Monthly Archives: November 2009

Alouettes Win 97th Grey Cup. Riders Blow 27-11 lead with Only 10 Minutes to Play.

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

The Saskatchewan Roughriders must not have slept very well on Sunday night. Probably won’t sleep well on Monday night, either. After all, they had the 97th Grey Cup game in the bag and then gave it away.

As Montreal’s Damon Duval was missing a 43-yard field goal — a miss that that would have given Saskatchewan a thrilling 27-25 victory –  the Roughriders were found to have had 13 men on the field, penalty flags flew and with no time left on the clock, Duval kicked a 33-yard field goal to win the game 28-27 for an Alouettes team that erased a 16-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to steal their second Grey Cup title in seven appearances since 2000.

Als runningback Avon Cobourne (bad choice) was named most outstanding player while Als receiver Ben Cahoon was the most outstanding Canadian.

In the end, Anthony Calvillo (who was dreadful for three quarters) finished 26-for-39 for 319 yards and two touchdowns, but that wasn’t enough to get him most outstanding player (it would be amazing if it wasn’t for the fact Canadian sportswriters choose the award winners). My gawd, he’s the only quarterback in the CFL capable of bringing a team back from a 27-11 deficit in 10 minutes to win.

On Monday, while many people wanted to pick out one play — especially the old 13th-man play — as a cause for Saskatchewan’s demise, the fact is, when you lead by 16 with 10 minutes to go and you’re outplaying your opponent by a wide margin, you should have won and you just didn’t have the jam to seal the deal.

In fairness, Saskatchewan probably shouldn’t have been in this game at all. In fact, they should be given credit for playing a wonderful game. Meanwhile, the Alouettes became the first team in professional football history to win a championship game without having the lead once until the clock struck 0:00 to play.

The 97th wasn’t a great Grey Cup, but the final three minutes — which actually took 31 minutes to play in real time — was worth the 3 1/2-hour TV marathon.

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Another Week in the Trenches. Als to Win 97th Grey Cup.

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

This was going to be a simple little post.

We were going to talk about how the Montreal Alouettes’ offensive line would protect Anthony Calvillo long enough for the CFL’s most outstanding player to throw five or six touchdown passes and lead the Als to a 45-10 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in tomorrow’s Grey Cup.

We were going to talk about the healthy Montreal defence, their almost perfect special teams, the well-designed offence of Marc Trestman and how all of that would work together to give Montreal a third straight impressive, lopsided win (48-13 over Winnipeg on Nov. 1 and 56-18 over B.C. on Nov. 22).

But then the CFL’s tall foreheads and the mainstream got all stupid on us and football now takes a back seat to silliness.

1) The Canadian Football League’s 2009 mantra is this: “The Canadian Football League is our league. It’s built on a tradition as proud, staged on a field as broad, and played at a pace as exciting as the country we are proud to call home.”

Which is fine, except for one thing: The CFL is starting to talk once again about adding more Americans to the starting lineups and reducing the number of Canadians in the starting ratio from seven to four.

The CFL already killed its offence when it lowered the starting ratio from 11 to seven (notice how every change to make the CFL more American has destroyed scoring). Now, about 70 per cent of CFL games are duller than dishwater, over in the third quarter. Slowly but surely, all these American coaches and penny-pinching GMs who know that dime-a-dozen U.S. players are cheaper on the market than rare, super-talented Canadians, are going to run the “Canadian” out of the CFL.

In fact, if the league lowers the starting ratio again, you can take the “proud” out of the CFL’s mantra. Or not. After all, you could to call it “Just another proud American minor pro football league.”

Hey UFL, here we come!

2) Here’s a stat that you didn’t read in the local newspapers this year. Not surprising, of course because it’s a stat that makes the hated coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers look good. It also tells you something about how good the Bombers offensive line turned out to be.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats were sacked once every 15.6 passing plays in 2009. The Montreal Alouettes were sacked once every 18.3 passing plays and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were sacked once every 22.5 passing plays. With an improved defensive secondary and a collection of great young players under contract, clearly, this Bomber team is just one quarterback away from playing in next year’s Grey Cup game in Edmonton.

3) “Tiger Woods seriously injured in auto accident.”

That headline reverberated around the world yesterday as the mainstream media fell all over its collective hyperbolic ass trying to dig up dirt on a golfer.

By the end of the day, Woods had hit a fire hydrant backing out of his driveway, cut his lip (it’s still unknown whether the blood was a result of the accident or a spat with the wife), went to hospital for a stitch and was home resting, while the mainstream media blamed the absurd headlines on the Florida Highway Patrol.

I sometimes get the sense that the sooner all these money-losing newspapers fold, the smarter we’ll all be. People, you’re reporters, not gossip-mongers. Write the truth or don’t write anything at all. Get it first but get it right.

Guess all these old rules don’t cut it anymore. The new rule appears to be: Make it up, some idiot will believe it.

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Week 12 NFL Picks. Indy and New Orleans Try to Go To 11-0.

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

As we enter Week 12, the obvious focus is on the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. Throw in the 9-1 Minnesota Vikings and you have the three best teams in the NFL today.

However, there is still nothing at wrong with the New England Patriots, the Dallas Cowboys or the San Diego.

