Is President Obama preventing Rob Gronkowski from playing for Patriots?

Group releases documentation they say proves the President is the force keeping the Patriots star off the field of play.

Is Obama behind Gronk's inactivity?

The New England Patriots dramatic comeback win over the Saints on Sunday last has been overshadowed somewhat by the drama surrounding the return to action of Tight End Robert Gronkowski. ‘Gronk’ missed his sixth straight game on Sunday, resulting in thousands of calls to sports talk radio from irate Boston area callers, demanding to know what the hold-up was.

A shroud of mystery has hovered over Gronkowski’s inability to play so far this season, while he recovers from offseason arm and back surgeries. The main problem would appear to be that everyone linked to the big Tight End would appear to be indicating that either he is ready to play, or they are okay with him waiting until he is ready. Thus the question, where’s this ‘problem’ that the sporting media are referring to?

Starting with the team itself, Tom Brady has gone on record to say ‘I don’t think there’s any resentment’ in regards Gronk not taking the field as yet. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has sternly insisted that he is 'completely behind' Rob Gronkowski’s rehab. No problem there, right?

In terms of his own family, Gronkowski’s mother, Diane, told The Boston Herald that her son is “dying to play.” She went on to say; "All I can say is Robbie is dying to play. He wants to get out there. He's doing what he has to do to get back playing. He doesn't like it. He wants to play. It really bothers him that he's not playing." Initial reports tried to link his father, Gordy, to the fact he hasn’t played as yet, however those reports have been strongly rejected by both family and team.

Finally, the doctor involved in the surgery, Dr. James Andrews, is reported to have given the player the all-clear to ‘suit up’.

So where exactly is the blockage?

Republican think-tank group ‘America for Americans’ has released a report that links clearly the current President of The United States to the Patriots superstar Tight End not being on the field of play, despite being healthy. The 350 page document holds ‘damning evidence’ that President Obama is the mysterious, nefarious force keeping the Patriots best offensive weapon off the gridiron. The group, funded by the infamous Koch brothers, is perhaps best known before now for sending 5,000 ‘Obama did it!’ t-shirts to American troops in the Middle East.

Noted Republican thinker Michele Bachmann said of the report; ‘’This is just another clear set of evidence that Obama is tearing the very fabric of American society down, brick by brick. Would ‘Gronk’ be stopped from playing if he was black? If ‘Gronk’ was Muslim, would he have been allowed play by Obama? I am just asking questions.’’


When pressed on the subject Bachmann shouted 'How can we know Obama is NOT behind Gronk's inactivity?!'

Patriots team officials have refused to comment on the report, and the player himself has refuted all allegations that the President is stopping him from playing. However, Gronkowski was seen talking to men in black suits after the game last weekend. These men may have been reporters, or they may have been Secret Service agents informing Gronk that the President is still not allowing him play.

We’re just asking questions.

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The top 50 highest paid athletes list is a cesspit of wasted money

Sports Illustrated's list of the top 50 highest paid athletes in the United States is full of names that will surprise and or shock you

The immortal Carl Crawford

Sports Illustrated's recently released lists of the top paid athletes in sports is well worth a look.

Fascinatingly SI have separated their lists into two, a United States list, and an international list. This separation perhaps unexpectedly provides a look into the soul of American sports. Much as we all love it, it's not always pretty.

I would argue the top eight athletes in the list are acceptable, from the point of view of value for salary. Every athlete in the top eight belongs in this list, it is hard to argue the impact and value of LeBron, Drew Brees, Kobe, Peyton Manning and so on.

From the 9 spot in the order we see problems start to arise. Alex Rodriguez is the 9th highest paid athlete in sports in the United States. That's right, A-Rod. Right after the man most to blame for the horrific logjam on the New York Yankees payroll comes perhaps the most overpaid individual on the list. Zach Greinke is good, sure, but unless you were his Dad, can you look me in the eye and say he should be the 10th highest athlete in sports in the USA? Forget athletes from other sports, there are literally dozens of MLB pitchers who should be ahead of Greinke in terms of annual earnings.

The rest of the list is a scrap heap of carnage. Take a deep breath, and, know that Alfonso Soriano, Barry Zito, Carl Crawford, Vernon Wells, Carl Nicks, Mario Williams, Johan Santana and A-Rod are all part of the top 50 highest earning athletes in the United States this year.

Soriano, Crawford and Wells (Vernon Wells, seriously!) are all laughable or chilling entries in the list, depending if you find the fact that people are paying them hundreds of millions of dollars to play sports funny or scary.

Whatever about those, Joe Johnson, Dwight Howard, Matt Schuab, Vincent Jackson and Zach Greinke might be decent athletes, but come on, seriously, top 50 paid athletes in the entire United States?

Those are just the most egregious names on the list. You could probably argue half a dozen more or so.

Compare that with the international list.

I'll give you David Beckham, he's questionable at best, and right at the top of the list. You could argue he is currently on the books of a hot French side (PSG) and is still very much 'significant' in the world of soccer, but he really doesn't represent value as the highest paid athlete in international sports.

After that though the list is pretty tight. Most, if not all of the rest of the athletes on the international list are worthy of their spot, and most if not all are at least close to the top of their respective games.

Put it this way, there is nobody like Carl Crawford stinking up the International list.

What does this all tell us?

In short, it suggests strongly that the system is, if not broken, seriously damaged in the United States. The best athletes are not the highest paid athletes. The highest paid athletes list in the USA is infected with a large percentage of players who are are broken, cheating, underachieving losers, clogging up the list with dead dollars.

