NFL Has Turned Its Attention to Fleecing Someone Besides the Fans

I haven't been an NFL fan for years. I'm still a fan of my favorite team. But will I consume anything the NFL shoves down my throat? Nope. Not even close.

I kinda pay attention to what's going on throughout the league, but that's only because I'm in a Survivor Pool.

The NFL has been fleecing fans for years. Especially the season ticket holders.

Hey, maybe they should pay a fee for the privilege of being fleeced. Seat licensing? Check.

Those two home exhibition games that are pointless and poorly attended? Let's build that into the season ticket package. Check.

Football is best consumed on your couch or in your recliner on a nice TV from the comfort of your own home. Best television show going. That's a problem because you're not spending two weeks worth of grocery money on two beers and a hot dog. If those ingrates aren't gonna show up in person for the game, we won't let them see it at all. Blackout rules? Check.

Can we bilk them out of a little more? There's parking fees. Check.

What else? Whoa. They seem to catching on. Let's move on (until they forget). Hey, did you realize that ratings for the halftime show were better than overall ratings for the game?

Yeah, but it was a crappy game by the 2nd half. Many had tuned out. Keep that under your hat, there's another revenue stream to be had here. These artists get a boost in sales after the Super Bowl (it won't sustain, but it's real). They already play for free, but they should be paying us.

Don't you think ratings were so high during halftime because of who the artists are? I mean, we don't get the garage band from down the street.

You're fired!

Yep, that's right. The NFL wants to make the halftime talent make a "financial contribution" to the NFL. That's just a bit grotesque.

You know who I want to see at the 2015 Halftime Show? An empty stage. I know it won't happen. Someone will cave. But a guy can dream.

Why the Texans Should Not Draft a QB First Overall

If you listen to all the "experts" on the NFL, it's a quarterback league. You cannot win it all without an elite quarterback.

If you look at recent history, not so much.

I believe it's all fantasy driven and because the marquee QB's are the ones who put up the best fantasy stats. The reality of the last ten years spells out a different narrative.

Let's take a look, shall we?

The quarterbacks for the Super Bowl winning teams for the past 10 years are:
Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson.

Arguably, the best two quarterbacks of this generation (Brady and P. Manning) have won a combined two Super Bowls in the past ten years. A step below, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have one each.

The two QB's with multiple championships in the past ten years (Roethlisberger and E. Manning) along with the other two, Flacco and Wilson, are not elite.

But what do every single one of those QB's have in common? Their counterparts on defense were excellent. The old adage that defense wins championships has seemed to fall on deaf ears in the media. It's a quarterback league. We hear that all the time. But look at the last two Super Bowls.

The only "elite" quarterback among the four teams was Peyton Manning. Denver's defense was suspect. The Broncos got blown out.

Does Houston need a QB? Yep. Should they draft one with the first overall pick? Nope. Get one the elite defensive guys to pair with JJ Watt. Seattle and San Francisco have shown you can win with a middling QB if your defense is great. So did the Bears, Ravens and  Buccaneers of years past.

Roger Federer and Tom Brady

Is Roger Federer the tennis equivalent of Tom Brady?

Before you dismiss this, let me explain.

Federer and Brady both illicit visions of high-class living. Both live a life that we might envy. Both are incredibly good looking (yeah, I'm comfortable saying that). Both seem to give off an aura of superiority. Both have been at the apex of their respective sports. Both are loved by many, hated by some but respected by all. Both have a nemesis (Rafael Nadal for Federer and Peyton Manning for Brady) that are in some respects their antitheses.

Here's the thing though. Both are incredible competitors. Both love the game that they play. Both are in GOAT discussions of their respective sports.

I'll admit, I'm a Federer fan and have not been a Brady hater, but not much of fan either. As I get older and get more perspective, I appreciate Brady more for what he has accomplished.

That being said, I'm rooting for the Broncos this weekend against the Patriots. And I'm rooting Federer in the Australian Open. While I can appreciate greatness, I'm still a fan at heart. And I still have my rooting interests. But I still want to see the best perform at their best.

So here's to greatness playing out on the biggest stages.

The Dallas Cowboys: The World Has Ended (or not)

In the age of social media, it is almost as entertaining on facebook and Twitter as watching the actual games. Did we say "almost"? Many times it is more entertaining.

We are long time fans of the Dallas Cowboys. Some have given up. We have too much blue and silver in the veins to do that. But our happiness does not depend on them.

One facebook friend effectively "divorced" himself from the Cowboys after the debacle in Chicago. However, he was back for a reconciliation a week later, saying he couldn't stay away from the misery. Which gives us a good reason to link the following video (Any chance we get to promote good music.......)

