Good Ol Boys ( #gobs) on Perception

When I was 16 years old, I worked at Erbert’s & Gerbert’s in West De Pere.  Right at the heart of the St. Norbert college bars.  I learned a lot of life lessons from my co-workers, many of whom were much older than I.  I’m not in touch with any of them anymore, but sometimes I really with I was.  They also enabled me to have an occasional cigarette while on break.  I never smoked more than a pack a month, but every now and again it’s nice to have one.  Any ways, on break, I went out to the side of Erb’s and had a cigarette.  Someone yelled from their mini-van “Put out that cigarette young man!”

“Ha,” I thought, “they should MTOB (mind they own business(typo intentional))!”  Ma calls me not one minute later, “what are you doing smoking!”  Turns out that mini-van had my parents in it, my uncle driving, and a couple other relatives, as they drove to a restaurant near Erb’s.  What are the odds of that?

I don’t want everyone to know that I smoke an occasional cig.  What if I want to run for office someday, know what I mean?  Much like, I don’t want everyone to know that on a Tuesday night, I might have more to drink than I should watching the Brewers.  It’s tough when the neighbors below have a persistent, very adorable, seven year old who will make frequent unannounced visits (door bell – “ding, ding, ding, ding, ding”).  

If I want to have a cig now, we have a balcony from our apartment.  This ‘man-cave’ area of seclusion overlooks the entire apartment complex.  There is no seclusion in this man-cave.  In all honesty, it’s probably a good thing because it may end up stopping me from smoking entirely.  But it probably won’t.

I got back inside this morning after having one, brushed my teeth (not in the kitchen sink), washed my hands, and then enjoyed a piece of gum: Ice Breakers Spearment Ice Cube, to be exact.

It is all about perception.  

Well, now it’s time to finalize my fantasy football picks and get ready for the Pack!

Kevin

NFL Player Profile: Marshall Newhouse

Last Sunday suffered another injury to a starter with Bryan Bulaga leaving the game with a bruised knee. You could hear all of Packer Nation let out a collective gasp when Bulaga pounded his fist in disappointment. Fans asked each other who would go in and replace Bulaga. Would it be first round pick Derrick Sherrod? Nope, he was inactive for the Bears game just like he was for the first two games. Many believe it is taking Sherrod more time to adjust to the pro game because of the lack of off-season work due to the NFL Lockout. They only other person on the depth chart was Marshall Newhouse. Newhouse, a second year pro out of TCU, was inactive for the first 14 games last season and injured his back on December 22 and was placed on Injured Reserve. He came into this year as just another name in a crowded line of offensive linemen. He battled in training camp and the coaches were high on his effort and picture perfect technique. When Bulaga went down, Newhouse grabbed his helmet and the offense didn’t miss a beat the rest of the game.

For most of the game Newhouse went up against Israel Idonije most of the time and held his own well. We all thought that as soon as Newhouse went in the Bears would move Julius Peppers over and line him up on the second year pro all game but that rarely happened. Newhouse at times looked like a seasoned veteran moving Idonije and Peppers when he was lined up against him. The communication was great and he, with Josh Sitton, opened massive holes and cut back lanes for Ryan Grant. Newhouse was humble after the game and gave attention to the reps in practice and being comfortable at his position for his success against the Bears. "Any D-line in this league is good," Newhouse said. "They're going to test you. But luckily I got a lot of reps at tackle and felt like I was prepared mentally. It gave me a chance to just play football and be athletic. Just be sound and play." Newhouse continues to take snaps with the first team offense while Bryan Bulaga rests his bruised knee.

Bulaga stated yesterday that he would be ready to play but Coach McCarthy said today that he and Ryan Grant would, “be challenged to play on Sunday”. If Bulaga is not ready to go on Sunday then Newhouse will be prepared and ready to play and play at a high level. This team is starting to take the same approach as last year’s team. The next man up will go in, and no matter if it is offense, defense or special teams, and not miss a beat.

Matt’s Week Three NFL Power Rankings

Week three of the NFL season is in the books and the teams are still positioning themselves. The Bills, Lions and Packers all stayed unbeaten and the Dolphins, Colts and Chiefs still can’t buy a break. Let’s see how the teams stack up from 32 to 1.

32. Kansas City Chiefs (0-3) – There is still nothing really to say about the Chiefs. They gave a valiant effort against an uninspired Chargers team. Next up is Minnesota, will anyone watch?

31. Minnesota Vikings (0-3) – If only NFL games were 30 minutes long, then the Vikings would be 3-0, but you have to play the entire 60 minutes and that is why the Vikings are 0-3. The offense doesn’t give the ball to their playmakers (Adrian Peterson and Percy Harvin) enough in the second half and there defense becomes non-existent.

30. St. Louis (0-3) – No heart. That is what I saw against the Ravens. That was embarrassing.

29. Miami Dolphins (0-3) – Had the lead until the final minute and let it slip away, just like their season. Tony Sporano better update his resume because his time in Miami is almost up.

