Category Archives: Score Keeper

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Wildcard Weekend Predictions

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After half-watching a bunch of meaningless bowl games, I am truly thankful that the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend is upon us.  I will be posting game predictions leading up to the Super Bowl.  If you are a betting person, you can trust my analysis because my lowly Redskins made an early exit from professional football this year.  Our local team, the Carolina Panthers, are looking good, too.  They are off this week but they make a great dark horse candidate for a victory on Super Bowl Sunday.

coltschiefs1Kansas City Chiefs @ Indianapolis Colts (Saturday 4:35PM)

The weekend’s first NFL game features a week 16 rematch.  The Chiefs, a hometown loser in that game, find their fortunes reversed after starting the season with 9 straight wins. They have lost 2 straight games while the Colts are on a roll with three consecutive wins. The playoffs, however, are a whole different ball game as the regular season is all but forgotten.

Jamaal-CharlesI am picking the Chiefs to win this game because they will be featuring the best player on the field, Jamaal Charles.  He averages 5.0 yards per carry and has been a touchdown machine in the last half of the season.  If he performs the way he should and Dwayne Bowe manages to only drop half his passes the Chiefs will be victorious. The Colts’s Andrew Luck , however, will have to contend with a pesky Chiefs defense that can punish when healthy.  I expect that defense to show up to this game even though it has been inconsistent at best in the second half of the season. QBs Alex Smith and Luck have very similar stats. It’s too bad the Colts’s Reggie Wayne is down for the count.  T.Y. Hilton has come on strong as the Colts’s leading receiver. He and running back Donald Brown will have to get things going early to have a shot.

Final Score: Chiefs 24-Colts 17

Nick foles vs Drew BreeseNew Orleans Saints @ Philadelphia Eagles (Saturday 8:10PM)

Saturday’s night-cap promises to result in a scoring extravaganza.  The Saint’s Drew Breese has been here before but I can’t help but think that the Eagles’s Nick Foles and Coach Chip Kelley are the ones with something to prove.  The Eagles are 7-1 going down the stretch and had to win last week to make the playoffs.  The Saints, however, have lost 3 out of their last five.  This game will most likely come down to who wants it more and the Eagles are the team with the hot hand.

rob ryanI am picking the Eagles to edge out the Saints in this match-up.  The big secret to this game will be LeSean McCoy and the Eagles’s NFL-leading rushing attack.  The Saints are horrible against the run and I will pick any team that can hand wild-man defensive coordinator Rob Ryan a loss. Why the media chooses to focus on this guy during every game he coaches is beyond me. If you want to start a drinking game based on how many times he shows up on camera you better make sure you have a safe way home.  You should also prepare to watch Sunday’s games with a hangover because you will be toast! Here’s hoping we will be free of Rob Ryan’s Captain Caveman antics after Saturday night.

Final Score: Eagles 28-Saints 21

bengals-chargers-football-philip-rivers-andy-dalton_pg_600San Diego Chargers @ Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday 1:05PM)

No one will be rushing back from church to watch this game. In fact, I will be picking this time slot if my wife mentions running errands or going to the grocery store.  There’s just not a lot here to get excited about. This could be Phillip Rivers’s last chance to make a playoff run but the Chargers have a long history of wasting these type of opportunities (2009 team, I’m looking at you!).  Both teams have won of late and the Bengals have scored a mind-numbing 76 points in their last two ballgames.

AJ-Green-hardship-superstarI am picking the Bengals because I expect the Chargers to turn in another low expectations affirming letdown.  The Chargers do have the NFL’s fifth ranked offense but I believe the Bengals third ranked defense will put a lid on their passing and running attacks. The one player that excites me in this game is Wide Receiver AJ Green.  He has led a team that has scored 209 points in their last 5 home games.  If Andy Dalton can keep the mistakes to a minimum, then the Bengals are a lock.  He’s only thrown 20 interceptions this year so there’s nothing to worry about, right?

Final Score: Bengals 34-Chargers 13

kaepernick vs rodgersSan Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers (Sunday 4:40PM)

Of all the weekend’s match-ups, you would think Packers versus 49ers would attract the most fans and be a huge ratings win for the NFL.  The only problem is that Green Bay barely averted a hometown blackout and needed extra time to sell tickets. Maybe fans are still wincing from the 181 rushing yards Colin Kaepernick pasted the Packers with during last year’s playoff game.  It’s been a tough season for the Packers but they have reason for optimism.  They have Aaron Rogers back, they just beat their arch-rival Chicago Bears to make the playoffs and they just secured the Lambeau ice-field advantage for the first round.

Frank GoreI am picking the 49ers in this matchup, however, because the Packers do have a lot to worry about.  It mostly comes in the form of the quick-cut running style of Frank Gore.  He should have a field day against the Packers’s less than impressive defense.  This will help negate the Lambeau advantage and keep Aaron Rogers off the field.  The 49ers also have the 5th best defense in the NFL. They will give Aaron Rogers, Eddie Lacy and company plenty to think about from the sidelines. Green Bay needs their own defense to come up big and opportunities will be scarce because Kaepernick has only thrown 9 picks this season.

