STONE COLD LEAD PIPE DOCKS - WEEK 8

Girl of the Week - Taylor Cole

Vik's Pix:
(Last Week 2-3)
(Overall 16-16-3)

Dolphins +1.5
The Fins run defense is much improved now, especially after Crowder is back in the lineup.  I see them shutting down the Bengals running game, and making Palmer try to beat them.  And as we all have seen, Palmer is not the same QB he used to be. If you have watched the Bengals, he has been getting his numbers when his team has been down by a lot.  His arm is now dead and weak, and sorry to Bengals fans, but it might be time to move on at the QB position.  Anyways, my point is, I just don't see Palmer leading this team to victory against this solid Fins team.  Also the Bengals secondary is a wreck.  Hall and Joseph are hurting and Roy Williams and Pacman are done for.  They are missing four of their top five DB's in this game.  Look for Marshall to have a huge day, and if they try to double him, Henne should be able to hit Bess all day long underneath.  Also, look at the Fins schedule, and look at the teams they have played.  Even when they lost, they barely did, against some of the best teams.  I see them winning this game outright...

Lions -2.5
I never thought I'd be doing this, but I'm taking the Lions!  They finally get their leader in Stafford back.  This will give this team a huge emotional boost this weekend.  And Best and Calvin are finally healthy as well.  That is huge for this offense, especially since they had a bye week and had an extra week to work on things together.  The Skins pass defense is suspect, being ranked 31st, so look for the Lions to air it out this week and put up some points.  The Lions pass defense has also improved, so they should be able to contain the Redskins passing attack in this one.  I know everyone is on the Skins, but I'll take the lions to win by more than a FG in this one.  On a side note, if you need a Fantasy sleeper QB this week, Stafford is your guy.

Jets -6
I'm hearing Revis is finally healthy, so as scary as it sounds, the Jets defense might get even better now.   Look for the Jets defense to keep doing what they do every week, and blitz, blitz, blitz.  This Jets defense should be able to limit this Packers one dimensional offense this week.  The Packers run defense is also going to struggle today with all the injuries they have racked up.  Look for this huge Jets offensive line to pound this Packers defense and create some huge holes for LT and Greene and this number 2 rushing offense.  Look for both backs to have huge days today.  Also the line should give Sanchez more than enough time to pass the ball all around the field in this game as well.  It's also a short week for the Packers, coming off of an emotional victory.  Look for the Jets to win by at least a touchdown.

Chargers -4
I have no clue why I am doing this, but I'm betting on the Chargers in this game.  VY will return today, and I am sure his mobility will be limited. This is bad news for him, because the Chargers have the number 1 ranked pass defense.  Another reason I like the Chargers, is because I like the matchup vs. this suspect Titans pass D which is ranked 23rd in the NFL.  Look for Rivers to sling it all around the field in this one for sure.  The Chargers always play better at home, and statistically, they are still one of the best teams in football. I think they are due for a big win, and I see them getting one this weekend.

Pats -6
Favre is banged up, and is barely mobile.  The gameplan will call for a heavy dose of APete, and the Pats run defense is pretty solid, ranked 9th.  The Vikings pass defense is also struggling, mostly because of their lack of a pass rush.  Brady should have all the time in the world this weekend to sling the ball wherever he wants.  He will be the best quarterback on the field today, and he will torch the Vikings for sure.  The Hoody monster will come up with a gameplan to contain APete and Moss.Also, the Vikings also lost an emotional game on Monday night, and now they are traveling on a short week, and their QB has barely practiced all week.

Suman's Pix:
(Last Week 3-2)
(Overall 18-16-1)

Lions -3
Jets -6
Bills +7
Titans +5
Patriots -5

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BULLS GAME 2 RECAP - by Kent McDill

Bulls pull out improbable victory

By Kent McDill

There are so many times when the National Basketball Association just doesn't seem to make sense.  Remember when the Bulls let a 30-plus point lead disappear in a game against Sacramento last season? On Saturday, the Bulls reversed the outcome, coming back from a 21-point second half deficit to beat the Detroit Pistons 101-91.

Everything that went wrong in the first half went right in the second half, and the Pistons maintained their early season status as the bad-luck team of the Eastern Conference by letting their advantage disappear. The Pistons dropped to 0-3, losing the first two games by a total of four points, then letting a dominant lead slip away.

The Bulls looked soft in the first half. Although they managed numerous scoring opportunities inside, they could not convert, either because they allowed a Pistons player to block the shot, or they just did not make the final authoritative move to the hoop. 

It also seemed as if the Bulls were going through some sort of indoctrination with the officials. They were whistled for 18 first-half fouls, and Detroit made 21 of 23 free throw attempts. Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Omer Asik found themselves in foul trouble with three tags each.

The Bulls themselves were five for six from the line in the first half. NBA referees even those kind of numbers out, and the Pistons stopped making trips to the line. They also stopped hitting shots (12 for 46 in the second half), and you can credit the Bulls' improved defense if you want. You don't have to, though.

The Bulls made their comeback using a lineup of second-stringers. From the 9:53 mark of the fourth quarter, with the Pistons leading 84-73, the Bulls had James Johnson, Omer Asik, Kyle Korver, Brian Scalabrine and C.J. Watson on the floor. When Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose re-entered the game, the Bulls were down by eight points, and that group scored the next eight points, and Rose only contributed two free throws in that stretch.

"This shows the character of our team,'' Rose said. "We didn't give up. We kept playing through it."

Rose had a monster game, scoring 39 points on 13 for 27 shooting, with 10 for 13 free throws. He also had six rebounds and seven assists, with two steals and two demonstrative blocked shots.

"Derrick was really hot and it seemed like he could do whatever he wanted,'' former Bull Ben Gordon said.

Admittedly, the Pistons are one of a group of very poor Eastern Conference teams, but these are teams the Bulls need to beat if they are going to chase one of the top four playoff spots in the conference. It's good to know guys like Scalabrine and Johnson are going to be able to help when Gibson and Deng get in foul trouble like they did Saturday.

Noah had his second double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds. He is likely to chase the league's rebounding title this season. Gibson finished with 11 points in just 18 minutes of playing time due to foul trouble, but he did not grab a rebound (Noah gets them all).

HERO: Derrick Rose scored 39 points, tying his career high, and he worked hard for those points in 38 minutes. You have to ask yourself if Rose is going to burn himself out working as hard as he did Saturady, but he got the Bulls their first win of the season.

Kent McDill has been covering sports in Chicago for 30 years, and spent 11 seasons with the Bulls from 1988-99, covering them for the Daily Herald. He has covered the Chicago Bears, Bulls, White Sox, Cubs and Fire in his career, as well as Chicago's college basketball scene. Kent will be freelancing for Docksquad Sports...

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NEW ADIDAS DERRICK ROSE COMMERCIAL - THIS IS THE TRUTH

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CHICAGO BULLS GOLFING

Check out this video from the Bulls Charity Golf Event.  My favorite part has to be Joakim Noah trying to put, haha...

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MARK'S KADDY KORNER - ADMINISTAFF CLASSIC - THE WOODLANDS, TX - by Mark Huber

The day and half Houston drive was relaxing and uneventful; those new tires are nice now it’s time to get the air conditioner fixed.  I was looking forward to the week at The Woodlands. Bob was playing good, I was going to shack up with Todd’s (Watson’s caddy) brother Paul, watch a bunch of baseball, and play our way in to the Schwab Cup tournament. Bob only needed about $80-90,000 for the top thirty money winners event and I liked our chances.

