Nov. 29 2017: James Caldwell and Andrew Rodgers of “The Go Around” Podcast discuss fringe College Football Playoff teams, NFL playoff teams and much more.
Month: November 2017
Ezekiel Elliot isn’t the problem.
The Dallas Cowboys are now 5-6 after taking an embarrassing home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thanksgiving day. After three straight losses without their star RB Ezekiel Elliot the Cowboys now are looking at a slim to none chance of making the playoffs. The media and the fan base is quick to jump to the conclusion that the suspension of Elliot is the reason this team has regressed so much. What seems to be ignored is the lack of leadership from head coach Jason Garrett.
Since taking over the Cowboys Garrett has comprised a record of 63-49 in the regular season as well as a 1-2 record in the playoffs. While he has won at the NFL level his development and progression as a coach has never materialized. What we have seen since the suspension of Elliott is a Cowboy’s team that has no direction. They have no confidence while on the field, Dak Prescott is forcing throws and making decisions that he didn’t make in his historic rookie season. Jason Garrett has not given them a game plan that can be successful for a young Quarterback.
Instead of a new game plan we continue to hear excuses. “We have no Sean Lee, Tyron Smith is hurt we can’t run the ball without Ezekiel Elliot”. Alfred Morris is currently averaging over 5 YPR during the last three games, Tyron Smith played on Thanksgiving, Sean Lee played against the Rams and the Packers which were both losses. Eventually the excuses have to run out and a new game plan must be put together on the defensive end. Jason Garrett has been given the talent to win in Dallas, he has been given 7 years and every resource he could possibly be given but the wins still don’t come. The old saying is that excuses are like assholes, we all have them and they all stink, no more time for excuses it’s time to find out what kind of coach Jason Garrett is. Over he final five games we can find out if he is the future in Dallas or just a footnote in a historic franchises coaching history.
Stop talking about Ezekiel Elliot. It is time to develop Dak. Jason Garrett must prove he is a leader of men or Jerry needs to move on.
Happy Thanksgiving: Let’s Pick Some Football
Thanksgiving and football, that’s America! As we get set for a day of overeating we must consider the most important part of this great holiday. NFL football gambling. Matt Boeding and I have increased our overall record to an impressive 17-12-1. Our picks of the week will focus on just Thanksgiving games. So while you enjoy your turkey also enjoy some money.
*all spread from sportsbook.com
NFL
Minnesota Vikings -3 at Detroit Lions , over/under 44.5
Lions vs Vikings, the matchup to kickoff our holiday is by far the most interesting game of the day. The two top teams in the NFC North will tangle for division supremacy. The Lions took home a victory versus the Vikings in week 4 and with a victory on Thursday the Lions can be just one game behind the Minnesota in the division. Case Keenum had his worst game of the season against the Lions, but he is playing for his job and we think he comes up big. Vikings are the more complete team and with their ability to stuff the run they will be able to force Stafford into some bad decisions. We think this one will be close but we see the Vikings taking this one and Case Keenum keeping his job for one more week.
Vikings: -3
Los Angeles Chargers -1.5 at Dallas Cowboys, over/under 48
I have openly said I don’t think the Cowboys are a playoff team this year in a surprisingly stacked NFC. This line started at -3 for the Cowboys and has plummeted to -1.5 Chargers. Tyron Smith is supposed to play Thursday but if he is not 100 percent the Cowboys have shown an inability to protect Dak Prescott. Joey Bosa and the Los Angeles defense are not going to make it easy for the Dallas line. Bosas speed rush will be a problem all game. Cowboys also have some issues on defense with the loss of Sean Lee. Without Lee we think Phillip Rivers and Melvin Gordon dominate a Dallas defense that just can’t work without their leader. Cowboys being at home and playing a Chargers team that lives to choke will give them a chance but we see Chargers picking up a big win.
Chargers: -1.5
New York Giants at Washington Redskins -7.5, Over/Under 45
What are the New York Giants? No one including us at I Talk Sports and Thats It saw the Giants beating the Chiefs. Washington is coming off an epic collapse against the Saints on Sunday and will be looking for some retribution. We are going to see the intense Kirk Cousins return on Thursday and he is going to lead the Redskins to dominant effort offensively. The Redskins have a chance to make a run as the rest of their schedule is soft with not a single team with a winning record left on their schedule. We are worried about Chris Thompson being out for this game but overall we feel this should be an easy victory for the Redskins at home.
Redskins: -7.5 (Parlay Under)
James’s “Why Not” Pick of the Week 3-2: Tyrod shows up big time.
Sean McDermott made one of the dumbest coaching decisions of the 2017 season. His move to go with Nathan Peterman over Tyrod Taylor was very Cleveland Brownish. Buffalo will go to Arrowhead on Sunday and face off with a Kansas City Chiefs team that has seemed lost over the last few weeks. Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy will have huge games and give the Bills a chance to win this game. I don’t know if they can win but I think 10 points is way to much. Some one please get Tyrod Taylor out of Buffalo because he clearly farted on the wrong persons pillow or something.