Dead, wasted dollars.

I am sorry if it offends him or his 7 remaining fans, but in no universe is it logical to have Vernon Wells as one of the top 50 highest paid athletes.

Perhaps most worryingly of all, it does not appear that anyone gives a damn.


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JJ Watt wags his finger and spits on the logo of the team that hung 83 points on his defence

JJ Watt

And so it goes, the NFL playoffs move forward to the final four, with many a hard lucky story and many a pretender left floundering in the wake of the four remaining teams. Where do we stack the Houston Texans? If their double-capitulations in New England are anything to go by, firmly in the latter ‘Pretender’ bracket. At least most of the Texans took their beating(s) like men. In general the Texans complimented the New England Patriots and promised they would improve next season. Standard stuff.

Read More NFL news here

Enter JJ Watt. You might recall Watt’s gormless face clogging up the airwaves ad-nauseum last week against the Bengals. For whatever reason the TV networks can’t get enough of the guys pillowy, vacant face. You might also remember him from last night’s game, stealing Dikembe Mutumbo’s ‘finger wag’ after making a tackle on a Patriot’s running back. He did this with his team in a serious hole, losing badly and facing elimination from the playoffs.

He wagged his finger despite the fact the defence he is an integral part of has this season conceded a total of 83 points to the team he was waving his finger at.

Read More: Ray Lewis the great illusionist: Ravens linebacker continues to avoid his own past

However,  it would appear that’s JJ Watt all over. Me first.

He would also appear to be lacking in either class or respect too. Watt is a bit of an overnight sensation, and I imagine most sensible Texan’s fans would agree he still has some work to do. The TV networks can force feed us his buffoonish face all they want, Watt made two tackles last night. Two. There’s clearly work to be done there. With that in mind, you would imagine Watt would be respectful of an opponent that is obviously streets ahead of his team right now, and has been for the last decade. An opponent that has put up 83 points on his defence this season.

Sadly, not so.

Before the game last night both Houston and Boston reports spotted that JJ Watt marched to the Patriots logo in center field and disrespectfully spat on it, before grinding his spit into the turf with his shoe. 

Perhaps worse yet, after the game Watt seemed to be trying to excuse this gormless action as something he does every road game. Sorry, that’s supposed to be an excuse? So, it’s OK that Watt spits on all his opponent’s logos? This pathetic, classless and disrespectful act will stand as the most impactful moment of JJ Watt’s postseason. Hopefully he enjoys that fact as he sits at home and watches the rest of the playoffs.

Read More: Say it ain’t so Brian -- Coach Kelly set for Philadelphia Eagles?

Perhaps the final word should go to Patriot’s linebacker Jerod Mayo, who summed the entire incident up in one concise sentence

"I really don't pay attention to him, I really don't care what he has to say. We're going to continue to work tomorrow,  and I don't know what those guys are going to do."

Bye bye, Houston..

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Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock under fire from gun lobbyists in wake of Javon Belcher shooting

Kansas City Chiefs player Javon Belcher

The weekend saw a terrible tragedy unfold with young Kansas City Chiefs player Javon Belcher murdering his girlfriend before taking his own life in front of Chief’s head coach Romeo Crennel. Those words still don’t really make sense, it was such a senseless and tragic loss of life. Furthermore, the tragedy will linger, as Crennel (who it must be noted sounds as if he behaved with extreme bravery, trying to talk sense into a volatile man wielding a hand-gun) and other Chiefs players and staff will never be able to forget what they saw. Finally, Belcher’s baby daughter is now going to grow up without a parent.

The last part perhaps resonates loudest, as you can only imagine the challenges the poor girl faces, her life altered forever by a hand-gun.

Across the sporting media there have been all sorts of responses, coming from different places in the mind and heart. Fascinatingly, the two that most visibly dared to suggest this might be the time to consider a new look at the very least at gun control are the two that are coming under the most derision. Bob Costas and (to a lesser extent) Jason Whitlock are being dragged around the muddy corners of the Internet and verbally lambasted as if they were the mythical love child of Osama Bin Laden and Eva Braun. Costas, in particular, is being torn to shreds by, largely and not surprisingly, the right wing slanted sporting and other media, perhaps because his plea for consideration was witnessed by a larger audience, and, it has to be noted, a Southern audience (it being a Cowboys game).

Read more American football news here

You have to wonder, why are Costas and Whitlock being subjected to such hate filled vitriol? All they are doing is offering their opinion, and in same they simply suggest that this horrible tragedy affords a moment where we could look at gun control again, and consider a way forward that doesn’t involve the continued massacre that is being facilitated by the free availability of guns in the United States. How is offering that opinion now an open invitation to ridicule? Surely if people want to make the United States a safer place, that is to be commended, or at very least accepted?

I completely get how gun manufacturing companies, the people who work for them and the politicians who’s pockets are lined by those companies would angrily rebuke the opinions of Costas and Whitlock. You can always expect the angry, bobbing head, cap-typing right wing to get in on the act also. However, what about the rest, why is Costas in particular being carpet bombed like this?

Seriously, the man simply suggested maybe we should consider how easily anyone can get their hands on a gun in the USA. Is that such a bad thing?!

Has the USA become that completely immune to the rampant issue of gun related deaths that if anyone dares challenge the ridiculously powerful gun lobby they get destroyed by the sporting and other media at large? Did Bob Costas and Jason Whitlock really write something that bad that it deserves the derisive assaults they are being subjected to today?

