Category: Daily Rants

I presume that many of you saw the Bills/Vikes game on MNF last night; for those who did not, let me post a couple of stats to let you know how/why the Vikes were dominated in the game:

• Vikes Time of Possession = 17:28
• Vikes First Downs = 9
• Vikes Third Down Conversions = 0 of 8
• Vikes Fourth Down Conversions = 0 of 2
• Vikes Total Offense = 178 yards

With that offensive output, it would take a defense that included Superman, the Incredible Hulk and The Flash to win the game.  The first level conclusion from that miasma would be the Carson Wentz’ career is cooked and he should never again be trotted out to start a game for the Vikes or anyone else.  His performance was indeed awful; I have not found his QB Rating from last night, but I would not be surprised if it was somewhere around his shoe size.  But the Vikes’ offense had another glaring fault:

• The Vikes ran the ball only 12 times and gained a total of 51  yards.

While that average of 4.3 yards per attempt is not awful, the number of running plays called is not sustainable.  In a game where Carson Wentz was having a “less than adequate game”, the Vikes’ play caller had him throwing the ball 32 times.  There had been a lot of speculation about the Vikes trading for a QB at the deadline today; maybe they need to get a running back too and tell the play caller to remember those running plays on the call sheet.

And speaking about the trade deadline …

• When the Eagles traded Jordan Davis to the Jags, that was the equivalent of the Eagles waving the white flag on the 2026 season.
• If the Raiders wind up trading Kirk Cousins to the Vikes, that would put Fernando Mendoza under center for the Raiders starting next week unless the Raiders choose to start Aiden O’Connell then.  It might make sense for them to turn to O’ Connell because the next three opponents for the Raiders are Seahawks, Broncos and Browns.  Those are three above average defenses and maybe that is not the best way to “break in” a rookie QB.  Just a thought …
• Maybe the Vikes should call the Commanders to see if Marcus Mariota is available?  Or how about a call to the Rams about Jimmy G?

Moving on …  After yesterday’s musings about a 24-team CFP, it seems today that such a circumstance will come into being starting at the end of the 2027 regular season; and with that expansion, the conference championship games will need to be eliminated to fit into a pre-determined end of schedule date.  My thought that the expanded CFP schedule could spice up some of the middling bowl games will not come to pass because the first and second round games in the expanded CFP tournament will be played at campus venues and only the quarterfinals and the semifinals will be played in the major bowl games around New Year’s Day.

So, if  you are a fan of meaningless games played in nearly empty stadiums, you need not worry about getting your fix next season – – unless of course this CFP expansion leads to the demise of several of those meaningless games entirely.

Finally, a thought from Lily Tomlin:

“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The CFP is a twelve-team tournament at least for now although I am confident it will be expanded to at least 16 teams and maybe even 24 teams down the road.  I don’t think that is such a great idea but let me take a deep breath and resign myself to the coming expansion and make a few comments upon that.

Coaches seem to have been in favor of the expansion with the idea that making the expanded field of 24 teams would make coaches in top-shelf programs more secure as they slide into the playoffs more years than not.  There is surely validity to that thinking but the obverse may also be true; if a school with overly ambitious goals for its football team misses those expanded playoffs two years in a row, that could raise the temperature of the coach’s seat significantly.  I am not sure how that sword would cut …

Expanding the playoff field to 24 teams could lead to a playoff field that looks like this:

• Top 6 teams from the SEC
• Top 6 Teams from Big-10
• Top 4 teams from ACC
• Top 4 teams from Big-12
• At least 1 conference winner from the G6
• A couple of at-large entries

On one hand, is there really going to be a large entertainment value in a game between the sixth place SEC team and the second place Big-12 team?  I don’t think so, but that answer must be put in the context of the college football post-season that exists now.  There are about 40 bowl games and many of the matchups are threadbare at best.  So, would my hypothetical matchup from an expanded CFP be any less entertaining?

As of this morning, the second-place team in the Big-12 is Texas Tech and the sixth-place team in the SEC is Ole Miss.  That matchup would not be “must see TV” here in Curmudgeon Central but it would be a lot better than Wyoming versus Middle Tennessee State in the “Who Gives A Rat’s Ass Bowl”.

Many – maybe even most – of the mid-December bowl games are god-awful spectacles and replacing them with expanded CFP games would increase their watchability significantly even if the two teams in that expanded CFP game are unlikely to make the “Final Four” of the CFP.  It would certainly be a bigger live audience for the bowl organizers to deal with if the game had some modicum of “importance” as opposed to a meaningless game between two schools that may not have known the opponent actually played college football until the bowl invitation arrived.

Lots of the minor bowl games are in “cold weather locales” and the live attendance for many of those games would easily fit in your typical college basketball venue.  So, there are benefits to having more CFP games to deal with even if the first – – and maybe even the second – – round games are not “CFP relevant”.  Not to worry, I still prefer the current 12 team format to any expansion; my point here is that maybe expansion is not all bad.

Moving on …  I mentioned last week that I noticed that NC State had fired Dave Doreen as its head football coach.  The stories now seem to indicate that the school is hiring Philip Rivers to take over that football program.  No doubt about it; that is a noteworthy hiring; Rivers is an alum of the school, and he had a very successful NFL career after leaving NC State.  That hiring seems to me to be like most of Danny Boy Snyder’s hiring decisions for his coaches – – lots of glitz and press conference appeal but questionable foundation pieces under the choice.

Philip Rivers was a really good QB in the NFL but being a head coach and being a QB do not necessarily demand the same skill set.  Rivers has no coaching experience at the collegiate level let alone head-coaching experience.  Since retiring from the NFL, he has been coaching a private school football team in Alabama for a couple of years.  The NC State job is a huge step up from that experience.

I can think of one other NFL QB who jumped into college coaching at the head-coach level; Trent Dilfer took over the UAB program after his retirement.  In Dilfer’s three-year stint with the Blazers his record was 9-21 which is hardly what one would call “successful”.

Also, recall when the Indy Colts handed the head coaching job to Jeff Saturday.  Let’s just agree that did not work out well at all.

So, good luck to Rivers who seems to be a really nice person, but I think he has a steep learning curve to execute if he actually gets that job.

Finally, ponder this from Laurence J. Peter – – the one who identified the Peter Principle:

“If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

I know it is Friday and I know that Football Friday has been AWOL for the last several weeks.  I also know that I have not been able to do nearly the amount of background reading and concentration to do a full-fledged Football Friday today.  So, I will try to do a mini-Football Friday and see how that goes.

Counting the results of the last Six-Pack in a Football Friday here is the status of those selections:

• Spreads and Totals = 12-8-0
• Money Line Parlays = 4-4*  Net “Profit” = $140

The asterisk on the parlays reflects that I made a Money Line pick in the NFL game between the Giants and Commanders that ended in a tie.  The sportsbook rule for such a situation is that the game is ignored in the parlay, and the result of the wager is dependent on all the other legs of the parlay.  In the situation there, the other money line wager in the parlay was successful, so the payout was based on the rest of the parlay absent the odds for the Giants/Commanders game.

