Predictions for NFL week 8

NFL Week 7 results 10-4
Season to date 63-41

First thing to bear in mind, for Irish NFL fans, is that the games are an hour earlier this weekend, with the clocks going back. The early games start at 5pm! This catches people out year after year, don't let it be you this season!!

Dolphins @ Bengals
'The Bungles' have one less win this season than it has players that were the stars of reality TV shows this last year. That can't be a good thing. How long before the first eruption from Mount T.O.? T-Minus just a few minutes to Chad Johnson's next Twitter rant. Meanwhile, Miami continues to be involved in either gut wrenching close losses, or uplifting close wins. One aspect stands out, Miami are a very confident road team with a sparkling 3-0 record away from home. You can see it now, Miami churn out yards on the ground behind Brown and Williams, while The Bungles fans get restless.
The pick: Dolphins 24-23
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Highest scoring half - second half (20/21) - Miami will try and get its running game going early, potentially churning up the first half clock.

Run Ricky, Run..

Jaguars @ Cowboys
Have the Cowboys hit rock bottom yet? Not by a long shot. Losing Romo and slipping to an abysmal 1-5 record was bad enough, but just wait until they lose this one to Gerrard and the Jags. Jacksonville get their big QB back this week, he was last seen leading them to consecutive victories over the Colts and Bills. He should have no problem marching the Jags downfield against a demoralised and beaten Cowboys team. At the very least, take the points on offer, and pat yourself on the back as 78 year old backup John Kitna makes mistakes.
The pick: Jaguars 33-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Total away team points - over 18 (10/11) - Gerard coming back should reignite the Jags offence. The Dallas D is not what it used to be.

Not a good look for Dallas

Redskins @ Lions
Sneaky feeling alert! Sneaky feeling alert! The Lions welcome back QB Mathew Stafford for this game, he joins the ranks of an upward trending team that is averaging almost 25 points a game, has Calvin Johnson, Jahvid Best and Ndamukong Suh wreaking havoc weekly, and must at this stage realise they are on to something good. The Redskins have been winning ugly, and last week beat an extremely dysfunctional team in the Bears. If the Lions can turn this one into a shootout, the Skins won't be able to keep up. Believe it or not, the Lions simply have too many weapons at their disposal.
The pick: Lions 34-26
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Lions WR Calvin Johnson to score a touchdown at any time - (7/4)

Ndamukong Suh - Raaar!

Bills @ Chiefs
The Bills valiant effort last week against the Ravens had to sap into their energy reserves. Their offence was let down badly by their sieve like defence. Expect more of the same this week, the Chief's offence is thriving under Charlie Weis. 'The Patriots West' (Kansas with Weis, Crennell, Cassel and Vrabel) are simply too good for the 0-6 Bills.
The pick: Chiefs 38-21
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Total points in the game - Over 46 (10/11)

Matt Cassel quote from 2008: “My wife and I are going to take a trip to Ireland and check out some of our heritage. Then I’ll just come home, relax a bit, and get ready to go.”

Panthers @ Rams
The Rams may have lost last week, to a late Buccaneers drive, however anyone watching could easily identify they were the superior, more progressive team in most facets of the game. They just lost to a clutch drive. The Panthers had their first win of the season, and suddenly everyone is picking them to win this game. Not so fast. Stephen Jackson and Sam Bradford, matched with home field advantage will equate to a relatively easy Rams win.
The pick: Rams 24-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – First half handicap betting - St Louis -1 (10/11) - The Rams raced to a big lead last week before being reeled back in, they can do the first part of that again on their home turf.

Packers @ Jets
This one may end up closer than expected. The Packers will keep the Jets run defence honest by throwing behind them with more success than some teams to date, Aaron Rodgers is a confident, brave QB who will attempt (and make) some risky throws. However, you can't ignore the elements in the Jets favour. They are healthy and coming off a bye week, therefore very well rested. Meanwhile the Packers have worse injury problems than Michael Owen. That combination will doom the Packers to a brave but inevitable loss.
The pick: 30-27
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Green Bay total points over 18 (10/11)

Broncos @ 49ers (London, England)
Can we just flip a coin with this one? It is an understatement to say both teams are struggling mightily this season. Things are so bad that whispers are starting regarding the job security of the men in charge. Both teams are in such a tailspin that it is very hard to choose between them. This is complicated further by the location of the game, London! The defining factor is simple enough, however. The position of QB is disproportionately crucial in the NFL, and Kyle Orton is a good NFL QB. Troy Smith, the 49ers third string, is not.
The pick: Broncos 27-13
A little something for the weekend, sir? – 49ers total points under 21.5 (10/11) everyone knows Troy Smith is starting, right?