28. Indianapolis Colts (0-3) – I was impressed with the Colts defense against the Steelers but their offense looks horrendous. They can’t play that way and beat good teams.

27. Seattle Seahawks (1-2) – Their defense played strong against the Cardinals but their offense is very poor. Will they be able to score enough points to win? We shall see.

26. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-2) – They had a chance to win a rain soaked game against the Panthers and couldn’t get it done. Expect more growing pains with rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (1-2) – The offense has to play better if they are going to win games. They are young and will have to figure it out in a hurry.

24. Carolina Panthers (1-2) – The Panthers have impressed me early on this year. Their defense is hard hitting and their offense can move the ball and they have a leader at the quarterback position.

23. Arizona Cardinals (1-2) – Bad loss in Seattle to a division opponent. Kevin Kolb has to play better and not turn the ball over at the end of the game.

22. Cleveland Browns (2-1) – I like the way the Browns are playing. Colt McCoy leads the way and with him playing well this could be a good year for the Dog Pound.

21. Denver Broncos (1-2) – They played the Titans tough in Tennessee but came away empty handed. The road doesn’t get any easier with a trip to Lambeau and the defending champs. Could we get a #Tebow sighting?

20. San Francisco 49ers (2-1) – Their offense was shaky against the Bengals but they found a way to win and in the NFC West that is all you have to do to win that division.

19. Washington Redskins (2-1) – Rex Grossman has got to protect the football and the offense has got to learn to move the ball down the field better. Red Zone offense is a weakness for this team also. The defense will have to keep playing like they are to keep the Redskins in the NFC East race.

18. Atlanta Falcons (1-2) – The Falcons are a Jeckel and Hyde team. Can’t play on the road and looked good at home. They need to figure out how to get Julio Jones the ball more.

17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) – They got a huge divisional win against the Falcons at home. Can they build on it and start rolling? We shall see.

16. Oakland Raiders (2-1) – That was a really good win against the Jets but let’s see the Raiders put it together. Beat the Pats on Sunday and I think you may have something brewing in Oakland.

15. Dallas Cowboys (2-1) – Sorry Dallas but I am not buying what you are selling. Too many mistakes by the offensive line and the receivers. They couldn’t get the ball in the end zone and had to rely on a rookie kicker for all of their points. If they continue to do that they will be disappointed.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) – Philly, you looked bad in the fourth quarter last week. Can Michael Vick stay healthy all year? That is the big question. So far through three games, he hasn’t been able to finish two of them.

13. Buffalo Bills (3-0) – Buffalo got a huge win against the Patriots but I am still not sold on them. In their last two games they have had to comeback from 18 or more points to win. They have to shore up their defense and then they will be a top ten team.

12. Chicago Bears (1-2) – The Bears had the toughest start to the season and came out of it 1-2. They need more balance on offense and the defense has to take the ball away more. Jay Cutler just doesn’t look comfortable back in the pocket; he may be seeing ghosts out there.

11. Tennessee Titans (2-1) – Good comeback win against the Broncos. Their defense played really well and Matthew Hasselbeck made just enough plays to win. Losing wide receiver Kenny Brit for the year with a torn ACL is a big loss though.

10. San Diego Chargers (2-1) – I was really not impressed by the way San Diego played against the Chiefs. They looked like they were just going through the motions out there. In the NFL, you cannot take any opponent lightly.

9. New York Giants (2-1) – Great win in Philly. Defense came to play and pressured Michael Vick and Mike Kafka all day. Eli Manning needs to play turnover free like he did and the Giants will be tough to beat.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) – Big Ben is turning the ball over too much, which will come back to haunt them when they start playing the really good teams in the AFC. The defense is starting to come together and getting pressure on the other team’s quarterbacks.

7. New York Jets (2-1) – The Jets jumped out to a early lead but gave it back in the second half. Where was the hard-nosed Jets defense? The Raiders ran all over them. Expect Rex Ryan to address that this week in practice and for them to clean it up.

6. Houston Texans (2-1) – Even with the loss on the road to the Saints, the Texans did a lot of things well. They had the lead in the fourth quarter and had their opportunities to win the game. Gotta learn to finish those games out and get wins.

5. Detroit Lions (3-0) – Great comeback win in a building the Lions haven’t won in since 1997. Calvin Johnson looks like no one could cover him and the offensive line has played well, minus the first half against the Vikings.

4. Baltimore Ravens (2-1) – They did what they had to do in St. Louis. Go and dominate. Big test against the Jets this Sunday.

3. New England Patriots (2-1) – Tom Brady gave the game away with his four interceptions, my bet is Brady doesn’t throw four more all year.

2. New Orleans Saints (2-1) – Great comeback win against the Texans. Drew Bress is playing lights out and the defense is starting to take the ball away. The Saints are firmly on track.

1. Green Bay Packers (3-0) – Good win in Chicago against a tough division opponent in the Bears. Gotta clean up the penalties and giving up big plays on defense. Jermichael Finley is unstoppable.
 
