Super Bowl XLVII Prediction

If you have listened to the latest episode of the Three and Out Podcast then you know already what my prediction is (and if you haven't you need to check it out.  Simply put, I'm never picking the Ravens and ain't going to here.  I think this season was in essence a changing of the guard with the young QBs and I think the "X-Factor" Colin Kaepernick will be the difference for the Niners as they win their 6th ever Lombardi Trophy.

49ers 24 Ravens 10

2013 Conference Championship Picks

I had a so-so weekend last weekend with my picks going 2-2 and now 5-3 overall.  Hopefully, I can pick it up and go undefeated this weekend.  Here are my picks (and be sure to check out the latest episode of the Three and Out Podcast to hear more and hear banter on the picks).

The NFC Title game pits San Francisco vs. Atlanta.  The top 2 teams in the regular season in the NFC square off in the Georgia Dome.  The 49ers have a really tough team and are back in this game for the second year in the row.  They have a lot of momentum but I think the Falcons are going to get over the hump and get into the Super Bowl.

Falcons 31 49ers 28

The AFC Title game is a rematch of last season's AFC Title game with Baltimore vs. New England.  Simply put, go with Brady at home in the title game.

Patriots 37 Ravens 17

2013 Divisional Round Weekend Predictions

One week into the playoffs and my postseason picks aren't too bad.  I went 3-1 last weekend (which I was hoping to go 4-0 but Baltimore won so that didn't happen) and so it's onto the Divisional Round (for more banter check out the Three and Out Podcast where I discuss more about my picks).

The first game on Saturday is Baltimore vs. Denver.  The Ravens are coming off their win against the Colts while the Broncos lie in wait.  Out of all the games, this is the easiest game for me to pick.  I can't stand the Ravens + I like Peyton Manning = I'm picking the Broncos.  And the fact that Denver blasted them only a few weeks ago in Baltimore only adds to my case.  I think this will be the least interesting game and I'm okay with that because (hopefully) the Broncos will move on to the title game.

Broncos 31 Ravens 10

The night game on Saturday is Green Bay vs San Francisco.  We have another match up against two teams that played in the regular season.  In Week 1, the 49ers came into Lambeau Field and beat the Pack.  This will be different as it will be in San Francisco and the 49ers QB will be Colin Kaepernick instead of Alex Smith.  Out of the 4 games, this one is the hardest for me to pick.  Green Bay is playing better and healthy but they still have their weaknesses (O-Line shaky, not much of running game, defense can let teams hang around).  The 49ers have more playmakers this year compared to last year but this is Kaepernick's first playoff start.  I think this will be a close one but I'm thinking the home team pulls this one out.

49ers 20 Packers 17

The early Sunday game is Seattle vs Atlanta.  The Seahawks are coming off their first road playoff victory since 1983 after beating the Redskins.  They now have to travel again, this time to Atlanta.  Ironically, this is the only matchup this weekend where the teams are meeting for the first time.  Atlanta has a lot of pressure on them as the top seed with home field advantage.  QB Matt Ryan & HC Mike Smith are winless in the postseason but they do have that explosive offense.  Obviously key matchup will be Falcons WRs vs. Seahawks secondary.  It will be tough for a 10:00am pacific kickoff (1:00pm Eastern) but I think the Seahawks can pull it out and keep the ball rolling.

Seahawks 24 Falcons 20

The late Sunday game is Houston vs New England.  This is another rematch from a regular season game that saw the Pats beat the Texans on a Monday night game in the middle of the season.  The Texans are coming off a big win against the Bengals to kind of right the ship from the previous few weeks.  They do have a good offense and a good defense.  The Pats have their typical high scoring offense.  I think this time around the game will be a lot closer, however I still think the Patriots will win the game.

Patriots 27 Texans 24

2013 Wild Card Weekend Predictions

It's playoff time so it's time for predictions (I also shared them on the Three and Out podcast so feel free to listen to some of the debate on them) for the Wild Card round.

The first game on Saturday is Cincinnati vs Houston.  This is a rematch of last year's wild card game.  Houston is slumping coming into this game and Cincy is on a roll.  The Bengals still have not won a playoff game since 1990...and I don't see it happening here.  I think Foster and Schaub will get their act together and will take care of business.

Texans 27 Bengals 17

The night game on Saturday is Minnesota vs Green Bay.  This is the rubber match as they have played two games already this season with each team winning at home.  Adrian Peterson has pretty much run roughshod over the Packers and honestly I don't think this will be any different.  The key will be how second year QB Christian Ponder plays.  If he has a good game, the Vikings can win.  If not, they won't.  I think it'll be a close game but I think the Pack will win in Lambeau

Packers 20 Vikings 17

The early game on Sunday is Indianapolis vs Baltimore.  The old franchise from that city (Colts) verses the newer (Ravens).  This could potentially be Ray Lewis last game.  This is Andrew Luck's first postseason game.  The Ravens aren't the Ravens of old.  Their defense is older, injured and wore out.  Yes Indy is young but I think they're strong enough (#Chuckstrong) to pull this one out.

Colts 24 Ravens 10

The late game on Sunday is Seattle vs Washington.  Two dynamic rookie QBs in Russell Wilson & RG3.  Seattle hasn't won a playoff road game since 1983.  Washington has lost their last 2 postseason appearances, both to Seattle.  I think RG3 not being healthy + Seattle's punishing defense is enough for the Seahawks to get the W

Seahawks 31 Redskins 14

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Championship Week 2

(Yes it's Wednesday but yesterday was New Year's Day so hopefully this should get a pass)

This past weekend was the last regular season weekend in the NFL and the last week for fantasy football.  It was an interesting year for me in fantasy football.  I was in the most leagues that I've ever been in with 8.  I made the playoffs in 5 of those leagues.  I made the finals in all 5 of those leagues, and I ended up with 2 titles.  This past weekend I won the "Bounty Program" Fantasy League (I've won that league in back to back seasons).

So while I would've liked to have won more titles but it's still pretty impressive to have made 5 championship games.  It'll give more to shoot for next season.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Championship Week 1

This past weekend was Week 16 in the NFL and the weekend for several championships in a couple of the leagues I'm in currently.  In one league, I lost (unfortunately due to a trade that took place a few days prior to the matchup) but in another league I won.  That league (Dogs of War) was the first year I've been in this league.  I was invited by a couple from church to participate.  Not bad for my first year in the league to win the title.  Here's the recap of the championship game:

Championship: GSP Titans Gets Win Against Minimal Talent

• 
  GSP Titans (10-6) 156.91
• 
  Minimal Talent (8-8) 138.84

GSP Titans, led by Matt Ryan with 47.41 points and Roddy White with 29.65, beat Minimal Talent, 156.91 - 138.84. GSP Titans has put a nice string together after winning their last three matchups in a row. GSP Titans gets revenge for their last matchup with Minimal Talent (a Week 13 loss: 128.64 - 93.95), and their head-to-head record improves to 3-1.

