2019 NFL Wild Card Preview

Even in a year where my team isn't in the playoffs once again... I just can't quit the NFL.

While Jen won the 2018 Pigskin Pick 'Em contest with me finishing just one game back, Adam clearly can't quit the NFL either even after a last place finish. He texted me Wednesday evening asking if we were doing anything for the playoffs. And because I can't help myself along with the fact that I've been doing this for years, we are going to go through the NFL playoff slate once again.

Last year it was just me, and I didn't track how I did against the spread. This year we're going to track that information, with Adam grabbing lines Thursday morning off of Bovada.

In a few weeks we will do our usual feature of Super Bowl prop bets, but this year we're doing the appetizer leading up to the main course. Here's a look at Wild Card Weekend.

2018 NFC West Preview

In October of 2011, I started this blog as a way to market myself and have some fun writing about sports. And today, August 30, 2018, marks a milestone for me: the 1000th Confession of a Sportscaster.

Most of these confessions have been about one of the seven Tournaments of Champions I've run, the most recent of which is awaiting its championship game this weekend. I'm also picking up a seventh year of my Pigskin Pick 'Em contest, renewing my weekly column with Adam Quinn where we pick NFL games.

But the honor of being my 1000th Confession goes to my preview series for the 2018 NFL season, in particular my picks for the NFC West. Let's get to it!

2017 NFC West Preview

It's Wednesday, and we're shifting things over to the West Coast as we continue our preview series for the upcoming NFL season.

Today is day three of eight straight weekdays of going division by division, alternating conferences, until I've hit all 32 NFL teams. So far, we've done both the NFC and AFC North, and no wild card spots are accounted for quite yet. We'll see if that changes today.

Before I get into the previews, I'm making yet another shameless plug for the upcoming season and my continuing Pigskin Pick 'Em series that Adam Quinn will join me for once again. You can come pick against us here.

And now, onto the NFC West.

2017 NFL Divisional Preview

We're fast approaching another weekend, and the NFL playoffs are in full swing. Just eight teams remain in the quest for the Lombardi Trophy, and the four best teams from this past season are back in action this weekend.

All in all, last weekend was relatively uneventful unless you're one of the idiots who's blowing the whole Giants-On-The-Boat thing out of proportion. Them spending the off day with their families back home or whatever probably wouldn't have changed their defense getting torched by Aaron Rodgers in the final 35 minutes of the game.

So with that out of the way, let's take a look at the four games on tap this weekend.

2017 NFL Wild Card Preview

For some reason, I've been getting a ton of hits lately on my 2015 Wild Card post. I guess I hit the sweet spot on SEO-related stuff without even meaning to, because most of those hits have come in the past few months. Whatever the case, we're onto the playoffs for the 2016 season, and I need to get a new post up.

In years past, I have also done an awards post, but I opted to skip that this year given the timing of everything and my lack of really paying super close attention to the NFL this year (contrary to my finally getting a winning record in the Pigskin Pick 'Em this season). But this is something I can't pass up.

12 teams have survived the past four months, and it's time to take a look at the road to Houston for Super Bowl LI.

2016 NFC West Preview

We've finally worked our way west in my series of NFL previews as we're now just two days away from the official start of the NFL season.

After years of rumblings, the NFL has also finally returned to Los Angeles, so I've had to alter one of my labels for this post. Sorry, St. Louis football fans. I hate a lot of the economics of the sport that forced the Rams out. They and the rest of the NFC West get their preview on today.

You still have a couple days to get in on the spread picking action. Adam Quinn returns to defend his crown in our annual ESPN Pigskin Pick 'Em contest, which you can join at the link provided. We weren't very good last year... or the year before... so you have a decent shot at beating us.

Without further ado, let's hit up the NFC West.

2015 NFC West Preview

One day after a quick college football break, I'm back to previewing the NFL.

You can read a little more in-depth previewing over at UKEndZone, where Ollie Connolly and Andrew Symes are hard at work going division by division as well. In addition to that, Adam and I will be picking NFL games against the spread all season, and I would enjoy having a few extra people in on the fun. You can join our group here with a free ESPN account and see if you can best our scores (neither of us had a very successful 2014 season, so you could win). We're actually up to three people now, as my dad has decided to join the fun.

With the shameless plugs out of the way, let's get to work.

