Titus Young: I Can’t Believe I Just Wrote This.

Posted on by wchunter349

Welp, my re-arrival to the 1-3-1 Sports team has come a day early. Lucky you.

I was just working on some Super Bowl musings (Was my original plan of re-arriving) when I stumbled across the quote, “Titus Young can’t be traded,” or something like that. Don’t quote me. It was a tweet from Dave Birkett, go look it up for yourself if you need all of the facts. (@davebirkett) Man, I am a journalistic integrity machine.

Anyways, I read that and thought, “Hm. I’ve been hearing this a lot lately, and I don’t think I agree with it.” So, I decided to sort of analyze this statement from a statistical standpoint. (I get it, it’s the off field stuff. I’ll get there.)

The theory was simple enough, a 7th round draft pick is presumably the least valuable player (or soon to be player) that Titus Young could be traded for. An average 7th round pick is worth about nine points according to the NFL Draft Point Value Chart. (Pictured below) I realize no-name practice players could be considered less valuable than 7th round picks, and there could be an argument there, but it would be arguing over semantics at that point.

Image

(neat point chart!)

So, the common thought about Titus Young is that he is untradeable and any value he had was squashed to bits when he went on his Twitter and dared the Lions to cut him. (I wish I could link to this, but I can’t figure it out on this fancy new system we’re using.) By saying this (Young is untradeable) people are saying they would rather draft a player in the 7th round than have Titus Young on their team. It is a fair statement to make, and most people probably agree with it because nobody wants a diva receiver who seems to make more trouble than plays. I, (again) lucky for you, am here to argue that point.

To start I went back and looked at the 7th round (including all compensatory picks) of the last two drafts and I picked out all of the receivers that were taken and what their career stats were.  Next, I looked up Titus Young’s career stats and I compared them. The results for this were as follows.

2012 NFL Draft – Five receivers taken in the 7th round. 15 catches for 195 yards.

2011 NFL Draft – Four receivers taken in the 7th round. 19 catches for 215 yards and one touchdown.

7th round receivers total – 34 catches for 410 yards and one touchdown.

Titus Young Sr. (lol…sr.) – 81 catches for 990 yards and ten touchdowns.

Obviously, the numbers aren’t even close, and I didn’t expect them to be. I also don’t think this a totally fair data set either. Young was a 2nd round pick so a pretty high level of production is expected. To counter this I added another draft.

2010 NFL draft – Three receivers taken in the 7th round. 20 catches for 208 yards. I must also note that Marc Mariani was taken in the 7th round of this draft and has three career return touchdowns for Tennessee.

New 7th rounders total – 54 catches 618 yards and four total touchdowns, three of which came from one guy on punt/kick returns.

Young’s unchanged totals – 81 catches for 990 yards and ten touchdowns

Still. Not. Close.

I then decided I would do this until the 7th round players actually passed Young’s numbers. It didn’t take long, because next up was the 2009 NFL draft, which I am now declaring the greatest 7th round for receivers ever. Eight receivers were taken in the round, highlighted by Julian Edelman and Sammie Stroughter (Don’t google him, he’s on Tampa Bay). Edelman’s career numbers (four seasons) are 69 catches for 714 yards and four touchdowns. He also does a good bit of returning and has three career return touchdowns. Stroughter came in with a 60-639-1 line, which, you know, isn’t really awful. The other six receivers combined for 39 catches for about 500 yards and two touchdowns. This has all been done over four seasons, mind you.

So, it’s pretty safe to say that Edelman is the best 7th round receiver in this group and in four seasons he isn’t really close to the numbers Young put up in a season and a half. Outside of Edelman only Stroughter and Mariani have provided much of anything to their teams. Three total players out of the twenty that were picked. 15%.

We’re almost there.

“Okay, so Young has better numbers than a bumbling group of 7th rounders, what about the off the field stuff? That is the root of all of this.”

Yes, he is a diva and a child, there’s no denying that. But he can (and for his sake, hopefully will) grow up. An organization with a “good locker room” and strong veteran presence could be really great for Young (Think of what Ray Lewis and Anquan Boldin would have done to him this season). Obviously this would be an ideal situation for Young to land in.

Let’s say he doesn’t go to a good place and he continues on the same path he has for his first two seasons. Even with all of his off field issues, Young played in 26 of his first 32 games, or 81%. So he was unavailable and useless 19% of the time. Remember that group of 7th round guys? Well seven of those 20 had/have zero career offensive statistics. 35%. Titus got you nothing 19% of the time, 7th round receivers got you nothing 35% of the time and that’s not including the large chunk of players with super minimal production (one career catch, three career catches, etc.) Even with all of his off the field issues, he is way more reliable than your average 7th round receiver.

So, what’s the point of all this? Titus Young smashes the 7th rounders in stats, and while I expected their to be a very sizable gap between the two, I didn’t realize quite how big it would be. Three full rounds of receivers didn’t come close to Young’s numbers, so from that standpoint it would make sense to give up three seventh round picks for Titus Young. Hardly “untradeable”.

