Author Archives: National Fanatic
2012 NFL Predictions (Super Bowl: San Diego over Seattle)
The 2012 NFL Season is near, and an opinionated, yet semi-educated, guess/prediction of what will happen this season needs to be noted, by me, for you to read. So I’ll make a few guesses and point out division winners (and losers) without TOO much invested in actual records, plus an estiamted playoff picture with MVP’s and seasoned indivdual award tacked in there too.
After this seasons Super Bowl, we can all look back and see how amazingly CORRECT I was, or how totally incorrect I can be. After all, this is only a guess, right?
MY DIVISION PICKS
AFC East
1. New England
2. Buffalo
3. New York Jets
4. Miami
AFC North
1. Baltimore
2. Cincinnati
3. Pittsburgh
4. Cleveland
AFC South
1. Houston
2. Tennessee
3. Indianapolis
4. Jacksonville
AFC West
1. San Diego
2. Kansas City
3. Denver
4. Oakland
NFC East
1. Philadelphia
2. Dallas
3. New York Giants
4. Washington
NFC North
1. Green Bay
2. Chicago
3. Detroit
4. Minnesota
NFC South
1. Atlanta
2. New Orleans
3. Carolina
4. Tampa Bay
NFC West
1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. St. Louis
4. Arizona
ANNUAL AWARDS
Best regular season teams: San Diego & Green Bay, with a 12-4 record
Worst regular season team: Cleveland, with a 2-14 record
MVP: Phillip Rivers, San Diego
Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Williams, Buffalo
Offensive Player of the Year: Andy Dalton, Cincinnati
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Melvin Ingram, San Diego
Coach of the Year: Pete Carroll, Seattle
Most surprising team (positive): San Diego
Most surprising team (negative): Denver
First coach to be fired: Leslie Frazier, Minnesota
PLAYOFFS
AFC wild card games: Houston over Cincinnati, Baltimore over Tennessee
Divisional round: San Diego over Houston, Baltimore over New England
AFC Championship Game: San Diego over Baltimore
NFC wild card games: Atlanta over Chicago, San Francisco over Philadelphia,
Divisional round: Seattle over Philadelphia, Green Bay over San Francisco
NFC Championship Game: Seattle over Green Bay
Super Bowl: San Diego over Seattle
2012 NFL Training Camp (Race and Course)
…training camp!
We like to hear those two words. Its like our “football-seasoned” appetizer has just arrived at our table, as our main course is nearing (the regular season). Well, then you have preseason games, which really doesn’t have a positive flavor in our football fix (as a $60 ticket for a game that doesn’t count and doesn’t really taste that good). But still, preseason football is still football (just like bad buffalo wings & burnt fries still get eaten), we do like watching ALL four quarters on our big screen HDTV’s. Watching undrafted rookie free agents SHINE (at least for their quick moment) and watching the superstars socialize with each other and interview with standard cliche’ answers on the sidelines, “…one game at a time…”
Then there are the worries: The injuries You can only hope that your favorite players have shown up in decent shape so that training camp, drills & practices do not create any NEW injuries. JUST STAY HEALTHY and STAY AVAILABLE!!!! Little by little, these high performance machines are getting tinkered, pumped torked & flexed into game shape. Yet if you push their engine too far, car problems can occur and a gasket may blow or a block may get cracked. So we all hope the hamstrings stay healthy, knee injuries are just minor, groin/abdominal injuries are slight and ligaments & bones are normal.
And that’s just the body and the guts – or the tools, motor & parts from the neck down…
What about the HEAD, the BRAINS? Learning the playbook, adapting to new schemes, working well with your teammates, new coaches, new positions (and the good ole’ concussion).
It’s honestly amazing how complicated you may think this 2012 training camp really is & how much rides on it. But in actuality IT’S ONLY A GAME (a race or a course). A game that has changed our culture and dominates our interests. A game that keeps us connected to Twitter daily, fan-blogs and to football-related websites during the entire off-season ( just because we NEED TO KNOW whats happening with our team, the players, Mr. General Manager and every free agent still available).