Matt
 
Editors note: See how teams are trending, through Matt's eyes, by comparing to his Week Two Power Rankings.

Upon Further Review: Packers vs. Bears

Hero of the Game: The hero of the game on Sunday was Jermichael Finley. He caught 7 passes for 85 yards and caught his first 3 touchdowns of the season. The Bears had no answers for Finley all day. The Bears played Cover 3 for the beginning of the game and finally switched to their traditional Cover 2 once Finley and Greg Jennings began to shred the defense. That is what this offense will do to defenses all over the NFL. “There’s really not too much you can do with the weapons we have and him playing like that, lights out,” Jennings said of Finley. “You want to take one thing away but you open up a can of other things.” The Packers saw the weakness of the Bears, two backup safeties in Craig Steltz and Brandon Meriweather, and exposed it. And they didn’t do it once; they did it all day long.

Goat of the Game: There is really one guy that deserves this spot and that is James Starks. He had 11 carries for 5 yards. 5 yards is not going to get it done. There were cut back lanes and times when Starks could have fallen forward for a yard instead of losing a yard and he missed them. Ryan Grant did a fantastic job of cutting back and running through contact and Starks simply did not. “Grant made excellent reads, cuts, against the playbook to make yards. Starks ran the play as drawn up and ran into the trash,” said longtime Packers contributor, Mike Clemens on a comment on one of my previous posts. Starks also had a big fumble in the fourth quarter that turned into a touchdown for the Bears on the next play. This season the Packers are going to ride the hot hand. It was Starks in the first two games and was Grant in this one. I would expect that to continue and we will see which runner has the hot hand next.

Play of the Game: Ok I know the play didn’t count but it was the play of the game. The Packers punted with just under a minute left to play and a 10 point lead. Tim Masthay’s punt sailed downfield and Devin Hester run up to the left side of the field and looked skyward for the ball. The Packers coverage team reacted to Hester and rallied around him. The ball was actually on the other sideline and caught by Johnny Knox and had open field to the End Zone. It turned into an 89 yard touchdown return and it looked like the Bears had cut the lead to 3 and would get a chance at an onside kick but that never happened. Chicago’s Corey Graham was called for a holding penalty that negated the play and gave the Bears the ball back deep in their own territory with under a minute to play. It was bizarre but scary. The play had been tried earlier in the game and Jarret Bush had downed the ball at the Bears two. The Packers special teams will have to look at this play as a great teaching tool and get their guys to check the ball as they cover the kick.

Quick Hits:

5 -- False starts, all by the offensive line. Gotta clean that up.

111.4 – Aaron Rodgers quarterback rating against the Bears on Sunday. This was the first time against the Bears in Chicago that Rodgers posted a 100 or better quarterback rating. Previous ratings were 87.6, 88.9, 92.5 and 55.4.

100 – Yards rushing by the Packers against the Bears. Three straight 100 yards or more rushing to start the year.

13 – The number of rushing yards for the Bears against the Packers. Jay Cutler’s 9 yard scamper in the final minute gave them 13 yards, their lowest total in 59 years.
 
Matt

Looking forward to the weekend?  See what the Packers should be worried about going up against @kyleortonary and the Broncos.

Romo to Grossman: "Check-Mate"

Dallas D wins a close one!  Romo was hurt and playing with inexperience.  He looked like a great coach, teaching his players the ins and outs of the game…. During the game.  “We had a million mistakes tonight, but we had a lot of young guys , but they are out there for a reason, we depend on them,” Romo told America after the game.  “It’s football season, usually we play football.”

 

Nine field goals were kicked tonight.  Six by rookie kicker Dan Bailey.  He tied a rookie record and I’m really impressed by his play.  He sure captivated the eager Dallas fans.  A few sacks, an interception and a blocked kick gave the Cowboys defense 9 fantasy points in one league I’m in.  I only needed 8.5, the rest is just icing on the cake. 

It just made me quite happy seeing Rex play like the way I remember he did when he was on the Bears.  When the team needs him most, he gets sacked and fumbles.  That is expected of Indianapolis Colts third string quarterback Curtis Painter, but not you my friend!  My prediction holds true, Cowboys magically hold off the Redskins and give their home crowd a show worthy of the billion dollar stadium protecting them.

Kevin

Packers Top Bears in Sloppy Game, Improve to 3-0

This game was nowhere near as close as the score indicates.  The Packers thoroughly outplayed the Bears on Sunday afternoon at Solider Field.  It was at times your classic, hard hitting Bears and Packers game and at other times it was Green Bay talent overload.  The Bears defense did all they could but at the end they were no match for all of the playmakers on the Packers offense.  

