NFL Week 12 picks: The calm before the tryptophan-induced coma

In 1621, on a plantation near the famous Plymouth Rock, the pilgrims and Wampanoag indians got together to celebrate the autumn harvest with a friendly game of football.

(At least, that’s how we think the story goes.)

Some 388 years later, the tradition of celebrating an autumnal harvest continues with a friendly game of football.

However, now, there are three games instead of just one. It’s called progress.

Let’s progress to the picks …

How’d we do in trying to predict the 32-team World Cup field?

We’re going to take a short break from the utter insanity that is MLS Cup hype week to look forward to the next huge event on the soccer calendar: The 2010 World Cup.

It’s just 202 short days away. And, thanks to the final day of World Cup qualifying on Wednesday, we now know the complete field of 32 teams.

In even a shorter amount of time from now is the official 2010 World Cup draw. That takes place on Dec. 4. Should be fun.

Anyway, a long time ago (or, seemingly a long time ago), we here at Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff made an ambitious attempt to predict the 32-team field for the 2010 World Cup.

How’d we do? Let’s break down the field …

NFL Week 11 picks: Once upon a time …

This week, the 1-8 Detroit Lions host the 1-8 Cleveland Browns in a game many won’t want to watch.

That hasn’t always been the case.

For the time being, we’re going to hop in the way-back machine and take a road trip to a time when the Browns and Lions were the dominant teams in the NFL. That time was the 1950s (which, sadly, didn’t feature such things as the Super Bowl, the no-huddle offense, Twitter or the RedZone channel), when the Browns and Lions combined to win six of eight NFL championships between 1950 and 1957. If you don’t believe us, check it out. The Browns and Lions, together, were the class of the NFL.

The Browns played in their league championship game 10 of 11 years, starting with their original seasons in the old AAFC (1946-59) and into their time in the NFL. The Lions won three championships — all at the expense of the Browns — in four title game appearances.

The rosters of those two teams was a who’s-who of 1950 footballers. The Lions featured Hall of Famers Bobby Layne, Doak Walker, Yale Lary, Jack Christiansen, Joe Schmidt and Lou Creekmur. The Browns featured Hall of Famers Otto Graham, Marion Motley, Dante Lavelli, Len Ford, Lou Groza and Bill Willis. The Browns were led by Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown, the “father of the modern offense” (which, basically means that he helped put the forward pass into pro football. There’s a great story here — bear with me here — the Browns’ original game in the NFL came in Week 1 of the 1950 season against the two-time defending NFL champion Eagles. The Browns crushed the Eagles 35-10, in one of the great “upsets” in NFL history. Eagles coach Greasy Neale dismissed the Browns’ shredding of the supposedly vaunted Eagles defense by saying, “All they do is pass the ball.” In a rematch later in the season, the Browns set an NFL record that still stands by attempting no passes in a 13-7 win over the Eagles. That was an epic face at the time. Hope you enjoyed storytime with Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff).

Anyway, while the Browns experienced varying degrees of success since the 1950s, the Lions have not been a team of consequence since then.

While we celebrate the renewal of this once-legendary rivalry, let’s make some pro football picks …

Photo of the day: Nov. 13

The lights go out less than 20 minutes into the MLS Western Conference final between the L.A. Galaxy and Houston Dynamo at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (Photo by Jim Reineking)

From the L.A. Times: Galaxy reach MLS Cup

For more great photos, click here

NFL Week 10 picks: Let’s hope this goes better than last week

A long time ago, on an Internets far, far away …

While sporting my collective football prognostication chops for FOXSports.com, I made a host of horrible predictions. It as 2005, and my picks are — thankfully — nowhere to be found on the World Wide Webernets. Instead, only the utter humiliation served up in the form of words by Gregg Easterbrook, then of NFL.com and now of ESPN.com, who bestowed on me the dishonor of “Worst Prediction of the Year” (A form of this piece can be found right here. I don’t care if you read it. In hindsight, it’s quite hilarious).

