Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 1

I'm back for another season of football picks
and commentary. Last year I ended the season
with a record of 51-9 and a successful end with
my pick of the Giants as Superbowl Champions.
The .850 winning percentage is an improvement
over the previous seasons mark of .824, so this
season I will try and keep that upward trend by
improving on it once again. Here goes week 1:

1. Houston - Miami still needs to get feet wet.

2. New England - A repeat appearance in the
Super Bowl is in the cards for Brady & Co.

3. Philadelphia - The Browns honor the late Art
Modell in the only way they know how.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

NFL Stone Cold Locks Week 17

Getty Images

Just like the guy in this photo, I sometimes feel that
even though I had a 3-0 week, the season total of 40-8
is not worthy of Stone Cold Lock status, but I have one
more week left in the regular season, and I will carry
this throughout the playoffs, and all the way to the
"BIG" game in February. Here are this weeks picks:

1. Philadelphia - Last chance to save face for the Birds

2. Pittsburgh - No let up, and possible #1 seed at stake

3. 49er's - Most dependable pick all season long for me

This is the most difficult week of all to pick.
You never know who's going to mail it in or not.


Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Eagles & Chargers Should Meet In Toilet Bowl

AP Photo/Denis Poroy

Depending on who you spoke to this year, the "Dream
Team" Philadelphia Eagles were probably going to go
to the Super Bowl. Many so called experts may not
have picked the Eagles out of the NFC, but they sure
did go with the San Diego Chargers to represent the
AFC in the BIG Game.

After this past Sunday's games it is beyond clear
that neither of these two teams deserves anything
other than to perhaps face each other in the so
called "Toilet Bowl". After all we are approaching
"Bowl Season", and since they aren't in any danger
of ruining their playoff chances, then perhaps they
should duke it out to see which of the two is better,
or, err, worse. I have never seen not one, but two
teams with so much talent, and promise in the same
year look so bad. It's fair to say that they will
probably go in a different direction in San Diego
as far as head coaches go, but Andy Reid may be
sparred that fate, at least for now, but not if he
has a repeat type performance in 2012.

Before you run to look at their schedules, no they
don't meet in 2011, but maybe the NFL can make an
exception for charity or something.

Tweet Thank You Al Davis !

NFL Stone Cold Locks Week 11

Last weeks losses were an embarrassment, but more so
they should be to the Eagles, and Ravens who managed
to lose to teams that they should have easily handled.
my record is now 25-5, and that has rally put a
major cramp in my plans for an almost flawless record.
Without further adieu here are this weeks winners:

1. San Francisco - Haven't let me known yet

2. New England - KC doesn't deserve to be in this game

3. Detroit - A bit of a stretch, but little choice

Tweet Thank You Al Davis !

Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo Replay 11-17-11

If you missed the show, the you missed that there
is still lots of talk regarding the emerging news
out Penn St, and the dozens of skeletons people
there have been hiding. The audio got off to a
rough start, but after that we also took a look
around the NFL, and the world as the sports world
always manages to offer us some entertainment.
The podcast is ready for your listening pleasure,
Enjoy !





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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.


Tweet Thank You Al Davis !

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!




Tweet Thank You Al Davis !

Did The Raiders Win By Losing?

Courtesy: P A Patterson

Just a thought: The Oakland Raiders lost three
players this off season to free agancy who were
arguably three of their best at their respective
positions. Nnamdi Asomougha (Eagles), Robert
Gallery (Seahawks), and Zach Miller (Seahawks).
The Raiders going into their bye week are 4-3,
the teams these three went to are 4-8 combined,
each are 2-4, and though Eagles were supposed to
be the next great team, I knew the Seahags were
going nowhere. I don't blame Asomougha for their
lack of success, though Eagles fans would blame
Mary Poppins if they could, but did the Raiders
get better by losing out on some of their better
playes? Sometimes you gotta wonder.



Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Terrel Owens NFL Workout For No One

AP/Photo/ Matt Salmons

I guess with all that Terrel Owens did to alienate
people, you could still say that he was popular at
one point, and that was when he worked his butt off
to after a brutal leg injury while with the Eagles,
and then managed to have a significant Super Bowl
performance against a defense and coach that knew
how to stop people like Owens. Owens worked his
tail off and came back ahead of schedule, and even
though you could say that he probably had pissed
off the 49ers enough to get rid of him and the
Ravens for refusing a trade Baltimore, at the very
least he still had some fans, but that's probably
when it started to snowball in a very bad way down
hill. His services were in demand alright, but his
primadonna attitude was wearing people out one city
at a time.

What athletes like T.O. don't realize, is that when
your skills start to diminish, and age sets in, then
you get a day like today, where you work out to show
teams what you got, and no one shows up because no
one really cares. In a way this saddens me, and not
because I'm a fan of Owens or anything , but because
of all rumors in recent years of T.O. and his supposed
suicide attempts, and I just hope they are just that,
rumors. Randy Moss is starting to see the same thing,
yeah he might say he retired, but no one was knocking
his door down either. He cried like a little school
girl when Belichick and the Patriots broke up with
him, and was subsequently passed around the league
for scrap until they realized he was used up as well.

Players like this will never ever cease to exist, but
they can avoid all this by realizing that they are a
perishable commodity, and when their time is up, their
time is up. They will be used, and passed around like
a rag doll, and though they think they have the upper
hand because they're getting PAID, at the end of the
day they will rot just like those raspberries you
bought last week and forgot in the back of the fridge.

