Week 16 Picks

Browns -3.5

Packers -14

Chiefs +14

Bills +9

Fins -3

Panthers +7

Saints -14

Jags +7.5

Steelers -2.5

Broncos +7

Cards -14

49ers -12.5

Colts -5.5

Cowboys -7

Vikings -7

Week 13 Record:8-6

Week 14 Record:8-7

Season Record:97-60

10 WORDS ABOUT THE NFL SEASON

IT'S CHRIS JOHNSON. AND DESEAN JACKSON.

AND THEN EVERYONE ELSE.

Picks

Broncos +6.5

Vikings -6

Bucs +4

Chiefs +2

Packers -4

Saints -10

Ravens -14

Dolphins +2.5

Panthers +13

Texans -7

Titans -13

Raiders +1

Cowboys -3.5

Eagles -1

Cards -3.5

WEEK 13 IN THE NFL

"THE BEST WAY TO PREDICT THE FUTURE IS TO CREATE IT." -PETER DRUCKER

"THE ENTREPRENEUR ALWAYS SEARCHES FOR CHANGE, RESPONDS TO IT, AND EXPLOITS IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY. " -PETER DRUCKER

I hear Notre Dame has genuine interest in Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. He's a young talented young coach who fits the Notre Dame image pretty well. His teams also lose 4-5 games a year in a crappy conference, which also fits with ND's recent image. But I digress. There is no question that Fitzgerald should be on the list of coaches for Notre Dame to interview. This should be a very long drawn out process in my opinion. You have to interview a lot of coaches, and make sure that the guy you hire is going to put the whole football operations on a solid foundation for years to come.

My hierarchy would look something like this. Bob Stoops is not interested in the job. I don't know why people keep perpetuating that he's interested. He hasn't been from the second they asked him. And he's vulernable now in my opinion anyway.

1. Urban Meyer-- Bottom line, the interviewing and selection process doesn't start until he has time for an interview. Nothing matters until he agrees to spend a day in South Bend and sit in a room with the important people at the University to discuss what he is going to need. This is the guy. Until he is on the campus, and after long night of thought and consideration says "thanks I really appreciate you thinking of me, but I will not be accepting the job position at Notre Dame at this time" you owe it to the fans of Notre Dame to wait on him.

The space represents the difference between Urban and everyone else.

2. Jim Harbaugh-- This is another special guy, an Urban Meyer like presence who I would immediately try to reach the moment Urban decides not to take it. He's close to an extension with Stanford, and his alma mater Michigan is going to need a football coach perhaps as early as this summer. But this guy is charasmatic. He hates USC. He hates what Michigan has become over the last 5-10 years. He's sharp. He recruits his butt off. He's the total package. His academic standards are harder than Notre Dame's standards. And he's still getting better players in, and it has shown on the field. And they are only getting better. He's an offensive technician who is able to evaluate and procure the right kind of talent that builds a football team. This is the guy if Urban doesn't have interest. THIS IS MY GUY.

separation

3. Brian Kelly-- I wrote in September, after Cincy beat up on Rutgers so bad that I thought Rutgers might have to cancel the season, that Cincy was going to go undefeated and win their BCS game by 2 touchdowns. I also wrote how right about this time, BK would be wearing a navy Notre Dame sweater at a presser. Still could happen. I loved Kelly, and I thought he would be a slam dunk for the Irish. I have kind of cooled off on him a little. Frankly, I am getting too much Chaz Weis outta him lately. Arrogant. Fat. His team's can't play defense. Boom boom boom. But I also realize that this guy has built an empire of talent in a very short time. Very Urban Meyer like. He's great with alumni. He's great with boosters. He's a catholic guy, who WANTS the job. It's his dream job and he wants it. So I think you have to slot him very high on the list.

4. Bo Pelini

5. Pat Fitzgerald

6. Kirk Ferentz

7. Randy Etzall

Jon Gruden, obviously would be tough to pass on and would be a lot of fun to watch. Kind of a long shot though, so I am not really figuring him into my look.

I don't really root for a ton of teams or games. But I'll tell you this much: I am really rooting for the Titans today. I want this streak to stay alive. I saw the post game when Chris Johnson said "we're gonna win 10 in a row," and I left that moment thinking he might be serious. But how sweet would it be if they get by today? After today, it really becomes possible. Huge challenge today, and I wish them luck. God forbid it would fucking be on TV. If you're in Cleveland, you are going to have to suffer through Bengals-Lions instead.

Chargers -13.5

Chiefs +6

Steelers -14.5

Jags +2

Titans +6.5

Eagles -5

Bengals -13

Saints -9

Panthers -5.5

Rams +9

49ers -1

Cards +3.5

Cowboys -2.5

Fins +4.5

Packers -3

Money May v. Pac Man

I have never been the Las Vegas. I have really been itching to take a trip there. I love gambling. I am a very lucky guy. Vegas and I are a good fit. It's only a matter of time until I get there. The challenge is finding the right time and opportunity to pop my Vegas cherry. I think we may have found it, with the announcement that Floyd Mayweather has agreed in principle to the parameters of a deal to fight Manny Pacquiao.

Now I know what you are thinking. There are a lot of drawbacks to being there on the weekend of that fight. The place will be a mob scene. A scene filled with scumbags and terrible people. Everywhere you go would be flooded with morally bankrupt jerks, more so than any other weekend in a long, long time. Some of the things on the Vegas checklist will have to be put on hold until the next visit, cause it is gonna be so hard to move around and do the kind of things you do in Vegas.

But the energy and electricity on that Friday night and all day Saturday would be epic. It would be mind-blowing. I have heard Tony Kornheiser say on a couple occasions that (paraphrasing) "there is nothing better and stronger in the world of sports then the electric feeling in the air and anticipation of a big fight night." That's not the case anymore. And hasn't been the case for probably 20 years. But this fight might live up to his old saying. This fight might be boxing's last hurrah. I would be interesting to see if there was some truth to that statement.

So when that fight date gets announced, it will immediately go up on my wall. It'll be something that I am gonna try and make happen. I would like to be part of boxing's last great fight. My trip in March for the first 3.5 days of the NCAA tourney might have to wait until next year. This fight and the energy and mystique that it could bring to me and a couple of my friends might be too good to pass up.

Rajon Rondo v. Chris Johnson

The Rondo-Johnson war of words just came across my desk this afternoon, and instantly I became very intrigued. For those unaware, the Celtics Marquis Daniels is friends with Chris Johnson. And he has relayed that Rondo has bugged him on occasion that he wants to race Johnson sometime. In fact, he wants to take some money off Johnson at the same time. Well, wind of this got back to Chris Johnson, and he tweeted:

"My bradda @lambo6 called me and said they point guard rondo want to race me for 2k that's easy money set it up on espn."

Good God, yes, please set this up. This is the kinda stuff that I want to see. Why can't we see a lot more of this? I want to see the best of the best in all sports, call each other out, flap their gums, talk some noise and make propositions like this. Are you telling me that you wouldn't be interested in seeing Terrell Owens play Rudy Gay 1 on 1 for 50K of their own money? What about Paul Pierce and Dwayne Wade playing a million dollars? It would be off the charts intensity.

Rondo claims he runs a 3.9 40 yard dash. We know CJ runs a 4.25 40, the fastest electrically timed 40 ever at the NFL combine. And he's probably closer to a 4.1 when he gets adrenaline going when he's on a football field. I think CJ would smoke Rondo. I don't think it would even be close. But at the same time, you can make a case for Rondo too based on some of the things he does during an NBA game. That's the whole point. This is a topic you can go back and forth with. This needs to happen.