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Sorry all for the late wrap up on the Pro Pick'Em I have been really busy with the NFL mediation talks. Really draining listen to Billionaires argue with millionaires, but someone has to do it. Anyways, back to wrapping up the challenge.
Going into the Super Bowl (two weeks ago if anyone has forgotten) the records were Steve (15-3), Elliott (11-7), Jesse (10-8) and Clint (9-9). Last place was only 6 wins behind the leader so, it was any ones game. However, no one could have seen what was about to happen. I am still shocked to this day of the outcome.
Steve destroyed the other writers in the prop bet format correctly picking 13 out of the 15 questions. He ended up getting 38 points and only losing 7. Steve didn't give anyone else a chance to catch him on his way to capturing the Post Season challenge. Elliott took second, Clint took 3rd (but failed to reach his goal of .500) and Jesse just plain stunk it up with his prop bets incorrectly picking 9 out of 15. After the Super Bowl prop bet format the final results were
Steve 53-10 (first again)
Elliott 39-24 (last to second)
Clint 31-32 (just hangs out in third)
Jesse 24-39 (second to last)
Congratulations to Steve for capturing the Post Season challenge. You can add it to you Regular Season championship. I guess people from Eastern Washington are good at something.
Thanks to all that have followed the Pro Pick'Em Challenge from beginning to end. Hopefully, there is a 2011 season where Steve can attempt to defend his titles from the rest of the writers.
The end is near.
Can't believe the football season is coming to an end. What will I do until the 2011 season, if there is one? I guess I can watch some college basketball or the M's until they have been eliminated from the playoffs, which will be some time around the end of April. Got to love Seattle sports. Oh well, let's talk about something more interesting. A re-cap of the Pick'Em to date.
Steve continues to stay in the lead after correctly picking both the AFC and NFC champs. Elliott, who also picked both of the AFC and NFC champs, has jumped to second, while Jesse and Clint's hatred for the Steelers has burned then once again. Their inability to take off the blinders and realize the Steelers are really good team has put them both in the basement of the Pro Pick'Em challenge. But, don't worry, this weeks Pro Pick'Em will give them a chance to climb back to the top,
For the Superbowl we have decided to add a little twist to our challenge. We will be picking from a list of 15 questions broken up into 3 categories of 5. For each category we will assign a confidence value from 1-5 (1 being the lowest and 5 the highest).
These 15 questions may possibly shake up the whole Pro Pick'Em challenge. No one knows what the outcome will be. Will Steve add the Post-Season challenge to his Regular Season championship? Can Elliott avoid ending up in the basement in both challenges? Can the .500 Clint find a way to capture the Post-Season tittle? Will Jesse grow a pair? All these questions and more will be answered (except for Jesse's) come late Sunday night. Let the best man win.
Note: Confidence points are on the left and answers are on the right for each question.