His off the field issues make him a tough sell, but the numbers (they never lie right?) show that he is almost two times more reliable to be on the field producing than a 7th round receiver is. If you would have a problem paying 2nd round money for a risk, then I totally understand, but he could be worth the risk for a bold GM out there.

Well I was going to wrap everything up and make a final point, but I just realized I researched and wrote a way too long piece for the sole purpose of arguing that Titus Young has no value as trade bait, because I got annoyed by a few quotes by irresponsible commenters. I let the words of others get to me and I’m truly disappointed in myself. I don’t even like Titus Young. What the hell?

Here’s my new final point. Titus Young + change of scenery = good. 7th round draft pick = bad. I would give up a 7th round pick for him and I would have done it yesterday.

Bye.

___________________________________________________________________

Author: Burt Reynolds, or something

1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 28th

Posted on by JLCS


PROJECTED SEEDING

The 1 Seeds

Michigan, Kansas, Duke, Florida

The 2 Seeds

Syracuse, Arizona, Indiana, Gonzaga

The 3 Seeds

Louisville, Michigan State, New Mexico, Miami (FL)

The 4 Seeds

Oregon, NC State, Butler, Ohio State

The 5 Seeds

Minnesota, Cincinnati, Creighton, Wichita State

The 6 Seeds

UNLV, UCLA, Kansas State, Marquette

The 7 Seeds

Missouri, Mississippi, San Diego State, Pittsburgh

The 8 Seeds

Notre Dame, VCU, Georgetown, Baylor

The 9 Seeds

Wisconsin, North Carolina, Colorado State, Oklahoma

The 10 Seeds

Illinois, Colorado, Memphis, Oklahoma State

The 11 Seeds

Wyoming, Kentucky, Belmont, Southern Miss

The 12 Seeds

Middle Tennessee, Iowa State, Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Temple, La Salle

The 13 Seeds

Bucknell, Louisiana Tech, Akron, Stephen F. Austin

The 14 Seeds

North Dakota State, Valparaiso, Davidson, Harvard

The 15 Seeds

Long Beach State, Montana, Stony Brook, Northeastern

The 16 Seeds

Niagara, Bryant, Southern, Mercer, Charleston Southern, Norfolk State

—————————————————————-

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BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Arizona State, St. Mary’s (CA), Temple, La Salle

First Four Out

Maryland, BYU, Boise State, Saint Louis

Next Four Out

Villanova, Charlotte, Iowa, Alabama

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CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big Ten (7), Big East (7), Big 12 (6), MWC (5), Pac-12 (5), ACC (4), SEC (4), A-10 (4), WCC (2), MVC (2), C-USA (2)

America East – Stony Brook

ACC – Duke, Miami (FL), NC State, North Carolina

Atlantic Sun – Mercer

Atlantic 10 – Butler, VCU, Temple, La Salle

Big East – Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Georgetown

Big Sky – Montana

Big South – Charleston Southern

Big Ten – Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois

Big 12 – Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Iowa State

Big West – Long Beach State

Colonial – Northeastern

Conference USA – Memphis, Southern Miss

Horizon – Valparaiso

Ivy – Harvard

MAAC – Niagara

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

MVC – Creighton, Wichita State

MWC – New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Colorado State, Wyoming

Northeast – Bryant

Ohio Valley – Belmont

Pac-12 – Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Colorado, Arizona State

Patriot – Bucknell

SEC – Florida, Missouri, Mississippi, Kentucky

Southern – Davidson

Southland – Stephen F. Austin

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Middle Tennessee

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Louisiana Tech

WCC – Gonzaga, St. Mary’s (CA)

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THE BRACKET:
(Click to Enlarge)

 Bracket 1-27-13

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1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 20th

Posted on by JLCS


PROJECTED SEEDING

The 1 Seeds

Duke, Michigan, Syracuse, Kansas

The 2 Seeds

Arizona, Indiana, Louisville, Florida

The 3 Seeds

Gonzaga, Minnesota, Creighton, New Mexico

The 4 Seeds

Michigan State, NC State, Cincinnati, Butler

The 5 Seeds

Missouri, Ohio State, Notre Dame, UNLV

The 6 Seeds

Kansas State, Wichita State, Miami (FL), Oregon

The 7 Seeds

VCU, San Diego State, Illinois, Oklahoma State

The 8 Seeds

Marquette, UCLA, Oklahoma, Colorado

The 9 Seeds

North Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Georgetown

The 10 Seeds

Wyoming, Mississippi, Baylor, Pittsburgh

The 11 Seeds

Memphis, Temple, Colorado State, Iowa State

The 12 Seeds

BYU, Southern Miss, Boise State, Iowa, Belmont, Middle Tennessee

The 13 Seeds

Bucknell, Louisiana Tech, Stephen F. Austin, North Dakota State

The 14 Seeds

Akron, Davidson, Valparaiso, Weber State

The 15 Seeds

Long Beach State, Harvard, Iona, Northeastern

The 16 Seeds

Vermont, Southern, Mercer, Bryant, Charleston Southern, Norfolk State

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

BYU, Southern Miss, Boise State, Iowa

First Four Out

Maryland, St. Mary’s (CA), Saint Louis, Texas A&M

Next Four Out

Rutgers, Arizona State, Charlotte, La Salle

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big Ten (8), Big East (7), Big 12 (6), MWC (6), ACC (4), Pac-12 (4), SEC (4), A-10 (3), WCC (2), MVC (2), C-USA (2)

