NFL, NBA TRAINING CAMP

“Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake.” -- Napoleon

"So we living life like a video, where the sun is always out, and you never get old, and the champagnes always cold, and the musics always good, and the pretty girls just happen to stop by in the hood..." --Jay-Z

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” -- Scott Adams

What's going on everybody. Sorry for the delay. I have been stuck in LA. Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian's wedding was quite an affair. Those two kids are silly in love. I really think they are going to make it. Anyway I had to take the red eye back this morning and was anxious to talk about the football weekend. We also have NBA training camps opening today. Always exciting.

1. It's Tuesday afternoon, and Jim Zorn is still employed. I thought he would be fired on his way to the tunnel after he shook Jim Shwartz's hand. Then I thought for sure during the Sunday night game. Then I thought for sure 9am Monday morning. Then I thought for sure during the first half of the Monday night game. O well. It's safe to say that his seat is blistering hot. I gave him some love last season, but he has not performed at a high level so far this season. He and his team have to run off a very nice streak and make the playoffs in the NFC in order for him to keep his job. Not an easy task. One thing's for sure, The Daniel will be very busy in the next couple months finding his next football coach.

2. Little blurb on the bottom line last night about how Kevin Garnett has been running and playing with his teammates over the last week at the practice facility. Talk about an under-reported story! I know the Boston media guys love the Red Sox, and it's all Red Sox all the time until they are eliminated, but KG is a big deal too. Where was this question all spring and summer: "Mr Ainge, have you seen Kevin Garnett run in the last 6 months?" "Have you seen him jump?" "Has you seen him do anything explosive with any amount of confidence?" Might have been worth noting. As for me, I think he is in trouble. Just from watching his 10 second soundbyte last night during media day, he spoke with a lot of uncertainty and worry in his voice. I don't think that thing ever gets right. And I think he misses games frequently with chronic aches and tendinittis. KG holds all the big cards in the eastern conference. I think we'll know pretty quickly where the season is headed once we see KG.

3. A couple player's grievances filed against Browns coach Eric Mangini this week. That's never a good thing. A tough week last week for the Mangenius as the $1700 dollar fine he chucked on a guy got huge press, and an unnamed agent was quoted as saying that there is growing dissent among players around the league and Eric Mangini and the Browns organization. To top it all off, The Browns got waxed by the Ravens and are headed for a top 2 pick, as they are getting votes for the worst team in football. The sad part for Browns fans is that this isn't gonna go away any time soon. Eric Mangini is gonna have the keys to this castle for a little while. As I told my buddy Bub this morning, Randy Lerner likes Eric Mangini as much as you and I like Leighton Meester and January Jones. Lerner is enamored with Mangini's vision of how a football organization should be run, and is gonna give him some time to make that vision real.

4. I took a huge beating from a couple of my good friends when I routinely talked about trading Delonte West and Mo Williams this summer. I am not gonna name the friends. But here we are Day 1 of training camp, and a guy who makes 5 million dollars a season and is slated to start on a team that is gonna contend for a title is not at training camp. D West is a colorful guy, and I know he has had to battle demons I couldn't even imagine. But this a reason why you trade a guy like him when you can. If Ron Artest didn't play in the NBA, West would be the craziest guy in the league. This situation that happened recently is obviously a little more severe, but I think guys close to the Cavs organization have seen similar issues on a day to day basis. I know this seems like a small blip. And I hope that it is. But not a great Day 1 if you're Danny Ferry or Mike Brown.

5. I am hotter than Drake and Kid Cudi with my picks against the spread in the NFL. The Panthers screwed me in that second half or it would have been a great NFL picking weekend. I'm bound for a couple bad picking weeks soon, but so far so good.

6. The Golden State Warriors are the biggest mess in the NBA. For being possibly the most talented team in the league in terms of individuals, I do not see this ending well. Clueless owners. More clueless management. A coach who just shows up 10 minutes before the game starts. Low character guys who make a ton of money. Hang around with that team for a little while, and you'll stop watching the NBA. I expect Captain Jack to be traded, as well as Monta Ellis. Steph Curry is in a tough spot. Good thing he seems to be a great guy with a good support system.

7. I am really hoping that Manu Ginobli has healed from all his injuries. He's a no questions asked top 12 player in this league when healthy. For the Spurs to matter, he has to avoid injury and keep working his way back into shape throughout the season and be ready for the playoffs.

