2017 NFL Season

THE NFL 2017 SEASON BEGINS TONIGHT!!!

That’s right, people, the New England Patriots will take on the Kansas City Chiefs to begin the new season. This should be a good game between two playoff caliber teams and, of course, it features the defending Super Bowl champions. The bummer about this game is the most interesting thing could be the fact that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be at the game. It will only be a matter of time before the show the commish on the jumbotron to the resounding boos of the Patriot faithful who will always feel Goodell did their Tommy Boy wrong. What I want to see is a food fight between Goodell and Pats owner Robert Kraft because of Kraft’s resentment over the whole deflate-gate mess. I’m sure he’d rather have a bad case of diaper rash than have to sit next to a man who stabbed him in the back.

In other NFL news, Cleveland has cut S Calvin Pryor who got into a fight with WR Ricardo Lewis before today’s practice. Cleveland acquired the troubled safety in a trade with the Jets back in June and now they are compelled to let him go which opens the door for 2nd year safety Derrick Kindred to start next to rookie Jabril Peppers when the Browns open their season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Having such a young backfield doesn’t bode well for the Browns who face a guy in Ben Roethlisberger who has more wins (20), passing yards (5490) and passing TDs (35) than any other player against the Browns. Gosh, I hope the Browns are good enough to survive this. Another bit of bad news for Cleveland is they will be without the #1 pick in this year’s draft because Myles Garrett has suffered the dreaded high ankle sprain and he will miss several weeks as a result. Good times, Cleveland, good times.

The Chiefs blew the Patriots away in the second half of their opening game of the 2017 season last night on the way to a 42-27 win. This was only the 3rd loss at home for the Patriots in the Tom Brady era which began in 2001.

In one of the most surprising games ever the Chiefs were the juggernaut on the field last night shutting down the Patriots offense and running roughshod over the Pats defense. Alex Smith was the best QB on the field last night throwing for 368 yards and 4 TD’s. Two of those TD’s went to the other star of the game RB Kareem Hunt who had a 3-yard TD just before halftime that closed the 17-7 deficit to the Patriots to a more manageable 17-14 halftime score. His other TD came on a 78 yard catch and run late in the 4th quarter to ice the game for the Chiefs. Hunt, a rookie playing his first regular season NFL game fumbled on his first carry but it was Katie-bar-the-door after that. He had 148 yards rushing with a TD and another 98 receiving with the two TD’s. Heckuva debut I’d say.

Another star for the Chiefs was WR Tyreek Hill who led all receivers with 7 catches for 133 yards including a 75-yard pitch and catch from Alex Smith at the end of the third quarter. In all the Patriots were torched for a total of 553 yards of offense by the Chiefs and 6 TD’s. The only bad news on the night for Kansas City was S Eric Berry had to be carted off the field in the 4th quarter with what is speculated as a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg.

Brady didn’t do badly but he was constantly harassed by the Chiefs front 7. It appears that the Chiefs Justin Houston is fully recovered from a torn ACL in 2015. Houston came back and performed fairly well in the 4th quarter of the season last year but he looked in peak form last night as part of a relentless Chiefs defense that dominated the Patriots after giving up 17 first half points. Houston had 2 of the 3 sacks recorded by the Chiefs and a couple more QB pressures. The Patriots never had that Julian Edelman type to step up for Edelman who tore his right ACL in the preseason. His presence will be missed. Danny Amendola has the ability to step in for Edelman but his career has been plagued with injuries and he went down last night with an apparent concussion in the 2nd half of the game.

In other NFL news, the Tampa Bay Bucs @ the Miami Dolphins has been postponed until Week 11 when both teams are scheduled for their bye week because of Hurricane Irma which is going to hit Florida this Sunday with rains beginning well before then.

Here is a list of starts and sits for Week 1 in two parts from Fantrax, a fantasy website.

https://www.fantrax.com/news/nfl/fantasy-columns/clrfjr0yj7c20w1f

https://www.fantrax.com/news/nfl/fantasy-columns/ty0xrifbj7c2dxmo

Just make sure you have your best fantasy lineup set. After the weirdness of the KC-Pats game where the stars of the game were Chiefs not Patriots you have to think this whole thing through.

So, in keeping with all the ink I've devoted to Cleveland over the last few posts in the offseason I believe I have no choice but to pick Cleveland in the upset of the week. Yes, I am saying they will beat Pittsburgh even without a proven QB or their #1 overall pick in the draft Myles Garrett who suffered a high ankle sprain late in training camp. I have no clue what score the game will be but I am just picking Cleveland to win. Crazy, right? Riiiiggghhht.

It was a weird start to the season last week, wasn’t it? Jacksonville buries Houston when Houston needed to be great and they certainly were not. Is this Jags team for real? Only time will tell but they certainly have plenty of talent in all phases of their team. Calais Campbell might be the free agent signing of the season if he keeps up what he started with 4 sacks against the Texans. Blake Bortles didn’t suck and that is something you might have expected when Tom Coughlin came on board as a consultant for the Jags this year.

Cleveland did a decent job for 2nd year head coach Hue Jackson but they still found a way to lose their 13th consecutive opening day game. The final 21-18 score was similar to about 6 or 7 games the Browns had last season that they just fell a tad short of winning. This is a young team that just needs to learn how to win these close games. Deshone Kizer was pretty decent in his first NFL start out of Notre Dame. A special teams turnover by Cleveland in the first half that resulted in a Pittsburgh TD was the difference in the game. C’mon Browns!

The Titans played a close game with Oakland but came out on the losing end. The Titans running game never got going and needs to get better soon or this will be another long year in Tennessee.

Who would have thought the Rams would put a gigantic foot in the asses of the Indianapolis Colts? That 46-9 beat-down has the headline reading this week, “Will it be Tolzien or Brissett?”, as the Colts need to find an offensive spark. Tolzien is a veteran backup and that’s really all he is. Jacoby Brissett was a highly-touted rookie coming out of college heading into the 2016 NFL draft and the New England Patriots drafted him in the 3rd round much to everyone's surprise considering they already had Jimmy Garapollo . With Tom Brady suspended 4 games and Garapollo out injured Brissett, with little to no 1st team reps, came out in Prime Time and beat the Texans. In the offseason, Indy made a deal with New England to acquire Brissett and in exchange they sent WR Phillip Dorsett to the Patriots. Indy wanted to get some insurance because it looked like Andrew Luck would still be rehabbing after having surgery on his throwing shoulder in the offseason. Dorsett was a 1st round draft pick by the Colts in 2015 and with Danny Amendola out with a concussion and Julien Edelman out for the year with a torn ACL Dorsett may be just what the doctor ordered for the Patriots. Knowing what Tolzien is and the potential many people, including the Colts, have seen in Brissett it may be the right time to toss him into the mix.

The Ravens shut out the Bengals 20-0 Sunday with Joe Flacco throwing for just 121 yards and a TD to WR Jeremy Maclin. Is that an indictment of the Bengals or a tribute to the Ravens D? We’ll see as Baltimore will play Cleveland and Cincy will play Houston tomorrow night. I am personally hoping for Cleveland and Houston to come out on top this week.

The weirdness began on Thursday night as the Patriots were ambushed by the Chiefs which just doesn’t happen on the Pats home field. Alex Smith looked more like Tom Brady than Tom Brady did. The Chiefs just spit in the Patriots eye and handed them a opening night 15 point loss. The Patriots also lost Danny Amendola for the foreseeable future to a concussion and nobody else on the Patriots roster really stepped up for Brady and the offense. As for the Chiefs, they may have found their franchise running back AND wide receiver as Kareem Hunt rushed for 148 yards and added another 98 yards receiving while scoring 3 TD’s. Tyreek Hill caught 7 balls for 133 yards and a TD to lead all receivers in the game. With explosive weapons like these Alex Smith can feel free to stop being the dump-off king and go downfield a lot more often. Watch out for these Chiefs because their defense is pretty darn good. Leading the way is a rejuvenated Justin Houston who terrorized Tom Brady in the pocket all game.