GSP Titans Smooth Moves

• The 29.65 points scored by Roddy White was the second-highest WR score in the league this week and the sixth-best point total by a WR in the league this season.
• The Chicago Bears Defense had 27.00 points, the highest DEF score of the week and the fifth-highest score among DEF in the league this season.
• Stephen Gostkowski scored 11.50 points, the highest K score in the league this week.
• Matt Ryan ranked fourth in the league in scoring and had the highest output of any player on GSP Titans this season with 47.41 points.
• Benched the Seattle Seahawks Defense, which had the lowest DEF score on the team with 19.00 points.

Minimal Talent Regret Tracker

• Owen Daniels scored 2.85 points against a projected 6.06 and has now underachieved in four straight games.
• At the DEF position, Minimal Talent got outscored 27.00 - 3.00 by GSP Titans.
• Minimal Talent fell short at the K position, getting outscored 11.50 - 2.00 by GSP Titans.
• The 3.70 points scored by Arian Foster was a season-low. He had a projected 22.97-point total, and has now underachieved in four straight games.
• Lawrence Tynes was last on the team in scoring with 2.00 points against a projected 7.48 and underachieved for the third time this season.

What If

• GSP Titans would be 7-9 if they played Minimal Talent every week.
• GSP Titans would have beaten only one other team besides Minimal Talent this week.
• Had they played each other last week, GSP Titans would have defeated Minimal Talent 155.10 - 144.08.
• GSP Titans would be 6-6 if they played the same schedule as Minimal Talent.
• If GSP Titans had played every team in the league each week, they would be 37-39.
• Minimal Talent would have lost to two other teams besides GSP Titans this week.
• Minimal Talent would be 8-4 if they played the same schedule as GSP Titans.
• If they played every team every week, Minimal Talent would be 42-34.

Game Notes

• Four of the 10 wins for GSP Titans this season have come despite their opponent scoring higher than their season average.
• Of the losses Minimal Talent has had, six were against opponents who topped their season scoring average that week.
• GSP Titans is on the longest active win streak in the league, winning three straight games.
• Minimal Talent scored 138.84 points and lost. It is the sixth-highest losing score in the league this season.
• It was the second time this season that Minimal Talent has had the lowest score in the league.
• The margin of victory for the matchup ended up being the smallest in the league this week at 18.07 points.
• Minimal Talent could not extend their three-game win streak.
• A.J. Green did little to help GSP Titans, underperforming versus projections for the fifth straight game with 9.80 points against a projected 12.96.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 15

It's Fantasy Football Tuesday.  It's been a few weeks but I'm back (do think next year when I do this I'll make mention of more leagues than just one, be more motivated to blog about that).  It's the middle of the playoffs.  In 8 leagues, I made the playoffs in 5 of them.  In the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League, I limped in as the 4 seed and didn't secure a bye.  But I won last week and then this week had a matchup with the #1 seed and a team I had lost to earlier in the season.  Given the stakes, my team pulled out the upset and is now onto the championship game.  Here's the recap:

Playoffs: Hub City All Stars Gets Comeback Stunner Against Vlad Dracul

• 
  Hub City All Stars (9-6) 189.52
• 
  Vlad Dracul (8-6) 155.16

Hub City All Stars pulled off a comeback on Sunday night and also got the eighth-highest point total in the league to date when they upset Vlad Dracul 189.52 - 155.16. Hub City All Stars had to overcome a 64.36-point deficit and an 18.40-point spread. This shocker avenges a 172.44 - 138.78 loss to Vlad Dracul back in Week 10. On top of the loss, Vlad Dracul had a starter score zero points (Danario Alexander).
Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• Tom Brady led the league in scoring and had the 17th-most points in the league this season with 54.82.
• Aaron Hernandez had the most points of any TE in the league this week with 15.20.
• Was smart to sit the Chicago Bears Defense this week, which had 11.00 points, the lowest DEF score on the team.
• Eric Decker had the second-highest score of any WR in the league this week with 25.30 points.
• Frank Gore scored 17.70 points, which ranked sixth out of all the RBs in the league this week.

Vlad Dracul Regret Tracker

• Left the Denver Broncos Defense on the bench, where they scored 30.00 points to beat their scoring projection by 245.6%, the fifth-highest percentage in the league.
• Picked up Dan Bailey, who scored 11.00 points against a projected 7.87, but left him on the bench.
• Vlad Dracul needed more points from the QB position, where Hub City All Stars beat them 54.82 - 20.16.
• At the DEF position, Vlad Dracul got outscored 25.00 - 11.00 by Hub City All Stars.
• Vlad Dracul could have used more points from the TE position, where Hub City All Stars beat them 15.20 - 6.90.

What If

• If Hub City All Stars played Vlad Dracul every week, they would be 6-8 this season.
• Besides Vlad Dracul, Hub City All Stars would have defeated four other teams this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Vlad Dracul, Hub City All Stars would be 8-4.
• If Hub City All Stars had played every team in the league each week, they would be 64-35.
• In addition to Hub City All Stars, Vlad Dracul would have lost to just two other teams this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, Vlad Dracul would be 8-4.
• Vlad Dracul would be 65-31 if they played every team every week.

Game Notes

• Vlad Dracul has lost six times and five of them have come to teams who beat their scoring average in that matchup.
• Vlad Dracul scored 155.16 points and lost. It is the fourth-highest losing score in the league this season.
• The 189.52 points scored by Hub City All Stars was the highest in the league this week and the eighth-highest in the league this season.
• The loss snapped a six-game win streak by Vlad Dracul.
• Hub City All Stars remains undefeated in upset games this season, improving to 2-0.
• With 64.30 points, Vlad Dracul got the highest combined scoring output from the WR position for any team this week.
• Vlad Dracul remains winless in upset games this season, falling to 0-2.
• Adrian Peterson scored 35.20 points, the seventh-highest RB score in the league this season, but it was not enough to get a win for Vlad Dracul.

Reflections on the Tragedy in Kansas City

This past Saturday there was a lot of great things going on in the country in the realm of sports.  College football was playing their championship games (and playoffs).  The NFL was gearing up for another great day of action.  But there was one tragic event that cast a somberness to the weekend.

When I woke up that morning and was going about my routine I saw on twitter a tweet by Danny Parkins, a sports talk host from Kansas City, who had tweeted that Arrowhead Stadium was on lockdown.  I thought at the time that was weird and was trying to think of what was going on at the stadium.  Then slowly tweets and news reports were coming in across the internet.  There was a shooting at a house in K.C. & there was an incident at the stadium practice facilities and that those two things were linked.  Then there was a murder-suicide.  Then it was one of the players involved.