Titans @ Chargers
A couple of details stand out in particular here. First off, the well balanced Titans are scoring 28.4 points a game, while only conceding 16.7. San Diego are doing okay in terms of the former (25.3) and not great for the latter (21.3). On top of that, the Titans are real road warriors in 2010, sitting on a nice 3-0 road record. This is a sign of a well coached team with plenty of team-spirit amongst its ranks. San Diego? Not so much. An Irish American football league team would have been embarrassed by some of the play from the Chargers last week. This game will tell the story of two teams going in very different directions. Tennessee have the tools to go into San Diego and make things very uncomfortable for Norv Turner and the Chargers.
The pick: Titans 27-24
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Tennessee +3.5 points (10/11) - take the points, and the money, and run. That extra half point is juicy in what should be a close encounter.

NOT Norv Turner.

Seahawks @ Raiders
Was there a greater illusion across the NFL last week other than the Raiders surreal 59-17 win over the Broncos? Or are Oakland really that good? The Seahawks figure to provide a sterner, more organised test under Pete Carroll, but Oakland has some serious momentum going for it. Seattle are a decent football team at home, in front of its vociferous fans, however on the road they turn to mush. One road loss in particular comes into play here, Seattle got whipped 31-14 in Denver earlier this season. Therefore, science says, Oakland, fresh off their almost unbelievable beat-down of Denver, should cruise.
The pick: Raiders 26-14
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Oakland/Oakland half time/full time (6/4)

Vikings @ Patriots
Well now, if it isn’t Sports Karma, slapping Randy Moss gleefully in the face. Let’s see Moss fulfil his ‘it’s all about winning!’ mantra now, with Tavaris Jackson or a one legged Brett Favre throwing wobbly passes his way the next few weeks. If Randy Moss ever offers you a horse racing tip, take the field instead. He doesn’t seem very good at picking winners. Joking aside, no need to look too deep into this one, for one reason specifically. The Patriots are 3-0 at home this season. The Vikings on the road? 0-3. Hopefully Moss enjoys his afternoon watching Brady march the Patriots into the end zone a few times, as he chases haplessly after misplaced passes.
The pick: Patriots 31-17
A little something for the weekend, sir? – New England's defence to score a touchdown at any time (3/1)



Buccaneers @ Cardinals
Tampa Coach Raheem Morris, why lie to us all?! Last week, after his young, admittedly talented QB Josh Freeman led a nice little comeback, Morris spouted; "There's no other person I want out there when I'm coming from behind," – lewd innuendo aside, is Morris saying he would not be interested in Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees leading a Buccaneers comeback?! You have to wonder would Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt say the same about Max Hall? Probably, "There's no other person I want out there..ah screw it, someone get me Kurt Warner’s cell number!’’. Tampa were live on Irish TV last weekend, and were frankly very lucky to escape with a win against a very mediocre Rams team. St Louis ran them off the park in the first half, and simply took their foot off the pedal in the second. Finally, check out Arizona’s last ten games, most recent first, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W, L, W. Having alternated Loss/Win for ten straight games, science says, they are due a ‘W’, right?.
The pick: Cardinals 24-20
A little something for the weekend, sir? – First scoring play - Arizona touchdown (13/8)

Steelers @ Saints
Market correction in order here. The Saints are suffering through a serious Superbowl hangover that no amount of Bloody Marys can fix. However, they did not turn into a bad football team over night. Pittsburgh are 3-0 on the road and seemingly impervious to bad luck. Last week their goal line fumble should have cost them the game in Miami. They got away with it. The Saints, in front of their home crowd, will be playing for their season. The Steelers can't keep getting lucky. Time for a market correction.
The pick: Saints 24-21
A little something for the weekend, sir? – New Orleans -1 (10/11) - when is the last time New Orleans were basically scratch odds at home?

