Category: Uncategorized

NFL Championship Round Recap

New England Patriots at Denver Broncos

The Good ☀️

Our defense continues to carry us. They are playing so well. Aside from one long pass play, the Pats defense stopped everything.

Once again, the offense played better in the 2nd half and in crunch time.

Maye and Stevenson ran the ball well.

What a blocked field goal by the Pats.

The Bad ⛈️

The theme of this postseason for us is ugly wins.

We played the field position game so bad. Our defense saved us many times when the Broncos had great starting field position.

The offensive line continues to be terrible. Will Campbell might need to move to guard in the long term.

The offensive play calling has been awful too. ROLL MAYE OUT instead of having him sit in a bad pocket that the the offensive line can’t maintain.

Why did Henderson barely play?

Picks:

Pats win ✅

Pats cover (-4.5) ❌

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks

Rams win ❌

Rams cover (+2.5) ❌

Game/Betting Pick Results

Game: 1-1 This Week (44-18 This Season) (131-57 All-Time)

Spread: 0-2 (39-23) (121-62-5)

The Dark Side of the Transfer Portal:

The NCAA transfer portal was introduced with the promise of providing student-athletes with greater freedom and opportunities. At its best, it facilitates mobility, allowing players to find better fits for their talents and ambitions while enabling programs to strengthen their rosters. However, beneath this seemingly progressive system lies a darker reality that is affecting the lives of thousands of college athletes.

According to a recent ESPN article, there are still 1,200 unsigned FBS scholarship football players—athletes who entered the transfer portal with hopes of finding better opportunities but now find themselves without a team. That’s one-third of all FBS scholarship players who entered the portal. 

The ESPN article detailed that since tampering is rampant, players with agents or representatives have a significant advantage, receiving offers and visits lined up the moment they enter the portal. Conversely, athletes who follow the rules find themselves starting their recruitment from scratch when the portal opens.

This situation is particularly sad for players who didn’t voluntarily enter the portal. Some are nudged out by coaching staffs with veiled suggestions like, “You’ll never play here.” Others receive poor advice from family members or unscrupulous agents. 

The Scholarship Dilemma

Another harsh consequence of the transfer portal is the loss of scholarship security. Once a player enters the portal, their current school’s scholarship obligation can end by the start of the next semester. If they can’t secure a new opportunity, they can be left without a team and the financial means to continue their education. 30 to 40% of all Division I athletes who enter the portal do not find new homes at Division I schools. Some drop to lower divisions, while others leave college sports altogether because they can’t afford tuition without a scholarship.

Considering that the vast majority of college athletes will never play professionally, the primary benefit of a collegiate athletic scholarship is education. Losing that opportunity not only affects an athlete’s immediate future but can have long-term consequences for their career and life trajectory.

What Can Be Done?

  1. Regulating Agents and Representatives: In professional sports like the NFL, agents must be certified by organizations like the NFLPA to represent players. Could the NCAA implement a similar system to protect student-athletes from bad actors?
  2. Holding Programs Accountable: Schools and coaches should not be able to pressure players into the portal without repercussions. Transparent policies and reporting mechanisms could help identify and address such behavior.
  3. Improved Leadership: The NCAA’s leadership is ineffective. The creation of dedicated commissioners for sports like football and basketball could provide the competent leadership needed to address these issues.

Top 10 Players on the Patriots

1. Drake Maye, QB

The engine that makes the offense go. He has every trait you want a QB to have.

2. Christian Gonzalez, CB

A top 3 cornerback in the league for my money. The Pats are 15-1 with him playing this year. He shuts down the guy he is covering.

3. Milton Williams, DT

Our most valuable defensive player when it comes to stopping the run. This defense has been completely worse when he’s been out.

4. Stefon Diggs, WR

The first legitimate WR1 the Pats have had since Julian Edelman. His numbers were great even with him not running as many routes as most WR1s do. He is a master of efficiency.

5. Marcus Jones, CB/PR

The biggest play maker on the team and he plays defense! No matter when or where he touches the ball, he can house it.

6. Hunter Henry, TE

Mr. Reliable. His chemistry with Maye is off the charts and he constantly is on the receiving end of a clutch throw by Maye.

7. TreVeyon Henderson, RB

A home run threat and electric player out of the backfield. He can break one at any moment.

8. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

The thunder to Henderson’s lightning. He is a steady back that gains consistent chunks of yardage in the rushing and passing game.

9. Robert Spillane, LB

An important part of the middle of our defense. Like Williams, when he’s been out the dense has looked much worse.

10. Harold Landry, Edge

Our top sack man this year. He has been a great edge rusher for a long time and continues to do so with the Pats.

Honorable Mentions: Keyshon Boutte, WR; Michael Onwenu, G

Boutte is our best big play weapon and makes some insane catches. Onwenu is our best offensive lineman and is extremely consistent in the interior of our offensive line.

NFL Divisional Round Recap

Houston Texans at New England Patriots

The Good ☀️

SURIVE AND ADVANCE! That’s all that matters.

The Patriots defense is just as good as any in the league right now. They are playing out of their minds.

The offense made clutch plays in the running game and passing game when they had to.

The Bad ⛈️

Such an ugly game again.

The offensive line and particularly the tackles played absolutely awful.

Maye fumbled four times, but two of them weren’t really his fault. And that pick was not a real one anyway. So he really had two fumbles that were his fault. He still needs to be better but the turnovers are not as big a story as the box score makes them seem.

Picks:

Pats win ✅

Pats cover (-3) ✅

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos

Broncos win ✅

Denver covers (-1.5) ✅

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears

Rams win ✅

Bears cover (+4.5) ✅

Game/Betting Pick Results

Game: 3-0 This Week (43-17 This Season) (130-56 All-Time)

Spread: 3-0 (39-21) (121-60-5)

NFL Wild Card Round Recap

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots

The Good ☀️

It was not pretty but it doesn’t have to be. In the playoffs all that matters is a win. Starting the Maye-Vrabel (Vrayebel? Mayebel?) era with a playoff win is huge. Especially when everyone was talking about how easy our schedule was.

The Pats defense played Super Bowl winning football. The pass rush was the best it’s been all year.

Maye played well in the 2nd half after struggling in the 1st half. He still had a couple bad moments in the 2nd half, but overall played well.

The Pats ran the ball great.

The Bad ⛈️

The offense was able to drive the ball down the field, but couldn’t finish drives and turned the ball over twice. But they showed some grit at the end of the game.

The offensive line struggled for much of the game.

Picks:

Pats win ✅

Pats cover -3.5 ✅

Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars

Bills win ✅

Bills cover (+1.5) ✅

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles win ❌

49ers cover (+6) ✅

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

Bears win ✅

Bears cover (+1.5) ✅

Game/Betting Pick Results

Game: 3-1 This Week (40-17 This Season) (127-56 All-Time)

Spread: 4-0 (36-21) (118-60-5)

NFL Week 18 Recap

Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots

The Good ☀️

The running game was insanely good.

Having Milton Williams back is awesome.

Another dominating win. The Pats secure the 2 seed and a 14 win season.

The Pats will play the Chargers in the Wild Card round.

What a season.

The Bad ⛈️

Stafford threw 4 TDs. Drake Maye is still my MVP. We’ll see what happens.

Picks:

Pats win ✅

Dolphins cover +11.5 ❌

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers 

Seahawks win ✅

Seahawks cover -2.5 ✅

Game/Betting Pick Results

Game: 2-0 This Week (37-16 This Season) (124-55 All-Time)

Spread: 1-1 (32-21) (114-60-5)

Over/Under (Stopped after Week 2): 1-6 this season (67-65-1 All-Time)