Finally, the story came out.  Jovan Belcher, linebacker for the Chiefs, had shot and killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and mother of their daughter then killed himself.  As more details came out, the more it was a tragic story.  It started with Belcher getting angry at his girlfriend for staying out too late after spending time with friends at a concert and hanging out afterwards.  It escalated into Belcher shooting and killing Perkins and then driving to the Chiefs practice facility.  There he talked with Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, GM Scott Pioli & linebackers coach Gary Gibbs before pulling out a gun and killing himself as they watched unable to stop him.

So much has been written in the past 48 hours that I'm sure a lot of what I say would just be repeating but there are two things that I do want to reflect on here.  The first is that it's a tragic reminder that ultimately (unlike Jason Whitlock & Bob Costas say) there is a sin problem in our world.  Belcher in his anger and jealousy acted in a tragic manner which robbed Perkins of her life and their daughter of her mother.  Sin was at the root of this.  I was reminded yesterday morning by my pastor who preached on anger (it was planned sermon prior to this event) and was reminded of the verse in Ephesians 4:26-27 "Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil."  Unfortunately, Belcher in his anger did sin and in one instant not only his life but the lives of those around him were affected.  Sin has consequences that affect not only us but those around us.  Thankfully we have a savior in Jesus who forgives us of our sins and does not leave us in our sins but until He returns again, we do have to deal with the effects of sin.

The other thing to reflect on was something I read this morning on NBC's Pro Football Talk website.  There was an article written by Mike Florio.  He shared Brady Quinn (Chiefs QB)'s comments postgame.  If you haven't heard or read them yet, they are worth sharing.  I will leave you with those quotes:

“The one thing people can hopefully try to take away, I guess, is the relationships they have with people,” Quinn told reporters after the game.  “I know when it happened, I was sitting and, in my head, thinking what I could have done differently.  When you ask someone how they are doing, do you really mean it?  When you answer someone back how you are doing, are you really telling the truth?
“We live in a society of social networks, with Twitter pages and Facebook, and that’s fine, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we are more preoccupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships that we have right in front of us.  Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually help if someone is battling something deeper on the inside than what they are revealing on a day-to-day basis.”

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 11

The regular season is quickly drawing to a close in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League and for the Hub City All Stars, there was a well needed victory that came through in Week 11.  With the win, the record improves to 7-4 and have clinched a playoff berth.  They are #2 overall in the league and still lead the Autobots division with 2 games to go.  Here's the recap:

Hub City All Stars Gets Victory over Starfleet, Undefeated in the Series

• 
  Hub City All Stars (7-4) 111.94
• 
  Starfleet (3-8) 86.60

Hub City All Stars beat Starfleet 111.94 - 86.60 to remain undefeated against them in three matchups. They also earned a playoff berth in the process. Tom Brady put up 36.24 points and was the deciding factor. It was a drop-off from his 53.80 points in the last matchup with Starfleet. The outcome could have gone the other way, Starfleet had several starters score zero points. This marks the closest win for Hub City All Stars in three head-to-head matchups. They defeated Starfleet 150.04 - 103.22 in Week 1 and again 165.70 - 102.44 in Week 6.

Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• The 36.24 points scored by Tom Brady ranked fourth in the league this week.
• Hub City All Stars won despite having only 2 of their 11 starters exceed their projected points.
• Hub City All Stars won even though all three of their RBs scored below their projected points.

Starfleet Regret Tracker

• Should have started Philip Rivers, who underachieved, but still had more points than the starting QB with 19.32 against a projected 27.58.
• Lost the matchup even though Hub City All Stars had their lowest-scoring week of the season.
• Miles Austin has now failed to reach his projection for four straight games. This week he scored 5.80 points versus a projected 13.65.
• Wes Welker scored 8.00 points against a projected 12.59 and has now underachieved in three straight games.
• Starfleet tried to fight through 3 of their 11 starters getting zeros, but could not overcome it.

What If

• If Hub City All Stars played Starfleet every week, they would be 10-1 this season.
• Besides Starfleet, Hub City All Stars would have beaten only two other teams this week.
• Had they played each other last week, Hub City All Stars would have defeated Starfleet 138.78 - 43.40.
• If they played the same schedule as Starfleet, Hub City All Stars would be 5-3.
• If Hub City All Stars had played every team in the league each week, they would be 53-24.
• Besides Hub City All Stars, Starfleet would have been defeated by five other teams this week.
• Starfleet would be 3-5 if they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars.
• Starfleet would be 18-59 if they played every team every week.

Game Notes

• Starfleet has lost six straight games, the longest current losing streak in the league.
• The 25.20 total points by the WRs on Hub City All Stars was their lowest WR output this season.
• The margin of victory of 25.34 points was the smallest in the league this week.
• After scoring 9.10 points against a projected 5.03, Michael Crabtree has now exceeded his projection in three straight weeks.
• Although Hub City All Stars won, it was no thanks to LeSean McCoy, who scored 10.20 points and has now scored below his projection in three straight weeks.
• Hub City All Stars underachieved in the win, recording 76.6% of their projected 146.10, while Starfleet performed better than expected, beating their 76.27-point projection by 13.5%.
• Starfleet got 24.00 points from their WRs, the lowest combined scoring output from the WR position for any team this week.
• The draft continues to pay off for Hub City All Stars, which got 94.9% of their points from players they drafted.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 10

It has been a tough stretch for the Hub City All Stars.  They had another loss this week, week 10 of the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League.  The team was hurt by some underperformances by some key players and the other team overachieved greatly.  With the loss, they drop to 6-4 and now are 2nd overall in the league.  However, they still maintain a 1 game league in the division with 3 games to go in the regular season.  Hopefully, the team can bounce back and put together a nice little winning streak heading into the playoffs.  Here's the recap for Week 10:

Vlad Dracul Gets Victory Against Hub City All Stars, Ousts Them from First Place

• 
  Vlad Dracul (5-5) 172.44
• 
  Hub City All Stars (6-4) 138.78

Vlad Dracul picked up their third win in as many matchups when they beat Hub City All Stars 172.44 - 138.78, recording the second-highest score of the week. The streak has been a shot in the arm for Vlad Dracul. They've moved from seventh place to fourth since Week 8. They're doing it by scoring a lot of points and they own the second-highest overall point total in the league, averaging 160.51 points per matchup. Hub City All Stars goes to 6-4 and slides to second place. Vlad Dracul has now blown through My Little Pwny (146.60 - 112.28) and Starfleet (233.44 - 89.76).