This game isn’t a game at all anymore is it? It’s a routine. It’s a social outlet, a stalker-fetish, a daily read or should I say: a secondary life…
“…Wait, what’s that? Who got the latest DUI, who has a new non-profit organization, who shot them self, who went cliff diving, who wrecked their motorcycle, who had their 6th child, who remains unsigned, who’s suing him, who retired, he did what to his mother???”
So preseason is next, followed by our fantasy football drafts and THEN we will have our main course (the regular season), only to hope for a sweet desert in the end.
—James Fedewa
Would you rather Win a Major Sports Championship or be a Hall of Famer?
Would you rather Win a Major Sports Championship or be a Hall of Famer?
Example Dan Marino or Trent Dilfer? Ted Williams or Paul O’Neil? Patrick Ewing or Ed Curry?
Financially speaking, I would choose: Hall of Fame.
If you’re elected to the Hall of Fame you get pension checks. Some OLD timers need those checks to live and some younger guys need those checks too, as we see a lot of former millionaires go bankrupt from bad investments, poor decision making or terrible lifestyle choices. Sure, championship is a GOAL and an HONOR, but most of these major sports are TEAM SPORTS, and you’re only as good as your team.
Major Championship is why: “You PLAY to WIN the Game” – a la Sherm Edwards – but players cannot control championships (hence “team” sports). Players can control the quality & commitment of their own play and aim towards the Hall of Fame. This is a BUSINESS, not bragging rights… Rings are really only bragging rights and ego strokers…
Showing your championship RING to a restaurant owner can give you free meal or drink for life, and you maybe able to sell your championship ring for $85,000 (like Lawrence Taylor’s son did).
…so I’d stick with Hall of Fame goal (and the $200,000 per year pension checks – pretty nice for a retiree for an average of 8 to 13 years).
NFL Head Coach Rankings – a personal opinion on bias media
Have you read this latest “LIST” or ranking of NFL Head Coaches on The Sporting News (link above)? The ranking is on a scale of 1 to 32 (as in 32 NFL teams) and who’s considered the TOP coach in the NFL, followed by the “who’s next”…
Like most “lists” they are 100% opinion based (which is a sports columnist or analyst job and point of view). There are considerable differences between subjective reporters, narrow-minded columnists and biased analysts, yet each are labeled in a category but all are in the sports media. Who do you believe most or whose opinion you think is more valid is your choice…
TOP 10, TOP 32 or TOP 100 lists seem to be very popular these days (like The Top 100 NFL Players of 2012). All lists are mostly done by individuals and every individual is bias is some way or another. The Top 100 NFL Players of 2012 is a little different though, as all “active players” VOTE who they “think” is the best NFL Player, but some lists can be created by one individual (like a reporter, communist or analyst – or even worse fan sites). Both of these democratic voting list or individual top lists involve people, and all people are bias (whether they like it or not).
Reporters are supposed to be objective and leave their opinions out of the news, interviews and stories, yet they still can sway, misreport or leave out information in story or interview. That “reporter” could’ve gone to Ohio State University, so they’ll avoid Tom Brady questions, stories or ratings… (as Tom Brady when to the University of Michigan, which is rival to Ohio State – See analyst Kirk Herbstreit from Ohio State, or reporter Adam Schefter from Michigan ). Same thing applies with voting active players in the NFL. Or even the NFL Network, which is owned by the NFL.
So I may as well make a list of my own top 100 Guitarists (that have been recorded), or top 100 Beers (that I’ve drank), or top 100 hottest models (that I’ve seen on TV and magazines), or top 100 Cheeses (that I prefer melted on bread, past 7pm). Sure, you’ll get MY opinion too, as most lists, but just to say, everything you read is 100% bias.
Let’s fix this top 32 NFL Coaching list, as I am very bias about the team I like (San Diego Chargers), bias towards division rivals and bias to teams that seem to regularly beat the Chargers in the playoffs. Norv Turner is the San Diego Chargers Head Coach, who is always in the HOT SEAT so there’s a list of coaches that I would NOT want in San Diego (that are listed higher than Norv Turner)?
