Author: AG

Mark Ingram & Alvin Kamara are first RB Pro-Bowl Duo in 42 years

You have to go all the way back to the St. Louis Cardinals duo of Jim Otis and Terry Metcalf in 1975 to find another RB tandem that made the Pro Bowl together. Now we’re not even going to pretend to know who those guys are since they’re now irrelevant but I’m a little surprised the tandem of DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart never made it. Nonetheless, this is a huge accomplishment to a backfield that most people were ready to give to Adrian Peterson (ha.ha.) when the season started. The Saints obviously started off 0-2 and tons of people were ready to write them off. Nobody had even really heard of Alvin Kamara before the seasons tarted.

With the Saints primed for a divisional championship, you would expect Drew Brees to have the historic numbers he always has had. This season however, he’s kind of taken a backseat to let his backs do the punching for the Saints offense. Both Ingram & Kamara have had stud seasons. Ingram is sporting 1,045 yards and 11 TDs while the front-runner for rookie of the year has done it through the air and ground. Kamara has 652 yds, 7 TDs rushing while recording 684 yds and 5 TDs receiving. Of course, the Pro Bowl is always a consolation prize to a Super Bowl trip so the Saints would love to see these guys not be able to play — but still a huge accomplishment. The only worry for the Saints now is that if Ingram is selected to the first All-Pro team, he has a clause to be released from his contract — which is a great idea to cash in (shoutout whoever his agent is).

Cam Newton With the All-Time Cocky Move

 

We got a hot mic here! Obviously the Patriots-Steelers game stole the weekend but man what a cocky move from Cam Newton. It’s hard not to like it, even though Cam is arguably the most unlikeable person in the NFL. Clay Matthews calls out the route that McCaffrey is going to run — from seeing it in the past Panthers’ games and Cam Newton calls him out for watching film.

McCaffrey then looks to be running that wheel route, fakes and cuts inside — leaving him wide open for Cam Newton to zip the ball right in there for the touchdown. He’s out here playing Madden in real life — trash talk and all. This was an awesome move because if Cam misses him or he’s covered by any nature, he is the laughing stock of the week. I’m all aboard the Panthers bandwagon for the NFC now.

NFL Week 15 Picks

Huge week for the playoff push — big matchups include Aaron Rodgers coming back and leading the Packers into Carolina in an attempt to steal a wildcard spot. In the AFC, in the 4:30 pm slot — the Patriots travel to Heinz Field in what essentially is an elimination game for the #1 seed. Both these teams are well aware of the fact that home-field advantage is extremely important if they want a trip to the Super Bowl.

CONSENSUS PICKS:  71-21 (LW: 2-2)

wk15

CONSENSUS PICKS: NO, CAR, JAX, NE, ATL

Week 15 — Top 10 Power Rankings

What a week — my #1, #2 & #4 teams all lost and #3 won the game but lost their QB for the season to an ACL tear. Pretty much sums up how volatile this year has been. Tough to quantify the top 5 teams right now as who knows what’s going to happen this weekend. The Patriots-Steelers showdown at Heinz Field is sure to let us know a ton about the AFC race — and let’s not forget the Jaguars who won a big statement. Let’s take a stab at some sort of Top 10.

Image result for new england patriots

  1.  New England Patriots (10-3) (LW: #1)

Had to do it — even despite the loss. The Patriots dropped a Monday night divisional game against the Dolphins, where Tom Brady is 7-9 all-time (don’t know if you heard this stat this week).  Not to mention that they were missing their best weapon due to suspension. The Patriots are still the best team in the NFL and will prove it by taking the win against a Steelers team in Pittsburgh. If they don’t? Well then they’re in trouble.

Image result for pittsburgh steelers

2. Pittsburgh Steelers (11-2) (LW: #5)

The Steelers are the only top 5 team that won this week (minus the Eagles) — so by default they have to deserve atleast the 2 spot. This sets up essentially a winner-take-all homefield advantage game on Sunday evening. This one’s going to be good as the Steelers just squeeked out a win against the Ravens. Will the Patriots be able to stop Bell & Brown? Tune in.

Image result for philadelphia eagles3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) (LW: #3)

The Eagles may have won the game against the Rams and were well on their way to making a statement before Wentz went out of the game with what we later found on to be a torn ACL. Devastating stuff for not only the Eagles but NFL fans as well. Wentz was a stud this year and was trending toward winning the MVP. Now his Eagles are left in the hands of Nick Foles — which could be much worse. The Eagles should hang out to home-field advantage but nobody can be too happy in

Image result for minnesota vikings4. Minnesota Vikings (10-3) (LW: #2)

The Vikings lost a tough game in Carolina where they were playing catch-up the entire game.  They did bring it within striking distance only to watch Cam rip off a long run and Jonathan Stewart to have a career game. This team is still good despite the 8 game win streak being snapped. Can Case Keenum get it done and possibly secure the 1 seed? A game with the Packers and Aaron Rodgers looms in Week 16. This weekend? The Bengals have never won a game in Minnesota (0-5 all time).