Vlad Dracul Smooth Moves

• The 28.60 points scored by Jimmy Graham was the highest TE score in the league this week.
• The Houston Texans Defense beat their scoring projection by a matchup-leading 239.0% and scored the fifth-most points in the league with 32.00.
• Took Jason Witten out of the starting lineup, who scored 4.70 points on the bench, fewer than the starting TE.
• Torrey Smith scored 24.70 points, the third-highest WR score in the league this week.
• Vlad Dracul was still able to pull out a win with only 4 of their 11 starters exceeding their projected points.

Hub City All Stars Regret Tracker

• Left the Seattle Seahawks Defense on the bench, where they led the team in scoring with 26.00 points, beating their scoring projection by 130.1%, which also led the team.
• Had a chance to start Sidney Rice, who outdid his scoring projection of 8.85 points by scoring 17.40 points.
• Eric Decker was last on the team in scoring with 1.50 points, 13.5% of his projected 11.15, which is his lowest percentage of the season.
• It was not a good week for Hub City All Stars at TE, where they were beaten 28.60 - 7.50.
• Hub City All Stars was not able to win even though only 5 of their 11 starters fell short of their projected point total.

What If

• If Vlad Dracul played Hub City All Stars every week, they would be 5-5 this season.
• Vlad Dracul would have beaten five other teams besides Hub City All Stars this week.
• Vlad Dracul would have defeated Hub City All Stars 233.44 - 200.02 had they played each other last week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, Vlad Dracul would be 5-4.
• If Vlad Dracul had played every team in the league each week, they would be 44-26.
• Hub City All Stars would have lost to three other teams besides Vlad Dracul this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Vlad Dracul, Hub City All Stars would be 7-2.
• If they played every team every week, Hub City All Stars would be 50-20.

Game Notes

• All four of the losses for Hub City All Stars this season have come when their opponent scores higher than their season average.
• Four of the starters for Vlad Dracul scored higher than the leading scorer for Hub City All Stars.
• It was a tough loss for Hub City All Stars, which put up the ninth-biggest score for a losing team in the league this season.
• The WRs on Hub City All Stars collectively had their worst week of the season with only 31.20 points.
• The margin of victory for the matchup ended up being the smallest in the league this week at 33.66 points.
• In the loss, the Chicago Bears Defense scored 20.00 points against a projected 10.16 and has now overachieved in nine straight games.
• Despite being on the winning team, David Akers scored 6.00 points against a projected 8.74 and has now underachieved in five straight games.
• Vlad Dracul has now won three straight games.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 9

The fantasy football season is heating up and each week the games being played become more and more important.  Whether it's making sure you're in a position to make the playoffs or securing a top seed, it's important to be competitive and win.  After two straight losses in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League, the Hub City All Stars needed to get a win.  And sure enough they did just that.  They came out and blasted their opponent, the transaction happy Joel's Juggernauts by the 2nd largest margin of victory this week.  With the win, the All Stars remain atop of the Autobots Division & #1 overall in the league.  And after 9 weeks, I have the most points scored and the least points allowed to go along with the 6-3 record.  Here's the recap:

Hub City All Stars Puts the Sting on Joel's Juggernauts, Puts Them in Sixth Place

• 
  Hub City All Stars (6-3) 200.02
• 
  Joel's Juggernauts (4-5) 82.40

Hub City All Stars trashed Joel's Juggernauts 200.02 - 82.40 while also putting up the fourth-highest point total this season. Joel's Juggernauts (4-5) sits just two games back of Hub City All Stars (6-3), but point totals show a much bigger gap, 1,490.14 - 1,124.18. This was a bragging-rights result, with the 117.62-point margin of victory being the second-highest recorded in the league this season.

Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• The 30.20 points scored by Brandon Marshall was the second-highest WR score in the league this week and the 10th-best point total by a WR in the league this season.
• The Chicago Bears Defense scored the fourth-most points in the league and beat their projected point total by 185.2%, the seventh-highest percentage in the league.
• Sat TE Brent Celek on the bench, where he had the lowest TE score on the team with 3.70 points.
• The 21.90 points scored by Eric Decker was the fourth-highest score by a WR in the league this week.
• Mike Wallace ranked sixth in the league in scoring among WRs this week with 18.60 points.

Joel's Juggernauts Regret Tracker

• Picked up Isaac Redman but left him on the bench, where he beat his scoring projection by 133.7%, the highest percentage of any player on the team.
• Picked up Brian Hartline but left him on the bench, where he scored 10.70 points against a projected 7.52.
• Hakeem Nicks has now underachieved in four straight games after scoring a matchup-low 1.00 point against a projected 10.98.
• Picked up Tony Romo but left him on the bench, where he led the team in scoring with 25.84 points.
• Robert Griffin III has scored below his projection in three straight games after scoring 13.90 points against a projected 29.81 this week.

What If

• Hub City All Stars would be 8-1 if they played Joel's Juggernauts every week.
• Hub City All Stars would have beaten five other teams besides Joel's Juggernauts this week.
• Had they played each other last week, Hub City All Stars would have defeated Joel's Juggernauts 140.36 - 115.38.
• Hub City All Stars would be 6-2 if they played the same schedule as Joel's Juggernauts.
• Hub City All Stars would be 47-16 if they played every team every week.
• Besides Hub City All Stars, Joel's Juggernauts would have been defeated by five other teams this week.
• Joel's Juggernauts would be 3-5 if they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars.
• Joel's Juggernauts would be 23-40 if they played every team every week.

Game Notes

• Hub City All Stars had six starters who scored more points than the highest-scoring starter for Joel's Juggernauts.
• Joel's Juggernauts underachieved for the sixth time this season, including the last five weeks in a row, scoring 82.40 points against a projected 135.27 this week.
• Hub City All Stars got a combined 84.50 points from their WRs, the highest combined scoring output from the WR position for any team this season.
• The margin of victory of 117.62 points was the biggest of the season for Hub City All Stars and second-largest in the league this season.
• Hub City All Stars had their highest score of the season and the fourth-highest in the league this season with 200.02 points.
• Joel's Juggernauts had 82.40 points, their season-low.
• The WRs on Joel's Juggernauts collectively had their worst week of the season with only 12.70 points.
• Jamaal Charles did little to help Hub City All Stars, underperforming versus projections for the third straight game with 6.60 points against a projected 10.00.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 8

Week 8 proved to be another down week in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League for the Hub City All Stars.  The All Stars lost the second week in a row.  It doesn't help when one of your starting running backs only puts up 1.00 point (blame Chiefs HC Romeo Crennell for that one).  Fortunately, I still have the lead in the division and overall (by point total).  Hopefully next week, I can get off the losing streak.  Here's the recap:

[Winner Goes Here] Gets Victory over Hub City All Stars for Third Straight Win

• 
  [Winner Goes Here] (5-3) 155.44
• 
  Hub City All Stars (5-3) 141.36

[Winner Goes Here] registered the highest point total this week on the way to their third win in a row when they beat Hub City All Stars 155.44 - 141.36. The streak has been a real boost for [Winner Goes Here]. They've climbed from sixth place to third since Week 6. Hub City All Stars goes to 5-3 and stays in first place. [Winner Goes Here] has recently knocked over Alabama Autobots (181.82 - 133.02) and Starfleet (128.18 - 77.10).
[Winner Goes Here] Smooth Moves

• The New England Patriots Defense ranked ninth in the league in scoring with 28.00 points against a projected 12.54 and has now overachieved in five straight games.
• Marshawn Lynch scored 22.60 points, which ranked third out of all the RBs in the league this week.
• With 19.40 points, Trent Richardson ranked sixth in scoring among all RBs in the league this week.
• With 17.60 points, Denarius Moore ranked seventh in the league in scoring among WRs this week.
• The 14.80 points scored by Brandon Lloyd was the ninth-highest score by a WR in the league this week.