8. This Stafon Johnson accident is unbelievable. It looks like he going to be okay. Thank God. But geese what a freaky thing. I can't even imagine how that went down, even though if you have ever been a weight room before you know how easily that could have happened. When you think about it, it's amazing that it doesn't happen more often. But hopefully, he will make a full recovery and be able to use his voice again. Fight on SJ.

9. O hey NBA junkies, probably should touch on this: the potential NBA referee lockout. Yea, that's not a big deal, it's a HUGE DEAL. Let's hope both sides can get their act together in the next month. Haha, thinking about it, maybe replacement refs wouldn't be so bad. It would definitely be better for the fans. For the players though, that's an entirely different story. And the players are gonna be none too happy if this contract dispute doesn't get resolved before they get going in November.

10. Under the Radar NBA teams I am most excited to see play:

1. Thunder
2.Rockets
3.Wizards
4. Clips
5.Wolves

Week 3 Picks

Ravens -13.5
Jets -2.5
Texans-3.5
Eagles -8
Giants -6.5
Skins -6.5
49ers +7
Patriots -4.5
Bears -2
Saints -6
Chargers -5
Steelers -3.5
Broncos -2
Cards -3

Panthers +8

Last Week 10-6
Season 22-9

Football Fix

1. The Browns are in serious serious trouble. They isn't enough space on the internet to talk about how poorly positioned the Browns are. They hired the wrong guy. They picked the wrong quarterback. It would hard for it to get any worse. There were multiple reports last week discussing how agents are steering their players away from the Browns for the distant future. A lot of you probably read the quote from an anonymous agent stating that "he would have his client sign on another team's practice squad before he would have them sign with the Browns." That's an unbelievable quote. The sample size is still small, but the Mangini-Kokenius has been brutal so far. I wrote in April how you had to take Rey Maliuga when you traded back into the second round. Really hard to see him causing chaos for the Bengals D in an epic win for them, while at the same time seeing Brian Robiskie in sweats and a t-shirt on the sidelines. He's not even hurt. He's just not good enough to be one of the 53 guys who dress. Incredible. Mangini is a smart but very shy man. He has to learn how to deal with the important decisions better and get his organization back on track.

2. Jacory Harris is emerging as one of the best guys in college football. That guy is scary good. And how good are the Canes? They have a huge game this week in Blacksburg that is really gonna dictate where their season goes from here. They also have Oklahoma coming up on the schedule. If they beat both of those teams, I would love to see them hanging around with a shot to play in the big game. A Florida-Miami would be fun. But back to Harris. He has been lights out in the two big TV games. He was poised down the stretch of Fla St. game and put on an absolute clinic in the Ga Tech game last Thursday. He's so comfortable back there, it's like watching Rudy Kirbus order dinner at Pizzazz. Hats off to offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, for creating a system that allows his guys to be comfortable. Whipple has been tremendous and creating mis-matches, and Harris has been great at recognizing them, and hitting them.

3. Mario Manningham is getting his shot, and in typical Manningham fashion he is not missing it. That guy can play. He has always been able to play. Ever since he was freshman in high school. I used to annoy the crap outta people watching Michigan games just constantly saying "no one can cover Mario." "No one can stay in front of this guy." He just runs by whoever he wants. I know he was playing in the Big Ten, but he made a couple 50 yard + plays every game. He's played in probably 8 career NFL games, and he might already be the best double cut route runner in the league. That's his calling card. If you looked at all his career TDs at Michigan, I bet 33% of the were off double cuts. He's dominant with those routes. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep this momentum going. He's not very fast. So the film could reveal how to stop his double cut dominance. But he showed a ton of moxie in that second half. He has great quickness and balance.

4. How bout Rex Ryan and the Jets? Pretty impressive win on Sunday. I love a lot of things about Coach Rex Ryan. He's an arrogant guy, but he can really get through to his players and he can really coach defense. Every highlight they showed of that game, you just saw what seemed to be 5-6 Jets guys coming with a free shot at Tom Brady. It was one of those days where Rex Ryan's scheme could do no wrong. There will be times, when you look at his play calls and just say "wow, that's some unsound shit." But not on Sunday. That was a clinic. Darrell Revis threw his name in the ring as the best corner in the league. It's always nice when you have a guy who check Randy Moss without help. And of course, Matt Sanchez played very nicely. Watch out for the Jets. They are playing with a ton of confidence.