At the other end of the Week 1 schedule was the Saints laying a big fat egg in Minnesota against the Vikings. This Vikings team is also pretty good and could give the Packers a run for their money in the Norris Division this year. Sam Bradford played like the #1 draft pick he was in 2010. He’s finally on a team with a good O-line to protect him and he’s also beginning his second year under the same offensive coordinator for the first time in his career. Bradford had time to sling the ball around like he was back at Oklahoma throwing for 346 yard and 3 TD’s with no picks while rookie RB Dalvin Cook rushed for 127 yards breaking Adrian Peterson’s opening day Vikings rushing record in the process. All the while AP is on the sideline giving Saints head coach Sean Payton the stink eye because he only had 9 carries in the game. I’m not sure what Peterson expected but he had to know the Saints are a pass-first team and he wasn’t going to get 25 carries a game especially with Mark Ingram still on the roster.

That was Week 1. I’m glad football is back and I don’t really care who won or lost except for the Texans and Cowboys and you know how that turned out. The beginning of Week 2 is tomorrow night when Houston travels to Cincinnati. Both teams pretty well sucked in Week 1 and I hope the Bengals keep that Suck-Train going one more week.

Those crazy guys in the NFL never sleep, do they? Always churning the lineup trying to get better and it’s only Week 3!

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up WR Jaelen Strong just one day after he was cut from the Texans roster. There is a spot open vacated by Allen Robinson when he went on injured reserve when he was injured in Week 1 against, ironically enough, the Houston Texans.

The Panthers have placed Greg Olsen on IR yesterday because of a broken right foot. He can come back after six weeks if the Panthers want to. Obviously, they will want to.

Former Pittsburgh Steeler LB Lawrence Timmons was signed by Miami to a free agent contract in the offseason. In Week 1, after being displaced by Hurricane Irma and had their scheduled game against Tampa Bay rescheduled, the Dolphins were in California practicing for their Week 2 game against the Chargers this past Sunday. Timmons was at practice but he was not with the team for the game. After some investigation Dolphins head coach Adam Gase suspended Timmons indefinitely. Now the collective bargaining agreement with the NFLPA states any suspension can only last a maximum of 4 games. So “indefinitely” has it’s limits. No information on why Timmons was not with the team on Sunday but whatever excuse he had for missing the game was not good enough to keep him from being disciplined. BTW, the Dolphins won the game.

As you know already the Dolphins-Bucs game was postponed until Week 11 when both teams are on their bye week. Week 1, in effect, became their bye week but it was not much of a bye when you have to evacuate from a Cat 5 hurricane.

The Patriots, according to former Patriot Rob Nincovich, and in particular Bill Belichik sent a message to two veterans who got benched in last Sunday’s win over New Orleans. CB Malcolm Butler and DT Alan Branch were benched to start Sunday’s game. Both players had been pushed around by Kansas City the week before and both veteran players paid the price for poor play. BTW, the Patriots dismantled the Saints 36-20. Message received.

After falling to 0-2 to start the season Giants head coach Ben McAdoo is considering giving up play calling duties for the offense. McAdoo has called plays since becoming the Giants OC in 2014 but he stated in yesterday’s press conference, “You can’t continue to do the same things and expect things to change.” The Giants have not scored a TD in 2017 and they have scored no more than 20 points in any game since Week 9 of last season.

In a move that is likely linked to the Lawrence Timmons situation the Dolphins made a deal with New Orleans to acquire LB Stephone Anthony in return for an undisclosed 2018 draft pick for the Saints. Anthony had started 19 games over the past two seasons for the Saints but an ankle injury has slowed him down in 2017. The Saints and Dolphins play each other in Week 4.

My Browns can’t seem to figure things out and now they have lost Corey Coleman for at least 8 weeks with a broken hand, the same injury that cost him most of 2016. The Browns have to be wondering what the hell they were thinking to let Terrelle Pryor go via free agency when they had the money to keep him. Cleveland hasn’t had a winning season since 2007 and it’s not looking good for 2017 right now.

The National Anthem protest thing has just gone too far. I'm sorry but it's a fact people in the USA have the right to a freedom of speech and expression so, while I don't like the kneeling during the Anthem thing, you just have to accept it a part of those people's rights. Most people on social media don't like it but some support it whole heartedly. Who cares, if left along it all would have blown over in time just like when people were burning American flags in protest years ago. That case went all the way to the Supreme Court and the flag burners won. Not long after than protests that included flag burning became as scarce as the dinosaurs.

But nooooooo. Our president Donald Trump had to go in front of a group of supporters in Alabama during an appearance and threw down the gauntlet by saying NFL owners should fire every one of the "sons of bitches" who kneel down during the Anthem. Boy, did the fit ever hit the shan over those remarks? The thing is, President Trump is getting a lot of support by people who don't approve of demonstrations during the National Anthem. This protest has reached a level that the reason Colin Kaepernick did it in the first place has been lost in the controversy over people who are willing to tolerate these protests and those who aren't, with the POTUS on the latter's side 110%. With the world on the brink of a possible nuclear war with either Russia or North Korea we are distracted by what are basically harmless protests over police brutality.

Wait, what? Isn't this a thread about the NFL? Right, let's talk NFL.

> Kareem Hunt is the badass RB of the NFL for the 2017 season. So far, in 3 games, all wins by his team the Kansas City Chiefs, he has led the charge in each game. He rumbled through the Patriots for a combined 246 yards in Week 1. He rambled through the Eagles to the tune of 109 yards and this past weekend he rode roughshod through the Chargers for 172 yards rushing. He has been this year's fantasy bonanza. To think, I had the first pick in my draft and I chose Christian McCaffrey. BOING! (Keeper league draft, not as bad as it looks)

> Who would have thought that 2 of the top 3 WR's in the NFL are from Minnesota? Who would have thought that with Sam Bradford not playing two games? Who's chunking the ball for the Vikings then? That would be Houston's own Case Keenum. Last Sunday Keenum threw for well over 300 yards and 3 TD's and Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs were his main beneficiaries and they happen to be ranked 2nd and 3rd in receiving yards in the NFL trailing only Antonio Brown. Case Keenum is a hot fantasy property for Week 4 as they play their first division game against the Lions at home this Sunday.

> My Browns had a prime chance to get off the schnide this past weekend as the faced the equally inept Indianapolis Colts however they blew it. The Colts proved to be less inept than the boys from Cleveland. Oh well, there's always next week but how long will the Browns ownership tolerate their team having their asses handed to them before they make yet another change. The Browns have to see the vast improvement in teams with first time, first year head coaches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The game between the Rams and 49ers was a very entertaining game to watch which is a big issue with a Thursday night football game. Kyle Shanahan of the Niners and the Rams' Sean McVay are fielding very competitive teams. The Rams are 2-1 and leading the NFC West while the Niners are 0-3 but they are clearly better than their record indicates. The Seahawks and Cardinals better watch their asses because these guys are not playing, they are serious about getting better. So, this is Hue Jackson's 2nd year as head coach and he's not seeing the improvement the other teams have shown. DeShone Kizer hasn't done badly especially considering he lost his best receiver Corey Coleman to a broken hand in Week 1. The Browns did put up 28 points on Indy on Sunday but the defense gave up 31. The Colts were led by a 2nd year QB Jacoby Brissett that the Colts got in a trade with New England just before the season began. So now my Browns are 0-3 -- again while Indy improves to 1-2.