Hub City All Stars Regret Tracker

• Did not start Matt Bryant, who scored 13.00 points and beat his projected point total by a team-leading 51.0%.
• Picked up Brent Celek, who scored 3.20 points against his projected 6.20.
• Jamaal Charles was last on the team in scoring with 1.00 point, 8.2% of his projected 12.26, which is his lowest percentage of the season.
• 7 of the starters on Hub City All Stars scored less than their projected points.
• With 6.20 points, Mike Wallace scored only 47.1% of his 13.17 projected point total.

What If

• [Winner Goes Here] would be 3-5 if they played Hub City All Stars every week.
• [Winner Goes Here] would have beaten every other team in the league this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, [Winner Goes Here] would be 3-3.
• If [Winner Goes Here] had played every team in the league each week, they would be 29-27.
• Hub City All Stars would have lost to just two other teams besides [Winner Goes Here] this week.
• [Winner Goes Here] would have lost to Hub City All Stars 134.86 - 128.18 had they played each other last week.
• If they played the same schedule as [Winner Goes Here], Hub City All Stars would be 5-1.
• If they played every team every week, Hub City All Stars would be 41-15.

Game Notes

• All three of the losses for Hub City All Stars this season have come when their opponent scores higher than their season average.
• [Winner Goes Here] led the league in scoring for the second time this season with 155.44 points.
• [Winner Goes Here] won again and is on a three-game winning streak, currently the longest in the league.
• Although Hub City All Stars lost, they did put up the sixth-highest score for a losing team in the league this season.
• After scoring 20.00 points against a projected 13.35, the Chicago Bears Defense has now exceeded their projection in seven straight weeks.
• [Winner Goes Here] got the best total score from their WRs of any team this week with 58.90 points.
• It was the biggest loss of the season for Hub City All Stars.
• [Winner Goes Here] is leveraging their draft well. This week they got 98.9% of their points from players they drafted.

Brandon Marshall and Stephen A. Smith talking Christianity on ESPN

I caught this thanks to a retweet I saw this evening.  It was of an interview on ESPN First Take this morning.  For those that don't know the show, it's basically an argument show between Skip Bayless & Stephen A. Smith.  This morning they had on Bears WR Brandon Marshall, whose team won last night on Monday Night Football.

I'm sharing it on here because A) I found out that Brandon Marshall is a follower of Jesus, which is good considering that I didn't know that he was and B) it's a good discussion to listen to regarding being a Christian and how that plays out in life.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 7

Week 7 has proven to be the week that "anybody can win any given week" in fantasy football has proven true.  This week saw the Hub City All Stars get their second loss of the season in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League to the team with the worst record in the league.  Granted I had my two starting running backs on the bye along with one of my starting wide receivers & Chris Johnson decided to actually play well this week which contributed to the loss.  However, because of how the rest of the league shook out, I'm still in 1st place in my division and 1st overall in the league.  Here's the recap for Week 7:

Alabama Autobots Picks Up Victory over Hub City All Stars to Even Season Series

• 
  Alabama Autobots (2-5) 148.18
• 
  Hub City All Stars (5-2) 134.86

Alabama Autobots defeated Hub City All Stars 148.18 - 134.86 and got the second-highest point total in the league this week. The win was an answer to a 122.24 - 120.42 heartbreaking loss to Hub City All Stars in Week 2. Leading Hub City All Stars, the Chicago Bears Defense (27.00 points) and Tom Brady (22.36) both ranked highly overall for the week. Alabama Autobots (2-5, 901.78 points) remains mired in the cellar while Hub City All Stars (5-2, 1,152.16 points) stays in first place.
Alabama Autobots Smooth Moves

• Chris Johnson had 37.80 points, the highest RB score of the week and the second-highest RB score in the league this season.
• Eli Manning put up 28.88 points, which was the eighth-highest score in the league this week.
• Jordy Nelson ranked fifth in the league in scoring among WRs this week with 20.20 points.
• The 17.70 points scored by Santana Moss was the sixth-highest score by a WR in the league this week.
• Marques Colston overachieved by 24.9%, scoring 13.30 points against a projected 10.65.

Hub City All Stars Regret Tracker

• The 7.30 points scored by Reggie Wayne was a season-low for both scoring and for his performance against projections. He reached only 74.8% of his 9.76 projected points this week.
• 6 of the 11 starters scored less than their projected points.
• With 5.90 points, Mike Wallace scored only 47.7% of his 12.37 projected point total.

What If

• If Alabama Autobots played Hub City All Stars every week, they would be 1-6 this season.
• Besides Hub City All Stars, Alabama Autobots would have defeated five other teams this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, Alabama Autobots would be 3-2.
• If Alabama Autobots had played every team in the league each week, they would be 20-29.
• Hub City All Stars would have lost to just two other teams besides Alabama Autobots this week.
• Had they played each other last week, Alabama Autobots would have lost to Hub City All Stars 165.70 - 133.02.
• Hub City All Stars would be 4-1 if they played the same schedule as Alabama Autobots.
• Hub City All Stars would be 37-12 if they played every team every week.

