The NFL season started off with a bang and over the past few days I’ve learned some things that I should have known better about. Honestly, I’m just now getting up to speed on some people.
Some folks I defended over and over until it became apparent that I couldn’t count on them. Others just stunk up the joint and proved to me that betting against them is smart.
I once heard Scott Van Pelt say on his radio show that Tiger Woods passed him in the hall at a tournament and said, “Don’t ever bet against me.” That kind of confidence is to be commended, but it doesn’t always pan out.
Look at the Jets. Look at the Chargers. Look at individual players all over football and baseball. We have guys who can barely tie their shoes before they get hurt. Guys who can hardly hold a five-run lead in baseball.
Why do we trust them? We should have known better. No, I’m the columnist. I should have known better…
That The Jets Would Disappoint Me
The Jets were on Hard Knocks. The Jets picked up Antonio Cromartie. The Jets have Darrelle Revis. They have Mark Sanchez. They have every weapon you could ask for.
So what do they do with that? They lose to the Ravens 10-9. Granted, this was a game between two very good teams, but you’d think if the Jets are going to run their mouths this much they could stick it to the Ravens a little.
Mark Sanchez threw for practically nothing. The Ravens just avoided Darrelle Revis and that allowed Anquan Boldin to kick ass in the middle. Basically, the Jets had no answers. For a team that talks so much you’d think they’d have an answer to a very good Raven offense.
What’s worse is that Kris Jenkins, their all-world defensive end, is gone for the season for the second year in a row. Now they have nobody taking up space in the middle.
It was nice when they lost him last year and “stepped up.” Unfortunately, they won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year. How many times do you think teams are going to run to the side Jenkins usually occupies for major yardage? Yeah, I’m not taking bets on that.
The Jets could run the table and go 15-1, but when you have this much hype and you can’ t deliver, we have to wonder if you’ll go 0-2 when New England comes to town next week.
I’ll feel very good about betting against the Jets next time.
That the Chargers Would Do Something Stupid
The Chargers are the Atlanta Braves of football — they get to the playoffs and let down an entire city. It happens frequently in the land of sailboats and perfect weather.
But when you come out on Monday Night Football and lose to the Chiefs, the putrid Chiefs, 21-14 I have to start asking questions. I mean, I call the Chiefs the Chefs because they deserve little to no respect.
How can the Chargers throw out such a stinker against such a pitiful team? The Chiefs aren’t as pitiful as we thought, and the Chargers miss LaDainian Tomlinson, Vincent Jackson, and Antonio Cromartie more than we thought.
The Chargers thought they could do a “Patriots” and just do with what they have. Fill in some holes and everything would be fine because they’re such a class organization.
New Flash! The San Diego Chargers are not the Patriots. Just because you play well in the regular season means nothing. Delivering in the postseason attracts the people you need to fill holes.
When the Chargers start winning in the playoffs then we can talk about being a “class” franchise. Personnel decisions are going to doom them more than they thought.
And having a worthless coach, Norv Turner, at the helm doesn’t help much.
That I Shouldn’t Try to Tell My Wife About Baseball
Heather, here at SteroidsLive, is a major Reds fan. That’s pretty much the only team on the planet she cares about. When they were holding steady with the Cardinals she was going off on Cincinnati’s closer Francisco Cordero.
I kept telling her that he’s your closer and you just send him out there and everything will be fine. Well, “fat baby face” blows saves like they’re going out of style. I don’t get it.
I kept thinking that he could pull it together (for the sake of keeping me in the right) and he still hasn’t gotten his stuff together. Last night I thought he’d get another chance to redeem himself with the Reds leading Arizona in the 9th inning.
Out comes Logan Ondrusek, a rookie setup guy, and he closes out the game. Can we say bye-bye to “CoCo”? Yes, they call him CoCo. I know, it’s gayer than a picnic basket — pardon my Golden Girls.
I kept trying to tell Heather that Cordero was fine, and I was wrong. He’d already pissed me off mightily over the weekend, but he went so far as to lose the confidence of an overly loyal manager like Dusty Baker.
Damn it! I should have been calling for that fat idiot’s job months ago! When a closer starts to go bad it’s over. I can name them from being a Braves fan. Wohlers, Rocker, Ligtenberg. When it’s over it’s over.
If you have questions about your closer you need to answer them yourself. He’s done.
Trust Bob Sanders
Bob, we love you. You’re the best player on the Colts besides Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning. You really are. You’re the emotional leader. You’re the tiny little motor that drives the Colts offense.
It’s too bad you’d get hurt if I tackled you. Sanders is out indefinitely — which usually means “for the whole season” — after being hurt on Sunday.
Granted, the Colts went to the Super Bowl without him, but they also lost it without him. Moreover, they lost their opener to the Texans after getting trounced. The Texans scored at will. Does this have anything to do with Sanders? I think it does.
Last year the Colts were prepared to deal because Dwight Freeney was fine at the beginning of the season. It was only during the playoffs that he was a mess.
Well, after losing the Super Bowl while Freeney limped around the field chasing the Colts and losing Bob Sanders for the season the Colts are feeling it.
If Peyton Manning isn’t prepared to throw for 5000 yards and about 75 touchdowns then he needs to get ready. There’s no way the Colts can beat a team defensively. I fully expect every Colts game’s over/under to be 50 and I’d take the over every time.
That’s what happens when you realize you should have known better. It’s my own stupid fault for trusting the Chargers, Jets, CoCo, and Bob Sanders.
Stupid, stupid, stupid!