One of the biggest surprises of this season isn't related to a player or team it is about a broadcaster. Tony Romo has been sensational as the color man for the NBC broadcasts. Some people who know Romo personally felt like he would be good but nobody could predict he would be THIS good! Across the board, except for Phil Simms perhaps (because Romo was given his job), reviews have been excellent for Romo and Jim Nantz. Romo has amazed viewers with his ability to call plays before they happen based on his knowledge gained in 10 years as an NFL QB. He also likes to use sound effects a la John Madden as he tosses in a "Boom" or "Pow" every now and then. It's obvious Romo is having fun and the energy and exuberance he brings to a broadcast is infectious. He still needs some polish on his delivery, he is a true rookie never having been in a broadcast booth before this past summer, but he is entertaining and he's knowledgeable and, most importantly, he knows how to communicate to his audience. I've seen a lot of potential broadcasters bring the first two qualities to the table but they couldn't put their thought into clear concise communication with their audience. The NFL Network has several of this type of on-air personalities. It's just exceptional how fast and how good Romo is at his new job. I wish Tony had been able to win a Super Bowl or two but I'm glad for the guy because he's obviously in job he loves. Harp music plays as dream sequence begins "Dak Prescott goes down with unidentified and non-career threatening injury. Cowboys Jerry Jones begs Tony Romo to come back to the Cowboys. After hours of begging Jones finally convinces Romo to come back. After a shaky first game back that the Cowboys manage to win because the Cowboys defense forces 4 turnovers and has two pick 6's to save the game, Romo leads the Cowboys to a division championship and first round bye in the playoffs. The Cowboys host the Packers in round 3 of the Aaron Rodgers vs Cowboys and this time Dallas wins in a rout as Romo throws for 368 yards and 5 TD's. The Cowboys face the Seahawks in the NFC Championship and again Romo is brilliant as Dallas beats Seattle by 24 points 42-18 to Reach Super Bowl LII. Romo is shaky at the start of the SB but between Ezekiel Elliott's running and a stifling defense the Cowboys take a 24-17 halftime lead against the New England Patriots. In the second half the game is a see-saw affair with the Patriots taking a 38-34 lead with 1:49 left on the clock. The Cowboys take possession at their own 25 with 2 time outs and need to go 75 yards for a winning TD, a field goal won't get it done. Romo is masterful showing the Patriots some Tom Brady-like mastery of the 2-minute offense. Romo uses his Jedi mind tricks on the Pats as his ball handling is amazing. He used The Force to feel backside pressure, he spins to his right and finds a wide open Dez Bryant to catches the ball and runs it all the way to the Patriot 4. On 3rd and goal with just 7 seconds left on the clock Romo drops back, he steps up in the pocket as LT Tyron Smith blocks the Patriot's Chandler Jones well past his QB. Romo spots Jason Witten at the back of the end zone and he hits him between the 8 and the 2 with a bullet pass that wrenches victory out of the jaws of defeat. The Cowboys win their first Super Bowl since the 1995 season and Tony Romo wins his first ring. After the game and celebrations have been enjoyed Jerry Jones offers Romo a one year deal convincing Romo to go for the back-to-back championship. Romo agrees and he leads the Cowboys to another SB win. Jerry tries to get Romo to stay for the 3-peat but his body is telling him it's time to pack it in. Romo returns to NBC and resumes his role as lead color man. The Cowboys get to be the first NFL team ever to 3-peat behind Dak Prescott who has learned a lot from Romo as his backup in Romo's year two. Ironically, NBC has broadcast rights to the game and Romo goes to his 3rd SB in a row but this time as a broadcaster. Five years later Romo, having secured two NFL Championships and accumulated enough stats that he becomes the 3rd Cowboys QB inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame joining Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman as the Cowboys HOF 3 headed monster. Harp music plays as dream sequence ends

Man, do I wish some of my dreams would come true.......................................

The games this week have some interesting matchups so I thought I'd take a brief look at two or three or maybe four.

Cincinnati @ Cleveland - This is round one of the battle for Ohio and it also pits two winless teams trying to get off zero. Cincinnati is under performing given the talent they have and they may finally be playing so bad that Marvin Lewis' job might be in real jeopardy. Joe Mixon seems to have claimed the primary RB spot. It's still RB by committee and the Bengals have a really nice committee. The Bengals offensive line hasn't been getting it done and they have been making Andy Dalton look pretty pedestrian. Cleveland has youth and enthusiasm but this team under Hue Jackson came to the team last year has still not learned how to finish games with a win. This is Cleveland's second week in a row they are in a battle of winless teams. Last week it was Indianapolis and I really felt like Cleveland would get their first win of 2017 but it didn't happen. Jacoby Brissett performed well for the Colts and Cleveland's woes continued. Maybe being at home will put Cleveland over the hump.

Chicago @ Green Bay - One of the oldest rivalries in the NFL. This series is the backbone of the old NFL north division that was nicknamed "Black and Blue Division" because of the tough, hard-nosed play of the Bears, Packers and the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions. These are the teams in the current NFC North but they are just a distant cousin to those old Golden Age teams that featured Dick Butkis, Ray Nitscke, The Purple People Eaters, and George Halas and Vince Lombardi. The Bears are 1-2 but they had a real nice win over Pittsburgh on the road last week while the Packers have struggled in their two wins and they got beat down again by Atlanta for their only loss. Last week the Packers were taken to overtime before they beat the Bengals so this game isn't the lead pipe lock it may have been in years past.

Detroit @ Minnesota - This is the other side of the old "Norris" Division. Both teams are tie with Green Bay for 1st place in the division with a 2-1 record. Both teams have looked good and Minnesota boasts a strong passing game even with Sam Bradford on the sideline with a knee issue. Ex-Houston Cougar Case Keenum threw for over 300 yards and 3 TD's in last week's win over Tampa Bay. Detroit is a puzzler. They have Matt Stafford and some nice weapons and they have won 2 of their 3 games but I'm not impressed with this team. I give the edge to Minnesota in this game; they are at home and they are, on both sides of the ball, more consistent through the first 3 games.

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - This is another intense division rivalry in its first go-round of the season. Pittsburgh shot itself in the foot trying to avoid controversy by not leaving the locker room in Chicago last weekend which created even more controversy. They are not only trying to overcome some bad publicity they are trying to overcome an ass whoopin' by the Bears. The Ravens posted two unimpressive wins over Cincy and Cleveland (see how I tied this all up?) but they got demolished by Jacksonville last week. My money's on Pittsburgh just because I like Ben Roethlisberger more than I like Joe (Bowser) Flacco.

So much for a rivalry game, Green Bay just put a big foot in Chicago's backside on Thursday night in a whooping so bad there was speculation that Bears head coach John Fox would be starting rookie first round pick Mitchell Trubisky next Sunday. With extra days off it would be a good time to make the switch. Not only that but Mike Glennon looked like total crap. I'm not talking about his play, that stunk too, but he has a buzz-cut that makes him look like one of the gang members in the original Road Warrior.

This will be the last time I will address this subject. It has gotten far too much ink so far but, I learned some things this past week that I thought I would share.

1. Players do NOT have the right to protest during the National Anthem. They are employed by a privately owned company and they do not have the right, 1st Amendment or otherwise, to express personal political views in their work place. All the owners would have to do is give the players a warning that they work for XXX football club and they do not have the right to express their personal political views on company time. It they do so, it will result in disciplinary action up to, and including termination. (Don't duck fellas, that means you could be fired, not killed). This was news to me, I thought they were protected by the 1st Amendment but it's actually the same for me at my job.

