Chud’s own Clinton Shaffer wishing everyone happy holidays from the staff of NFL Tackle!!!!!!
Jesse: BEST WORST PICK OF LAST WEEK: “The cats eat the fish.” – Clint (Dolphins 24, Jags 3)
For most of the year, the Rookie of the Year debate has been between Andrew Luck and RG3, two fantastic quarterbacks who will likely be leading their teams to victory for many years to come. However, over the last few weeks, another candidate has emerged: Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. The Seahawks have topped 50 points the last two games, a feat not seen since 1950. As the Giants have proven, this is the time of year when teams need to get hot, and there’s no hotter team than Seattle. I’m not saying that Seattle’s headed to the Super Bowl (If Sherman’s appeal is denied, forget it), but the Seahawks are currently the toughest out in football, and Wilson’s steady improvement has been a big reason. In a packed rookie QB class, Wilson probably won’t win, but he should be considered, especially if the Seahawks win out.
Hitpoints
- Tebow apparently planning to request a trade after the season. Can you blame him? The Jets totally wasted him. Tony Sparano should be ashamed at the terrible job he did this season. (Twitter)
- Bill Barnwell offers more analysis on the terrible, terrible Jets. (Grantland)
- Replacing Cam Cameron with Jim Caldwell was a disaster for the Ravens, but at least it led to this great Onion headline. (The Onion)
- Mike McCarthy continues to stick with Mason Crosby for some damn reason. That reminds me: Did anybody see that fake punt Green Bay called against Chicago? Maybe the dumbest play I’ve ever seen. (JS Online)
- All-22 Analysis: What makes Adrian Peterson so great? (aside from the fact that he’s an indestructible cyborg) (NFL.com)
Disclosure, Tom did something different with his picks this week. He did a twelve(eight) days of Xmas countdown, so I am going to put his picks together and not follow the schedule formatting we normally do.
Indianapolis Colts vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Tom: On the first pick of the week, the NFL gave to me…one really LUCK-y team.
Colts
Clint: The Colts couldn’t’ get a better team to rebound from their loss last week. As a Rookie, it’s unlikely Luck’s arm is going to last much longer (typical case for many rookies as the number of games between college and preseason/regular season is longer), so it will be a much needed confidence boost before hitting the wildcard week.
Colts
Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins
Tom: On the second pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…two really bad AFC East teams, but one with a pretty good rookie.
Dolphins
Clint: I may have not given the right amount of credit to the Dolphins last week, but I will this week. They now see a light at the back of the endzone signifying a chance to make the post season. What do the JETS have? A team falling apart in the mainstream media.
Dolphins
New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Tom: On the 3rd pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…three turnovers (at least) by the Jags, two touchdowns scored by the Pats in the first 5 minutes, and one QB MVP.
Patriots
Clint: If there is one team in the NFL that runs up the score to completely finish off a team, it’s the Pats. I may not be the biggest fan of the coaching staff, but they are definitely a team that will route a team and use them to practice on.
Patriots
Oakland Raiders vs. Carolina Panthers
Tom: On the 4th pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…four wins so far for Oakland, three TDs scored by Carolina in the first quarter last week, two more weeks of embarrassment for the Raiders, and one on the jersey of Cam Newton (and zero is the number TDs scored by the Raiders last week vs the worst team in the league).
Carolina
Clint: This is a tossup. On one hand we have a bad team that has only recently found a way to win. On the other hand we have a team that has an elite running back and not much else. I gotta go with the hot hand just like Hollywood did by greenlighting Total Recall 2.
Panthers
St. Louis Rams vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom: On the 5th pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…Five turnovers by Freeman last week, four of them interceptions, three possible home losses in a row for the Bucs, two teams with first year coaches, and the number one run defense in the league (but with the worst pass defense)
Rams
Clint: The Bucs are going for the bounce back. Normally when a team gets that embarrassed they return the next week seeking blood. Just look at Atlanta. Freeman will look better, and Martin will run like the train in Under Siege 2.
Buccaneers
Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Tom: On the 6th pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…Six losses gets you tied for first in the NFC East, Five was McNabb’s number (is he still available?), Four wins is all the Eagles have, Three for RG, Two good rookie QBs on the same team, and one winner in the NFC East.
Redskins
Clint: The Eagles are the new Chiefs, well if the Chiefs weren’t still the Chiefs. How does any sane person choose them to win?
Redskins
Chicago Bears vs. Arizona Cardinals
Tom: On the 7th pick of this week, the NFL gave to me…Seven is where the Cardinals may draft in 2013, six is the number of Cutler’s jersey that’s gotten awful dirty this year, five TDs scored by Chicago in the past 3 games, four is how many QBs the Cardinals apparently need, three points is what Arizona will score this week, two weeks in Arizona is nicer than…one week in Chicago in the winter time.
Bears
Clint: 7th pick this week? Is that the number? I knew it was going to be high. 1 is the percent chance the Cardinals win and also the number of catches Fitzgerald will have.
