2 record despite starting the season as his team’s backup quarterback. The Lions have a better quarterback in Matt Stafford but I think they are going to struggle in this game as the Vikings really seem to have found their form. I could be caught out as the Lions have won their last three meetings but I think the Vikings should be too good.

Gee’s Pick:          Vikings.
Dan’s Pick:          Lions

Chargers @ Cowboys (-0.5)

The Dallas Cowboys look to have left tackle Tyron Smith back from injury for this game, which they will need if they are to slow down the fearsome edge rushers the LA Chargers possess. The problem is that they are still going to be missing linebacker Sean Lee who has a huge effect on how the Cowboys play defence with his ability to get everyone lined up. I suspect that the combination of Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram will cause protection issues for the Cowboys offence and combine this with Lee being out and I’m giving the edge to Chargers.

Gee’s Pick:          Chargers
Dan’s Pick:          Chargers

Giants @ Washington (-7.5)

I am really not sure what to do with this game as Washington has an enormous injury list, but the New York Giants do not exactly inspire confidence even if they did manage to grind out an ugly win against the Chiefs in horrible weather last week. I’m not sure I can see the Giants winning again, but I have a feeling that it will be a closer game than this line suggests so I’m going to back the Giants for a second week in a row.

Gee’s Pick:          Giants
Dan’s Pick:          Giants

AAF: Case Keenum and the Vikings Offence

19 Sunday Nov 2017

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With the discussions about starting Teddy Bridgewater taking place I wanted to take a look at Case Keenum and the Minnesota Vikings offence in this week’s amateur adventures in film.

I have to say that for me this was a game of two halves as the Vikings played more conservatively in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter where they were very much running out the clock and barely threw the ball.

However, focussing on Case Keenum it has to be said that in this game apart from two throws in the second half Keenum looked a very competent quarterback, but that is the word. It was not a case of the things he did leaping of the screen, but Keenum executing a well-designed offence. There was one occasion where tight end Kyle Rudolph had to wait for a ball to arrive on an out pattern in the first half and it was that kind of ball that caused Keenum’s second interception as DJ Swearinger leapt the route and intercepted the ball for the second time this game. For Swearinger’s first interception Keenum wasn’t able to step into his throw and sailed a ball over his receiver’s head and into the waiting arms of Swearinger. However, for a lot of the game Keenum was throwing to open receivers, with Adam Thielen particularly catching the eye with his route running.

It has to be said that both Thielen and Stefon Diggs impressed me with their all round game, not only with their route running but frequently being motioned near the offensive line and being asked to block on run and pass plays. The Vikings may have only just got over one hundred yards rushing for the game, but they looked very balanced in the first half, with left guard Nick Easton pulling and opening holes for Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. It was only in the second half when they were getting more conservative and running out the clock in the fourth quarter that the run game bogged down.

This was also the second week in a row where I saw the use of unbalanced lines, with the Vikings lining up several times with a tight end playing tackle on one end of the line so that the Vikings’ two tackles could line up next to each other on the opposite side. There were also several occasions where because receivers motioned towards the line on blocking plays, they were also able to run routes stacked or behind tight ends which helped scheme open plays. The tight ends also managed to block down then roll out to catch balls. All of this contributed to a scheme that made life very difficult for Washington in the first half.

It would seem harsh to drop Case Keenum given the record he has amassed with this team and given that Teddy Bridgewater has had very little practice time in the last two years. To my eyes this is an offence that is setup to succeed thanks to an improved line and a pair of receivers that are quickly gaining a reputation as one of the best pairings in the league. The quarterback situation is definitely muddy in Minnesota, but for once I don’t this is going to damage the team.

Week Eleven Picks

19 Sunday Nov 2017

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Lions @ Bears (+3.5)

The Chicago Bears lost at home against the Packers, which is pretty worrying with the Detroit Lions coming to visit. The Lions are not quite right on offence, which will happen when you have the thirtieth ranked offence by DVOA and they are going against a pretty tough Chicago defence. I am struggling a little with this game as I think the Lions are more likely to win but I’m just not sure about the points. In the end I’m taking the Bears to bounce back in this home divisional game and keep it close getting points.

Gee’s Pick:          Bears
Dan’s Pick:          Lions

Jaguars @ Browns (+7.5)

This is a surprisingly interesting game in that I’m not sure how many games in a row I trust the Jacksonville Jaguars to win and the one thing that is truly good about the Cleveland Browns is their rush defence, which is ranked second in the league by DVOA. I’m not saying the Browns are suddenly going to win this game, but with their strength going up against a Jaguars offence predicated on the run I think they may be able to keep this game closer than eight points.