The “NOT IN SAN DIEGO” List:
7.) John Fox, Denver: he was fired from Carolina in 2010 for failing, yet he had Jimmy Clausen at quarterback. Note, in 2011 Fox was .500 and is product of Tim Tebow. Why is he #7 @ .500 and 1 year removed from being fired in Carolina?
8.) Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles – He was good at one point in his tenure in Philly, but he needs to be removed as his ego, dream team stature and high team control are very outdated. He’s produced solid seasons, but no Super Bowl victories a decade of mediocrity and playoff failures. He’s like a KING in a democracy, and has too much control. Plus, He had a .500 season last year too, so why does he demand so much respect? He might be better than Norv Turner, but I wouldn’t want in in San Diego.
9.) Lovie Smith, Chicago Bears – He doesn’t even seem like a head coach to me. He seems very insecure and under spoken to be an NFL Head Coach. He’s like the Mayor of a tiny town that likes to focus on half the team (the defense, and that’s it). Half of a team is not a team… I can tell Chicago is focusing on the offence this year with a couple of new big wide receivers and a big armed quarterback, but that’s not on Lovie Smith. He’s too boring without a lot of wins too. He’s just a coach, and not head coach material.
10.) Jeff Fisher, St. Louis Rams – AVERAGE COACH, not a winner, not a loser, but always consistent. Key word here, NOT A LOSER, which goes a long way in the NFL. Yet, he’ll never get a ring with the teams he chooses to go to. I do like him though, but Norv is better.
11.) Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals – This guy is still riding this Super Bowl victory as the Baltimore Ravens Defensive Coordinator 11 years ago. He’s a loyal guy and committed to Cincy, but if I were him, I’d try a different team. Although, The Bengals made it to the playoffs in 2011 and could be really good for a while. STILL, he’s a lop sided coach again (only focusing on a mediocre defense). He’s below average to me and should only be a Defensive Coordinator.
14.) Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona Cardinals – Has done ZERO and still can’t find a quarterback. GROSS!
17.) Jim Schwartz, Detroit Lions – Has done ZERO! (and got the Mr. Sensitive end-of-the-stick with the famous Harghbaugh “hand-shake”) – Better than Norv? You’re kidding me right? Norv vs. a bitch, Norv wins…
18.) Mike Munchak, Tennessee Titans – Better than Norv? He’s my high school gym bowling coach.
19.) Romeo Crennel, Kansas City Chiefs – He was the head coach for the final 3 games of 2011. Sure, the Chiefs beat the undefeated Packers, good job Romeo, but the Chiefs still finished 8-8 on the season, and he’s better than NORV? I’m not going to even comment on this selection because he coached THREE GAMES! The Chiefs were actually worse than what their record states.
…and Norv is number 20. What a lame list…
Be Smart
The human brain, our intellect (or lack of), with “guesstimation decision-making” can dictate a personality. Stupidity, ignorance, charisma and social normalcy can vary within that personalty making someone believable or a somewhat of a joke. I guess whichever of these things controls you most, that makes you; YOU! Yet one fluctuation of these traits can make you look like a complete idiot regardless of how smart you really are…
POINT IS: BE SMART, shut up and listen!
Hero Logo
A logo can mean so much. It can be a first impression. A statement. A History. A Gut Feeling. Quick Wit, Immediate Response. A Focal Point. A League. A Team. A Bond. Principles & Demand. An Interest. A favorite. A PASSION. A Loyalty.
…or just oppostite…
A logo can mean SO much in the human brain, and so fast and immediate too. In an instant, at an inital GLANCE of a logo, it can say 1 billion feelings in a second…
Logos are light-speed…
So lets get this right. Lets PICK a good one, a great logo that’s forever. The Logo that represnts YOU. Lets choose something that represents: your family, your team, your children, their Dad, your Dan and their common bond, plus backbone and commitment… YOU!