The attacks are pretty much as you would expect them. The usual ‘Guns don’t kill people’ dross, combined with various demands that the constitution remains intact. One that appears to be rearing it’s infantile, ugly head again and again is the ‘He can try and take our guns’ refrain. ‘Our’ guns, really?

To finish, Whitlock hit the nail on the head in a brilliant retort to that final imbecilic mantra spouted by the gun-loving right far too often. As Whitlock smoothly describes;

‘’ How many young people have to die senselessly? How many lives have to be ruined before we realize the right to bear arms doesn't protect us from a government equipped with stealth bombers, predator drones, tanks and nuclear weapons?’’

Maybe that’s what drives the right-wing so crazy. At its heart, the debate isn't even a contest. Only an idiot of the lowest order would agree that the ‘right to bear arms’ is more important than human life and peoples safety. Lacking any sensible argument, the right flips on the caps lock and lets rip. When people point out how simple and ludicrous the whole situation it, people like Costas and Whitlock, they get assaulted by the cowardly mob.

Sadly, that has become the norm, and that appears to be what we are witnessing here, a sad footnote in a terrible tragedy.

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A Norwegian kicking in the NFL? Håvard Rugland 'kicking exhibition video" goes viral

Håvard Rugland

Every day we are pointed towards something to watch or read on the Internet. We all are guilty of ushering folk to do same also. We are all butlers to the Internet. We usher our friends and family to links, articles and videos, and we’re doing it more and more every day. In such a saturated market it is often hard to find something genuinely jaw dropping, however, this video, I wager, is just that. If you have any interest in the NFL, soccer, or sports in general, if even you like well put together amateur video with a difference, this video is for you.

At its most basic, it’s a young man kicking an NFL ball around, trying (and succeeding) with some ridiculous trick shots, however that’s like describing Mozart as a ‘decent’ composer.

Taking a step back, From The Bleachers found this video yesterday, and on our first view the video had 6,000 hits. As of this morning, it stands at 140,000. We reached out to the maker, Håvard Rugland, to ask him a few questions, and he graciously replied straight away. Frankly, I doubt he’s going to have much time for anything in the near future, if the video continues to explode across the Internet as it has done so far.

Really refreshing video, and also very refreshing response from the young man. First the video, then a little bit more about Håvard.




Pretty cool, right?

The guy in the video making the football do all those amazing things is Håvard Rugland, 28, from Ålgård in Norway. Amazingly, he told From the Bleachers he has been kicking field goals for just one and a half years. Basically, a soccer fan all his life, he knew he had a good leg, and wanted to try his ‘foot’ at kicking. Initial results were good, very good, and Håvard decided to make the video just to show his friends and family what he was up to. Kicking field goals alone wasn’t exciting enough for him, so he decided to add some fun elements, tricks and funny kicks into the mix.

Let’s just say he succeeded. Watching a man hit a moving target, in a boat, is just something you don’t see every day.

The interesting thing is, it appears kicking came first, and Håvard became interested in the NFL because of same, not the other way round. Up to now, he hasn’t picked a favourite team as yet, he just loves watching the games. Apart from the NFL, Håvard’s favourite sports are snowboarding, soccer and the UFC.

The latter is an interesting choice. As you will see from the video, Håvard is a well-built man, and if he ever did get a chance to play in the NFL it looks like he would be the kind of kicker that would have no problem laying out any kick returner who thought he was home clean.

In terms of the video itself,  Håvard created it over the course of a couple of weeks with the help of his brother and a few friends, and it is shot entirely ‘on location’ in his home town of Ålgård in Norway.

What strikes you about Håvard is his amiable humility. One of the last questions we put to him was, if you found yourself kicking field goals in front of 50,000 screaming people, how do you think you would react? He replied

‘’I don’t know how I would react, but I hope i would be able to handle it. I have never played American football other than by myself, so I think with the help of a good coach, I know I could become a very good kicker. I have still a lot to learn, but I think I have the talent to get really good and I am a fast learner.’’

You couldn’t ask for a more honest down to earth answer. Having had the chance to put a few questions to Håvard, and having enjoyed his video so much, it is impossible not to root for him.

Here’s wishing him the best in future, and hopefully an NFL general manager gets a chance to see it, rolls the dice, and ends up with a linebacker size Norwegian place kicker, who can knock the pigskin from Fjord to Fjord no problem.

 

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Romney the Wolverine: Ohio State student paper links Mitt to Michigan

Readers of Friday’s copy of the Ohio State student newspaper the Lantern were greeted by an enormous, ultimately hilarious full page advertisement linking Presidential longshot Mitt Romney (currently trailing incumbent President Obama by a whopping margin in the only poll that matters, Vegas bookmarkers) to the Michigan Wolverines.

The text reads "I have been a Michigan and a Wolverine fan for a long, long time" a statement the former Massachusetts governor, who was born in Michigan, made the last year.

This statement will not go down well amongst the passionate throngs of Buckeye nation.

The advertisement was paid for by the Ohio Democratic party and is an interesting tactic, a cheeky and welcome break from the usual negative, ugly and spiteful tactics that have been used to date by, in particular, the Republican party.

The image challenges Buckeye fans to question themselves, can they really vote for a man who roots for their most fiercest of rivals? Can the question cause a ripple in voting numbers in a key state? Stranger things have happened.

You wonder what The Mittster makes of all this. Probably not much. To his credit, Romney to date exudes a certain deflective aura of contentment, it would appear basically nothing can hurt him. Let’s face it, this chap is wonderfully detached from reality, this is the same individual who described the $374,000 in speaking fees he earned a year as “not very much.”