Gee’s Pick:          Browns
Dan’s Pick:          Jaguars

Ravens @ Packers (+2.5)

The Green Bay Packers are coming off their first win with Brett Hundley starting as quarterback who demonstrated a little bit more last week as the Packers found ways to get their offence going again. He faces a stern test when facing the Baltimore Ravens’ defence who rank third in the league in pass defence. The Ravens’ issue is that their offence has been pretty woeful this season and so this could be a tight game. This is one of those lines I really don’t like, but I’m going to grab the home underdog as they have been pretty good to me this season.

Gee’s Pick:          Packers
Dan’s Pick:          Ravens

Chiefs @ Giants (+10.5)

The New York Giants are winless at home and have only kept one game close than eleven so it doesn’t feel like a team coming of a ten point loss to the lowly 49ers has much chance in this game. The things that worries me about this line is that although Andy Reid is really good coming off a bye and the Kansas City Chiefs have more than enough offence to win this game, their defence is ranked twenty-sixth in the league by DVOA and they haven’t won a game by eleven points or more since week three. I can’t quite believe I’m doing this but give me the Giants getting ten and a half points at home.

Gee’s Pick:          Giants
Dan’s Pick:          Chiefs

Rams @ Vikings (-2.5)

This looks to be game of the week, with a matchup of the high flying LA Rams offence going against the Minnesota Vikings’ tough defence particularly catching the eye. I don’t have a strong feeling either way but the Vikings have a loud crowd in their new stadium and so I’m leaning in their direction but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Rams proved me wrong.

Gee’s Pick:          Vikings
Dan’s Pick:          Vikings

Washington @ Saints (-7.5)

The New Orleans Saints’ turnaround is great to see, but I’m not sure anyone was predicting that their defence and run game would be leading the way. They face a Washington team who are scrapping away despite the injuries and the fact that their passing game is ranked eleventh in the league by DVOA despite the offseason overhaul at receiver is testament to Kirk Cousins’ ability as a quarterback. However, I don’t think it will be enough against the Saint’s team at home and so ‘m backing the Saints to win big.

Gee’s Pick:          Saints
Dan’s Pick:          Saints

Cardinals @ Texans (+1.5)

This is a tricky game to pick with the Houston Texans’ season derailed by injuries and the Arizona Cardinals are coming to town starting their third string quarterback. The Cardinals have had a long week to recover after narrowly losing last week’s Thursday night game and Adrian Peterson should look better than he did on three days of rest, but will that be enough for them to win the game. I have more faith in Bruce Arians as a coach, but I’m not sure if that will be enough to see me right in this pick or not.

Gee’s Pick:          Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:          Cardinals

Buccaneers @ Dolphins (-2.5)

I do not like this game, Gee-I-am. I do not like either team’s game plan. But seriously, the Dolphins are ranked thirty-second by DVOA and are coming off a horrible loss to the Panthers. However, they are favoured in this game because the Buccaneers are not exactly playing well this season either. The Bucs are coming off a narrow win against the New York Jets but their defence has been bad all season and the offence has sputtered. They will be getting receiver Mike Evans back from suspension but it is likely Ryan Fitzpatrick will start as quarterback as Jameis Winston struggles with his shoulder. It feels like the Dolphins are heading in the wrong direction but I have more faith in Adam Gase as a head coach than Dirk Koetter and with the Dolphins at home I’m reluctantly backing them.

Gee’s Pick:          Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:          Dolphins

Bills @ Chargers (-4.5)

The Buffalo Bills have been struggling in recent weeks and are electing to hand rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman his first start. Doing this on the road might be considered a risk except that the Chargers don’t exactly have much of a home advantage with their current situation in LA. They will be relieved to have Philip Rivers clear concussion protocol but it feels like they specialise in close losses. The Chargers do not have the run game to take advantage of the Bills’ recent defensive problems and basically, I don’t trust them to get out of their own way. I don’t like taking a rookie QB on the road but apparently that’s what I’m going to do.

Gee’s Pick:          Bills
Dan’s Pick:          Chargers

Bengals @ Broncos (-2.5)

This game pits two misfiring franchises against each other. The Denver Broncos have serious problems on offence without a settled quarterback and a three back rotation that isn’t helping their running game. Even their vaunted defence has slipped and doesn’t look like the dominant unit of recent seasons. They welcome a Cincinnati Bengals team whose defence is playing pretty tough but who are hamstrung by offensive problems that stem from the o-line. I think this could be a very ugly game and I’m not really sure who is going to win so I’ll try a little faith in my team who have at least been competitive in recent weeks.