Texans @ Colts
There's no doubt about it, the Colts are reeling. Injuries to Addai, Clarke and Collie have shorn them of some serious offensive weaponry. However, before you jump all over Houston, consider a few facts. The Colts need this one. Badly. They are coming off a bye week, and will be fresh and hungry. Their Twin Tower defensive ends are ready to go, Mathis and Freeney will cause chaos in the Texans backfield. They tend to be a pretty good home team, and they have Peyton Manning directing traffic from under center. Finally, last and very much not least, who has the worst defence statistically in the NFL? You guess it, Houston. Colts simply have to get a win here, and my bet is they do.
The pick: Colts 34-23
A little something for the weekend, sir? – Houston total points - over 21 (10/11) - The Colts should win, but Houston can score against this banged up Colts 'D'

The mystery of the talented young striker missing from the Irish squad: Anthony Stokes doubles up for Celtic

Did you know there is a naturally gifted, goal poaching 22 year old Irish kid that made the net bulge every second game in the Scottish Premiership last season? He is now banging in the goals for legendary Scottish club Celtic, and looks in the best form of his (short) life. Does Irish manager Giovanni Trappatoni know?

22 goals in 40 games - that's decent by any calculations

Last night Celtic made it into the semi-finals of the Scottish League Cup largely on the back of Anthony Stokes, who scored twice. Last season Stokes scored a superb 22 goals in 40 games for Hibernian.

Meanwhile, he (along with a host of others) remains on the outside looking in to the Irish team. He has been called into the squad a couple of times in the last two years but has barely seen any game time. With all due respect to the likes of Shane Long and Andy Keogh, how on earth is a natural goalscorer, who is riding the crest of a fantastic goalscoring spree in Scotland, not playing up front for Ireland?

Most grievously, how were Ireland, chasing a winning goal recently in Zilina, left with only one recognised attacking option (Andy Keogh) off the bench, alongside a bevvy of defenders and one midfielder? How on earth do you leave a player of Stokes talent, skill and goal scoring ability out of the squad that night?

Only one man can answer that question, and considering Giovanni Trappatoni's refusal to take a look at the gifted James McCarthy, his refusal to bury the hatchet with Andy Reid and his stubborn refusal to even look at young, upward trending players like Marc Wilson, Stephen Ward, Seamus Coleman and Jon Walters, it doesn't look like any answer will be forthcoming, any time soon.

All Stokes can do is keep banging in the goals, and hope that playing for a big club like Celtic can improve his chances of being called into the side and actually playing meaningful minutes for Ireland.

All us Irish fans can do, is hope Trappatoni wakes up and smells the proverbial coffee.

Ron Wotus versus Baseball Ireland

With the San Francisco Giants forcing their way into both the World Series and the hearts of baseball fans everywhere, their bench coach, Ron Wotus, is attracting interest from a number of clubs to manage them next season. Not better time than now to look at Ron's 2000 visit to Ireland, where he spent a weekend coaching Irish baseball players in the finer points of the game.

The weekend Baseball Ireland drank from the knowledge cup of the Giants bench coach and he drank from the dirty glasses of the bars in Temple Bar, Dublin

In January 2000 Baseball Ireland held a 'winter clinic' in Dublin designed to help new players learn the game, and to help get established players ready for the 2000 season, which was to include the 2000 European Championships in Croatia.

The clinic was conducted by Rick Stein of Major League Baseball International and then Irish National Team coach, and Ron Wotus, both then and now the bench coach of the San Francisco Giants. The sessions started Friday evening in a class room environment in Trinity College Dublin, and then went on all day Saturday and Sunday in the gym.

Down the years Baseball Ireland has had all manner of coaches from the States, and Rick Stein was something of a permanent (and valuable) feature at the time, but Ron Wotus was a whole new ball game. He spent every day of his working life alongside the best of the best, major league ballplayers.

Ron Wotus - Recovering from his time in Ireland with a game of golf

The Friday evening session was basically 'baseball theory', but in a testament to Ron and Rick's ability to get points across, those who attended it still talk about it like it was yesterday. Ron spoke about 'doing your job' as a baseball player. Rick spoke about playing without fear, playing every play at 100% and if you make an error, so be it, move on to the next play.