Current Standings
Steve 15-3
Elliott 11-7
Jesse 10-8
Clint 9-9
Super Bowl week picks
Steve
EARLY GAME PROPS
3 - 1. Will the first play of the game be a run or a pass? - RUN
1 - 2. Will Rashard Mendenhall gain more than 5 yards on any of his first 3 rushing attempts? - YES
5 - 3. Will Rodgers complete at least 7 of his first 10 pass Atts? - NO
4 - 4. Will the first score of the game be a TD, FG or safety? - TD
2- 5. Will the player who scores the first touchdown have a jersey number higher than 50? - YES
PLAYER PROPS
2 - 6. Will Rodgers throw more TD passes than Roethlisberger? - YES
1 - 7. How many TDs will Rashard Mendenhall score? - 1
4 - 8. Within 1 either way, how many catches will Jennings have?- 8
3 - 9. Which QB will have more yds passing, Aaron or Ben? - Aaron
5 -10. How many interceptions will Troy Polamalu record? - 0
GAME PROPS
3 - 11. Which team will commit the first turnover? - PIT
2 - 12. Will there be a score in the final 2 minutes of the game? -NO
5 - 13. Will the winning margin be more than 5 points? - YES
1 - 14. Within 5 points either way, how many total points will be scored in the game? - 59
4 - 15. Which team will win? - GB
Elliott
EARLY GAME PROPS
2 - 1. Will the first play of the game be a run or a pass? - RUN
3 - 2. Will Rashard Mendenhall gain more than 5 yards on any of his first 3 rushing attempts? - YES
4 - 3. Will Rodgers complete at least 7 of his first 10 pass ATTs? - NO
1 - 4. Will the first score of the game be a TD, FG or safety? - TD
5- 5. Will the player who scores the first touchdown have a jersey number higher than 50? - NO
PLAYER PROPS
4 - 6. Will Rodgers throw more TD passes than Roethlisberger? - YES
3 - 7. How many TDs will Rashard Mendenhall score? - 1
1 - 8. Within 1 either way, how many catches will Jennings have?- 7
2 - 9. Which QB will have more yards passing, Aaron or Ben? - Ben
5 - 10. How many interceptions will Troy Polamalu record? - 0
GAME PROPS
1 - 11. Which team will commit the first turnover? - GB
3 - 12. Will there be a score in the final 2 minutes of the game? - YES
4 - 13. Will the winning margin be more than 5 points? - NOT
2 - 14. Within 5 points either way, how many total points will be scored in the game? - 51
5 - 15. Which team will win? - GB
Jesse
EARLY GAME PROPS
1 - 1. Will the first play of the game be a run or a pass? - RUN
2 - 2. Will Rashard Mendenhall gain more than 5 yards on any of his first 3 rushing attempts? - YES
3 - 3. Will Rodgers complete at least 7 of his first 10 pass ATTs? - NO
4 - 4. Will the first score of the game be a TD, FG or safety? - TD
5- 5. Will the player who scores the first touchdown have a jersey number higher than 50? - NO
PLAYER PROPS
4 - 6. Will Rodgers throw more TD passes than Roethlisberger? - NO
3 - 7. How many TDs will Rashard Mendenhall score? - 1
2 - 8. Within 1 either way, how many catches will Jennings have?- 6
5 - 9. Which QB will have more yards passing, Aaron or Ben? - Ben
1 - 10. How many interceptions will Troy Polamalu record? - 0
GAME PROPS
3 - 11. Which team will commit the first turnover? - GB
4 - 12. Will there be a score in the final 2 minutes of the game? - YES
1 - 13. Will the winning margin be more than 5 points? - YES
2 - 14. Within 5 points either way, how many total points will be scored in the game? - 44
5 - 15. Which team will win? - PITT
Clint
EARLY GAME PROPS
1 - 1. Will the first play of the game be a run or a pass? - PASS
2 - 2. Will Rashard Mendenhall gain more than 5 yards on any of his first 3 rushing attempts? - NO
3 - 3. Will Rodgers complete at least 7 of his first 10 pass ATTs? - NO
4 - 4. Will the first score of the game be a TD, FG or safety? - FG
5- 5. Will the player who scores the first touchdown have a jersey number higher than 50? - NO
PLAYER PROPS
5 - 6. Will Rodgers throw more TD passes than Roethlisberger? - YES
3 - 7. How many TDs will Rashard Mendenhall score? - 1
2 - 8. Within 1 either way, how many catches will Jennings have? - 7.
4- 9. Which QB will have more yards passing, Aaron or Ben? - Aaron
1 - 10. How many interceptions will Troy Polamalu record? - 0
GAME PROPS
1 - 11. Which team will commit the first turnover? - GB
4 - 12. Will there be a score in the final 2 minutes of the game? - YES
2 - 13. Will the winning margin be more than 5 points? - NO
3 - 14. Within 5 points either way, how many total points will be scored in the game? - 44
5 - 15. Which team will win? - GB
In case there is a tie after this week, the tiebreaker will be whoever is closet to the final outcome of the game. Each writer has picked the points scored for both teams.