5. JerryWorld, the new Cowboys stadium is impressive. That seems like a really cool place. Bummer his team spoiled the debut. Eli had a hand in that too. But that's a destination that you gotta put on your list of places to see a game. I know my buddy John Reese has checked it out a few times. I'll have to get his review on it. But how bout the 30,000 capacity worth of just standing room? Yea, you can buy tickets where you just stand in respective standing room areas. Unbelievable. And of course the screen is just mesmerizing for players and fans. But that's definitely on my list. It's actually been on the list. I am shooting for NBA All Star Weekend in February. Should be a treat. Mark Cuban and Jerry in charge. I dunno how they fuck that one up.

6. One of my favorite players in the league, Tony Romo, can't get over the hump. It's such a bummer. He's gotta get something going in big games. It's becoming harder and harder to defend the guy. The defense that he's a good guy, decent golfer, and good at pulling talent can only take the apologists so far. Everybody is quick to pile on him. He threw that bad pick 6 in the game on Sunday night, where he had to know it was cover 2 and just made a bad play. Collinsworth was all over him, talking about how he got confused. He wasn't confused. He knew he had cover 2, he just made a shitty play. But he has to start coming into his own soon. STEP UP AND PLAY GREAT FOOTBALL IN THE CLUTCH. EARN YOUR MONEY.

7. David Lee and Dan Henning are geniuses. Those guys are of course, the Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator and quarterback coach. I watched the first half of that game, and every single offensive play the Fins ran in that first half were incredibly good. Their wildcat formations were popping for about 10 yards a crack. The play action plays had guys running wideeee open. It was an impressive performance. They are revolutionizing the game. I realize that they didn't win, but what they are doing with their personnel talent level is really good. They are using everything they have to about full capacity. And how bad is Ted Ginn Jr? He makes Brian Hartline look like Calvin Johnson. He dropped 2 touchdown passes that could have won them the game. 2 touchdown catches that good WR in high school make. It's amazing that he hasn't learned how to be a player yet with all his speed and quickness. And yea, the 11 for 105 is great if you're a fantasy dork and need 10 points to win. He was a big factor in them losing that game. And he stinks.

8. I don't care for Lane Kiffin much, but he's pretty funny with quick hitter and funny comebacks. After Urban Meyer backhanded him with the quote about how Tennessee wasn't trying to win, so that's why FLA was conservative with their playing calling, Lane came right back with an arrogant slap at Urban. If only Lane was a better coach, this could really turn into something. He's just comic relief until he learns to keep his mouth shut and coach his guys.

9. My fantasy squad got crushed this weekend. I am so disappointed in who I picked. I can't believe how bad I was. I thought Ray Rice was gonna get the goal line snaps in Bmore. So far, it's Ray Rice 0 touchdowns, Willis Mcgahee 4. Greg Jennings and Eddie Royal haven't found their mojos yet. Deangelo Williams is in purgatory in Carolina right now. He's averaging about 5 yards a pop, but he's not getting the rock. Romo has to cut down on his picks and start throwing some touchdowns. Team Marlo Stanfield is a mess to say the least. I am confident however, that I am gonna get some guys in my lineup that are ready to get busy.

10. Sad day for Plaxico Burress. Only in New York. Only in New York.

Week 2 Picks Against the Spread

The lines are a little puzzling this week. I think a lot of them are off base. I dunno. I think there is some opportunity to beat some here. I don't have the time or the inclination to find the holes. Week 2 is a very hard week to gamble though in my opinion. I think a lot of people can get screwed. Lotta good games this week though. There are several teams who are already in a must win situation in week 2. That's the beauty of the NFL.

The JC Super Lock of the Week moved to 3-0 yesterday, as Cincy went into Oregon State laying 1.5 and came out by 10. On Tuesday morning, I looked at that line thinking Cincy would be a 2 touchdown favorite. It opened with them getting 1.5. That's always a good thing. Here are my 3 previous Super Locks:

BYU (-17) vs. Tulsa last weekend: BYU 54 Tulsa 3
Miami Hurricanes (-4) vs. Georgia Tech: Miami 33 Tech 17
Cincy Bearcats (-1.5) vs. Oregon State: Cincy 28 Oregon State 18

Some of my buddies have known about these games and have been able to win some good money. I will do my best to post these early in the week, when I have a good handle on them. Here are some considerations for this week. A lot harder this week with the spreads. Like I said, I don't agree with many of these lines.



