2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 2

One week of NFL football is in the books, and the coalition returns for more!

We ended up with one more person in the group this year as my friend Tom also joined in last minute. He joined the group a couple years ago and is back at it this year with us, just on the picks side.

Meanwhile in the column, after talking all sorts of crap in our group chat Adam ended up with an okay start, though he is tied for last among the six of us at present. I took four of six disputed games from him and four of seven from Joe; Joe took four of seven from Adam in the first week. Despite my column lead, I currently trail the group by one as Jim is our early leader in the clubhouse.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. This is a continuation of the tracker I've used for the last several years originally built by Adam. This first week was pretty heavily tilted to 4-2 splits with games and no 3-3 even splits yet. Adam, Jim, and I have yet to go hero so far, with the other three guys splitting four hero picks in the opening week.

As we now look ahead to Week 2, Adam and I disagree on five games, Joe and I on seven, and the two of them on six out of 16. Let's get to it!

2025 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 1

We interrupt your NBA/ABA Tournament of Champions... to bring you the longest running feature on Confessions of a Sportscaster.

The first full fall after I'd started COAS, I'd had the idea of picking NFL games against the spread. After a couple seasons of a partnership for that, I went somewhat solo in that every pick appears here, but it's never been something I've wanted to do alone. And so for the 14th season, I'll be picking games with a coalition.

Returning once again are good friends Adam Quinn and Joe Klecka. Adam won the column last year by a fairly narrow margin, ending my run of Even Year Magic. Just four games separated the three of us in total, and we all finished above .500. I can't complain.

So as we've done in years past, after ESPN announces its initial lines on Tuesday afternoons, the three of us will make our picks independently. Adam and I will provide a rationale, whether it be based on on-field observations, statistics, hatred of throwback uniforms, or the moon (no, really).

In addition to the three of us, we are once again joined by 2024 group champion and my co-host from Then There Were Two: A History of the World Series Geoffrey Clark, along with Joe's uncle Jim. My son Matthew opted out for this season despite having a pretty good 2024.

As we get back to it, Joe disagrees with Adam and I on seven games apiece, while Adam and I dispute six out of the first 16. Let's get back to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Epilogue

I was hoping to have multiple titles to celebrate this week, but alas, it was not meant to be.

We close out the 2024 contest as Adam only ended up taking six of our ten disputed games this week and five of seven from Joe, while I took two of three from Joe. With Adam leading the column coming in, that means for the second year in a row, he is our column champion.

The race at the top was tight going into Week 18 as well, and ultimately the difference there between staying tied and a two game final margin was Geoffrey riding the Steelers as home underdogs. He just barely hit that hero pick, and as a result Geoffrey takes home his second consecutive group championship in this contest.

You can view how we all ended up picking in relation to each other here. Group-wise, it was a pretty successful year. We hit on consensus picks at the best rate we ever have, and did a decent job on hero picks; we had as many as a group combined this year as Adam hit on in 2023 by himself. Six of the seven people in our group finished the year over .500, with Matthew being the only one below, and even then, he was only six games under. Not bad for a seven year old.

Congratulations once again to Adam on his column title, and to Geoffrey on his group title! We'll see you for the 2025 contest!

Records This Season
Lucas: 139-133 (7-9 last week)
Adam: 142-130 (9-7 last week)
Joe: 138-134 (6-10 last week)
Geoffrey: 151-121 (8-8 last week)
Jim: 149-123 (6-10 last week)
John: 140-132 (8-8 last week)
Matthew: 133-139 (7-9 last week)

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 18

And so it all comes down to this.

A few playoff spots are still up for grabs in the NFL, and as far as the coalition goes, there are a couple races up for grabs. Taking all of Week 17 into account (as we split it into two parts), Adam and I split our two disputed games, while Joe took five of seven from each of us. As a result he's come roaring back into a giant bunch in the middle of the pack.