2. The NFL has a Code of Conduct Policy which states players are required to stand at attention facing the flag with their helmets in their left hand with no talking during the playing of the National Anthem. The NFL League Office (i.e. Roger Goodell) could have put a stop to this kneeling nonsense after the first time Colin Kaepernick did it last year. They could have levied fines for the protests and if that didn't work they could issue suspensions. Instead of being part of the solution Goodell and Co. stuck their heads in the sand and didn't do anything. Goodell's Gorillas will fine and/or suspend players for everything else under the sun including violations of the league conduct policy but they are a complete no-show went it comes to this subject. Shame on you, Mr Goodell. If I violate the Code of Conduct at my job that would be my ass you see in a sling. These players who continue these protests deserve no less.

3. President Donald Trump is a direct relation to Jerry Springer. Instead of being a rallying point for healing and understanding his inane posts on Twitter and stupid statements about a private company only fan the flames of division and disharmony. Jerry Springer's job is to bring in two opposites and egg them on until it results in a fist fight. It's the only show on TV that requires bouncers. Springer brings in ignorant people who are ruled by their emotions and he lets them make fools of themselves. That's exactly what Donald Trump does. Not just in this NFL situation but just about every subject he gets involved with. It's sad that our POTUS is not smarter than he is. He's the POTUS and he should not be voicing his opinions like any Joe Schmoe in the street because he represents the USA and he needs to behave in a more dignified manner. He should definitely stay off Twitter.

4. NFL players have a disproportionately high arrest rate compared to any other demographic you might choose. Their arrests are generally for either DWI, domestic violence, driving with a suspended license, drunk and disorderly or assault and battery. If I was them, I would be pissed at cops too because the cops intrude on the players making asses of themselves.

5. Most cops are good people. There are some bad cops but they are heavily outnumbered by the good ones. The good cops even try to weed out the bad ones because those bad cops make their jobs that much harder. The unfortunate fact is that most shootings of minority males happens because they are doing something wrong or they do not obey the cops when they are asked simple questions like, "show me your hands?", or "get out of the car slowly", or "put the gun down". Everybody is a cowboy and everyone thinks they are Bruce Willis. Did you ever stop to think that not every police shooting is done by a white guy? There are cops of every race and, unfortunately, they sometimes have to shoot someone in the line of duty. Somehow this blue vs bad guys became a white and black issue. Black lives matter but so do Hispanic lives, Asian lives and yes Virginia, White lives matter too and every race is represented in the police force. They have families and lives they want to live too. You and I don't have to approach a car at 2 AM alone on a dark street not knowing what the hell they are in for. Give cops a break all the time, not just when you need one.

6. A vast majority of NFL players are good people too. There are countless stories of players doing wonderful things in their communities that actually help people that desperately need help. You wouldn't want their work in the community to stop because they "should stick to football". Not hardly. I'm sure Colin Kaepernick's original protest was made with his heart in the right place. It took guts to do what he did and his act was a classic American trait, to stand up in the face of all opposition to speak out against injustice. IMO it was not a well thought out protest because the backlash from it has ruined his career as an NFL player and effectively divided a nation. If Kaepernick had it to do over again knowing what he knows now, would he do the same thing. I bet he wouldn't.

7. I still love pro football and I still love my Cowboys and Texans and it's a source of pride that neither team has resorted to kneeling during the National Anthem. That is to their extreme credit. Thank you for that guys. I don't want players to think they should censor themselves because this is America and, by God, you have the right to your opinions but I hope they find more productive ways to express themselves, ways that don't piss on the graves of those who died for that flag and this country. To the NFL League Office, grow a pair and stop pussy footing around with bullshit. To the NFL owners, do the same. To the players, showing unity is one thing but doing it using poor judgement is another thing altogether. Be part of the solution not part of the problem.

Week 6 is already here. It begins tonight when the Eagles and Panthers play one another in Charlotte N.C .. Both teams are 4-1 at leading their respective divisions so it promises to be a hotly contested game. I have Christian McCaffrey in my fantasy league so naturally you know who I’m rooting for. That, and there’s that ‘I hate the Eagles’ thing too.

Speaking of fantasy owners, there is a lot going on personnel wise right now.

• JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus both lost for the season throwing the Texans defense in question going forward.
   
  
• Oakland’s Derek Carr missing time because of injury and the overall ineffectiveness of the Raiders offense when he’s not in the game. It certainly diminishes the fantasy value of Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the Raiders skill positions.
   
  
• Marcus Mariota is hoping to return to action Monday night against the Colts who are still without Andrew Luck.
   
  
• As if the Giants didn’t have enough problems, a flare up between Giants HC Ben McAdoo and CB Dominque Rogers-Cromartie has resulted in an indefinite suspension for the player. Rogers-Cormartie was upset at being pulled from last week’s loss against the Chargers. According to the NFL players agreement “indefinite” actually means 1 to 4 weeks.
   
  
• The Bengals Tyler Eifort is done for the season after having surgery for a back injury. This is the second season in a row Eifort has undergone back surgery.
  

There was one trade of note this week especially for fantasy owners of Adrian Peterson. I am not sure if everyone was puzzled about the offseason deal that brought in AP to New Orleans. I really couldn’t see that deal being a good one for either side. The Saints offense is based around the passing of Drew Brees and that’s not likely going to change as long as Brees and Sean Payton are a tandem which also means AP was going to get limited touches in that offense. Now, AP is an Arizona Cardinal. That looks like it could be a much better fit for Peterson. The Cardinals flourished with David Johnson as the featured running back because he was a dynamic runner and really good in the passing game. AP may have limitations in the passing game but he’s been functional as part of the Vikings offense. AP claims there is still plenty left in his tank and I’m inclined to believe him. However, he has crossed that “30” threshold and even great running backs have troubles after reaching the big 3-0. To make room for the 32 year old Peterson the Cardinals released 32 year old Chris Johnson. Johnson’s forte was his blinding speed and he has lost 2 or 3 steps. 32 is much older for a back that depends on his speed than it is for a back that relies on power. We’ll see in the coming weeks is AP has still got some juice or if he is just and old man filled with bluster.

Week 8 is upon us as we reach the halfway point of the season there are some big changes that have occurred. The biggest change was the broken collarbone suffered by the Packers Aaron Rodgers in Week 6. That injury fired up the "hire Colin Kaepernick" camp which the Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy put a clear and final word on the week after Rodgers was injured. McCarthy said in no uncertain terms that the team has three years invested in backup Brett Hundley and two years invested in 3rd string QB Joe Callahan and they were fine with their QB situation. So much for Kaepernick being a Packer.

The Giants lost pretty much their whole receiving corps two weeks ago and they still managed to beat Denver two weeks ago on Sunday Night Football. The Giants fell back into the losing ways the next week against Seattle at home. I think you can safely say the Giants are going to have pretty high draft pick next spring.

The Vikings are rolling along with a 5-2 record despite not having Sam Bradford the majority of the season because of a knee injury. Case Keenum is leading the team to victories as pretty much a bus driver. College's all-time passing leader isn't lighting up the scoreboard with gaudy stats but he's keeping the bus between the ditches as the Vikings defense is carrying the team for the most part.

Cam Newton continues to put his foot in his mouth and there are those who think this latest incident at a post game presser is getting too ridiculous. Newton was asked a question after last Sunday's loss to the Bears in Chicago to which is was apparently offended so he just got up and walked out without another word. To say Cam is a poor sport is an understatement.