When I have a bad week picking games — such as the one I had last week — I will always have that to look back at and think, “Hmm, it could be worse. Gregg Easterbrook could be reading my little blog.” He doesn’t. I know this for a fact. I have a very small (very, very small) following. Even fewer of those people use these picks to make recreational bets on the sport of professional football.

Like me, please don’t take these picks seriously …

Photo of the day: Nov. 6

The view at the Stadium by the Sea for a Pali High vs. Hamilton High football game in Pacific Palisades. (Photo by Jim Reineking)

Click here for more great photos

NFL Week 9 picks: Big hurts for the horse

Injuries are a natural part of the game of football, but what has transpired in Indianapolis this past week has been a bit out of the ordinary and very devastating to the team’s Super Bowl championship hopes.

Right as the Colts prepare to hit arguably their most crucial part of the 2009 season schedule, the team lost starting safety (and 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year) Bob Sanders and cornerback Marlin Jackson for the season. In addition, starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden is expected to miss up to four weeks of play.

Those four weeks will could ultimately decide the Colts’ fate.

It all begins Sunday with the red-hot Texans coming to Lucas Oil Stadium, continues with the always-intense matchup with the Patriots, followed by a visit to Baltimore and a trip to Houston.

The Colts have owned the Texans in their all-time series, winning 13 of 14 matchups — seven of seven in Indy — since the 2002 inaugural season for Houston.

That being said …

Plenty of good seats available in Jacksonville

The Jacksonville Jaguars lead the league in blackouts. They are officially the JaMarcus Russell of NFL franchises.

NFL Week 8 picks: Pointing and laughing at the Raiders

“I don’t think it’s me personally, I really don’t. It’s a bad combination of one guy doesn’t do something right one time. Personally, I don’t think so. Do you?” — JaMarcus Russell, following the Oakland Raiders’ 38-0 shellacking against the New York Jets on Sunday.

That collective, “Yes, JaMarcus. Yes, it is you,” is coming from America, which can easily see what the former No. 1 overall pick can’t …

This pro football thing just isn’t going that well for Russell.

The player chosen six spots ahead of the incomparable, possibly Hall-of-Fame-bound Adrian Peterson in the 2007 draft is teetering ever so dangerously close to the not-exactly lofty standards set by Ryan Leaf and Akili Smith before him. Leaf, of course, is the gold standard as far as draft busts are concerned. His is the first name mentioned in such discussions. Leaf is followed closely by Tony Mandarich, whose bustatude is beginning to slowly fade from memory by the two decades that have passed since that star-laden 1989 draft and the fact that there have been many more colossal top draft pick failures since then.

Leaf made just 21 starts in four seasons in the NFL. Russell has made 23 starts over three seasons. Let’s check out some key statistics for comparison’s sake …

Leaf (complete statistics)
Comp-Att: 317-655
Comp %: 48.4
Yards: 3,666
TD-INT: 14-36
QB rating: 50.0

Russell (complete statistics)
Comp-Att: 308-594
Comp %: 51.9
Yards: 3,687
TD-INT: 17-20 (2-8 this season, FYI)
QB rating: 66.7

Those are some ugly numbers. Please keep in mind … Leaf’s statistics are epically bad, among the worst all-time for a quarterback who was actually at one time a regular starter.

In the middle of a 6-for-11, 61-yard performance, in which Russell threw two perfect passes to Jets defensive backs, Raiders coach Tom Cable pulled Russell and replaced him with journeyman Bruce Gradkowski, whose own stat line — 10-19, 97 yards, no TDs, no interceptions — wasn’t enough to keep the former Toledo QB in the starting lineup for next week’s game against the Chargers in San Diego. This disaster should be fun for fans of other teams to watch.

While football fans outside of Oakland should be thankful that they are not Raiders fans, Greatest Pro Bowls of all time, and other stuff will make some football picks …

Photo of the day: Oct. 24

Confetti falls after a Los Angeles Galaxy goal at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (Photo by Jim Reineking)