So there's that. Another said it is hard being a Cowboys fan right now. Another posted pics of Tom Landry, Clint Murchison, Gil Brandt, Roger Staubach, "Doomsday", etc. Longing for the "good ol' days". 

Twitter was a maelstrom of activity. Blame Tony Romo, the defense, Jason Garrett, Monte Kiffin, injuries Bill Calahan, Ron Washington. All had a hand in it. OK, maybe not Wash, but he gets blamed for everything else.

We root for the Cowboys each and every week. Hoping they win. But now that's not even that important. Do something to entertain us. On that coun,t they rarely disappoint. Go blow for blow with Peyton Manning and Denver? Check. Improbable fourth quarter comeback? Check. Inconceivable second half collapse? Check. Check. And check.

The defense is beyond horrible. The play calling is not much better. Romo will be Romo. Watch the games. Watch Twitter. Watch facebook. The best reality series out there.

We don't get depressed, angry or despondent after another Cowboy collapse. We turn to social media and smile. Because we just don't take it that seriously.

Pet Peeve: Bye vs. Open

We blame the NFL.

For what, you say? For inappropriately using the word "bye".

For reference, here is the definition:

bye 1 also by  (b) n. 1. A secondary matter; a side issue. 2. Sports The position of one who draws no opponent for a round in a tournament and so advances to the next round. Did you see the second definition? Unless you are in a tournament (playoffs), there is no bye. The team just has an open week, i.e., they do not play. They are not advancing anywhere. If they played and lost, they still would play the next week. The NFL started this bastardization when they started having open weeks. And now it has caught on. It is not a bye. It is an open week. This is of no consequence other than the further erosion of the English language. Feel free to use "bye" inappropriately at your free will. We will think less of you if you do.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week 6

On to Week 6 of NFL Survivor and we are still going strong. Last week saw the first big hit of the season with the Jets win against the Falcons taking out between 30 and 40 percent of most pools.

Thus far, we have Indianapolis, Baltimore, Seattle, Denver and St. Louis off of our board.

This week's slam dunk, lead pipe lock is Denver over Jacksonville. We don't have that option. Next best? Seattle over Tennessee. Oops. That one is gone as well. But there are still plenty of options available. Let's take a look.

Jacksonville (+26.5) @ Denver - Yes, you read that right. 26.5 point spread. We really don't see any way that the Broncos lose this game. If Denver is still available to you, take the Broncos and enjoy your weekend. No worries here.

Tennessee (+13.5) @ Seattle - This one might have been a little closer if the Titans had Jake Locker available. Traveling to Seattle, where the Seahawks are a much better team than on the road, Tennessee should provide very little resistance.

Arizona (+11.5) @ San Francisco - This is a division game, which we never like. We also remember what the Cardinals did to us on the road in New England last year. That being said, this looks like a good pick. Double digit home favorites win over 80% of the time.

Oakland (+8.5) @ Kansas City - Another division game. And these teams hate each other. The Chiefs should win this, but we think there are better options.

St. Louis (+7.5) @ Houston - Matt Schaub is a mess for the Texans. The Rams are just not very good. Unless Schaub throws more TD's to Ram DB's than he throws to his own WR's, Houston should win easily. But who's to say he will?

NY Giants (+7.5) @ Chicago - If this game were not being played Thursday, we would really like to take the Bears. But the Giants will not go winless and a short week is the perfect time for something crazy to happen. Not touching this one.

The Pick
If we had Denver or Seattle available, that would be the pick. We don't. The pick here is San Francisco.

Tony Romo: Entertain Us

Luckily, we don't follow many Dallas Cowboy fans or writers on twitter. We can watch the games and form our own opinions without having to deal with the inevitable twittersplosion that occurs every week. We get enough of that with Rangers fans.

If you were lucky enough to watch the Dallas/Denver game, it was an epic regular season game. Just a joy to view. 51-48. Peyton Manning and Tony Romo trading blows. Excellent QB play from both.

What's that? Romo played well? He threw the interception that single-handedly lost the game? He's a bum?Cowboys will never win with him at QB?

Jean-Jaques Taylor of the Dallas Morning News claims Romo is the most polarizing figure ever to wear a Cowboy uniform. There are either Romo apologists for whom Romo can do no wrong and it is always the fault of someone else. Or the Romo haters who claim everything wrong with the Cowboys is due to Romo.

We fall in neither of these camps. But, as always, we do have a take.

Tony Romo and Ron Washington have a lot in common. If they were not so good at what they do, their mistakes would not be so magnified.

We ask the same as we did with Wash, who is available that you would rather have at QB for the Dallas Cowboys than Romo? Available being the key word.