America East – Vermont

ACC – Duke, NC State, Miami (FL), North Carolina

Atlantic Sun – Mercer

Atlantic 10 – Butler, VCU, Temple

Big East – Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, Pittsburgh

Big Sky – Weber State

Big South – Charleston Southern

Big Ten – Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin

Big 12 – Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Iowa State

Big West – Long Beach State

Colonial – Northeastern

Conference USA – Memphis, Southern Miss

Horizon – Valparaiso

Ivy – Harvard

MAAC – Iona

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

MVC – Creighton, Wichita State

MWC – New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

Northeast – Bryant

Ohio Valley – Belmont

Pac-12 – Arizona, Oregon, UCLA, Colorado

Patriot – Bucknell

SEC – Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi

Southern – Davidson

Southland – Stephen F. Austin

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Middle Tennessee

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Louisiana Tech

WCC – Gonzaga, BYU

————————————————-

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THE BRACKET:
(Click to Enlarge)

 Bracket 1-20-13

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1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 13th

Posted on by JLCS


PROJECTED SEEDING

The 1 Seeds

Duke, Louisville, Indiana, Kansas

The 2 Seeds

Michigan, Syracuse, Arizona, Gonzaga

The 3 Seeds

Florida, NC State,  Minnesota, Creighton

The 4 Seeds

New Mexico, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Missouri

The 5 Seeds

Butler, Michigan State, UNLV, Notre Dame

The 6 Seeds

Illinois, Wichita State, Oklahoma State, San Diego State

The 7 Seeds

Miami (FL), VCU, Marquette, Kansas State

The 8 Seeds

UCLA, Oklahoma, Colorado, Oregon

The 9 Seeds

North Carolina, Wyoming, Kentucky, Georgetown

The 10 Seeds

Baylor, Memphis, Wisconsin, Temple

The 11 Seeds

BYU, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Mississippi

The 12 Seeds

Colorado State, Boise State, Arizona State, Texas A&M,  Belmont, Middle Tennessee

The 13 Seeds

Bucknell, North Dakota State,  Akron, Utah State

The 14 Seeds

Davidson, Stephen F. Austin, Weber State, Iona

The 15 Seeds

Long Beach State, Harvard, Detroit, Northeastern

The 16 Seeds

Stony Brook, Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Bryant, Charleston Southern, Norfolk State

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Colorado State, Boise State, Arizona State, Texas A&M

First Four Out

Iowa State, Saint Louis, Massachusetts, Rutgers

Next Four Out

Florida State, Southern Miss, Charlotte, La Salle

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—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (7), Big Ten (7), MWC (6), Big 12 (5), ACC (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), A-10 (3), WCC (2), MVC (2)

America East – Stony Brook

ACC – Duke, NC State, Miami (FL), North Carolina, Maryland

Atlantic Sun – Florida Gulf Coast

Atlantic 10 – Butler, VCU, Temple

Big East – Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, Pittsburgh

Big Sky – Weber State

Big South – Charleston Southern

Big Ten – Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Wisconsin

Big 12 – Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Baylor

Big West – Long Beach State

Colonial – Northeastern

Conference USA – Memphis

Horizon – Detroit

Ivy – Harvard

MAAC – Iona

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

MVC – Creighton, Wichita State

MWC – New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

Northeast – Bryant

Ohio Valley – Belmont

Pac-12 – Arizona, UCLA, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona State

Patriot – Bucknell

SEC – Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas A&M

Southern – Davidson

Southland – Stephen F. Austin

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Middle Tennessee

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Utah State

WCC – Gonzaga, BYU

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THE BRACKET:
(Click to Enlarge)

 Bracket 1-13-13

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1-3-1 Sports Field of 68 – January 6th

