NFL power poll
Our picks were terrible last week. We were 1-3, and that’s not the worst. We were 1-3 and that lone win was taking the Chargers over the Raiders.
We made that pick because we thought Derek Carr was not going to play. When Carr was announced as the starter, we thought, “Well, there goes that pick. Wish we could take that one back.”
Of course that was the only one that hit because we have an NFL right now that makes little sense to anyone watching it. Is there one thing, you absolutely know about today’s NFL?
And yes, we believe the Patriots will be in the mix to win the Super Bowl, but do we know that? Certainly not, considering the Pats got a fortunate overturn on a questionable replay to beat the flippin’ Jets by a touchdown. The only things we may truly know are the following:
The Browns are going to do Browns-like things and figure out how to take a QB in the second round and give him the quickest hook in modern-NFL history. According to Elias, DeShone Kizer being benched after four starts is the quickest a rookie has been replaced for non-injury-related reasons since the wildcard era began. You do you Cleveland. (And here’s betting with pick 1 or 2 next year they are going to need to take a QB and they still may deal that pick. Man, Cleveland fans are going to have to watch the next decade of football knowing that their team passed on Deshawn Watson and Carson Wentz in back-to-back drafts.)
The league is in a place where it needs to figure out its marquee stars healthy if at all possible. No JJ Watt. No Odell Beckham Jr. No Aaron Rodgers. That’s three of the top names in the sport done for the year. Hey, maybe there’s no way to do, especially considering the violent nature of the game, but the NFL should take a cue from the NBA and figure out a way to market its stars better.
And, finally, there’s not a single scenario we see in which Colin Kaepernick will ever be an NFL quarterback again. Other that, it’s anyone’s best guess.
Powerful
1. Kansas City. Yes, the Chiefs dropped their first game of the season on Sunday. And yes, that means the 1972 Dolphins popped the corks on the celebration champagne since another year passes without a perfect championship team. And, yes, we’re not super comfortable with an Alex Smith led team at home in a must-have game, because as sure as people in Grundy County are hot with you know who, Smith and that offense will become Capt. Check-down and Checkers, playing all their old-school hits.
2. Philadelphia. As injuries (sorry, Green Bay and Carolina) and suspensions (bye Zeek) the Eagles are getting players back and getting better by the week. Fletcher Cox is a bona fide dude in the middle of that defensive line and we are seriously to a point of asking the comparative value question about Carson Wentz and every other healthy quarterback in the NFL. Seriously, is there a healthy signal caller out there right now that the Eagles would trade Wentz for? (Side note: Want to know who has the top-selling jersey in the NFL right now? Yep, Carson Wentz.)
3. New England. This has to be Tom Brady’s best overall collection of weapons, right? Gronk is a freak, and when everyone makes the “Brady only had Moss for a couple of years” argument, we wonder why Gronk’s physical talents always get underappreciated. Brady-Gronk have 70 TD connections since Rob Gronkowski came into the league in 2010, more than any QB-WR tandem in that time frame.
4. Pittsburgh. Complete enigma right now that is the very definition of what we don’t know about this league. Pittsburgh has a top-three wide receiver who may be the best, a top-two running back who may be the best and a quarterback who is likely headed to the Hall of Fame and the offense is a mystery because of bellyaching and moodiness. (Side note: This is the first time we’ve ever wondered this, but is the Steelers coaching staff losing control of its team? Heck, in NFL questions that may be the least asked this side of “Man, do you think its time for the Packers to change those uniforms?”)
5. Los Angeles Rams. Another young QB and another team that is about to have a three-year window of financial flexibity with its QB under contract. The Rams have replaced the Seahawks in that spot of cap options and the Seahawks, who elected to pay Russell Wilson and its defense are showing that a team with a stinky line will more times than not ultimately be stinky.
Powerless
28. Indianapolis. The slight differences between playoff and being in the bottom tier are magnified with the Colts. No franchise quarterback as Andrew Luck still nurses his shoulder back to creaky. And still, the Colts were one bad quarter Monday night from topping a desperate Titans team that is now tied for the lead in the hard-to-recognize-the-favorite AFC South.