In fact, the Chargers are writing one of the most intriguing stories this season.  Back during the bye-weeks, the Chargers found themselves 3 ½ games out of first in the AFC West. In fact, that was just 34 days ago after a Week 6 loss at home to Denver. However, with that impressive 32-3 win over the struggling Broncos last Sunday, the Chargers have now won five straight and moved into first place in the division, one full game ahead of the Broncos.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans have also made an incredible turnaround this season and it would not be crazy to suggest that with Arizona (at home), Indy (on the road), St. Louis (at home), Miami (at home), San Diego (at home) and Seattle (on the road) left on the schedule, the Titans could finish 9-7 and sneak into the playoffs.

In fact, from the moment owner Bud Adams told head coach Jeff Fisher to start Vince Young or else, the Titans have gone 4-0 to get back to 4-6 and give themselves a legitimate shot at a Wild Card.

That’s why this week’s game against the Cards at LP Field in Nashville is so important. It is one of the biggest games of Week 12.

Let’s take a closer look:

THURSDAY AFTERNOON

Green Bay Packers 6-4 at Detroit Lions 2-8 (+10.5)

The Packers are on a roll. They completely shut down a hot Cowboys team and then followed that up with a blowout victory over San Francisco. They’ll ride their momentum into this game, where they shouldn’t have any problems against a Stafford-less Lions squad.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win and cover.

The Coach: Packers to win and cover.

Oakland Raiders 3-7 at Dallas Cowboys 7-3 (+13.5)

Tony Romo’s three Thanksgiving games: 34-9 over Seattle, 34-3 over the Jets, and 38-10 over Tampa Bay. Romo spends too much time golfing and dating celebrities, so winning in the national spotlight on Thanksgiving plays right into his agenda. Romo may choke in the clutch, but he shines in these easy Turkey Day battles.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win and cover.

The Coach: Cowboys to win but not cover.

THURSDAY NIGHT

New York Giants 6-4 at Denver Broncos 6-4 (+6.5)

The Giants really needed that victory over the Falcons last week. You could see that Manning and Tom Coughlin were relieved in their post-game news conferences. With confidence now on their side, New York goes into Denver and wins by double digits. You don’t want any part of the tanking Broncos right now.

Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles (-9.5)

Dr. Sports doesn’t think the Eagles will be focused here. They already beat Washington, so with a two-game road trip against the Falcons and Giants coming up, the Doc figures the Iggles might take this game lightly.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win but not cover.

The Coach: Eagles to win and cover.

Seattle Seahawks 3-7 at St. Louis Rams 1-9 (+3)

The Seahawks stink this year, but they were awful last year and still swept the Rams. In fact, Seattle has taken the past nine from St. Louis.

Dr. Sports: Seahawks to win and cover.

The Coach: Rams to win.

Carolina Panthers 4-6 at New York Jets 4-6 (-3)

Mark Sanchez should be tested to see if he’s colorblind. He had wide-open receivers downfield last week, but fired the ball to Patriots corners instead. After starting 3-0, New York’s season is over. The victory they had over the Patriots in Week 2 has obviously been exposed as a fraud. The Panthers have more to play for because they have to leapfrog fewer teams to qualify for the playoffs (three, compared to New York’s five).

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win.

The Coach: Panthers to win.

Miami Dolphins 5-5 at Buffalo Bills 3-7 (+3)

As long as Sparano sticks with Williams, Miami should easily defeat a Buffalo squad that currently has major offensive line issues. You win games in the trenches in the NFL, and that’s a very weak area for the Bills right now. Mike Shanahan can’t get to Buffalo soon enough.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win and cover.

The Coach: Dolphins to win and cover.

Cleveland Browns 1-9 at Cincinnati Bengals 7-3 (-14)

Unlike last week, Brady Quinn won’t have a solid ground attack by his side. The Bengals haven’t allowed 100 rushing yards to any team since Oct. 4.However, the Bengals are seldom successful covering a high line. Since 2007, they are 1-7 against the spread when favoured by 3.5 or more.

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win but not cover.

The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.

Indianapolis Colts 10-0 at Houston Texans 5-5 (+3.5)

This is Houston’s Super Bowl. If they lose this game, they fall to 5-6, and their season is probably over. They’ll play the Colts tough, but they won’t win.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win and cover.

The Coach: Colts to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 3-7 at San Diego Chargers 7-3 (-13.5)

After three really tough wins, the Chargers get the crappy Chiefs. Sure, KC looked good last week against the Steelers, but lightning won’t strike twice.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win but not cover.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-9 at Atlanta Falcons 5-5 (-12)

Atlanta could come out flat after that loss to the Giants, and with two tough battles against the Eagles and Saints after this, they might be looking ahead. However, the Falcons need to win this game, and how can anyone back the Buccaneers with any confidence, given that the turnover happy Josh Freeman will be playing on the road for the second time in his pro career.

Dr. Sports: Falcons to win and cover.

The Coach: Falcons to win and cover.

Jacksonville Jaguars 6-4 at San Francisco 49ers 4-6 (-2.5)

The 49ers were just blown out, while the Jaguars sit at 6-4. This is a strange game for the Jaguars. Traveling across the country to battle a non-conference opponent, and given that they have Houston, Miami and Indianapolis after this contest, Dr. Sports thinks this is a breather.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

Chicago Bears 4-6 at Minnesota Vikings 9-1 (-10.5)

These teams hate each other so much, Minneapolis has to hide the bears in the state zoo so the Vikings fans don’t throw stuff on them. The home team has won 11 of the last 13 meetings and Brett, with all those receivers who are young enough to be his sons, are on fire.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

Arizona Cardinals 7-3 at Tennessee Titans 4-6 (-2)

This game means very little to the Cardinals, who host the Vikings next week. The Titans are playing with fire and they will continue their winning ways at home.

