by Andy | Feb 2, 2016 | Hall of Fame
Calvin Johnson reportedly has informed friends and coaches that he will retire after nine seasons in the NFL rather
Photo by Kevin810, via Wikipedia
than rejoin Detroit for the 2016 season.
While his quiet, low-key approach to announcing the end of his career would be fitting for the way he acted when he played, I hope this is not the case. Johnson has spent the last decade being one of the very few reasons to tune in to watch the Lions.
If he is, however, serious about stepping away, he would first become eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2021. I think it’s just short of inarguable that he gets in eventually.
I don’t think he should have to wait.
You can certainly qualify Megatron’s impact by saying it’s a passing era, no question. He’s played in the most pass-heavy era of NFL football on mostly bad teams that had to throw the ball. Did that inflate his numbers? Perhaps. But I would argue that Johnson was also part of the reason Detroit should have been throwing the ball all along. (more…)
by Andy | Jan 30, 2016 | Pro Bowl
We here at Zoneblitz are a small crew. And we’ve taken a couple days off this week. But the Pro Bowl is this weekend and we wanted to make sure we gave it the ink it deserves.
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Well, now that we’ve gotten that taken care of, we’ll be back soon with some thoughts on the Super Bowl. Have a good weekend.
by Andy | Jan 23, 2016 | 2015 season, NFL Playoffs, NFL Random Thoughts
Conventional wisdom and the folks in Vegas are predicting a Carolina-New England Super Bowl. I wouldn’t have a huge issue with that – the Patriots were the league’s best team for the first three-quarters of the season before injuries set them back a bit. The Panthers have proven that even with a soft schedule, they are legit.
Truth be told, though, I’d prefer to see a couple different story lines play out. Peyton Manning is a shell of the QB he used to be, but I do have a soft spot for seeing legends go out on top. I’d also like to see guys like Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald rewarded for their years of toil on mostly bad to average teams.
What is your preferred match-up? Vote and then tell us why below.
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by Andy | Jan 23, 2016 | 2015 season, NFL Gambling, NFL Playoffs
Well, that went bad in a hurry. Looking at nothing but the scores, it would appear I at least came close to having a winning week, but in reality that’s not true. Kansas City’s five minute drive while down two scores at the end of the Patriots game ensured I had no chance at covering that spread. The Seahawks money line bet only missed by a TD, but Seattle was down 31 at half – there was no point after the first 15 minutes where I felt I would win that one.
Even my draw – the over/under push on the Steelers/Broncos game – did nothing more than show how freakishly good the NFL is at setting point spreads and over/under numbers.
So after a couple good weeks put me ahead for the year, I’m now substantially down again – though still not as bad as Tony, who remains at least temporarily in pretend hiding for his substantially brutal results during the season.
| |
Starting $$ |
Division wk rec |
Division wk $$ |
Playoff record |
Current $$ |
| Andy |
$11,472 |
0-3-1 |
– $5,000 |
2-5-1 |
$6,472 |
(more…)
by Andy | Jan 15, 2016 | 2015 season, NFL Gambling, NFL Playoffs
The Wild Card round went much as I expected, with five and six seeds in both conferences proving to be superior to the third- and fourth-seeded division winners.
That meant for a solid round of picks. It didn’t translate to bets, however, as the point spreads in Vegas proved to be as difficult to manipulate as ever.
I did go 2-2, hitting two bets on over/under numbers. They’ve come in handy all season – I haven’t been able to get spreads right, but the numbers have been slightly easier.
So here’s where I stand (Tony, as you may recall, is in hiding, trying to avoid more hypothetical broken bones over losing twice his allotted bankroll for the season).
| |
Starting $$ |
Wild card record |
Wild card $$ |
Current $$ |
| Andy |
$11,568 |
2-2 |
– $96 |
$11,472 |
The games get a bit tougher this week. I doubt I go undefeated in picks. Bets … who the hell knows. But here goes: (more…)
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