The Packers starting the game the same way they began the NFC Championship in January.  They took the ball and behind a red hot Aaron Rodgers marched right down the field and scored.  This time around it was Rodgers finding Jermichael Finley on a free play (the Bears jumped offsides) for a quick touchdown.  Finley was on his way to a career day with three touchdowns.  The offense at times looked unstoppable against a very good defense but at other times looked sluggish and lack-a-daisical.  Ryan Grant showed a great burst throughout the entire game and made up for two lackluster games prior.  The Packers rushed for 100 yards on the dot and that is the third straight game at or over 100 yards rushing.  The Packers did a good job of opening big holes and getting blocks on the second level by guards Josh Sitton and TJ Lang.  The Packers did get another injury scare to one of their starters.  Right tackle Brian Bulaga left the game and did not return with a knee injury.  We will see what the injury is on Monday when Coach McCarthy speaks to the media; the early reports are a bruised knee.  My player of the game on offense was Jermichael Finley with 7 catches for 85 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The Packers defense was brutal in the first half.  Yes I know they only gave up 10 points but those 10 points came in a ten minute span in the second quarter and there were too many big (plays of 20 yards or more) plays.  Also there was very little pass rush against Jay Cutler and they gave him way too much time to find his receivers downfield.  After halftime the defense made the adjustments and got into gear.  Sacks by Jarius Wynn and Jarrett Bush gave them three for the game.  The defense did an amazing job against the run and held Matt Forte to 2 yards on nine carries.  For the game the Bears had 13 yards rushing their lowest total since 1950.  Clay Matthews did a great job on stopping the run and blasted three running plays in the backfield in the first half.  That was believed to be the only weakness in Matthews’ game and if this game is an indicator of things to come, he may be unstoppable.  Morgan Burnett also had two interceptions and five tackles.  My player of the game on defense was Morgan Burnett.

Some problems for the Packers to work on are penalties, pass rush, turnovers and giving up too many big plays.  They had 7 penalties for 35 yards but most of those penalties killed drives and put the offense in 1st and 15 or 1st and 20 holes.  The Packers have got to clean up the penalties, stop me if you’ve heard that before.  After the first half the pass rush increased and Jay Cutler hit the ground a few times but they have to get it done from the opening kickoff.  The offense had two big turnovers (their first turnovers of the year) in the fourth quarter that made this game closer than it should have been.  Leading 27-10, James Starks fumbled on a great play and read by Lance Briggs.  Julius Peppers recovered the ball and set up the Bears with great field position, which it took them one play to score and bring the score to 27-17.  The next possession ended with Aaron Rodgers first interception of the season.  Brian Urlacher faked a blitz and dropped off into coverage on Finley.  Rodgers didn’t see him and throw a bullet that was picked by Urlacher.  The defense also has given up a lot of big plays so far this season.  

The Bears were able to exploit some of the coverage and made some big plays down the field.  I was really impressed with the Packers special teams play.  They covered punts and kickoffs well and had some good punt returns by rookie Randle Cobb.  Probably the play of the game was that crazy punt return by Johnny Knox in the final minute that was returned for a touchdown but brought back because of a holding penalty.  Devin Hester looked like he was going to make a fair catch and run to the sideline.  Then entire coverage team followed but the ball was at the far sideline and caught by Knox and he had nothing but green to the end zone.  It was a bizarre play and would have worked brilliantly if not for the holding penalty that negated it.  Aaron Rodgers said, “That was the most amazing play I’ve ever seen.”   

This was a huge game because the Packers beat a division rival.  They had to keep up with the Lions who won and are 3-0 also.  The Bears fall to 1-2 and 0-1 in the division which will come into play for tiebreakers at the end of the season for playoff seeding.  The Packers are 3-0 for the second time under McCarthy and are still looking for their best defensive game.  They come home and will face a underachieving Denver Broncos team next Sunday.  Can’t wait!

Matt

Da Good Ol’ Boys Weekend Sentinel

From the Editor:

"Thank you for viewing our paper. If you enjoy, please subscribe! Da Good Ol' Boys (Gobs) write content throughout the week on sports, business, pop culture, and anything else they wanna write about. Frankly, they are going to write about whatever, and I'm just here for minor grammatical corrections. Gobs don't really check their work, and most of the time, they don't need to.

Kevin"

Good Ol' Boys Weekend Sentinel
The paper comes out weekly at noon on Saturday. It covers the happenings of the week before and preps us for what to expect this weekend. It doesn’t contain all of the blog posts from the week, but it gives a broad stroke of what the Gobs have been talking about.

Take a look!

Brewers Clinch the Division!

Perfect Brewer game tonight.  I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect Brewer game than tonight.  What a great pitching performance by Yovani Gallardo.  Over ten strikeouts!  Almost 8 innings pitched!  What a wonderful performance to see.  And then for K-Rod and Axford to finish the game the way they did.  It was all tied up into the eighth inning.  

In the bottom of the 8^th inning, with Hart to bat, who would have thought he’d hit a double the way he did?  TPlush comes up to the plate.  I was expecting some sort of  ochocinco display,  or as typical as stevo in the sheen roast.  He walks.  What discipline!  Nobody out, game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 8^th inning, Ryan Braun at the plate.  Have you heard this story before?  3-run Home Run.  Geeet up, get outta here!  Gone! 