Dr. Sports: Titans to win and cover.

The Coach: Titans to win and cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-4 at Baltimore Ravens 5-5 (-2.5)

The home team has won 12 of the last 14 meetings and the Steelers have won the last 3. With the “Who’ll play QB mystery,” the Steelers are facing, it’s hard to get excited about the defending Super Bowl champs right now.

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

THE MONDAY NIGHTER

New England Patriots 7-3 at New Orleans Saints 10-0 (-3)

Huge statement game for the Patriots. They aren’t going to catch the Colts, but the Saints bubble has to break sometime, and the Patriots had the chance earlier this season to take down an unbeaten team and it’s hard to imagine they’ll blow the chance a second time.

Dr. Sports: The Patriots to win.

The Coach: The Patriots to win.

The Doc is 105-55 on the season, and 86-74 against the spread. The Coach is 99-61 straight up and 81-79 against the spread.

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How Good is This Guy?

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

I knew it when I declared back in July that Brett Favre would indeed sign with the Minnesota Vikings (which, of course he did), but I must admit, after Sunday afternoon’s performance against the Seattle Seahawks not even I thought he’d be this good.

Sunday at Mall of America Field, Favre completed 22-of-25 passes (88 per cent) for 213 yards, no interceptions and four TDs as he led the Vikes to a 35-9 shellacking of the Seahawks. Those numbers are beyond remarkable. Eighty-eight per cent is the highest single-game percentage in Favre’s career. He threw touchdown passes to four different receivers — Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, Bernard Berrian and Percy Harvin.

NFL.com reported that Favre’s previous career high was an 85.2 percent completion mark against Detroit on Sept. 20 of this year. But, amazingly, he has only completed at least 80 percent of his passes in a single game, two other times in his previous 18 seasons in the league.

Having had the opportunity to interview Favre (albeit in news conferences and scrums) on a number of occasions this season, I’ve concluded that the 40-year-old quarterback has reached a stage in his career in which every down is a bonus. As a result, he’s become more likable, more respected (if that’s possible) and perhaps even more skilled that he was when he was leading the Green Bay Packers to the Super Bowl.

In fact, on Sunday, Favre set an NFL record with his 22nd career game with at at least four touchdown passes. He and Dan Marino were tied at 21 each.

When Favre’s achievement was announced to the sellout crowd during the fourth quarter at the Metrodome on Sunday, he received a standing ovation and yet looked like a guy who had no idea what he’d done.

One gets the sense he no longer cares. At 40, he’s playing on perhaps the best team he’s ever seen — let alone been part of. In fact, if you base greatness on the number of weapons a team has, then Favre’s Minnesota Vikings might be the greatest team in the NFL today.

Frankly, it’s extremely unlikely even the unbeaten New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts can claim to have seven of the most potent weapons in all of football, but Bret Favre can. In fact, does any team have more great offensive players than Minnesota: Favre, Harvin, Rice, Berrian, Peterson, Taylor and Shiancoe. No team in the NFL can touch that group.

The post-season is going to be fantastic.

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The Great Thing About Sport: The Idiots Guarantee That There is Never A Dull Moment.

Posted on November 22, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

It’s been another wonderful week in the world of sports. A fake World Cup soccer game, a big story that wasn’t and a fine that sends a message — the wrong one.

1) Last weekend, just before the Cincinnati Bengals improved to 7-2, the National Football League fined the uproariously funny Chad Ochocinco (Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ochoNFLcinco85) $20,000 for waving a dollar at a referee.

Now, the incident that got Ochocinco fined was meaningless — and, of course, funny. During a review of an Ochocinco completion, the receiver waved the bill in the official’s direction, obviously attempting to buy the “right” call.

The NFL didn’t like it much and levied the fine, but it’s not what Ochocinco did as much as what the NFL did that’s scary. If waving a dollar bill near a referee gets a player a $20,000 fine, the the NFL is more worried about the integrity of the officials than putting its stamp on the handle, the No Fun League.

If that kind of thing gets a player a fine, I’d be worried that the NFL is so nervous about its officials that it fears the same thing I do — many of the games are pre-determined in the officials’ locker room.

2) We’ve all seen or heard of Thierry Henry’s hand ball by now. The great French striker grabbed a ball near the goal, dropped it to his feet and set up William Gallas with the goal that sent France to the World Cup and Ireland to the sidelines.

Henry, one of the classiest athletes in sport, admitted his foul and agreed the game should be replayed, but FIFA said, ‘No,” because it had to uphold the integrity of the games played and the officials’ decisions.

That’s a crock of course, but it’s typical. Sport organizations go to the wall for their officials even though nothing lets sports organizations down more than bad officiating.

The no-call call on the obvious hand ball was frighteningly bad (everyone in the stadium saw it except the officials) and it called for only one solution: replays.

To be fair, officials make mistakes. But when they make mistakes at absolutely crucial moments, they need help. And when they’re too stubborn to change their minds on the field, they’d better get all the help they can muster.

It’s time for replays in all sports. Period.