While I have been gone, the Linfield University Wildcats have been on a winning streak; their season record is now 6-1.  That assures that the Linfield football streak of winning seasons continues since their regular season consists only of 9 games in Division III.  Congratulations to the Linfield University Wildcats.

I did enough reading to find a college football player with a great name for this week.  Let me introduce you to:

Tree Babalade           OL       Nebraska

            My “Sleeper Team” for 2026 has been Florida.  The Gators’ record so far is 5-3 and they have been  up and down through the season.

• Florida has beaten Texas and Ole Miss
• Florida has lost to Mizzou and South Carolina

This week the Gators are at home against Oklahoma.  Go Gators!

 

College Football Commentary

 

Baylor fired head coach,  Dave Aranda; I had him on my hot-seat list in August.

Florida State fired head coach, Mike Norvell; I had him on my hot-seat list in August.

NC State fired head coach, Dave Doreen; I did not have him on my hot-seat list in August.

Allow me to comment on the Florida State job.  It will pay well; according to reports, the school will buy out Norvell to the tune of $50M so new applicants for the job can ask for top-shelf money.  Other than that, I am not so sure this is a great career opportunity.  Florida State football is as much a quagmire as it is a career-maker.  Since Bobby Bowden left in 2009, the Seminoles had a short time under Jimbo Fisher as a force to be reckoned with and then a steep decline.  Willie Taggert and Mike Norvell have been in charge since 2018 and the cumulative record since then for the Seminoles is 52-53 – – but there is a sense among too many Seminole fans and boosters that the team should be at the top of the rankings every year.

Last year, when Penn State fired James Franklin there was not a stampede of great college coaches to take that job because the expectations at Penn State are like those at Florida State.  Having a solid and better-than-average team every year is not sufficient; it needs to compete for the CFP Final game every year and that is just not a realistic goal.  I will be interested to see who wants and then who gets the Florida State job this time around.

A surprising team for 2026 would be the UMass Minutemen; they were the only winless team in Division 1-A last year and as of today their record is 5-4 – – they are one win shy of a bowl invitation.  UMass has been playing college football since 1879; they have spent some time in Division 1-AA and in Division 1-A; in that time, they have been to exactly two bowl games:

• The 1964 Tangerine Bowl
• The 1972 Boardwalk Bowl

If they win one more game, I think they would be a natural invitee to the Fenway Bowl in Boston.  Here is their remaining schedule:

• At Toledo – – Toledo’s record today is 7-2
• Vs Akron – – Akron’s record today is 1-8
• At Bowling Green – – Bowling Green’s record today is 2-7.

This is the time of  year when I start to track the contenders for the “Brothel Defense Award” which goes to the team that allow the opponent the most points per game in college football.  The name derives from the fact that everyone scores in a brothel.  As of this morning, here are the contenders:

• Northern Illinois gives up 37.6 points per game
• UNC-Charlotte gives up 40.3 points per game
• Colorado State gives up 42.4 points per game

And it is also time for me to consider the entries in the 2026 SHOE Tournament – – my imaginary competition to determine on the field of play the worst team in college football for 2026.  SHOE is an acronym for Steaming Heap Of Excrement which applies to the worst team in the country.  The tournament is simple; there are 8 entrants that are seeded.  They play a standard set up where the losing team must play on instead of the victor until there is one worst team left.  I need more study but here are my contending teams for those 8 SHOE Tournament slots as of today:

• Akron – – 1-8
• Bowling Green – – 2-7
• Hawaii – 2-6
• La-Monroe – – 1-7
• Northern Illinois – – 0-8
• Old Dominion – – 2-7
• Rice – – 1-7
• Sam Houston – – 1-7
• Temple – – 2-6
• UNC Charlotte – – 1-7
• UTEP – – 1-7
• Washington State – – 1-8

 

Games This Week

 

There are lots of games with ranked teams playing one another this week such as:

Alabama at LSU – 6 (53):  Lane Kiffin strikes up a new rivalry with Alabama here.

BYU at Utah – 4 (48.5):  In addition to being two ranked teams, this game is a huge rivalry game sometimes called “The Holy War”.

Texas – 3 at Missouri (42):  this is important for SEC standings as well as for possible CFP participation.

Oregon at Ohio St. – 8 (45):  Back in August this looked like it might be the Game of the Year; not so much now…

Georgia – 3.5 at Ole Miss (56.5):  Important game for SEC standings …

Kentucky at Tennessee – 6 (49):  Kentucky is a big surprise in 2026…

Miami at Notre Dame – 7 (55):  Big game relative to CFP rankings.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

The Minnesota Vikings are an interesting team.  Their defense is elite; so far in 2026 they give up only 13.3 points per game which is reminiscent of the 1985 Bears’ defense and the old Steel Curtain defense of the Steelers.  But the Vikes’ offense just plain stinks and after 7 games, I think the jury is out on Kyler Murray as the Vikes’ QB of the Future.  It is hard to make the argument that Murray needs more playmakers around him; the Vikes’ OL is solid; the pass catchers include Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson.

In fact, Murray will be on the sidelines this week in favor of Carson Wentz as the Vikes try to raise their record to 7-1-0 when they host the Bills on MNF.

The Cowboys’ defense is embarrassing.  They led the lowly Cards by double digits in the 4^th quarter last week and let the game go to OT wherein they lost to those lowly Cards.

The Eagles’ offense is embarrassing.  Yes, I know that the injury list is long and involves a lot of starting players.  Nonetheless, the Eagles’ offense is boring, predictable and unproductive.

The Broncos are 6-2-0 and have a point differential of only +7 points for the season.

 

Games This Week:

 

Bengals – 3 at Falcons (52):  Neither team can be relied upon to play the same from week to week.  It’s an important game for both teams given the standings as of now.

Browns at Saints – 3 (42.5):  Dog-Breath Game of the Week here.

Lions – 7 at Dolphins (50):  Lions due for a let-down after beating the Vikes last week?

Rams – 4 at Commanders (47.5):  Two more teams that are not reliable performers week to week.

Cowboys – 5 at Colts (51.5):  Gave this game consideration as the Dog-Breath game.

Giants – 3 at Eagles (38.5):  JJ McCarthy for the Giants versus Joe Milton for the Eagles …

Jets at Chiefs – 10 (48):  I hate double-digit spreads in NFL games.

Broncos – 2.5 at Panthers (44):  Important game for both teams.

Raiders at Niners – 10 (52):  I hate double-digit spreads in NFL games.

Texans – 5 at Chargers (42):  This is almost an elimination game for the Texans.