During my 22 years on tour somewhere I should have learned the lesson about one shot at a time and staying on an even keel. I should know better than to get ahead of myself. When your expectations get to high disappointment follows and when you start thinking about the tournament’s outcome before you hit a shot you get in a bit of trouble. Anything can happen during the round, while you’re preparing that week or resting on your week off.

We both started off the week with high expectations, had a lot of fun during the pro-ams – I even made a few tips – and felt like we were ready for a good finish. Bob had some good memories from past tournaments, we liked the course and the way it was set up, and the tournament staff was treating everyone well.

In the past, caddies had lived off stale donuts, lukewarm coffee, and some old sandwiches. This year Administaff threw out the red carpet. Our hospitality tent featured a hot breakfast buffet every morning, a catered afternoon meal served by young ladies from Stadia Sports Grill dressed in referee uniforms, volunteers who couldn’t do enough for us, and Rudy’s Bar-B-Q served up brisket, sausage, turkey and all the fixings about fifty yards away. The belt was a notch looser by Sunday.

The PGA Tour has been coming to the Woodlands since the mid-80’s and the Champions Tour moved here four years ago. The layout hasn’t changed and this year it was playing hard, fast and difficult unlike the last two soggy years. Friday the first hole gave us a rude awakening. Our drive barely snuck into the rough but Bob hit a great 8 iron just right of the trap that should have bounced onto the green. A well placed rake trapped our Titleist in a difficult lie and we lipped out a six footer for a starting bogey.

Many times a good round starts with a bogey, today wasn’t the case. Putts wouldn’t fall, good shots found divots in the middle of the fairway, and our bad shots were really bad bouncing into unplayable lies. Midway through the round Bob’s back tightened up and we struggle to a smooth 76. The rest of weekend wasn’t any better and we finished 11 over par.

When things aren’t going well on the course your mind begins to wander, or is that wonder. You focus on the immediate shot but in between you start thinking about other things. Saturday we were paired with Bobby Clampett, who a month ago finished second at Cary, NC and we were with him in the last group Saturday of that week. Like life, golf is cyclical and during Saturday’s round I roamed through all the ups and downs of life and golf. Our scorekeeper, Kathy from Santa Cruz, CA had had a life of hills and valleys. Today the tournament was recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness Month and everyone was dressed in some sort of pink. Kathy was a double cancer survivor and years ago spent nine hours in the Pacific Ocean clinging to a boat pillow before she was rescued. Her story and smiling face helped ease our trivial pain during the round.

We made it through without severely hurting ourselves or anyone else and said our goodbyes in the parking lot. Bob and I had a good run but his old caddy, Brett, was working next week in San Antonio. I think we’ll hook up for next year but nothing’s a sure thing. There are some definite possibilities for next week and it’s time to look for some tour Q-school players. A couple of LPGA girls called last week for early December and the Champions Q-school is in a couple weeks. Hopefully I can squeeze some deer hunting in between going to school.

Mark Huber is a semi-retired PGA Tour caddy doing a little writing. You can contact him at markskaddykorner@gmail.com or check outwww.MarksKaddyKorner.com for more stories about golf and life. He’s caddied twenty-one years on every tour for over fifty players mainly Bob Murphy, Ray Floyd, Doug Tewell, and worked for Tom Watson twice in 2009. Mark grew up in Havana, IL attended Illinois State on a baseball scholarship and played semi-pro ball with the Eau Claire Cavaliers after spring training with the White Sox way back when. He is a die-hard Cubs fan.

Mark has freelanced for many sites, including ESPN. He will now be contributing his insights to Docksquad Sports

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DERRICK ROSE'S CROSSOVER

Check out this feature on NBA TV talking about DRose's killer crossover...

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BULLS GAME 1 RECAP

Bulls lose to Thunder
By Kent McDill

It's a shame, really, how the first game of the season went for the Chicago Bulls.  Playing on the road against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that is anticipating a big season, the Bulls were in the game until the final three minutes of the game. They were one big defensive stop away from taking control of the contest. They were one big basket away from forcing the game down to the final seconds. Instead, they dropped a 106-95 decision that puts a minor damper on the excitement that surrounds the start of the 2010-11 season for the Bulls.

Playing their first of many games with a undersized front line due to the unexpected absence of Carlos Boozer, the Bulls went back and forth with the Thunder, led by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They had leads in every quarter. They came back from large single-digit deficits.

What they did not do was treat every possession as if it mattered. They missed numerous scoring chances simply because they were too soft going to the hoop. They depended on the outside shot too much. And, maybe, they let the expectations that a young team with a key player injured is supposed to lose its road opener against a team with higher expectations than their own.

Derrick Rose had his first in what may be a series of games in which he tries to do too much. He was 12 for 31 from the floor, and 0 for 4 from 3-point range. Joakim Noah had a monster game with 18 points and 19 rebounds, but I saw him let offensive rebounds slip from his fingers simply because somebody in the other uniform had the audacity to take the ball from him.

Taj Gibson, who is starting in Boozer's place, had 16 points and 11 rebounds. But he was in foul trouble from the start and without Boozer, the front line is going to suffer when Gibson or Noah have to leave the game because of foul trouble.

Luol Deng, who is expected to have a big season under new coach Tom Thibodeau, had an unspectacular 13-point game with only two rebounds and four turnovers. To me, his greatest sin was letting a dunk attempt get blocked from behind in the second half when all he really had to do was go harder to the hoop.

If the Bulls had won the game, it would have been considered a minor upset, since Durant is considered a possible Most Valuable Player and Westbrook is the best No. 2 man in the league. But that doesn't change the fact that they could have won the game with a slightly stronger effort.

On the good side, the Bulls held the home team to 41 percent shooting, and outrebounded them 51-44. They were outscored by 25 points at the free throw line, which may have something to do with having a rookie head coach who has to earn his stripes, but they stayed with the Thunder until the last few minutes.

When the Bulls miss out on the fourth playoff seed in the Eastern Conference by one game , I don't think they will look back at this game as the one that got away. But, assuming I can remember back that far, I just might.

Kent McDill has been covering sports in Chicago for 30 years, and spent 11 seasons with the Bulls from 1988-99, covering them for the Daily Herald. He has covered the Chicago Bears, Bulls, White Sox, Cubs and Fire in his career, as well as Chicago's college basketball scene. Kent will be freelancing for Docksquad Sports...

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2010-2011 NBA SEASON PREVIEW

The NBA is back baby! And if you guys are NBA junkies like us, you have had today's date circled on your calendars for a while now. This season is going to be amazing to watch, especially because there are a ton of different subplots going on like will the Heat dominate? How will Lebron do? Will Kobe and the Lakers make their last stand? Will the Celtics and their Big Three make their last stand? Will the Magic upset everyone and win it all? Will promising young teams like the Bulls and the Thunder take the leap this year and contend for the Title? How will the Cavs do without Lebron? Can the Knicks or Nets make it back to the playoffs? Will the Mavs finally get back to where they were a few years ago, as contenders? Are the Spurs old news, or do they have one more run in them? Who will win MVP? How good will John Wall be? Speaking of John Wall, who will win ROY? I could go on forever, but you get my point. This year is going to be sick, especially because there is also a lockout looming and this might be the last time we watch the NBA. Sad but true fool! Anyway, here are our NBA Season Preview and Predictions below. We wanted to be a little different, so we compared each squad in the NBA to some of our favorite alcoholic beverages. And no, we are not getting paid to advertise by any of these brands, but I wish we were! So if you are out there and want to advertise on our site, email me! Hey the blog needs money to run you know! And, I couldn't do this alone, so I got two other Basketball nuts in Amar Panchmatia and Rahul P to chip in on this post and help me out.  Anyway, let us know what you think and definitely stop by with your comments. Thanks for reading...