Final Score: 49ers 24-Packers 17

Duke Redhawks

Devilish Redhawks Will Play for ACC Championship

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The Duke Blue Devil’s secured a spot in the ACC Championship game with their thrilling 27-25 win over North Carolina.  The football game was one for the ages and culminated in Duke’s first-ever 10 win season.  While Tarheel fans are dismayed by this development, I have reason to cheer.

Two of my former U.S. History students, Jamison Crowder and Issac Blakeney, played prominent roles in the Duke victory.  These two gifted student-athletes have the entire Monroe High community beaming with Redhawk pride.   It has been a thrill watching them compete all season.  While Jamison and Issac’s names are relatively new to those that follow college football, many who know them from their high school days are not surprised by their success.  Their athletic abilities on the football field and basketball court has never been in doubt.  What makes the two men even bigger stars is that at Monroe High they always put student before athlete when it came to academic achievement.  They were two of my best history students.  In my classroom, they never once let their athletic development get in the way of their educational goals.  This is why I believe they were exceptional role models at Monroe High.

Their success is in large part due to the support of their parents and their high school coach, Johnny Sowell.  I have learned a lot over the years from Coach Sowell about building relationships and inspiring student athletes.  It is no surprise that the Monroe High football team finds itself again competing for a chance to win an elusive state football title.  A victory against Parkwood High this week will get them into the title game on December 13th in Chapel Hill.  It is my hope that Monroe High, and Coach Sowell, will add a football state championship to the basketball state title Jamison and Issac helped the school win in 2010.

Until then, there will be plenty of Redhawks in attendance as Duke takes on Florida State for the ACC title in Charlotte.  This is as close to a homecoming as one can get.  The excitement in the stands will be electric come December 7th.   While I cannot wait to see how Jamison, Issac and the Blue Devils perform, they are already legitimate heroes to the Monroe High community.  Go Redhawks!

Best Score:  Finally, a Duke-Carolina football game for the ages (Luke DeCock)

Gotta Love Those Baby Heels!

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Tarheel Marcus Paige
Tarheel Marcus Paige

North Carolina’s victory over third ranked Louisville Sunday was extra special because I was able to enjoy it with my new baby Tarheel and his Uncle B.   It’s amazing the difference a week can make.  The day baby-boy was born all of Heels Nation had the Belmont blues.  On the following Sunday the Heels looked mature beyond their years.  Needless to say, the outstanding performance bodes well for the team’s prospects and it’s fans for the next two seasons.

As my brother and I labored to hang pictures in the baby’s nursery, we took our own series of timeouts to run down the hall to check the score.  Not wanting to jinx the Heels or our marriages, we kept this ritual up throughout the second half.  Once I reviewed the box score I realized the size of the win.  Marcus Paige (ACC Player of the Week) reminded the Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parkers of the world that college basketball has some great players that are not freshmen-phenoms.  Paige’s 32 points on just 12 shots delivered a message that the Heels have their own stars that can hold their own against this year’s elite teams.  Speaking of stars, Kennedy Meeks put on an outlet passing clinic.  It was a great effort by a player that was less than stellar against previous opponent, Richmond.  I have attached the video for your viewing pleasure.

The only thing left to say is “Welcome to the ACC Cardinals!”  Starting next year Louisville will have to win on Tobacco Road if they want to hang an ACC or National Championship banner.  By then my Baby Heel and the Baby Heels that dominated Saturday night will be older.  I for one cannot wait to see how this team develops and what the next two seasons will bring.  I hope Rick Pitino and his team are ready the next time we meet.  After Sunday’s contest, I know this North Carolina team and my little Baby Heel will be game.

Best Score:  A Team Win (Adam Lucas)

RGIII is on the Run from Media Controversy

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RGIII runs from the Eagles
RGIII runs from the Eagles

It looks like the terms Washington Redskins and sports media controversy are interchangeable.  The latest incident, Robert Griffin III’s Philadelphia post game comments, has the sports media keeping score on whether Griffin can handle the starting job.  I suspect RGIII is merely experiencing the same growing pains Cam Newton experienced in Charlotte.  The media market in the Queen City has been prone to criticize the young quarterback at every turn.  In fact, the local sports radio personalities owe Cam several royalty checks. Without him they would not make a living.  Cam conversations pretty much dominate most of their airtime (even when the rest of us in NC are more focused on Tobacco Road and college hoops!).

As far as I’m concerned I think hindsight will reveal that RGIII’s second Redskins season was his NFL maturation year.  In music, this is often called a sophomore slump.   I’d be willing to bet RG’s future campaigns will produce plenty of stellar records.   Griffin will survive this latest controversy.  As for the  Shanahans, I’m not so sure.  Dan Snyder’s meddling has been on hiatus for far too long and I suspect having a franchise QB might inspire him to up his involvement.  And so we come full circle . . . the Washington Redskins and sports media controversies will always be one in the same.

Best Score:  Robert Griffin III’s postgame comments create a schism (Doug Farrar)