Packers at Pats – 3 (45):  Gave this consideration as the Game of the Week; two good teams and each needs the game…

Cards at Seahawks – 9.5 (39.5):  Almost a double-digit spread here …

(Sun Nite) Bucs at Bears – 6 (47.5):  Bears are looking awfully good at this point of the season.

(Mon Nite) Bills – 3 at Vikes (44):  This is clearly the Game of the Week …

Finally, a word from Bill Walsh:

“Not to get too clever, but ‘consistent effort is a consistent challenge.’”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

I’ll start today with an item from before my “unexcused absence” …  The Phillies hired Don Mattingly to be their manager for the next two years.  On one hand, that is not surprising; Mattingly took over a team that was well below .500 and managed to make the playoffs in 2026.  If you take his record as an interim manager and extrapolate that to a full MLB season the record would be 96-66.  However, there was a caveat that came with this announcement:

• The Phillies hired Mattingly after at least one other candidate turned down the job offer.

So, why the hesitancy to hire Mattingly “full time”?  And why would another candidate turn down a job where the team made the playoffs in the previous season?  Normally new managers take over teams that are sub-.500.

The Phillies’ roster is starting to look long-in-the-tooth but there are no overt signs that the team is going to enter a “tear-down and rebuild” phase.  So, the fact that a “preferred candidate” for the managerial position said, “No, thanks,” makes me wonder…

Speaking of MLB managerial positions, there is a report on AP today that the Astros will interview Albert Pujols for their open managerial position.  Pujols has no managerial entries on his résumé, but he was a league MVP three times and a World Champion too.  He may have a few things to learn about being a manager, but no one can call him a naif when it comes to major league baseball.

Moving on …  The criminal trial of Guardians’ pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz began in NY this week.  They stand accused of giving gamblers a heads-up as to specific pitches within MLB games on which the gamblers could reliably bet and collect on the wagers.  In the strictest sense, their alleged actions were only minor affronts to “the integrity of the games” but if indeed it is determined that those allegations are factual, then both men need to be banned from baseball.  More to follow …

Sticking with baseball …  The December 1 deadline for the expiration of the existing CBA between the owners and the players’ union draws closer and closer.  That could make for an interesting free agent market in November prior to the end of the existing CBA.  It could well be that the free agent signing period under any new CBA could be severely compressed and that might motivate both free agents and GMs to act now when there is some time to think about offers and contracts.

On the other hand, if MLB gets the cap and floor system that it wants, that can significantly change the way MLB rosters need to be constructed.  And that sort of change cannot be seriously considered now in the current free agent time until December 1.  November 2026 could be an interesting month for MLB news.

Switching gears …  The Cleveland Browns could find themselves in an interesting situation next week.  Beleaguered QB, Deshaun Watson has led the team to a 5-3-0 record which has the Browns only 1 game behind the division-leading Steelers as of now.  There are reports this week, however, that Watson is in the concussion protocol after “suffering symptoms” on Monday of this week.  If he is not cleared to play – – a possibility – – that would mean Shedeur Sanders would get the start on Sunday against the Saints.  Notwithstanding Watson’s positive results on the field so far this year, there has been a continuing backbeat among fans in Cleveland to bench Watson and play Sanders.  That backbeat will only get louder if Watson cannot go and Sanders steps in and shines against a Saints team that has given up 27.7 points per game so far in 2026.  Fun times to come in Cleveland …???

Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens have had buzzards’ luck with their QBs this year.

• Lamar Jackson returned from a 3-game absence last week.  He lasted exactly one play from scrimmage and left with a thumb injury that will require surgery.
• Tyler Huntley has been filling in for Jackson, so he entered the game when Jackson left.  Huntley suffered a turf toe injury soon after that and he will be out for the year.
• Joe Fagnano took over and played about the way an undrafted free agent who had no expectation of playing in the game would be expected to play.

Reports this week say that the Ravens are trying to finalize a trade with the Cards to acquire Jacoby Brisset.  However, the Ravens play tonight on Thursday Night Football; so, it is doubtful that Brisset will be of much use this week even if the trade is consummated.

Finally, a little wisdom from Mark Twain:

“A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports ………

 

 

Before the NFL season gets mired in speculation as to which team will have the first pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, I want to take a look at the teams at the bottom of their divisions today.

• AFC East:  Dolphins  0-5  Point differential = minus  62
• AFC North:  Bengals 3-2  Point differential = +19
• AFC South:  Titans  0-5  Point differential = minus 51
• AFC West:  Chargers 0-5  Point differential = minus 45
• NFC East:  Commanders 1-3-1  Point differential = minus 34
• NFC North:  Bears 3-2 Point differential = + 23
• NFC  South:  Saints 1-4 Point differential = minus 33
• NFC West:  Cards  1-4  Point differential = minus 54

Looking at that list, you can eliminate the Bears and the Bengals regarding talk of a miserable team; after all, some team must be in last  place in each of the 8 Divisions.  On the other hand, one can make a logical case arguing that each of the other six teams on the list will indeed end up at the bottom of their division.

• The Dolphins are outmanned because they are carrying close to $100M in dead cap money  after releasing Tua Tagovailoa.  The Jets’ season would have to crater badly for the Dolphins to finish above last place
• The Titans are an interesting case; they have already spent a top draft pick on a supposed “QB of the Future” in Cam Ward.  So far, he has not panned out close to their expectations, and the Titans should be underdogs in their next 6 games..
• The Chargers are an enigma; hiring Mike McDonald as the OC was going to unleash Justin Herbert.  If this is “unleashed Jusin Herbert”, then he is a dog and the eyeball test over the last several years says that is not the case..   Nonetheless, I think the Chargers will finish at the bottom of their division.
• The Commanders’ defense is a hot mess, and they are a poorly coached team. In their 5 games so far this year, the defense has given up 30 or more points in three of those games.  However, the Commanders can finish anywhere between 2^nd and 4^th in the NFC East.
• The Saints are probably better than their 1-4 record; but not a lot better.  One stat that does not auger well for the Saints is that they are 0-3 at home.
• The Cards are not good on offense, and they give up points in bunches.  I will be shocked if they finish anywhere other than at the bottom of the NFC West.

If I now apply my eyeball test the Dolphins, Titans and Cards sink to bottom in the first 5 weeks of the regular season.

Finally, this thought from Warren Buffet:

“Rule No.1: Never lose money.

Rule No.2: Never forget Rule No.1.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

According to a report in the Washington Post last week, the US Congress has “launched a probe” of the AAU.  According to the report the AAU has not implemented changes recommended about 6 years ago in the aftermath of the “Larry Nasser embarrassment”.  On one hand, I am glad to see the AAU called to task for almost anything; I have little regard for the organization itself despite its providing access to top shelf sports opportunities for talented youth.  On the other hand, I have no interest in hearing and seeing members of the US House of Representatives emoting and bloviating about this issue; rather than have that happen, I would prefer charging members of the institution with specific crimes and letting the criminal justice system take the issue on.