That pack of us is really only fighting for the column title at this point, as we are well off the pace at the top. That title is a two-horse race between Geoffrey and Jim, who have caught fire as the season has gone along.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. I think the thing I'm most happy with, besides leading the hero win rate race even with a small sample size, is that barring a collapse we're looking at a phenomenal consensus win rate. Unless we go 0-5 this week, we'll finish above .500 for the fourth time in the last five seasons, and we're currently on track to finish with the best mark in that category since we started keeping track in 2016.

And so as we look ahead to the final round, Adam and I disagree on a whopping 10 games, Joe and I on just three, and the two of them on seven games out of 16. For the final time this season... let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 17 (Part 2)

Hope you all had a good holiday! The coalition made its early picks already, and now we return for the remainder of the Week 17 slate.

I'm not off to a great start, as I whiffed on both Christmas Day games as well as the Thursday contest; everyone else in the group managed to hit on at least one. This means Joe has pulled to within one game of me, while Adam now has a two game edge with the three of us all taking Seattle in the Thursday game. The top of the board remains the top of the board, and they appear to have pulled clear for the group title this season, with Geoffrey currently boasting a one game lead on Jim.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. No hero picks were made on Christmas.

Looking ahead to the remainder of the week, Adam and I disagree on just a single game, Joe and I on five, and the two of them on six of the remaining 13. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 17 (Part 1)

We're briefly working the holiday... at least long enough to cover the holiday as the coalition comes down to the end of the 2024 season!

The good news last week is I got myself back into the column contest and Adam regressed to the mean. Joe and I each took three of four from him while we split our four disputed games. That cuts Adam's lead to me down to just a single game with 32 to play.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Overall group wise, it's pretty much a two-man race at this point as Jim and Geoffrey are five games up on Adam at this point.

You'll notice the title says this is a Part 1. With games on Christmas day, and Christmas falling in the middle of the week, we're grabbing the early games on the schedule and will follow up later this week with the rest.

For Part 1, Adam and I disagree on one, Joe and I on two, and the two of them on one gamee out of the first three on the Week 17 docket. From all of us at Confessions of a Sportscaster, have a Merry Christmas! Let's get to the picks.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 16

Three weeks and just 48 games remain in the 2024 NFL regular season, and we're getting down to the nitty gritty both on the field and in picking what happens on the field.

Turnabout was fair play last week, as Adam swept all six games disputed with me and took three of five from Joe; Joe ended up grabbing six of seven from me. Fortunately the stuff we did agree on worked out well, leaving me with a mediocre mark for Week 15 while Adam ended up tying the best ever mark for a full week's worth of games.

As a result of Adam's bipolar picking tendencies, he's somehow managed to work his way back into contention as he's just one off Geoffrey's pace. I fell off but remain just a few games back. Six of the seven folks in our group are above .500 for the year; Matthew is the only one below, and even then, to be just ten games under for his first time isn't too bad.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. I can no longer boast about a perfect hero record, as that was one of my disputed picks with Joe and Adam. We all also hit on two consensus picks last week to bring our record there back above the .500 mark.

And so as we look ahead to Week 16, we have history this week. While there will never be a week where any of us completely match each other barring some level of shenanigans (likely on my part), this is the first time that our disputed counts all match as we each disagree with each on four separate games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 15

We're coming down to the home stretch with just four weeks remaining. The race for this year's crown remains tight.

Up until Monday night I was tied for first place, but fell in the final game of Week 14. That also meant that Adam took four of five disputed games from me in a tremendous rebound effort and three of five from Joe; Joe took three of four from me as I stumbled a little bit.

Despite that, as noted I remain just a game off the lead currently held by Geoffrey. Jim and Adam both remain within striking distance, just three and four games off the pace, respectively. All told, 11 games separate first from last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam and Matthew each hit on their sixth successful hero pick this past week; that leads all pickers, though I remain perfect in my small sample size. Geoffrey's lead continues to be buoyed by his strong showing in 4-3 split games.