Eastern Conference

Central Division (RP) :

1) Milwaukee Bucks (48-34) - Miller High Life

Aren’t we obliged to equate them to the hometown brew? Either way, I do see them “living the High Life” (in the Central Division, anyway), if the second best center in the NBA is going to be healthy the whole way. Brandon Jennings should do his thing, plus I like the additions of Corey Maggette (best body in the NBA, no homo), John Brockman and Drew Gooden. They should be in for a real Midwestern slugfest for the division with the Chicago. I see the Bucks making the jump to the second round, but not enough to handle Boston, Orlando or Miami.

2) Chicago Bulls (47-35) - Avion

This brand of Tequila got a random boost this year, thanks to its prominent role on HBO’s Entourage. The Bulls seem to have gotten their random stimuli by way of Utah, taking Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver off the Jazz payroll. Now let’s see if they can parlay the healthy offseason into something special, much like their liquor doppelganger. Personally, I think Boozer is overrated (and injury prone) and Brewer doesn’t bring much to the table on offense (I do like the Korver signing). However, D-Rose looks primed to make the leap. While there is obvious improvement, there still isn’t enough to put them ahead of Boston, Orlando, Clev- err… Miami or even Milwaukee. Sorry. And yes, we are looking forwards to the contributions of veteran stalwarts, Kurt Thomas and Brian Scalabrine. We are so scared. Raarrrr, like the Smoke Monster.

3) Cleveland Cavaliers (41-41) - Bud Light

No longer the high class stuff they used to be, with you know who on the squad. Now they are nothing spectacular, rather something very average. Call me a homer, but I think the team is actually decent. If the preseason is any indication (and no it isn’t), the Cavs have some players and they will compete. I feel that they will challenge for the 8 seed out East and an emotionally charged first round matchup with the most hated team in America. Umm… Yeah. That will end in a sweep. Oh well…

4) Indiana Pacers (32-50) - Keystone Light

Nobody wants any part of them. Yuck. No noticeable improvements. Just a bunch of white dudes surrounding a tier 4 “star”. Ehh.

5) Detroit Pistons (22-60) - Kamchatka Vodka

This team will give you headaches (if you are rooting for them). They are miserable. I thought they overpaid on the Gordon/Villenueva combo. Still got no clue what Joe D was thinking. Now they have brought in the legend, T-Mac, to save the franchise. We are so proud.

Southeast Division (RP) :

1) Miami Heat (67-15) - Ace of Spades

They have the King (Riles), the Queen (LBJ), the Jack (Wade) of all and a Joker (I guess RuPaul could have been the Queen, but I digress…). Why not fill out the Royal Flush with the Ace of Spades? The deck is certainly stacked in their favor, and after much anticipation, it’s time to see if they can play their cards right. However, all is not rosy in talent-rich South Beach. Expect this team to face all sorts of adversity any time they lose two in a row or go down to a chief rival. LeBron has proven to be a force of nature in the regular season, but has shown a lack of trust in teammates in the postseason. For a team to have the best record two years in a row, he must have had some help. It couldn’t have done all by himself. In Cleveland, when LeBron got his and put up 38+, it usually didn’t end well for the Cavs. Now we get to see what happens when the chips are down against Orlando, Boston and if they are lucky, LA (with the defenses geared towards stopping him). Will he continue to hog and ask us to “check his stats” or will he finally become the guy we all wanted him to become in Cleveland? Guess we’ll see. I’ll predict a trip to the Finals for Miami, mainly in hopes of seeing Kobe vanquish these three tools and reigning supreme. But don’t be surprised if Orlando or Boston can take advantage of their sizable edge in the front court in the ECF.

2) Orlando Magic (60-22) - Absinthe

The potent liquor (which in its real form is still banned in the US) made famous by Van Gogh, has mythically been known to be a hallucinogen. As you all know, Dwight Howard spent some time in Houston with The Dream, learning from the master. Now we all may experience Absinthe-like hallucinations if we are lucky enough to bear witness to the reincarnation of Hakeem. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. Dwight should be a force of nature and Pat Ewing is certainly not the right big man coach for him. They are completely different players. That said, Orlando will miss Matt Barnes come playoff time. Plus they’ll need to get more from Roider Rashard. I still don’t see them getting past Boston in the second round, but it’ll be a nice seven game affair. One caveat. If they do get past Boston, Miami will have a hell of a time dealing with The Hallucination.

3) Atlanta Hawks (45-37) - Bacardi Limon

When you first started drinking, you thought Bacardi was the shit. Now you realize the Hawks, like their liquor, are garbage and give you hangovers. They have topped out at the second round, yet they made no improvements. I see a steady regression and a lot of crying in the near future. First Round KO.

4) Charlotte Bobcats (44-37) - Jack Daniels

Meat and potatoes. Hard-nosed team that will go hard. Hard as that may be, it still means a first round exit. They are a fun team to watch and Coach Brown will have them in the playoff mix. The Captain Jack/Gerald Wallace combo is as good as it gets at the swing positions in the league. They still need some big men if they are going to be any kind of threat in the future. On a related note, why hasn’t anybody commented on Mike Jordan scooping up his boy, Kwame? Confused.

5) Washington Wizards (34-48) - Boone’s Farm

I couldn’t think of anything, except for the fact that Barry Farms might have some better players than Cartier Martin and some guy named Kevin Seraphin. OK, I am very excited to see John Wall in action and the further development of my boy, Andray Blatche. Who knows what they will get from the Hibachi? Hopefully he has his mind right. At least they are young and exciting, in spite of the random hodgepodge of talent.

Atlantic Division (VC) :

1) Boston Celtics (55-27) - Three Wise Men

ThreeWiseMen = Ray Ray, PP, and KG...If you are the club and want to get rocked, you can never go wrong with this shot. It is strong and will rock you! And that is exactly how the Celts are, strong and dependable, and they will always get the job done. Look for the Celtics to be consistently good this year. They got the chemistry and they got the players. The Celtics are primed to make a run this year, and I honestly do believe that them and the Magic are the class of the East this year. From all accounts, KG is back to being in great shape and sounds like a man possessed right now. Ray Ray will always be able to shoot, no matter how old he gets, and I think PP has one more solid year left in his tank. Rondo is a perfect fit for this squad and will run the show on offense and defense for them this year. They also got a ton of good big guys to throw at the Magic and the Heat come playoff time in Big Baby, Kendrick Perkins, and in Shaq.

2) NY Knicks (40-42) - Long Island

I had to give them the home town drink right? I'll tell you why...Even though the Knicks didn't get Lebron, I actually like what they did in their off season. I think the additions of Amare, Randolph, and Felton are going to fit in nicely with Chandler and Gallo in this run and gun offense. I also think they are in great position with Curry's contract to get another star like Melo or CP3 at the trade deadline, or in the off season. Anyway, I liken them to the Long Island because you know how you go nuts at the bar/club after you are on a sugar high because you drank a ton of Long Islands mixed with that triple sec crap, cola, and sweet and sour mix? Well that is how this squad will be during the year, running around and doing crazy things on offense, but playing no defense.