According to a Congressional statement about the matter, the AAU has become a safe haven for coaches suspected of sexual predation.  That is a disgusting thought to be sure, and it is something that the police or the FBI needs to investigate with the idea of putting any such sexual predators in the “Crossbars Hilton”.  This is not an issue that needs rhetoric; this needs criminal investigation.

Moving on …  Tony Petitti is the Commissioner of the Big-10.  He said that the negotiating window for ESP N  having exclusive rights to the CFP had been extended by mutual agreement and that he was confident that the College Football Playoffs would be expanding to 24 teams posthaste.  The expansion there would require the abolition of individual conference championship games and from a fan perspective, that act would remove a lot of highly competitive games between the two best teams in a conference and replace them with potentially less competitive contests.  As I have said here before:

• I prefer an 8-team tournament; no marginal teams involved
• I don’t like a 12-team tournament because of the BYEs involved
• I could stomach a 16-team tournament with no BYEs.
• I will probably skip some of the opening matchups in a 24-team field

Switching gears …  Martin Sherif is a 20-year old who plays for Everton in the EPL.  The English Football Association (EFA) has fined him $6,600 for “causing, permitting or enabling” 61 different bets on soccer games.  Sherif did not place any bets himself, but he admitted permitting or enabling betting on soccer games through six different betting accounts opened in his name.  The bets resulted in a net loss of about $500 and none of the wagers involved teams Sharif played for; but still, this seems like level of naivete that boggles the mind.

Next up …Dana Altman has been the head basketball coach at Oregon for the last 16 years.  His teams have made the NCAA Tournament 9 times in his tenure there and one of his teams made it to the Final Four.  His record at Oregon was a gaudy 382-182.  With the college basketball season on the brink of opening, Oregon will be out looking to hire – – poach? – – a coach for its team which opens its season on November 2^nd.  Dana Altman is 68 years old; when he says he wants to spend more time with his family I believe him; he has been in the coaching profession for 37 years.

Finally, a thought from George Carlin:

 “If you can’t beat them, arrange to have them beaten.”

But don’t get me wrong,, I love sports………

 

 

Bob Petit died at the age of 93 while I was on hiatus.  Bob Petit had an 11-year career in the NBA back in the 1950s and 60s starting with the Milwaukee Hawks who then became the St. Louis Hawks.  In those 11 years:

• He was named to the Al-Star team all eleven seasons.
• He was the Rookie of the Year
• He was voted as the league MVP twice.
• He averaged 26.4 points per game and 16.2 rebounds per game.
• He won an NBA Championship in 1958 despite the presence of Bill Russell at that time.

Rest in peace, Bob Petit.

And thinking of the “old-school NBA” reminds me to mention a baseball team that is probably going to go through an age-induced transition very soon – – and possibly in this offseason.  The Philadelphia Phillies fielded an “experienced team” in 2026 which made the playoffs by a whisker on the last day of the regular season.  Father Time marches on and that “experienced team” might be ripe for an implosion if the Phillies’ GM tries to milk one more season out of that roster.  Yes, the core of that Phillies team has made the playoffs in each of the last 5 seasons but looking ahead does not produce such a rosy picture:

• The Phillies need a new manager.  In the early season, they fired Rob Thomson as the team started off 9-19; he was replaced by Don Mattingly who rallied the team to make the playoffs.  But with the season over, the team has not named Mattingly as the permanent manager and the GM is “considering his options”.
• It would appear that the Phillies have a strong starting rotation with three established pitchers.  Christopher Sanchez is deservedly in the Cy Young discussion; Zack Wheeler came back from surgery and was his old self in 2026; Jesus Lazardo was a pleasant surprise in 2026, and Aaron Nola may have another year or so left in his arm.  That’s the good news …
• The Phillies’ bullpen was a certified hot mess in 2026 and needs major changes.  And Father Time has his eye on that starting rotation with Aaron Nola turning 34 next season and Zack Wheeler becoming 38.  The Phillies have a tantalizing prospect in Andrew Painter but his showing in 2026 was mediocre at best and outrageously bad on some occasions.
• The Phillies’  position players are long in the tooth.  Bryce Harper, Tre Turner and Kyle Schwarber will all turn 34 next year and JT Realmuto will be 37.  Harper and Schwarber were still productive in 2026, but Realmuto was an offensive liability, and Turner’s offense fell off to the point that it did not make up for his defensive liabilities.  Two of the younger position players – – Alec Bohm and Luis Arraez – – will be free agents this winter and they will be hard to replace internally.

The Phillies’ President of Baseball Operations is Dave Dombrowski who has been in the MLB roster-building business since the 1980s.  He has been with the Phillies since 2021 and his teams there have posted a cumulative regular season record of 529-421 (win percentage = .557).  He has overseen roster rebuilds with the Marlins, Tigers and Red Sox in the past; I think he has his work cut out for him now with the Phillies.

Finally, a former colleague had this comment about Father Time:

“Middle age is that awkward part of your life where Father Time overtakes Mother Nature.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

The MLB regular season is about to end.

• In the AL, the Rays have won the AL East while the Yankees and Red Sox are both assured of playoff positions.
• In the AL Central, the Guardians and the White Sox are separated by a game with 5 games left to play.
• In the AL West, the Rangers and the Astros have identical records with 5 games to play.
• In the NL  East, the Braves have clinched
• In the NL Central, the Brewers have clinched
• In the NL West, the Dodgers have clinched
• In the NL, the playoff teams are still up in the air with the Phillies, Cubs and Padres set at identical records and with the D-Backs still alive – – but on life support.

The playoffs begin next week after all this gets sorted out over the weekend.

My preseason picks for division winners were not so good; only the Dodgers won their division “with my blessing” and that wasn’t a difficult choice to make.  However, I suggested five win-total wagers back in March and four of them are now in the bag while the fifth one was off by about a dozen games.

I don’t usually do this in mid-week, but I am going to miss the next two Football Fridays while I go off the air for a while.  So, here are some reactions to 6 college football games from last week:

1. Georgia 45  Arkansas 17:  The Bulldogs have not been severely tested yet in 2026, but they look pretty good to me.
2. Alabama 50  Forida State 36:  Is this an awakening of the Seminoles’ offense or a sign that the Alabama defense is not up to its usual standard?
3. Kentucky 31  Texas A&M 21:  This was the  upset of the day.  Maybe the Aggies were looking ahead to LSU?
4. Cal 49  Wagner 7:  What is Wagner a Division 1-AA team from Staten Island doing playing a game in Berkley CA?
5. Florida 44  Auburn 39:  My “Sleeper Team” made it to 3-0 this week…
6. Ole Miss 32  LSU 24:  Trinidad Chambliss had himself a day throwing for 363  yards and 2 TDs.  So far in 2026, he is the best college QB I’ve seen.