With all byes officially completed, we've got 16 game slates the rest of the way. This week, Adam and I disagree on six games, Joe and I on seven, and the two of them on five. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 14

The coalition returns as we begin the stretch run of the 2024 NFL season, but we do so with a look at the history of the contest.

I dug back through a decade's worth of records, and we've had some bad weeks over the years. I overlooked what my worst week was, but I'm pretty sure I had a three win week somewhere along the line. Adam has put up 2-11 weeks a couple times, but it's been years since those. Geoffrey once put up a 2-12 week, with the asterisk of some of those losses being counted because he forgot to get his picks in. Both Geoffrey and, back when he was participating, my dad each had a 3-13 week. The... "gold" standard for bad weeks was Joe during the Covid year somehow only getting one game right. But in a decade-plus of picking games, we have a new low for a full 16 game slate.

I took three of five disputed games from Joe, which is fine because he and I both swept Adam in our disputed games last week. The rest of the group had a mediocre to good week, while Adam, in his words, "would like a redo." As a result, what had been probably a four guy race at the top is likely down to three with five weeks to go. Geoffrey is now in sole possession of first place, I gained a game on him, and sit tied with Jim for second and just a game out of the lead.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam's dominance in superminority games vanished this week, though he remains tied for the best average in those games. Geoffrey retains the best record in 4-3 split games, which is largely why he's in front right now. Jim has the second best mark in those games, while I've notched the best mark in hero games regardless of who's gone it alone (though my 4-0 mark doing so remains the best in the group thus far).

And so as we get back to it, Adam disagrees with Joe and I on five games apiece; Joe and I dispute four of out 13. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 13

The accelerated deadlines are on the books, which means we're at it early with our Week 13 NFL picks against the spread!

It was a mediocre week for most of us, with a number of hero picks on the docket. Ultimately I couldn't gain any ground at the top as Adam and I split our six disputed games. We're pulling away from the bottom though as Adam took four of six from Joe and I swept the two games we disputed.

Jim had the best week of all of us, which enabled him to pull into a three way tie for first place. I remain in striking distance, just two games off the pace. The gap is starting to widen at the bottom as 11 games separate the top from the bottom, and I have a four game lead on the folks behind me.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. The group as a whole split six hero picks this past week. Adam still has the most correct out of everyone but out of several more tries; I remain perfect at 4-0 when I've gone alone. Adam's group-high 12-6 mark in Superminority games (where just he and one other person picked a team) has helped buoy him, Geoffrey has a dominant 22-11 mark in Majority (4-3 split) games, and Jim has a similar 19-11 mark. We went 0-2 on consensus games this past week, and while we're still over .500 in that category, it's been trending downward.

As we get to feast this holiday, Adam and I disagree on half of the 16 game slate, Joe and I on five games, and the two of them on seven.

From all of us at Confessions of a Sportscaster, have a Happy Thanksgiving! Let's get to the picks.

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 12

We're nearing the two-thirds mark of the 2024 NFL season, and the coalition continues to do fairly well on the whole, and the top of the standings remain tight.

I was feeling great around 5:30 on Sunday, and despite cooling off and dropping my last three, a dominant early slate helped lead me to the top score of last week, as I took four of seven disputed games from Adam and five of seven from Joe; Adam took four of six from Joe.

Adam and Geoffrey remain tied atop the group through Week 11, but I continue to come back from my early Great Reversal doldrums and now find myself just two games back after being seven back about a month ago. Overall, just nine games separate first from last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. My fortunes in hero picks, both for and against, is largely what's buoying me. Adam has the best mark by far in 5-2 split games, and Geoffrey's position tied with Adam is helped by his dominance in 4-3 split games.

As we move onto Week 12, Adam disagrees with Joe and I on six games apiece. Groupthink largely prevails between Joe and I as we only have two disputed games out of the 13. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 11

As we get into the nitty gritty part of the season, the race at the top has really tightened up. Just three games separate first place from fifth place.