Peyton, Brady, Rodgers, Brees, Luck, RGIII? None available. And won't be. Josh Freeman anyone? How about Mark Sanchez, Tim Tebow, Matt Flynn? If not available right now, will be at the end of the season. Any takers on those QB's? Didn't think so. Brandon Weeden? Kevin Kolb? Matt Cassell? Matt Leinart? Vince Young? Shall we continue?

As Cowboys fans, Tony Romo is frustrating. But not nearly as frustrating as the GM. And you all know who we're talking about. We look at sports as entertainment. From an entertainment standpoint, Romo brings it in spades. Watching him play is a joy, as long as you don't let a football game ruin your week.

We just want to be entertained. Sunday, we were entertained.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week 5

If you've made it this far in your survivor pool, congratulations. But it only gets tougher from here.

We are still in and have used the Colts, Ravens, Seahawks and Broncos in the first four weeks. We will still explore games that those teams are in, but will concentrate on who we have left.

This week scares us, we're not afraid to admit. But it does feature some solid games to pick from.

Jacksonville (+11.5) @ St. Louis - Good news, bad news here. Good news: double digit home favorites win over 80% of the time. Bad news: the Rams are not a good football team. Good news: the Jaguars are worse.

NY Jets (+8.5) @ Atlanta - The Falcons may be the best 1-3 team in the league, for whatever that's worth. The Jets, at 2-2, are lucky to be there. Atlanta probably doesn't lose two in a row at home, although the Jets defense is for real. The offense on the other hand?

Denver (-7.5) @ Dallas - Based on Philip Rivers and the Chargers shredding the Cowboy defense for over 400 passing yards and that Peyton Manning is on pace to throw for over 347,000 yards and 168 touchdowns (stats may be off a bit), this should not be as close as the 7.5 point spread. Denver is off our board, but the Broncos would be a solid pick if you have them available.

Detroit (+6.5) @ Green Bay - We like to stay away from division games when we can. While we think Green Bay is a solid pick, we like other options better. And the Pack has much better value in future games.

Houston (+6.5) @ San Francisco - Just stay away from this game. Both teams are way too unpredictable.

The Pick
As much as St. Louis makes us nervous, Jacksonville is just too awful. Plus, the Rams have absolutely no value down the road.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week 4

We have now used Indy, Baltimore and Seattle as we survived the first three weeks of the NFL season.

This weeks games have one fairly safe pick and a whole slew of iffy selections. There is one sleeper that intrigues us as well.

Philadelphia (+10.5) @ Denver - If you still have the Broncos available (and we do), that is the safest game on the slate this week. Peyton Manning may throw for 12,000 yards this season with 95 touchdowns. And that is only a slight exaggeration.  We just don't see the Eagles putting up much of a fight at Mile High. The only thing we don't like about this game is Denver coming off a short week. But having both games at home, we're not too worried about the Broncos.

Indianapolis (-7.5) @ Jacksonville - The Colts looked very good in San Francisco last week. The Jaguars are, well, the Jaguars. On paper, this should be no contest. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on perspective), the games are played on the field. Just ask those that picked Minnesota over Cleveland last week. That's what makes these survivor games so tough. We don't like this game for a few reasons: Road favorite, division game, Indy coming off a very physical West Coast game, now traveling to East Coast. The Colts are off our board since we have already used them, so there is no decision for us. But we would stay away from this one.

Miami (+6.5) @ New Orleans - A battle of two 3-0 teams. We just don't get why anyone would risk this game with much better possibilities out there. One person who writes about this stuff is actually making the Saints his pick. And he has Denver available. Says he's saving the Broncos for Week 6. What if he doesn't make it to Week 6? We generally stay away from the Monday nighters if we can. And we think the Dolphins are for real. Miami may not pull the upset, but we are not taking that chance.

Cincinnati (-4.5) @ Cleveland - Division game. On the road. And did anybody see what happened in Minnesota last week? No thank you.

New York Jets (+3.5) @ Tennessee - This is the sleeper game we mentioned earlier. The Titan defense looks like it can play. Geno Smith looks like a rookie in pressure situations. With wins over Pittsburgh and San Diego and a road loss to Houston, we really don't know what to make of the Titans quite yet, but they are always in the game. We would gamble on this game if it weren't still early in the season and such a good game still available to us.

The Pick
We're going chalk. Take the Broncos and live to see Week 5.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week 3

Ok, since this week has three ridiculously easy picks, we are going to depart from the normal format.

What do we know so far?
 - Seattle and Denver are the best teams in their respective conferences.
 - Jacksonville is not good. Downright atrocious.
 - Green Bay and San Francisco are good.

That about sums up what we know for sure. After two weeks there are still a lot questions.