Now call me a Libtard Commie Barock O’Hussein Obama supporter if you will, but $374,000 DeNiros would make a welcome addition to this struggling freelance sports journalists’ wallet. Yes, very much.

As for The Mittster, If you were to ask him were he worried about the fallout from this incident, he would no doubt shake his jowls in that Nixonian manner he has and reply ‘’Not very much’’.

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Five reasons New England Patriot fans don’t need to jump into the Charles River (yet)

New England's QB Tom Brady

Nothing like a third game of the season loss to get the Boston sporting media frothing at the mouth. Visiting any New England publication today is something akin to a quick trip to a particularly sadistic dentist. You would be forgiven for locking all the doors, pulling down all the blinds, crawling into bed and pulling the covers over your head after reading some of the negative muck being trawled out today about the Patriots tough 30-31 loss to the Ravens last night. Look, a loss is a loss, and nobody felt it more than me. Any life time Patriot fan was bound to feel as if a big fat guy had just landed a hard right to the stomach after that ‘did it go over, didn’t it?’ field goal ending. For the record, most logical types are saying, yes, it went over.

We could sit here all day, knocking back Sammy Adams and bashing it all out, piece by piece, as to what went wrong. However, ‘From The Bleachers’ is a glass-half-full’ kind of place. So, take a break from the monotonous deluge of negative vibes in the usual Boston sporting online media entities, and come enjoy five reasons last night wasn’t that big a deal, really.

Five reasons not to go jumping off any bridges as a Patriots fan

1. Two minute perfection
2. Brady
3. Julian Edelman
4. Patriots were right in it to win it
5. Wicked Wes

Two minute perfection
The two minute drill the Patriots ran at the end of the first half was a thing of beauty. Given the time by the foolish Ravens, Brady marched the troops down the field and grabbed what at the time seemed like a crucial touchdown with a beautiful, sharp pass that harkened back to Brady bullets of yesteryear.

Brady
The Patriot’s trigger man looked great. Simple as that. Rumours of his demise have been greatly exaggerated, on the evidence on show here. Brady hocked up 335 yards passing completing a healthy 28 of 41. He spread the ball around well and looked sharp and in command. Look, the Patriots just went into Baltimore, the self-appointed greatest defence ever, or whatever, and Brady and his buddies just slapped them in the face with 30 points. Not a lot of NFL football teams have or will do that.

Julian Edelman
Edelman was action man on the night, doing some good things (the touchdown before half time) and some bad (a completely rubbish offensive pass interference call). He was an energizer bunny on the night and this augers well for his impact down the road. Edelman is just a baller, and a positive impact type of player. The kid is absolutely fearless.

Patriots were right in it to win it
Once again, a little context here people. Baltimore are no Miami. They are a good, tough, talented football team. They were at home, they had the officials in their back pockets largely, and they had a crowd baying for Patriot blood. They were hungry for revenge for various Patriot wins down the years, and they had momentum too, coming into the game as one of the bookies favourites to win it all this season. In context, the Patriots losing on a last second field goal, is actually a fine result. Whilst there is no reason to celebrate, there is also no reason to go getting all depressed and down about it, either. Plenty of teams will go into Baltimore and come out sternly whipped, with their tails between their legs. The Patriots, firmly, didn’t, and have their pride, their roster and their Superbowl chances intact today.

Wicked Wes
Yes, after two games of the season, plenty of Muppets were ready to toss Welker to the wolves. Maybe it is time for everyone to calm down and perhaps Welker isn’t washed up just yet. For your approval, last night’s key Welker related statistics, the little dynamo caught eight passes for a whopping 142 yards. I think he will fit in just fine.

In summary, to quote a Boston Globe favourite Chad Finn;

‘This team is going to be fine’

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NFL week three picks

Mitt Romney had a brutal week. Stephen Gostowski had a terrible week. Kelvin Davis had a pretty awful week. From The Bleachers NFL tipster Mac had a nightmare week two, and hopes to bounce back in style this coming week three with some solid picks, particularly in his ‘Finest Four’ selections (in which he is still a healthy 5-3 against the spread). Mitt, Stephen, Kelvin and Mac have been walking around all week spouting sporting cliché to all who would listen, remember it is a marathon not a sprint, and so forth! In terms of the NFL, it is early days yet, and Mac is hoping to still hit his target of 60% for the season, starting with a big bounce-back in week three. Hop on for the ride!

Season to date

• Last week against the spread: 4-10-2
• Overall record against the spread: 12-20-2
• Finest Four against the spread last week: 1-3
• Finest Four against the spread overall: 5-3
• Winning percentage: 37.5%
• The finest four percentage: 62.5%

The finest four.
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game: Tampa Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys
Current line: Dallas -9
The Science: Whoever anointed Dallas with a 9 point handicap must have missed both their incredibly inept showing in Seattle and also Tampa’s near-thing against the Giants. Once again, too many points! Going to make this an upset special too, with Tampa getting hotter every week.
The Score: Tampa 35 Dallas 33
The Pick: Tampa +9

The Game: Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans
Current line: Detroit -3.5
The Science: The Lions might force some serious changes in Tennessee after the wake of this potential drubbing. The Lions have the defence to completely stifle Tennessee’s brutal (this far) offence whilst their offence is ready to explode on someone. Tennessee are great candidates.
The Score: Detroit 38 Tennessee 16
The Pick: Detroit -3.5

The Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Redskins
Current line: Washington -3
The Science: The ‘Skins had a `15 point lead last week, only to make some silly mistakes and squander it. You can bet your Robert Griffin the Third rookie card they won’t make that mistake again. The Bengals win over Cleveland, by comparison, is about as valuable as a Ryan Leaf rookie card.
The Score: Cincinnati 20 Washington 34
The Pick: Washington -3

The Game: Atlanta Falcons at San Diego Chargers
Current line: San Diego -3
The Science: The Chargers come up against the first decent defence they have faced thus far, results are predictable.
The Score: Atlanta 24 San Diego 20
The Pick: Atlanta +3

The rest!