And here are brief comments on 10 of last week’s NFL games:

1. Panthers 34  Falcons 3:  Tell me again why the Falcons let Kirk Cousins go?
2. Rams 28  Giants 6:  Davante Adams had 8 receptions for 195 yards and 2 TDs.  Not too shabby for a 33-year-old WR …
3. Browns 23  Bucs 19:  The upset of the week …
4. Vikes 9  Bears 3:   Read a report that said Brian Flores had the Vikes blitzing on more than 85 of the Bears offensive snaps even after Caleb Williams left the game.
5. Saints 24  Ravens 17:  An upset to be sure – – but as big as the Browns over the Bucs?
6. Pats 20  Steelers 3:  The Pats’ defense dominated this game.
7. Raiders 26  Chargers 14:  The Chargers’ season is in severe trouble given the next 6 games are against playoff teams from last season and the two losses to date were to the Cards and the Raiders.  Meanwhile, the Raiders are 2-0 for the first time since 2021.
8. Bills 41  Lions 31:  The Lions’ defense must stop giving up 30+ points per game.
9. Eagles 24  Titans 20:  Davonta Smith had 10 catches for 117 yards and a TD including 2 huge plays in the game winning drive.
10. Bengals 20  Texans 6:  The Texans start the season at 0-2 for the third time in the last four seasons.

The five biggest college games this week will be:

1. Texas – 5 at Tennessee (56)
2. Iowa at Michigan – 5 (39):  This could be as artistic a game as a giant rock fight.
3. Ole Miss at Florida – 3 (59):
4. Texas A&M at LSU – 9 (52):
5. Oregon – 3 at USC (62):  Are either of these two teams for real or not?

The eight biggest NFL games this week will be:

1. Pats at Jags – 3 (45):
2. Panthers – 2.5 at Browns (42.5):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.
3. Texans – 3 at Colts (42):  Both teams are winless so far in 2026…
4. Chargers at Bills – 7 (50):  Not an easy way for the Chargers to get their first win of the season.
5. Raiders at Saints – 3 (44):  Two teams with surprisingly good starts to the season here.
6. Ravens – 3 at Cowboys (52):
7. Rams – 2.5 at Broncos (45):  The best game on Sunday this week.
8. (Mon Nite) Eagles – 4 at Bears (41):  Should be the Game of the Week

            Finally, with the mid-term elections right around the corner, let me close with this from Will Rogers:

“A fool and his money are soon elected.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports ………

 

 

I ran into someone at the supermarket yesterday who I had not seen for about 20 years;  he lived across the street from us “two houses ago”.  He is a big Washington Commanders fan and was just as avid today as back then.  In the course of our “catching up” he said that it was even more fun to root for the Commanders now that Daniel Snyder had sold the team and that Daniel Snyder “had to be the worst owner ever in sports”.

We said our farewells and I got to thinking about his assertion that Danny Boy Snyder was the worst owner ever in sports.  So, of course, I started making a list.  Here are the “less than wonderful” owners that came to my mind; I am sure if I started an AI bot on a search for more names that it would add to this list, but that is just not worth the time or trouble.  My list will be alphabetical lest anyone think I am ranking these miscreants:

• James Dolan – NY Knicks:  Notwithstanding the Knicks’ current status as NBA champs, Dolan has a long history of petty feuds with people who he has banished from his arena – – Madison Square Garden – – to include former Knicks’ star Charles Oakley.  That feud and dueling lawsuits has been ongoing for about a decade now.
• Harry Frazee – — Boston Red Sox:  He sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100K.  In essence, Frazee poured the foundation for the “Curse of the Bambino”.
• Bob Irsay – – Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts:  He’s the guy who had the moving vans pack up and move the team equipment in the dead of night leaving Baltimore without a football team.
• George Preston Marshall – – Washington Redskins:  It took a demand by the Secretary of the Interior for Marshall to integrate the team; if he did not do so, he would not be allowed to play in the new stadium in DC – – RFK Stadium.  [Aside:   Daniel Snyder has competition here as the “worst owner” in the history of the Washington football franchise!]
• Art Modell – – Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens:  He had the audacity to pick up the Browns franchise and move it to Baltimore as a “replacement” for the Colts who sneaked out of town.  Modell is hated in Cleveland but seems to have been a positive force for the league as a whole regarding broadcast rights deals, so maybe he does not belong on this list at all.
• Marge Schott – – Cincinnati Reds:  She was forced to sell the Reds as an edict by the Commissioner.  Her antics were strange but tolerable; her admiration of Adolf Hitler was clearly something she needed to keep to herself, and she was a malignant racist referring to outfielder Dave Parker as her “million-dollar N-word”.
• Daniel Snyder – – Washington Redskins/Football Team/Commanders:  The events of his stewardship of the team are well chronicled here and in hundreds of other places.  Little if any of that history is laudable to be sure.  He compounded his boorish behaviors by meddling in team decisions that were clearly outside his sphere of competence leaving the players and coaches at a disadvantage on the field.
• Ted Stepien – – Cleveland Cavaliers:  His management of the team was so outrageous in trading away draft picks that the league had to institute the so-called “Stepien Rule” making it impossible for a team to trade away its first-round pick in successive years.
• Donald Sterling – -SD/LA  Clippers:  The NBA banned him for life and fined him about $2M for his racist remarks and comments. His comments were so demeaning that even the President of the United States – – Barrack Obama – – took a moment to denounce them.  Sterling owned the Clippers for 33 seasons and their record in that time was – – if I have calculated correctly – – 987-1671 which is a win percentage of .371.

That is my list of bad owners after about 24 hours of rumination; I am sure there are others who may be added to this list, but my point is that Danny Boy Snyder is not a runaway favorite even on this short list to be the “worst owner ever in sports”.  And note that I do not have any representation here for NHL owners or owners of teams in leagues outside the US; surely there must be a candidate for the list somewhere in that area.

Finally, these words by Mark Twain were probably never part of the standard operating procedure of any of the folks listed above:

“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Even a cursory glance at the calendar is sufficient to tell me it is time for the next installment of Football Friday; so, let me start with a look back at a very successful Six-Pack from last week:

• Spreads & Totals:     5-1-0                Year to date:  6-3-0
• M/L Parlays:   1-1       Profit = $38    YTD: 1-3            Loss = $162

The Linfield University Wildcats had the week off last week; they will venture to Orange, CA to meet Chapman University this Saturday.  That will be the last out-of-conference game for Linfield in 2026; after this, all the rest of their regular season games will be against Northwest Conference opponents.  Go Wildcats!