3) The Globe and Mail reported this week that the Phoenix Coyotes could lose $50 million this year. That was supposed to be a story that illustrated how bad things have become in the desert. Only one problem. A loss of $50 million would be a good year for the Coyotes.

As court documents showed last summer, the Coyotes have lost $389 million in the last five years. That’s an average of $77.8 million per season.

A loss of only $50 million would be a fabulous year for that franchise and a feather in the cap of Coyotes president Doug Moss.

4) And in closing, the Chicago Bears refused to talk to the media this week.

Naturally, the media had a collective cry-fest. It’s fun watching grown men act like children.

In the fractured media world of today, to demand that someone speak to you is ridiculous. To think one media outlet is more valuable or more important than any other, is simple arrogance.

For years, we’ve heard the misguided suggestion that without the media no one would care about these teams and back in the day that might have a small ring of truth to it. But the world is much, much different now. If teams aren’t going to allow bloggers and on-line news services into the inner sanctum, why should they give newspapers with circulations that are plummeting, special treatment?

It’s probably in the Bears best interest to just shut up for the rest of the season. The media, meanwhile, should have enough ability to fend for itself.

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Week 11 in the NFL: Vikings go to 9-1, Colts and Saints to 10-0.

Posted on November 18, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

After spending last Sunday at Mall of America Field watching the Vikings carve up the sad-sack Detroit Lions, it’s back to the front of the 52-inch HD to watch all 16 games this week.

It’s been quite a week: Larry Johnson is now a member of the Bengals, Dick Jauron was fired as head coach in Buffalo, Cleveland quarterback Brady Quinn was fined for throwing a block, Titans owner Bud Adams was fined $250,000 for giving the Bills’ sideline the finger(s) and Bruce Gradkowski was named the starting quarterback in Oakland.

My goodness, the No Fun League is fun again.

This week, it’s Week 11 in the National Football League and it all starts Thursday night with Miami at Carolina. On Sunday, look out for Seattle at Minnesota, San Francisco at Green Bay, Indianapolis at Baltimore and San Diego at Denver.

Meanwhile, if LeBron James really believes he can help the Cleveland Browns win football games, then coach Eric Mangini has a uniform for him. The NBA superstar, who was an All-State wide receiver in high school, said Tuesday night that if he put the time and commitment into it, he could be a good football player and Mangini agreed, saying “I have an orange helmet waiting for LeBron James.”

Can’t imagine what the Cavaliers thought of that. then again, who cares? I’d love to see LeBron in the NFL.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 11:

Miami Dolphins 4-5 at Carolina Panthers 4-5 (-2.5)

This is a really tough spot for the Dolphins. Not only are they traveling on a short week; they have only a few days to prepare for a hot Carolina squad without their Wildcat centerpiece, Ronnie Brown.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win and cover.

The Coach: Panthers to win and cover

Indianapolis Colts 9-0 at Baltimore Ravens 5-4 (PK)

Indianapolis is coming off that improbable victory over the Pats last week. Peyton Manning showed why he’s probably the best quarterback in the NFL, even though his little bro gets paid more. Despite a wonky offence, the Ravens still have one of the best defences in the NFL.

Dr. Sports: Colts to win.

The Coach: Ravens to win.

Washington Redskins 3-6 at Dallas Cowboys 6-3 (-10.5)

The Cowboys will win this game as long as they can keep Washington from running the ball effectively. Dr. Sports does like the points, however.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover.

Cleveland Browns 1-8 at Detroit 1-8 (-3.5)

According to Dr. Sports, the Lions really should not be favoured because they’re a laughable 1-6 against the spread the last seven times they’ve been laying points.

Dr. Sports: Browns to win.

The Coach: The Lions to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers 4-5 at Green Bay Packers 5-4 (-6.5)

The Packers are coming off a season saving win against the Cowboys. Too bad the Pack’s offensive is so porous. Meanwhile, the 49ers just can’t score any points.

Dr. Sports: Packers to win and cover

The Coach: Packers to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills 3-6 at Jacksonville Jaguars 5-4 (-8.5)

Buffalo stinks, and the Jaguars have been rolling of late. Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the most explosive backs in the NFL and despite some road woes, the Jaguars have only loss one home game all season.

Dr. Sports: Jaguars to win and cover.

The Coach: Jaguars to win and cover.

Pittsburgh Steelers 6-3 at Kansas City Chiefs 2-7 (+9.5)

The Chiefs have yet to win in Arrowhead Stadium this year. Don’t look for that to change this week with the Steelers coming to town.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover

Seattle Seahawks 3-6 at Minnesota Vikings 8-1 (-10.5)

The Vikings are undefeated in the Dome. The Seahawks have yet to win a road game. Brett Favre and Sidney Rice have formed a nice relationship. Last week Rice had 201 receiving yards. Adrian Peterson looks fresh and ready to go for the stretch run, which means trouble for opposing defensive fronts.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

Atlanta Falcons 5-4 at New York Giants 5-4 (-6.5)

Three touchdowns and six interceptions. Those are Matt Ryan’s stats from the Falcons last three games. Over the last few weeks, Ryan has looked hesitant to make the throws that earned him the 2008 NFL Rookie of the Year Award. The Giants needed a bye in the worst way, having dropped their last four. Look for the Giants to get their running game back on track and Eli Manning to bounce back from a string of subpar performances.

Dr. Sports: Giants to win and cover.

