Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 9

   

      

Andy Lyons - Getty Images       
    
Stone Cold Locks is taking a beating this year, the
record has now dropped to a dismal 15-9, and
1-5 over the last two weeks.  There are no gimmes
this season.  Let's see what this week has in store
for us.  Here goes: 
  
1. Green Bay - My only winner last week, so I'll stick
with them, plus Arizona looks horrible after a 4-0 start. 
 
2. Washington - RGIII shows Cam Newton and the
nation who's the Man.
 
3. Houston - It won't be a very happy homecoming
for Mario Williams as far as I can see.
     
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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 8

   
     
     
After another 2-1 week I'm 14-7, so the less I say the better
off I am.  Once again let's see if I can shake this mediocrity,
and find a perfect 3-0 week, here goes:

1. Tennessee - The pickins' are slim, but the Titans have been
solid at home, so here goes.

2. San Diego - Either they win or Norv gets shipped to a
Community College near you right after the game.
 
3. Green Bay - Holy Crap!, This one looks too easy.
What could possibly go wrong? 
   
   
    
     
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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 5

Rest In Peace Al - 7/4/29 - 10-8-11

   
Last week much more like what a "LOCK" pick should
be, and a 3-0 weekend was a nice band aid to what has
ailed me so far.  My mark is still only 8-4 and I really
need to build on it to ensure that I don't go over my loss
total from last year of nine.  This week I will try and copy
last week with another perfect slate, here goes: 

1. Giants - It's Cleveland, what more do I need to say?

2. Houston - Against the Jets it should be like taking candy
from an infant.

3. Green Bay - The only "shaky" pick here, but I can't see
Rodgers getting outplayed by Luck.  Just don't see it.  
   
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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Ranting With Rizzo Podcast For 9-29-12

On "Ranting with Rizzo" this past week we addressed 
the outcry over the replacement officials, and what
a wacky week three it became. We also take a look
at the MLB season as it starts to wind down.
Have a listen: 

 

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Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 4

 
 
















Last week I was beyond stunned, it was clearly an
unmitigated disaster.  In all my years of Stone Cold
Locks here on MSS I have never gone 0-3, at least
not that I can or want to remember.  My mark is
5-4 and can't ever remember being this close to .500.
This week I will try reverse the 0-3 from last week,
here goes:

1. Arizona - I'm buying in, they may be for real.

2. Houston - Not really a fan, but Oh well.

3. Green Bay -Along with the Saints they are 1-5,
combined, WOW!, bet you didn't see that coming.
   
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Mad Stork Sports Podcast 1-20-12

In case you missed the podcast here it is.
We talk about the Giants & Packers, the
Saints & 49ers, and the upcoming games ahead.
We talk a little the legend of Tim Tebow, and
what he really means. Join me !




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Stone Cold Locks NFL Week 15

Ronald Martinez - Getty Images

The record stands at 35-7, and to me that is pretty
mediocre for a Stone Cold Lock type of picks segment,
so I will try and finish the season strong, but I
think I just need a little cooperation from the teams
that are supposed to win. Let's see what happens.

1. New England - I've been talking trash all week

2. Arizona - Imagine seeing them here, weird

3. Packers - KC too prone to blowouts this year


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Pujols, LaRussa, The Packers & More Random Thoughts

AP/Photo

Usually this posting on Saturday has alot to do with
the college football games on tap for the day, but
today there is only one game, as it should be.
Army - Navy, and these men and women deserve to be
center stage. Let's Support them, thank them, and
show them that we appreciate our freedom thanks to
THEM. Here are some more random thoughts from around
the world of sports this week.

Only Mike Scioscia is capable of not being involved in
any rumors that Tony LaRussa would eventually come out
of retirement if the Angels hiccup this year now that
Albert Pujols is on the team. Scioscia isn't going
anywhere.

Octavio Dotel just signed a free agent contract with
the Detroit Tigers. This is his 13th team !, talk
about frequent flier program.

How soon before some attaches any sort of Dream Team
moniker to either the Angels or Marlins?

Early pick for NFC representative in the Super Bowl
this year: NY Giants, yup I'm nuts, but I feel it

My vote for the Heisman tonight, and no it's not an
official vote, I don't have that level of importance
yet. Robert Griffin III, or RG3 if you prefer, the
kid is impressive, and If I had a ballot it would go
like this: 1. RG3 2. Monte Ball 3. Andrew Luck
Just Sayon'

Jim Mora Jr to coach UCLA is a bad choice, Tom Cable
would have been a better choice.