Seattle at home against Jacksonville is about the surest pick you will ever see in a survivor pool. As of right now, the Seahawks are 19.5 point favorites. And that is probably too low.

Denver is a 14.5 point favorite at home against Oakland in the Monday night tilt while San Francisco is favored by 10.5 at home against Indianapolis.

Pick any of those three, and you are pretty much safe, in our opinion. If anyone goes out this week, they were trying to get too cute.

After sweating out the first two weeks with Indy and Baltimore, we are personally ready to sit back and relax this week. Therefore, Seattle is our pick. But there is some method to it.

Denver and San Francisco both have Jacksonville on their schedule this season within the next six weeks. So it would make no sense to take either of those teams if you still have Seattle available.

Only two weeks into the season, everybody has at least one of the three near-locks available. But if you want to get cute, there are some options available.

Cleveland (+5.5) @ Minnesota - The Vikings have the lowest future value of any somewhat decent pick this week. The Browns lost their QB. We could make an argument for making this pick, but we don't think it's worth the risk.

Tampa Bay (+7.5) @ New England - The Bucs are obviously an unmitigated mess at this point. The Pats could very easily be 0-2 against teams that are not very good. New England may get Gronkowski back this week, but that does not give us enough confidence to to risk a pick here.

Arizona (+7.5) @ New Orleans - This seems like a good pick. But for some reason, just doesn't feel right to us. We think the spread is too high, but the guys in Vegas are good at what they do. With the "easy three" on the board this week, we are staying away.

The Seahawks should pummel the Jaguars this week. That's where we're going. Could be over, for all practical intents and purposes by halftime. We will take the (supposedly) easy route this week and start sweating again in Week 4.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week 2 Pick

Anyone who was not nervous at some point during week one picked Denver on Thursday night and was sitting back laughing at everyone else. The Sunday and Monday games were crazy.

We sweated out the Indianapolis win over Oakland and survived to week two.

With all of the week one results in, we are even less confident going into week two.

Here's how we see things shaping up:

NY Jets (+12.5) @ New England - Largest early spread of the week. We don't like that that this game is on Thursday. Strange things happen in short weeks.  But we feel this most likely benefits the Patriots more than the Jets. Despite last week's win, the Jets are a team in disarray. And New England seems like a team more likely to be ready after a short week. Early picks are heavy on the Patriots.

Tennessee (+8.5) @ Houston - The Texans barely escaped the late Monday game with a win. The Titans played surprisingly well in their upset of Pittsburgh  Houston will have a short week coming off the late Monday night game in San Diego.

Washington (+7.5) @ Green Bay - Robert Griffin III looked very rusty in the first half of the Redskins' Monday night game. He looked much better in the 2nd half. The Packers lost to a superior San Francisco team on the road. Again, Washington will have a short week and has to go on the road.

Cleveland (+6.5) @ Baltimore - The Ravens' defense looked bad against Denver. But the Broncos do have Peyton Manning. The Browns lost to Miami. At home.

Jacksonville (+5.5) @ Oakland - We can't believe we are actually talking about this game. But the Terelle Pryor-led Raiders took Indianapolis to the gun. And the Jaguars were absolutely atrocious at home against Kansas City. We are quite confident this will be the only time Oakland is mentioned positively regarding Survivor Pools.

The Thought Process:
While Houston is probably a pretty safe pick, coming off the Monday night game and the fact that they still face both Oakland and Jacksonville later in the season, we are passing on this one. While it is still way to early to make picks based on who a team faces in the future, we were going to pass on this one anyway. The future games are only a bonus.

Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers. Washington has RGIII. We'll take Rodgers any day. But with RGIII anything is possible. If he catches fire, the Pack will be running around trying to stop him all day long. We really think Green Bay wins going away, but there are better picks and the RGIII factor is enough to scare us away from this game.

Oakland is very, very tempting. If this were week five or six, then we're probably pulling the trigger on this one. But this early in the season, we are really in survival mode, move on to the next week and deal with things as they come.

That leaves two games. New England/NYJ and Cleveland/Baltimore

Both games are divisional games, which we like to stay away from. But these seem like the best best bets to survive. The Browns and the Jets are not very good. The Patriots and Ravens both lost key pieces to their teams during the offseason.  New England has Bill Belichek, and after that close call in Buffalo, he'll have the team ready to play. Baltimore has had extra time to prepare since they played the opening Thursday game. The Patriots have more future value than the Ravens.

All that being said...........

The Pick:
Baltimore. With the other games being eliminated for various reasons, we think the Ravens and Patriots are the surest picks for week two. We don't thing either pick could go wrong. We are going with Baltimore based on future value. Yes, we know what we said earlier about future value. But when that is the tiebreaker in deciding whom you pick, it's relevant.