Axford pitches his 44^th save.  He ties the Brewers record for saves in a season.  40 saves in a row!!  And the Cards lose, so for the first time in 29 years, the Brewers have clinched the division.  Celebrations, champagne, screaming cheers.  With one out in the top of the ninth, the crowd went nuts.  The cheers weren’t for the closer about to make his record tying save.  Not at this moment.  They were cheering at the 3 Run Home Run that I believe Soriano hit in Chicago to put the Cubs ahead of the Cardinals in their equally strong pitchers duel.  1-1 in the 8^th for the Cubs game (before the dinger) as well.  

What a game.  What a season!  Now lets see if I can get TPlush to re-tweet this!

Kevin

The Good ol’ Boys (Gobs) on 5 Important Steps to Fantasy Football

Do you remember your first fantasy football league?  Who your big players were; and who the “champ” of the league was?  Your fond memories of those big players back then might be the high risk (via injury prone, old vets, etc.), starters on your team this year. 

I set my team in five steps.  

1.       (Annually)               I draft them.

      Every year I draft them.  I may purchase a magazine, or look up online rankings.  Before the draft, I input my personal favorites on the queue.  During the draft, I will weigh the best ranked available, against my personal favorites (usually I opt for next best ranked available.)

·         I try to stay ‘til the end, just to make sure nobody has to wait my full turn.

2.       (Weekly)                I pre-set them to their projections (highest points play).

I pre-set them to their projections. (highest points play)

Pretty self explanatory.

3.       (Weekly)                I compare the away teams’ defense (matchups).

I compare the away teams’ defense (matchups).

You can go off either ranking matchups, or your gut on this one.  Defenses are pretty easy to decide whether they will be good.  Inversely difficult defenses you might have to face.

4.       (Daily)                   I use a little judgment on the close calls. (constraint: small margin of point difference).

I use a little judgment on the close calls. ( constraint: small margin of point difference).

Pretty self explanatory.

5.        (Daily)                   I monitor, and make changes if necessary (injuries, weather conditions, gut feelings).

I monitor, and make changes if necessary (injuries, weather conditions, gut feelings)

Pretty self explanatory.

The time of the week on the daily and weekly is up to you.  I know how hectic work and personal life can be. 

Now, do I or don’t I play the Packer’s Defense this week?

Kevin

Operations 102: John Henry really did beat the machine! And he still would today…

Most people my age can’t recall a time before the internet. We were force fed new tech gadgets while watching Saturday morning cartoons, we sent our first email before we sent our first written letter, and Google is a part of our everyday vocabulary while our parents’ encyclopedias continue to be overlooked at our yearly garage sales (notice this article is posed on a blog). Today, society judges a school’s ability to teach the new generation of “Trekkies”… I mean techies, by the number of computers they have in the classroom. It’s no wonder why most of us 20-somethings are able to mercilessly outmatch the computer literacy of our 40 and 50 year old counterparts in the work force, and we wonder why there is an ever-growing need for people with trade skills.

As a result, we college grads choose to flaunt our analytical skills and our past experience in SAP and other AS 400 systems through our various internships. We ache as we watch paper continuously spew from the printer as we preach our sermon to a deaf audience promising a “green” future where trees are our friends. We call the operating systems currently, “archaic”, and yearn for automated processes complete with LCD screens and bar codes. We must have been absent the day our kindergarten teacher read to the class the story of the legendary battle between John Henry and the machine… it is a battle which continues still today.



What were we supposed to take away from the tale of John Henry? That a man could outlast a machine? No, we all know that’s not true. Perhaps that a machine has no heart and as such can never be trusted? No, that’s not it either… I would never give my W4 to a tax specialist using an abacus (I would probably go to www.taxrelaxer.com instead). So what should we take away from this story?

Now, I can almost be certain that when reading the story of John Henry, our kindergarten teacher didn’t touch on the R&D team that worked day and night drawing up blueprints and running tests to verify the capacity of the evil prospector’s new machine. I bet there was no mention of the maintenance team employed to perform cursory inspection, and the purchasing team they work with to order spare parts, which is why it didn’t seem important to bring up the time wasted on hold for customer support in India either. I hope I am making my point…



Fellow generation whiners – I mean “y-ers” – we all understand the need to deliver financial results to our stakeholders… or do we? Somehow, in our day-to-day tasks do we forget why we are there in the first place – to make $$$? Are we so focused on how we can streamline our processes by installing the Megatron 3000 Inventory Control System that we don’t take into consideration ROI? Or is it that we want to leave our mark? Do we want to lead the charge of some radical break-through so that our boss will have no choice but to take a demotion under our new desk?

Newsflash… very few of us work for companies that have a net-worth than that of the Megatron 3000. If you want to make a change, don’t focus on how you can leverage your computer savvy systems development experience with automated systems; instead, focus on how you make a change with the tools you have right in front of you – your team.



