My Fearless League Predictions

 

It is time again for my fearless attempt (note:  no dart boards were injured during this exercise) to predict the outcome of the 2011 NFL Season.  I know that some of you will doubt my crystal ball but it seldom fails me (except when it needs repair which happens around this time every year).

AFC East

  1. Pats –
    This team has struggled in the playoffs but always has a great regular
    season.  This year it will get to the AFC
    Championship game.
  2. Jets – I wonder how good the O will be because I
    am not sold on QB Sanchez.
  3. Dolphins – This team is without a QB and it will
    show.  Daboll is the OC which is good
    news for the TE’s.
  4. Bills – This team is going to be in the running
    for the 1st pick QB Luck.  But
    will they be willing to pay enough to sign him if they get the 1st
    pick.

AFC North

  1. Steelers – They have a D older than the “over
    the hill gang” of Redskin fame and the window to winning is closing because of
    it.
  2. Ravens – They just can’t seem to find a way beat
    the
Read more at FryingPanSports

Formula 1200 Is The Racing League For The Rest Of Us

Race car driving is challenging, fun and expensive. Many people who have the talent to become a competitive driver and appear on television in the Indy 500 or on the streets of Monaco in a Formula One car never get the chance. The sport is simply too expensive for most young talents to give it a try.

Harry O’Neal believes that just isn’t fair and knows an affordable way for boys and girls to test their talent on the track. Harry is the president of the Ontario chapter of the Formula 1200 Driver’s Association. If you aren’t familiar with Formula 1200, perhaps you have heard of Formula Vee. They are the same international racing league.

A decent Formula 1200 car costs between $10,000 and $12,000. Fees and expenses for a race weekend run from $350 to $500. Expenses will be higher if the car gets damaged, but not significantly. O’Neal points out that rebuilding the front end costs about $500 for a Formula 1200 car compared to $2000 for a Formula Ford.

O’Neal is quick to point out that the key to success in Formula 1200 is the driver’s skill. The rules dictate that every car in the field has … Read more at FryingPanSports

Will the NHL build on the US interest in Olympic Hockey? No.

NHLogo

A great salesman can sell ice to an Eskimo. A bad one couldn’t give 20 dollar bills away. Which one is the NHL–the second unfortunately.

The NHL has a perfect opportunity to build on the fan interest in hockey generated by the US vs. Canada gold metal game. It could but it won’t.

The league has the worst record for marketing of any major sport. The NHL marketing guys make those that work for MLB look bright and that isn’t easy. So what will these pinheads do to build on the Olympics? Probably nothing. They will go back to the Verses network and go back to sleep without one thought about what could be done. So what can they do?

First, focus promotion on the individual heroes of the Olympics. The league has some nice young stars but needs to take a lesson from the NBA on how to take advantage of them. They need their stars like Nash and Crosby to become the face of the league. The league needs to get these guys on TV talk shows and that would involve time off which the league did not plan into the schedule.

The coverage of the final game … Read more at FryingPanSports

What does the Williams' case mean for the NFL's drug policy and the future of the league?

nfl

Six events have put the entire drug policy of NFL and every other sports league’s policy in serious jeopardy.

Event 1—The state courts of Minnesota prohibiting Comm. Goodell from suspending Pat and Kevin Williams (DT, Vikings) for having tested positive for banned substances. When the league first announced the suspensions of several players including both all pro DTs of the Vikes, the Williams took the issue to the Minnesota state courts. The state courts found for the Williams.

Event 2—The NFL took the issue to the Federal court system. The League claimed that since it is a national organization, only the Federal system could decide the issue. A lower federal court used the state decision in part to decide in favor of the players. The league appealed and the Minnesota federal court of Appeals heard the case.

Event 3—The NFLPA joined the fray. When the case was moved to the federal courts, the Union filed suit on behalf of both the Vikings players and three Saints players that were also suspended by the league. The NBA, MLB and the NHL filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the NFL’s position.

Event 4—Last week, that court announced the verdict—no suspensions now … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Jets have some explaining to do.

t

The Jets staff under then coach Mangini failed to put QB Bret Favre on the injury list as required by NFL rules. Favre had a shoulder problem that would have prevented the average man from playing. According to a recent statement by Favre, he offered to sit out the final few games of the Jets 2008 season because he felt he was hurting the team. His offer was in spite of the fact that it would have ended his consecutive game streak.

Even though the culprit is now with the Browns, the Jets will likely be fined 25-50K by the league. The rule requiring injuries to be reported shows a level of hypocrisy of the NFL that is usually limited to politicians.

The league has said in the past that they require all teams to list their injuries because it levels the playing field by letting the opposition know who is likely to play and who is not. That is an outright lie. The real reason that the reports are required by rule is that the league wants to make that information available to the average joe that bets on games. The wise guys know the inside scoop on injuries. … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Pats hope Brady is Brady.

t

QB Tom Brady had the most replayed and discussed injury in the recent history of the NFL in game 1 last year. All Coach Bill Belichick wants is his QB back to where he was before the injury. All reports are positive and it looks like Brady is back at close to 100%. The Pats have added some key veterans that make the team better. That’s all very bad news for the rest of the AFC.

Over the last few years, the Pats have been plugging in younger players. Last year, they went 11-5 without the best QB in the league. Now they have him back and the team will be much better than 07 or 08. There is no experience behind him.

The running game is a lot more solid that it looks from the outside. It is deep and talented. Starter Laurence Maroney has underachieved and has been injury prone but help has arrived in the form of vet Fred Taylor. Maroney will have to improve or Taylor will get the majority of carries. Vets Sammy “the versatile” Morris and Kevin Faulk the 3rd down back are joined by rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis in reserve.

As if the … Read more at FryingPanSports