29. Chicago. Hey Mitchell Trubisky got his first win on Sunday, same day as Brady got career win No. 187 to set the all-time regular season record. Here’s betting that, oh in 15 or so years, we’re not counting down Trubisky’s total in the same way.
30. New York Giants. That Sunday night game was gross. As gross as our picking of it. And to highlight the unknown of this league, we would have added Denver’s defense to one of the things we actually thought we knew was truly reliable. Not when some unknown running back and the artist formerly known as Eli Manning and three wide outs from parts unknown come into Denver and win. Crazy.
31. San Francisco. We’ll say this, and we think this to be true, the 49ers have built a quarterback-less nucleus that has promise. No team in NFL history has lost five straight games, each by three-points-or-fewer, until San Fran pulled it off this weekend. That screams that these young guys are competing. The single worst thing that can happen for the 49ers is wins. Seriously. They need to play for last.
32. Cleveland. Bagel-and-6. And counting. The most consistent thing in the NFL your Cleveland Browns.
FILE – In this March 19, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, greets Kyrie Irving during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Los Angeles. Irving was traded to the Bostons Celtics and returns to Cleveland to play against the Cavaliers, on Tuesday, Oct. 17. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File) NBA openers and predictions
We have become a much bigger NBA fan than we ever could have expected.
Sure, we liked the NBA when it was Magic and Bird and Dr. J, and then they gave way to Jordan and and the folks wanting to take their shot at him. But today’s NBA has more superstars, at least it feels that way because the league has done an excellent job of marketing its players.
In a lot of ways it has been forced to, because let’s face it, the NBA is an elitist collection of franchises in which there are really only five or six teams of the 30 that can win the championship. And in truth, if the Warriors stay healthy all year, we think a lot of people believe there’s really only one team that can win it all. And it’s the same one that did it last year.
Before we get to the known predictions of division winners and awards and such, let’s review some of the lesser known predictions. Deal? Deal.
The most surprising change in NBA storylines and the winner is, that the offseason has become the most dramatic and intriguing hot stove league around. Crazy right. The NBA has not made an NFL-like move to be a 12-month league.
The names that will be on the trading block early and will surprised you when they are dealt for cap space and picks and the winners are San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan and Phoenic sharpshooter Eric Bledsoe. (Side note: Every player on the Hawks roster is on the trading block and every contender will come calling with the, “Hey, would you like to send Schroder for a protected No. 1 in 2019?”)
The best player that only hard-core hoops fans will know about and the winner is Karl-Anthony Towns. Did you realize that the former UK stud duck scored 25 a night for the T-Wolves with 12.3 boards and did it at almost a Dirk/Bird level of big man efficiency that is eye-popping. KAT shot 54 percent from the floor, 37 percent from 3 and better than 82 percent from the line. This guy is a certified dude and has a chance to be the most dominant offensive big man since Shaq was in his prime.
And finally, the seven teams that will almost assuredly be involved in almost every prime time NBA telecast because the league knows what it’s doing and the reality of a top-heavy sport are, in order, Golden State, Cleveland, Boston, Oklahoma City, Houston, Los Angeles and San Antonio. Yes, the Lakers and the Lonzo Ball bounce – and the fact that they are the Lakers and in the nation’s No. 2 media market – are a bigger draw than the Spurs. We did not say they are better. Just a bigger draw. We were tempted to add New York because the NBA is starving for the Knicks to be good, but not yet. Yes, the league and its media partners will juggle games with those seven to see rematches/reunions (like the Knicks facing Carmelo and the Thunder or CP3 and the Rockets playing the Clippers) and see superstars play emerging stars (Cleveland and LBJ vs. Milwaukee and Giannis Antetokounmpo or the San Antonio vs. Minnesota and KAT and the boys.) But those seven are the draws and never the twain shall meet.
As for our picks, we’ll go, in order of finish, Cleveland, Boston, Washington, Toronto, Milwaukee, Philly, Miami and Detroit. Yes, that’s taking Philly really high but if Joel Embiid stays healthy and plays 60 games, that’s a young and talented bunch with a rising superstar.
In the west, we think the Warriors are going to challenge 70 wins even with the rest factor, followed by OKC, San Antonio, Houston, Minnesota, Portland, Utah and Memphis. Yes, that’s some star power with the Clippers missing out, but we believe they will destroy that roster and the Clippers will be the Clippers again. Good times.