I had a shot Monday night to move into a tie with Adam, but he salvaged that game, leading me to take only five of eight from him. Adam split his six with Joe, but I swept our two disputed games to pull ahead of the back of the pack.

Groupwise, Adam has moved back into a tie for first with Geoffrey, but again, it's a crowded picture as Jim drops to just a game out of first, John is just a game behind him, and I'm lurking just one behind John. I'll take hanging around for now.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We went 4-1 combined in hero games this week, including me hitting on my third and remaining the only person perfect in those games. Adam remains brilliant in superminority games, going 11-5 so far when he and just one other person agree on a game. Geoffrey has done incredibly well in the 4-3 split games, hitting on a group-best 35 of those 65 games. Consensus picks continue to go well, as after a 2-0 week we're hitting on over 60 percent of those games.

Looking ahead to this week, I disagree with both Joe and Adam on half of the 14 game slate apiece, while they dispute six games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 10

The second half of the season is underway and the coalition returns from the intermission to resume our quest to successfully pick NFL games against the spread!

It was a decent week for most of us. Adam and I split our six disputed games, while he and I each took three of five from Joe. The slow week though knocked Adam out of first place, though he is just a game off the lead behind Jim. A total of eight games separates the entire group, so we're all doing fairly well.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. It was not a good week for hero picks, though superminority folks had a pretty good day. Ultimately my struggles in these 5-2 split games on both sides is a big part of why I'm six games off the pace.

As we move onward, Adam's taking a shot at extending his lead as he and I disagree on eight games and he and Joe on six. Joe and I, meanwhile, have major groupthink as we only dispute two. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 9

Consider this our two minute warning before halftime on this All Hallows Eve. The midway point of the 2024 season is upon us, and so continues our quest of picking games against the spread.

Strong performances from last week did not really continue on the whole. I did take three of five from Adam to eat into his lead, but Joe grabbed three of four from me and five of seven from Adam for the best week out of the columnists.

Adam was texting us mid-week last week asking how we could have let Jim get into second place, and all this time Adam should have been paying attention to his rear view mirror, as Jim has surged into a tie for first place. Geoffrey remains in striking distance, just two games off the pace. Poor Matthew, meanwhile, after a strong start has faded into last place.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. With Jim's successful hero pick of the Chargers this past week, everyone in the group has managed at least one for the year. Adam's hold on first evaporated thanks in part to a bad week of superminority picks. And despite a bad week for consensus, we're still above .500 for the season.

Looking ahead now, Adam and I disagree on six games, while Joe disagrees with each of us on five games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 8

For the first time all season, the entire coalition is over .500, and against that backdrop, back into the fray we go.

It was a good week for most of the group, and for me in particular. I took Game 7 from both Joe and Adam for a narrow edge last week, while the two of them split their eight disputed games. My tie for the week high has me back within six of the lead, and I'm only two games out of second place. Adam retains a four game advantage on Jim through seven weeks.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We've come back to earth a bit on hero games, collectively going 12-15 so far. I have the most wins in games involving a hero pick (including 2-0 in games where I've gone hero), but my struggles elsewhere explain my current deficit. Adam, meanwhile, has dominated games with a 5-2 split among the group, going 20-7 in those games. Joe has a strong showing in hero games (including a 2-1 mark where he's been the lone wolf), but a 4-11 mark in Superminority games has hurt him.

Looking ahead to this week, Adam and I disagree on five games, Joe and I on four, and the two of them on seven games out of 16. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 7

If we go by weeks, we are officially a third of the way through the NFL season. And with that, we begin the second period of picking NFL games against the spread.