NFC West

Common opponents on schedule: NFC North, AFC North

1. Seattle Seahawks
2014: 12-4 (1st), lost Super Bowl XLIX
The best defense in the NFL reloaded once again, keeping most of its core intact (including the Legion of Boom, obviously), with really the only notable change on that end being the addition of Cary Williams to start opposite Richard Sherman at cornerback. The Seahawks also pretty heavily upgraded their offense by trading for Jimmy Graham. He gives Russell Wilson a go-to target in the passing game while Marshawn Lynch continues to be Marshawn Lynch. The NFC continues to go through Seattle.
2015 Prediction: 12-4

2. Arizona Cardinals
2014: 11-5 (2nd), lost in NFC Wild Card Game
The Cardinals rode a strong defense to contention for the NFC West for much of the season. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu headline a secondary that isn't quite as talented as Seattle's, but is still very good. They're going to do some damage defensively again, but the question mark is on offense. Carson Palmer should be ready to go after missing a chunk of 2014, and if he's hurt, Drew Stanton is the backup, so Palmer's health is a major concern. I'm not sure what to expect on the ground out of Andre Ellington, though the Cardinals did add Chris Johnson in the offseason, and we'll have to see if he can break into the rotation. The Cardinals will be good, and Bruce Arians will have this team competing for the division title. I just think they don't quite have enough talent to surpass Seattle.
2015 Prediction: 10-6, Wild Card

3. St. Louis Rams
2014: 6-10 (4th), missed playoffs
The Rams finally parted ways with Sam Bradford after he couldn't stay on the field, and I do think Nick Foles is a bit of an upgrade. He's not going to replicate his 2013 season, especially not with this receiving corps, but he's much more likely to stay on the field than Bradford is. The defense, however, is absolutely terrifying. The Rams just keep adding talent to their defensive line, most recently signing Nick Fairley away from the Lions. With all the bodies they can throw at opposing quarterbacks, they're going to be a tough out. They still need to build their offense around Foles or whatever future quarterback they pick, but they're going to be a decent team this year.
2015 Prediction: 8-8

4. San Francisco 49ers
2014: 8-8 (3rd), missed playoffs
Has any team ever had a worse offseason than the 49ers did this past few months? Jim Harbaugh wore out his welcome and left for Ann Arbor, Chris Borland decided to hang it up, as did Justin Smith and Patrick Willis, while Ahmad Brooks is in legal trouble and Aldon Smith is no longer with the Niners after additional legal trouble. The offense will probably be decent, as the Niners signed Torrey Smith to play opposite Anquan Boldin and give the Niners a couple good wideouts, but I'm not sold overall on Kaepernick, and I don't know that Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush can replicate the success Frank Gore has had. It's going to be a long year in the Bay Area.
2015 Prediction: 4-12

Now that we're back on schedule, I'll be back at this tomorrow with the AFC West.

Thoughts From Super Sunday

Photo by Matt Slocum (AP)

Super Sunday delivered once again. We had a great game with some spectacular plays, and a phenomenal finish. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on their fourth quarter comeback and fourth Super Bowl title.

In the midst of all the chaos, I wanted to do a rundown of the best and worst of Super Sunday. I had the day off of work because of the North Central-Wheaton doubleheader on Saturday, though given the giant snowfall we had in Chicago, I wouldn't have made it in anyway. I got to prep for the game, watch it in its entirety, and got to spend the whole day with my wonderful wife and our two cats. So below, here are the best and worst moments from yesterday.

Super Bowl XLIX Predictions and Prop Bets

We're almost here! The day that should be a national holiday is upon us, and with it, the biggest game of the year.

Slowly but surely, I've gotten over the Epic Collapse of 2015 that resulted in this matchup in Arizona. It's a matchup a lot of people predicted coming into the year, and was made all the easier by the fact that these two teams were the top seeds in their respective conferences.

So who will win on Sunday: Seattle or New England? And what about the more fun part of Super Bowl Sunday: the prop bets?

Given the significance of the day, I've recruited some help. After giving me a run for my money in the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em this season, Adam is back to do prop bets with me. We will have our picks for a variety of bets following our Super Bowl predictions. All bets are taken from a list provided by Bovada. Let's get to it!

It Wasn't Supposed to End Like This

First and foremost, I'm just going to let this tweet by one of my editors for UKEndzone speak for itself.