Posted on by JLCS


PROJECTED SEEDING

The 1 Seeds

Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Louisville

The 2 Seeds

Indiana, Syracuse, Kansas, Gonzaga

The 3 Seeds

Florida, Minnesota, Creighton, NC State

The 4 Seeds

Illinois, Cincinnati, Missouri, New Mexico

The 5 Seeds

Ohio State, UNLV, Butler, Michigan State

The 6 Seeds

Oklahoma State, Wichita State, Colorado, Notre Dame

The 7 Seeds

North Carolina, Miami (FL), VCU, San Diego State

The 8 Seeds

Marquette, Kansas State, Wyoming, Kentucky

The 9 Seeds

Georgetown, Temple, Oklahoma, UCLA

The 10 Seeds

Baylor, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Oregon

The 11 Seeds

Memphis, California, Colorado State, BYU

The 12 Seeds

Mississippi, Tennessee, Belmont, Boise State, Middle Tennessee, Murray State

The 13 Seeds

Bucknell, North Dakota State, Illinois-Chicago, George Mason

The 14 Seeds

Utah State, Akron, Davidson, Canisius

The 15 Seeds

Harvard, Stephen F. Austin, Weber State, Stony Brook

The 16 Seeds

Southern, Florida Gulf Coast, Wagner, UNC-Asheville, Cal Poly, Norfolk State

—————————————————————-

—————————————————————-

BUBBLE ACTION

Last Four In

Mississippi, Tennessee, Belmont, Boise State

First Four Out

Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Saint Louis, Iowa State

Next Four Out

Texas A&M, Florida State, La Salle, Alabama

—————————————————————

—————————————————————

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (7), Big Ten (6), MWC (6), Big 12 (5), ACC (5), Pac-12 (5), SEC (5), A-10 (3), WCC (2), MVC (2), OVC (2)

America East – Stony Brook

ACC – Duke, NC State, North Carolina, Miami (FL), Maryland

Atlantic Sun – Florida Gulf Coast

Atlantic 10 – Butler, VCU, Temple

Big East – Louisville, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, Pittsburgh

Big Sky – Weber State

Big South – UNC-Asheville

Big Ten – Michigan, Indiana, Minnesota, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan State

Big 12 – Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Baylor

Big West – Cal Poly

Colonial – George Mason

Conference USA – Memphis

Horizon – Illinois-Chicago

Ivy – Harvard

MAAC – Canisius

MAC – Akron

MEAC – Norfolk State

MVC – Creighton, Wichita State

MWC – New Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming, Colorado State, Boise State

Northeast – Wagner

Ohio Valley – Murray State, Belmont

Pac-12 – Arizona, Colorado, UCLA, Oregon, California

Patriot – Bucknell

SEC – Florida, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee

Southern – Davidson

Southland – Stephen F. Austin

Summit – North Dakota State

Sun Belt – Middle Tennessee

SWAC – Southern

WAC – Utah State

WCC – Gonzaga, BYU

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THE BRACKET:
(Click to Enlarge)

 Bracket 1-6-13

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My Tigers Off-Season and Projected 2013 Opening Day Roster

Posted on by JLCS

Free Agency Moves

1. The Tigers exercise Jhonny Peralta’s option. Considering that I’m not a big Jhonny fan, this does not leave me excited. Jhonny’s 2011 season was a career-year anomaly, and we saw a regression to the mean in 2012. I’m also ridiculously tired of people talking about his low error count; it’s a result of his brick-foot range, not some tremendous fielding capabilities. However, the free agent market at shortstop is super thin, and my dreams of trading for Elvis Andrus are unrealistic.

2. The Tigers re-sign Gerald Laird. I laugh every time I see the scoreboard flash “Be Scared of Laird” at Comerica Park, because he’s far from being an intimidating hitter. That being said, he’s a very serviceable backup to Avila and should demand a relatively cheap contract for what he provides.

3. The Tigers DO NOT re-sign Delmon Young. Ninja Turtle Yankee Killer is going to fetch a much higher contract now than he would have if the season ended in September. Regardless of price, I think the Tigers were planning on heading in another direction with the outfield anyway, and V-Mart is going to return to his role as the club’s designated hitter.

4. The Tigers DO NOT re-sign Anibal Sanchez. As much as it pains me to say it, I think the great late-season performance Sanchez put on display for Detroit pushed him out of their price range this offseason. Sanchez would be the fourth starter in the rotation for the Tigers, and I expect Sanchez to sign a big multi-year deal with a team that expects him to take over a role as their number 2 starter.

5. The Tigers exercise Octavio Dotel’s option. Dotel was reliable as the 7th-inning specialist for the Tigers for the majority of the 2012 season, and he brings experience and a wins-driven mentality to the table. Add the fact that his option is relatively affordable, and I think we see him return for another year as the organization’s 7th-inning hurler.

6. The Tigers DO NOT re-sign Jose Valverde. I’m pretty sure that Tigers fans would riot if Dombrowski offered Valverde a contract to stay in Detroit, considering the hell he put them through in the 2012 postseason. Adios, and good riddance, to the fat potato and his chicken bone arms and obscenely torpid delivery to home plate.

7. The Tigers sign Francisco Rodriguez. The man affectionately known as “K-Rod” struggled mightily this year in Milwaukee, logging the highest season ERA and WHIP of his career. This should allow the Tigers to get Rodriguez at a discounted price, and I’m of the belief that this poor showing was the exception in what has otherwise been a stellar career. He’s only 30 years old, he’d join fellow Venezuelans Miguel Cabrera, Brayan Villarreal, and Omar Infante in the clubhouse, and he could take on the role of closer (OR setup man, if Leyland and company believe Benoit would be more well-suited for the 9th inning).

8. The Tigers sign Josh Hamilton. I would much rather see the Tigers go after someone like San Francisco’s Angel Pagan, who could offer a .285 hit clip and 30 stolen bases. However, with fans clamoring for another major offseason signing to push the Tigers over the top, I expect Illitch to open up his pocketbook even further for a (maddeningly inconsistent) power hitter.