The Coach: Giants to win and cover.

New Orleans Saints 9-0 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-8 (+11.5)

The Buccaneers will bring it against the hated Saints. New Orleans, meanwhile, could be caught looking ahead to its Monday night battle against the Patriots.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win but not cover.

The Coach: Saints to win but not cover.

Arizona Cardinals 6-3 at St. Louis Blues 1-8 (+8.5)

Arizona loves to clobber the Rams. We don’t know if that’s because Ken Whisenhunt enjoys laying the hammer on divisional opponents or if Kurt Warner wants some retribution for how he was displaced by the Rams, but in two games, the Cardinals didn’t really need last year, they beat St. Louis twice by the combined score of 68-23.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win and cover.

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

San Diego Chargers 6-3 at Denver Broncos 6-3 (+2.5)

Winner of this one takes sole possession of the AFC West. Denver has now lost three in a row. To top it off, Kyle Orton may be out, meaning Chris Simms may have to start at quarterback. The Chargers are playing very good football right now. Philip Rivers looks like one of the elite quarterbacks and Ladanian Tomlinson is coming off his best game of the season, rushing for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

New York Jets 4-5 at New England Patriots 6-3 (-10.5)

You seldom bet against Brady and Belichick coming off a loss. The Patriots threw the kitchen sink at the Colts. They showed Peyton Manning things he didn’t recognize. They led 31-14 and had that game in the bag. Unfortunately, they blew it. Dr. Sports thinks this is a big flat spot for New England. He can’t see them summoning the same level of energy against a Jets team that will be desperate for a victory.

Dr. Sports: Patriots to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Patriots to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals 7-2 at Oakland Raiders 2-7 (+9.5)

Cincinnati may be the most balanced team in all of football. Cedric Benson may be out for this game, but the Bengals probably won’t need him to polish off the Raiders. Larry Johnson, if he isn’t Twittering, may help fill the void left by Benson’s injury. The Raiders are bad in all facets of the game.

Dr. Sports: Bengals to win and cover.

The Coach: Bengals to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Philadelphia Eagles 5-4 at Chicago Bears 4-5 (+2.5)

The Eagles should be able to pull out a tough game at Soldier Field. Huge problems in Chicago.

Dr. Sports: Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Bears to win.

MONDAY NIGHT

Tennessee Titans 3-6 at Houston 5-4 (-4.5)

Houston Oilers vs. Houston Texans…wonder if the league lets the former Oilers wear their baby blues? Seriously now, the Titans are hot and have nothing to lose. Lots of pressure on the Texans to perform as Monday night favourites. The Texans need to win this game if they want to stay in the playoff hunt.

Dr. Sports: Oilers, I mean Titans to win.

The Coach: Texans to win and cover.

The Doc is 94-52 and 78-66 against the spread this season. The Coach is 88-58 straight up and 74-70 against the spread.

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The Mainstream Media Lunacy Just Gets Crazier. At this Rate, we’ll Never Run Out of Things to Write About.

Posted on November 17, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS — We have a crisis of intelligence in this world. It seems that the more you read a newspaper, the dumber you get.

It was Thomas Jefferson who said: “As for what is not true, you will always find abundance in the newspapers,” and that has never been more evident than it has been this week.

And hey, it’s only Tuesday.

1) A headline in USA Today on Tuesday read: “NFL Replay: Fourth-Down call Stain on Belichick’s Record.”

Stain? What, are newspaper reporters doing now? Pouring tomato juice on people’s hoodies? A stain? It was a call late in a regular season game that ended up backfiring and costing the Patriots the game. A game. One game. Big effin’ deal. The Pats will still be no worse than 12-4 this season.

Stain? What kind of media-created bull-crap is that? A stain on Belichick’s record was the time he spent in Cleveland screwing up the Browns. Taking a chance on Tom Brady is not a stain. It’s not even a blip.

The Pats are 6-3 and still in first place. All that decision did was guarantee that when the two teams meet again in the AFC Championship game, the TV ratings will be right through the freakin’ roof.

2) The Ottawa Sun just cracks me up. This is the newspaper that either can’t get a trade rumour right or simply makes these rumours up.

I know that suggesting a newspaper makes things up is about the worst thing you can say, but goodness gracious, the trade rumours started in Ottawa would be comical if they weren’t so sad. These guys can’t even get a lie straight.

We’ve spent some time chronicling their errors, but let it go because it just got so silly. This week, however, we just couldn’t resist.

Now, for most of this season, the Ottawa Sun has been reporting – and I use the word reporting lightly – that the Chicago Blackhawks were on the verge of trading either Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane or both. The Sun claimed the Hawks had a cap problem and needed  to move one of their stars. We’ve already called that rumour a crock.

Then, yesterday, word filtered out of Chicago that the Hawks were on the verge of signing both Toews and Kane  to new contracts. At least eight years each according to my source inside the Hawks.

Wow! How can one newspaper be so wrong so often and still sell copies of their newspaper? Are people that stupid? Or are they just looking for a good morning laugh?

3) Newspapers from coast-to-coast, desperate to write about some mundane NHL issue other than the copy to the headline: “The Leafs are Lousy Again,” have had a big month writing about head shots and all the horrible bodychecks being tossed out in the NHL.

NHL general managers are looking at the issue and might come down hard on the league’s headhunters. But there is one thing our newspaper-employed tall foreheads forgot. They forgot to ask an NHL GM who is an expert on the subject.