Wow, Packers/Seahawks expected win % pic.twitter.com/mpR6QaM8y3
— Ollie Connolly (@OllieUKEZ) January 18, 2015

Photo by Evan Siegle (P-G Media)

I've been a sports fan my whole life. I've been through some tough losses that bridge the emotional spectrum. To me, the 2003 NLCS remains the worst, partially because it's the one loss I wasn't directly involved in that made me cry. The 2012 game in Seattle (which I'll spare you a link to; it doesn't matter anymore) made me the angriest I've ever been after a loss (other than maybe the '99 playoff game against the 49ers where Jerry Rice fumbled and it wasn't called). The 2014 Blackhawks' run (and my dream of walking into my wedding reception with Kristen lifting an inflatable Stanley Cup) came to an abrupt end in overtime of Game 7 at home, leaving me feeling like I'd been punched in the stomach. The 2008 Cubs spent six months making me believe it was finally the year before flaming out to the Dodgers, and prompted me staying up until 3:30 in the morning watching Family Guy so I could feel anything again.

That last one is probably the closest to how I felt around 5:30 Sunday evening. And even then... it's not the same. It's worse.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Of course, coming into the day I didn't expect the game to be quite like that. I was on record saying Seattle would take advantage of a hobbled Rodgers and head to the Super Bowl. It was a great start and a pleasant surprise that the team I thought was best in the NFL was playing so poorly, even though Green Bay didn't take full advantage of it, only leading 16-0 at halftime before losing... like that. I haven't brought myself to watch any replays of the game since. It's too much.

Photo by Joe Nicholson (USA TODAY Sports)

This is the kind of loss that makes you look back at certain points of the game and wonder "What If". I've found myself replaying so many in my head. To a small degree, settling for two field goals that are effectively extra points off of Seattle turning it over. Most of the guessing comes from the end of the game though.

The fake field goal haunts me. I don't know how Green Bay didn't expect a fake in a situation up 16-0 in the third quarter. Being more prepared changes the tide of that game.

The 3rd and 19 conversion... man. You have eight back to cover five... and let a guy get open for 29 yards. While I think Seattle should have gotten that personal foul penalty tacked on after the sack because it was clearly an after-the-fact penalty, that doesn't excuse failing in that defensive situation.

I keep thinking back to Morgan Burnett's pick. I had no problem with him sliding at the time, but looking back, I wonder. He had at least ten extra yards, maybe more. Take them, see if you can add at least another field goal, and you win.

The onside kick... I can't totally fault Brandon Bostick for it. He should have had it if he was going for it, but what if he blocks? Do the Seahawks still get it? How can you let something like that happen? Even so, Bostick met with the media on Monday. He did the honorable thing, despite the death threats from Twitter idiots.

The two-point conversion... how can Ha Ha, who had had his best game as a pro up to that point, not go to knock the ball down or pick it off? Instead of going down to tie, Green Bay goes down the field to win, assuming Seattle's defense doesn't sit back and play soft.

And overall, I look at Mike McCarthy, who coached not to lose, instead of coaching to win. So many times he could have put the game away, instead of letting Seattle hang around... and hang around... and come back to win. A lot of people are calling for his head today. I don't know if I'd go that far; he's led Green Bay to the playoffs almost every year, made three trips to the NFC title game, and has a Super Bowl ring. But after this game, I would put him on the hot seat for next year. I hope he learns from this game. You can't coach not to lose. You have to coach to win.

Photo by Jeff Chiu (AP)

Kristen said to me after the loss that at least it was a good game, and that losing a close game is better than getting blown out. In a vacuum, that might be true, but when you factor in how dominant Green Bay had been for almost 55 minutes only to lose the way they did... it's worse. It sucks.

So instead of planning where to watch the big game in Glendale, the Packers have to have their final memory of the 2014 season be a game they let slip away. They have things to do in the offseason, but there's no reason they can't be back to this point next year. They just have to do what needs to be done when the time comes so that they can take the next step.

NFC West Preview

Tomorrow night we begin! With just the one day left, I have only the NFC West left to preview. Some people argued that this division should have had three teams make the playoffs last year, but they only managed Seattle and San Francisco. This year, one wild card still remains, but who will get it?

With the season kicking off tomorrow night, you still have a little time to join in on the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest. This is your last chance to join in, but it is free to join. It's also a lot of fun. I've enjoyed it a lot... though maybe it's had something to do with being able to crack numerous jokes. I already have a couple in mind, though more will show up as the season goes on.

But enough about that. Let's predict the NFC West.