Image result for sacksonville

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4) (LW: #7)

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: It is mid-December and the Jacksonville Jaguars are 9-4. No you haven’t? Neither have we. The Jaguars kept their cool and defeated Seattle in what felt like a playoff game. If Bortles can keep it under control, these Jaguars are legit. Trying to sneak into a first round bye, they will happily enjoy being the 3 seed in the playoffs. They close out with an easy schedule before taking on the Titans in a possible division clinching matchup in Week 17.

 

6. New Orleans Saints (9-4) (LW: #4)Image result for new orleans saints

The Saints lost on Thursday night against the Falcons in a thriller. The game was ugly but the Saints were in the position to win when Drew Brees was picked off in the end-zone with a minute to go. It’s safe to say they probably would have won this if Kamara wasn’t knocked out with a concussion on the first drive. If doesn’t exist, and the Saints find themselves right back in the thick of an NFC South race.

 

Image result for carolina panthers

7. Carolina Panthers (9-4) (LW: #9)

I will whole-heartedly admit that I have no idea what to do with the Panthers. This team can beat the best of the NFL when they’re on (see: Patriots, Vikings) but can’t seem to crack the Saints at all. Cam Newton proved once again that he’s an extremely dangerous weapon. Do teams want to play the Panthers in the playoffs? I don’t think so — but in reality I have no idea. Either way, they’re 9-4 and once again tied with the Saints. Next on their plate? The return of Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, we’re excited.

Image result for rams clinch first winning season since

8. Los Angeles Rams (9-4)  (LW: #6)

The Rams had a chance to make a big statement in a shootout against the Eagles. Of course, the big story here is the Wentz injury and not the fact that the Rams lost to a NFC contender at home. Their offense is still pretty legit but can they compete with the big dogs? Not too sure. A rematch against the Seahawks will tell us a lot about this team.

 

Image result for atlanta falcons

9. Atlanta Falcons (8-5) (LW: NR)

Well look who we have here — the Falcons played their worst football in the beginning of the season and are starting to roll at the right time. There’s no time that would love to get back to the Super Bowl more than the Falcons to write the wrongs of last year. They sit in the last wildcard spot of an extremely competitive NFC race. They do control their destiny and have one more game against the Saints to end the season — so the NFC South is definitely in reach.

Image result for los angeles chargers

10. Los Angeles Chargers (7-6)  (LW: NR)

The hottest team in the NFL behind the Steelers? The Chargers, who started off 0-4 have rattled off 4 straight wins.. They have a huge game that may determine the AFC West this Saturday against the Chiefs in Arrowhead. A win here and well .. watch out for the Chargers. Rivers & Keenen Allen are starting to look like a deadly duo.

JUST MISSED: Seattle Seahawks (8-5) (LW: #8),  Kansas City Chiefs (7-6), Baltimore Ravens (7-6) (LW: #10)

 

Last Week’s Rankings

Office Chatter Radio: One Last Thing

The guys (minus one…again) are back with the seventh episode of the self-titled podcast.  We talk NFL Week 14 Recap including the Wentz injury, Rodgers revival, and Josh Gordon’s sunglasses. Giancarlo joins the Evil Empire and Is Tiger Back or is it Tiger’s Back? We finish up with some BOLD predictions and our picks for Jackass of the Week.

SUBSCRIBE HERE 

 

 

 

 

Last Week’s Episode

Devin Hester Officially Retires

Sad day in the NFL — although he was no longer on a team this year, Devin Hester was a legend. He re-defined the return game as the most dynamic player the NFL has seen? Does he deserve a spot in Canton? Let’s take a look at the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVT91mNMS8A

The Bears may have gotten stomped in this Super Bowl but this was an iconic play. Devin Hester came from the U and spent a majority of his career on the Bears.  He finished with 5 kick return TDs and 14 (!!) punt return TDs as well. Though he never was great as a positional player, there was no doubt you did not want to let this man return any kind of kick.

He honestly might be the last of the greatest returners with the NFL essentially eliminating kick returns but what a legend to end the era. So farewell to the only Madden player to ever get 100 speed and I hope that we see him in Canton.