2013 NFL Survivor Pool: Week One

Here in the Cheap Seats, we have entered an NFL Survivor Pool for the fourth year and will be keeping everyone abreast of our picks, reasoning and results.  Let it be known right up front, we have not done well the three previous years. Last year was an unmitigated disaster (thanks Patriots), although it wasn't entirely our fault. Yeah, right.

For those unfamiliar with Survivor games, it's really quite simple.  Everyone in the game puts up an entry fee. Last person still alive wins the whole thing.

How the game works:
Everyone entered picks one team to win their game that week. The team you pick wins, you survive. Your team loses, you're out. But the catch is that you can only pick a team one time per season. Sure it would have been real nice to pick New England every week during their 16-0 regular season. But once you pick a team to win, you can not pick that team again. Ever. Until next season. Or the playoffs, if it gets that far.

The first week always scares us. We don't really know what to expect. There are always the surprise teams that come out of nowhere and the disappointing teams that fall on their face. The pre-season is of no help whatsoever.

We try to stick to a couple of loose rules when making our picks. Stay away from games involving division rivals and stay away from picking teams on the road.

Week One offers some fairly good choices.

Oakland (+9.5) @ Indianapolis - Some pools restrict the number of times you can pick against a team. Ours does not. So picking whoever is playing the Raiders every week is an option. The Colts at home against Oakland seems to be the surest pick on the board.

New England (-9.5) @ Buffalo - Yes, it is an intradivisional game. Yes, the favorite is on the road.  But it's the Bills and the Patriots. What could go wrong, right?

Baltimore (+8.5) @ Denver - The spread on this one surprised us. The defending Super Champs more than a touchdown underdog?  Of course the oddsmakers in Vegas know much more about this than we do. It is also the opening game of the season on a Thursday night. Thanks, but we will pass.

Tennessee (+7.5) @ Pittsburgh - The Steelers at home are always tough. The Titans don't look to be all that good this season.

The Thought Process:
There are couple of ways to go. And a couple we will stay away from.

We will pass on the Broncos for the reasons stated above and Denver has the highest future value of the four teams.

We will also not go with Patriots, for two reasons. Strange things can happen in Orchard Park and New England has the second highest future value.

That leaves Indianapolis and Pittsburgh.

The Colts seem to be the surest pick. That has been played out with early picks in Survivor Pools. Indianapolis has an astronomical 41% pick rate of those that have already made picks. So going with the Colts means going along with the crowd and everyone moves along into week 2. On the flip side, Indy also has the lowest future value of any of the four teams.

The Steelers only have an 8% pick rate. So if Indy somehow goes down (doubtful, but anything is possible), the pools will be cut down considerably.  Pittsburgh does have more future value than the Indy.

The Pick:
In the end, the name of the game is Survivor. With the Colts having the best chance to win and a lower future value, we're putting in the pick for Indianapolis.

Riley Cooper

So much happening in the world of sports lately.  And nothing that has to do with on-field performance.

We have Riley Cooper, Johnny (Johnny Football) Manziel, BioGenesis, Alex Rodriguez and Nelson Cruz.

Knee jerk reactions are for twitter and facebook.  Here in the Cheap Seats we like to let things marinate before jumping off the deep end.

Therefore, we will tackle each issue separately and with pertinent distance.

First, Riley Cooper:

What he said was indefensible.  We aren't going there.

It seems as though Riley is a bad drunk.  According to him, he was as surprised as anyone else when the video came out because.............HE DOESN'T REMEMBER SAYING IT!!!

Dude, if you're going get that hammered at a Kenny Chesney show, we would lay low.  We have seen Kenny Chesney.  It's not worth going stupid.  Sure, Chesney is popular.  But not that great.

Ultimately, it's about what Cooper's teammates think.  Idiots like us, and idiots writing for the major sports sites can espouse whatever opinion we/they feel, it doesn't matter.

It really doesn't matter what "we" think.

Let it play out as it will.

Decidedly NON Sports Stories

Lance Armstrong.

Manti Te'o.

Two names known in the circle of sport.

Two stories not about sports that have taken the sports talk and twitterati worlds by storm.

The Armstrong thing is beyond sport at this point.  The Te'o thing is just beyond ridiculous.

There are conference championship games to be played this weekend in the NFL.  The Australian Open (which may now be known as the yellow slam) is in full force.  There's the whole Chip Kelly to the Eagles thing.  We believe basketball is being played on both the college and professional levels.  We think there's something going on with the NHL.

There's Oprah and TMZ for the other stuff.

The Great Replacement Ref Controversy of 2012

There are many people outraged by the ending of the Monday Night Football game between Seattle and Green Bay.  Rightly so.  The end of the game was a debacle of epic proportions.  the people opining are passionate about the NFL.  Good for them.