Ravens +3
Steelers -2.5
Texans +6.5
Vikes -9.5
Saints Pick
Skins -10
Jets +3.5
Chiefs -3
Carolina +6
Hawks +1
Cards +3
Bills -4.5
Cowboys -3
Bengals -9
Broncos -3

Colts -3

Last Week 12-3
Season 12-3

THINGS I SAW WATCHING FOOTBALL THIS WEEK

Coming off a feel good weekend like the one we just had, I wanted to come in and talk about the football weekend that was. It was another exciting weekend in college football, highlighted by a couple of classic rivalry matchups in ND-UM and USC-TOSU. It is great to have the NFL back in action as well. There is really nothing like the NFL. It's the undisputed king of sports in this country. It's a 21 week marathon but most of the time it's a do or die sprint. And this is a season that has incredible potential, as there will be many teams with the potential to be a factor as the season begins to take shape. There are storylines all over the league, and those storylines all began to stew yesterday. Browns fans were blessed with an unbelievable morning to tailgate with friends and family and a perfect day to watch a ball game. Unfortunately, aside from our guy Josh Cribbs' brilliance, it was clear fans are going to have to be patient and enjoy the journey that is the 16 week season. But it's hard not to be excited for what's in store this season. Here are some things I saw this weekend.

1. I know I was very much not alone in my unending and annoying praise of Matt Sanchez. I wrote about it several times on YOUGOTJC, and used the phrase "I'm putting all my chips in the middle with this guy" several times at bars and among friends. But, I think I am gonna be right about this guy. I feel good about it. I get these feelings about players and can just see when guys have that IT factor. And I think he showed some people his skills and intangibles this weekend, as the Jets came in to Houston and knocked off a sexy sleeper team like the Texans. His numbers were nothing special, and his defense came to play. But he was poised as hell, and was a great leader. And his biggest stat was that he was 10 of 16 on third down (7 of his first 7). That's a Peyton Manning or a Big Ben type number. That's a great stat. And that really shows the kind of skills he has. If you wanna be a great quarterback in the league, you gotta get it done on 3rd down. He is gonna have some bumps in the road, no question. But I think he is the type of guy that you can really build a franchise around if he stays healthy and keeps the swagger that makes him tough.

2. When are we start locking Big Ben into the top quarterbacks in the league discussion? Because he's the 3rd best quarterback in the league. End of discussion. The guy is an incredible player. He's clutch. He makes every big play. And he does it consistently. He's 300 pounds and he never gets sacked. It's incredible; you can't tackle him, you can't touch him. When the money's on the table, like it was late in that Titans game and in overtime, he is a beast. He had to play lights out or the Steelers were gonna lose, and he was incredible in that second half and OT session. I was drinking a little during that game, but from where I was sitting, the Steelers are gonna be in the Final 4 again this season, with a great chance to get back to the Super Bowl. The Steelers have 22 outta 22 starters back on their team. They are tough and nasty and have a blue chip coach. It will be a nice battle between them and the Ravens this season.

3. Tate Forcier--my new favorite player! How bout his performance against the Irish Saturday. That guy has some juice huh? He had a great game, and locked in and torched Notre Dame in that 4th quarter. Ran the ball hard in the middle of the field. That Notre Dame scrub defensive end is still laying in the backfield after Tate shook him off his feet and ran 35 yards right down the middle for a 4th down touchdown in the fourth quarter. He made all the throws he needed to make. Converted the tough 3rd and 4th downs. And of course made that great touchdown throw to end the game. He was a monster at least on this day. Gotta remember he's playing against Notre Dame. Wesley Matthews, one of the stayovers from the Lloyd Carr era ran a great route on that TD. Did anyone else see that? He ran my favorite route. That 8-10 yard, I'll call it a "switch route," where you sell an in route and then shuffle it to an out route. It's a great pattern. You're seeing it more and more cause its hard to cover. But I feel very good for Rich Rod. Guy was taking shots from everyone. No love. Really was getting a raw deal because everyone and their mother breaks that 20 hour rule. Hell, John Carroll breaks that 20 hour rule. Just bombarded by retrarded people from Michigan. And he just compartmentalized it, beat the crap outta the first team he played, and scored a HUGE win Saturday. He called a great game (he calls the plays, and did at WVU too), trusted his guys and let them make the plays to win the game. He's gotta keep digging in and getting his kinda guy (legally and ethically) and he'll be in good shape. The Big Ten is in trouble if he gets a couple more horses in there.

