Well, it’s that time of year again. Actually, it’s well past that time of year – we decided to take a little time this year,
Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
before presenting our guesses for the Hall of Fame. But here we finally go…
Andy: Picking Hall of Fame classes in recent years has been a little easier, as there have been at least a few candidates in each class who stood a head taller than their peers. That changes a bit this year, as the voters have put many of those top notch candidates in. Not that there aren’t great players remaining, but there are a lot of guys with similar resumes to consider.
Tony: There are three first-time eligible players who seem like obvious names to, at least, make the final 15 – starting with the only player probably guaranteed a ticket to Canton in 2016 — former Falcons, Jets and Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (what? He played somewhere else?). He held basically every quarterback record there is when he retired, and with three MVP awards and a Super Bowl ring in addition to 11 Pro Bowls and six All-Pros, Favre’s bronze bust was cast before he walked away from the game…even the first time.
The other two seem likely to make the finalist list, but less likely make the final five—Terrell Owens and Alan Faneca. Owens finished his career second in all-time yardage and third in touchdowns, but six Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pros won’t likely overcome his reputation in year one. And while Faneca was one of the best guards in the game in his time, he isn’t at the same level as Randall McDaniel or Will Shields, who both had to wait to get in.
Andy: Yep, I agree completely on the first-year guys. Favre may have played a year too long, but he was the model of greatness and a gunslinger throughout the years. Not to go all “John Madden” on it, but his personality is missed in today’s game. (more…)
As heavy as we hit the hypothetical books and as much as neither of us believes that breaking even in gambling is any better than a tie in a football game, neither of us has been able to do much more than tread water over the last month and change.
So, while we are far ahead of where we were last year through most of the season, we’re still both just slightly below breaking even.
I had a slightly better week 16 than Tony, winning two pretend $1,500 bets but losing my $2,000 and my upset. Tony was helped by his $1,000 moneyline bet on Atlanta. Hopefully, as we both go hard this last week, we make some noise – and hopefully they are shouts of joy and not screams of pain.
So at the beginning of the season, Tony proclaimed that he found breaking even boring and said by season’s end he hoped to have either doubled his imaginary bankroll or crapped out completely. Gambling is a funny thing, though, and with two weeks left in the 2014 campaign, here he sits, $300 below the original pretend $10,000 that we started with.
All of this is cute and nice – it’s not terribly frustrating, because again, it’s not real cash. But on the other hand it is a bit maddening, because while we started out well through the first, say, two-thirds of the season. But as we began to play with a bit of mythical casino cash and get more aggressive with the betting, our results have gotten worse.
But that’s how gambling works. Win some, lose some, and as long as you don’t end up with broken legs in the middle of the desert, you’re probably doing alright. So here are the standings. (more…)
We’ve started having some real ups and downs with these bets. Good thing we got off to a good start, but the struggles of the last three or four weeks have left Tony digging into his own bankroll and me right on the brink.
Still, we have life. And with just three weeks left in the regular season, it’s time to start ramping up and getting aggressive. After all, who wants to play it safe with a hypothetical bankroll.
Here are the standings:
Week 14
Season
Week +/-
Bankroll
Season
Tony
1-3
27-29
-$5,487
$9,120
-$880
Andy
2-2
29-27
+$328
$11,513
+$1,513
And here are the bets:
Andy: Well, the Green Bay/Atlanta shootout Monday both helped and hurt me, but the results overall kept me on the good side of even last week. There’s only three weeks left and I’m playing with house money, so it’s time to start getting a little reckless with my pretend bankroll. So here goes:
$2,500 – St. Louis (-4.5, -105) vs Arizona – I don’t like betting on Thursday games, but there’s too much to like here. Arizona is 10-3, but 1-2 in the last three. The Cardinals have not scored more than 18 points since Carson Palmer got hurt. Meanwhile, St. Louis is riding two straight shutouts and has given up 75 points in six games – but that includes three defensive TDs against them. So the defense is riding a streak in which it has given up fewer than 10 points per game. I don’t see Arizona getting into the 20s here, particularly with Andre Ellington out for the year.
$2,500 – Green Bay at Buffalo: Under 50.5 (-110) – Green Bay is hot, but is playing better at home. I definitely think the Packers stay at least warm here. But Buffalo hasn’t played a game that went over 41 since October 26 – that’s been due in part to its good defense and in part to its bad offense. Packers win, probably covering the 4.5 points they’re giving in the process. But Buffalo keeps it close enough to keep the score below 50.5.
$2,500 – Indianapolis (-7.5, +120) vs Houston – I don’t actually love this number, but truthfully there’s not a lot I do like this week. This is a game the Colts should win comfortably. I’m a bit worried about the possibility that Arian Foster has a big game and helps the Texans keep it close – the extra half point is a bit worrisome. But it’s late in the season and it’s time to go big or go home.
$300 – Minnesota (+355 moneyline) at Detroit – There aren’t many moneyline upsets that intrigue me this week. This one is no exception. However, the Vikings defense is playing the pass better. The Lions just don’t seem completely on track yet. And Teddy Bridgewater looks like he might be starting to figure some things out. So … what the hell.
Tony: Well, that sucked. Not only did I lose almost half my bankroll last week, but I pulled the equivalent of sleeping in and missing the 10am kickoff in Vegas–I had my bets ready to go, but forgot to get them in. So I’m stuck with the late games now.
$1,000 – Seattle (-7.5, -110) vs. San Francisco – I heard some talk on a local radio station about this one–wish I remembered all of the points made. At the end of the day, I think Seattle is better at covering late in the season and against each other–and even though I don’t trust the Seahawks offense, I trust San Francisco as a whole even less.
$1,000 – Philadelphia (-3.5, +105) vs Dallas – Weird game–you can get a +105 payout from either side, depending on if you go -3.5 points or +3 points. I really have no idea who the smart pick is here–but I’ve been waiting for the wheels to come off Dallas for a while now, and I could use a big night from the Eagles passing game.
$1,000 – Dallas @ Philadelphia: Over 54.5 (-103) – Another one I probably wouldn’t normally bet, but I don’t trust the Bears/Saints to make the over, and I hate betting unders, so I’m stuck here.
$300 – Chicago Bears (+135 moneyline) over New Orleans Saints – Honestly, I don’t see this happening. The Saints are better on the road this year, and the Bears have been dismal at home. And I could use an even bigger game from the Bears passing game. But with limited choices come bets you don’t necessarily like. So let’s roll.
It was another rough one in week 13. We combined for an 0-8 mark. So two of the last three weeks have been brutal. We’re still up for the season, but the margins are shrinking some. Gotta get back on a roll or we’ll be back into our own hypothetical pockets rather than playing with hypothetical house money.
Loading ...
Here’s Clark Judge’s recent article on Talk of Fame saying what the Pro Football Hall of Fame got right with…
Paul you want to know something out of all the Wide Receivers on the 1970s 1980s 1990s and 2000s All…
Hall does not want large classes of 7 or 8..I don't see any return to 5 moderns anytime in future,…
Thanks Paul ... looking at his last roster spot which was Eagles but hopefully, Jones wont try to come back.…
Holt has several years left on modern ballot, was in final 7 and after waiting until Fitz is elected in…