Hypothetical Lineup

1. Austin Jackson – CF
2. Victor Martinez – DH
3. Miguel Cabrera – 3B
4. Prince Fielder – 1B
5. Josh Hamilton – LF
6. Andy Dirks – RF
7. Jhonny Peralta – SS
8. Alex Avila – C
9. Omar Infante – 2B

Hypothetical Rotation

1. Justin Verlander
2. Doug Fister
3. Max Scherzer
4. Rick Porcello
5. Drew Smyly

Hypothetical Bullpen

1. Phil Coke, LHP
2. Brayan Villarreal, MRP – RHP
3. Al Alburquerque, MRP – RHP
4. Darin Downs, MRP – LHP
5. Octavio Dotel, Gap Pitcher/7th inning specialist
6. Joaquin Benoit, Setup Man
7. Francisco Rodriguez, Closer

Who in the Hell Decided on the Paul Bunyan Trophy?

Posted on by JLCS

Tomorrow, two football teams will take the field in Ann Arbor, MI and wage a battle for one of the most abominable-looking trophies in all of sports. Those two teams are the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans, and that trophy is the Paul Bunyan Trophy (not to be confused with Paul Bunyan’s Axe, the ill-conceived replacement reward for the winner of the Minnesota/Wisconsin game, which replaced the apparently outmoded, but nonetheless fantastic, Slab of Bacon they used to play for).

Make no mistake about it – this is a rivalry game for both teams, regardless of what some Michigan fans may say otherwise. Yes, Ohio State is a more loathed (and respected) rival, but that doesn’t take away from the ferocity and barbarity on display between fans and players when these two in-state adversaries meet on the gridiron.

Through my experiences in the rivalry, I can say that the fan bases from each respective school love nothing more than to make sweeping generalizations about each other. Michigan fans seem to believe Michigan State fans and the school itself both have an inferiority complex, and wish so desperately that they could be as cool as the University of Michigan and their fans. In perfect contrast, Michigan State fans tend to believe that Michigan fans and the school itself could not be more pompous and full of egocentrism, like the over-confident popular kid in high school. I’m of the belief that both of these widely-held viewpoints hold some validity; however, to say that they are representative of even a majority of the fan base of either side would be a gross hyperbole. The whole “Little Brother” fiasco is a perfect example of this.

I’m not going to beat around the bush or try to hide my affiliation; I am a University of Michigan alumnus. Thus, I do get a kick out of referring to Michigan State University as little brother, but only because of how bent out of shape Spartans get when I do this. It’s just like what they teach you in elementary school as a kid – when someone teases you, if you react strongly, they’re going to keep doing it to get on your nerves. When you learn how to ignore it and show them that it no longer bothers you, then odds are they will stop doing it. Another potentially effective method is to win four consecutive games in the rivalry.

In any of the most recent football-related tete-a-tetes between fans from these schools, the Spartan representative is almost certainly going to bring up the last four years. A young, naive Wolverine will inevitably resort to one of two responses – (A) Highlighting the prestigious history of the University of Michigan football program, or (B) Belittling Michigan State academics and the students who attend the university. It’s identical to the “Little Brother” theory, but is achieved simply as a result of a different mechanism. Michigan fans are unnecessarily embarrassed about losing to Michigan State in football 4 years running now, so they get defensive and resort to desperation; it’s just silly. Michigan State had a better football team than Michigan in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and they outplayed an evenly matched Michigan team in 2011 – it’s really that simple. The best thing to do as a Michigan fan right now is to stop rubbing salt in your own wound and focus on forward-thinking, i.e. what’s going to happen this year?

Brady Hoke is undefeated at home as Michigan’s head football coach. Unlike the past 4 years, Michigan is back to having a better, more athletic football team this year than Michigan State. Michigan is coming off two blowout victories and Michigan State just suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Iowa on their homecoming weekend. The majority of sportsbooks in Vegas are giving the Spartans 10 points. All signs point to Michigan finally ending the streak.

Nevertheless, signs have been wrong before in sports. All you have to do is take one look at the Cleveland Indians from back in the day – who would have thought in mid-July of that fateful year that Ricky Vaughn, Willie Mayes Hayes, and Pedro Cerrano would lead the Tribe to the postseason? But, I digress. I’m going to be cheering on the Wolverines as vigorously as possible come 3:30 PM on Saturday, and I hope for my own personal sanity that they are able to finally put this thing to bed, so I can stop hearing the conveniently arbitrary number of days since Michigan last won a game in the series.

Joe’s Weekly NFL Picks (Week 3)

Posted on by JLCS

I had a rough go of it with last week’s picks, including my mortal lock that the Pats would win. In case you missed it, they were stunned by the Cardinals after a last-second field goal attempt by Stephen Gostkowski sailed wide. Here’s hoping I can turn it around this week!