3) NJ Nets (36-46) - Patron

In the past few years everyone's Patron orders at the bar have shot through the roof. If you are young and want to get rowdy at the club, you will order a round of Patron, because there is always one person who orders that obligatory round of Tequilas that makes you gag. This has to do in part with their great marketing, that's for sure. Now Take a look at the Nets, and you will kind of see the same thing. Everyone is hyping the Nets this year because of their new billionaire Russian owner, and because of Jay Z. They also have finally put together a nice young core of Lopez, Harris, Favors, Farmar, Morrow, Outlaw, and TWill. This squad will be exciting to watch and will definitely put up points. Their division is weak too, so look for them to win some games too. And when they do, look for people to point out just how cool and exciting the Nets are, like they do with Patron. Ahhh 9 shots of Patron please!

4) Philly Sixers (31-51) - Miller Chill/ Bud Lite Lime

At first when you drink either of those two beers, you are like ahh man this is so tight, perfect for the summertime and the beach. But after you are 6 deep, your stomach starts to hurt, and you want to spit it out. I don't know why, but that reminds me of the Sixers. At first on paper this looks like a good squad with some pretty good to above average players on it. But after you watch them for a while, you will see that they are just not that good, and will fizzle towards the end of the year.

5) Toronto Raptors (25-57) - Skol Vodka

Remember in college when we all made that crazy jungle juice drink? We would throw a bunch of random crap together and throw in one bottle of the cheapest Vodka we could find at any liquor store. That Vodka for us Marquette kids would always be Skol Vodka! It was cheap and nasty, but that was all we could afford. Unfortunately for Raptors fans who do love their Basketball, and lost both VC and Bosh, this Raptors squad reminds me exactly of Skol. Although I did like the Barbosa move, overall this is going to just be a bad, bad squad this year.

Western Conference:

Northwest Division (AP) :

1) Oklahoma City Thunder (56-26) - Manhattan
Just like the name of this drink, the Thunder have this flashy, big-city feel to them that seems a lot bigger than the city they're located in. Like OKC as a team, this drink is versatile and can be made a number of ways, and you better have a good bartender to make you one because it ain't easy. That's the job facing Scott Brooks as he has a team loaded with players who can play a number of positions, but MVP candidate Kevin Durant is the whiskey that will make this drink strong no matter what you put with it.

2) Utah Jazz (50-32) - Piscola

Like this popular Chilean drink, the Jazz can be black or white on any given night. Some nights we mix it with coke, the next night it might be Ginger Ale. We just don't know -- just like their identity. Just how important was Carlos Boozer to this team? The guess here is that Boozer was injured so much that the Jazz got used to playing without him, and a Paul Millsap/Al Jefferson combo won't make Jerry Sloan miss Boozer's punk ass too much. But matching previous years' success comes with one caveat: In the end, the Jazz won't do anything significant. First or second round at best for these guys.

3) Portland Trail Blazers (49-33) - Painkiller
The irony. The most banged-up team in the league last year needs to see what it's capable of as a unit instead of seeing guys come in and out of the lineup every week. If you've never had a Painkiller before, it's made with dark rum, an assortment of fruit juices, and coconut cream topped off with nutmeg. Put it all together and you have one hell of a drink. Miss an ingredient, however, and you'll never know this thing's potential.

4) Denver Nuggets (44-38) - Small ale
Not much point to drink a beer that doesn't contain much alcohol, unless you're a pansy who wants to just tell your friends that you're drinking something alcoholic just for the sake of telling them. Take Carmelo Anthony off the Nuggets, and there's not much reason to follow this team. And Chauncey will ask out soon after Melo leaves, so don't think about having that to fall back on, Nugget fan. At least Denver can ask their friends in Cleveland what happens in the aftermath.

5) Minnesota Timberwolves (19-63) - Natty Light
Had to give it somebody, right? These brokesters didn't get much better in the offseason, and Wesley Johnson won't do much of anything to help this miserable squad get any better right away. Just giving away Al Jefferson didn't help much, either. And I have no idea why they think that THEY, of ALL teams, will suddenly turn Michael Beasley's career around. And in the rare case that they do, what makes them think that he'll want to stay in Minnesota

Pacific Division (AP) :

1) Los Angeles Lakers (61-31) - Captain and Coke
Been around forever, and always the go-to cocktail when all else fails. Just like the timeless Lakers, who always seem to be the class of the league several times throughout any given decade. Now the two-time defending champions try to fend off the upstart Thunder and Heat to keep their reign at the top. Given the fact that both OKC and Miami have major question marks in the paint, good luck trying to take on LA's twin towers of Gasol and Bynum.

2) Phoenix Suns (45-37) - Palm wine
Take out the coconut palms and this drink will give you a stomach ache to go with your hangover. Just look at the Suns roster outside of Steve Nash. Asking the 36-year old to keep this team competitive is a hell of an order. They'll still be fun to watch because of Nash, but that's it.

3) Los Angeles Clippers (31-51) - Sake bomb
Like the Clippers, everything has to go right to make the Sake bomb worth it: have the sake fall in right when you pound the table, drink it immediately, and make sure it's with a warm sake. And we all know that shit doesn't always fall into place for the Clippers, who witnessed a devastating injury to lottery pick Shaun Livingston earlier this decade and now an injury to Blake Griffin that sidelined him for his rookie year. Truth be told, a Sake bomb isn't even really worth it even if everything goes right. Just like these Clippers probably won't do anything anyways.

4) Golden State Warriors (28-54) - Irish Car Bomb
A hell of a ride, but you can do better. I don't know about you, but I'll have an ICB just to get really fucked up more so than enjoy the drink. When you watch or follow these Warriors, it's probably for the entertainment of their fast-paced style and the unintentional comedy caused by their inept front office. Want playoff-caliber basketball? Look elsewhere.

5) Sacramento Kings (24-58) - Virgin Mary
Not quite ready to go yet, but if you enjoy watching a young and potentially exciting nucleus grow before your eyes -- kinda like this Bloody Mary minus the vodka -- then this is the team for you. Just don't get ready to add the vodka for another two or three years when this becomes a real team with a fully bloomed Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins. Until then, keep these guys in the kiddy pool.

Southwest Division (VC) :

1) Dallas Mavs (55-27) - Heineken Light

No brainer right? I had to go with our favorite Euro beer in Heineken because of Dirk baby! If you are a beer drinker, you got to love the new Heineken Light. It still has that good Heineken taste, but it is definitely not as heavy as it used to be. It's lighter and better, like this Mavs squad. Heini is also more expensive, and so is this Mavs roster that Cuban put together. But he is rich fool, so he doesn't care! These Mavs are ready to run and put up points. I kept going back and forth between the Spurs and the Mavs here, but I had to go with the Mavs because of their overall talent. This squad has Dirk, Terry, Butler, Chandler, Haywood, Kidd, Marion, and a bunch of gunners in Barea, Beaubois, Jones, Novak, and Stevenson.