This week, before I did my radio hit with Eric Nelson on WCCO in Minneapolis, Eric’s guest was Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher. Fletcher said he didn’t much like checks to the head, but he also said the NHL will put the issue into perspective.

“During the course of the season there are about 46,000 bodychecks,” Fletcher pointed out. “In a bad year, 10 are head shots. We want them out of the game, but there isn’t a big panic over this. The numbers suggest there isn’t a problem at all.”

Of course, he’s right and the fearmongers with the truck loads of ink trying to make up stories where none exist are wrong. Again.

4) I just love Canada’s network TV weasels, don’t you?

According to Canadian Press:  “Canada’s largest private broadcaster laid out a scorched earth scenario Monday if it doesn’t get paid for its signals, suggesting more station closings and even yanking signals from cable.”

Wow! “Yanking signals from cable.” That means because nobody watches it now on cable, Canadians would be sure to watch it when the only way they can receive it is with rabbit ears.

“‘We are not going to be here operating conventional TV unless we can make a business of it,’ CTVglobemedia president Ivan Fecan told the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.”

That makes sense. But why can’t you make a business of it? Is it because so few people actually watch it that selling overpriced commercial time is now damn near impossible?

I love listening to people like Fecan tell us that he’ll have to dump local television if he doesn’t get money from the cable companies. If Fecan gets money from the cable companies, this is how it will go: First he’ll line his owners pockets, then his pockets and then the pockets of his executive buddies. At that point, he’ll used what’s left over to go out and buy more shows from the United States that we already watch on U.S. stations.

How’s this for a response to that malarkey? Take your stupid signal off cable and let’s replace it with ESPN. I’d love to see ESPN HD on Channel 210 on my Shaw HD service.

I don’t know about most of you, but if CTV pulled the plug tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss it. In fact, just like CBC and its $1 billion per year in taxpayer-funded welfare, can’t say as I watch it now.

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Vikings Go To 8-1 With Easy Win Over Detroit.

Posted on November 15, 2009 by Scott Taylor| 1 Comment

MINNEAPOLIS — OK, so it wasn’t their best effort of the season, but in front of 63,854 spectators — including thousands of Winnipeggers — the Minnesota Vikings drilled the Detroit Lions 27-10 at Mall of America Field on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Vikings improved to 8-1. The Lions fell to 1-8.

The Vikings were handed a load of penalties (there were times when this thing looked fixed), many of which, head coach Brad Childress had little trouble questioning. In fact, a roughing the passer penalty against Ray Edwards, caused Childress to call out the official who made the call.

“I said to the official, ‘Ray never hit the quarterback on the head and he didn’t tackle him low so where did he tackle him that would result in a penalty?’,” a frustrated Childress explained. “The official said, ‘He (Edwards) launched himself at the quarterback and hit him high.’ And I said, ‘Where does it say in the rules that you can’t launch yourself at the quarterback?’ When I looked at the replay I noticed that Ray didn’t make contact at all. That wasn’t a very good call.”

It didn’t help that the Vikings lost a couple of fumbles, one by Adrian Peterson near the Detroit goal line, but Minnesota’s Sidney Rice did pitch-in with a career-high 201 yards receiving (on only seven catches) while Peterson did rush for 133 yards (100 in the first half) and scored two touchdowns.

The win gave Minnesota its best start since 1998 when the Vikes went 15-1 and then lost the NFC championship game to Atlanta.

Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (in his 300th consecutive start) completed 20 of 29 passes for a season-high 344 yards with one touchdown pass to backup tight end Jeff Dugan. Meanwhile, Rice’s 201-yard game was the fourth 200-yard receiving game in team history. It was just nine yards short of Sammy White’s team record (210 against Detroit in 1976).

“Wde were coming out of the bye and we were loose,” said Childress. “Maybe we were too loose. We have to tighten things up and play better next week against Seattle. It’s all about improving. We still need to improve.”

THE NOTEBOOK: The Vikings have won 15 of their last 16 games with Detroit… Minnesota was just 3-of-11 on third-down and had 13 penalties for 91 yards, which kept the game close until the fourth quarter… What a great game for Ray Edwards. The Vikings defensive end/linebacker had five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble… There were 63,854 people inside the Metrodome (the 121st consecutive sellout in Minneapolis) and they were all breathing the same air. Obviously nobody really cared about H1N1… It’s shocking that 16 teams failed to draft Percy Harvin before the Vikings selected him. As Favre said yesterday, “He runs like a runningback, he’s built like a runningback and plays like a receiver. He’s one of the best players I’ve ever seen.” And yet 16 teams passed on him. What does that say about scouting in the NFL?

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The Insanity Continues. And the Local Media Proves How Hypocritical It Is Once Again.

Posted on November 14, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS — If the Minnesota Vikings win the Super Bowl, it won’t be because they were threatened in their own division.

I mean, how good do the Vikings look after both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers were clobbered last Sunday and then the Bears lost again on Thursday night?

Well, we’re here in the Twin Cities to watch the Vikings pummel the Lions at Mall of America Field on Sunday and then we’ll be back to watch the Vikings beat the Seahawks next weekend and the Bears on the 29th. Three straight home games against inferior talent should have the Vikes at 10-1 by the end of this month. And that means the Vikings could have the NFC North sewn up and their ticket to the playoffs punched.