Arizona St fans making of a stink about the hiring of
June Jones made an even worse choice by making sure the
never went through with it. You could have actually
won some games for a change.

Charlie Weiss to coach at Kansas is a good choice.
Low expectations, but they will get a bigger return,
and this is Notre Dame, so the rules on academics may
be a little lighter, maybe.

I agree with Alan Hahn of NY Newsday on his Tweet earlier
today: "He (Tyson Chandler) and Amar'e may be the fittest
PF/C combo in NBA", I also think they may be the best trio
hen you add Carmelo as well. Now they need a PG, lol

Brandon Roy retiring is a shame, but bad knees are bad news.
Portland loses a good one, a real good one.

Did Dwight Howard really say he wanted to go to the NJ Nets?
Wow, Brooklyn Baby !


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The Shortsightedness Of The Tim Tebow Phenomenon

Chris Schneider/Associated Press

I'm ready for the hate mail, if you know how to write.
I'm ready for the arguments, assuming you can put one
together, and I'm ready to be told how I can't carry
Tim Tebow's jock strap, assuming it is within his
religious beliefs to wear one, but you can't make me
believe that he is going to win anything on a major
stage.

As the saying goes "Numbers Don't Lie", and though
it's true that many times they are deceiving, in this
case they are not. Hang on, want a deceiving number?
5-1, that's Tim Tebow's record as starter this year.
Didn't like that one? Then you are gonna like these
numbers even less. Tebow completes less than 50% of
his passes, both this year and for his career.
For the 2011 season he is averaging less than 95
passing yards per game! In the Broncos five wins over
that 5-1 span the defense is only giving up 15 points
per game, after starting the season giving up 28ppg
in their first five games. Are you going tell me that
Tim Tebow won a National Championship at Florida?
That's College, NOT Pro Football. JaMarcus Russell
won a National Championship too, where is he now?
The truth is quite simply this, he can't live on his
legs alone unless he decides that "GOD" told him he
should switch to running back, wide receiver, or tight
end. If he wants to be a quarterback then he needs
to start playing like a quarterback. Most QB hybrids
just don't have that great a success. This may be a
small sample, but tell me what Vince Young, Michael
Vick, and Donovan McNabb have done in the recent past?,
and they all have better arms and accuracy than Tebow
does. Want to tell me that 5-1 makes him a winner,
fine. Wake me when he wins a Superbowl!

Tim Tebow may be a winner in life, that I will not
argue, but please don't pull a Reggie White on me
and tell me that this is GOD's plan. GOD does not
root for the Denver Broncos, just like he didn't
root for the Green Bay Packers when White played
for them. Do you understand how ridiculous it is
to believe that he would? That means that GOD is
"rooting" against the other team. If White were
alive, younger and playing for the Packers today,
would the game between the Broncos and the Packers
on October the 2nd have ended in a tie instead of
a 49-23 Packers blowout, or would GOD have rooted
for one over the other? I guess the answer changes
whether your a Bronco/Tebow fan or a Packer/White
fan, yes?

Tim Tebow may and already is a winner in life, but
football has nothing to do with it, and it doesn't
need to either.


Tweet Thank You Al Davis !

Detroit Lions Ndamukong Suh Turkey Trot

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

I am a fan of Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh,
but the more I saw the replay of his personal foul
today against the Packers the less I could find any
reason whatsoever to defend his actions.
Suh made things worse if that's at all possible by
saying he was doing it to regain his balance, wow.
His actions were inexcusable, his explanation too
much for the mind to process. I think a suspension
is now in order. Fining someone who makes that much
money will never deter him from doing it again, so
it's time he gets what Albert Haynesworth got when
he behaved the same. It's the only thing left to do.


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A College & NFL FOOTBALL Feast

Courtesy: Turf Show Times

Green Bay and Detroit started out your Thanksgiving day
pigskin bonanza, and though that was soon thereafter
to be followed by Dallas and Miami it certainly wasn't
all there was. The Harbaugh bowl later took center
stage to cap off the evening and again this wasn't all.
College football fans also had a Texas Texas A&M battle
that could very well be there last for a long time, and
again this was to be just the beginning of what is and
was to be a weekend of football that seems never-ending.