2) SA Spurs (49-33) - Johnny Walker Black

People who drink Black are called "old". The Spurs might be old, but they are experienced, and are ready to give it one last run. They still got their big three in TP, Manu and TD. They also picked up a very solid player in Tiago Splitter. For you NBA Draft junkies, yes this is that same Splitter that has been talked about in the Draft for what now seems like the last 5 years! Black might not be the "coolest" drink to order at the bar, but it's smooth and doesn't give you a hangover. The Spurs will be good like they always are, but will their legs and will injuries derail them? GWS?

3) Houston Rockets (45-37) - Makers Mark

When I drink Makers Mark sometimes, I get mixed reactions from people when I order it. Some love it and think it is smooth and tough, while others think it is nasty. If you bring up the Rockets to people this year, I think you will get the same reaction. There are people who think the Rockets are solid and will be in every game, and then there are people who think they are going to be pretty bad and are not expecting big things from them. I think defensively they will be solid with their role players. And think about this for a second, this is a squad that won 40 plus games last year with all those injuries and no additions. They are not going to be as bad as people think they are. I love the additions of Martin (now settled), Lee, Lowry, Brad Miller (I'll miss your slow motion pump fakes and drives Brad), and Pat Patterson, and they will get Yao back hopefully soon. They'll get the job done like Makers!

4) Memphis Grizzlies (35-47) - Coors Light

Coors Light is making a comeback, in part to their awesome marketing, and in part to somehow that their beer actually does taste better now than back when I was in college. They are rising fast, and so are the Grizzlies. But their division is tough and so is the Western Conference. I also don't see another year of them all working together like they did last year, their chemistry won't be the same. Rudy Gay got paid, and now OJ and Marc will want their money. And who knows when Z-Bo will go off the deep end?

5) NO Hornets (31-51) - Chambord & Sprite

Nowadays when I think Hornets, I think soft. Sorry, but a squad with CP3, David West, Peja, Bayless and Ariza just doesn't yell defense and toughness to me. The Hornets like Chambord, are weak. Now don't get me wrong, Chambord and Sprite tastes dope at first, but if you keep drinking it all night, it will make you stick to your stomach. And to top it off, it doesn't give you a good buzz. Like the drink, the Hornets look good on paper with a couple of stars, but once the season wears on, we will see them fade fast. In the end, CP3 will cry, and the rest of their guys will get injured like usual. Sad foo...

Predictions:

AP:

East: Magic
West: Lakers
Champs: Magic
MVP: Kevin Durant
COY: Scott Skiles
DPOY: Dwight Howard
6th man: Jamal Crawford
ROY: John Wall
MIP: Jeff Green

RP:

Champs - Lakers
East - Heat
West - Lakers
MVP - Kevin Durant
COY - Byron Scott
DPOY - Dwight Howard
6th Man - JJ Reddick
ROY - Blake Griffin
MIP - Andray Blatche

VC:

Champs: Lakers
East: Celtics
West: Lakers
MVP: Kevin Durant
COY: Tom T
DPOY: Dwight Howard
6th Man: Jason Terry
ROY: Blake Griffin
MIP: Greg Oden

Get NBA season predictions in order to get yourself off to a great start with your NBA betting.

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NEW JUMPMAN DWADE COMMERCIAL - DOMINATE ANOTHER DAY

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NEW BRETT FAVRE WRANGLER COMMERCIAL

Thank you SNL for this commercial! haha...

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NEW LEBRON JAMES NIKE COMMERCIAL - RISE

thanks for the link Nash

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ESPN NBA PREVIEW MARVEL COVERS - CHICAGO BULLS

Check out this cover on the new issue of the ESPN Mag NBA Preview edition.  Sick!

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CHECK OUT JOAKIM NOAH'S CRIB

H/T ESPN VIDEOS

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Week 7 Recap/Grades - FUGLY: by Anil P.

The Chicago Bears made believers out of the NFL this week. The belief that this Bears team is the most overrated division leader left in the NFL. Announcers on the Sunday Night broadcast during the Vikings/Packers game even mentioned that there was a feeling that the teams battling it out for the North title were on the field in Lambeau. A thought Bears fans cannot argue after watching the horrendous play earlier in the day. This was a game no one wanted to win and I'm not even sure if the best team won. The Bears are finding ways to lose and this is slightly reminiscent of the middle of the season in 2009. Jay Cutler is getting paid to play like a franchise quarterback has been reduced to Cade McNown. At times we can see why the Bears had traded multiple draft picks for the QB out of Vandy but days like Sunday may be why Josh McDaniels decided he could do without #6. While pointing to Cutler's lack of success, the Bears are still responsible for not surrounding him with NFL talent at either the WR or offensive line positions.

Johnny Knox is the closest thing the Bears have to an NFL WR and the man has alligator arms going down the middle. Knox breaking routes and/or lack of committment was the theme for the 3rd and 4th interceptions and may have been even more with Landry's helmet getting in the way. #13 was targeted heavily this game and three interceptions were in his direction including the back foot bail out on the 8-yard line. Cutler cannot make that decision/throw especially if it resembles a duck when the Bears are a FG away from making it a two possession game. That was Washington's final points of the game and the last lead change as well.

The offensive line took another hit this weekend but sadly played it's best all season. How many times can you say that an offensive line that allowed 4 sacks is an improvement? When the Bears ran he ball they ran it well for an average of 4.1 YPC. That is the best all season and yet the balance Jerry Angelo was asking leading into this week only equated to 16 carries. Ten to Forte, three to an underused Taylor, two to Hester and one failed sneak by Cutler. The desire for cohesiveness went out the door when Edwin Williams was replaced at RG in the 2nd half with Lance Louis.

NOTES:

So far this season

Ten plays from the one yard line and zero touchdowns. Zero!

A NFL Record was set

Actually DeAngelo Hall can now be mentioned with the likes of Sammy Baugh for interceptions in one game with four. Hall jumped routes on the first three interceptions, Aikman was pleading on air for Martz to call a double move to get a deep ball against Hall. Aikman then remembered the offensive line that was blocking for Cutler and mentioned maybe it's because he wouldn't have enough time. Yep.

Is that a 3rd down conversion I see?

In fact the Bears converted TWO! Olsen caught the Bears 1st down in the 3rd quarter. That broke a string of 28 straight failed 3rd down conversions with Cutler under center. First 3rd down converted since the Packer game in week 3 over a month ago. The Bears converted 2 of 10 3rd down attempts and actually increase their percentage.

Throw a shoe, throw a headset, throw something...

Cutler converted the QB sneak for a TD. Flying and surprisingly now trying Albert Haynesworth superman'd over the line; grabbed Cutler and forced a fumble. Before all that though was a TD that wasn't called again. I know Lovie just called for a challenge and you would lose all of your flags but this was a TD versus a turnover and quite frankly an easy choice to make. Maybe the system is an issue with Lovie's group of replay guys from above. But I'm just saying if you are going to challenge the play before, why not this one?

Six fumbles and we got one?

Lovie's influence is felt here and no one in the NFL is better at punching out the ball than Tillman who forced two. Too bad there was only one recovered...recovered by Tillman.

Defense kind of did good

The defense held Washington to only 10 points with one DeAngelo Hall Pick-Six. Rushing Yards allowed looks a little bloated but 90 of Torrain's 125 yards came in the fourth quarter. However, it was the defense's time to step up and try to rescue the offense but it just ran out of gas. DJ Moore had two Pick-Six's in my book. What a dumb rule that the delay of game (that wasn't whistled dead but flagged) took precedence over the Moore interception. That was a game changer to say the least.