• Carolina -2.5
• St Louise +9
• Buffalo -3
• Indianapolis -3
• New York -1
• Minnesota +6.5
• Kansas +9
• Arizona +3.5
• Denver +1
• Pittsburgh -4
• New England +3
• Green Bay -3

Good luck and as always, enjoy the games!

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Fight Club - vicious brawl during Raiders v Chargers on NFL Monday Night Football - VIDEO

There is nothing quite like a fan base living up to it's stereotype, and last night in Oakland, the natives were restless. With the Chargers playing the Raiders on Monday night football, a pretty scary brawl broke out in the stands. Oddly enough, it would appear it was knuckle-head Oakland fans fighting amongst themselves.

Perhaps they were unhappy at the shallacking they were taking from the Chargers, and decided to punish themselves, or something along those lines.

The pictures are pretty intense, but the video footage is downright scary. Whilst it will not remind anyone of the hairier days of Leeds United and Millwall fans practically killing each other in England in the 80s, it's still scary enough. Kind of looks like something Paul Greengrass would shoot, shaky hand held camera, throbbing score in the background, lots of action.




Let's have a look at the pictures. If you click on them you get them in high definition, frankly, odd as it sounds, it is well worth doing. They are very dramatic pictures, with an almost arty feel about them. If we find out who took them we will be sure to credit them, for now they are appearing freely in the public domain. Jumping right in....

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A guide for NFL fans through the game's fancy new schedule - juicy encounters kick off

The NFL is back. 'From the Bleachers' is here to lead you, the NFL fan, through the first week's action. NFL tipsters all over the States and indeed the world are grouchy today, as they realize they have to make their selections earlier than usual this year, as the NFL has scheduled a Thursday night game for every week of the season. This fancy new schedule starts tonight with the Superbowl Champion New York Giants facing the Dallas Cowboys. A pretty juicy encounter to kick things off. Let's have a look at that and all the other week one games.

Good luck, enjoy the games, and leave your picks in the comments section!    

The finest four.  
Four picks to boost your bankroll

The Game: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants
Current line: New York -4
The Science: -4 is the Vegas bookmakers way of putting their hands up in the air and saying, ‘We don’t know’. If you see a home team at -4, this means the Vegas wise-guys basically are as in the dark as you are. There are a couple of streaks in play here, The Cowboys are notorious fast starters, whilst the Giants are the opposite, slow starters who finish well. Add to that the fact New York will spend this coming season as the designated team everyone wants to take down. They, as Champions, have a big bulls-eye attached to their back. Their division rival will be absolutely desperate to attack them early and prove they are not an afterthought. Tony Romo actually had a much superior statistical season to Eli Manning, and is another fast-starter himself, along with the Cowboys in general. Streaks are there to be broken. The home team champion is 8-0 in this relatively new gimmick of starting the NFL season a few nights before Sunday. All elements considered, Dallas can buck that trend, and turn it into 8-1.
The Score: Dallas 27 New York 24
The Pick: Dallas +4
 

The Game: New England Patriots at Tennessee Titans
Current line: New England -5.5
The Science: A few years ago, this would have been a tough road trip for New England. The Titans had a great QB, a young stud RB, a great head coach and a seriously violent defence. Now, coach Jeff Fisher is gone, RB Chris Brown is out of football, poor Steve McNair is dead and the defence is a mess. Tennessee are starting a sophomore QB, and how long before we see our first Jake ‘Hurt’ Locker headline? Chris Johnson, the Titans sole ‘star’ to anyone outside Tennessee, is a pale shadow of his former self. New England? Tom Brady has a new box of toys to play with. Brandon Lloyd, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski represent one of the most dynamic WR\TE groups in football. The last time these two teams met? 0-59, New England. No, seriously.
The Score: New England 34 Tennessee 20
The Pick: New England -5.5

 The Game: Seattle Seahawks at Arizona Cardinals
Current line: Seattle -2.5
The Science: This, for me, is the line of the week. Seattle caused a stir by naming a rookie (Wilson) ahead of their high priced free agent (Flynn) at starting QB. Some people are saying Arizona did same (caused a stir), in naming John Skelton over Kevin Kolb, however those people aren’t paying attention to the fact Skelton has priors, whereas Wilson, decidedly, does not. Skelton went 6-2 at the helm last season, proving a very respectable NFL QB. Here’s the deciding factor for me anyway, on both wings Skelton has Larry Fitzgerald and rookie Michael Floyd to throw to. That’s vastly superior to the travelling ‘Hawks. Seattle are a good team at home, and a very, very average road team. All things considered, this line is a head scratcher.
The Score: Seattle 16 Arizona 24
The Pick: Arizona +2.5

   

The best of the rest.  
Have fun with these, but don’t put the house on them

The Game: St Louis Rams at Detroit Lions
Current line: Detroit -7
The Science: Interestingly this line started at Detroit -9, and has come all the way in to -7. Obviously the Lions had few friends at -9. It is important though to forget the line, consider the game itself, and imagine to yourself, ‘who is going to win this, and by what score?’ Then consider the line. In this case, Detroit, at home, with a healthy squad including a very above average QB (Stafford) throwing to perhaps the greatest living wide-out right now, who also has the coolest nickname in the sport (Calvin Johnson AKA Megatron) while a ferocious Lions defence attacks a relatively average Rams squad. This just smells like a 10 point (or more!) home win, doesn’t it?
The Score: St Louis 17 Detroit 33
The Pick: Detroit -7