Bears
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Tom: On the 8th pick of this week, the NFL gave to me….Eighth ranked San Francisco scoring defense, seven is the number of TDs thrown by Colin Kaepernick, six and 0, which is Seattle’s home record, Five games Kaepernick has started and…Four games he has won, three on Russell Wilson’s jersey which the Bills saw the back of a lot, two top teams in the NFC West, and…there can be only one to win the division.
Seahawks
Clint: The most interesting game of the week. I cannot say the Seahawks aren’t looking good, as they have been truly dominating in the last few games. I don’t see any dominant team this week, and even though it will be close, I think SFO will win with their Defense.
49ers
Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions
Clint: I don’t know how the Lions can pride themselves on anything. They have gotten embarrassed week in and week out. They are quickly becoming the Arizona Cardinals without a defense. Megatron is one of the best on the field today and would be a lot more dangerous if he didn’t have to play for the whole team. Unlike Peterson, he relies on someone else and therefore cannot possibly shoulder the responsibility of winning all by himself.
Falcons
Tom: Atlanta blew away the world champs last week, so why wouldn’t they destroy the lowly Lions? Well, this is away from home, but they’re still in a dome. Atlanta needs this game to continue on the home field advantage train. If Detroit had more of a running game, I’d give them a puncher’s chance as Atlanta has been vulnerable to the run. Megatron will get his, but the Falcons will get the W.
Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Clint: This is it. The game to basically decide who has a chance at the AFC’s 6th seed. If the Bengals win it, the Steelers are out of the race. If the Steelers win it, they still have to beat the “better than their record shows” Browns.
Steelers
Tom: My attitude now is this—it’s the Bengals, and it’s a chance to knock them out of the playoff race. In Pittsburgh.
Steelers
Minnesota Vikings vs. Houston Texans
Clint: Can the person who most deserves the league MVP march into a stadium with a very good defense and put up the numbers people have started to expect? I sure as hell hope so. I’m in my fantasy finals and this dud of a player I picked up in the third round has been my white knight. Even if he can put up the yards, I really don’t see them winning, but who knows, I really didn’t see Peterson having a decent year let alone closing in on the record.
Texans
Tom: Yep, I’m in the semi’s of a CHUD league and been riding AD and Alfred Morris (my 17th round pick) all the way to the #1 seed. I heard a stat that Peterson has had more yards rushing in the past 8 weeks than Ponder has had passing. Why weren’t you doing that all season? The Texans came back strong after the Pats beatdown, and the Vikes are away from home. Run, AD, run, but win, Houston, win.
Texans
New Orleans Saints vs. Dallas Cowboys
Clint: I can’t believe I am going to say this, but screw N.O. They crap on my every pick. When I go with them they suck it up, when I don’t they blow up. Whatever love/hate relationship Tom has with them, it is working for him. After seeing Slomo and his boys play last week, I am going to take them, but ultimately know that means their playoff hopes are done.
Cowboys
Tom: I will continue to shit on your dreams when it comes to New Orleans.
Saints
San Diego Chargers vs. New York Jets
Clint: Another game that earns my ire. How the hell were the Jets in contention for a wild card? They have Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez and Rex Ryan. They don’t deserve to win a free lunch at an all you can eat buffet like the golden corral. What do they get? A San Diego team that doesn’t even look like they play to win. They play to collect a paycheck only. They made Carolina look good, and the only team that did that was the Falcons. No matter what, anyone watching this game is going to feel like they have JETlag.
Jets
Tom: McElroy will start this game, and now all the speculation of where Sanchez and Tebow will end up begins. Hey Jet fans—before you’re so ready to show Mark the door…what’s your plan? Who will replace him? Alex Smith? Some 2013 first rounder? I think the energy of a new QB will energize the Jets and maybe the fans won’t boo. As much. I picked the Jets last week because I wanted them to win…this week I think they will win.
Jets
Tennessee Titans vs. Green Bay Packers
Clint: Packers are hot right now. Really on fire. State Farm doesn’t even have an insurance policy riding on this game (but they will have a lot of commercials)
Packers
Tom: Titans, you don’t have me fooled.
Packers
Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos
Clint: This is a game I would like to refer to as target practice. The Broncos have one of the longest streaks going since a loss, and they appear to be getting better every week. The Browns continue to show the world that they continue to trust a moron calling the plays. They have a great defense, but with offensive anorexia they don’t stand a chance against Denver.
Broncos
Tom: If this were in Cleveland, I might even give the Browns a chance. But it’s not. And…Peyton Manning
Broncos
New York Giants vs. Baltimore Ravens
Clint: The Giants are going to be more pissed off than at any other point this year after being turned into Atlanta’s billboard for a new Stadium. Don’t worry though, the Ravens are finding out they may have to sacrifice Ray Rice to some voodoo god after this week as that Terrible Towel curse is one superstition that he shouldn’t have messed with.
Giants
Tom: Maybe last week was a wake-up call to the Giants that they might be waiting a bit too long to switch it into gear, or else next week’s Redskins/Cowboys game will determine the NFC East champ. I think even Poe would call the Ravens the telltale heart now—you can hear something beating but you just can’t tell where it’s from. They should have taken a cue from Minnesota—when you have a mediocre QB and a great RB, you run that RB and pass when you have to. Joe Flacco thinking he’s an elite QB does not make him one.
Giants
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