A logo can create hate, and can create passion, if only at a glance…
If if I’m a logo, in the NFL, a team: I’m a San Diego CHARGERS. A lighting bolt and a charging stallion. A War Cry, . I’m Electricity, Power and Sharp Strength. I’m quick, fast, and a weapon. I”m a tool of the gods, a scientific anomaly, and I’m a warning sign. You see me, and you think twice…
So,,,
If you had to pick an existing NFL teams logo, that represented YOU and what YOU LIKE and what YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT, which logo, which team would that be? Which would make your statement OF YOU?
And I know you can have immediate feelings for our hated opponents logos. Trigger reactions of hated rivals and arch enemy’s are just as quick. The good guys vs. the bad guys. What are some of those instant hates?
What does a horned-hat, or the Raider Black with eye-patch mean to you? What does a spread wing mean, or a cuddley Miami Fin, or a trow-back Patriot Center (ball in hand), or single colored letter mean to you? How does swine or dog and a numbered person stand for something not even noted on a team name exactly correlate? …A metropolitan wild animal, or something BIGGER than big or an ethnic slur – that is really just opposite in nature, or only to you… What do these mean to you?
What are your feelings of these logos that have been around for fifty to a hundred years, and all our lives.
Junior Seau Died yesterday, by his own hands…
Junior Seau was a great “MR. SAN DIEGO” amazing football player & one of San Diego’s Biggest Superstars Ever!
I’ve seen him play several live games and nearly all of his San Diego Chargers games. I’ve seen him at his restaurant in San Diego a couple of times too. He was always very friendly, smiling or rolling sushi, and he sure LOVED his fans. Watching him play linebacker in his prime was amazing… He’s a hall of famer, and one of my favorite football players of all time.
Some people say: “Don’t rule out MURDER” Would it be weird if I said “I hope so?” …just because suicide is such a let down. And I remember when he drove off a 100′ cliff a couple of years ago, after a fight with his girlfriend. He said he feel asleep at the wheel, which I didn’t buy. Either way, it sucks… but I wasn’t as shocked as I should’ve been.
I felt the same way when Kurt Cobain (Nirvana), Layne Staley (Alice in Chains & Bradley Nowell (Sublime) died. So much to live for, died too young and died way to early… I don’t want to be like them and I could never do that to my children and family. You are missed Junior Seau!!
I feel remorse for your family and your mother / your father and kids. We all wish we all could only help you (as I’m angry and sad at the same time). My feelings are jumbled…
2012 NFL Mock Draft “POINT” game
By James Fedewa 5/1/12
This is a mock-draft GAME played by “PROFESSIONAL DRAFNIK” sports writers with their respected 2012 mock drafts, giving POINTS to where you projected players/team to PICK NUMBER and what number that player actually was drafted (with NO baring of trades). So we can TOTAL up any mock draft, based on these given points to grade your predictions.
Using their “rules” my score was 81! Not too bad! (which could have been 10 points HIGHER if I didn’t change my mind at the last second and move Tannehill later in the mock)…
Here is the LINK and the rules:
http://backupquarterbackblog.blogspot.com/2012/04/grading-mock-drafters-peter-king-is.html
Last Monday’s post looked at 7 mock drafts published at the time. Most mock drafters change their picks as often as The Bachelorette, so the picks we saw three days before the draft only slightly resemble most of these drafters’ “final” mock drafts. But we happened to capture them at a point in time, and it’s that point in time that we’ll use in grading them.
As a reminder, we used 7 mock drafters: ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. and Todd McShay, Peter King of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, Rob Rang of CBSSports.com, Evan Silva of ProFootballTalk.com, Charley Casserly of NFL Network, and some dude named Kash Money from MockingTheDraft.com. And we considered only the first 11 draft picks.
After the jump, our final rankings and where the mock drafters hit and missed. Also, you can see our ranking of how the teams drafted, 1 through 32, here.
First of all, there were so many trades this draft that we don’t even consider teams swapping spots. For these purposes, we only care about whether the drafter got the correct player in a given spot or, if he didn’t, whether his selection for that spot was close to where that player actually went.