However, much hot air, bandwidth, air time and ink will be wasted this week.  Why?  Because this changes nothing.

The owners have decided what they are going to offer the referees.  End of story.  They are dug in.

This lockout ends one of two ways:  The regular refs cave or someone gets killed because of the replacements' incompetence.  We've written that here before and still believe it to be true.

Meanwhile, the league and network executives are laughing all the way to the bank.  NFL telecasts have now become "must see tv" just to find out what ludicrous thing will happen.  While the ESPN talking heads have to decry this situation, the ad execs have to be loving it.  This latest situation will rule the airwaves for the next week.

Here in the Cheap Seats we are popping popcorn and sitting back to watch the fireworks.  Most fun we've had in a while.  We know the replacements are terrible and in over their heads, but much like a train wreck, we cannot turn away.  That makes us part of the problem, but we're OK with that.

NFL Week 3 Snaps

What can we glean from the NFL's third week so far?  Other then we are not doing well in our Survivor/Suicide Pool picks.

In a battle of two surprise 2-0 teams, Arizona is for real, Philadelphia is not.  The Cardinal defense is for real.  Michael Vick is not a winning NFL QB.

New Orleans is Arkansas.  Two teams who lost their head coach amongst off season upheaval are now both floundering.  In opening the season 0-3, the Saints defense has been horrid.  The offense is lacking.  Could be a long season.

The Week 1 matchup between the Jets and the Bills confuses us to no end.  New York dominated Buffalo in that game.  Since, the Bills have crushed Kansas City and beat Cleveland on the road.  The Jets were not close in a game against Pittsburgh (which lost to previously winless Oakland in Week 3) and were taken to ovetime by a Miami squad that many have said is in disarray and beat the aforementioned Raiders in Oakland.

Our Twitterverse centers around Dallas area teams and the consensus was that a not-very-good Cowboys team beat a horrid Tampa Bay outfit.  The majority opinion being that the Week 1 win over the Giants was a fluke.  Perhaps overlooking the facts.  The Cowboys beat the Giants.  The Bucs should have beaten the Giants.  The Cowboys beat the Bucs, should have won easily.  Perspective, people.

Which allows us a nice segue to Tampa and head coach Greg Schiano.  Schiano stuck to his guns in defending playing to final gun.  We're sure you remember the controversy caused by the Week 2 effort by Schiano's team on the final "victory formation" play by the Giants in the game's waning moments.  Well, the  Bucs were at it again against the Cowboys.  This time even calling timeouts to extend the game.  Dallas was prepared for it, so it didn't become an issue.  Here in the Cheap Seats, we have no problem with those tactics.  The offense should not dictate when a game is over.  The rest of the league will adjust.

The games are becoming interminably long due to the replacement refs.  Too many times they have to be corrected by replay.  In one game, five (5), yes five, plays were overturned by replay.  However, as we've opined before, this doesn't get settled until the refs cave.  Roger Goodell and the NFL owners have dug in.  There is no way this ends well.  Either the refs cave or someone gets killed on the field. Helmet to helmet contact is running rampant because none of the players or coaches have any respect for the replacements.

We didn't cover everything here, but it has become too long already.  More later

2012 NFL Week 3 Survivor Pick

Our pick of New England last week turned out to be a big flop.  We were tempted to take the Giants, hindsight being 20/20 and all, should have.  That one was also too close for comfort.

Everything that says you should pick a team aligned with the Patriots/Cardinals game last week.  Double digit home favorite.  Inter-conference opponent.  West Coast (almost) team going east in an early start time.  Every cliche in the book is apropos here.  Any given Sunday.  That's why they play games.  Etc.

Ninety nine times out of 100, we would make the same pick.  These things happen.  So we are officially out (as is close to 50% of the field).  However, this will not stop us from further analysis.  So on to Week 3.

Stay Far, Far Away
Tampa Bay (+8) @ Dallas - After last week's meltdown in the Pacific Northwest by the Cowboys and Tampa's near upset of NYG, we're just not comfortable going with the home favorite here.

Jacksonville (+3) @ Indianapolis - We have absolutely no idea what may happen in this game. Two young QBs on bad teams.  Nuff said.

NYJ (-1.5) @ Miami - Division game.  Favorite on the road.  We don't think the Jets are as good as they think they and the Dolphins are as bad as everyone thinks they are.

Cincinnati (+3) @ Washington - This game is way too evenly matched to risk a pick.  That is all.

Detroit (-3.5) @ Tennessee - Never pick against Detroit.  Never trust Detroit unless you have to.  We think the Lions will pull it out, but would not risk it.  Chris Johnson could figure out how to run at any moment, we would hate for it to be this week if we picked Detroit.