Grades

QB

Cutler is looking forward to the bye week so he doesn't have to play skittishly behind his suspect line. The sad part is that the O-Line played passably well and better than they have all season but Cutler was doomed to bad mechanics, play calls and broken routes. Jay completed 65% of his passes in 26 of 40 attempts for 281 yards with 1 TD, 4 INT's and 1 fumble. Jay's turnovers are what cost the Bears and the quarterback needs to shoulder majority of the blame. Overall Grade: F

RB

Both Forte and Taylor ran well on Sunday as they averaged 4.69 YPC as a tandem. The only problem was that they attempted only 13 rushes between them which is the fault of the coaching staff. Both RB's were key in moving the ball on the ground and in the air as both players caught a total of 7 receptions for 42 yards. Forte's fumble on the Washington 35-yard line in the fourth quarter was a back breaker. Overall Grade: B

WR

Knox, Hester and Bennett combined for 15 receptions, 192 yards and 1 touchdown. Both Hester and Bennett played well with Bennett grading the best with his almost TD catch. However, the constant routes broken by Knox was glaring. Knox had a good game on the stat sheet but apparently he didn't listen to the NFL on how they are cracking down on hard hits. Evidently, only run Knox on out and fly routes because he wants nothing to do with the middle of the field. One bright spot though is Knox's alligator arm antics led to Chris Williams's first career reception. Overall Grade: B

TE

Greg Olsen is back at making plays and converting 1st downs. All of Olsen's three catches resulted in 1st downs. Brandon Manumaleuna played better in pass protection and helped seal some blocks down on the run as well. Desmond Clark made a brief appearance in the 1st quarter and truthfully I question why he's even on the roster now. Why not bring in another WR to help catch balls down the middle. That might be useful. Still hard to look at this group and give a better grade knowing that DeAngelo Hall had more catches, more yards and more TD's than this whole group. Overall Grade: C

O-Line

This unit had a lot to prove after Tice had called them out earlier in the week and did better than most of the games in 2010 but still not passable as an actual NFL line. Chris Williams was owned at guard. This is not his natural position and a shift needs to be made. Williams was bull rushed into Cutler by Albert Haynesworth and constantly was confused by the DT's on Sunday. Not helping out his cause to start is J'Marcus Webb for constantly getting beat by Orakpo and a holding call that nullified a 1st down in the fourth quarter. What I can say good is that the run game was effective with 4.1 YPC as a team. Overall Grade: D

D-Line

It was good to see these guys step back up after a bad game against the Seahawks. Peppers, Idonijie and even Tommie Harris made some plays. Tommie flashed here and there the #91 of old but wasn't consistent enough to garner more snaps as Toeaina, Adams and even Melton saw some time. Bears are desperate to find an opposite end to Peppers that they played Barry Turner a bit as well. Turner didn't have as many snaps due to Idonije playing the best on the line. Idonijie had three tackles, one sack and two pass deflections. One of which led to the Bears first points of the game. Overall Grade: A

LB

Pisa played the best of this group with Urlacher's shine starting to fade. Urlacher sitting out during the week is a flag for the former defensive player of the year. He's definitely not 100% and now needs time to sit in order to play on Sundays. Briggs didn't last the 1st quarter and was out for the game. Iwuh came in and filed in better this week but the Bears still missed Briggs with a big 4th quarter let up on the ground with Torrain running for 90 yards. Overall Grade: B

DB

DJ Moore leads this group with his two interceptions for touchdowns. I still find it hard how a non-whistled delay of game should hurt the defense making a play. Tillman continues his ability to lead in forced fumbles and Tim Jennings had solid play as well. Manning's athletic interception was highlight material and hard hits were had by Chris Harris and even Josh Bullocks. This unit alone truthfully outscored both the Bears and the Redskins with their Pick-Six's. Overall Grade: A

Special Teams

Not much opportunities here with zero FGA by Gould and all of the turnovers deep in Washington territory. Shannahan watched what happened last week against the Seahawks and limited Hester to one punt return. Manning had some questionable kick return decisions deep in the end zone and Maynard had a few punts almost blocked. Overall Grade: C

Coaching

This really is a tale of two halves for both defensively and offensively. Offensively this team couldn't move the ball at all in the 1st quarter totaling negative five yards as an offense. Near the end of the first half, the Bears had one TD drive but it was the direct result of prevent defense by Washington with three step drops and 5-yard hooks and slants. It felt like we were watching Ron Turner make some calls. The lone offensive TD was a result of Cutler scrambling and making something out of nothing. The offense did do a great job in getting both Forte and Taylor more involved with RB in routes, half back screens and even motioned out for WR screens. Still, the pass to run ratio was unbalanced at 72/28. While that was a ratio that won in previous weeks it also heralded less than six turnovers and a horrible running attack. With the running game's effectiveness, this should have been Jerry Angelo's dream of moving more toward 50/50 balance. Defensively this unit played brilliantly again forcing six fumbles (recovered one) and creating three interceptions (one taken back). Overall Grade: C

This team continues to baffle Chicagoans but this game was one thing for sure and that was flipping ugly. No clear direction from management as the GM states balance is needed while the coordinator doesn't oblige. The offensive line coach has washed his hands stating he can do no more and Lovie still hangs on to red flags. Questions from the outside are plenty but seemingly questions on the inside are abundant as well. The Division Leading Chicago Bears head into the Bye Week at 4-3 but are still unsure themselves if they belong.

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NBA Contraction? Finally, David Stern Is Making Sense -- By Amar Panchmatia

You have to forgive the average, brainwashed sports fan of today's ESPN generation for identifying NBA commissioner David Stern more with Vince McMahon than guys like Paul Tagliabue and Roger Goodell.

That's because today's NBA seems more like a staged reality TV show than an actual sports league where athletes compete on their own merits. In which other sport does free agency and the offseason overshadow the actual regular season and the sport's championship event? More fans cared about where LeBron was going this past summer than who won Game 7 of the Finals between the Celtics and Lakers. You know, the supposed pinnacle of the sport?

Yeah, between a public relations machine spiraling out of control and player salaries being on par with the GDP of some small countries, Stern has a problem. A huge problem. Compared to a decade or two ago, he has lost a step for sure. The NBA -- and Stern -- are, contrary to what Dennis Green thought about the Bears, no longer who we thought they were.

But every now and then Stern will make sense. And one of those lightning-in-a-bottle moments happened just this last week when Stern talked about contraction.

If there is a league that needs contraction, it is the NBA. Without a doubt. Having 30 teams is ridiculous. Back in the league's heyday, they had 23 squads. Then the Hornets, Heat, Magic, and Timberwolves came along to make it 27. The Grizzlies and Raptors made it 29. The Bobcats replaced the Hornets in Charlotte in 2004 to make it a round total of 30.

Think about it. Assuming each team has a roster of 12 active players, that's 84 guys who have jobs as NBA players today that would not have had one 20 years ago. I am all for creating jobs in this economy, but spending millions of dollars on basketball players is not exactly the idea I had in mind. And it's diluting the talent pool and lowering the quality of basketball the NBA used to put out.