How much overhead costs are associated with developing a manual system? Slim to none… How often do manual systems breakdown due to a virus? Not once since the bubonic plague… How much training do you have to provide for someone to use a pen and to write on a production chart? None, that lesson was before the story of John Henry…

If you want to make a difference – don’t do more with less, do more with what you have. Develop your people to be aware of business results. Walk through the process with them… Ask questions, they most likely have the answers… Include them in the decision making process. I tried googling why our on-time delivery was so bad yesterday… I didn’t find results.

Nate

Packers vs. Bears Late Week Report

The Packers and the Bears are deep in preparation for a huge NFC North match-up on Sunday.  The Packers come into the game with a 2-0 record, after surviving a scary trip to Carolina in week two.  The Bears had a great game and victory in week one against the Falcons but came up short in New Orleans last week.  This game is big for both teams if only for the reason it is Packers v. Bears.  It is the oldest rivalry in the National Football League.  It harkens back to the days of Halas and Lambeau.  Great coaches like Lombardi, Ditka and Holmgren have coached in these games.  We are entering another golden age of the Packers and Bears rivalry with the emergence of Aaron Rodgers and the belief by the Chicago faithful that Jay Cutler will bring another Championship to Chicago.
 
This is the 183rd time the teams will play against each other and both teams come in a little dinged up.  For the Packers; Nick Collins, Frank Zombo, and Mike Neal have all been declared out for this game.  Collins is out for the season with a neck injury and will be place on Injured Reserve next week.  Zombo continues to rehab a scapula injury and is still a couple weeks away.  Mike Neal underwent knee surgery a week ago and will miss “significant time” as Mike McCarthy said last week.  Starting cornerback Tramon Williams and linebacker Vic So’oto both returned to practice in a limited compactly this week.    They are both expected to play on Sunday against the Bears.  Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson were both added to the injury report and did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday with a thigh and foot injury respectively.  Both are expected to practice Friday and play on Sunday.  Look for the Packers to run the ball more in this game and open some big holes against the Bears.  The defense should get a lot of pressure on a make shift offensive line like the Bears have.  Charlie Peprah will get the start for Nick Collins and should provide stability through this injury to Collins.

The Bears have suffered some major blows for early in the year.  They will be without first round draft pick and starting right tackle Gabe Carimi, who dislocated his knee in last week’s loss to the Saints.  They may also be without starting safeties Chris Harris, who missed last week’s game with a hamstring, and Major Wright, who suffered a head/neck injury against the Saints.  Look for the Bears to be more balanced on offense and relay on Matt Forte a lot against the Packers.  Their defense always plays Aaron Rodgers well and I expect that to continue, but can they stop James Starks and Ryan Grant?  If they can then it will be close, but if they can’t it could be a long afternoon for the Bears.

My prediction: I predict the Packers will control the line of scrimmage and control the game.  Cutler will get hit hard and often, and the Packers will leave Chicago on Sunday evening with a victory and a 3-0 record.     

Packers 28 Bears 13

Matt

Good Ol' Boys (GoB) Talk on Redemption

 

On the 5th hole.  Down by three strokes and you’ve just hit a water ball.  Some people take a mulligan and some people will let them.  I won’t take a water ball, I take the penalty.  It’s still a competition between Dan and Nate, but for me, it’s just turned into a round of redemption.  I’m not playing myself.  I’ve just given myself an opportunity to play the best game of redemption of my life. 

I’m down $200 gambling.  Call it a night.  Most people would.  Some people wouldn’t, and those that wouldn’t you have to be a little worried about.  Most people don’t rely so well on their gambling ability.  Take out $200 more, take a seat at the poker table, and turn this night, into a night; of redemption.

It’s a little bit after midnight, and you try to keep up with the fellas.  It’s not about you, it’s about the fellas.  Well the fellas are about 60 pounds heavier than you and you haven’t been goin’ easy on yourself.  The dance floor looks real good, and at this stage in the night, it really, really shouldn’t. 

Go to bed, you are obviously done for the night.  Or are you?  Put down your whiskey and coke, and pick up a red bull vodka.  You’ve just turned this night, from a night of loss, into the golden opportunity of redemption,

and nobody can take that away from you.

Kevin

Good Ol' Boys (GoB) on Gambling

What should you do when the dealer shows a 6 and you have a 12?  Double down?  Hit?  Stay?  Odds say to stay every time.  Might win, might lose.  Odds say you’ll win more than you lose.  But what the hell, everyone knows the game is stacked to the house.  The house always wins.  You know that going into the casino.  I will do whatever I’m feeling like.  When you have that good, lucky feeling, you can do no wrong.  Don’t let the “cheat sheet” card given to you by the casino that tells you the right way to play dictate your move.  That doesn’t smell right does it?  Hell I would double.  Right now I would.  Who knows what I’ll do tomorrow. 