WEEK 2 RECORD: 9-7
SEASON RECORD: 20-12

WEEK 3

THU, SEP 20

8:20 PM ET, NY Giants @ Carolina – Eli Manning threw for enough passing yards to cover two games last week, and it might take a near-repeat performance to go into Carolina and snag a win. It will be interesting to see how the Giants handle the backfield with Ahmad Bradshaw’s mysterious neck injury.
PICK: Giants, 28-21.
CONFIDENCE: 6

SUN, SEP 23

1:00 PM ET, St. Louis @ Chicago – Chicago as a team isn’t nearly as bad as they played in last week’s Thursday night debacle at Green Bay. I expect Jay Cutler and company to bounce back against a mediocre St. Louis team.
PICK: Bears, 27-23.
CONFIDENCE: 10

1:00 PM ET, Tampa Bay @ Dallas – I really have no idea what to make of either of these teams. Tampa Bay should be 2-0, but their secondary went from glory to goat in the 4th quarter last week. Dallas managed to do what Tampa Bay couldn’t by beating the Giants, and I like how Dallas plays at home.
PICK: Cowboys, 24-20.
CONFIDENCE: 4

1:00 PM ET, San Francisco @ Minnesota – Some people say to hide your mistakes and sweep them under the rug as a writer, but I REFUSE! Last week, my 16-point confidence pick was the Patriots to take care of business against the Cardinals. As I brought up in my open, I was WRONG. WRONG. WRONG. There is just no way it happens two weeks in a row with this lopsided matchup on the slate of games, right?
PICK: 49ers, 24-14.
CONFIDENCE: 16

1:00 PM ET, Detroit @ Tennessee – Jake Locker looks like a confused little boy out on the field, and I feel bad for him and CJ2K in their futile attempts to play behind that atrocity of an offensive line. Detroit should be able to handle their business on the road here if they think they’re a playoff team.
PICK: Lions, 31-20.
CONFIDENCE: 11

1:00 PM ET, Cincinnati @ Washington – Through two games, RGIII looks like the real deal; however, it’s only 2 games. That being said, Brandon Weeden looked like Dan Marino last week when he torched the Bengals’ defense for 300+ yards and two scores. Expect the man who refuses to display the Nike logo to have a field day this week.
PICK: Redskins, 27-24.
CONFIDENCE: 5

1:00 PM ET, NY Jets @ Miami – I don’t think Reggie Bush can maintain his current pace the entire season, and I haven’t seen anything from Ryan Tannehill that leads me to believe he can beat a solid team. This leads me to my next point: victories over the Raiders should only be worth ¾ of a win this year.
PICK: Jets, 20-17.
CONFIDENCE: 7

1:00 PM ET, Kansas City @ New Orleans – Both these teams are 0-2, but only one of them is really as bad as their record indicates. Hint: It’s NOT the Saints. I expect to see a lot of passing yards in what should be a very high-scoring affair.
PICK: Saints, 34-24.
CONFIDENCE: 14

1:00 PM ET, Buffalo @ Cleveland – C.J. Spiller…and that’s all I have to say about that.
PICK: Bills, 27-13.
CONFIDENCE: 9

1:00 PM ET, Jacksonville @ Indianapolis – Back in the mid-2000’s, you’d expect a classic battle for the AFC South division lead when these two rivals squared off. Nowadays, you have a mediocre team led by a rookie quarterback playing at home against an awful team led by a second-year signal-caller. Go ahead and give me the mediocre home team.
PICK: Colts, 24-21.
CONFIDENCE: 8

4:05 PM ET, Philadelphia @ Arizona – The Cardinals are SERIOUSLY 2-0? You serious Clark? The Eagles are also 2-0, and have managed to win not one, but BOTH of their games by exactly 1 point. I think the Eagles are for real, and I think the Cardinals are frauds.
PICK: Eagles, 24-17.
CONFIDENCE: 12

4:05 PM ET, Atlanta @ San Diego – Another matchup of undefeated teams, although in this case, I believe both these teams are playoff-caliber. The Chargers have looked great, but they’ve played Tennessee and Oakland, so it’s hard to put a ton of stock into those victories. Atlanta has looked great as well, and they actually have a victory over a legitimate opponent in Denver. I think the Falcons make the long trip out West and snag a close victory.
PICK: Falcons, 24-23.
CONFIDENCE: 2

4:25 PM ET, Houston @ Denver – Until either team proves me wrong, I’m sticking to my preseason Super Bowl picks of Houston and San Francisco. That doesn’t mean I think either team is infallible, and I think this week the Texans show it, as Peyton Manning orchestrates a come-from-behind, game-winning drive in the final minutes at home.
PICK: Broncos, 27-24.
CONFIDENCE: 1

4:25 PM ET, Pittsburgh @ Oakland – The Raiders are the worst team in the NFL, and they don’t really have a reasonable chance to win a game until they play Jacksonville in week 7.
PICK: Steelers, 27-17.
CONFIDENCE: 15

8:3 0 PM ET, New England @ Baltimore – Both these teams have to be severely disappointed in their 1-1 records, but they have no one to blame but themselves. Baltimore is a better team this year, and in my opinion, the only serious threat to the Texans in the AFC.
PICK: Ravens, 27-24.
CONFIDENCE: 3

