Author Archives: davecouture

Brandon Marshall Detained in Miami

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Brandon Marshall is back at it again with his idiotic off the field antics. Police detained Marshall at 7 AM this morning for apparently not paying for a $142 cab fair. Marshall said he had been at a party and got into the cab to go home in Southwest Ranches. He fell asleep in the cab and awoke at the airport. The driver of the cab said Marshall told him he needed to go into the airport to use the restroom, then just jumped into another cab and took off. He was later detained when the dispatcher alerted the driver about Marshall and the cab driver drove him to police. First off, what the hell was he doing out at 7 AM on a Wednesday night? Doesn’t he have this thing called practice on Thursday? Marshall makes over $6.5 million per year and he can’t pay for a $142 cab fair. Either this guy was belligerently drunk on a Wednesday night, or he really is as dumb as he sounded several weeks back when he said he was going to “get ejected” when his at the time winless Dolphins were taking on the Jets. Either way this is just another case of some primadona receiver that can’t handle being a public figure.

Thursday Night Pick ‘Em – Week 13

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

Eagles @ Seahawks 8:20PM

The Eagle’s season has been a complete disaster this year. Their star WR is almost as pissed off as the Eagle’s fans are. Vince Young will get the start at QB tonight while Vick sits out for the third week in as many weeks. Also out this week are CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and their other top downfield threat Jeremy Maclin will sit out again. Pete Carroll has the Seahawks playing well and Marshawn Lynch looks poised to earn himself the money he deserves this offseason. I’m going with the Seahawks tonight. The Eagles don’t even have more talent on the field this week with all their injuries and the fact that they are a complete mess on and off the field doesn’t make me feel to good about their chances tonight.

Prediction: Seahawks 23 Eagles 20

11′ Colts vs. 08′ Pats

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There is a reason the Colts are 0-11 this season and it is not all because Peyton Manning got injured. I’m not saying they are a playoff team without him, but they are not an 0-11 team. Tom Brady went down week one of the 2008 season and the Patriots finished 11-5. When you lose you’re All-Pro QB for the full season you are forced to change your offense, not keep it the same as the Colts have this year. The Colts pass/rush ratio is 32.9/22.5. A difference of over 10 more passes than rushes per game. Why would you revolve your team’s offense around the passing game with a quarterback you know can’t throw the ball? In 2008 when Brady got injured the Patriots pass/rush ratio was 33.3/32.1. A difference of just over 1 more passes than rushes each game. When you lose your star quarterback you must change your offense around your other strengths. The Patriots used a running tandem of Sammy Morris, Green-Ellis, Faulk, and LaMont Jordan. You can’t tell me that’s a better tandem than Joseph Addai, Donald Brown, and Delone Carter. We all know the Patriots as a passing team, but in 2008 they were forced to change their strategy and the results showed. When Jim Caldwell gets fired at the end of this season everyone will be saying it was undeserved because Manning was injured, and that certainly is not the case.

NFL Power Rankings – Week 13

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1. Packers (11-0) – Their record speaks for itself.

2. Patriots (8-3) – Their offense is still great and the defense is improving each week.

3. Ravens (8-3) – They shut down the 49ers on Thanksgiving without Ray Lewis. They’ll be even better when he’s back.

4. Saints (8-3) – 49 points against the Giants defense is no fluke.

5. Steelers (8-3) – Big Ben looks good and they’re defense is strong as always.

6. 49ers (9-2) – They hung in there with the Ravens. Their shaky offense is why they are here.

7. Cowboys (7-4) – If they played up to their talent level they could be in the top 5.

8. Lions (7-4) – They still have Megatron and a solid defense. If they can survive without Suh the next two weeks they should make the playoffs.