Ron was an extremely friendly and approachable guy. He struck up immediate and easy going friendships with several of the players at the clinic, including Garret Pearse and Gordon Ireland. Gordy had been having problems with his first base mans mitt and he was completely stunned when Ron presented him with one of his players used gloves, the player in question was Charlie Hayes, San Francisco's charismatic utility infielder.

What set Ron apart as a coach was that he seemed to know absolutely everything, and was able to give different levels of coaching to different levels of players. Obviously the game of baseball is new to Ireland, and was even newer back then. Ron and Rick were dealing with players of relatively high levels to players with zero baseball experience and nothing but a passion to learn the game.

He was an interesting character with bundles of confidence and yet a very approachable demeanour.

In all my time in Irish Baseball I thought he was the one guy who was able to really help with pitching mechanics. He spent a good bit of time in the Trinity College gym with myself, Garret Pearse, Ken Murphy and other pitchers helping us refine our deliveries. He picked a couple of items each of us could work on in future.

It was a long way from the pitching coaching we received in 1996 when perspective pitchers lined up and threw one pitch to our battered, beleaguered catcher Sean Mitchell, before joining the back of the line again. That's how we rolled, back then.

After the sessions I spoke to my good friend Garret about it and he agreed, Ron was far and away the best pitching coach we ever had, and he wasn't even a pitching coach back home with the Giants. That's how it worked for us in Irish Baseball. You gobbled up what you could, because top class tuition like that provided by Rick Stein and Ron Wotus was infrequent and short lived. We got two days with them and that was it.

Sunday night was Superbowl Sunday. In one of the more enjoyable social events in my time in Irish Baseball we took the two Coaches, Rick and Ron, to a Dublin Sports bar which was hosting a small superbowl party.

There were dozens of people who had attended the weekend clinics plus several other Baseball Ireland personalities there, and it all took place against the backdrop of one of the most exciting Superbowls ever, Super Bowl XXXIV, Tennessee against St Louis.

It was a raucous, well lubricated party. Although we were baseball players and coaches, most of us had an interest in the NFL game too. Bill Beglane was rooting for St Louis, because he is a Cardinals fan. Mike Kindle was excited about the half time show, Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias and Toni Braxton. He kept saying it was Ms Aguilera's appearance that he was waiting for but we all knew it was Enrique he was looking forward to.

People had money on the two teams. I had backed the underdog Titans, underdogs by 7 points. At one stage I took out my betting slip to have a look at it, and Ron Wotus asked me what it was. He was totally stunned that in Ireland you can walk into a bookies shop and legally place a bet on a sporting event like the Superbowl. By the time the conversation had taken place we had all had a couple of beers so I asked him bravely 'Is there honestly no betting in baseball?' and he replied, passionately, that had never himself seen an instance of it. I guess the 1919 Blacksox took care of that.

As the night wore on the conversations became more comedic, Ron began ranting about the Aneheim Angels fans use of those 'thundersticks', plastic clappers they used to make a huge 'thunderous' noise during games. He hated them, despised them. Ron was old school, and that kind of new-age fan participation was horrible, to him.

When you look at Irish Baseball, and try to understand how the team has won such big games against more fancied opposition, one thing that jumps out over and over is the camaraderie amongst the team. From 1996 until now this was and is one tight bunch. Its nights like January 30th 2000 that built the team.

It's not one thing it's a combination of things that 'make' those nights what they are. It's the irrepressible Mike Kindle, the Mayor of Irish Baseball, clowning around. It was the backdrop of the dramatic Superbowl on screen. It was the smooth, easy conversations flowing like the beer. It was Chris Foy being approached by a middle aged 'swinging couple' in a bathroom and coming back to the table pale as a ghost to relay the story of them inviting him home. It was the coaches Ron and Rick clearly enjoying letting their hair down in this very Irish painting with the American 'frame' around it.

The drink flowed and the game became more and more exciting. The final drive was sensational, and as St Louis stopped Tennessee at the one yard line, the whole bar erupted with the drama showing on screen.

So close, and yet, so far....