4. On the other side of that coin you have Notre Dame. Tough loss. That was a much bigger loss for them than it was win for Michigan. It sets them back again as they try to get back in the picture in college football. And yea, I know that's a silly thing to say. "JC, they're Notre Dame, the most popular and famous college football team ever." But that said, they are not even in the college football discussion, and haven't been since they lost to Ohio State in that Rose Bowl. Chaz Weis has done a terrible job. His style has turned everyone off. His model is bad. I don't care what you say. He has been there for 5 years. And the only success he has had has been with players he didn't recruit. I expect him to be shown the door after this season. His arrogance hasn't allowed his teams to achieve what they might achieve with a better leader. This is a long argument for another time. Here's what I do know. They cannot consistently beat anyone in the top 40 of college football. Period. Jimmy Clausen can spin it. He can really zip it. ALL OVER THE FIELD. Every level. He can really throw the ball in the middle of the field. Michael Floyd and Golden Tate are great players, with Floyd being far and away better. Have you guys noticed how those guys don't run routes? Floyd runs zero routes. His terrorizing week last week and this week have all come by just jogging down the field awaiting a jump ball. Tate usually just runs that 9 route or a simple hitch. I think that's a weird thing to see. I think that's kind of an NFL trick though. I can't really figure it out. My dad and I have talked about it. But look for that next time. Floyd just runs out there down the field and waits for the ball.

5. Cincinnati, when it's all said and done is gonna be top 5 in the country and beat whoever they play in their BCS game by 2 touchdowns. They are a really good team, and have a very good coach. They eviserated Rutgers last week. I know that's not saying much, but the way they did it showed me that they can matchup and compete with some of the more elite teams. Look for them to be undefeated and look for head coach Brian Kelley to get the next big head coaching opening.

6. The Ohio State Bucks dominated the line of scrimmage all game against USC, and were in a great position to win that football game. Gotta tip your cap to Matt Barkley and the offense of USC on that last drive. That was a ballsy clutch 90 yard performance. Joe McKnight woke up and performed to his talent level, hitting on some huge plays and crucial 3rd down conversions. As usual, Pete Carroll had the biggest stones in the room, and went for and converted big 4th down plays. I thought it was interesting how alert and active Pete Carroll was in the offensive play calling down the stretch. In years past, he has let Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisan, (two pretty good coaches by the way) do their thing and make the decisions. You saw a different Pete Carroll, as he was very active in the timeouts and on big downs with Jeremy Bates, the new OC. Hats off to them. Pete Carroll does stuff like this all the time it seems. Keep an eye on the name Jeremy Bates. I have been watching him pretty closely the last few seasons. He is an up and coming guy. Knows a lot about offenses. Don't be surprised if he has his own gig within the next 3 seasons. Very bright and good.

7. Donovan McNabb cracks a rib. Just a classic situation. Wouldn't have it any other way huh? Who plays QB in Philadelphia again? Note to self: If this thing is painful for Donovan and he has to sit a game, do not watch Sportscenter for the next 3 weeks.

8. The Ravens can really play. Joe Flacco can really play. John Harbaugh can really coach. Man, the Browns live in a tough neighborhood and it's gonna be a tough block for a long time.

9. The only college football game I liked betting this week was BYU. I liked this game last Monday morning. Getting 0-1 Tulane after a program changing win, only laying 17. I pushed this game hard to some of my gambling friends. I hope they listened and won some money. BYU 54 Tulane 3.

10. My vaunted fantasy team, Marlo Stanfield, comprised of Tony Romo, Deangelo Williams, Greg Jennings, Ray Rice, Cadillac Williams, Eddie Royal, Brett Celek, Mason Crosby, Fins D, cruised to a 130-88 victory. This is my first NFL fantasy league. I intend to skate to an easy league victory.

PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD QUICKLY BEFORE 1PM

Vikings -3.5
Falcons -4
Ravens -12.5
Eagles -2.5
Broncos +4.5
Jets +4.5
Saints -13
Jags +7
Cowboys -5.5
Cards -6
Skins +6.5
Hawks -7.5
Pack -4

Pats -11
Chargers -9.5

Just my first crack at the NFL spreads this season--just split second reads--no study or brainstorm--I'll do a little of that for next week.