The Game: Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints
Current line: New Orleans -7
The Science: Sure, there has been much change in New Orleans. Yes, their head coach is suspended, along with a number of key defensive players. Sure, their defensive coordinators was cast into the dark fires of Mordor, for life seemingly, for his part in the nefarious Saints ‘bounty’ scandal. However, they should still clobber Washington. The ‘Skins debut their shiny new QB, Robert Griffin the third, or RG3, as he is being called, for merchandising purposes! However, unless RG3 runs into a phone booth and comes out shooting lasers out of his eyes, the angry, pissed off Saints should handle them easily. One final note, Washington lost 10 of its last 12 games last season. No, seriously.
The Score: Washington 16 New Orleans 34
The Pick: New Orleans -7

 

The Game: San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers
Current line: Green Bay -5
The Science: The Packers don’t ‘do’ losing at home. They have gone 12-4 at home against the spread too, dating back two seasons. Since 1996 they are 9-0 against the 49ers in the regular season. Ask yourself, can the 49ers keep up with Green Bay? Unless you are from San Francisco , or related to Alex Smith, or you had some bad cheese in Wisconsin once, you are going to answer with an empathic ‘no!’
The Score: San Francisco 17 Green Bay 28
The Pick: Green Bay -5

The Game: Carolina Panthers at Tampa Buccaneers
Current line: Carolina -1
The Science: Tell you what, this looks like a serious blow out on paper. Carolina walloped Tampa twice last season, and their running game is amongst the top in the league, whilst Tampa are the worst team in the NFL (statistically) at stopping the run. Hard to see why Vegas has given Carolina such a tiny hurdle to overcome.
The Score: Carolina 33 Tampa 24
The Pick: Carolina -1

The rest.  
Definitely. Probably. Maybe.

The Game: Philadelphia Eagles at Cleveland Browns
Current line: Philadelphia -9
The Science: There’s no getting away from it, the Browns are going to struggle. Rookie RB, rookie QB and a host of other players of little or no experience throughout the lineup. They are in the middle of the dreaded rebuilding process. Trent Richardson may turn out to be an NFL superstar down the road, however right now he just needs to get healthy, coming into this one with a lingering injury. These are not exactly the kind of things you want to be thinking about facing a dominant defence that led the way to the Eagles winning their last five in a row to end last season. The line is a little on the steep side, so this may not be the one you bet the proverbial house on, but the Eagles should still get the job done.
The Score: Philadelphia 24 Cleveland 13
The Pick: Philadelphia -9

The Game: Buffalo Bills at New York Jets
Current line: New York -2.5
The Science: Let’s hang on one hot New York second here. The Jets didn’t turn into mush overnight. Admittedly they are a bit of a circus, and their head coach (Rex Ryan) can’t get out of the way of his own loud mouth often enough, however they are still a top defence, and a somewhat serviceable offence. The Bills will benefit from having a healthy Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, and they are an improving side, however they are still absolutely rubbish in divisional matchups going 4-10 against the spread in their last 14. Can’t you see the Jets casting aside all doubts at home, Tebow barrelling in for a couple of score from the goal line, and Rex Ryan celebrating with an extra half dozen cheeseburgers and a good foot rub post game? They can collapse later in the season, for now, they can get the hopes of the city of New York and the assembled, frothing masses of media, up.
The Score: Buffalo 20 New York 24
The Pick: New York -2.5

 

The Game: Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs
Current line: Atlanta -3
The Science: Arrowhead stadium is no longer the intimidating fortress it once was. The Falcons are also a pretty decent road team, going 12-4 in their last 16 road games. The Falcons finished last season with a flourish, only to fizzle out against eventual Champions the Giants. The Chiefs are a bit of a mystery, so go with the sure thing, Matty Ryan and the Falcons.
The Score: Atlanta 27 Kansas 20
The Pick: Atlanta -3

The Game: Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings
Current line: Minnesota -4
The Science: We probably won’t see much of either the Vikings Adrian Peterson or the Jags Maurice Jones Drew here, so it will be up to young QBs Christian Ponder and Blane Gabbert respectively. The Jags might have given their young gunslinger the better options, Laurent Robinson was a great signing, and Justin Blackmon a potentially great young receiver. Remember, that -4 for a home team is Vegas sating ‘we just don’t know’, in that case, best to take the points and run. 
The Score: Jacksonville 20 Minnesota 17
The Pick: Jacksonville +4

The Game: Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears
Current line: Chicago -9.5
The Science: Too. Many. Points. The Bears lost 5 of their last 6 games last season! They are not the ’85 Bears! Andrew Luck might be the most NFL ready QB we have seen out of the draft since Peyton manning! I am running out of exclamation marks! Seriously, though, this is way too many points to entrust to a Chicago team that has not as yet won our trust. I fully expect them to win, however, not by that many points. They may have a 10 point lead and be knocking Luck around all day, but can’t you see the classy, accomplished rookie leading a meaningless drive in garbage time to get a late consolation TD?
The Score: Indianapolis 20 Chicago 24 
The Pick: Indianapolis +9.5