            My “Sleeper Team” for the year is the Florida Gators, and they won their second out of conference game last week beating Campbell 52-3.  The Gators are 2-0 on the season but have  yet to play a significant opponent.  This week the Gators are on the road at Auburn starting a sequence of SEC opponents.  Only after November 21^st will the Gators see another out-of-conference team – – the Florida State Seminoles in what is always a huge rivalry game.

And this week’s fun name related to college football is:

• Godspower Nwawuihe – – RB – – Army

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Florida State fired its Athletic Director, Michael Alford, earlier this week; it was not “for cause” to the school owes him money.  Alford was the AD who signed Mike Norvell to a contract that ties Norvell to the school through 2031 at a reported $10.3M per year; various sources say the remaining balance on that contract is $84M.

Mike Norvell was on a hot seat even going back to the end of last season and now the guy who hired him has been jettisoned.  The only reason that connecting those two dots might not be as simple as using a pencil and a straight edge is that $84M buyout figure.  One report said it would be due within 90 days of Norvell’s termination meaning some well-heeled alum or three will need to write some hefty checks to make that happen.  The Seminoles are 1-1 so far in 2026; this week they are on the road at Alabama and are significant underdogs in the game.

I have long criticized college football powerhouses for scheduling Division 1-AA opponents and the like in what I call “Cupcake Games”.  Now I have some company on my soapbox who has plenty of football cred.  Marshall Faulk is the head coach at Southern University which plays in the Southwest Athletic Conference (SWAC) against mainly other HBCU schools.  Last week Southern participated in what Faulk calls a “Money Game”; they went to Houston and were humiliated 77-6.  After the game Fauld said this was not a game and there was no way that Southern could compete on an equal footing with a program like Houston because of the different amounts of money available to the teams at the two schools.  He said these sorts of game should not be scheduled and labeled as “football games” because they are put on only for the purpose of distributing some money to the “poor school” as they take an organized butt-kicking from the “richer school”.

According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, Southern got $450K for showing up and playing the game along with 125 pizzas as a post-game meal for the team and staff plus 400 complimentary tickets to the game.  Somehow, I don’t think that the Southern coaches could have “scalped” those tix for very much on game day.

Having pointed out that someone else agrees with me that these scrimmages in disguise are abominable, let me offer some congratulations to the Blue Devils of Duke University for their selection of out-of-conference games.  Duke is 2-0 this year and they have beaten Tulane and Illinois.  That is a whole lot better competition as compared to the selected victims of my personal “Sleeper Team” – the Florida Gators who have annihilated FAU and then Campbell.

Kudos to Duke …

Last week was not a good one for the Big-10; it was embarrassing.  Yes, I know that Michigan pulled off a solid upset of Oklahoma last week and I know that Penn State, Maryland, Washington and UCLA won last week against underwhelming opponents.  The rest of the conference sucked wind including:

• Ohio St. lost to Texas
• Oregon lost to Oklahoma St.  (more on that later)
• Minnesota lost at home to Mississippi St.  (more on that later)
• Illinois lost to Duke
• Rutgers lost to BC

Lots of pundits rushed to report that Ohio St. still had a path to the CFP and of course that is correct since the season is still in mid-September.  However, that “path to the CFP” is not a well-manicured byway; here are some of the interesting contests involving Ohio St. prior to the CFP selections:

• At Iowa
• At Indiana
• At USC
• Vs Oregon
• VS Michigan

This week Ohio St. will have a “Cupcake Game” against in-state “rival”. Kent St.  I suspect this will be a one-sided ass-kicking from kickoff to final whistle…  And while I am at it, Oregon will play Portland St. this week in another game that should never have been scheduled; the Ducks are currently a 57.5-point favorite in the game.  The Vikings are going to take a licking tomorrow.

In terms of embarrassment to the Big-10, which was the unseemlier result:

• Oregon losing to Oklahoma St. – – OR – –
• Rutgers losing to UMass two weeks ago?

Before I get to comments on last week’s college games, let me ask for a show of hands here:

• I am tired of Desmond Howard on College Football Game Day; who is with me on that question?

 

Last Week’s College Games:

 

Michigan 17  Oklahoma 10:  No controversial ending for Michigan this week.  No one should be surprised that a Kyle Whittingham team is strong defensively; maybe Oklahoma was just a bit surprised…

Texas 24  Ohio St. 23:  The Longhorns trailed 23-3 at the start of the fourth quarter; Texas scored 3 TDs in the 4^th quarter while Ohio State missed a field goal there and only had the ball for less than 5 minutes in the quarter.

BC 28  Rutgers 21:  It will be a long season in Piscataway this year…

Indiana 55  Howard 0:  The spread was 56 points …

Mississippi St. 38  Minnesota 13:  This is the first win for Miss St against a Big-10 opponent since 1980.

OK St. 39  Oregon 31:  Oregon was a 23.5-point favorite at kickoff. The Cowboys were coming off a straight up loss to Tulsa last week. That Oregon win over Boise St. not looking nearly as potent for Boise St. now. This was the first win by Ok St. over a Division 1-A opponent since September 2024 and it was no fluke; Oklahoma State outgained Oregon 554 yards to 281.

UCLA 28  San Diego St. 10:  This game was scoreless at halftime – – an unusual occurrence in major college football.

Iowa 16  Iowa St. 13:  A big rivalry game that always takes place early in the season before conference play begins.

UNC 35  ETSU 3:  Not surprised at who won the game but defense allowing no TDs might indicate that the UNC defense is strong.  Bears watching…

Duke 31  Illinois 27:  Duke held the Illini to a field goal in the second half.

K State 34  Washington St.  7:  Washington St has not looked good in either of its losses this year. This game was not close:

• K-State total offense = 487 yards
• Wash St. offense = 166 yards

Alabama 45  Kentucky 17:  Halftime score had Kentucky leading 17-13; then the roof caved in.

BYU 28  Arizona 17:  Talk about the roof caving in, the score here was 17-14 with Arizona ahead at the half.

Ole Miss 41  UNC-Charlotte 9:  Trinidad Chambliss looks like a for-real QB prospect to me; he only threw 3 incomplete passes for the entire game.

UMass 37  Sacred Heart 10:  The Minutemen covered a 3 TD spread in the game which had to be an unfamiliar situation for them.

North Texas 44  UNLV 6:  Forget UNLF as the Group of Six Rep in the CFP.  N. Texas rolled up 444 yards of offense in this game.

North Dakota St 38  Air Force 32:  N. Dak St. is 3-0 in their first season at the Division 1-A level with this win.

Fresno St. 49  Sacramento St. 3:  Fresno St. scored 32 points in the second quarter of this game – – 4 TDs, 1 two-point conversion (not sure why) and a field goal all in 15 minutes of play.  Yowza!