Game Notes

• After scoring 148.18 points against a projected 130.44, Alabama Autobots has overachieved for four straight weeks.
• Hub City All Stars beat their scoring projection for the sixth time this season by scoring 134.86 points against a projected 125.24. They have now overachieved five weeks in a row.
• Hub City All Stars scored 134.86 points and lost. It is the ninth-highest losing score in the league this season.
• In the loss, the Chicago Bears Defense ranked ninth in the league in scoring with 27.00 points against a projected 12.04 and has now overachieved in six straight games.
• Maurice Jones-Drew scored a season-low 0.60 points and underachieved for the third straight week.
• Alabama Autobots was able to win with little help from Calvin Johnson, who had a season-low 3.40 points and is on a three-week underperforming streak.
• The RBs on Alabama Autobots collectively had their best week of the season with 49.00 points.
• Hub City All Stars got a combined 17.30 points from their TEs, their highest combined scoring output from the TE position this season.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 6

It is almost at the halfway point in the regular season of the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League.  Week 6 just finished and there are about 7 weeks left (it's a 13 week regular season).  At the unofficial halfway point, I am leading the league.  I started out Week 1 in third place overall and moved my way up to first place overall in Week 2 and have held there since.  Week 6 saw a rematch of Week 1 matchup between the Hub City All Stars and Starfleet.  It is the second of three regular season matchups within the Autobots division.  After a little bit of worrying about the Monday Night game, it ended up being a blowout.  Out of five wins, three have been blowouts, including two straight weeks and three of the last four weeks.  So my record is 5-1 and leading the league in points scored (1014.90) and given up the fewest points (747.90).  Here's the recap for Week 6:

Hub City All Stars Beats the Pants Off Starfleet and Remains Unbeaten in Head-to-Head Play

• 
  Hub City All Stars (5-1) 165.70
• 
  Starfleet (3-3) 102.08

Hub City All Stars humiliates Starfleet after another blowout, this time by a final score of 165.70 - 102.08. Tom Brady put up 53.80 points and was a force. It was much more than his 21.54 points in the last matchup with Starfleet. Hub City All Stars won 150.04 - 103.22 in Week 1, and now has a 55.22-point average margin of victory over Starfleet.
Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• The 53.80 points scored by Tom Brady was the second-highest QB score of the week and is the ninth-highest QB score in the league this season.
• With 21.40 points, Mike Wallace ranked ninth in the league in scoring among WRs this week.
• The 15.30 points by James Jones topped a projected 8.03, extending his overachievement streak to three weeks.
• The Seattle Seahawks Defense has now overachieved in five straight games after scoring 13.00 points against a projected 6.64.
• In scoring 17.80 points, Eric Decker put up his largest point total of the year.

Starfleet Regret Tracker

• Starfleet needed more points from the QB position, where Hub City All Stars beat them 53.80 - 9.68.
• The 6.10 points scored by Reggie Bush was a season-low for both scoring and for his performance against projections. He reached only 40.0% of his 15.26 projected points this week.
• With 3.10 points, Miles Austin had his lowest output of the season and tallied just 25.4% of his 12.21 projected points, his lowest percentage of the year.
• It was a season-low 2.10 points for Dwayne Bowe this week. It was also a season-low for his performance versus projections, reaching only 22.2% of a projected point total of 9.46.
• 8 of the 11 starters scored less than their projected points.

What If

• Hub City All Stars would be 5-1 if they played Starfleet every week.
• Hub City All Stars would have beaten five other teams besides Starfleet this week.
• Had they played each other last week, Hub City All Stars would have defeated Starfleet 185.72 - 123.78.
• Hub City All Stars would be 3-1 if they played the same schedule as Starfleet.
• If Hub City All Stars had played every team in the league each week, they would be 33-9.
• Starfleet would have been beaten by every other team in the league this week.
• Starfleet would be 2-2 if they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars.
• Starfleet would be 15-27 if they played every team every week.

Game Notes

• With 102.08 points, Starfleet was last in the league in scoring and had their lowest score of the season.
• It was the third-biggest margin of victory in the league this season at 63.62 points.
• Hub City All Stars beat their scoring projection for the fifth time this season by scoring 165.70 points against a projected 133.52. They have now overachieved four weeks in a row.
• Starfleet had their worst loss of the season, losing by 63.62 points.
• The 55.70 points by the WRs on Starfleet was the season-high for combined points from the position.
• With the big loss, Starfleet remains winless in blowout games this season, falling to 0-2.
• Hub City All Stars remains undefeated in blowout games this season, improving to 3-0.
• In the loss, Wes Welker scored 32.60 points, the fifth-highest WR score in the league this season.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 5

Just finished Week 5 in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League and had another tough matchup to overcome.  Having lost last week's matchup, my team needed to stop the losing streak and get back in the win column.  And that is what happened as the Hub City All Stars once again posted the most points in the league this week along with having the biggest margin of victory.  With the win, the record now improves to 4-1 and still the #1 seed.  Here's the recap for Week 5:

Hub City All Stars Wins Shocker over Marauders, Drops Them into Fifth Place

• 
  Hub City All Stars (4-1) 185.72
• 
  Marauders (2-3) 135.50

Hub City All Stars put up the highest point total this week and upset Marauders 185.72 - 135.50, overcoming a 16.95-point spread. With this win, Hub City All Stars scored 27.8% more than projected and has now beaten expectations three weeks running. Drew Brees, with 59.60 points, racked up the highest score for the week. Marauders (2-3, 740.60 points) drops to fifth place and Hub City All Stars (4-1, 851.60 points) remains in first place.

Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• With 30.20 points, Reggie Wayne had the second-highest WR score of the week and the fifth-highest WR score in the league this season.
• The Chicago Bears Defense had 37.00 points, the highest DEF score of the week and the third-highest score among DEF in the league this season.
• Took Jermaine Gresham out of the starting lineup, who scored 6.00 points on the bench, fewer than the starting TE.
• Brandon Marshall scored 20.40 points, the eighth-highest WR score in the league this week.
• Frank Gore had 16.60 points, the sixth-highest score among RBs in the league this week.

Marauders Regret Tracker

• Picked up Jared Cook but left him on the bench, where he scored 9.70 points against a projected 5.62.
• BenJarvus Green-Ellis was last on the team in scoring with 1.60 points against a projected 13.05 and has now underachieved in four straight games.
• Brandon Tate has now failed to reach his projection for three straight games. This week he scored 4.90 points versus a projected 12.13.
• Marauders got beat 37.00 - 9.00 by Hub City All Stars at the DEF position.
• It was not a good week for Marauders at TE, where they were beaten 13.90 - 3.50.

What If

• Hub City All Stars would be 3-2 if they played Marauders every week.
• Hub City All Stars would have beaten every other team in the league this week.
• Had they played each other last week, Hub City All Stars would have defeated Marauders 195.10 - 155.24.
• If they played the same schedule as Marauders, Hub City All Stars would be 3-1.
• Hub City All Stars would be 27-8 if they played every team every week.
• Marauders would have lost to three other teams besides Hub City All Stars this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, Marauders would be 3-1.
• If they played every team every week, Marauders would be 22-13.