Steve - GB 31, PITT 28
Elliott GB 27, PITT 24
Jesse - PITT 30, GB 14
Clint - GB 24, PITT 20
Week two of the playoffs didn't go the way most of us would like. However, life after the Seahawks must continue. After last week I am not sure how I can talk about picks anymore...but I must.
The Pro Pick'Em challenge picked up last week when two of our writers (Jesse and Steve) correctly picked 3 out of the 4 match ups. Once again Clint went 2 and 2 and seems to excel at being .500. Then we have Elliott who refused to pick a winner each week for the Seattle game and found a way to incorrectly pick all 4 winners last week. He is currently sitting alone at the bottom. But don't you worry, this weeks game are worth 5 points each so, he still has a chance (a slim one) to capture the Pro Pick'Em - Unsportsman Writers Post-Season Challenge.
In addition to each game being work 5 points, all four writers have each been assigned one team where they will provide the team's "Pros" and "Cons." Before reading the writer's material below, please shield the eyes of any minors in the room. Some of our writers were assigned teams that they really, really, hate and didn't hold back.
Current Standings
Jesse 5-3
Steve 5-3
Clint 4-4
Elliott 1-7
Jesse - assigned team Steelers
Pros:
First downs. Pittsburgh has a defense. Offenses don't get many first downs.
Usually a ball control offense. Give them the lead, it's over, they'll grind it to the ground.
Clock management. On both sides of the ball.
Kicking game. Suisham has missed just two FG's since replacing the other fat slob ass of a kicker Pittsburgh had before him.
Cons:
Penalties. The Steelers finished the regular season in the top 10 in the NFL with 100 penalties.
Ike Taylor. It's the law of averages. He's shadowing #1's, and doing a good job. He's due to get burned.
Tomlin. He's outmatched in his public fetishes by Rex Ryan.
Troy Polamalu. I hate him. And he's not 100%.
Picks:
New York Jets over Pittsburgh
Green Bay over Chicago
Steve - assigned team Jets
Pros:
1. Very strong defense
2. Good running attack (LT can still bring it).
3. Highly motivating Head Coach (players love to work for him).
4. Confidence. They've eliminated Peyton Manning and Tom Brady from the playoffs.
Cons:
1. Sanchez is still erratic and inconsistent as a passer.
2. Revis is a great CB, but what about the other guys?
3. They're facing the top run defense in the AFC Championship, let alone the 2nd overall defense.
4. Roethlisberger. He's not often mentioned as an elite QB such as Manning or Brady, but watching him play, he's gotta be the most dangerous QB for a defense. He extends plays and avoids sacks like no other QB in the NFL. Look no further than the 21-0 deficit that he erased against the Ravens.
This is going to be a tough battle between these two teams, but knowing what I know about the Steelers, and despite how I feel about them, I think they will end up in the Super Bowl and the Jets will go home from their 2nd straight AFC Championship game. Roethlisberger, not the Steelers defense, will be the biggest difference maker here. I can only hope that Green Bay beats Chicago and I get to watch Clay Matthews destroy Roethlisberger.
Picks:
Steelers over Jets
Packers over Bears
Clint - assigned team Packers
Kind of interesting how I was assigned the only team out of the four remaining that I actually like. Maybe it was just dumb luck or maybe someone with a lot of power set it up this way. Anyways, the Packers in my book have a lot more Pros then Cons. I feel they are riding high and have the offensive and defensive studs to win this year's Super Bowl.
Pros:
* Aaron Rodgers - This guy has been on fire throughout the playoffs and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. That's bad news for the Bears.
* Defense - The Green Bay defense is a lot better than Seattle and will confuse Culter with their coverage and blitz schemes.
* Clay Mathews - Can anyone stop this guy? He is tough, tough, tough and will be all other Cutler the whole game.
Cons:
* Running game - The Packers had a good run game in week 1 and a terrible run game in week 2. They need to get something in between to keep the Bears' defense honest.
