This Week in the AFC North

[Zombo]

The Great Zomboni is going to have to produce one more abbreviated version, and then we'll get back to so mome traditional forecasting next week. A Major Hurricane making landfall in your city eats up a lot of time ... But we're all good down here. Except the people whose homes are flooded and those still without power. But you get the point.

Let's rub this ball and see what happens:

Baltimore vs Jacksonville 9:30 AM, London

Improved Jags scrape one out. JAGUARS 17 RAVENS 16

Pittsburgh at Chicago 1:00 PM

Bears should get first win in a tight home contest. BEARS 24 STEELERS 22

Cleveland at Indianapolis 1:00 PM

Browns defense should chew up whoever Dolts throw out there at QB. Browns 20 Colts 3

Cincinnati at Green Bay 4:15 PM

Start the "Fire Marv" chants ... PACKERS 41 BUNGLES 14

TGZ

 

 

[hoorta]

1 hour ago, Zombo said:

The Great Zomboni is going to have to produce one more abbreviated version, and then we'll get back to so mome traditional forecasting next week. A Major Hurricane making landfall in your city eats up a lot of time ... But we're all good down here. Except the people whose homes are flooded and those still without power. But you get the point.

Let's rub this ball and see what happens:

Baltimore vs Jacksonville 9:30 AM, London

Improved Jags scrape one out. JAGUARS 17 RAVENS 16

Pittsburgh at Chicago 1:00 PM

Bears should get first win in a tight home contest. BEARS 24 STEELERS 22

Cleveland at Indianapolis 1:00 PM

Browns defense should chew up whoever Dolts throw out there at QB. Browns 20 Colts 3

Cincinnati at Green Bay 4:15 PM

Start the "Fire Marv" chants ... PACKERS 41 BUNGLES 14

TGZ

 

 

Glad you're doing OK Z, but you need to scrape that mud off the crystal ball. I'll take the Steelers to kill the Bears, and the Ravens win this one. 

[Tour2ma]

Lil upswing last week... let's keep it going.

BLT @ JAX (+3.5) IN LONDON TOWN!

Have to admit that the loss of Ravens' stud NT, Brandon Williams, who is quietly emerging as one of the best NTs in the game, has given me pause. The loss of his run-stuffing, pocket-collapsing presence could be felt especially in the face on the league's new power-running force. However, in the end it's JAX lack of a pass threat that is determinative.

Bortles looks to the world like just another "promising" young starter poised to ride off into backup oblivion. Word was that Henne would be turned to early. Well Henne fell ill this week... and there's nothing to prolong an illness like a trans-Atlantic flight only to land in a cool, damp city. Jags third QB? They don't list one on their depth chart and true to that their #3, Ryan Nassib... yes, our Nassib's brother... is inactive for the game.

So the balance of BLT's D is licking it's chops. Will it continue it's string of 4 INT games? Magic 8-Ball says, "Decidedly so." Meanwhile Flacco and his "are-they-really-good-enough" Offense benefit from short fields, patience and FA bargain Javorius "No Woodhead? No problem, we got Buck" Allen.

Fournette gets his 100, but it and another valiant effort by a fine JAX D go down a London drain.

BLT 27 JAX 13

 

PTG @ CHI (+8.0)

Safest bet here is when the chants for Trubs begin...

I keep thinking the Bears are going to better than what shows up on game day. The D is decent. The OL is good. They have Howard. And Glennon can actually be good. WRs? Kinda week is being kind. It's the kind of crew that would give even Mud pause is a swap with us was on the table.

PTG? Well it's Bell's 3rd preseason game, so expect him to round into form and that only helps Ben and Brown... as if they need help. A Watt-less D just may mean more time for Old-man Harrison.

I sense a blowout in the making...

PTG 41 CHI 20

 

CIN @ GB (-10.0)

Any analysis here would be over-analysis... GB in a shoot-out...

GB 44 CIN 30

 

Which brings us to... CLE @ IND (0.0... a/k/a "even")

As if missing Luck wasn't enough, he's joined by 6 other Colts as "OUT" for the game. True, not all are starters, but one key one, Center Ryan Kelly, is on that list. Not OUT, but hurting is stating CB Vontae Davis. I think those additional losses open windows of opportunity to the open door that is a Luckless Colt team.

Offensively for our Browns I am looking for three things:

1. A bounce back effort from our rookie QB;
2. At least a partial emergence of Mayes; and
3. An effort from a young, hungry receiving corps buoyed in no small part by use of Duke in a WR role.

Defensively I see:

1. Yielding enough outside yards to the ageless one, Frank Gore, to drive CleveFan4Life to the Edge of reason, but...
2. An otherwise hustling, hungry effort as we expect from Williams & Co.

Take the Browns to break thru...

CLE 26 IND 16

[Tour2ma]

15 hours ago, Zombo said:

The Great Zomboni is going to have to produce one more abbreviated version, and then we'll get back to so mome traditional forecasting next week. A Major Hurricane making landfall in your city eats up a lot of time ... But we're all good down here. Except the people whose homes are flooded and those still without power. But you get the point.