You can forget about the Arizona Cardinals being a factor in the playoffs this season after Carson Palmer broke his left forearm in last Sunday's loss to the Rams. Loss? Okay, 33-0 route. Palmer went down in the first quarter and the day got even worse from then on for the Cards.

The Ravens had a no-pity party with Miami this past Thursday as they smashed them 40-0. Jay Cutler was out for Miami but Matt Moore was no savior for the Dolphins. Joe Flacco went out with a concussion but Ryan Mallet kept the train rolling. Neither QB for Baltimore was all that impressive as the Ravens road their run game to the victory. Allen Collins and Javorius Allen led the way with a combined 168 yards rushing to compliment a smothering Ravens defense. The only bad mark in the game other than it was pretty boring was when Miami's Ndomukong Suh pulled one of his silly antics by putting his hand on the throat of Mallet late in the game. We will probably have to wait until next week to find out what will become of that.

The news of the NFL is being less and less dominated by the National Anthem protests. Hopefully, this all will go away soon as the owners and players and the commissioner realize pissing off the clientele is bad for business. The owners will help the players do more community awareness and the NFL will support players' efforts to bring more harmony to their communities and the owners will possibly stop the bleeding these protests have caused the NFL's cash flow.

I lost my fantasy league game last week by 1/2 point. Under performers were Demaryius Thomas and Chris Thompson. Either one could have caught just one more ball in my PPR league and I win. Or, Dallas could have stopped San Fran from scoring that oh-by-the-way TD last week which caused my defense to lose points because of points allowed. I am going nowhere in fantasy this year anyway because I have two of my best players on injured reserve and I didn't draft well the past two years in my keeper league. I was happy to trade a loss for the Astros beating the Yankees in the ALCS. I will gladly give up a fantasy win if Houston can complete the World Series win.

Week 9 is about to begin and how the landscape has changed in the last couple of weeks. Between injuries and trade deadline deals even the world of fantasy football has changed.

The Eagles got stronger making a deal that sent RB Jay Ajaye to Philly. The Eagles O-line is better than Miami's, the Eagles QB is better and the team overall is better. Win-win for Ajaye. (Just so you know, I had a serious problem with muscle spasms forcing myself to write complimentary things about the Eagles. I even threw up in my mouth a little bit. Yech!)

The Texans got way worse with the torn ACL suffered by Deshaun Watson this past week in practice. TJ Yates was signed to backup Tom Savage for the foreseeable future.

Ezekiel Elliott got another stay of his 6 game suspension which means Darren McFadden will be a healthy inactive for the 9th week in a row.

Jacksonville RB Leonard Fornette is inactive today after violation of team rules. There was not any indication what team rules he violated. What this means is the Jaguars will likely use Chris Ivory as the bell-cow today.

The biggest trade deadline deals last week were the ones that involved the move of Jimmy Garoppolo from New England to San Francisco. Garoppolo may start today for the Niners. New England had tried to resign Garoppolo during the offseason but the two sides could not come to an agreement. The other big trade was that of Duane Brown going from Houston to Seattle in exchange for draft picks. It was going to involve a CB and draft picks but the player couldn't pass the Texans physical. Then, there was the Ajaye deal.

The funniest story involving the trade deadline was the non-deal that was made for Bengals backup AJ McCarron. It was reported that the Browns and Bengals had agreed to terms on a deal for McCarron and the Bengals turned in their paperwork to the NFL league office but, since it was a last minute deal, the Browns were said to be celebrating the trade and the acquisition of McCarron that they forgot to submit their part of the paperwork in on time negating the deal. It was just another embarrassing incident in the sad saga of the Cleveland Browns who seem to have given up on their last 3 draft pick QBs, Deshone Kizer from Notre Dame, 2016 draft pick Matt Jones out of Stanford and 2016 other draft pick Cody Kessler. Every one has fizzled or gotten injured and then fizzled. My poor Browns are drowning in ineptitude. Maybe Cleveland can bring back 2010 draft pick Colt McCoy but they'd have to pry him away from the Redskins to get him.

Brock Osweiler will be the starting QB this week when Denver plays the Eagles. Trevor Simien has been flat lousy this season except in the Cowboys game. Osweiler last played well in relief of Peyton Manning a three years ago when Denver won the Super Bowl with Manning under center. Osweiler came in a won games that propelled the Broncos into the Super Bowl but he had to give way to the Hall of Famer when he was healthy. In Houston last season Osweiler was awful. He talked a good game but he played lousy. We'll see if he can recapture some of his mojo now that he's back in Denver.

That's it. It's just a few minutes til kickoff and I have to make sure I set my fantasy lineup today. Not that it will matter.

What am I going to do tomorrow? Most of the time from September to the first Sunday in February my Sundays are already planned, or at least partially planned. For about 3 and a half hours I will be in front a TV somewhere watching the Cowboys and if I have the time and the means I also watch the Texans. The only change in that routine comes when Dallas plays on either Thursday or Monday. My wife knows this and she's okay with it because she likes to give me a hard time when Dallas doesn't do well. Good times. But, I made a pact with myself based on a proposed boycott of the NFL during Veteran's Day weekend to not watch any NFL games or buy products advertised during NFL games. That second one is real bugaboo because you don't realize just how many companies advertise on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. I Googled for a list of advertisers and it is really hard to keep that pact. I can barely find a restaurant to take the family to eat, especially fast food and do you realize how hard it is for a person with a severe Dr Pepper addiction to not drink that grand elixir of life for even one day? I realized that my pact is basically on game days so I can at least live a normal life on Friday and Saturday. I have some cold Dr Peppers on hand for the OU-TCU game tonight and I'm getting some Taco Bell to eat during the game. I know what your thinking, but I don't drink beer, or alcohol for that matters except socially on holidays. Sort of un-American to not drink beer, right? But that's a product of extreme abuse when I was younger. I just have no taste for it any more and I'm lucky to have survived a certain portion of my life so I can recommend that hangovers and damn near killing yourself are worth the buzz. Although, I could have gone down with other Rock-n-Roll icons like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin who all choked to death on their own vomit while under the influence of something. I nearly did that once so, yeah, beer is not a problem. It's kind of like those spiritual fasts some people do where they do without all food and drink for a day or 3 days and doing without products advertised on NFL games is pretty darn close to that but it's worth the sacrifice as a way to protest the NFL league office for being such panty-wastes and to honor the men and women who serve and have served in the armed forces to protect the freedoms of us all.

That said, the boycott won't stop me from keeping up with the scores. I'm still a fan and that won't change and I still play fantasy football and I even though I haven't done a good job setting my lineup this year I have been competitive. I'm 2-6 right now but I could easily by 4-4. Three weeks ago I lost by 1/2 point. That was a bitter pill to swallow and last week I lost by 4 points because I got busy and forgot to reset my lineup. I had 3 players on my active roster that were on their bye week. If I just had one of the 3 I would have won. Maddening, but I have only myself to blame for that one.

So, here we are smack in the middle of Week 10 and both fantasy and real life football is starting to see the real separation of the teams who are headed to the playoffs and the ones who are jockeying for a better draft pick next year. My Cowboys are still in the hunt and, amazingly enough, so are the Texans but their future is whole lot less hopeful that the Boys from Arlington.

It's been a while but here is a link from NFL.com to the starts and sits for this week's game. Less the Thursday night game of course. Notice there is a drop down menu so you can go thru each position.

http://www.nflcdn.com/fantasyfootball/story/0ap3000000873405/article/start-em-sit-em-week-10-quarterbacks

Kelvin Benjamin is now a Buffalo Bill. Actually the trade came last week but this week he will make his Buffalo debut when the Bill face off against the Saints. Benjamin gives the Bills a legit #1 for the first time since Sammy Watkins was traded to LA. I'm sure the Bills are hoping Benjamin makes more of an impact than the perpetually injured Watkins was.