It’s been a fun week in Winnipeg, made even more fun by Winnipeg drivers who need a little NASCAR fix and the local mainstream media who just can’t stop taking out all their frustrations on the only person who has the guts to call them what they are — belligerent, obnoxious, childish, ignorant and thin-skinned.

1) Blue Bombers head coach Mike Kelly made them all crazy again, just by saying he’ll be back next season. They whined and moaned and cried and bitched. Even the ones who have never, ever interviewed Kelly, screamed for his firing.

Then the hypocrisy of the local media mob reached comical levels.

Remember when the Bombers got to 7-9 and suddenly the local media made Manny Matzakis the darling of the masses. According to the tall foreheads with the cameras and microphones, Kelly had nothing to do with the team’s resurgence and it was all Matzakis.

Then, after the Bombers were drilled in the final two games of the season, Matzakis suddenly got a pass. The lousy offence wasn’t his fault, it was Kelly’s. Nowhere in the local media was Matzakis even mentioned as a culprit.

The smartest thing anyone in Winnipeg can do is this: Don’t believe a thing you read in a newspaper. They’re just making it up.

2) I love NASCAR for plenty of reasons, but this is the biggest: There are no turn signals on the cars. In Winnipeg, turn signals are the most frightening things you can give a driver.

Seems that in this town we have two types of drivers: the ones who turn on their signals and then never make the turn and the ones who don’t turn on their turn signals until they’re in the middle of an intersection, backing up traffic for blocks.

No wonder Manitoba Public Insurance pays out hundreds of millions of dollars in claims each year.

3) This is why I love it when the Green Bay Packers lose. The franchise is run by a heartless GM and an ignorant, heartless head coach…

According to the Associated Press: “A maintenance employee who’s worked for the Green Bay Packers for more than two decades was fired after making a comment to head coach Mike McCarthy.”

WTMJ radio then reported on Friday that 53-year-old Mike Wood was sitting in a maintenance cart in a stadium tunnel a few days before the Minnesota Vikings visited Lambeau Field. As McCarthy talked to members of the ground crew, Wood says he yelled out to McCarthy to “get the boys ready to kick some butt this weekend.”

A few days later, Wood was fired from the franchise he loves.

Wood says his supervisors thought he told McCarthy not to lay an egg, or something similar which Wood says was a lie. McCarthy said he didn’t fire the maintenance worker, but my insiders say he told the maintenance department to run the guy out of the organization.

Can’t wait to watch that paranoid Packer organization lose again. Those clowns need to worry a lot more about their offensive line and a lot less about the maintenance department.

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Week 10 in the NFL. We’re Going South and Nobody is Hotter than Dr. Sports.

Posted on November 11, 2009 by Scott Taylor| Leave a comment

MINNEAPOLIS — We’re south of the border this weekend as the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings take on the 1-7 Detroit Lions in what could be called a gimme.

We’re going down because it’s Week 1 of the end of the season for the rest of the teams in the NFC North. The Vikings play the Lions at home this week, get Seattle next week and then play the Bears at the Dome on Nov. 29. With three home wins, the Vikings will be 10-1 by the end of the month and they’ll have first place in the North wrapped up.

Yesterday, on the SIRIUS-XM radio program Movin’ the Chains, Vikings head coach Brad Childress said that this Vikings team is one of his favourites of all time.

“This is a great group of guys, not without its challenges,” Childress said. ” “They enjoy each other, and they compete like crazy with each other. This is a (heck) of a group of guys.”

Once again, to no one’s surprise, Childress He again applauded not only the level of play, but the remarkable professionalism of veteran quarterback Brett Favre. Interestingly, Favre went deer hunting during the recent Vikings bye week.

“You kind of marvel at a guy who is 40 throwing to a guy who is 21,” said Childress, referring to Favre’s tremendous feel for rookie receiver Percy Harvin. “This is a long, arduous grind, but it’s all been pretty good so far.”

The Vikings have a chance to lock up the division this month. Wonder where all those experts went who said Favre was done? Wonder where all those experts went who said Jay Cutler was the answer in Chicago? Wonder where all those experts went claimed Aaron Rodgers is football’s next great quarterback? Sometimes you get the sense that the more you read a newspaper, the dumber you get.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 10. The Texans and Giants get the byes. Nobody in the world of “winning” NFL selections is even close to Dr,. Sports. He went 12-1 last week.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Chicago Bears 4-4 at San Francisco 49ers 3-5 (-2.5)

These teams are matched pretty evenly. However, the 49ers have two major advantages in this game: First, the Bears have to travel to the West Coast on a very short work week. Second, the Niners are the home team in a week night game and Thursday night hosts are 6-3 against the spread the past two seasons. The crowd is going to be pumped up and the 49ers will feed off of that emotion.

Dr. Sports: 49ers to win and cover.

The Coach: 49ers to win and cover.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Atlanta Falcons 5-3 at Carolina Panthers 3-5 (+1.5)

The Falcons are 1-3 on the road as opposed to 4-0 at home. This is a divisional game against a Panthers team with a great ground game that has underachieved all season.

Dr. Sports: Panthers to win.

The Coach: Panthers to win.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1-7 at Miami Dolphins 3-5 (-9.5)

The Dolphins brought everything to the table last week against the Patriots and even revealed a new wrinkle in the Wildcat. However, they came up short, meaning at 3-5, their season is all but over. They’ll be flat again this week. The Buccaneers, meanwhile, could be playing with more confidence and energy with an impressive rookie quarterback.