9. Giants (6-5) – Similar to the Cowboys. Still have a great pass rush and a solid offense.

10. Falcons (7-4) – Their offense is getting better.

11. Raiders (7-4) – Palmer looks great and Bush has helped them miss McFadden a little less.

12. Jets (6-5) – They still have Rex Ryan, but to counter that they also still have Mark Sanchez.

13. Bengals (7-4) – The rookie combination on offense continues to shine, the defense looks solid also. Unfortunately they have to play the Ravens and Steelers twice each season.

14. Broncos (6-5) – One name is all you need to know. Tim Tebow, he’s a winner.

15. Bears (7-4) – We saw what Caleb Hanie could do. It reflects in this weeks ranking.

16. Texans (7-4) – Now officially the worst 7-4 team in the league. Who is the QB in Houston again?

17. Titans (6-5) – If Chris Johnson can play like he did last week, they have a solid playoff shot.

18. Eagles (4-7) – The best 4-7 dream team in NFL history.

19. Chargers (4-7) – My bet is Norv Turner won’t be living in San Diego next season.

20. Redskins (4-7) – Teams don’t make the playoffs with quarterbacks like John Beck and Rex Grossman.

21. Bills (5-6) – They have completely fallen apart and have basically no shot at the playoffs.

22. Buccaneers (4-7) – Josh Freeman has had an off year, and so has a lot of the team.

23. Seahawks (4-7) – Similar to the Washington situation, you usually don’t make the playoffs with QB’s like Jackson and Whitehurst.

24. Dolphins (3-8) – They look like they are turning around, its a little too late though.

25. Cardinals (4-7) – Same as many other teams in the NFL, Kevin Kolb doesn’t look like the solution.

26. Panthers (3-8) – Imagine if they didn’t have Cam Newton?

27. Vikings (2-9) – Hey at least they’ll probably have a top 5 pick.

28. Browns (4-7) – Their offense is just terrible.

29. Jaguars (3-8) – I’ve been surprised Jack Del Rio lasted this long.

30. Rams (2-9) – What a disappointing year for Sam Bradford.

31. Chiefs (4-7) – Tyler Palko just isn’t gonna cut it.

32. Colts (0-11) – Doesn’t get any worse.

Two for Suh

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Ndamukong Suh of the Detroits Lions has been suspended for two games without pay for his decision to stomp on a Packers player during the Thanksgiving game this Thursday. I don’t agree with many of Roger Goodells decisions but this is something that needed to be done. Suh’s suspension will cost him $164,000 and potentially cost his team a victory while in the running for a playoff spot for the first time since 1999. Following the game Suh insisted it was unintentional, but then days later proceeded to call commissioner Goodell to apologize. What is there to apologize for if what you did was “unintentional”? The best thing Suh could have done was publicly apologize to his fans and teammates for getting ejected in such an important game and at the time potentially facing a suspension that could cost his team a playoff spot. Maybe this will make him learn? I doubt it.

Not Too Much “Brotherly Love” in Philly

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I ventured off to Philadelphia this weekend with a group of friends to see the Patriots take on the Eagles. The Patriots dominated the Eagles 38-20 and the Philadelphia fans were not exactly thrilled about it. In the third quarter, there was a loud and clear “Fire Andy” chant throughout the stadium. Andy Reid has been the Head Coach of the Eagles since 1999 where he took over a team that went 3-13 the previous season. Reid completely turned that franchise around. He led the Eagles to four consecutive championships after only being the Head Coach for two seasons. Yes, this season has been a complete disaster for the Eagles but it wasn’t Coach Reid who put the spotlight on them by self-proclaiming themselves as the “Dream Team”. It was the players, and they deserve to take the blame. Every time DeSean Jackson touched the ball he got booed. Especially after dropping two potential TD passes. This is the difference between most team’s fans, and our New England fans. Everyone, (including Tom Brady) has criticized New England fans for not being as crazy and loud as others. If I was a Patriots player I would much rather have a fan base of loyal and more football educated, die-hard Patriots fans rather than a bunch of bandwagon drunks that are too delusional to realize the blame shouldn’t be on Andy Reid. Rather, it’s on their over-paid prima donna football players like DeSean Jackson.