Seattle won the game on Thursday but it was a costly win as Seattle lost CB Richard Sherman to a torn Achilles tendon for the rest of the season. Just about the time Earl Thomas comes back from being on IR the Seahawks lose Sherman. This injury makes Los Angeles the front runner IMO in the NFC West.

Andrew Luck won't play this year, that much is clear. Why jeopardize your franchise QB to a team that bad especially when his shoulder is still messed up. I think it's safe to say that Luck's NFL future may be in trouble. It is being reported that Luck is headed to Europe for treatment on his shoulder. Just like the guy before him, Peyton Manning, when he missed his last year in Indianapolis because of a neck injury, Luck is heading for Europe probably for the same stem cell treatment Manning had. Treatment you can't get in the USA. So, the Colts will ride Jacoby Brissette all the way to the finish.

So far this year the NFL has lost Sam Bradford, Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson and still nobody has called Colin Kaepernick's number. Good. You don't need collusion to know that nobody wants to lug around the baggage Kaepernick brings with him. Maybe if he hadn't laid a 10 pound egg in San Francisco after Jim Harbaugh left he might have a taker or two but he's not and nobody wants to sign a player who brings so much negative attention to himself. That's not my opinion, that's the cold hard fact in this first 2-1/2 months of this 2017 season. If any team needed a QB it's the Houston Texans after the loss of Deshaun Watson but the Texans are hanging their hats on TJ Yates and Josh Johnson after giving Bill O'Brien's Penn State legacy Matt McGloin a shot. I have never freaking heard of Josh Johnson before Houston signed him this past week. I looked him up and it seems he was a pretty good college QB from San Diego St and he's actually been in the NFL since 2008 and he's been on the roster of 12 different NFL teams and one season in the United Football League, in 2012 until the league went belly-up at mid-season. I believe this signing should be the last straw in Kaepernick's realization that he is a persona-non-grata to the NFL.

Enjoy Week 10 non-boycotters. I will be climbing the walls tomorrow.

BTW, I went to see Thor Ragnarok Friday and this is the second real bomb by Marvel Studios. The first bomb was Dr Strange and now this stupid movie. The script is terrible as it has turned Thor into a standup comic dropping one-liners and jokes left and right. The whole movie is just a bad anime episode. It is far below the level of what Marvel led us to expect from the God of Thunder. The one saving grace is Cate Blanchett. I thought she was hot in Lord of the Rings as the elf queen Galadriel but in this she's like an ultra sexy Goth queen. Jet Black hair, dark eye makeup and she looks really good in spandex. This movie was more like a parody than an actual movie, everything was camp and all played for fun. I almost fell asleep twice it was so boring. Oh yeah, as The Valkyrie, Tessa Thompson was really good at what she was given. I liked her but for most of the movie I thought she was Michelle Rodriquez. Those two are twin daughters from different mothers and I'm not complaining a bit. But, not even Blanchett and Thompson could save this turd in a punchbowl. I don't know what the reviews are for this snoozer but I would not be surprised if it was not well received. It was like the guy who directed Guardians of the Galaxy thought he was still filming that movie. I kept waiting for the 'ooh-ga-shocka, ooh-ga-shocka, ooh-ga-ooh-ga-ooh-ga-shocka' start of "I Can't Help Believin'" from the Guardians soundtrack. Even the teasers at mid-credits and at the end were pointless and stupid. Even a play being performed in Asgard is a joke as Matt Damon is playing Loki, Luke Hemsworth (Chris's brother) is playing Thor and fake Odin is being played by Jurassic Park alum Sam Neill. Honestly, it's more like a really long Saturday Night Live skit. Another annoying thing is this movie is supposed to be centered in Asgard and somewhere in the universe far from Earth but all the people sound like Australians. Now, Aussies are okay, but I doubt that, if, there is intelligent life out in the universe I would be willing to bet they don't sound like Crocodile Dundee. I kept waiting for one of the aliens to say, "Crikey". Please don't go see this movie. Spare yourself the shame and regret of it.

The NFL has gone through some changes in the last couple of weeks. The Bills benched their QB Tyrod Taylor basically because the defense has sucked. That experiment was a bust as Nate Patterson threw 5 INT's in the first half of their game with San Diego -- I mean Los Angeles Chargers on the way to a 54-24 route. That action got Patterson benched and put head coach Sean McDermott right in the coaches to be fired crosshairs.

The Oakland Raiders defense might be the worst in the NFL even with Luke Kuechly so Jack Del Rio did what he did in Jacksonville to save his own ass and that was to fire his DC Ken Norton Jr. This tactic worked for a minute in Jacksonville until it didn't and he was fired. If Del Rio doesn't do something to turn that defense around, pronto, he will be standing in the unemployment line again.

The Broncos head coach Vance Johnson decided he needed some job preservation by firing his offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. McCoy was Joseph's first hire after being named Broncos head coach this past offseason. The problem was, after a Week 2 smack down of the Dallas Cowboys, the Broncos offense was as stale as last week's bread. Benching Trevor Siemian wasn't the answer but part of that reason might be his replacement, Brock Osweiler, has not been all that great as you might expect. This comes a week after GM John Elway called the team soft after they lost their 5th straight game when New England so, I wonder what he thought after their 6th straight loss last week to lowly Cincinnati. The new OC in Denver is former NFL QB Bill Musgrave. It's unlikely the Bronco or the Raiders will change their playbooks so I'm sure both teams are hoping the shake up will be enough to kick start the motor on the Broncos offense and the Raiders defense.

After 3 years away from the NFL WR Josh Gordon is back practicing with the Cleveland Browns. The well-documented struggles Gordon has had with mary jane are hopefully behind him. Those struggles have robbed him of what may have been the best years of his career but I hope he comes back strong. You have to see talent like his wasted and hopefully he can succeed in salvaging his career. You have to know Cleveland is desperately hoping he is the same impactful player he was when he led the NFL in receiving. Lord knows they can use him.

What has it been now, a month, since the 49ers won the bidding war to sign Jimmy Garoppolo and he's still not starting. It's not like the 49ers have become this juggernaut with CJ Beathard under center. The Niners are 1-9 so what's the holdup with putting Garoppolo in the lineup? The last game the 49ers played was two weeks ago in a 31-21 win over the NY Giants and that took them into their bye week on positive note. Speculation around the NFL was that San Fran would come out of the week off re-energized with Garoppolo starting but Sean McVay said yesterday that Beathard was starting again this week against Seattle.

Arizona announced that Carson Palmer and David Johnson will not return this season. Neither player has made much positive progress in their rehabs, Palmer recovering from a broken arm and Johnson recovering from a surgically repaired dislocated wrist, and the fact that Arizona is standing with a losing record probably made the announcement a no-brainer. So Arizona will ride with Blaine Gabbert at QB and Adrian Peterson at RB.

Before I close this post I want to wish everyone in BRI-land a safe and happy Thanksgiving. It's a beautiful day and there are some good football games on today to take the obligatory post dinner nap to. There is a good game up first at 11:30 between Minnesota and Detroit. Finally Detroit plays a meaningful turkey day game! Division leading Minnesota is traveling to the Motor City trying to put the upstart Lions in their place while Detroit are looking to stay in the Wild Card hunt with an outside chance of catching the Vikes for a division crown.