I was thrilled mid-afternoon on Sunday as I was in good shape, but I crashed a little bit in the late slate. Ultimately, Adam took four of seven games from me, I took three of five from Joe, and Adam took five of eight from Joe in Week 6. This means for the column, Adam was able to gain a little bit of ground, as I find myself seven games back and Joe nine. Groupwise though, Adam was outshone by much of the rest of the group, and his overall lead has been trimmed to just three games.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Part of the reason everyone had decent weeks was the fact that collectively the group went 0-4 on hero picks, including Adam missing a couple. As such, I'm the only one without a miss on a hero pick; unfortunately that's out of a sample size of two, which doesn't help my cause. We hit on our lone consensus pick this week though, which puts us at easily our best mark since we started keeping track back in 2016.

And so as we look ahead to Week 7, I disagree with both Joe and Adam on seven games apiece, while the two of them disagree on eight games out of 15. This could be a big week of shakeups, so let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 6

The coalition returns off a solid week across the board as we get ready for Week 6 of the NFL season!

The good news is that Adam and I split our six disputed games and I swept the two with Joe, while Adam took four of six from Joe. The bad news for me is that Adam maintains his fairly sizable lead over the rest of the group. The rest of us are all clustered together, with Matthew currently alone in second place after an outstanding week.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. Adam maintains his dominance in games where he's heavily in the minority. Of note, we went 3-0 in consensus games this past week, putting us well over .500 in that category for the season. Hopefully we can maintain that, as it's good for all of us.

Looking ahead, Adam and I disagree on seven games out of 14, Joe and I on five, and Joe and Adam on eight. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 5

We're about a quarter of the way through the season, and the coalition returns to action for Week 5 of the NFL season.

Adam has long had this theory of "The Great Reversal," where everything we think we know about an NFL season flips on its head. That informed a lot of his picks this past week, and to an extent it worked; he took six of our eight disputed games. Joe, meanwhile, finally caught fire as he swept our six disputed games and grabbed four of six from Adam.

Adam remains in the lead overall, but with my down week, he now holds a sizable five game lead on the nearest competitor. The rest of us are all hovering in that 5-7 game range. This is fine; everything is fine.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As a general rule, those of us who have been picking more contrary to everyone else seems to be having more success, and Adam's numbers bear that out, as he's 5-0 in games where he's either gone hero or had one other person agree.

And so as I make an attempt to claw my way back in our first week with byes, Joe and I disagree on only two games, but Adam disagrees with each of us on six out of 14. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 4

With three weeks in the books, the coalition returns for another week of picking NFL games against the spread!

This week ran the gamut for the group from good to bad, but the standings by and large stay the same. Adam did extend his lead by taking three of five from me, though we increased our gap with Joe as I took four of five from him and Adam took five of their six. At this point, seven games separate first place from last place, and five of the seven pickers are within four games of each other.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. As a group, we went 1 out of 3 on hero picks, but we're still hitting on over 50% of them as a group. Adam and I are the only two not to lose a hero pick through three weeks (granted, out of a sample size of 2 apiece). We're also just over .500 on consensus picks.

As we look ahead, Adam and I disagree on eight games this week, while Joe disagrees with each of us on six games. Let's get to it!

2024 COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em: Week 3

Two weeks down, and the coalition returns to action for a third week of picking NFL games!

Adam has often said that Week 2 is when we start to see things get more towards the norm for a season compared to the surprise of Week 1. I'm hoping that's not a sign, as he took five of seven games from both me and Joe last week; Joe and I split our four disputed games. Adam's strong Week 2 showing has him in first place among the group, a game ahead of me. Most of the rest of the group is still right in the mix, though John has fallen to the back of the pack, six games off the pace.

You can view how we've all picked in relation to each other here. We're continuing to do fairly well on consensus picks, and folks who have gone hero so far are 6-4 in such games. I think my favorite sub-stat of that is that the three of us columnists are a combined 5-0 when we've gone hero. Again... I hope this isn't an omen because regression to the mean never happened for Adam last year.

Looking ahead now, I disagree with five games apiece with Adam and Joe, and the two of them on six games out of 16. Let's get to it!