On top of that, there is the question of viability for some of these franchises. In the wake of this past offseason (and, honestly, the several years leading up to it), the NBA has become a league of glamor cities, big markets, and desired player destinations. Not even a structured salary scale that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a serious advantage in paying LeBron James more than Miami helped keep James from taking his talents to South Beach.

If LeBron doesn't want to play in Cleveland (just 30 minutes from where he grew up as a kid), if Kevin Garnett doesn't want to play in Minnesota, and if Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul are already planning exit strategies out of Denver and New Orleans, respectively, why even have teams in these cities in the first place? And how about Toronto losing Vince Carter and Chris Bosh just six years apart?

What good are the Memphis Grizzlies doing the league? Nobody wants to go there. And after breaking the bank on Rudy Gay, you have to be kidding yourself if you think they will have what it takes to keep both O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol in the mix. It is a nice little nucleus they have there, but there is no way that an owner of a team located in Memphis can spend that lavishly on it. And when the time comes, some of these guys will leave Memphis just like LeBron left Cleveland. It happens all the time.

The same goes for these Charlottes, Indianas, Milwaukees, Sacramentos, and Minnesotas. Nobody outside of fans within these specific markets (and compared to the bigger cities, these fans are a very few number) wants to see these teams succeed. Glamor players won't go there -- or stay there, for that matter. When a small market team like San Antonio succeeds, they do it the right way by building through the draft and maximizing on homegrown talent. But then when push comes to shove, nobody wants to see a team like the Spurs succeed, as evidenced by some of the lowest ratings in NBA Finals history whenever the Spurs are involved.

It makes the league's trading in of Seattle for Oklahoma City even more perplexing. The Thunder are very fortunate to have Kevin Durant land in their lap the way he has, and a humble superstar like Durant and San Antonio's Tim Duncan are few and far between. For OKC, it will be a challenge to afford burgeoning stars like Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green in the wake of being able to hang on to Durant long term. And in the rare instance that they do, these big contracts will be the first ones out of town at the first sight of underachievement.

Don't believe me? The way this summer shifted the dynamics of the league will be felt for a long time to come. LeBron and Chris Bosh want to go to Miami. Amar'e Stoudemire wants to go to New York, with Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul not too far behind. Just last summer, Ron Artest takes a pay cut to go to Los Angeles. Even guys like Hedo Turkoglu turned down Portland because it wasn't quite the "cosmopolitan city" that Toronto was, never mind the fact that the Raptors are light years further from a championship than the Trail Blazers.

In the end, only four or five teams have realistic shots of a championship every year, and almost all of them are located in big markets (or, in Orlando's case, a desired player destination with good weather year-round). The ones that aren't -- in this year's case, Oklahoma City -- need to prove their long term viability. Last year, it was Cleveland -- and we all know how that ended.

Getting rid of teams like the Grizzlies, Bobcats, Hornets, Pacers, Timberwolves, and Raptors won't hurt a fly. The Grizzlies and Raptors are only 15 years old, and the Grizzlies have only been in Memphis for less than a decade. The Hornets have been in New Orleans for eight years, and nobody cares. The league thought Charlotte needed another team after losing the Hornets, but they were wrong. The Timberwolves are a little over 20 years old, and Ricky Rubio doesn't want to play there. Heck, Stephon Marbury wanted nothing to do with them back in the day, and KG couldn't win there despite being the MVP of the league.

And I just threw the Pacers in there because I forgot that they even existed. If you also suddenly remembered that they are still in the NBA, then I completely understand. I was going to have the Cavaliers, Nuggets, and Bucks as well, but those teams have been around for over four decades, so contracting them would not be quite as painless.

Shredding the league down to 24 teams -- back to four divisions and six teams in each division -- would make a lot of competitive sense for the NBA. It would save them money by cutting ties with fruitless franchises and markets while concentrating the talent pool. It would give more teams a chance, and at the very least make sure that fans of every team have something worth rooting for.

Get it right for once, Stern. Otherwise, start putting your product on pay-per-view.

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STONE COLD LEAD PIPE DOCKS - WEEK 7

Suman's Pix:
(Last Week 4-1)
(Season 15-14-1)

Browns +13.5 (bought hook)

I know the Browns will show up this Sunday.  It was a gruesome game last week against the Steelers with a lot of injuries/lingering affects. But I know they will show up.  They have every game this year.  They have played as hard and tough as any team in the league.  They just don't have the talent right now to finish games off.  But I like what Mangini has done, and the identity he has created.  Meanwhile, the Saints have one of the better passing attacks in the league.  Against a struggling Browns secondary at home, they should be able to ball on the Browns.  However, this is the NFL and nothing makes sense.  These guys rig the league so that nothing makes sense and people lose their money gambling.  The only way to beat them is to be crazier than them.  I'll take the points and hope the Browns can keep it close with Colt McCoy.  The Browns have a big (pause) rookie named Carlton Mitchell who supposedly runs a 4.4 40.  He should finally see the field on Sunday with the injury to Massoquoi.

Panthers +3

The NFL is so dumb.  Half of the games are stupid like this game here.  Who cares about this game?  We are all brainwashed to think the NFL is amazing.  Its so dumb.  The Panthers suck.  The 49ers suck as much.  Stupid league.  Unfortunately, the Niners have to travel across the country and play a 1 o'clock est game.  Stupid.  The Panthers aren't going to go 0-16.  Actually, have they won a game?  I don't know.  Who cares.  They'll win this game.  Matt Moore is back.  I think.  Steve Smith is back.  Stupid league.

Steelers -3

The Dolphins are getting a lot of love for beating an injury riddled Packers team.  The Steelers should be better this week now that Roethlisberger has a week under his belt.  It'll be fun watching Chad Henne throw lame ducks around the field.  It'll also be fun to watch James Harrison knock someone out.  The guy is a few cards short of a set.

Ravens -13

I really think the Ravens are overrated.  I don't know what it is, but the team just doesn't seem scary to me this year.  But they get Ed Reed back this week.  They have extra motivation after having given away a game last week against New England.  And they get the worst team in the NFL at home.  Look for Flacco to get that aerial attack going early, and for Ray Rice to get back on track late.  

Seahawks -6.5 (bought hook)

This line started at -3 and has catapulted to -7.  Max Hall in his first road start at maybe the loudest stadium in the league?  No thanks.  I still can't tell if the Seahawks are actually good or not.  This might be due to the fact that I don't think I've seen a Seahawks game or even a highlight this whole year.  And I watch more football than anybody.  Weird.  I think they are.  Maybe Pete Carroll actually learned how to coach an NFL team.  Amazing.  Beanie Wells finally got his 20 carries last week and didn't do much with it.  Meh.

Vik's Pix:

(Last Week 2-2-1)

(Season 14-13-3)

seahawks -6 (bought hook)

falcons -3

saints under 44 (bought hook)

ravens -13

broncos under 43 (bought hook)

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DERRICK ROSE ON THE COVER OF SLAM 143

Why can't Derrick Rose be MVP?

Can't wait for the season to begin!

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Bears 2010 - Week 7 Preview: CONFUSED AS THE O-LINE - by Anil P.