Gee’s Pick:          Bengals
Dan’s Pick:          Bengals

Patriots @ Raiders (+6.5)

The Oakland Raiders are the hosts for this game but it is being played in Mexico City. The New England Patriots have stayed out in Denver to prepare for the altitude of Mexico City having beaten the Broncos heavily last week. This is a game that pits highly ranked offences against lowly ranked defences but I have a lot more faith in the Patriots than the Raiders and fancy them to run out easy winners in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Patriots
Dan’s Pick:          Patriots

Eagles @ Cowboys (+3.5)

The Dallas Cowboy will not have Ezekiel Elliott for the next five weeks as he dropped his legal fight against his suspension, much like the Cowboys dropped their commitment to the running game last week. They also gave up six sacks to one player and tackle Tyron Smith is likely out again this week with his groin issue as well as losing linebacker Sean Lee to a hamstring problem. The Philadelphia Eagles are not a team that you want to be facing with questions about your offensive line and Sean Lee has a huge effect on how the Cowboys defence plays so I expect the team with the best record in the league to run out easy winners in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Eagles
Dan’s Pick:          Eagles

Falcons @ Seahawks (-3.5)

The Atlanta Falcons got a win in Dallas last week and now travel to face a banged up Seahawks team in Seattle. The Seahawks are likely to be without two thirds of the Legion of Boom as well as Cliff Avril and whilst I would expect them to be competitive against the Falcons, in fact they could very easily win, I’m just not confident enough to back them to win by four. The Falcons may be struggling on offence but I hope they have enough in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Falcons
Dan’s Pick:          Falcons

The Turnaround Three

16 Thursday Nov 2017

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It has been a season of confusion and narrative, but with so much discussion about off field matters (that are covered again in this week’s podcast) I thought I would stick to matters on the field in this blog.

With so many high profile stars injured and several teams turning their fortunes round from last season, there are new teams and faces challenging for the playoffs so I thought I would take a look at three of these teams.

The most obvious turnaround belongs to the LA Rams who currently stand atop the NFC West division with a 7-2 record having racked up three more wins than they managed all of last season. The changes that rookie head coach Sean McVay has already brought to this team have had a dramatic effect on an offence that has already surpassed the points they put up in the entirety of last season, but it is also an indictment of the previous regimes that not only have the Rams won seven games this year, but the other quarterback who suffered on the 2016 team has already got six wins for himself in the eight games he has played for the Minnesota Vikings.

However, even if the turnaround in record is most impressive for the Rams, the team who lead the NFL with eight wins are the Philadelphia Eagles and this is one more win than they managed in total last season. There are some arguing that Carson Wentz is in the running for MVP, but what is undeniable is that the level of his play has improved and that this has brought the Eagles offence alive. The Eagles clearly believe they can make a strong push into the playoffs as they are still bringing in players to bolster their roster as they pick up injuries. The Eagles have a commanding position within their division and it would be surprising if they can’t convert this into a playoff run.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a less commanding position, but have already doubled their number of wins from last season and share the AFC South lead with the Tennessee Titan. They have the second rank defence by DVOA, which considering they have the thirtieth ranked rush defence is a testament to just how good their pass defence has been. The offence is limited and this is what could limit them going forward but they have just had their first three game win streak since 2013 and for the first time in many seasons they stand a chance of making the playoffs.

None of these teams even had a .500 record last season and in under a year they are seriously competing for a division title. There is a lot of talk of parity in the NFL, but these teams are demonstrating that in the NFL you can turn things round quickly, and I haven’t even mentioned the News Orleans Saints who have won seven straight after their own turn around on defence.

It would be great to see all of these teams hit the playoffs, and I would love for the Bills to make it as well given how long their fans have been waiting for a playoff run but I can see it slipping away. The difference this season is that I genuinely feel like the Bills are building something for the future even if they do miss the post season this year.

I look forward to seeing how all of them do this week.

Gee:      Week 10   8-6                     Overall   82-65
Dan:      Week 10   6-8                     Overall   76-71

Titans @ Steelers (-7.5)

The Pittsburgh Steelers are making harder work of games than they really should given the talent on their roster and they certainly shouldn’t have needed a fourth quarter comeback to beat the Colts by three points on Sunday. This week they welcome a Tennessee Titans team who have quietly dragged themselves to a 6-3 record and a share of the AFC South lead. It has to be said that there did not appear to be any lingering problems with Marcus Mariota’s hamstring as he ran through the Bengals defence. I’m not confident that the Titans will win given they had to score in the last minute to beat the Bengals last week, but I can’t quite bring myself to pick the Steelers giving eight points and I do fancy the Titans to make a game of it.