All the series likely play to form with a sprinkled 5 over a 4 maybe, and let’s face it, NBA playoffs are the least-upset-filled sports tournament out there. As for the final four, we’ll take Cavs over Boston in the East and Warriors over San Antonio in the West.
Finals: Warriors over Cavs. Man, that’s going out on a limb, right?
Individually this could be a lot of fun.
MVP: A motivated LeBron James narrowly over Kwahi Leonard.
Rookie of the year: Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers. (That said, here’s betting by Christmas, we all know the name Dennis Smith Jr.)
Most improved player: D’Angelo Russell but we think Thon Maker in Milwaukee is going to be a lot better too.
Defensive player of the year: Rudy Gobert, Utah. (Voter fatigue has not set in on him just yet.)
Sixth man: Tristan Thompson, Cavs.
Coach: Steve Kerr, Golden State.
Thoughts?
Tennessee football coach Butch Jones, right of official, is 33-24 with the Vols midway through his fifth season in Knoxville. He has led the program to three straight bowl wins but no SEC East championships.Butch
OK, we are running late today.
But we have to discuss this: Butch Jones got maybe a phone call on Monday’s Press Row.
One. Maybe.
After losing to South Carolina – a team that believes is a good football team, which they are not – and after another listless crowd.
Wow, Butch is more dangerous territory than we even could have imagined.
He has sped through the hot seat talk and has landed in the indifferent zone.
And know this: Indifference and apathy kills programs way faster than alumni and fans being mad at the coach. No matter how mad. No matter if it’s mad enough for the biggest Johnny Vols Fan you know to actually want Alabama to cover the 35 so it means another step toward a new beginning.
Because the worst and most powerful statement fans can make is not booing, it’s skipping the game – be it on TV or in attendance – and hitting the program where they live. In its wallet.
And it feels like the UT base has reached that place with Butch. And they got there in a hurry.
We’re unsure whether John Currie and the UT leadership will fire Butch this year. Truly.
And the biggest stat of the season now that UT has lost to South Carolina – and Butch has lost to Muschamp – again will be the attendance when the Big Orange returns to Neyland come November.
Interesting times for sure.
This and that
– Thought our man, Press Row cohost and all-around TFP ace David Paschall had an excellent report on the 20-year anniversary of Finley Stadium, the house that Krystals built. Excellent history and details. Side note, and allow me to speechify for a moment: Want to know why its important to have experienced journalists and storytellers in every market? The true and vast institutional knowledge like Paschall has on things like this. The TFP sports department is rich with that skill, from Paschall to Weeds to Hargis and his prep folks, to international man of mystery Shirtless Ron Bush on all things local. Most of those cats have been on the job for more than two decades. It’s a true Chattanooga resource and blessing that we will not truly appreciate until it is no longer. So I will say this as someone who used to work with them and now reads them regularly, great job guys.
– We shared some of our NBA views. Now this stat from Darren Rovell: NBA players are given $129 a day meal money on road trips. Man, I’m trying to remember the last time I spent $129 on a meal. #GoodWorkifyouCanGet
– Yankees topped Astros in Game 3 in an emotional 8-1 win in which Aaron Judge actually hit the ball and said ball flew over the fence. Amazing right? Houston leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 tonight. Game 3 of the NLCS is schedule for tonight too. As well as the NBA opening. Good times indeed.
Today’s questions
OK, on a true or false Tuesday, we’ll start as clean and direct as we know how: Butch Jones will be the UT football coach in 2018.
True or false, you are excited for the start of the NBA season.
True or false, you would take the Warriors over the field to win the NBA title.
True or false, you would take the Patriots against the rest of the NFL in a Super Bowl pool.
As for today’s day, well did you know on Oct. 17 in 1860 – that’s before the Civil War friends – Willie Park, Sr., wins the first British Open with a 164 at Prestwick Club in Scotland.
On this day in 1933, Albert Einstein fled from Nazi Germany to these United States of America.
On this day, Eminem turns 45 and Evel Knievel would have been 79.
As for a Rushmore, did you know that day is National Pasta Day. What makes the Rushmore of Italian food entrees?
Go, and enjoy the day.