At casinos they teach you how to play craps.  They tell you never bet the field.  Would you have guessed that there’s a 44% the field hits?  A one-time bet where you can double your money.  Yeah, 44% isn’t in your favor, but when you’re looking for entertainment, your smile will be much wider when your field bet hits!  

The only time I will ever play my odds to a fault is when playing poker.  The casino doesn’t get the odds at a poker table.  It get’s the rake.  You are playing the odds against a fellow poker player, and if you play your cards right, you only put yourself in situations where your odds of winning are 90% and a lot of the times you are staring down at the nuts.

Look, I’m not making a career gambling here.  I am looking for the thrill.  The entertainment.  The rush.  I won’t get that rush when I play the way the dealer tells me.  Math will have me a broke man at the end of the night.  A couple of lucky rolls, a couple of lucky hits and doubles, and some basic A-B-C poker.   Doesn’t happen every time, but just remember, according to your significant other, you always win.

Kevin

Matt’s Week Two NFL Power Rankings

Week two of the NFL season is in the books and the teams are still positioning themselves.  There have been some pleasant surprises (Lions, Bills, and Redskins all 2-0) and some disappointing surprises (Chiefs, Colts, and Rams all 0-2).  Let’s see how the teams stack up from 32 to 1.
32. Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) - There is not much to say about the Chiefs right now.  They stink.  Being outscored 89 to 10 in two games is pitiful.  It doesn’t get any easier for the Chiefs, having to travel to San Diego to take on the Chargers this Sunday.  Todd Haley better watch himself because more losses like the first two will result in a visit to the Unemployment Office.
31. Indianapolis Colts (0-2) – Who knew Peyton Manning played offense, defense and special teams.  Can’t stop the run, can’t stop the pass and can’t get anything going offensively.  Kerry Collins looks every bit of 38 years old and the so called playmakers (Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeny, and Robert Mathis) are not making any plays.  Manning better return fast or there won’t be a season left to save with a huge game coming up this weekend with the Steelers.
30. Minnesota Vikings (0-2) – Blowing a 17 point lead against the Buccaneers in the second half is not the only problem the Vikings have.  They have a major problem at the quarterback position for a second straight year.  Donovan McNabb was brought in to push the ball downfield and relay on Adrian Peterson to set up the pass.  Well one of those things is true with Adrian Peterson started the season fast and strong but the other is far from true.  In two games McNabb has 267 yards passing and 1 touchdown.  The offense as a whole is ranked 27 in the league in total yards and second to last in passing yards per game.  They better watch themselves because they have a hungry Lions team going to Minneapolis this weekend to try and keep the Vikes down.
29. Seattle Seahawks (0-2) – The Seahawks just look like a lost team that doesn’t have an identity on offense or defense.  Just when you think they will be a running team with Marshawn Lynch they start chucking the ball around with Tavaris Jackson.  Are they a pressure or coverage defense?  They have a lack of playmakers and that is magnified by their quarterback Jackson.  They have three very losable games ahead with Arizona, Atlanta and at the New York Giants.  The Seahawks are a far cry from the division champs of a year ago.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-1) – The Jags have only scored 19 points so far this season.  That is not going win many games in the National Football League.  Now add to the mix a rookie quarterback making his first start this weekend and you could see an all-time low offense in Jacksonville.  Blaine Gabbert may be the future in Jacksonville but he should not be the present yet either.
27. Cleveland Browns (1-1) – In order to win more games like they did in Indianapolis last week they have to keep giving the ball to Peyton Hillis.  Colt McCoy has shown sparks but is still too inconsistent at this point.
26. Denver Broncos (1-1) – With all the cries for Tim Tebow, it was lost that the Broncos won last week against the Bengals.  Kyle Orton remains the starter going to Tennessee but this game is big.  Orton needs to silence some of his critics this weekend.

25. Carolina Panthers (0-2) – They had a chance to knock off the defending champs in their home opener but couldn’t get it done.  They are a young team, but a young team that is getting better.  Cam Newton looks like the real deal but he just doesn’t have enough playmakers on the outside.
24. Miami Dolphins (0-2) – Miami has played tough in their first two games against the Patriots and the Texans respectively but that got them the same results, losing.  When they get in the red zone they have to come out with any points and yes I am talking to you Dan Carpenter, make your kicks!