Gee’s Pick:          Titans
Dan’s Pick:          Steelers

Week Ten Picks

12 Sunday Nov 2017

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Saints @ Bills (+2.5)

The New Orleans Saints are on a great run having won six straight games. They have integrated a number of young players into their defence and now look like they could be one of the teams to watch in the NFC. This week they are traveling to face a Bills team who are unbeaten at home in Buffalo. The Bills may have lost against the Jets last week but they have extra rest and are going against a rush defence that is only ranked twenty-eight in the leave by DVOA. I am going back and forth on this one a lot as I like getting points at home and the Saints can’t keep winning all of their games but I can’t quite pick the Bills in this one.

Gee’s Pick:          Saints
Dan’s Pick:          Saints

Packers @ Bears (-4.5)

The Green Bay Packers have lost by nine and thirteen points since Aaron Rodgers broke his collar bone and this week they travel to face the Chicago Bears who are coming of their bye week. The Bears’ offence is ranked thirty-first in the league but their defence is pretty stout and should have more than enough to contain a struggling Brett Hundley. I think the Bears should win this one, but giving away four and a half points worries me, in the end I’m going to back the Bears but I don’t feel that confident about it.

Gee’s Pick:          Bears
Dan’s Pick:          Bears

Bengals @ Titans (-5.5)

The Cincinnati Bengals travel to Tennessee to face the Titans and I do not expect them to win given how the season has gone and the Bengals’ continued offensive problems thanks to a shaky offensive line. The Titans have not exactly been dominant, but they have been grinding out wins. Last week’s matchup was particularly poor for the Bengals but since Bill Lazor become offensive coordinator they have kept most of their other games close or won and so I’m backing them to stay within six points in this game.

Gee’s Pick:          Bengals
Dan’s Pick:          Titans

Browns @ Lions (-11.5)

The Cleveland Browns may not have any wins, but they have kept half of their games to only three point deficits. This week they face the Detroit Lions on the road who have a tough defence and an offence that ranks twentieth by DVOA despite Matt Stafford playing well. I’m not putting any faith in the every other week pattern that suggests this will be the fifth game the Browns lose by three points, but I do just fancy them to keep this game closer than twelve points. I need to remember my rule that I need a very good reason to back a team giving double digit points and whilst it would not surprise me if the Lions manage to cover this line, I feel like it is more likely they won’t.

Gee’s Pick:          Browns
Dan’s Pick:          Browns

Steelers @ Colts (+9.5)

Ranked top ten by DVOA in defence and offence the Pittsburgh Steelers are a fearsome opponent for anybody, let alone a 3-6 Indianapolis Colts team who have given up on having their franchise quarterback play this season. Still, the Steelers don’t always bring their A game on the road against teams they should beat and the Colts have been competitive in the last couple of weeks. I’m not exactly confident with this one but I am going to back the Colts to keep this one within ten points at home.

Gee’s Pick:          Colts
Dan’s Pick:          Steelers

Vikings @ Washington (+1.5)

Washington showed some real grit to win last week in Seattle but poor kicking from the Seahawk’s Blair Walsh contributed to their win. This week they host a Minnesota Vikings team coming of a bye who have played well despite a fluid situation at quarterback where Teddy Bridgewater has returned to the active roster as week one starter Sam Bradford was placed on injured reserve thanks to a knee injury that has prevented him from playing another game. Still Case Keenum has done an admirable job of filling in and is the starter for this game. This won’t be an easy game as Washington have kept grinding, but in a battle of ex-Bengals co-ordinators I expect Mike Zimmer and the Vikings to win out.

Gee’s Pick:          Vikings
Dan’s Pick:          Vikings

Jets @ Buccaneers (+2.5)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are really struggling this year and this week with Mike Evans suspended and Jameis Winston sat through injury, their offence faces an even bigger challenge in overcoming a defence that is ranked thirtieth in the league by DVOA. The New York Jets are coming of a Thursday night win against the Bills and are worthy favourites in this game. I think Todd Bowles has done an excellent coaching job given the overhaul of the roster in the offseason and I expect the Jets to win out in this one despite only being ranked one place better by overall DVOA.

Gee’s Pick:          Jets
Dan’s Pick:          Jets

Chargers @ Jaguars (-4.5)

The Jacksonville Jaguars have the number one ranked defence in the league by DVOA and get to pit their rushing attack against the visiting LA Chargers twenty-sixth ranked rush defence. They will welcome the return of rookie running back Leonard Fournette and will be hoping he has a point to prove having been sat last week for discipline reasons. The Chargers’ three wins have all come against teams who currently have losing records and it feels like they could struggle against the Jaguars who will be hoping to establish some consistency having now won two in a row. The points line worries me but I like the matchup and so I am going to pick the Jaguars to cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Jaguars
Dan’s Pick:          Jaguars

Texans @ Rams (-11.5)

The LA Rams are one of the surprise teams of the season and come into this game have scored fifty against the Giants last week. In fact the Rams have three thirty point plus margin wins and welcome a Houston Texans team who have hope for next season but are pretty much done for this year thanks to injury. The Rams are ranked as the best team in the league by DVOA and are impressive enough that I am going to pick them to cover this line at home, which is probably a massive jink so sorry to any fans of the Rams that are reading this.