Game 2 is the between the Los Angeles Chargers (I can't get used to that) and the Dallas Cowboys. The Chiefs looked like they were running away with the division a few weeks ago but after losing 4 of their last 5 games including last week's humiliating loss to the Giants in overtime have the brought the Chiefs back to the pack giving the Chargers a smidgeon of hope for a playoff spot. Dallas is hoping they can stop the bleeding after two tough loses to Atlanta and Philadelphia. They have a shot at a wild card but they can't continue losing games in the second half the way they have the past two weeks.

The finale in today's slate of games in between two teams whose playoff chances are slim and none. The Slim are the 4-6 Washington Redskins who are clinging to what amounts to the last shred of hope to earn a playoff spot and The None are the NY Giants who managed to out kick the Chiefs at home last week beating them 12-9 in overtime for their first win of the season. Currently, the Redskins are the only NFC East team I don't hate so I will be rooting for them to put a beat-down on the Gints.

Again, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, have a great day!!!

The Texans pulled off a very unexpected win last Sunday against Arizona. It was the sort of game that Houston can build upon as they try to catch Jacksonville for a division lead or, at least, chase a wild card spot. Tom Savage finally had a pretty good game and Braxton Miller is finally making his presence felt at long last. It sucked to lose D'onta Foreman to the torn Achilles last week. He tore it on the last step he took going into the end zone for his 2nd TD of the game. The Texans will be counting on Alfred Blue to fill the gap left by Foreman which is a job he did prior to the arrival of Foreman this season. Lamar Miller and Blue will carry the load for the Texans at RB while Houston has two of their opening day 3 tight ends back after losing two of the three of them in Week 1. CJ Fiedorowicz was the last to return in Week 8. Ryan Griffin returned in Week 3 and he made a big difference for the Texans upon his return. Unfortunately, Griffin suffered another concussion in 7 and was subsequently placed on IR and will miss the rest of the season. Fiedorowicz scored a TD last week against Arizona and the Texans will need production from him. Actually, Fiedorowicz was placed on IR after his concussion and it was reported he would miss the rest of the season. He missed his obligatory 6 weeks at which time he could practice with the team and he was back in the lineup for the Texans Week 8 game against the Browns.

This week Houston will not be playing any chump defense. They will be playing a Baltimore Ravens team coming fresh off a shutout of the Packers. The defense of the Raven is no slouch and Savage will need to keep his head on straight against this group. The Texans defense has the ability to hold the Ravens offense in check and this could turn out to be one of those 13-10 type of games. I don't care other than I really want Houston to beat the Ravens. Go Texans.

No sooner does Aaron Rodgers get back from a broken collarbone than he goes on IR. The reason is obvious, the Packers are out of the playoff hunt. Rodgers played last Sunday but the Packers lost to Carolina ending any hope of making the playoffs so now it’s back to Brett Hundley for the last two games.

Last weekend’s games were all weird. Bad calls, odd plays, general strangeness made a person wonder if we all hadn’t gone back in time to Halloween. Monday night was so weird and had so many goofy plays a debate sprang up over what the goofiest game ever was.

I am so tired of the indignation over the continued player protests during the National Anthem. I’m tired of the protests themselves and I’m especially tired of the continuing inaction by Roger Goodell and the NFL league office and the spinelessness of 31 of the 32 NFL owners. Only Jerry Jones has said that if anyone on the Cowboys were to kneel or otherwise disrespect the flag they would be benched. To date the cowboys have had no player do anything to get himself benched. I wish someone in authority with the NFL (that’s you Roger) and put a stop to this frigging nonsense. This makes me disappointed in the NFL. This is on the NFL leadership and it has given me tired head and kind of wish the season was over.

Sheesh, at least the Rockets are doing well (13 straight wins as of last night!) under my current situation displaced from my home I can’t watch tv anyway. As I said in another thead this is a lost fall season except for the Astros. C’mon 2018!

Is the nation-wide boycott of the NFL really affecting the league's bottom line. I saw a couple of games last week and highlights of a couple of more and there sure looked like a lot of empty seats in some of those stadiums. The continued protests during the National Anthem is probably the most viral topic associated with the NFL. The story lines that should be the most compelling like the return of the Eagles as an NFL power led by Carson Wentz, the phoenix rising from the ashes story of Jared Goff and the Rams dominance in the NFC West. Wentz and Goff, the Nos 1 and 2 picks in last years draft have proven they should have been drafted when and where they were.

How about the resurgent Chargers who forced their way into playoff contention after an 0-4 start to the season. Or the saga of the Cowboys during Ezekiel Elliott's suspension. Dallas was 5-3 when Elliott began his punishment and Dallas quickly fell to 5-6 losing 3 straight before righting the ship and winning the last 3 games to stay alive for a wild card spot in the playoffs at 8-6. The NFC playoff picture is very crowded with only one division wrapped up and only the Green Bay Packers have been eliminated from a host of contenders.

A lot of compelling stories about who has to worry about his job security abound as they always do with the rumor mill ramping up. The most interesting storyline might be in Houston. Rumors are that Bill O'Brien already knows he's out at the end of the season. I think it's totally unfair to blame OB for the slide the Texans have endured. He lost his franchise QB just prior to Week 9, and four defensive starters all before the end of Week 2. There seems to be some disconnect between GM Rick Smith and OB that may have run it's course. We'll see.

So many stories this year that I just haven't had the energy to talk about. Harvey threw a big monkey wrench in the lives of thousands when he blew through at the end of August. Like a lot of folks my family and I have been displaced and have been living in quarters that are way less than we are accustomed to in a location far away from where we live relatively speaking. Still, we have it better than a lot of people and watching the movie White Christmas this afternoon there is a song in the movie titled Counting Your Blessings and as Christmas day approaches this was a good reminder to be thankful for what we have instead of worrying about what we don't have. Good lesson there. Next year will be better, I have to believe that because 2017 was pretty lousy. Merry Christmas BRI'ers. Have a safe and happy holiday and pray that Roger Goodell and the NFL owners pull their collective heads out of their collective asses and put a stop to these protests.

The 2017 regular season is finally over. Playoff teams are set and the playoffs will begin this weekend with the Wild Card round. The good news from my chair is Seattle didn't make the playoffs and neither would Dallas had they beaten Seattle in Week 16. The Rams are in for the first time in a long time as they won the NFC West. The NFC South is the toughest division in football judging by the 3 teams in the playoffs. New Orleans is the Division Champ while Carolina and Atlanta won both wild card slots. The Vikings are in as Norris Division champs and the Eagles own the #1 seed in the NFC but they are probably going into these playoffs as an underdog because Nick Foles is under center instead of Carson Wentz. The NFC Wild Card games this weekend are both probably going to be good games.

Saturday: Atlanta at Los Angeles Rams

Sunday: Carolina at New Orleans

On the AFC side the Patriots and Steelers get the first round bye with New England owning the top seed. The Chiefs hung on to win the AFC West as both Oakland and the Chargers faded down the stretch. Jacksonville won the AFC South and Tennessee earned one of the wild cards. The Buffalo Bills rumbled and stumbled and fumbled their way into the other wild card slot. Here are the games this weekend;

Saturday: Tennesse at Kansas City

Sunday: Buffalo at Jacksonville

More news from around the league:

Rick Smith is taking an indefinite leave of absence to take care of his wife who has been diagnosed with cancer and will begin taking cancer treatments soon. The Texans front office has hired an independent firm to find a temp to replace Smith while he's gone. This also probably means Bill O'Brien won't be quitting or getting fired. Your choice if this is good or bad.

Bruce Arians officially, and tearfully retired from the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals yesterday. Today Carson Palmer announced his retirement after a 15 year career in the NFL playing for Cincinnati and Arizona. So, the Cards need a new coach AND a franchise QB. Good luck with that.