The ironic aspect of it all is, Ron probably barely remembers his weekend in Ireland (and that's not a alcohol related joke!). He is an important part of the Giants organisation and obviously has much bigger fish to fry than a weekend coaching baseball to a bunch of clowns in Dublin. Here's the irony, he, along with Rick Stein, left a huge mark on us that weekend. They brought our baseball development to a new level, brought both our execution and thinking up to a new level. Rick had been doing so for a long time, and would go on to do so but that weekend Ron really added a whole new dimension to the games of dozens of Irish baseball players.



To this day I remember the tips he gave me for pitching, Garrett Pearse remembers the friendly conversations they had about baseball and Gordon Ireland still shows all visitors to his house that Charlie Hayes glove.

Hopefully we gave him something to remember other than a tremendous hangover on the Monday morning!

Shaquille ‘The Big Shamrock’ O’Neal gets off to a winning start

So that’s that settled, apparently Miami are not going 82-0.

The hype surrounding LeBron, Wade and the Miami Heat has been nothing short of suffocating. Last nights season opener was supposed to be the beginning of their season long coronation, instead Shaquille ‘The Big Shamrock’ O’Neal and his crew had other ideas.

As the Boston Celtics fans serenaded the Heat with chants of "Overrated!” during last night's season opening 88-80 win, you couldn’t help thinking the guys from South Beach are going to hear that a lot this summer, and it’s only partially their fault. Quick, name three Heat players other than LeBron, Wade and Bosh. Not easy, eh? The only NBA team with its own special page on ESPN (the asinine ‘Heat Index’) is ‘team’ in name only. In reality its three superstars and a bunch of low salary additions, including a bench that will struggle against nearly every other NBA bench this season.

For the Celtics, the season opener could not have gone better. The parts assembled by Danny Ainge all fitted together perfectly. O’Neal made a nice splash in relatively short minutes while Glen ‘Big Baby’ Davis almost stole the show with a very effective 29 minutes including 13 points and 5 rebounds. Pierce, Allen and Garnett all played their part. The Heat had two players with over 10 points. The Shamrocks had four (and one narrowly missing that with 9).

One final note, apparently size does matter. The Celtics are now one of the biggest teams in the league, with Ainge bringing in Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Semih Erden to add to Garnett, Perkins and Big Baby. The Celtics outscored Miami 38-24 ‘in the paint’. How will Miami handle the best big man in the league, Orlando’s Dwight Howard? On first look, they may struggle against teams with talented big men.

There aren’t many ‘bigs’ with more veteran talent than The Big Shamrock, and Celtics fans were treated to a motivated, healthy Shaquille O’Neal last night, and early results were very, very promising.

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NFL class in session; five things we learned during Week 7

Five things we learned during Week 7

• Best NFL coverage in the World? Ireland!
• Heads are going to start rolling soon
• Kansas (AKA ‘The Patriots West’) might just be for real
• The Dallas Cowboys are seriously deluded
• It’s really, really hard to beat Seattle on their own turf

Best NFL coverage in the World? Ireland!

There has never been a better time to follow the NFL from Ireland. This weekend alone, it was possible to watch three live games in a row on Sunday, and then Monday night football live too. Four games, all live, all available on top sports channels accessible to all for a very small monthly fee.

To add to that, NFL Game Pass, where you can watch any game you want, is available only outside the USA. That, however, is prohibitively expensive, only mentioning it here as it is another option open to Irish NFL fans, and not those in the place they actually play the game. Compare all this to the States, where unless you buy a very expensive monthly package you could be left out in the NFL cold.

Not only is there a wealth of choice, the quality of the package is better here too. The Sky Sports coverage, with Kevin Cadle and Nick Halling, is both informative and entertaining. They generally have good weekly guests, including the excellent and compelling Shaun Gayle. The late Sunday game is covered by Channel Four and, for me anyway, it provides the absolute best NFL live coverage available on the planet at this moment.

Of course, it may not be for everyone. It consists of basically Gary Imlach and Mike Carlson sitting in a rather boring room talking at length about the game in question and the NFL in general. The graphics are deliberately retro in aesthetic, and there are no flashy gimmicks or loud, sponsored segments. What sets it apart is that Imlach and Carlson are both informed, intelligent and entertaining in getting their point across, in an enjoyably relaxed manner.