Gee’s Pick:          Rams
Dan’s Pick:          Rams

Cowboys @ Falcons (-2.5)

The Atlanta Falcons welcome the Dallas Cowboys who are about to find out what life is like without Ezekiel Elliott as he finally starts his six game suspension. However, Dallas still look pretty strong whilst the Falcons have struggled this year and with the Falcons defence only ranked twenty-ninth I fancy the Cowboys to cover this if not win despite missing their start running back.

Gee’s Pick:          Cowboys
Dan’s Pick:          Cowboys

Giants @ 49ers (+0.5)

This pick’em game is difficult to call with the 1-7 New York Giants coming of a heavy loss to the LA Rams travelling across country to play the 0-9 San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have picked up a lot of injuries in the last two weeks but the Giants don’t exactly inspire confidence. I’m going to pick the 49ers as the home team who will be desperate to get a win but this is definitely a game to stay away from picking if you can.

Gee’s Pick:          49rtd
Dan’s Pick:          49ers

Patriots @ Broncos (+7.5)

The Denver Broncos gave up fifty points last week and look to be in real trouble. They have struggled to move the ball and have lost by at least ten points in the last four games. Denver has been historically a difficult place to play and Brow Osweiler has actually beaten the New England Patriots before, but even with a thirty-first ranked defence by DVOA the Patriots are 6-2 and seem to be rounding into form. I’m a little hesitant to predict this, but looking at the trends in scores I’m going to nervously back the Patriots to cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Patriots
Dan’s Pick:          Patriots

Dolphins @ Panthers (-9.5)

The Miami Dolphins are ranked thirty-first by DVOA and have had their offence shut-out twice this year but have still managed to get to 4-4 and narrowly lost against the Raiders last week. The problem is this week they travel to face a Carolina Panthers team who have reverted to running Cam Newton and so may have found a formula to stabilise their offence. Certainly it will be hard for the Dolphins to move the ball on the Panthers defence and I would be surprised if they won the game. However, there were some good things in last week’s loss and I’m not so confident in the Panthers that I can predict them to win by ten points.

Gee’s Pick:          Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:          Dolphins

Halfway Through the Season

09 Thursday Nov 2017

Posted by in Picks Competition, Thursday Night Football

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So this could be a giant mistake, but with week nine in the books all teams will have played half of their fixtures and so here is a single sentence round up of the season so far for each team:

Arizona Cardinals

Long term injuries have derailed the Cardinals’ offence so their season now rests on how far a thirty-two year old running back can carry them.

Atlanta Falcons

We’re not sure how much is Super Bowl hangover and how much is the new offensive coordinator but the Falcons are struggling and need to turn it round soon if they are to get back to the playoffs.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have one of the largest injury lists in the league, but the real issue is the offence and how badly Joe Flacco is underperforming compared to his contract.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are performing much better than I expected thanks to Sean McDernott and his coaching staff, but with two games against the Patriots and a trip to Kansas City to face the Chiefs the Bills face a tough road if they want to make the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers defence seems to take care of itself, particularly when Luke Kuechly is on the field, but the offence has not been consistent and needs to solidify if they want to make the most of a good 6-3 start.

Chicago Bears

The Bears have wedded themselves to a tough defence and running game, which was enough to get them three wins but it feels like something has to change for the Bears to break into the playoff hunt next season.

Cincinnati Bengals

It feels like the end of an era in Cincinnati where a team hamstrung by its offensive line has fallen back rather than recovered from last season’s down year.

Cleveland Browns

The hope of the offseason has dimmed as things have keep going wrong for the Browns but with the front office and coaching staff both having problems and not in lock step it feels like the promising approach is stalling and the question is will the owner lose faith with GM, head coach, or both.

Dallas Cowboys

All the headlines belong to Ezekiel Elliott but for me perhaps the most impressive thing is the way the Cowboys defence is playing and the job Rod Marinelli is doing as defensive coordinator.

Denver Broncos

The defence still has the talent but problematic quarterback play behind an offensive line that still doesn’t inspire confidence seems to have doomed the season and leaves some real questions for John Elway to answer.

Detroit Lions

The Lions were never going to be able to replicate the number of close, come from behind wins they had last season but with a good run in the second half they could be fighting for a wildcard spot.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers’ season looks to have fallen apart when Aaron Rodgers went down, which seems to have demonstrated precisely how good the rest of the roster is and what a difference an elite level quarterback can make.