Philadelphia (-3) @ Arizona - The Eagles and Mike Vick have been very, very lucky the past two weeks.  The Cards are a very good defensive team.  Their offense, however, leaves much to be desired.

Atlanta (+3) @ San Diego - This is pretty much a pick 'em.  Nothing to see here.  Move on.

Pittsburgh (-3.5) @ Oakland - James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are out for the Steelers.  Enough of a reason for us to stay away.

Houston (-2) @ Denver - Peyton Manning will not throw three picks again.  The Texans are going from sea level to altitude.  We think the line is too tight and that Houston will prevail, but there are better options.

New England (+2.5) @ Baltimore - Both teams coming off games they could have (should have?) won.  This should be a great game to watch.  Not a great game to pick.

Green Bay (-3) @ Seattle - Strange things happen in the Pacific Northwest.  The Seahawks defense is good. The Packers have not looked like world beaters up to this point.

Looks Good on Paper
Kansas City (+8.5) @ New Orleans - We confess, this should be a walk in the park for the Saints.  Should be.  The Chiefs have been blown out twice.  But the New Orleans defense has been a sieve.  A game between to 0-2 teams is not where we want to put our faith in Week 3.

Worth a Look
St. Louis (+7) @ Chicago - A lot of people are down on the Bears and Jay Cutler.  Sam Bradford and the Rams looked pretty good against the Redskins last week. Chicago has three extra days.  And they're a pretty darn good football team.

Buffalo (-3) @ Cleveland - What is that you say?  You think we're crazy?  Maybe.  Or maybe like a fox.  This is tough week to pick.  We think that debacle against the Jets was an aberration for the Bills. They are better than that.  The Browns are..........well, the Browns.  Brandon Weeden may or may turn out to be a good NFL QB.  Right now he is not.

San Francisco (-7) @ Minnesota - The 'Niners may be the best team in the NFC.  This game screams trap. But Jim Harbaugh is the coach.  Yes, it's a road game.  But are the alternatives any more attractive?

The Pick
This, my friends, is a tough week to call.  We are a bit conflicted.  New Orleans should be the pick, but they have been a hot mess thus far. Jay Cutler is hard to trust with the Bears. Buffalo, really?  That's how tough this week is.  San Francisco on the road.

Wow.  We really want go with the Bills, but in the end, San Fran is the pick.  We just don't see the 'Niners having a meltdown in Minnesota.

The NFL Referee Lockout Will Not End Until the Refs Cave

For everyone calling for the NFL to end this ludicrous lockout of the referees, we would not hold our collective breaths waiting for this to happen.

This thing ends only one way:  the refs caving.

Or, God forbid, a player getting killed because of the incompetence of the replacements.

The NFL claims to care about the fans.  It doesn't.  If it did, we would have at most two preseason games (with no addition of regular season games) and charged a pittance for admission.  As long as fans will allow themselves to be screwed over in order to obtain season tickets, all the moaning and groaning in the world will not change things.

The NFL responds to one thing:  the size of its collective wallet.  If fans cannot hit the NFL in the pocketbook, nothing else matters.  The NFL will not care about the fans until the fans no longer care about the NFL.  Now, that's a wicked catch 22, is it not?

This referee lockout cannot hurt the NFL. Sure people could stop watching on television.  But the television rights are locked into place.  The refs will cave long before the next negotiating window and all will be long forgotten.  Besides, we don't think the NFL will lose viewers because of this.  It's like a train wreck.  You can't help but look even if it may disgust you.

Until and unless fans can make a dent in the NFL's revenue, we are stuck with whatever the NFL force feeds us every week.

NFL Survivor Pick: 2012 Week Two

This week's pick will come a bit earlier than normal as the Cheap Seats prepare to actually occupy some seats this weekend at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Week 2 in the NFL season is almost as hard to call as Week 1.  The trick is to not get too caught up in what happened in Week 1, either good or  bad.  Too small of a sample size to glean any real knowledge.

Since this is our first foray in providing a weekly analysis, we are still tweaking the format.  Should we continue to provide commentary on each game?  We think, yes.  While it may seem frivolous at this point, it will become much more important as the season progresses and more and more teams come off your board each week.

A bit more on our philosophy:  We scour the web for recommendations from so-called experts.  Take these recommendations into careful consideration.  Use our own personal knowledge.  Then come to a conclusion.  We would be remiss if we did not look for other recommendations before making our own.  There are many opinions out there.  Ours is but one.

Wouldn't Touch with a Ten Foot Pole
Kansas City (+3) @ Buffalo - Both teams miserably under-achieved in the first week.  Which team, if either turns it around?  We don't know.