The C4 coverage is a nice throwback to the early days of NFL on TV in Ireland. Imlach anchored the show in the eighties too. It is also a chilled, fun and still informative break from the norm, the norm being Fox or whoever ramming noisy, headache inducing twenty second ‘blurbs’ of NFL down our throats, interspersed with bland, clichéd punditry and endless advertisements about curing male erectile dysfunction. Do yourself a favour and check C4’s coverage out some night.

Imlach and Carlson; not flashy but they get the job done

Heads are going to start rolling soon

The good families of Mike Singletary, Norv Turner and Wade Phillips have most likely been walking on egg shells the last 24 hours. The breakfast table will be a volatile powder-keg of emotion this morning, as each coach sips their morning coffee and reads over the sports pages.

All four are presiding over teams that are not just underperforming; they are doing so in style. You can almost see it now, Turner’s wife asking, barely audibly, for the butter, only for the coach to shout ‘What? What did you say? I can’t coach them to pick (colourful expletive) the ball up off the floor, I can’t!!’ The 49ers, Chargers and Cowboys are stacked with expensively-assembled talent at all positions and yet have stumbled to a simply pathetic combined record of 4-16

The only question now is, who goes first? My money is on Phillips. Singletary has something resembling an excuse in that his QB is not top tier. Alex Smith leading the 49ers and all their offensive weapons is something akin to sticking Justin Bieber in front of the E-Street band and telling him, curtains raise in five.

Turner? If the Chargers went 0-16 would he get the sack? Turner and his Chargers have been underachieving for years now, is there anyone actually awake in that owners box? Meanwhile, judging by Philip’s blank expression last night when Romo went all Humpty Dumpty on us, he may already be aware his time is short.

doh

Kansas (AKA ‘The Patriots West’) might just be for real

Patriots West? That’s right, with coaches Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weiss leading the defence and offence respectively, with Matt Cassell and linebacker Mike Vrabel on board, the Chiefs have a distinctly ‘Patriotish’ gloss to their finish.

The Chiefs own a nifty 4-2 record and lead the NFL in rushing. Fresh off an absolute tonking of Jacksonville, their remaining schedule is tricky but not overwhelming. The Patriots West should be able to carve out a 10-6 season, which should put them in the playoffs. Honestly, how many of you had the Chiefs in the playoffs before this crazy NFL season started?

The Dallas Cowboys are seriously deluded
Anyone catch Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones’s surreal big screen pep-rally pre game last night? Actually, scratch that, of course you did, inhabitants of far off planets caught it so you probably did too. Imagine having been Wade Phillips, standing on the sideline waiting for the game to start, only to look up to that absolutely ridiculous billion foot high big screen to see Jones’s mammoth face glaring down at him, his creepy pre-game speech must have been particularly chilling for the soon-to-be-sacked Dallas coach. From the content of the speech, you would have thought Dallas were a feisty underdog, on a 3-3 record with a bright future. Instead, ‘they are a bunch of underachievers’ (Tony Dorsett’s words, not mine) and for all the brash, arrogant talk and showboating, owners of a 1-5 record. Watching the game late, late last night in Ireland, I was left thinking, is there some kind of metaphoric connection between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Cowboys, with their arrogant personas and style, their audacious penalty count, their gazillion dollar stadium built in a time of great recession world wide and their fans, players and owners, completely oblivious to the Barbarians at the gates.

Or, maybe, they are just a really, really bad 1-5 football team. Either way, it's pretty funny.

It’s really, really hard to beat Seattle on their own turf
New coach, low pay-roll, ageing QB, injury issues, head cases like Mike Williams playing significant minutes. You wouldn't have been chastised had you predicted Seattle would struggle in '10. However, they are sitting pretty on 4-2 record, including a flawless 3-0 record at home. Have you seen a Seattle home game as yet? You can barely hear the announcers cover the game, the crowd is so loud. Hands down the best home field advantage in the NFL. With Oakland, St Louis, San Fran, Tampa, Carolina and Arizona to play still, the playoffs are very much in reach for the Hawks. If they manage to get a home game, anything is possible. Keep an eye on them.