Houston Texans

The Texans have endured many key injuries this year but as sad as everyone was when Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in practise, it looks like the Texans finally have their quarterback of the future and how scary could this team be next year with a bit of injury luck.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have made the right decision in sitting Andrew Luck but the people questioning Luck’s toughness should think about what their talented quarterback has fought through in the last couple of years, and then be quiet.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars play defence, run the ball, and it’s working for them.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ offence continues to roll despite teams working out that zone defence does slow them down, but the problem is the defence and how much it is beginning to miss Eric Berry.

LA Chargers

The Chargers are lurking after a bad start and will be hoping to turn things round in the second half of the season but it must be miserable playing in such a small stadium that is still full of opposition fans.

LA Rams

What a difference a year makes with Sean McVay surely in contention for coach of the year the Rams have established themselves as serious contenders and look destined for the playoffs.

Miami Dolphins

A topsy-turvy season that has seen two offensive shut-outs, a star running back trade, and a lot of travel, but we’re waiting to see if Adam Gase can pull things together in the second half.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings keep rolling despite the turmoil at quarterback thanks to a really good defence, and a head coach who I never wanted to leave the Bengals.

New England Patriots

The Patriots somehow lead their division despite a defence which has been rooted round the bottom of the league by DVOA as apparently the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady really can overcome nearly anything.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints have finally managed to turn their defence round and in doing so look very competitive, and with Drew Brees they could cause real problems in the playoffs as long as they’re not bitten by the injury bug. Fingers crossed.

New York Giants

The Giants look to be falling apart around Ben McAdoo with the end of Eli Manning’s career looming and you have to think there will be changes in the offseason.

New York Jets

The Jets are playing so much better than anyone expected and this is largely thanks to a great coaching job by Todd Bowles, although this may hurt their chances of securing a quarterback for the future if they were planning to do this in the draft.

Oakland Raiders

I am bemused by the Raiders who seem to struggle except when I watch them play and so I don’t know if their offence is good enough to overcome a defence that is currently ranked last by DVOA.

Philadelphia Eagles

The class of the league so far go into their bye week with an 8-1 record and talk of second year quarterback Carson Wentz being a contender for MVP – what more could you want?

Pittsburgh Steelers

There may be questions over Ben Roethlisberger’s form, but with Le’Veon Bell and a strong defence the Steelers are running away with the AFC North and look to be one of the contenders in the AFC.

San Francisco 49ers

We always knew this was going to be a big project but the other winless team in the NFL are worse than I was expecting and fans will be anxious to see if Jimmy Garoppolo is their quarterback of the future.

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks are still a tough out and I wouldn’t write them off despite their defence sliding slightly but surely at some point they have to do something about their offensive line?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs season has crumbled with Jameis Winston sitting through injury and a defence that is ranked thirtieth by DVOA, it is hard to see anything other than some big changes next offseason given the expectations coming into the season.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans keep grinding despite Marcus Mariota being hindered by injury, and he is a different quarterback when his mobility is limited, but they are still in the hunt for the playoffs.

Washington

With the divisional losses they already have I think the playoffs are out of reach but this team has been playing hard despite the injuries, I just wonder what the long term plan is having lost both starting receivers last offseason and with Kirk Cousins likely on his way next year.

Gee:      Week 9   8-5                       Overall   74-59
Dan:       Week 9   8-5                       Overall   70-63

Seahawks @ Cardinals (+6.5)

The Seattle Seahawks are still a very up and down team and so whilst they should beat the Arizona Cardinals, this is a lot of points to give up to a home team on a Thursday night. I don’t know how long Adrian Peterson can sustain the kind of workload he was given last week, or if three days of recovery will be enough, but I still fancy the Cardinals to cover this line.

Gee’s Pick:          Cardinals
Dan’s Pick:          Cardinals

AAF: Deshaun Watson

05 Sunday Nov 2017

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I am running out of time a little bit this weekend, but with the injury curse hitting the Houston Texans and me planning to take a look at their offence versus the Seattle Seahawks defence – I thought I would look at the good and bad of Deshaun Watson whilst I still could this season.

To do this I’ve picked two plays from the first and second quarters which represent the pass that stood out to me, the interception, Watson’s longest run and the sack that lost the most yards.