MON, SEP 24

8:35 PM ET Green Bay @ Seattle – I know Russell Wilson is a great playmaker, but I also believe that Seattle expects him to be more of a “game manager” than a “game changer”. I think his attempts to keep up with A-Rod and the Packers offense will cause him to force some throws, resulting in a couple costly interceptions and a Seattle defeat.
PICK: Packers, 31-17.
CONFIDENCE: 13

Joe’s Weekly NFL Picks (Week 2)

Posted on by JLCS

This week, I’ve added a confidence level I have in making each pick. The confidence levels range from 1 to 16, where 16 is the pick I have the most confidence in, and 1 is the pick I have the least confidence in.

WEEK 1 RECORD: 11-5
SEASON RECORD: 11-5

WEEK 2

THU, SEP 13

8:20 PM ET, Chicago @ Green Bay – A lot of weapons on offense for both teams should make this an exciting game to watch. In the end, I think there is no way Aaron Rodgers starts the season out 0-2 at home.
PICK: Packers, 28-24.
CONFIDENCE: 11

SUN, SEP 16

1:00 PM ET, Tampa Bay @ NY Giants – The Giants are looking to bounce back from that embarrassing loss to the Cowboys in Week 1, and I have very little doubt that Eli and Co. will be successful.
PICK: Giants, 24-17.
CONFIDENCE: 14

1:00 PM ET, Oakland @ Miami – Reggie Bush versus Darren McFadden. Go ahead and give me McFadden.
PICK: Raiders, 20-16.
CONFIDENCE: 7

1:00 PM ET, Houston @ Jacksonville – Houston rolled over the Dolphins in week 1 as expected, while Jacksonville suffered a deflating loss in overtime. I think the hangover from that game trickles over into this week.
PICK: Texans, 28-17.
CONFIDENCE: 15

1:00 PM ET, Cleveland @ Cincinnati – Tim Couch. Ty Detmer. Doug Pederson. Kelly Holcomb. Jeff Garcia. Trent Dilfer. Charlie Frye. Derek Anderson. Brady Quinn. Colt McCoy…ANDDDDD Brandon Weeden. WOW. Just wow.
PICK: Bengals, 21-17.
CONFIDENCE: 13

1:00 PM ET, Kansas City @ Buffalo – Both these teams allowed 40+ points in blowout losses last week, so I’m going to pick the Chiefs, because they actually played against a legitimately good team.
PICK: Chiefs, 24-21.
CONFIDENCE: 5

1:00 PM ET, Baltimore @ Philadelphia – This is probably an extremely dumb pick, considering how GOOD the Ravens new high-flying offense looked week 1, and how BAD Mike Vick looked on his way to four week 1 interceptions. Something tells me Vick rights the ship this week in another close victory.
PICK: Eagles, 28-27.
CONFIDENCE: 2

1:00 PM ET, New Orleans @ Carolina – This should be a game filled with a lot of fireworks of the offensive variety. If I’m not mistaken, I believe the laws regarding fireworks are a little more lax in Louisiana.
PICK: Saints, 35-24.
CONFIDENCE: 8

1:00 PM ET, Arizona @ New England – One word: Bloodbath.
PICK: Patriots, 34-17.
CONFIDENCE: 16

1:00 PM ET, Minnesota @ Indianapolis – Andrew Luck struggled throwing the deep ball in week 1, while Christian Ponder looked surprisingly efficient and effective. I think Luck will have a better game this week, but I think the Vikings do just enough to squeak out a victory.
PICK: Vikings, 20-17.
CONFIDENCE: 1

4:05 PM ET, Washington @ St. Louis – The Rams secondary had Matt Stafford’s number last week, picking off the Lions quarterback 3 times, and they still managed to lose. RGIII looked NFL-ready versus the Saints, and I think he leads the Skins to another W this week.
PICK: Redskins, 24-21.
CONFIDENCE: 4

4:05 PM ET, Dallas @ Seattle – Seattle had no business losing to Arizona in week 1 and they should come out pretty fired up this week. However, I think Dallas is the better team, and I believe they show it by going on the road and snagging a win in a nail-biter.
PICK: Cowboys, 21-20.
CONFIDENCE: 6

4:25 PM ET, NY Jets @ Pittsburgh – Peyton Manning picked apart the vaunted Steelers defense in week 1, but Mark Sanchez most certainly IS NOT Peyton Manning. I expect Mike Wallace to be a bigger part of the offense for Pittsburgh this week, now that he got paid and is back in game shape.
PICK: Steelers, 24-20.
CONFIDENCE: 9

4:25 PM ET, Tennessee @ San Diego – Chris Johnson had 11 carries for a whopping 4 yards in week 1. It’s hard for me to pick a team that can’t move the ball to save their lives on the ground, so give me the Bolts.
PICK: Chargers, 27-21.
CONFIDENCE: 10