A drafter got 10 points if his pick for a given slot was correct. If it wasn’t, he got 9 points if that player went 1 spot before or after, 8 points if he went 2 spots before or after, etc., etc., with a floor of 0 points if the player went 10 or more spots before or after the given pick. For example, Rob Rang had Fletcher Cox going sixth overall. Cox went 12th, so since Rang was 6 picks off, his score for that pick is 10-6 = 4.
Backup Quarterback Blog Mock Draft Rankings (based on mock drafts on 4/23/2012)
1. Peter King, 95 points
2. Evan Silva, 89 points
3. Rob Rang, 83 points
4. Mel Kiper, Jr., 82 points
T-5. Todd McShay, 81 points
T-5. Charley Casserly, 81 points
7. KashMoney, 80 pointsAs we discussed last week, there was a lot of commonality in the picks. Everyone nailed Luck (1), RG3 (2), and Tannehill (8), and everyone was one spot off on each of Trent Richardson, Matt Kalil, and Morris Claiborne.
Each of King’s remaining picks were within 3 spots of where the player actually went:
– Justin Blackmon (King picked him 6th, he went 5th)
– Stephon Gilmore (King picked him 7th, he went 10th)
– Fletcher Cox (King picked him 9th, he went 12th)
– Michael Floyd (King picked him 10th, he went 13th)
– Luke Kuechly, (King picked him 11th, he went 9th)Only Silva was remotely close to King, with each of his picks within 7 spots of the actual pick.
Kiper, McShay, Casserly, KashMoney, and Rang tied for worst pick of the mock drafts; the first 4 each had Riley Reiff going 10th to the Bills (Reiff went 23rd to the Lions), and Rang had David DeCastro going 11th to the Chiefs (DeCastro went 24th to the Steelers).
| # | MOCK PLAYER | MY POINTS | ACTUAL PICK | ||
| 1 | Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford | 10 | Colts | Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford | QB |
| 2 | Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor | 10 | Redskins | Robert Griffin III | QB |
| 3 | Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama | 10 | Browns | Trent Richardson | RB |
| 4 | Matt Kalil, OT, USC | 10 | Vikings | Matt Kalil | OT |
| 5 | Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU | 9 | Jaguars | Justin Blackmon | WR |
| 6 | Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St. | 9 | Cowboys | Morris Claiborne | CB |
| 7 | Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina | 7 | Buccaneers | Mark Barron | SS |
| 8 | Fletcher Cox, DT, Mississippi St. | 6 | Dolphins | Ryan Tannehill | QB |
| 9 | Melvin Ingram, DE, South Carolina | 1 | Panthers | Luke Kuechly | ILB |
| 10 | Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College | 9 | Bills | Stephon Gilmore | CB |
| 11 | Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa | 0 | Chiefs | Dontari Poe | D |
| 81 |
SD Chargers 2nd Round PIck: Kendall Reyes, DT, UCONN (#49 overall)
By James Fedewa
Kendall Reyes: Nice explosion & burst. Quick for big man with great strength. Distruptive penetrating DT with interior pass rushing ability. He will demand a lot of double team. Reyes will play DE in San Diego’s 3-4 base defense (but can possibly add more weight/bulk to play NT if necessary). He’s currently listed at 300 lbs., but usually plays HIGHER than that. Plus, he could play pass rushing DE or DT in the Nickel & Dime Sub Packages, so he can play 3 different positions immediately (and is very versatile).
He will join a very deep San Diego Chargers defensive line rotation with Luigit (last years first round pick), Castillo (2005 first round pick), Garay, V.Martin and C.Thomas. He has a very bright future in the NFL and is a great defensive prospect in San Diego.
BLACKMON goes to the Jags.
I like Justin Blackmon, but I like Michael Floyd a little better, but Floyd has off-field issues (LOTSO BOOZE!). But, I can’t compare Blackmon to ANYONE in the NFL. He’s 6′ nada, not amazingly fast, he has good ball stills, OK hands, runs HARD (like A.Peterson) – but WHO IS HE? Someone compared Blackmon to a short T.Owens (that just seems funny to me – like midget pole vaulting – not that he’s SMALL). He is really good though…
National Fanatic 