The first of these plays was a fifty-nine yard touchdown pass to Will Fuller. In a way this is a simple play. The Texans lined up in 11 personel, with tight end Ryan Griffin initially lined up wide left and then motioning back onto the line whilst Deshaun Watson is stood back from the play to complete the shotgun formation. The Texans then run a simple play action pass, with the fake being enough to hold Seahawks safety Earl Thomas at his starting position for long enough that he is not able to turn and get over to a streaking Fuller to stop him catching the ball behind the defence and scoring a touchdown. The impressive thing about Watson on this play is that Dwight Freeney is coming off the right side of the defence and it is running back Lamar Miller who has to block him. This is not an easy assignment and Fuller can only shove Freeney to delay the rush, but whilst keeping his eyes downfield Watson shuffles in the pocket to avoid the rush and then throws a deep ball over the defence for Fuller to get under and catch falling into the end-zone.

If that was the good, the equalising touchdown for the Seahawks was an interception thrown by Watson on his next series demonstrates some of his youthfulness. Again the Texans lined up with 11 personnel in a shotgun formation, this time on third and ten, with Watson executing a straight drop and throwing an interception. Watson does look right before locking onto Deandre Hopkins coming across the field from the left and throwing the ball, but Earl Thomas simply sits in his starting position watching Watson and jumps the route to intercept the ball and takes it back for a touchdown. I have no way of knowing what Watson’s read should be for this play, but given that Earl Thomas is one of the league’s best safeties, I have to imagine that accounting for him should be part of this and this will be a pass Watson would love to have back..

The run that I want to talk about demonstrates the danger of an athletic quarterback. The Texans are lined up with 11 personnel again, still with Watson in a shotgun position but with Lamar Miller lined up to the left of Watson and further back while Ryan Griffin lined up as full back to the left and further forward of Watson. This is another play action play, but this time defensive tackle Nazair Jones gets good pressure while being held up by right tackle Breno Giacomini, but the pair are very close to Watson when he looks up from the play action hand off. Watson evades the pressure and having seen that Kam Chancellor and both linebackers of the Seahawks have dropped back into zones leaving plenty of space in front of him; Watson takes off and runs for a first down before he has to slide – a very safe way for Watson to pick up eighteen yards.

Towards the end of the second half on second and eight with fifty-two seconds left on the clock, the Texans line up in shotgun with an empty backfield. I am pretty certain they are in 11 personnel with Ryan Griffin lined up to the right of the line, and running back Alfred Blue lined up wide right, but it is hard to make out Blue’s number to be certain. What is clear is that the Seahawks are lined up in a nickel with corner Justin Coleman looking into the backfield from the right side of the defence. Coleman is lined up in a press position opposite the Texans’ stacked receivers on the left hand side of their formation, but when the ball is snapped Coleman immediately rushes the passer and does not get picked up at all. Coleman rushing from the right and Michael Bennett who lined up as left end meet as they sack Deshaun Watson. In this play Watson starts of looking right, and doesn’t sense Coleman’s pressure until it is too late for him avoid the sack.

So what do I make of this overall? There is a huge amount of potential in Deshaun Watson, and whilst his interceptions ultimately cost the Texans the game, without his play they would never have been in the game and how many rookie quarterbacks could throw for over four hundred yards against the Seahawks’ defence in Seattle. Yes Watson is athletic, but the pocket movement on the touchdown to Fuller is as exciting as the long run play. The injury is yet another frustrating one for a league that seems beset by them to franchise players, and it really sucks to have the rookie season of an exciting prospect cut short like this. However, it does seem like the Texans have a quarterback they can develop and I’m sure everyone will be excited about him next season.

Week Nine Picks

05 Sunday Nov 2017

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Falcons @ Panthers (-2.5)

This is a strange game for me to pick as the Atlanta Falcons look to be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover, and the Carolina Panthers have been up and down all season. The Falcons offence has not clicked under new coordinator Steve Sarkisian whilst the Panthers have just traded Kelvin Benjamin to a fair amount of consternation from the locker room. Given that I have no confidence in how this game is going to turn out I am going to grab the points.

Gee’s Pick:          Falcons
Dan’s Pick:          Falcons

Bengals @ Jaguars (-4.5)

This game pits a defence that already has two ten sack games against an offensive line that has struggled all season. I have no confidence in the Cincinnati Bengals, but this also seems a lot of points for a team whose offence has not been great going against a pretty decent defence. In the end the Jacksonville Jaguars seem to win big or lose, and I can’t pick the Bengals to win on the road so will back the Jaguars and fervently hope to be wrong.

Gee’s Pick:          Jaguars
Dan’s Pick:          Jaguars

Broncos @ Eagles (-7.5)

The Denver Broncos have struggled with their offence in recent weeks and are turning to Brock Osweiler to give them a spark. It is a tough ask from the Broncos to win in Philadelphia given how well the Eagles are playing but this line does give me pause. The Eagles have just lost their left tackle Jason Peters for the season and the Broncos defence is still ranked second in the league by DVOA. However, the Broncos are coming off a three game losing streak where the closest game was still ten points, and in the end I can’t quite bring myself to back them. I could regret this.