College football on Friday had a huge tilt that would
see Arkansas and LSU with Alabama and Auburn to follow
Saturday, and then back to the NFL again on Sunday and
Monday. This certainly was not a weekend for Turkeys,
but rather just the right amount of football to keep
you craving the Bowls, and the NFL playoffs that follow.
If you're a football fan you are clearly in your element
this weekend and the bigger the upset, or the more a
team gets wronged in the BCS polls as far as your
concerned the deeper your passion for this is bound to
grow for more. Good food, good football, and if you're
lucky, good times with family and friends, WOW, what
else could you ask for?

So how long before football is truly year round?


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NFL Week 11: Interesting Nuggets To This Point

Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN

Still think the 3-7 Dolphins aren't that good?
Even though they have only scored a total
of 19.3 points per game they have still
managed to outscor their opponents by a
total of SEVEN points.

Just Win! The Raiders lead the AFC West
with a 6-4 record and yet have been outscored
by their opponents by at total of 19 points.

Defense wins Championships?
That theory will definitely be put to the test
once again. The Green Bay Packers score an
average of over 35 points per game.

Can you find the expert who said this?
The San Francisco 49er's will be 9-1 after ten
games under first year head coach Jim Harbaugh?

Can you find the expert who said this? Part Deux
Jim Harbaugh's team will have a better record
than his brother John's Baltimore Ravens team
when they meet on Thanksgiving night

Hard LUCK, Bad LUCK, or Good LUCK?
Do you realize that because of the new rookie cap
friendly CBA agreed to this past summer the Colts
could have both Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck,
or even Matt Barkley on their roster next season?

Say it ain't so! How many fans would have believed
that the Chicago Bears losing Jay Cutler would be
a bad thing?

Even after TEN games: The 49ers have as many wins
as the remaining three teams in their division(9)

Wild Weird West: No one in the AFC West has scored
more points than their opponents.

Did I miss anything? Let me know.

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Can The 2011 Packers Succeed Where The 2007 Patriots Failed?

I can't believe this question hasn't been asked more
often than it has. After all the Packers are the
defending Super Bowl Champs, and in 2006 the Patriots
weren't. Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers might also be
having as good a year thus far as Brady did in 2007.
Brady threw for 4,800 yards that season, and Rodgers
in on pace for 5,100. Brady threw for 50 TD's and
Rodgers is also on pace for 50 Touchdowns. Brady got
picked off only eight times in 07 while Rodgers is on
pace for only a shade over 5 interceptions for this
entire season.

The question you may ask yourself though is: Will
they go the Peyton Manning, Colts route and sit the
final game or two if it means nothing in the way of
seed or clinching the division, or will they go
after it hard like the Belichick and the Pats did?
The Packers toughest games are three out of their
next four games, where they to Detroit, on a short
week on Thanksgiving night, and then to New York to
visit the Giants on extended rest the week after
that Thursday night tilt. Detroit is no pushover
this season, but they have looked very human and
less than that since losing to the Niners in their
own building, and getting crushed by the Bears just
yesterday. Still it will be one of their very few
tough games remaining. Beyond those two, I would
like to believe that their matchup against the
Raiders might offer them a tough time, but at
Lambeau in December, maybe not. They will face the
Bears and Lions again in the last two weeks, but
both of those games are at home, and we still don't
know whether or not they will care enough to try.

No one in the AFC shows me that they are ready to
dethrone Green Bay should the Packers make it that
far, but it has been a crazy season at times, and
yes "On Any Given Sunday", anything can happen.

After tonight's drubbing of the Vikes the talk should
definitely start to heat up, the only question is:
Will they play along? I think they do, too much
tradition there to not want to add that to the trophy
case as well.



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Some NFL Observations On This Crazy Week

This may not cover all of what may seem strange, off
or funny with some of the results in the NFL thus far,
but it won't be far from the truth.

The Philadelphia Eagles loss to the Arizona Cardinals
on Sunday have turned the "Dream Team" into "Nightmare"
on Broad St.", Wow, I just can't see a recovery here.

The defending AFC West Champ KC Chiefs are 4-5, but
have been outscored by 87 points, which incidentally
is equal to the margin they were outscored in there
first two games of the season.

Tim Tebow has won three times as many games as Kyle
Orton has this year and on Sunday he threw EIGHT
passes and won. Unreal

The Baltimore Ravens have now lost two road games to
two teams that at the time were a one win team
(Jaguars), and a two win team(Seahawks), but yet
they have already swept the Steelers for 20111
How can you have any confidence in this team?