The Game: Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
Current line: Houston -11.5
The Science: What is it with these enormous lines? Is it the end of the season and are teams out of contention mailing it in? This line is way too big. Yes, we understand Matt Schuab is back. Sure, Arian Foster is a beast. Yes, Miami are starting a guy that sounds like he just stepped off the set of Falcons Crest (Ryan Tannerhill). However, Miami went 8-2 down the stretch against the spread last season, and they have upgraded their offence by adding the talented Tannerhill. Sure, Houston should win, but that is an awful lot of points.
The Score: Miami 19 Houston 26
The Pick: Miami +11.5

The Game: Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos
Current line: Denver -1
The Science: There is potentially something brewing in Denver. They are building around a former MVP superstar in Manning, who looks healthy and motivated if pre-season is anything to go by. The atmosphere should be absolutely electric for their home opener. The Steelers are missing some defensive key parts and their running game is in flux too. Denver should open with a statement.
The Score: Pittsburgh 24 Denver 30
The Pick: Denver -1

 

The Game: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
Current line: Baltimore -6
The Science: Fully expect this line to grow closer to game time when everyone realises ‘hey, all the Bengals are injured’. Baltimore, at home, against a depleted Bengals is worthy of more than -6.
The Score: Cincinnati 17 Baltimore 28
The Pick: Baltimore -6

The Game: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Current line: Oakland -1
The Science: The Chargers go into this without their injured top RB and having sent Vincent Jackson off to purgatory (Tampa). Oakland come in healthy with Darren McFadden playing with the confidence of being named the Raiders go-to, top dog, big enchilada RB. Fully expect Oakland to feed off the home energy and beat a lacklustre Chargers side that is relying way, way too heavily on Phillip Rivers.
The Score: San Diego 20 Oakland 30 
The Pick: Oakland -1


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A retort to Rick Blaine who, ahead of the Notre Dame v Navy game, says Europe is not interested in Football

It is merely a couple of sleeps until kick off between Notre Dame and Navy in the college football game in Dublin this coming weekend. All around Ireland and indeed Europe the anticipation is building. Naturally, as we say here in Ireland, ‘There’s always one!’ meaning, there is always someone who is unhappy with the situation, despite everyone else looking forward to, in this case, the big game. Step forward Mr Rick Blaine, a writer for Yahoo, who penned this angry article proclaiming that the game is only going ahead as a ‘merchandising’ exercise.

To further anger the Notre Dame faithful, Blaine has also suggested the Fighting Irish could be in for an upset against Navy

Naturally, it goes without saying that Mr Blaine is entirely entitled to his own opinion, and if he doesn’t think the game should be played anywhere but the USA, well, good for him. Unfortunately, he uses a completely erroneous statement as the main basis of his assault on the decision to play the game here in Ireland. Blaine says, and we quote;

''Europe has shown little interest in American football, no matter how hard the NFL tried to force it on them.''

Woah, woah, woah. Hang on a second there. With all due respect to Mr Blaine, this is an incredibly stupid comment. I say that with authority. Stupid. There is an enormous fan base for Football American style in Ireland and the rest of Europe. It has been growing steadily since the 1980s and the NFL in particular is one of the most popular sports in Europe not called ‘soccer’.

Let’s delve a little deeper than Rick chose to.

First of all, and on a most basic level, the game on Saturday is sold out, and has been for the best part of a year. If Lennon and Harrison came back to life and the Beatles reformed, the tickets for their first gig would only be marginally harder to get than for this game. People in Ireland have been trying for months to get them, and there is absolutely none left. The game is being played at a shiny new Aviva Stadium, however it could easily have been played at the much bigger Croke Park, they could have sold the home of the GAA out twice, without any great difficulty.

That fact in itself should be some indicator as to the public excitement about the game here in Ireland.

Furthermore, football is all over Irish, English and European television. It has become one of the most popular sports to gamble on, a fact that illustrates in dollar figures how popular the sport has become over here. Everywhere you go there are NFL and college jerseys worn by fans all over Ireland, the UK and Europe. Sky Sports, the biggest sports station in Ireland and the UK, has several live games weekly. Last season Chanel 4 showed the Monday night games, and there are countless football related programs on ESPN and ESPN America. College football basically takes over the ESPN America schedule on weekends.

Everywhere you go in Ireland and mainland Europe, football is front and center in terms of popularity amongst sports fans.

Further to this, football is being played by tens of thousands across Ireland, the UK and Europe.

  Notre Dame players relaxing with a
giant chess set at their Irish hotel

There is a huge league in the UK, played out by thousands of weekend warriors, with a passionate and knowledgeable fan-base. Sky Sports, to its credit, takes an active interest in same, and frequently shows highlights from the games, and the quality of these is often praised by visiting American coaches and players. Germany has a massive league, which I believe is actually semi-professional, some players earning money out of it, the popularity and standard of play is that high.

Mr Blaine’s comment was not only flagrantly incorrect, it was also very poorly researched. A Basic level of same on the Internet might have suggested to him that there might be more to European American Football than has, to date, met his eyes. Take for example this simple list of teams in Europe. Take a quick look at it. There are hundreds. Look at Germany and France in particular. They themselves have dozens, each!

There are twenty American football teams in Denmark, for example.

We can only wish Mr Blaine had even taken a cursory glance at, for example, the German, British and Irish American football official web pages, before he wrote his regrettable and frankly insulting comment.