Common opponents on schedule: NFC East, AFC West

1. Seattle Seahawks
2013: 13-3 (1st), won Super Bowl XLVIII
The defending champs come into the new season without a ton of lost personnel. Most of the defense returns, with the one major notable departure being Brandon Browner. Other than him, the Legion of Boom is still around. Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith might start at linebacker, and the defensive line is one of the best in football. On offense, Russell Wilson remains the best value in the league and doesn't need to be a world beater with the talent around him. Golden Tate is gone, but he still has Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin to throw to, plus Marshawn Lynch to wreak havoc on the ground. There hasn't been a repeat champion in a decade, but the Seahawks could be the ones to break the streak.
2014 Prediction: 13-3

2. Arizona Cardinals
2013: 10-6 (3rd), missed playoffs
The Cardinals had an excellent 2013, but missed the playoffs because of the strength of the rest of the conference. The league's top run defense returns, and adds some pieces to bolster the pass defense. Adding Antonio Cromartie as your #2 corner across from Patrick Peterson will help, as will the return of Tyrann Mathieu. The question is if Carson Palmer can cut down on the turnovers (22 picks in 2013). Michael Floyd and Ted Ginn should be good pieces to take some pressure off of Larry Fitzgerald, while Andre Ellington will be the top running back this year. This year, they won't miss out.
2014 Prediction: 11-5, Wild Card

3. San Francisco 49ers
2013: 12-4 (2nd), lost in NFC Championship Game
Am I crazy? The team that has made three straight NFC title games won't make the playoffs? Colin Kaepernick has a ton of weapons to throw to, yet the Niners had the third fewest passing yards in 2013. There are ground weapons galore though too, with rookie Carlos Hyde backing up veteran Frank Gore. Problem is, there are some questions on the offensive line, and the defense is a question mark. NaVorro Bowman is out to start the year, and Aldon Smith is facing a lengthy suspension. The secondary has also lost a ton of pieces. All these things won't totally kill this talented team, but I think it torpedoes their playoff hopes significantly.
2014 Prediction: 10-6

4. St. Louis Rams
2013: 7-9 (4th), missed playoffs
The RGIII trade gave the Rams a ton of picks to work with, but it hasn't done much for their offense. Sam Bradford will miss the season, which means at least for now Shaun Hill is the Rams' 2014 quarterback. Zac Stacy and Tre Mason will make for a good 1-2 rushing punch, but the passing game will have issues. But you look at that defense... my goodness. The defensive line is probably better than Seattle's, and I really like the linebacking corps. It should help a secondary that I'm not totally convinced of, since quarterbacks will need to throw a little quicker than normal. I just don't know that they can score enough points to make a difference.
2014 Prediction: 7-9

Now that the whole NFC has been predicted, here's how the playoffs will unfold in my vision:

1. Seattle Seahawks: 13-3
2. Green Bay Packers: 11-5
3. New Orleans Saints: 11-5
4. Philadelphia Eagles: 10-6
5. Arizona Cardinals: 11-5
6. Chicago Bears: 10-6

Tomorrow the season starts, and since it's the beginning of a week, I'll have the Week 1 picks of the COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest. I have a new guest picker this year as well, and I'll introduce him tomorrow morning. Rest up, football fans: tomorrow night should be amazing!

Super Bowl XLVIII Preview

Every August, 32 teams convene in different places around the country with a singular goal in mind: making the postseason field of 12 and win two or three games, depending on seeding, to make it to the biggest sporting event in America that should really be a national holiday. Today, two of those teams' dreams will be realized as they take the field in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But only one can come out on top.

This year's Super Bowl itself was mired in controversy months, if not years, ago, when the NFL decided to hold it in the metro New York area. Obviously, hosting in a northern city in general carries risks (but then again Dallas had a freak snowstorm three years ago, so location isn't everything) but holding it in an open air stadium up north caused a lot of bickering. Me, I liked the thought of playing a Super Bowl in the elements. Apparently though, the elements won't be much of a factor if at all. Say what you will about The Weather Channel, but their forecast is calling for a kickoff temperature in the mid-40s, dropping a bit as the game goes on, and a slight chance for some rain. Not what we usually see on Super Sunday, but a far cry from the doomsday some predicted.

I kept waiting for ESPN to run prop bet picks for the past two weeks, but it never materialized, so I'm bypassing that this year. Let's just stick to what's important: the game. Line for picking is taken from Vegas Insiders.

"I'M THE BEST SPORTS BLOGGER ON THE INTERNET!"

Hopefully those of you reading this are all reasonable people, and understand that post title is a), me trying to be relevant, b), me trying to be catchy, and c), obviously an exaggeration. I have neither the experience nor the qualifications to appoint myself the king of this mystical series of tubes that I use to share my opinions on the world of sports, but also to find funny pictures of what would happen if Darth Vader showed Grumpy Cat to Emperor Palpatine. But it raises the question that has been raised 233 million times in the last day or so. Is there a line in the sand regarding trash talking?