Dr. Sports: Dolphins to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Dolphins to win and cover.

Detroit Lions 1-7 at Minnesota 7-1 (-16.5)

Oh boy…this will be ugly. The problem here is that this spread is way too large, especially for a divisional game. If the Vikings have a careless turnover or two, they’ll have difficulty covering 17 points. And just looking at the history of this rivalry, only one game in the past 11 years has been decided by 17 points or more. In fact, the 7-1 Vikings have just one victory greater than 14 points all season.

Dr. Sports: Vikings to win but not cover.

The Coach: Vikings to win and cover.

Jacksonville Jaguars 4-4 at N.Y. Jets 4-4 (-6.5)

If you exclude a 38-0 victory over Oakland, the Jets haven’t won or covered a game since Sept. 27. Given how much the team is favoured by, it just seems to me that the Jets are living off the reputation they established when they were 3-0. All but one of their opponents since that time currently has a losing record, yet they are 1-4 straight up and against the spread in that span.

Dr. Sports: Jets to win, but not cover.

The Coach: Jets to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals 6-2 at Pittsburgh Steelers 6-2 (-6.5)

The Game of the Week. Bengals are the Rodney Dangerfield of football; they get no respect. Last week despite already having beaten  the Ravens AND being at home they were the underdog. They have to feel disrespected by this ridiculous line and the fact they have beat the Steelers already. That all being said, the Steelers are the better squad and they’re at home.

Dr. Sports: Steelers to win but not cover.

The Coach: Steelers to win and cover.

New Orleans Saints 8-0 at St. Louis Rams 1-7 (+13.5)

The Rams have faced three teams with winning records this year. They’ve been outscored by those three teams (Vikings, 49ers and Colts) by a 115-16 margin. How pathetic is that? This is almost a statement game for the Saints after three mediocre outings.

Dr. Sports: Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: Saints to win and cover.

Buffalo Bills 3-5 at Tennessee Titans 2-6 (-6.5)

The Titans are on a roll with Vince Young at quarterback and the public finally believes in them. That has forced Vegas to create an inflated line. A week ago, the Titans would have been -3.

Dr. Sports: Titans will win but not cover.

The Coach: Titans will win and cover.

Denver Broncos 6-2 at Washington Redskins 2-6 (+3.5)

We like the Broncos in this one for one reason: The freakin’ Redskins are horrible.

Dr. Sports: Broncos to win but not cover.

The Coach: Broncos to win and cover.

Kansas City Chiefs 1-7 at Oakland Raiders 2-6 (-1.5)

The Raiders have had two weeks to prepare and have home field advantage. As bad as they are, the Raiders won the week two match-up 13-10.

Dr. Sports: Raiders to win and cover.

The Coach: Raiders to win and cover.

Seattle Seahawks 3-5 at Arizona Cardinals 5-3 (-8.5)

The Cardinals are 4-0 on the road, yet they are 1-3 at home. Go figure. The Seahawks are 0-3 on the road and are in a must win game.

Dr. Sports: Cardinals to win but not cover.

The Coach: Cardinals to win and cover.

Dallas Cowboys 6-2 at Green Bay Packers 4-4 (+2.5)

Tony Romo is on fire. Ever since Miles Austin-Jones stepped in as the No. 1 receiver, Romo has tossed 11 touchdowns and a pick. In that four-game span, Romo has averaged 306 yards per contest on an amazing 9.2 Yards Per Attempt. There isn’t a quarterback in this league who is playing better right now. The Packers? Brett Favre not only beat them, he has cast a spell on them and their season is over.

Dr. Sports: Cowboys to win and cover

The Coach: Cowboys to win and cover

Philadelphia Eagles 5-3 at San Diego Chargers 5-3 (-2.5)

The last west coast trip for the Eagles resulted in a 13-9 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Cross country trips can be tiresome and hard on NFL teams. The San Diego Chargers have played extremely good  football the past few weeks (they flew cross-country and beat the Giants 21-20), and we expect them to take advantage of the home field situation.

Dr. Sports: Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Chargers to win and cover.

SUNDAY NIGHT

New England Patriots 6-2 at Indianapolis Colts 8-0 (-2.5)

How many times has this been the game of the week this decade? The New England Patriots come into Indianapolis as the Colts have lost Marlin Jackson, Bob Sanders, and Kelvin Hayden. The Colts defence is vulnerable and their rushing offense is among the league’s worst. The Patriots should hand the Colts their first loss of the season, leaving the Saints as the league’s only undefeated team.

Dr. Sports: New England to win.

The Coach: New England to win.

MONDAY NIGHT

Baltimore Ravens 4-4 at Cleveland Browns 1-7 (+10.5)

How ’bout this stat? If every pass a quarterback attempts, falls to the ground incomplete — that’s every single pass — his passer rating is a dreadful 39.6. Cleveland Browns quarterback Derek Anderson’s passer rating is 36.2. No wonder Brady Quinn will get the start this week against Baltimore. The Ravens should need to score no more than 20 points to cover this spread.

Dr. Sports: Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Ravens to win and cover.

The Doc is now 83-46 on the season and 69-60 against the spread. The Coach is 76-53 straight up and 65-64 against the spread.

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