Boise St 38  Memphis 20:  Memphis took a 20-17 lead into the locker room at halftime, but it was all Broncos in the final 30 minutes.  In short, the Broncos ran all over the Tigers.   Boise St. ran for 357 yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry. It sure looks as if despite their loss to Oregon, the Broncos are a pretty good team.

 

This Week’s College Games:

 

(Fri Nite) Houston at Texas Tech – 8 (53):  These look like two of the better teams in the Big-12; so, this early season game may have significant impact down the line.

Buffalo at Penn State – 41.5 (51):  The parade of Cupcake Games makes an appearance at State College this week …

UNC at Clemson – 3 (43.5):  Two coaches whose seats will get significantly warmer/hotter if they lose this game.  I know it’s a small sample, but I think the Tar Heel’s defense has been very good so far in 2026.  I’ll go with that sentiment and take UNC plus the points here; put it in the Six-Pack.

NC State at Vandy – 3 (50.5):  Good out-of-conference scheduling for these teams too.

SMU at Louisville – 1 (60):  This game could be very important later in the year when tie-breakers come into play in the ACC.

Florida St. at Alabama – 19 (49):  Seminoles’ football is in turmoil (see above)…

Stanford at Duke – 10 (51):  This game has the best SAT total score on the card for the weekend.

 Mississippi St. at S. Carolina – 4 (58):  Was that road win at Minnesota last week a fluke or are the Bulldogs a serious football team in 2026?

Florida – 2 at Auburn (53):  This is the first real test for the Gators in 2026.  Auburn is 2-0 with wins over Baylor and Southern Mississippi.  I think this is how my 2026 “Sleeper Team” announces its presence; give me the Gators to win and cover here; put it in the Six-Pack.

Va Tech – 3 at Maryland (53):  Tech coach James Franklin knows a thing or two about going to Maryland and coming home with a win.

New Mexico at Oklahoma – 21.5 (45.5):  The Sooners were stymied last week by the Michigan defense; they are now facing a defense that bears no resemblance to the one in Ann Arbor.  New Mexico should put some points on the scoreboard, so I think this game is set to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.

LSU – 2.5 at Ole Miss (57.5):  This is clearly the College Game of the Week with all the drama surrounding the return of Lane Kiffin to Oxford, MS where he might lose an election for city council to the ghost of Jeffrey Dahmer.  LSU has the better defense; Ole Miss has the better QB.  Sit back and enjoy this one…

James Madison at San Diego St. – 2 (46):  JMU will rack up the frequent flier miles for this one.

Duquesne at Washington St. – 37.5 (54):  Based on its first two games, I would not be comfortable laying that many points with Wash St against any team not called Intensive Care University (ICU).

 

NFL Commentary:

 

Both the Giants and Jets won their opening games last week; both of them are tied for first place in their  respective divisions as of this morning.  The last time both the Giants and Jets won their games in Week 1 was back in 2009.  If you believe in omens:

• In 2009, the NY Jets played in the AFC Conference Championship Game.
• In 2026 the NY Jets …?

Speaking of Week 1 results, three teams lost their starting QBs to injuries:

• Falcons saw both Tua and Michael Penix on the bench in street clothes
• Seahawks lost Sam Darnold at the end of the first offensive series
• Vikes lost Kyler Murray to a concussion in the first quarter

Another injury issue that could have significance this season is the news this week that DE Myles Garrett will have a “surgical procedure” on his sore knee and is on IL for at least 4 weeks.  Garrett has made the Pro Bowl 7 times, has been All-Pro 5 times and Defensive Player of the Year 2 times in his career.

In college football, there are lots of good teams in the South every year.  Not so in the NFL recently and last week the 8 teams in the NFC South and the AFC South combined to post a record of 1-7-0.  Only the Jags came out on top in Week 1.

I want to extend sincere thanks to FOX and CBS and ESPN for presenting NFL football with a “clean screen”.  The days of having a crawl at the bottom of the screen with fantasy stats and/or game summaries were distracting and annoying; They are blessedly gone in 2026; the distractions on the screen are small, inobtrusive and pertinent.  Thank you to the folks at the networks who produce these games.

I want to say something here about post-game pressers; that is not a good time for the losing players or coaches, but they are required to do them by the league.  There is a lot of pro forma in the Q&A there; so, if there is going to be any content emanating from those convocations, the audience needs to up its game.

The losing coach will universally say that he and his staff were outcoached by the other guys this week and he and his staff need to do a better job next week.

Here is a suggestion.  The next question after such a cliché statement should be:

• “Exactly what did those other guys do better than you and how did you figure it out so quickly after the game such that you know what to do differently next week?”

It’s not going to happen, but I suspect the response from Losing Coach would something along the lines of “Hamina … Hamina …  Hamina…”  [Hat Tip to Jackie Gleason/Ralph Kramden]

 

Last Week’s Games:

 

Steelers 20  Falcons 13:  This was not an aesthetic game by any means – – 16 penalties and 10 punts in the game.  Neither team gained 275 yards on offense.  Yawn …

Ravens 41  Colts 23:  Lamar Jackson was en fuego throwing for 324 yards and Derrick Henry gained 144  yards on the ground while scoring 3 TDs.

Bills 36  Texans 31:  There were NINE lead changes in the game; talk about an emotional roller coaster.  This was Josh Allen’s first win ever in Houston.  The Texans averaged only giving up 18 points per game last year; the Bills doubled that in this game.

Bears 59  Panthers 37:  Last week I said the Panthers had a good defense, and the Bears had a good offense.  Clearly the Bears’ offense prevailed.  I also said that the Bears had a porous defense and the Panthers had an anemic offense; the Bears likely gave up more points to the Panthers in this game than the Panthers will score in any future game.

Jags 34  Browns 10:  Deshaun Watson’s return to the starting QB role ended inauspiciously.  The lone Browns’ TD came late in the 4^th quarter; this game was never in doubt.

Lions 31  Saints 30:  This was a “roller coaster game”:

• Lions took a 21-0 lead
• Saints rallied and forced OT at 24-24.
• Lions scored on their possession in the OT to lead 31-24
• Saints scored a TD and went for 2-poiint conversion.  Not happening …

Jets 23  Titans 10:  As noted above, the NY Jets are tied for first place in the AFC East this week.  The Jets outgained the Titans 367 yards to 195 yards; it was a dominating performance by the Jets’ defense.   The Jets did not intercept a  pass in any games last season; they didn’t do that in this game either.

Bengals 33 Bucs 27:  The Bengals dominated the stat sheet, and the Bucs lost 4 fumbles in the game – – so why was this a one-score game?