Gee’s Pick:          Eagles
Dan’s Pick:          Eagles

Ravens @ Titans (-5.5)

This is another game that I don’t know what to do given that the Baltimore Ravens have been up and down all this season and the Tennessee Titans have not exactly inspired confidence. The Titans are coming off a bye and will be hoping the rest will have helped Marcus Mariota get over his hamstring problem fully. However, it still took the Titans overtime to beat the Browns two weeks ago and the Ravens are coming off a big win against the Dolphins on a Thursday night. In the end this is too many points to be giving to a team that may well be better, and are certainly ranked higher by DVOA

Gee’s Pick:          Ravens
Dan’s Pick:          Ravens

Colts @ Texans (-12.5)

The injury curse struck the Houston Texans again this week as exciting rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL in a non-contact practise injury and will miss the rest of the season. The Indianapolis Colts are not a good team, but with the return of Tom Savage to the Texans offence this line is too rich for me.

Gee’s Pick:          Colts
Dan’s Pick:          Colts

Rams @ Giants (+3.5)

The New York Giants are coming off a bye, but there is not a lot to hang your hat on this season, whilst the LA Rams are heading up their division and are ranked second overall in DVOA. The Giants have lost all of their home games by more than four points and with the Rams coming off their own bye I don’t feel worried about the Rams giving up points.

Gee’s Pick:          Rams
Dan’s Pick:          Rams

Buccaneers @ Saints (-7.5)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defence is thirtieth by DVOA, which is not encouraging when you are facing Drew Brees and his third ranked offence on the road. The New Orleans Saints started off 0-2, but have won the rest of their games by a minimum of eight points, so whilst this run could end I am not going to pick it.

Gee’s Pick:          Saints
Dan’s Pick:          Saints

Cardinals @ 49ers (+2.5)

The Arizona Cardinals travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers coming off a bye but having lost their starting quarterback. I am not sure if Adrian Peterson can carry an offence without the credible threat of an effective passing game and Drew Stanton doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. The 49ers have their own problems, and have stopped keeping games close in the last couple of weeks as they start a rookie quarterback. They will not be looking to start newly acquired Jimmy Garoppolo straight away, but given how closely these two teams are ranked by DVOA, I’m going to grab the points at home for the underdog.

Gee’s Pick:          49ers
Dan’s Pick:          49ers

Washington @ Seahawks (-7.5)

I’m still kicking myself for picking Washington last week given how many injuries they have on their offensive line and that the overhaul of the receiver group has really not worked. The number of points worries me a little, but the Seattle Seahawks at home are still a formidable prospect and I just don’t see Kirk Cousins and his offence being able to keep up.

Gee’s Pick:          Seahawks
Dan’s Pick:          Seahawks

Chiefs @ Cowboys (-0.5)

I am not entirely sure how Ezekiel Elliott keeps finding ways to start games, but once against he has managed to find a way to take the field for the Dallas Cowboys. This game should be fascinating as it feels like the Kansas City Chiefs are slowing down a little from their fast start, with their defence really missing Eric Berry. A defence that ranks thirty-first against the run could really struggle against Ezekiel Elliott, but the Cowboys are only ranked one place better in overall defence and match up against the league’s second ranked offence. In a pick’em game I will back the better team, but not exactly confidently.

Gee’s Pick:          Chiefs
Dan’s Pick:          Chiefs

Raiders @ Dolphins (+3.5)

The Oakland Raiders got beat badly by the Bills last week and are on the road again as they travel to Miami to face the Dolphins. Setting aside their trade of Jay Ajayi, the Dolphins offence has struggled all season and even if Jay Cutler does start after sitting last week with his broken ribs, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. Nor does the fact that they are ranked thirty-first by DVOA and yet the Raiders do not inspire confidence either. The Raiders defence has been poor and the offence does not look like one that should be ranked sixth by DVOA. I feel like this game will be closer than the overall DVOA rankings suggest, and if I’m getting three and a half points at home then I am going to grab them.

Gee’s Pick:          Dolphins
Dan’s Pick:          Dolphins

Lions @ Packers (+2.5)

I’m kinda tempted by the home points for the Green Bay Packers as they come off a bye and so have had time to shape the game plan and play book more to their backup quarterback Brett Hundley’s abilities. However, whilst the Detroit Lions have been struggling in recent weeks, their defence ranks much better by DVOA and in Matthew Stafford they have the kind of quarterback who in recent years has inspired confidence. The points do tempt me, but in the end I fancy the Lions to beat their divisional rivals.

Gee’s Pick:          Lions
Dan’s Pick:          Lions