In the "I can't believe this sh*t" category, the Cincinnati Bengals have given head coach Marvin Lewis a two year extension to his contract. I don't think the Bengals have won a playoff game since Boomer Esiason was QB. Certainly not under Lewis' tenure. There must be something in the water in Ohio for both NFL franchises to be the paradigm of futility.

Steelers OC Todd Haley suffered a hip injury after being pushed to the ground outside a bar near Heinz Field in Pittsburgh on New Year's Eve. This came after his wife got into a scuffle inside the bar. I cant' imagine what happened as anyone associated with the Steelers should be held in high regard but booze and boozed up women are not a good pairing and it appears like Haley paid the piper for that New Year's soiree.

From the possible fake news desk, it appears as if the Packers' Aaron Rodgers and race car driver Danika Patrick are a thing now. According to Facebook (which we know is always right) reported that they were seen in Rodgers favorite restaurant in Green Bay smooching it up. We'll see where TMZ takes us on this one.

The Super Bowl LII teams have been decided. It's going to be the New England Patriots vs the Philadelphia Eagles. But you guys all knew that. What many people didn't expect was that the Patriots would have to work so hard to earn their 8th trip to the SB in the Brady-Belichick era with their 24-20 victory. The Jacksonville Jaguars were not the slug many said they were and some even predicted the Patriots would be upset by the Jags. Damn near happened but the Patriots did what they do, they own the 4th quarter. Only the Giants were able to stop the Patriots in the Super Bowl and it took two miracle plays to get the job done. Brady and company just don't lose very often and the fact they have dominated two consecutive decades -- DECADES -- is a testament to what Bill Belichick has built and Tom Brady has executed since 1999. Every other NFL fan of teams other than the Patriots is jealous of them. I know I am. I have been waiting for 20 years since the Cowboys even sniffed a SB.

You have to know the Jaguars are going to be tough going forward. They have built a good team and their defense is for real. There will be Blake Bortles detractors but over the past 6 weeks Bortles has played good football and he definitely has some quality work to build upon going forward. For Texans fans you gotta know that Jacksonville is the favorite to win the AFC South in 2018 and maybe years beyond that. With the Titans making the playoffs and the Jags making a strong showing in the AFC Title game you won't be able to write off the division as a pushover any more.

On the NFC side of the ledger that game was a good game to take a nap to, unless you're an Eagles fan. The Beagles blew out the Vikings 38-7 in a game in which they were the underdog. Everyone that makes predictions about these games figured the Vikings with their 2nd ranked defense in the NFL were going to beat the Carson Wentz-less Eagles. Nobody gave poor old Nick Foles any credit. He would be the reason the Eagles failed to go the SB and I'll bet even Eagles fans were proud that Foles got their guys to the NFC Title game. It may be Eagles head coach Doug Pederson should be in line to win NFL Coach of the Year for how he's brought this team to the mountain top and they are just 60 minutes away from reaching a pinnacle they have never reached in the team's long history in the NFL except in 1963 when they won an NFL Championship. That was before the NFL-AFL merger which means it was before the Super Bowl Era had begun. No titles in 54 years. Who knows, maybe this is their year? In baseball long standing droughts have gone by the wayside. The Red Sox finally won a World Series breaking the curse of the Babino, the White Sox drought went all the way back to the 1919 Black Sox scandal and cross town rival Cubs finally won in 2016 and Houston, whose franchise had never won a title in 57 years of existence finally won the big one last year. Why not the Eagles? I hope they don't, I hope they get their hearts broken just like they did on Feb. 6th 2005 in SB XXXIX when Brady and the Pats beat Donovan McNabb and the Eagles 24-21. That's an ending I can like. Pretty much every pro sports franchise in Pennsylvania is dead to me. So, now you know who I'm rooting for in 2 weeks. February 3rd 2018 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. That's gotta hurt for the Vikings to know they came so close to being the first team in Super Bowl history to host a SB as a participant in the game. A literal home field advantage opportunity was wasted. Fortunately it wasn't a close game so the Vikes and their fans can't cry too much. Heckuva day of football with one more to go (I don't really count the Pro Bowl, do you?)

If you want to lean on the old adage that says, “defense wins championships” you may want to point out that the No 1 AND No 2 defenses in the NFL both lost yesterday. The Jacksonville Jaguars had the No 2 ranked defense in the NFL and that unit gave the New England Patriots fits before finally losing to them when Brady did his usual last-minute comeback thing.

The Minnesota Vikings had the No 1-ranked D in the NFL but you wouldn’t have known it given the 38-7 shellacking Philadelphia put on the Vikings in the second game of the day. Now, the Eagles do have the No 4 ranked defense but it was all about the Eagles’ offense yesterday. The offense never took their foot off the gas pedal as the Eagles kept adding to their point total. The defense did a good job but the offense will get the credit for this win even though, after giving up an opening drive TD to the Vikes, Philly’s defense never let them sniff the end zone again.

So, what about the Patriots? Their defense is the 29th ranked unit in the NFL but this organization knows how to win and the main thing is the defense needs to play adequately during the game but in the fourth quarter the D needs to be good to get that stop that will ice the game or give the offense a chance to steal the game. That is the formula for both teams on defense because, ultimately, the offense will win the game. It doesn’t matter who wins the formula for that win lies in the offense’s ability to score points. My bold prediction in this upcoming Super Bowl LII is this, the game winner will have to have scored 32 points minimum and the point spread won’t be more than 4 points.

You know I’m rooting for the Patriots. In fact, it’s killing me to have to say nice things about the Eagles. Killing me! The one thing I do know, Bill Belichick and Nick Saban have something in common. When you give either one of those guys extra time to prepare their team seldom loses. It’s not just me hating on Philly, until Doug Pederson proves he’s the NFL version of Dabo Swinney, you have to give any edge to Bill Belichick.

The 2017 NFL season is over and the absolute wrong team won. I hate the Eagles and I hope this the city’s last ever taste of victory. Not only do I hate the team from Philly the fans in the city proved to be a group of ignorant idiots. Yay, I’m happy my team won! Let me destroy the city! Typical of a city whose greatest claim to fame is that they booed Santa Claus. I have no idea how Philadelphia was named The City of Brotherly Love because the whole population is rife with tool bags and knuckle draggers. Enjoy your moment in the sun Philadelphians, I hope it never happens again.

We spent the whole year under the cloud of protests during the National Anthem prior to games. This act has successfully pissed off a lot of people and has cost the NFL a big chunk of the consumer’s disposable income. Apparently, it wasn’t a big enough chunk of the NFL’s income to inspire Roger Goodell and the 32 NFL owners to put their foot down and put a stop to this heinous act of disrespect. They are legally within their rights to do so if they would just grow a pair and do the right thing. Some have boycotted the NFL and more power to those who have. Some people, like me aren’t throwing the whole of the NFL under the bus because of the stupidity of a relative few morons. Most NFL players are good people and do a lot in the communities where they live AND they stand for the anthem. I hate the protesters but I hate the NFL leadership even more for not putting an end to it when they have every right to do so. The only good thing I see is that Colin Kaepernick, who began this whole shit-storm, is still unemployed.

Ever have a bad idea and you change your mind before you go through with it? Apparently, Patriots OC Josh McDaniel did just that. All the way up to the Super Bowl the word was McDaniel was going to be the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. But just 2 days after the Pats lost the SB McDaniel opted out of the job in Indy. This is leaving the Colts in a big hole because they have no head coach and no leadership for the direction of the team and no plan in place for the NFL Scouting Combine which starts in about 2 weeks. Kids, tell Mr McDaniel thank you for screwing us over! Thank you Mr McDaniel!