The Irish American Football league is a thing of beauty. It is a combative, passionate and talented league, with a very high standard of play. I can vouch for the ferocity of the defense and tackling personally, having played QB for the DCU Saints (now basically merged with the Rhinos) for three years. Let’s just say, those boys can freaking hit. We had some incredible players on defense in particular, guys like Eoin ‘Foxy’ Fox, Joe Carlyle, Connor Sullivan and Irish American Football legends Dave Rothwell and the late, very great, Steve Christian. The team was littered with passionate, knowledgeable and talented football players. In my first season with the Saints we made the playoffs and enjoyed several literally life affirming, uplifting moments, games and wins.

It is an insult to me personally, it is an insult to hundreds of football players in Ireland, and an insult to tens of thousands of football players across Europe. It is an insult to thousands of football fans in Ireland and an insult to hundreds of thousands of football fans across Europe to say anything less than the sport is huge over here, and growing still.

Myself and a few buddies held our annual NFL fantasy draft this week. In a Dublin bar, no less. That's right, fantasy football, in Europe, Mr Blaine. On the way home my good friend Andy said he was going to go to the Lansdowne area (where the game will be) on Saturday, without a ticket (because, if you recall, they are impossible to get), just to soak up the experience. What Andy was tapping into there was the fact there has been a tangible, exciting ‘buzz’ growing across Ireland for over a year now for this game. It is swelling from the ground level up, and the infusion of support, passion and color from the States, combined with the ground-swell of excitement that has been building here, should lead to a great spectacle on Saturday.

Here’s hoping Mr Blaine not only enjoys the game, but perhaps also comes to appreciate just why it is taking place here in Ireland.

Who knows, maybe the football loving European fans might even get an apology.

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EA Sports Madden 13 will feature 'Tebowing' as a celebration

Should be interesting to see how the religious right takes this one. Word has come out that the all powerful, market dominant EA video game 'Madden 13' will have 'Tebowing' as one of the touchdown celebrations. At this stage in the game, most people have come to accept 'Tebowing' as a harmless little gimmick, and some are even analyzing it as actually a sign of respect for the person it is imitating, Tim Tebow.



From first look, EA has done a pretty good job with it, but, you be the judge.



From The Bleachers can't wait to get playing Madden 13, to see if in Franchise mode as the Saints you can implement a bounty system, and those little CGI characters go attacking other players knees and what not.

We do know now that Tebowing is in the game, and, it looks pretty funny (no way to tell as yet how funny it will be after your first 4,565 touchdowns, though)

No word as yet if 'Gronking' (spiking the rock as hard as possible) or 'Bradying' have made the cut. No word either if Tebow's Madden character can throw the ball in a straight line or not either.

On those new NFL Nike jerseys - the kid that made yours got paid $1.25 today

Is it just me or is this mammoth Nike takeover of all the NFL jerseys a little creepy? In fact, very creepy. Whatever about the whole ‘market monopoly’ aspect, we all know where these things are being made, right? Clue: There is no merry band of elves working away in comfortable, air conditioned factories with cheeseburger lunch breaks and free milkshake vending machines. We’re not talking a working-condition Utopia here.

The last 24 hours pretty much my entire Facebook news feed has been flooded with NFL fan friends urging me to check out their respective favorite teams new threads. The glossy, airbrushed pictures are kind of detached and alien for starters. Rather than the ridiculous, shredded, ripped, CGI type characters the NFL and NIKE are portraying the jerseys in, frankly I would be more interested in seeing how one fits over Vince Wilfork’s ample frame.

Back to the issue at hand, it is absolutely amazing how easily we all gloss over the whole Nike sweatshop thing. Don’t worry, I am not absolving myself of blame here (although I have made a concerted effort to switch from Nike to Adidas particularly in the last decade or so), but we all need to take a step back and remember where these glossy, shiny, fancy new jerseys are coming from.

Kind of makes you reconsider how bad your 9-5 is, no?

Perhaps most disgusting of all is the price hike Nike are gleefully attaching to the new threads. Reebok sold the average NFL jersey for $60. In this time of recession, families being turned out on the street, houses being repossessed and entire communities stricken by high unemployment rates, Nike see fit to raise the price of their NFL jersey to $100.

Absolutely shocking greed.

Whats worse is the incredible profit they are making on each piece, because, as we dig a little deeper, we see how cheap it is for Nike to produce them.

On average, the person that made that fancy new Nike NFL jersey you are salivating over was paid $1.25 a day for doing so. Have a think about that for a second. Considering most of them work seven days a week, that’s $8.75 a week, $35 a month or $420 a year. If the average person that made that NFL jersey you are considering buying saved their entire wages for a year they would be able to afford four of those same jerseys.

If you are one of those ignorant Muppets that believes that $1.25 is a good salary in a third world country, incorrect. In July 2000 Jim Keady, a researcher who has campaigned against Nike’s slavery shops, lived with Nike factory workers in Indonesia. He reported that

‘’ I lived in conditions they lived in and on the wages they paid - $1.25 a day. I lost 25lbs in a month in a rat-infested slum in Tangerang, Indonesia, home to tens of thousands of the women and men who produce the Nike sneakers adored by so many athletes and consumers.’’

For those of you who think Nike is actively trying to make things better in its sweatshops, Keady has this to say;

"I was in Indonesia as recently as August 2009 and in my meetings with workers I heard all too familiar stories of inadequate wages, forced overtime, illegal firings for union organizing, workers being cheated out of pay, etc."

Those are the facts. This isn’t a viral charity campaign, this isn’t a syrupy, ‘Oh those poor people’ story. These are facts.

How do you feel about wearing a jersey that someone got paid a buck twenty five to make?

Makes you feel kind of slimy, no?

Links.

• Contact Cormac
• From the Bleachers on Irish Central
• Irish Central