Game Notes

• Hub City All Stars had a league-high for the week with 185.72 points, which is the fifth-highest score in the league this season.
• It was the third-biggest margin of victory in the league this season at 50.22 points.
• Hub City All Stars scored 185.72 points against a projected 145.31 and beat their scoring projection for the fourth time this season, including the last three weeks in a row.
• It was the worst loss of the season for Marauders, with the margin of victory coming in at 50.22 points.
• Marauders scored 135.50 points and lost. It is the seventh-highest losing score in the league this season.
• In the loss, Drew Brees led the league in scoring and had the fifth-most points in the league this season with 59.60.
• The 60.40 points by the WRs on Hub City All Stars was the season-high for combined points from the position.
• Marauders got a combined 11.90 points from their RBs, their lowest combined scoring output from the RB position this season.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 4

It was bound to happen.  In all my years of playing fantasy football, I have never had an undefeated season.  And it will not happen in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League.  I had a feeling going into this week against my friend and fellow Union University alum Marty that I would get my first loss.  I had two of my top receivers out on the bye week plus I was still without starting TE Aaron Hernandez.  But I will say this about my team, they did not quit.  It ended up being the closest matchup by the end of the Monday Night game and I put up the second most total points of the week.  Coupled with a loss by the 2nd place team in the Autobots division, I'm still atop the Autobots division and #1 overall in the league.

After 4 weeks, I'm 3-1.  If I can do that every 4 weeks, I'll be happy with that.  Here's the recap for Week 4:

My Little Pwny Gets Past Hub City All Stars

• 
  My Little Pwny (3-1) 203.56
• 
  Hub City All Stars (3-1) 195.10

My Little Pwny registered the second-highest score of the season, stealing one from Hub City All Stars 203.56 - 195.10. This was a matchup that could have gone either way, with the 8.46-point margin of victory being the third-smallest recorded in the league this season. Hub City All Stars had two players rank highly this week. Tom Brady scored 45.00 points while the Chicago Bears Defense put up 31.00. My Little Pwny (3-1, 632.94 points) remains in second place and Hub City All Stars (3-1, 665.88 points) stays in first place.
My Little Pwny Smooth Moves

• The 57.76 points scored by Matt Ryan was the second-highest QB score of the week and is the fifth-highest QB score in the league this season.
• Scott Chandler had 18.20 points, the highest TE score of the week and the second-highest TE score in the league this season.
• The Baltimore Ravens Defense has now overachieved in every game this season after scoring 22.00 points against a projected 13.42.
• Took the Philadelphia Eagles Defense out of the starting lineup, which scored 5.00 points on the bench, fewer than the starting DEF.
• The 21.90 points scored by Darren Sproles was the third-highest score of any RB in the league this week.

Hub City All Stars Regret Tracker

• Did not start Owen Daniels, who beat his scoring projection with 13.20 points against a projected 5.52.
• With 4.10 points against a projected 7.55, Sidney Rice did not meet his projection for the third straight game.
• Hub City All Stars was dominated at the TE position, scoring 4.70 points versus the 18.20 for My Little Pwny.
• Hub City All Stars had only 3 of their 11 starters underperform versus their projections, but they still lost.

What If

• If My Little Pwny played Hub City All Stars every week, they would be 2-2 this season.
• My Little Pwny would have beaten every other team in the league this week.
• If they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars, My Little Pwny would be 2-1.
• If My Little Pwny had played every team in the league each week, they would be 18-10.
• Hub City All Stars would have beaten every other team in the league besides My Little Pwny this week.
• My Little Pwny would have lost to Hub City All Stars 198.50 - 154.82 had they played each other last week.
• If they played the same schedule as My Little Pwny, Hub City All Stars would be 1-2.
• If they played every team every week, Hub City All Stars would be 20-8.

Game Notes

• This matchup featured the two highest-scoring teams in the league this week.
• In the loss, the Chicago Bears Defense scored 31.00 points against a projected 9.95 and has now overachieved in every game this season.
• Hub City All Stars scored 195.10 points and lost. It is the highest losing score in the league this season.
• The 8.46-point win by My Little Pwny failed to cover the 28.35-point spread.
• The 8.46-point margin of victory was the smallest in the league this week.
• The 55.40 points by the WRs on Hub City All Stars was the season-high for combined points from the position.
• Hub City All Stars could not extend their three-game win streak.
• My Little Pwny stays undefeated in close games this season at 2-0.

Fantasy Football Tuesday: Week 3

We just finished Week 3 of the NFL season & of the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League and needless to say it is crazy.  I was interviewed by Josh, one of the hosts of the podcast and in predicting the season I mentioned I don't know who to pick to win it all because it can be so crazy and it's proven to be the case.  With the smoke clearing after 3 weeks, I'm still the only undefeated team at 3-0.  Here's some crazy statistics:  there are 3 teams that are 2-1 and 2 of those teams have been outscored by their opponents after 3 weeks; there is a team that's 1-2 that has outscored his opponents by over 70+ points after 3 weeks.  Needless to say, I stand behind my statement in that I have no idea who will win this league.

This past week I matched up against another of the hosts of the podcast, Josh.  And it turned out to be the blowout of the week though I was shocked at the result.  After having such a close matchup last week and sweating through the Monday night game, this week I could breathe easy after Sunday.  I know to enjoy those when they come because that could all change next week.  Next week I'll be squaring off against my friend from college and the #2 team in the league in what will be the game of the week.  Before that happens, here's the recap from Week 3:

Hub City All Stars Smokes [Winner Goes Here] for Third Straight Win

• 
  Hub City All Stars (3-0) 198.50
• 
  [Winner Goes Here] (1-2) 83.12

Hub City All Stars got the second-highest point total this season on the way to their third straight win when they annihilated [Winner Goes Here] 198.50 - 83.12. The streak is due in part to Hub City All Stars having the second-highest scoring output in the league at 156.93 points per matchup. [Winner Goes Here] stays in seventh place with a 1-2 record. Hub City All Stars stays unbeaten and in first place after having blown through Starfleet (150.04 - 103.22) and Alabama Autobots (122.24 - 120.42).
Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• With 40.00 points, the Chicago Bears Defense had the highest score of any DEF in the league this season.
• Jermaine Gresham had 12.40 points, the fourth-highest TE score of the week and the 10th-highest TE score in the league this season.
• With 42.80 points, Jamaal Charles ranked fifth in the league in scoring and beat his scoring projection by 284.9%, which was the highest percentage in the matchup.
• Stephen Gostkowski has now overachieved in every game this season after scoring 13.00 points against a projected 8.19.
• Mike Wallace ranked ninth in the league in scoring among WRs this week with 18.40 points.

[Winner Goes Here] Regret Tracker

• Left Ben Roethlisberger on the bench, where he ranked second in the league in scoring with 62.16 points.
• Left the New York Giants Defense on the bench, where they scored 25.00 points and beat their projected point total by 186.0%, the 10th-highest percentage in the league this week.
• Dez Bryant has scored below his projection in every game this season after scoring 10.50 points against a projected 13.25 this week.
• 10 of the 11 starters scored less than their projected points.
• At the DEF position, [Winner Goes Here] got outscored by Hub City All Stars 40.00 - 7.00.