Coaches can coach well onto their 60's, GM's can work
into their 70's, and Owners have no expiration date,
but no mater how good a CBA your union negotiates for
you, they can't save you from yourself, and you will
technically expire before you hit 40, and you will be
called OLD, when most people still have to go their
day job for another 20+ years. Yesterday T.O. found
out just the beginning of how cruel time combined
with a lousy attitude can be.


Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

NFL Stone Cold Locks 2011 Week 5

Me & Al Davis October 7th 1990, 21yrs and 1 day before his death

Last week in an emotional moment I laid all my
eggs in one basket and used all three of my
picks on the Oakland Raiders, and though this
is not the norm, nor something I ever expect
to do again, it is something I will give myself
a pass on just this once. The record stands at
13-2, and looking continue last weeks momentum,
so here goes:

1. Pittsburgh (Del Rio on his last legs)
2. Philadelphia (Scene of Vick's post jail resurgence)
3. Cincinnati (I'm reaching here)

Al Davis, Jim Otto & Their Wives leaving Buffalo Hotel
October 1990 prior to a Sunday Night Game vs Bills


Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Phillies & Eagles: Nothing But Broken "Dream Teams" So Far

AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

With the Phillies dropping out in the 1st
round of the NL Playoffs on Friday night
and the Eagles off to a 1-3 start so far,
and fresh off of blowing a 20-3 halftime
this past Sunday, the city of Philadelphia
is no longer thinking "Dream Team", but
rather realizing that these are nothing
more than broken dreams.

Nothing is guaranteed, and they don't
play these games on paper, just ask the
16-0 New England Patriots.


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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: The New Monster Of The "Midway" Division

Courtesy: Yardbarker

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but when
you have Dallas (Americas Team), the New York
Giants (New York, New York, so nice they named
it twice), the Philadelphia Eagles (The NEW
Miami Heat?), and The Washington Redskins
(Well it is the Nations Capitol, anyway), then
you have lots on swag going on, and as far as
divisions go, it is a bit of a Monster, and one
that will be followed very closely throughout
the year, especially if the Cowboys can steal
one against the Jets on Sunday night football
on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and momentarily
silence Rex Ryan (Who am I kidding!). This is
how I think it will look at seasons end.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (Too Much REAL Talent)
2. Dallas Cowboys (For Real, & Will Make Some Noise)
3. NY Giants (Injuries Hurt/End Season Before It Begins)
4. Washington Redskins (Shanahan A One Trick Pony, No
Elway, No Tricks. O V E R R A T E D)

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In The Vick Of Time

After spending 18 months in Federal prison on
charges stemming form being involved in a
dog fighting ring Michael Vick led the Eagles
to an NFC East title, was the starting QB in
the Pro Bowl and was the AP Comeback Player
of the Year, and now the payoff. Vick signed
a deal worth $100 million, including about
$40 million guaranteed, terms of the deal were
not disclosed, but you can bet (no pun intended)
there is plenty of language in there involving
conduct, behavior and image. He may no longer
be bankrupt after this deal is complete, but
he better watch his P's and Q's if he wants to
see ALL of this money. I'm sure this new deal
just warms the cockles of Arthur Blanks heart.

Could There Be A New Titletown ?

It may sounds strange saying this about a
city that only has ONE Title in the past
20 plus years, and that came three years
ago, but in this past MLB off season there
was one prize jewel on the market and that
was Cliff Lee. The Phillies were no where
to be found when it came to rumors as to
where he might end up, and swoop, out of
nowhere, Mr. Lee the prize jewel himself
decides to take LESS money, that's right
it's not a typo, and go to Philadelphia.

If this sounds familiar, it could very well
be because there was a repeat of that just
this past week. Nnamdi Asomougha was the
prize jewel, of the NFL off season free agent
market and he too took less money to join a
Philadelphia team (sound familiar?). Very
few if anyone thought he would end up with
the Eagles and low and behold, SWOOP, just
like the real life Eagles, here they came,
even though the odds up until the last few
minutes gave the NY Jets an 80% chance to land
him, and the Dallas Cowboys a 20% chance, and
there was NO ONE else in the picture according
to the "EXPERTS".

Now, landing these two big fish does not ensure
that the Phillies and Eagles will win Titles
this season, or even appear in the finals of
their respective leagues for that matter, but
you can't deny that the Phillies are a serious
contender and at the very top of the list to at
least represent the National League with their
stellar starting rotation. The Eagles, dare I say
it, may have the best secondary since Mike Haynes
and Lester Hayes, and yes they won a "Title", and
though that alone won't win it, the Eagles don't
have huge holes on offense especially with a
healthy Michael Vick who has now assured everyone
that he is truly back.

Now with the term "Title Town", you have to have at
least three teams in the four major sports, and
Philly supersedes that by have at least one in all
four, so when you take a look at the other two teams,
you will see that the possibility of earning this
moniker is not so far fetched. The 76ers may have
the toughest road to travel, but they did make the
NBA playoffs this year, so that's a decent start,
and the Flyers were in the Finals just two short
years ago, so it isn't a stretch to believe that
they can not only repeat this feat, but this time
come away with the victory. Anyway you slice this
Philadelphia is no ones second city when it comes to
sports, and it may be a little pre mature to give
them this honor, but there's no doubt they're a
threat to take it. Look out Boston.