Cards 26  Chargers 14:  Clearly, the upset of the day; the Chargers were the only team favored by more than a TD in Week 1.  The Chargers invented ways to lose this game:

• Turned the ball over on downs inside the 5  yardline
• Had a punt blocked setting up a 3-yard TD drive for the Cards
• Turned the ball over twice
• Committed 7 penalties
• Failed on all three fourth down tries.
• Possessed the ball for fewer than 23 minutes in the game

Vikes 39  Packers 22:  the Packers led 22-10 in this game and the Vikes then scored 29 unanswered points with Carson Wentz at the helm.  The Packers outgained the Vikes 419 yards to 239 yards and still lost the game.  Twelve penalties and 2 turnovers by the Packers did not help their cause. The  Packers have now lost 9 games in a row since Micah Parsons was hurt last season.

Raiders 27  Dolphins 13:  Kirk Cousins only threw for 168 yards in the game, but he also threw 3 TD passes.  Tell me again why the Falcons released him and then signed Tua?

Eagles 24  Commanders 22:  Last week I said one question for the Eagles was their passing game without AJ Brown.  The answer is it was mediocre.  I said the Commanders had to add speed on defense; they did; but not enough; they gave up too many chunk plays.  [Aside:  Sean Mannion was touted as a boy-genius as an Offensive Coordinator; it is a small sample size but count me as “unconvinced” as of now.  The Eagles managed only 10 first downs in this game.]

Giants 28  Cowboys 20:  Last week, I wondered if the Cowboys additions on defense would allow the secondary to “cover a corpse” this season.  Based on one game of observation, the Cowboys’’ secondary would be challenged to cover the Easter Island statues. New York piled up 394 total yards, rushed for 165 and controlled the football for 36:40.   So much for the revamped Cowboys’ defense.

Chiefs 31  Broncos 10:  Patrick Mahomes looked like Patrick Mahomes here and Kenneth Walkeer III looked like Superman.  All four starting DBs for the Chiefs were out of this game and it did not seem to make much of a difference.

 

This Week’s Games:

 

The Bills just hammered the Lions last night beating them 41-31.  The game was not that close.  The Lions had two starting offensive linemen on the bench and two CBs inactive for the game.  That is no way to face a strong opponent like the Bills.  Give the Lions credit though; they did not quit; they went down swinging.

Packers – 3 at Jets (44):  The Jets’ defense was dominant last week (see above).  The Packers present a much bigger threat to that Jets’ defense than the Titans did last week.  On the flip side, the Packers blew a 10-point lead starting the 4^th quarter and lost the game by 10 points.  I cannot trust either side at this point in the season.  I am also worried about my sanity in thinking the Jets are a “live underdog” against the Packers…

Vikes at Bears – 4.5 (48):  I expect the Vikes’ defense to put up a lot more of a struggle this week than the Bears faced last week. Nevertheless, I think that Total Line is short so give me the game to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.

Steelers at Pats – 5 (41.5):  I think the oddsmakers are right here; this game will be low-scoring,  I am tempted to take the points and the Steelers but will resist that temptation.

Panthers – 2.5 at Falcons (44):  The spread opened with the Falcons as a 1-point favorite.  Neither team looked good in Week 1; I considered this one as the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.

Browns at Bucs – 7.5 (41.5):  Both teams played badly last week; the Browns trailed at one point in their game 34-3; meanwhile Bucs’ QB Baker Mayfield lost three fumbles in his game.  I like the Bucs to win the game – – and possibly to win it big.  I have no reason to believe that Deshaun Watson will be competent in this game, and I do have reason to believe that Baker Mayfield would like to “stick it” to his former employer.  I’ll take the Bucs to win and cover; put it in the Six-Pack.

Bengals at Texans – 2.5 (46):  This game got consideration as the Game of the Week.  The Texans’ defense gave up a lot of points to Josh Allen & Co. last week; now, they have to deal with Joe Burrow and his band of merry men.  The real question here relates to the Bengals’ defense; it was opportunistic last week, but will the Texans provide 4 fumbles to be recovered this week?

Saints at Ravens – 9 (46.5):  The Saints showed a ton of professional pride rallying from down 3 TDs against the Lions to force OT.   So, I can buy the idea that they will move the ball and acquit themselves on offense here.  Having said that, Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry started the season spectacularly so there are too many question marks associated with the spread.  So, give me the game to go OVER; put that in the Six-Pack.

Eagles – 7 at Titans (39):  These lines opened with the Eagles 4.5-point favorites and the Total Line was at 42 points; that’s a lot of line movement.  The Eagles are clearly the more talented team and could wind up blowing the Titans away by 3 TDs – – or they could  play anemic offense and struggle to win by a field goal.  Not a good betting proposition here,,,

Raiders at Chargers – 6.5 (33):  This spread opened at 8.5 points and dropped below a TD’s worth of points rather quickly.  The Chargers  very much need this win given the schedule ahead of them.  The Raiders looked efficient and effective last week, but those were the Dolphins on the other side of the ball.

Jags at Broncos – 3 (45.5):  The Jags won in a walk last week while the Broncos laid a giant egg last week.  This is a much more important game for the Broncos who do not want to open the season at 0-2.

Commanders at Cowboys – 4 (51.5):  Another important game for two teams that lost their openers.  The loser here will not only be 0-2; they will also have two division losses which could become very important when tie-breakers come into fashion.  I expect a high scoring game because the Commanders’ defense should be overmatched against the Cowboys’ offense and the Cowboys’ defense just ain’t that good.

Seahawks – 4 at Cards (41):  These numbers have shifted a lot; the spread opened at 10 points and the Total Line opened at 44.5.  The Cards “shocked the world” [Hat Tip to Muhammad Ali] beating the Chargers last week; I don’t think they can do the same against the Seahawks even with Sam Darnold on the shelf and Drew Lock under center.

Dolphins at Niners – 13 (45):  Here is my Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Just avert your eyes …

(Sun Nite) Colts at Chiefs – 6.5 (47):  The Colts’ defense was run over by Derrick Henry last week; now, they need to deal with Kenneth Walker III.

(Mon Nite) Giants at Rams – 7 (48):  This is my Game of the Week for several reasons:

The Giants looked great and dominated the Cowboys last week.  Can they do that again against the Rams?

The Rams looked awful against the Niners last week in Australia.  Was that a one-time event or are the Rams old and ripe for the picking?

So, let me review the Six-Pack:

• UNC +3 against Clemson
• New Mexico/Oklahoma OVER 45.5
• Gators -2 over Auburn
• Bears/Vikes OVER 48
• Ravens/Saints OVER 46.5
• Bucs – 7.5 over Browns

And just for fun, here are 2 Money Line Parlays:

• Commanders @ +170
• Giants @ +270            $50 wager to win $450

And …

• Eagles @ minus-310
• Seahawks @ minus-210         $100 wager to win $95

Finally, this from Hall of Fame coach, Bud Grant:

“If you have time to be with a dog, and the dog is smart, you come to understand the dog, and the dog understands you. They’re not hard to train. But they have to be smart, and you have to spend time with them. It’s like coaching. I was a better coach when I had smart players.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports……..