New Orleans (-2.5) @ Carolina -  Division game with the favorite on the road.  Still don't know what to make of the Saints with all the off-season drama.  Will Cam Newton have a sophomore slump for the Panthers?  Maybe, maybe not..  But the  first week was not kind.

Minnesota (-1.5) @ Indianapolis - Andrew Luck played like a rookie in his first start for the Colts.  Even with Adrian Peterson apparently at full strength, the Vikings are just not that good.

Oakland (-3) @ Miami -  The Raiders are probably better than the Dolphins, but are making a big time zone jump.  Ryan Tannehill may or may not be as bad as he performed last week against Houston.

Baltimore (+2.5) @ Philadelphia - Not real sure why Philly is favored after that atrocious game last week in Cleveland.  And the Ravens looked pretty good against Cincy.

Washington (-3) @ St. Louis -  As good as Robert Griffin III was against New Orleans last week, remember, he is still a rookie.  Not enough trust yet for us.

Dalllas (-3) @ Seattle -  This may look like a good pick, but it's a long trip for the Cowboys and strange things can happen in the Pacific Northwest.

Denver (+3) @ Atlanta -  Still not enough data on either team for us.  Also, it's the Monday nighter, which we try to avoid.

Looks Good on Paper
Cleveland (+7) @ Cincinnati - This may be the best chance to pick the Bengals all year.  But this is a division game and goofy things happen in division games.  Were this game played later in the season with less options available, we may have recommended it. But this being Survivor, it's too early to risk it.

Houston (-7) @ Jacksonville - We avoid picking road teams when possible.  And this could possibly be a trap game for the Texans, who have the Peyton Manning led Broncos next  week.

Tennessee (+6) @ San Diego - Long trip for the Titans.  This almost makes it to one our recommended games, but we still don't trust the Chargers.

NY Jets (+5) @ Pittsburgh - We don't get it.  Some sites are recommending picking the Steelers this week.  We don't know if the Jets are that good or Buffalo is that bad.  Same goes with the Broncos who beat the Steelers. Also Pittsburgh is coming off a short week.  In good conscience, we cannot recommend this game.

Detroit (+7) @ San Francisco - The Niners are good.  The Lions are not as bad (Matthew Stafford) as last week indicated.  San Fran might have a bit of a let down after the Green Bay game last week. Detroit has something to prove.  This is not a bad pick, just not one we would make in Week 2.

Our Recommendations
Arizona (+13.5) @ New England - This is obviously the safest pick of the week.  Also the biggest spread of the week.  The Patriots have much more future value than any other team.  This is obviously the first opportunity to use some strategy in you pool.

Tampa Bay (+7) @ NY Giants - The Giants have had extra time to work out the kinks that caused their season-opening loss to Dallas in the Wednesday nighter.  The Bucs looked better than expected in their win over Carolina.  Josh Freeman looked more like the Josh Freeman of 2010 than 2011, which is a good sign.  But I don't see the defending Super Bowl champs starting 0-2 at home.

The Pick
Houston is off the board for us as that was our Week 1 pick.  While we are awfully tempted to go with the G-Men, New England is our pick.  While we may wish we had the Patriots later in the season, nothing is guaranteed, so we will go with the pick that gives us the best chance to survive.  Besides if, heaven forbid, Brady were to go down sometime in the next few weeks, all that future value goes out the window.

NFL Survivor Pick: Week 2 Preliminary

If there is anything that comes close to the Week One trepidation in picking NFL Survivor pools, it is Week Two.  The key is not to over react to anything that happened in Week One.  Week Two is still a time to play it safe in our opinion.

We will have full analysis later this week, but with the NFL playing Thursday games most weeks, we want to  give some quick picks before the Thursday games in case your picks are due before the first game of the week.

As for the Thursday night game, Chicago/Green Bay?  Stay away.  The Packers will probably be better than their season-opening loss to San Francisco indicated and are early 5 1/2 point favorites over the Bears.  With the short week, this is one to stay away from this early in the season.

The safest pick this week is New England over Arizona.  Others worth considering are NYG over Tampa, San Francisco over Detroit, Houston over Jacksonville and Cincinnati over Cleveland.

If you want to just survive this week and not worry about any considerations later in the season, then the Patriots are your pick.  Depending the level of risk you're comfortable with, the Giants are a good play.  This may be the only time that the Bengals will be a good play all season, but it is a division game.  The Niners could come down a bit after the big win over Green Bay and the Lions should be better (Matt Stafford we're talking to you) than the squeaker they pulled out in week one.  The Texans should win, but are on the road.

The detailed analysis along with our pick will come later this week.