8:20 PM ET, Detroit @ San Francisco – The oh-so-hyped handshake-gate rematch is finally upon us. If it was being played in Detroit, I’d probably flip a coin. However, it’s on the West coast, and Candlestick is a tough place to go in to and get a victory these days.
PICK: 49ers, 27-21.
CONFIDENCE: 12

MON, SEP 17

8:30 PM ET Denver @ Atlanta – This Monday-night matchup is just as even as last week’s, but features two much better teams. Peyton Manning is a better quarterback than Matt Ryan, but Ryan’s supporting cast is so good that it’s almost unfair.
PICK: Falcons, 28-24.
CONFIDENCE: 3

Joe’s Weekly NFL Picks (Week 1)

Posted on by JLCS

WED, SEP 5

Dallas @ NY Giants – Too many injuries for the Cowboys to knock off the defending Super Bowl champs on the road.
PICK: Giants, 24-21.

SUN, SEP 9

Indianapolis @ Chicago – Will Peyton Manning’s protege, rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, go into Soldier Field and win his first NFL game against this defensive unit? Short answer: Nope.
PICK: Bears, 27-14.

Philadelphia @ Cleveland – All of Philadelphia’s offensive weapons are finally healthy, Vick included. The Cleveland QB carousel continues, with Weeden being thrown to the dogs against Philly’s tough pass rush.
PICK: Eagles, 31-7.

New England @ Tennessee – It will be interesting to see how Tom Brady and off-season acquisition Brandon Lloyd gel. I am also interested to see how much Josh McDaniels uses Stevan Ridley.
PICK: Patriots, 31-20.

Atlanta @ Kansas City – Arrowhead is always a tough place to play, but something tells me that offense wins out against defense in this match-up; Ryan is efficient, and the Falcons have weapons all over the place.
PICK: Falcons, 24-14.

Jacksonville @ Minnesota – I don’t expect either of these teams to do much this season with second-year quarterbacks at the helm. I guess that means I should probably take the home team.
PICK: Vikings, 20-17.

Washington @ New Orleans – Something tells me that even with the suspensions across the board, the Saints won’t lose their home opener against a rookie signal caller.
PICK: Saints, 35-17.

Buffalo @ NY Jets – I can’t wait to watch this offensive thrill-ride! And by offensive thrill-ride, I mean offensive debacle of course. You know what that means? I believe the Jets will actually finally score an offensive touchdown…OR EVEN TWO!
PICK: Jets, 16-13.

St. Louis @ Detroit – St. Louis loves to pound the rock on the ground with S-Jax, and the Lions have one hell of an aerial attack. In the modern-day NFL, with the rules they have in place, the edge in these two contrasting styles ALMOST always goes to the team that can pass.
PICK: Lions, 31-21.

Miami @ Houston – With Schaub back at the helm, I expect the Texans to be a Super Bowl contender this year. With Tannehill at the helm, I expect the Dolphins to be a first-pick-in-the-NFL-Draft contender this year.
PICK: Texans, 35-13.

San Francisco @ Green Bay – NFC Championship preview in week 1…let me snag some popcorn and soda for this one. It is my humble opinion (and the correct opinion) that Aaron Rodgers is the best offensive player in the NFL, and Patrick Willis is the best defensive player in the NFL. I give the cheeseheads the edge because this one is at Lambeau.
PICK: Packers, 24-23.

Seattle @ Arizona – I’m glad the 49ers/Packers game is one of the late afternoon games, because I wouldn’t want to be stuck watching this mess. I’m sorry if I can’t get excited about the Skelton vs. Wilson match-up behind center. I think the Seahawks defense ends up being the difference.
PICK: Seahawks, 20-17.

Carolina @ Tampa Bay – Can Josh Freeman bounce back to the 2010 version of himself? Can Cam Newton recreate the year he had in 2011? Is Vincent Jackson still a soft diva afraid to go over the middle? The answers to all these questions should start to unfold in week 1. I’m saying the answers are no, sorta, and indubitably, respectively.
PICK: Panthers, 27-20.

Pittsburgh @ Denver – Let the Peyton Manning era begin in Denver, and may the odds ever be in his favor. Seriously though, I wonder if he has nightmares of idiot-kicker Mike Vanderjagt’s kick sailing wide every time he plays against the Steelers. It may only be the regular season, but he gets semi-vicarious revenge through the leg of Matt Prater.
PICK: Broncos, 23-21.

MON, SEP 10

Cincinnati @ Baltimore – I think this year is the last go-round for Ed Reed and Ray-Ray, and I think the Baltimore defense is still good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. If Flacco can avoid mistakes and Ray Rice can stay healthy, I expect a great year; I expect it to start week 1.
PICK: Ravens, 24-14.

San Diego @ Oakland – This one is a coin flip, and it should be a great cap to week 1 action in the NFL. I expect Philip Rivers to throw for 300+ yards, and McFadden to run for 125+ yards. Remember what I said earlier about teams that can pass versus teams that can run? Well, I don’t want to be a hypocrite…so I won’t be a hypocrite.
PICK: Chargers, 27-24.