Aaron Rodgers Medically Cleared to Return

Oh boy — here comes Rodgers.  R-E-L-A-X. If you listen closely, you can hear the State Farm jingle slowly approaching. The Packers have finally found their feet with Hundley at the helm and did just enough to stay alive. Now, their all-pro QB is coming back in a NFC race that is wide open. How wide open you ask?

nfc.JPG

Green Bay finds themselves one game back from the last wild-card spot. Though the division is likely out of reach thanks to the Vikings’ dominance, that spot is certainly attainable. With tough games against Carolina and Minnesota coming up, this could not have come at a better time. Will the Packers run the table? Probably because of course they will. Rodgers makes this offense go from mediocre to deadly. It’s definitely going to be difficult for them to sneak in but if they do — watch out for this team. If the Rams stay at the 3 seed, I can’t see them beating the Packers. Time to enjoy the ride.

On This Day 2 Years Ago — Conor McGregor Became a Superstar

December 12, 2017 marks two years from the day where Conor McGregor became arguably one of the biggest stars in the sports world. On the uprise before this fight, this solidified him and well, the rest is history. He knocked out the reigning featherweight legend Jose Aldo with just one fateful punch in 13 seconds.

This goes in the category of one of those unforgettable sports moments. McGregor had that look that nothing was going to stop him that night — and nothing did. Aldo, obviously was emotional after being bullied in the lead-up.

 

McGregor of course has gone on to win the lightweight belt and cash in on a huge fight with Floyd Mayweather. Aldo however has lost against Max Halloway twice and looks to be on his way out. It’s safe to say McGregor came in and broke him.

2 years though and he still hasn’t defended a belt. Hm.

Bye Week Episode 4

It’s the start of the fantasy playoffs and the guys are back to tell you why you shouldn’t start Carson Wentz next week (too soon?). We tell you who to start if your QB went down this weekend and why you shouldn’t think twice about starting Aaron Rodgers if he is cleared this weekend. The burning question of if Josh Gordon is back as a WR1 is answered, followed by our bold predictions and who we think is the “Tim Hightower” of the 2017 fantasy playoffs.

 

LAST WEEK

Champions League Round of 16 Draw

The Champions League draw was today for the remaining 16 teams that qualified in the group stages. Five of those being English teams left us a slim possibility for matchups but there were still some very good draws. Let’s take a look at the draw:

aa79c5175dc5c276298e94f893dff9c0.png

Some big-time match-ups no doubt. We’re going to highlight the top 3 games to watch.

Image result for juventus tottenhamJuventus vs Tottenham

What an awful draw for group winners Tottenham. Tottenham topped their group, which contained defending champions Real Madrid and a strong Dortmund side. The Spurs have looked excellent in their Champions League campaign despite being dreadful in their domestic league. I like Juventus to win here but it’ll no doubt be a close tie. I think Tottenham is stronger than most of the teams in the draw but I like Juventus to outclass them here as they have a bit more experience in the knockout stages. The Spurs clock in at an average age of 25.7 while Juventus is at 28.8.  Fun fact of this draw? Juventus has been eliminated in the last FIVE times they’ve matched up with an English team.

real-madrid-psg-live-stream-1446529120-800Real Madrid vs PSG

Congrats to PSG for topping their group in record-scoring fashion! Bayern Munich was surely a tough opponent and they completely outclassed them. Munich gets Besiktas in the next round. PSG’s reward you ask? The reigning player of the year and the reigning champions of the year, Real Madrid. Madrid has not looked to be the “Galaticos” of the past but it is hard to count them out at any given moment — especially on the big stage. PSG has been coasting through their league with their new addition — just a guy called Neymar. This is a great measuring tool for PSG to definitively put them in the contenders category. I think PSG is a great squad but I can’t see Ronaldo and Real Madrid being knocked out in the first round of the knockout stages. Give me Real Madrid in a tough one win aggregate series.

 

1789025_w2Chelsea vs Barcelona

Oh how we’ve missed this tie. Chelsea and Barcelona have met 6 times in the Champions League, second only to Madrid-Munich. Chelsea haven’t been as sharp as their league winning campaign last year, and Barcelona has been extremely impressive this year even after the loss of Neymar. Lionel Messi, however, has historically struggled against Chelsea logging 29 shots in 8 games against the club without a single goal. The last time these two teams met, Chelsea drew 2-2 at Camp Nou to send them into the finals (which ultimately they won). It’s going to take a lot of grit but give me Chelsea in a first round upset special. Look for them to be physical with Barcelona and grind out a low-scoring tie.