The Division Leading Chicago Bears come off a terrible home loss to a Seattle team that achieved its first road win of the year. Cutler was inaccurate all game and unfortunately may either be a result of his recent concussion and/or being scared for his life with his patchwork offensive line. Apparently the Bears Brass believe that good play and cohesiveness can be achieved by sticking the same underwhelming players on the O-Line in consecutive starts. Garza will be out until late November with his knee surgery and we already know what we get with Omiyale at LG so I guess the thought is to keep the former 1st round draft pick and season starting LT at LG. Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. I don't know about you but I'm picking Einstein over Angelo and I don't care what Albert's 40 was. The good news for the Bears is that they don't play another team with a winning record until they play in Miami in Week 11. This week the Washington Redskins come into town with their tradition, women and their ketchup and mustard uniforms.

The Bears and Redskins don't play often but when they do I'm reminded of the 1940 Championship Game. Obviously I didn't watch it nor have any idea of what the footage would look like but they beat down Washington by an NFL record 73-0. That Championship Game was innovative as it brought a new formation (the T-Formation) into Pro Football. That win was so heralded it also spawned a new fight song for the Bears. Bear Down is now played after every touchdown, field goal or even safety at Bears home games.

The Redskins arrive in Chicago with a record of 3-3 but they have had a schedule that would make the BCS blush. Only Dallas has a losing record in this group and Washington has beaten the Cowboys, Philadelphia and Green Bay. They come off a loss to the Colts by three points but that's a much better opponent than say the Seahawks. Even with playing the Cowboys to start the season, the Bears may be the easiest opponent they have had to face in 2010. Yes I do remember they played St. Louis earlier in the season as well. That's a testament to the Rams as much as it's an indictment on the Bears.

Offensively this team is led by Mt. Carmel product Donovan McNabb. The Redskins and Shanahan are still trying to get on the same page as the skins are just above the Bears in PPG with 18.8. With Clinton Portis out indefinitely with a torn groin, Ryan Torain takes over the RB duties. If D-Nice isn't handing off he's passing to either Santana Moss or Chris Cooley. Cooley is coming off a concussion and is slated to start on Sunday. Still waiting for the Favrish picture of him reading the playbook this year. Truth be told, I'm glad we can talk about Cooley so we can just talk quickly about his wife. While the offense has underachieved this year, they do have an advantage over the Bears since they have a semblance of an offensive line, an actual WR and an actual TE that they pass to as well as a positive yards on the ground. Of course the silver lining could be if #5 gets hurt, #8 awaits.

Defensively the Redskins are the worst team in yardage allowed in the NFL However, the Greg Blache bend but don't break philosophy still lingers even after he's been fired. Washington is stingy as they give up 19.8 PPG which is middle of the pack in the NFL. These stats must also take into the account they've faced offenses such as the Colts, Packers, Cowboys and Texans. Jim Haslett brings his 3-4 scheme and has been blitzing quite a bit. With Haynesworth being a baby and sitting on the sidelines, this defense is led by London Fletcher, Brian Orakpo and LaRon Landry. This unit is a hard hitting and fast team. If the Seahawks safeties created havoc for the Bears offensive line, Landry is going to bring hell. Landry is having a Pro Bowl season and leads the Redskins in tackles. The key for the Bears is to try and adjust to the multiple blitz packages and take advantage of the Redskins aggression.

Real quick, I still hate New York and yes it's mostly because of the d-bags like him living in it.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Cutler Concussion over?

Cutler played his worst game of 2010. Thankfully it wasn't a five interception stinker like last year's game in San Francisco. JayCut may have in fact been shell shocked with all of the sacks of late. The Bears lead the league in sacks allowed with 27. If you want to throw a comparison, when the Bears last had a good offensive line they only allowed 21 sacks total in 2006. That year is of course the last time they went to the Super Bowl let alone playoffs. Tice has recently thrown his team under the bus with this marvelous quote of "I get paid to teach, they get paid to execute" Of course, I completely agree with Tice on that aspect but there is a time and a place to do drive over your players with a big yellow bus. By the way, no word if Tice also said he gets paid to scalp. Redskins employ one of the more blitz happy defenses in the NFL and the Bears did well against both the Cowboys and Green Bay.

Defense needs to bounce back and lead this team

Briggs was hurt last week and the defense suffered. The Bears allowed the most points all season to the struggling Seattle Seahawks. Brian Iwuh filled in at weak side LB and played aggressively making tackles in the back field. But an undisciplined style in a gap defense will lead to big plays which both Forsett and Lynch took advantage of. That trickled down Chris Harris playing most of the time in the box and the LB committing more on the run. Health is starting to become and issue and the bye week couldn't come any sooner. For Wednesday's practice Briggs, Urlacher, Chris Harris and Manning were out. Marinelli needs his starters to get healthy and bounce back on an equally battered Washington offense.

3rd Down is not a four letter word...

Going back to the Giants game, the Bears were 0-13 against NYG, 3-15 against CAR and 0-12 against SEA for a combined three of their last forty Third Downs. That's an astonishingly low 7.5% conversion rate and beyond pathetic. To say this needs to improve is the essence of Captain Obvious but ole Martzy will have to get more creative than dropping 7-steps and watching Cutler get decapitated. What was really intriguing this week was when Angelo suggested ever so delicately that balance is key to having success on offense. No word on if Martz told Angelo that drafting talented offensive lineman is key to having a good offensive line. This team dominated on the ground against the Panthers so when the question was posed why there was only 12 carries against Seattle; Martz quipped 'because it wasn't Carolina. The identity of the Bears seems to be a conversation at Halas Hall and it'll be interesting to see how much more the Bears run this Sunday. I'm sure Mad Mike will get the ratio back up to 70/30 at least this week.

I want my Greg Olsen TE reverse!

At least that'd be a running play. Hell at least it'd involve the 2007 1st round draft pick after two weeks of zero production. I remember watching Ernie Conwell run a few of these reverses back with the Rams and he even had two rushing touchdowns as well. The point is Martz needs to get creative in getting the best WR the Bears have for third downs a ball. Olsen can not go with a third consecutive week of no catches. He's too talented of a TE to be sitting on the sideline or worse...cast as a LT like last week. The Bears offense needs to bounce back themselves as they are going up against the 2nd to worst team against the pass and worst team in yards allowed in the NFL.

Do I know Football more than the person I’m related to by marriage and Madden 11?

Current Season for Straight Up

Pants: 2-4

Skirts: 4-2

Pixels: 3-3

Current Season against the spread

Pants 4-2

Skirts: 3-3

Pixels: 2-4

Week 7 is Redskins @ Bears; Vegas currently has the Bears as 3.0 favorites

Her Pick: Bears by more than 3 points

Her Reason: Because they are home, I don't know...I don't like this game about the 'whys', I'm just guessing.

Madden Simulation has the Redskins beating the Bears 24-22.

Last week the Trifecta of pants, skirts and pixels all crapped out and lost. With the wife picking Bears and Madden picking Redskins I have to ask myself who should I trend with now? She did drop the bomb on me by telling me 'she's just guessing' and out the door went any respect for her picks. By the way she's beating me straight up. I really want to believe in the Lovie's boys but I just don't know if this team is legit after dropping a winnable game last Sunday. Surprisingly the Bears have done well against 3-4 defenses so perhaps that's they key to this offense's success. If the Bears can get up early and force the Redskins into one dimensional offense, this can be a win for Chicago. However the Redskins are battle tested with their season so far and they have won on the road. Still not sure what to make of the Bears team and this one is a tough one to call. Since I'm the type of person born every minute, I'm going with the homer pick but not to cover. Bears over the Redskins 21-20. BEAR DOWN!

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