Hope the Naples Backers' Home-away-from-home is open for business. If so, tell them I said hello...

[Tour2ma]

No morning football from London? WTF?

On the brite side... saving me a little pain.

[TexasAg1969]

Jax 44 Ravens 7

[hoorta]

On 9/23/2017 at 6:16 PM, Zombo said:

The Great Zomboni is going to have to produce one more abbreviated version, and then we'll get back to so mome traditional forecasting next week. A Major Hurricane making landfall in your city eats up a lot of time ... But we're all good down here. Except the people whose homes are flooded and those still without power. But you get the point.

Let's rub this ball and see what happens:

Baltimore vs Jacksonville 9:30 AM, London

Improved Jags scrape one out. JAGUARS 17 RAVENS 16

Pittsburgh at Chicago 1:00 PM

Bears should get first win in a tight home contest. BEARS 24 STEELERS 22

Cleveland at Indianapolis 1:00 PM

Browns defense should chew up whoever Dolts throw out there at QB. Browns 20 Colts 3

Cincinnati at Green Bay 4:15 PM

Start the "Fire Marv" chants ... PACKERS 41 BUNGLES 14

TGZ

Other than an almost as predictable as the sun coming up in the morning Browns loss- I have to hand it to you Z- Did not see the Ravens getting blown out, or the Steelers losing to the Bears. Doolin' Dalton had a recovery game, but it wasn't enough to beat Rogers. PS, I didn't take the Curse to the Indy game, so you can't pin the lousy performance on her.  

PS The Central Indiana Browns Backers Tailgate was awesome. 

[Tour2ma]

Pretty rough week so may as well get this over with...

BLT @ JAX (+3.5) IN LONDON TOWN!

Prediction: BLT 27 JAX 13

FINAL: JAX 44 BLT 7 - L/L

PTG @ CHI (+8.0)

Prediction: PTG 41 CHI 20

FINAL: CHI 23 PTG 17 - L/L

CIN @ GB (-10.0)

Prediction: GB 44 CIN 30

FINAL: GB 27 CIN 24 - W/L

CLE @ IND (0.0... a/k/a "even")

Prediction: CLE 26 IND 16

FINAL: IND 31 CLE 28 - L/L

[Dick Mellon]

Everyone lost, mostly to terrible teams.

The whole division sucks.

[The Gipper]

On 9/24/2017 at 11:11 AM, Tour2ma said:

No morning football from London? WTF?

On the brite side... saving me a little pain.

Yes, I woke up in the morning hoping to catch some of that game at least.  It was nowhere to be found.  Not CBS/Fox/NBC/ESPN...anywhere.  Where was it broadcast? Only on NFL network?  My cable provider does not provide the NFL network.

And fuck the NFL network anyway.  They have enough venues to broadcast their games...why do they need this exclusive venue that only like 5% of the population can get.

[The Gipper]

1 hour ago, Dick Mellon said:

Everyone lost, mostly to terrible teams.

The whole division sucks.

That is what I have been saying.

[Mark O]

12 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

Yes, I woke up in the morning hoping to catch some of that game at least.  It was nowhere to be found.  Not CBS/Fox/NBC/ESPN...anywhere.  Where was it broadcast? Only on NFL network?  My cable provider does not provide the NFL network.

And fuck the NFL network anyway.  They have enough venues to broadcast their games...why do they need this exclusive venue that only like 5% of the population can get.

It was broadcast exclusively online on yahoo.   Not even those of us who pay for the Sunday Ticket package had access to the game.   Not that it was worth watching anyways.

[The Gipper]

19 minutes ago, Mark O said:

It was broadcast exclusively online on yahoo.   Not even those of us who pay for the Sunday Ticket package had access to the game.   Not that it was worth watching anyways.

That is just fucked up, really.  I would have like to have seen some of it....especially when I saw the score when it was like 20is to nothing in favor of the Jags.

[Mark O]

15 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

That is just fucked up, really.  I would have like to have seen some of it....especially when I saw the score when it was like 20is to nothing in favor of the Jags.

yahoo paid a lot of money.   I think there's another one in a few weeks that is only available on Amazon

[The Gipper]

15 minutes ago, Mark O said:

yahoo paid a lot of money.   I think there's another one in a few weeks that is only available on Amazon

Is the NFL really that hard up for money that they have to pursue these minor outlets for their product just for a few extra bucks?  Fair to say they could have gotten more from CBS or ESPN?  Or, are they just trying to be "experimental"....

And what about the Browns game in London?  Is that one just to be shown on some minor internet forum?

[Mark O]

Just now, The Gipper said:

Is the NFL really that hard up for money that they have to pursue these minor outlets for their product just for a few extra bucks?  Fair to say they could have gotten more from CBS or ESPN?  Or, are they just trying to be "experimental"....

I think it's both.   Experimental and if someone is willing to give them a boatload of money for an exclusive of a London game, they're not going to turn down the money.