* Soldier Field - This is a tough place to play for visiting teams and will surely be advantage for the Bears who beat the Packers at home earlier in the year.
* Rivalry Game - This could be a Pro or a Con as these types of games bring out the best in both teams. However, Rivalry Games usually favor the home team.
Picks:
Jets over Steelers (I hate the Steelers and can never pick them to win)
Packers over Bears
Elliott - assigned team Bears
Pros:
They get to play at home. That's the big pro. Do you remember when the Panthers were travelling to Seattle during our Super Bowl run and everyone thought they would win, despite the fact they had just played two straight road games? And then they got ran off the field by the Seahawks? Well, it's really tough to win three straight road games in the playoffs really tough.
Cons:
They have Jay Cutler, who is a giant douchebag. No one likes him. My buddy Brian is a huge Bears fan and even he hates Jay Cutler. Jay had a good game against us, but don't be fooled. He's a blow up waiting to happen. The Bears defense is good, and they might slow down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense, but Jay Cutler isn't going to be able to keep up with them.
So which will happen? Will Green Bay win a 3rd road game or will Jay Cutler have a good game? I trust Green Bay before I trust Jay Cutler. Green Bay goes to the Super Bowl.
Picks:
As for the other game, I really hate both teams but I hate the Stealers more. Sadly, I think they'll win. GB against PIT in the SB.
Steelers over Jets
Packers over Bears
Well, last week had a couple of shockers. Only one home team won (The mighty 7-9 Seahawks).After week 1 of the playoffs we have a three way tie for first.
Steve and Clint correctly picked the winner of the SEA/NO game and the PHI/GB game, but missed on the other. Jesse once again had no love for the local team and was punished for the second week in-a-row. However, he also correctly picked the winner for two games. Then there is Elliott...once again hanging out at the bottom of the list. He only picked one winner last week
[ Click here to read more ]
Now that the regular season has come to an end, we here at Unsportsman want to continue the "Pick'Em" fun. We have decide to extend the excitement and pick winner of each playoff matchup.
This week we will be picking the winner of each WC matchup and provide an explanation for our picks
[ Click here to read more ]
After 17 long weeks, we have come to the end of the Pro Pick'Em - Unsportsman Writers Challenge. As the most of you may know we changed up the rules in week 17 by making each game worth 5 and the SEA/STL game worth 10.
Going into the last week Jesse had a huge lead on the rest of the field. However, it was his lack of faith in the home team that cost him the regular season title. Jesse had a 6 point lead over Steve heading into the Sunday night game. Steve picked the Hawks...Jesse didn't not
[ Click here to read more ]
This week I will be doing something a little different. I am giving you a start/sit list from players on two teams in Winless and my fantasy football league. Before I do this, I would like to tell you all a little story. Let me set the mood.
It all started after week 9 of the football season. During that week we encountered some problems with scheduling and one of the managers in our league became really pissed off. We lost that manager due to some technical difficulties with, well...let's just say he was being a big baby
[ Click here to read more ]
Today started out so well for me. I was able to get an extra 30 mins of sleep, my car started this morning (so far it has started every morning, but this would be bad if it didn't), all the sports talk shows had some interesting topics and I was at least 10 mins early to work. While at work I got the IRS to forgive about $48k in penalties and interest for one of my clients so, that made his day, which made me, feel better. I also got to prepare a couple federal and tax research papers. (I know, I know sounds kind of lame, but hey, I am a nerd and I like it) So yeah, I was having a great day until...Agghh!!!
Damn Mariners screwed up my day.
[ Click here to read more ]
The fantasy football regular season for most leagues is slowly coming to an end. Which means the majority of the teams are set with their lineups. However, for those teams that may need a win this week to make the playoffs or to advance in their playoffs, I have provided a list of players that could help you.
Due to the limited amount of players still available on the waiver wire, I have listed mostly players that would be considered a reach at best. However, these are just the type of players that could lead your team to a championship if they pan out
[ Click here to read more ]
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