23. Cincinnati Bengals (1-1) - I was really impressed with the way they went to Denver and battled.  They almost got the win and that will spur this young team forward with three of the next four games at home in Cincinnati.
22. San Francisco 49ners (1-1) – People are double guessing Coach Jim Harbaugh and his decision to leave points on the board and not take a first down penalty that could have closed out the game against the Cowboys last week.  Harbaugh will learn in time that when given the choice of three points or putting your offense back on the field in the fourth quarter, you always go with your offense.  Lesson learned Coach?
21. St. Louis Rams (0-2) – The Rams are hanging by a thread and need to figure out their Red Zone offense.  You have to score touchdowns to win in this league and they are having a hard time with that concept.  They don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves because they have Baltimore and Washington coming in.
20. New York Giants (1-1) – I am still not impressed by the Giants.  They were outplayed on Monday night by the Rams but made the plays when it counted and got turnovers.  They still have no identity on offense and Eli Manning should scare every Giant fan when you goes back to throw.  Injuries are really starting to pile up with the loss of Dominique Hixon to a torn ACL.
19. Oakland Raiders (1-1) – If they could have pulled out that victory in Buffalo, Oakland would be much higher on our list but they couldn’t seal the deal.  This team is on the up but they have to learn to beat a team outside of the AFC West.
18. Arizona Cardinals (1-1) – They like the Raiders were very close to being up in the top 15 if they could have held on in Washington.  Kevin Kolb has been really good in his first couple games in Arizona and they offense is on track.  The defense still needs a little work and I would like to see them get more pressure on the quarterback.
17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1) – The Bucs are very lucky to be 1-1 and should very well be 0-2 if the Vikings could hold a lead.  I still see youth as the main thing that will hold this team back.  Big game with Atlanta this week will be a good test to see how the Bucs will fare this year.
16. Buffalo Bills (2-0) – In the first two games the Bills have played the JV Chiefs and the cross country traveling Raiders.  This weekend’s game against the Patriots will be a true test to see where the Bills are.  Ryan Fitzpaterick looks like the real deal at quarterback though.
15. Washington Redskins (2-0) – Call me crazy but I love the way Rex Grossmen is playing.  He has confidence and that in turn has his teammates confident.  Their defense has 3-4 personal in place and are running around and making plays.  Dare I say Washington is for real?
14. Tennessee Titans (1-1) – The Titans had a stinker in week one but had a marvelous performance against the Ravens in week two.  What is the true team?  I still like Chris Johnson to find himself and I love the way Matthew Hasslebeck is playing right now.
13. Dallas Cowboys (1-1) – There are some concerns in Big D and it has to do with their defense.  They are giving up a lot of yards and points.  Tony Romo showed you great toughness in getting that win last week in San Francisco.  Can they keep it up with injuries piling up on Romo, Felix Jones and Miles Austin?
12. Detroit Lions (2-0) – Fans in Detroit have every right to be excited about the Lions.  Their offense is firing on all cylinders and their defense are world betters.  Take into account they have played the Bucs and Chiefs.  
11. Atlanta Falcons (1-1) – Atlanta has got to shore up their offensive line because Matt Ryan is under way too much pressure.  They got the huge win against Philly and let’s see if it starts something.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1) – Temper your excitement Steelers fans.  Yes you pitched a shutout last week; remember it was against the Seahawks.  It will take a couple more games like that to get the taste of the Ravens game out of your mouth.
9. San Diego Chargers (1-1) – For most of their game against the Pats, the Chargers looks like an elite team.  They kept the game within one score but turnovers killed them.  You can’t turn the ball over against the Patriots and the Chargers found that out the hard way.
8. Baltimore Ravens (1-1) – Not going to lie but that was not a good loss to Tennessee.  After completely dominating the Steeler, to follow that up with a stinker against the Titans is unacceptable.  Expect Coach John Harbaugh to communicate that to his team and the Ravens to get back on track.
7. Chicago Bears (1-1) – The Bears went down to New Orleans and kept with the Saints for the first three quarters.  Jay Cutler still gets hit too much and if their defense doesn’t take the ball away they are easy to play.  The game against the Packers this weekend will tell a lot about the Bears and the kind of team they are going to be this season.
6. Houston Texans (2-0) – Houston is playing great football right now.  Their defense under Wade Phillips looks nothing like the defense that got shredded last season.  The ultimate thing is that they are winning without Arian Foster, when he gets healthy this team will just get better.

5. Philadelphia Eagles (1-1) – The Eagles may have suffered a huge blow if Michael Vick can’t play this week against the Giants because of a concussion.  The Eagles looked shaky at times in Atlanta and brilliant at other times.  What team are you going to get, with or without Vick?
4. New York Jets (2-0) – The Jets had an easy win over the Jags but it will get a lot tougher with AFC East games coming up.  It doesn’t help that center Nick Mangold will be out for a while with a high ankle sprain.
3. New Orleans Saints (1-1) – The Saints played well against both the Packers and the Bears.  Dree Bress looks dialed in and the defense got back to form against the Bears.  They need to run the ball more to be balanced but that will come with time.
2. New England Patriots (2-0) – The Pats are the gold standard in the AFC.  They just keep trotting people out there on offense and scoring points.  Tom Brady looks unstoppable and could very well break the single season passing yards record.
1. Green Bay Packers (2-0) – They got a scare in Carolina but won and that is the name of the game.  Aaron Rodgers has to get comfortable and the offensive line needs to pass protect better.  The defense needs to tackle better and work on no giving up the big play.  They are still the champs though and it is hard to argue against the champs.