FOOTBALL BETTING RANT

Poolside Rants

Ok I am not Nostradamus but the article on receivers I wrote the other week with TO being the “ugly” has sure taken on some extra meaning after the last week’s circus. I have made my feelings regarding the egomaniacal one known so I will leave that story alone as the clown gets enough type dedicated to him. In all fairness to TO I will say his second apology after the suspension was much more meaningful, do you think the fact he is going to lose $810 000 over those four games plus the signing bonus refund the Eagles are likely to try and re-claim had anything to do with his new found sincerity?
There are far more pertinent stories to cover this week in any case such as the Top Cats catfight, sex scandal. *ROWR* Now that’s entertainment! A couple of hotties allegedly getting it on at Banana Joe’s in the banana-free zone a.k.a. a stall in the ladies washroom. Now the Panthers organization in their infinite wisdom has fired the ladies but do not worry. Penthouse has stepped up and kindly offered the gals a feature role, for a month anyway. Live and let live I say, oh and by the way ladies I do have room so if you need somewhere to live feel free to email me, there are several bathrooms in my place and no one will pick fights or have you arrested.

On to the football portion now that we have sorted out the drama that is the NFL this week. Moving on to more significant and meaningful topics which are plentiful at the halfway point of the season. This week I think I will give you my thoughts on who will and won’t be players in the play-offs this year and perhaps a few guys who look to have huge second halves to the season. We’ll start in the AFC East where the top team is the former SB champs at 4-4. Excuse me? Yes 4-4 but they have had an awful trip with injuries and a brutal schedule but it does get better for the Pats with Bruschi back and five of their remaining eight games against their weak divisional opponents. Chalk them up as division winners and Brady as a 300yd per game passer and they are likely to lose the games he doesn’t. Buffalo has an outside chance but their D has to play much better and Holcomb has to be more of a factor in the game, meaning more than 150 yards passing. Bet against any team in this division being a wildcard, almost as sure a bet you can make in the NFL as Miami and the Jets both need QB help and there is none on the horizon, this season anyway.

The AFC North is next and almost certainly the Steelers and Bengals will be vying for the division title. Which ever doesn’t win the division is sure to be in the fight and likely the favorite for a wildcard. My prediction is the Steelers win the division on point differential when they split their 2 games with the Bengals, who fight their way in as a wild card.

AFC South Indy wins, ho-hum, Edge is the man in the second half as Indy spends lots of time running out the clock. Jacksonville competes but falls short of a wild card as their offense falters at all the wrong times and Leftwich hasn’t made the big plays when needed most by his squad. Division title and a playoff run is impossible but watch for the Texans to be more competitive trying to save coach Dom Capers job and A. Johnson, D. Davis and Carr could all be decent plays the second half.

The AFC West is a competitive division and even the lowly Raiders have a shot at the playoffs at 3-5 but the division will likely go to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are dominating with the run and look for Bell to get more and more carries as the season wears on as he is the most explosive player in a division filled with supreme talent. San Diego and KC have both looked dominant at times but San Diego has played the stiffer competition and I expect them to finish in the playoffs as a wildcard, led by superstuds LT and Gates. Oakland’s chances lie in the arm of Collins and more specifically on the health and contribution of the Freak, Randy Moss. If those two can build on a decent first eight games I could see the Oakland offense becoming the best in the AFC over the final eight. In essence I see KC, Cincy, Jacksonville and Oakland scrapping it out for the final wildcard berth in a race to the finish with the Bengals, that’s right the Bengals, leading the race for the right to fight on in January.

The NFC seems to have strength and four contenders in a couple divisions and almost none in the others. However I think the second half matches up many of these teams mano-a-mano and there will likely be brutal battles down the stretch weakening all the teams involved. Let’s start in the East where every team is .500 or better and arguably the best division in football led by the Giants at 6-2 and the former NFC Champion Eagles bringing up the rear at 4-4. Squeezed in the middle at 5-3 the Skins and Cowboys have looked great at times and disappointed fans in games this season as well. I am going to show my “homer” stripes and call the Cowboys as the division winners because they seem to have the best balance of offense and defense but any team in this division could win realistically. At least one good team in this division will be on the outside looking in come playoff time wondering what happened. The man to watch in the NFC East I am going to go with as my game breaker is Clinton Portis, he means the most to his team, if he shifts into a higher gear Washington becomes the favorite and I think he is ready to bust out for Coach Gibbs.

From first to worst we move onto the NFC North where no team should make the playoffs and the only reason one of these teams will have a winning record is they get to play their division six times. The Bears are my favorites based on their stifling D but the Lions could make a late charge if they straighten out their offensive line problems. Player of the division to watch is maybe the guy most people thought would be better and that is Joey Harrington, after seeing Garcia struggle is there any doubt it is the offensive line that is the problem and not the QB? Anyway he gets his big WR’s back and they have potential offensively to bust loose. There will be no wild card contender in this division as I doubt any team can make 10-6 in this division and I am betting that is what it will take in the NFC to get a wildcard. Only because the NFC South has 3 strong teams contending for a title.

 

The Falcons 6-2, Panthers 6-2 and Bucs 5-3 all have the potential to make a run at the division and both wild card slots in the NFC South. I think the Bucs may be the pretender of the bunch but it all depends on the condition of Gruden’s Cadillac. IF Cadillac is still ailing and he comes back healthy in the second half the Bucs are again contenders, IF he is healed and the first three games were a lucky stretch the Bucs will fall short as their D needs the support of a strong running game and their offense won’t win any shootouts. Either way the Panthers win the division with their balance and the Falcons are the next best team with their throwback running attack and big play D.

The NFC West is a funny division with enigmatic teams that lose games they should win and win games they have no apparent shot at winning. Seattle is the best team in the division but I am not ready to crown them just yet because the Rams are only two games behind them, are very explosive and it’s the Seahawks ahead of them. I’ll admit the Hawks have played well but Hasselback is the key for the ‘Hawks because they tend to lose games against teams with strong run defenses and struggle against strong running attacks. Player to watch in the second half is Kurt Warner with the Cardinals and their awesome receivers as they look to upset other teams dreams of the post-season and have no running game anyway. As much as it pains me I pencil in the Hawks but have a suspicion that the Rams will make it tight with a win this weekend. Only one team in this division goes as the wildcards are almost certain to come from the East and/or the South. The six NFC playoff teams include the Panthers, Bears, Cowboys, Falcons, Hawks while the Giants, Bucs and Skins battle for the final berth.

In a nutshell there you have the mid-season report and second half predictions all wrapped up from Poolside. I am jacked for the second half and can’t wait until Sunday…are you ready for some football? Back to the pool. Later

Stay Tuned for next weeks article and get out there and nfl FOOTBALL bet on this weeks games......Mike P.