A wise man, ok, my boss, once
told me to NEVER bet money on an NFL game. He continued on that I’d
have an 85% chance of losing the bet. I scratched my head and he told
me to stop thinking so hard; that there are far too many variables that
go into betting “Straight-UP” or “Against the Spread” on any
given game. Let’s just say that I didn’t listen. I couldn’t turn
down the $40 bet at H###### that came from a total stranger. I’m not
a punk!
Long story short, over the
years I probably helped a few strangers put their Halo playing youngsters
through college before I gently pulled that cold hand out of my pocket.
I am telling you this story because of NFL weekends like this past one.
On Alicia Keys’ green Earth, can somebody please tell me what’s
going on with the Saints and Vikings? Really, is this how we take an
explosive season into the playoffs? Who lost money on ‘dem Saints?
And is Adrian Peterson as talented as he is suspect? I don’t want
to believe that dude isn’t elite. See, those were the type of games
that I would’ve lost my watch over. On the other end of all that,
the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers showed some grit, some
promise. Carrying this performance over to next season, I can’t call
it.
The Indianapolis Colts finally
joined the rest of the losers in the league. The New York Jets, yes,
the same team that its own coach said their season was over a little
over 2 weeks ago, rose to the occasion to beat a soon dejected squad.
Did you see the sad mugs on those Colt faces? Didn’t you want to buy
Peyton Manning a drink and tell him that everything would be ok? I don’t
believe in teams that rest their players before a playoff run. To tell
you the truth, I don’t believe that 2009 is almost over, well until
I heard Skillz do the 2009 wrap-up. My suggestion to the Colts staff
would be to, “Play to Win the Game,” in your regular season finale,
or your season finale will come sooner than the Superbowl. And I just
want to go on record saying that Indianapolis is one Manning injury
away from becoming the Kansas City Chiefs. The only ‘Painter’ I
believe in is Amanda Diva… shots fired!
The Playoff Picture has become
even clearer this past weekend, especially in the NFC. The NFC has its
six teams, New Orleans, Minnesota, Arizona, Philadelphia, Dallas, and
Green Bay. New Orleans is a lock for the #1 seed after Minnesota sputtered
last night. Every seed after is wide open. A team like the Philadelphia
Eagles controls their own destiny. If they beat the Dallas Cowboys in
their regular season finale, the Eagles could move up to the 3 seed
and as high as the 2 seed. And the interesting part about this finale
is that the Eagles, although the 4 seed at this time, hasn’t won the
division yet. So we have our “AHH Game of the Week”. Dallas vs.
Philadelphia, I feel a fight coming on; sorry Mayweather and Pacquiao.
In the AFC, only division champions
are locked, Indianapolis, San Diego, New England and Cincinnati. Both
Baltimore and the Jets are in control of their Wild Card destiny. A
victory this coming weekend would clinch their Playoff position. A loss
by either team would open up the flood gates to Denver, Houston, Pittsburgh,
Jacksonville and Miami to slide into the picture. If your team is hanging
on by a thread, what are their chances of grabbing up one of the final
spots?
As always, I can’t talk about
every team in these wrap-ups. Once again, I appreciate all our loyal
readers that follow this column. People are OWNING UP, every week. And
it is clear that we have diehard fans being realistic about their squads
and showing respect to different views. So if your team has already
clinched their playoff spot, is there a team in your conference that
you hope you don’t face in the playoffs; a team that you want to see
in the playoffs? Giants fans, c’mon son, talk to us; y’all never
should had called me out at the beginning of the season saying that
I don’t cover your team. OWN UP, how did you feel about your teams’
showing in closing down Giants Stadium? In closing, I’ll never bet
on an NFL game again. But there is something I know for sure… AllHipHop.com
being the best site in 2010 for all of your information needs is something
that you can bet on and win tenfold!
Chicago 36, Minnesota 30
Atlanta 31, Buffalo 3
Houston 27, Miami 20
Green Bay 48, Seattle 10
Carolina 41, NY Giants 9
Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 20
Tampa Bay 20, New Orleans 17
Cleveland 23, Oakland 9
Cincinnati 17, Kansas City
10
New England 35, Jacksonville
7
San Francisco 20, Detroit 6
Arizona 31, St. Louis 10
NY Jets 29, Indianapolis 15
Philadelphia 30, Denver 27
Dallas 17, Washington 0
San Diego 42, Tennessee 17