Thanksgiving Day Pick Em’ – Week 12

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Pretty hard to believe it is already week 12 and the Thanksgiving games are upon us, but here are my predictions and analysis of the three excellent games tomorrow.

Thursday November 24, 2011

Packers @ Lions 12:30 PM

This game is the first one of Thanksgiving day, and probably going to be the most exciting. A battle of two stellar offenses and two mediocre defenses. I’m not completely on the Packers bandwagon yet. Yes, they are 10-0 but that does not make them a lock to win every week, and I’m certainly not handing them the Lombardi trophy just yet. Last weeks game showed that their defense has its holes. The Packers are the Packers, they are not the 2007 Patriots. They both have very similar offenses as the patriots averaged 36.8 points per game, and the Packers are at 35.5. The main difference is this; the Patriots of 07′ outscored their opponents by 19.7 points per game, this years Packers are outscoring their opponents at a rate of 14.3. The main difference: Defense. Also the same reason of why the Lions have a prayer in hell this week. With Stafford tossing the ball up to Megatron, anything is possible. The Lions bounced back after a miserable first half last week and were able to get the victory against a weak Carolina team, but their defense didn’t look superior to the Packers D.

Analysis: The Packers offense is better than that of the Lions. Both defenses are similar. I’m going with the packers in a shootout, and a fake Ford Field Leap by Jordy Nelson.

Prediction: Packers 34 Lions 27

 

Dolphins @ Cowboys 4:15 PM

The Fin’s have outscored their opponents 86-20 the previous three weeks, although they have faced Buffalo, Washington, and Kansas City, which in all honesty doesn’t say much. After an 0-7 start to the season it looks like Tony Sparano might be trying to save his job, the season on the other hand was lost back in the early weeks of the season. I still have a bold prediction that Miami will finish tied, or above the fake Buffalo Bills by the end of the season. They showed who was the better team when they stomped all over them 35-8 last week. Reggie Bush is looking to revive his career after a rather disappointed professional career so far. Matt Moore is looking to be more comfortable with his receivers, and definitely looks in a groove with TE Anthony Fasano.

The Cowboys I still believe have the potential to be one of the elite teams in the NFC. They are the best in their division and after the Bears’ Jay Cutler went down last week, they may be the number two team in the whole conference. Their offense is explosive, and they have Demarcus Ware on the defensive side, teaming up with defensive mastermind Rob Ryan. They have shown they can stop a prolific offense when they almost beat New England at Gillette earlier this season.

Analysis: The Cowboys are still too powerful for a Miami team that has won three in a row, but against opponents that are on a season downfall. Dallas won’t lose to a team like Miami at home on Thanksgiving. Dallas improves to 7-4.

Prediction: Dallas 31 Miami 16

 

49ers @ Ravens 8:20PM

This game is everything the first game of the day is not. A battle of defenses. In the first meeting between head-coaching siblings ever in NFL history this one should certainly be an exciting game to watch.

The key of the game for the Ravens is to not turn the ball over, which hasn’t exactly been easy for 49ers opponents so far this season. The 49ers defense has 15 interceptions this year, which isn’t exactly good news for Joe Flacco. Flacco has been average this year with only throwing 8 interceptions, but he might be able to consider himself lucky if he covers a spread of 1 1/2 ints. tomorrow.

The 49ers need to stick with the run game and allow Alex Smith to continue to put them in situations to win games, or better yet, not to lose them. He’s clearly done his job this year as the niners are 9-1 and haven’t had any speculation of any type of QB controversy this season, considering going into the season no one knew who would be under center for the niners.

Analysis: Jim wins this one. I just think the 49ers defense with Patrick Willis sticks it out and gets the victory. Don’t expect a blowout of any sort, and I wouldn’t exactly bet the over on this one. I’m just as excited for the post-game handshake as I am for the real game.

Prediction: 49ers 17  Ravens 16