Are the 5-4 Falcons still going to the Super Bowl?
The Packers looked bad early last year as well, so
I guess it's still possible, but I'm not impressed.

As a starter for the Cardinals Fordham grad John
Skelton has twice as many wins as the guy they gave
up the high draft picks for Kevin Kolb, every analyst
anointed savior.

After a 5-0 start the Detroit Lions are 1-3

The Redskins are back!, to being the bad team we always
knew they always were. How badly are Mike and Kyle
Shanahan ripping off both Snyder and Redskins fans?

The 8-1 49er's can pretty much cruise into the playoffs
if they keep playing like this. The only notable
matches they have left are the Thursday night matchup
on Thanksgiving of the brothers Harbaugh at Baltimore,
and at least the Family will be together, but I would
love to be a fly at that table for the post game
conversation, and a home game against the Steelers on
12/19 in a game that should still matter to the Steelers.
They have already surpassed the win mark of last years
defending NFC Worst Champ Seahawks (7-9)

Back to back wins by the formerly winless Dolphins, and
I think it's safe to say that the Colts are very close
to being "on the clock"

Does anyone in the AFC scare you or make you believe that
they can beat the Green Bay Packers? Yeah, me neither.

Did I miss something? Let me know.


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NFL Stone Cold Locks Week 10

The record is now up to 24-3, but no matter what you
may think, it will probably get a little more difficult
as the possibility of being a spoiler begins to be the
only motivation for some teams. I'm looking for another
perfect wee, so here goes.

1. Philadelphia - A loss turns their dream into nightmare
2. Baltimore - I will be stunned if they lose this one
3. Green Bay - it's just not supposed to happen, period!




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Too Soon To Bury The NY Jets?, Maybe Not

Most proponents of the NY Jets will tell you
that it is too early to bury or discount the
New York Jets based on what has happened the
last two games, and with that I would tend to
agree. Many teams go through bad stretches,
figure it out, and get back on track, but this
isn't always the case, and with the Jets, it
may not be, and I don't believe it is.

The last two weeks has shown that not only can
they be dominated, but also that they are more
like a 1-3 team, than they are a 2-2 team, and
had it not been for Tony Romo's implosion they
very well would be. Their quarterback play is
much weaker than his GQ cover would have you
believe, and their defense, though above average,
is over rated, and relies more on their coaches
bravado, than actual fact. Beyond the Green Bay
Packers there are no perfect teams in this league,
not the Patriots, not the Steelers, and certainly
not the "Dream Team" Eagles. Though Joe Flacco
did not leave you anymore impressed than Mark
Sanchez, a "Sanchise" Mark is not, and the Jets
are further away from a title this year, than they
or their fans think they are. Bury them? NO, but
don't believe their hype either.


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NFL Stone Cold Locks 2011 Week 4

AP Photo/Mel Evans

3-0 last week puts me at 8-1 for the
season, and though that's nice, I'm
driven to make sure that they live up
to their name and look for more, and
more perfection this week, so here goes:

1. Philadelphia (Too much talent, their due)
2. Baltimore (Here comes the Rex Ryan quote train)
3. Green Bay (Way too much cheese here)

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NFC North: Somethings Gotta Give

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

This division had to come soon after the NFC
South because they play in the opening game,
so the other remaining divisions give me more
time to mull over what I think will happen.
The NFC North is going to be no picnic to
pick either, but I feel that this is how
it will look in the end:

1. Green Bay Packers (No Hangover Here)
2. Detroit Lions (IF Stafford Stays Healthy)
3. Minnesota Vikings (McNabb Has A Little Left)
4. Chicago Bears (Not Enough Stability In ChiTown)

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Ranting With Rizzo "Super Edition" Replay

Catch my prediction, assessment and analysis
of the Packers and Steelers before their BIG
game, not to mention a whole lot of rambling
as well. Enjoy !

Stone Cold "Super" Lock

82% is a nice number for correct number of
winning picks, 41-9 to be exact. I just
don't consider it good enough for them to
be called locks, but c'est la vie.
I do wish however to end my season with a
bang, and that is why I'm going with the
Green Bay Packers to end the 2010 NFL season
as Champions, and though I am not trying to
create a built in excuse should they lose,
I will say that a Steeler victory would not
come as a shock. The pick however is PACKERS !

Enjoy the Game !