What If

• Hub City All Stars would be 2-1 if they played [Winner Goes Here] every week.
• Hub City All Stars would have been undefeated if they played every team in the league this week.
• Hub City All Stars would be 1-1 if they played the same schedule as [Winner Goes Here].
• If Hub City All Stars had played every team in the league each week, they would be 14-7.
• [Winner Goes Here] would have been beaten by every other team in the league this week.
• Hub City All Stars would have lost to [Winner Goes Here] 124.26 - 122.24 had they played each other last week.
• [Winner Goes Here] would be 2-0 if they played the same schedule as Hub City All Stars.
• If they played every team every week, [Winner Goes Here] would be 7-14.

Game Notes

• The top players for Hub City All Stars were elite in the matchup, as seven of their starters outperformed the leading scorer for [Winner Goes Here].
• The matchup had both the highest-scoring and lowest-scoring teams in the league this week.
• [Winner Goes Here] scored the fewest points in the league this week and had the lowest score in the league this season.
• LeSean McCoy had a season-low 7.80 points against a projected 16.88 in the win and has now scored below his projection in every game this season.
• Hub City All Stars won by the largest margin of victory in the league at 115.38 points.
• [Winner Goes Here] has underachieved every week this season, scoring 83.12 points against a projected 140.07 this week.
• Hub City All Stars remains undefeated in blowout games this season, improving to 2-0.
• Hub City All Stars got the win despite Frank Gore having a season-low 6.20 points and falling short of his projection for the first time this season.

Reflections on Steve Sabol

Yesterday, Steve Sabol passed away.  Some may not know who that is but to the sports fan and in particular the football fan, Steve Sabol is a household name.  He was the president of NFL Films and son of the founder, Ed Sabol.  He started as a cinematographer and then worked his way up to being over the whole thing.

NFL Films defined for several generations what it meant to watch the NFL.  They were pioneers in getting audio from players and coaches.  Before the age of ESPN cable, NFL films captured the sights and sounds of the game in a way that made it accessible to the people.  Even into the 80s & 90s (when I was a kid), NFL Films was the marquee department in capturing the sport like no other company capturing sports.

The music played over highlights was unmistakeable.  The voiceovers by John Facinda were epic.  Steve Sabol was a huge part of that.  When I think of watching football, I can't help but think about that music and the voiceovers when thinking about the "frozen tundra of Lambeau Field" or the "Autumn wind" being like a Raider.

I actually own a CD of the music from NFL Films and when I was playing flag football I would have some of those music and soundbites to listen to on my iPod as I'm warming up and stretching before games.

Steve passed away from cancer at the age of 69.  He will be missed.

250th Post: Fantasy Football Tuesday Week 2

It is almost fitting that the 250th post for Reflections on Sports is a post on fantasy football.  It is a cool feat that this blog has reached a milestone like this and have enjoyed the ride so far and look forward to hopefully 250 more posts.

It was in interesting week 2 in the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League.  After the aftermath of Week 1, I was in 3rd place overall and 1st in the "Autobots" division.  On the podcast last week, the guys at JustUs Geeks made mention of my performance by saying that my point total for week 1 "was never wrong".

Week 2 saw a crazy output by all the teams in the league.  Going into Monday night it looked as if every team in the league would have 1 win and 1 loss.  I was down going into the Monday night game with Eric Decker left to play.  I was hurt big time by Aaron Hernandez getting hurt early in his game and putting up 0 points and Jamaal Charles & Brandon Marshall getting next to nothing.  Thankfully I was helped that my opponent Jared started Antonio Gates who didn't play and Eli Manning who was on the bench.  It literally took a late 4th quarter rally aided by a punt return and reception by Decker to put me over the top and to secure the victory.  With the win, I go to 2-0 and atop the JustUs Geeks Fantasy League after two weeks.  Here's the recap of Week 2:

Hub City All Stars Comes from Behind to Squeak By Alabama Autobots

• 
  Hub City All Stars (2-0) 122.24
• 
  Alabama Autobots (0-2) 120.42

Hub City All Stars (2-0, 272.28 points) edged Alabama Autobots (0-2, 223.34 points) 122.24 - 120.42, led by Tom Brady with 22.54 points. Hub City All Stars came into the Sunday games already in front 17.40 - 8.40. They gave up that lead after the late Sunday games and were behind 111.02 - 99.54. However, Hub City All Stars pulled off the comeback victory on Monday night, with 6.20 points from Eric Decker.

Hub City All Stars Smooth Moves

• The 17.00 points by Stephen Gostkowski was the league-high for a K this week.
• Frank Gore scored 16.50 points, which ranked 10th out of all the RBs in the league this week.
• Even with a zero from starter Aaron Hernandez, Hub City All Stars was still able to win.
• The Chicago Bears Defense exceeded scoring projections by 88.4%, with 15.00 points against a projected 7.96.
• Even with only 5 of the 11 starters scoring more than their projection, Hub City All Stars was still able to win.

Alabama Autobots Regret Tracker

• Left Eli Manning on the bench, where he led the league in scoring with 61.20 points.
• Left Brent Celek on the bench, where he scored 15.70 points and surpassed his scoring projection by 173.5%, the highest percentage of any player on the team.
• Did not start Maurice Jones-Drew, who underachieved but still scored more than any RB on the team with 12.70 points against a projected 15.74.
• Should have started Nate Kaeding, who underachieved, but still had more points than the starting K with 8.00 against a projected 9.69.
• Hub City All Stars won the K position battle, beating Alabama Autobots 17.00 - 7.00.

What If

• Hub City All Stars would be 2-0 if they played Alabama Autobots every week.
• Besides Alabama Autobots, Hub City All Stars would have beaten only two other teams this week.
• Hub City All Stars would have defeated Alabama Autobots 150.04 - 102.92 had they played each other last week.
• Hub City All Stars would be 7-7 if they played every team every week.
• Alabama Autobots would have lost to four other teams besides Hub City All Stars this week.
• If they played every team every week, Alabama Autobots would be 3-11.

Game Notes

• Hub City All Stars was not able to cover the 7.04-point spread in the win.
• At 1.82 points, the margin of victory was the tightest of the week.
• Hub City All Stars won even though Alabama Autobots performed better against their scoring projection. Alabama Autobots scored 86.0% of their 139.98 projected points, while Hub City All Stars recorded 83.1% of their 147.02-point projection.
• Alabama Autobots got smallest total score from their RB position of any team this week with 11.80 points.
• Hub City All Stars had the lowest winning score in the league this week with 122.24 points.
• The 120.42 points put up by Alabama Autobots ranked sixth in the league this week.
• Cam Newton did what he could in the loss for Alabama Autobots. He scored 32.22 points, the sixth-highest score in the league this week.
• Vincent Jackson did his best in the loss, ranking sixth among all WRs in the league with 20.80 points.