Why Not pick of the week: Buffalo Bills +10
Good luck on your bets this week and remember if you aren’t down a paycheck you can still bet.
Nov. 19 Sunday Funday Podcast
November 19 2017: James Caldwell and Matt Boeding discuss Baker Mayfield, College Football Playoff, College Basketball and St Louis sports icon Blaine Gabbert.
Weekly Picks: Texas with the Upset
Week four of out picks against the spread was a bit disappointing. We had our first losing week of picks as we went 2-3-1. At I Talk Sports and That’s It we don’t lose gracefully we are very upset and plan on taking it out on this weeks games. We are shooting for a big money weekend, our total record right now is 14-10-1!
*all spread from sportsbook.com
College Football
Missouri -9.5 at Vandy, over/under 67
68, 52, 45, 50 those are the the totals that Mizzou basketball has put up the last four games, wait sorry those are actually the football teams scores. Mizzou is hot and the SEC bottom half is trash. Vandy has lost 7 of their last 8 games overall with the only win coming against Western Kentucky. Mizzou has all the confidence in the world right now and Barry Odom is still coaching for his job while QB Drew Lock is moving up draft boards. Mizzou has shown that they will not let up on the throttle. Mizzou is red hot and we are beginning to buy it.
Pick: Mizzou -9.5
Mississippi State -12.5 at Arkansas , over/under 59
Glory days are behind Arkansas. Mississippi State is on the rise giving Alabama their closest games of the year. Mississippi State is also 7-3 against the spread. Arkansas QB Austin Allen is coming off a shoulder injury and they aren’t sure what they are going to get out of him. Mississippi State is going to run the ball and control the game. No let down here for Mississippi State. Look for Mississippi State to reach 200 yards rushing.
Pick: Mississippi State -12.5
University of Central Florida -14 vs. Temple , over/under 56
One of the few remaining undefeated teams left in college football UCF heads into Temple on Saturday with hopes of taking the next step towards the College Football Playoff. Those dreams are just a dream as no matter what they do they won’t make it to the playoff. UCF’s online chance to make any noise is to blowout teams. If Temple had any kind of defense I would give them a shot but they have not shown the ability to stop anyone. UCF averages over 48 points a game and averaging 327 yards through the air. Temple is giving up over 26.50 points a game this season, good luck against this offense Temple.
Pick: UCF -14
NFL
Detroit Lions -3 at Chicago Bears , over/under 41
The Lions are a tough team to understand this year. Their commitment to develop a run game is not what is best suited for a team with the highest paid QB in football. Let Matt Stafford do his thing and the results will show. This is a hot bet right now on most sights including Bovada and Covers with the Lions receiving 70% of the bets. The Bears run game always gives them a chance to dominate a game but the defense is to reliant on turnovers. Stafford will play conservative and feed short routes to Golden Tate and The Riddick. Bears will get a 100 yard performance from Jordan Howard and keep it close, but ultimately Mitchell Trubisky will be put in a situation to make and play and will come up short. We see the lions by a touchdown.
Pick: Lions -3
Kansas City Chiefs -10.5 at New York Giants, over/under 46
The Giants misery season continues as they welcome the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs have lost 3 of 4 and are in need of a win. The Giants can’t sink much lower after losing last week to CJ “Beat” Hard and the lackluster 49ers. Kareem Hunt is due for a big game and the Giants are the team that is giving it up. Giants defense has given up almost 140 yards rushing per game and will most likely barely make it on the field. Chiefs will cover Eli’s only weapon Evan Engram all game and make Eli’s life hell. Chiefs want it more and will take it by two touchdowns at least.
Pick: Chiefs -10.5
James’s “Why Not” Pick of the Week 2-2: Texas vs. West Virginia
The 49ers gave me my second win in the “Why Not” picks of the week. I am going back to college on this one. After much debate and deliberation give me the Texas Longhorns to not only cover the 3.5 points at West Virginia but to win the game. Texas has the talent and needs this win. I think we see an inspired performance on Saturday. The Longhorns could get a big boost with All-American OT Connor Williams looking like he’s on track to return from a knee injury that’s kept him sidelined since the third game of the season. If Williams plays Texas sticks with freshman Sam Ehlinger for most of the game and pulls it out.
Why Not pick of the week: Texas +3.5
Good luck on your bets this week and remember if you aren’t down a paycheck you can still bet.
Giancarlo Stanton: The Backup Plan
As we head towards the Major League Baseball Winter meetings there is a clear questions in the minds of every fan, writer and team. Where is Stanton going to go? With all of the power of this decision ultimately on the shoulders of Stanton himself, all the organizations trying to get him have to be ready to face the truth. Why would anyone really want to leave Miami? What if he decides he wants to be a Miami lifer? Where do these teams go next? Lets break it down for you.
St. Louis Cardinals
Problem: The Cardinals by all reports are the frontrunner in the Stanton sweepstakes. They have the money and the resources to make it happen. Problem is, Stanton is a coast guy. Born in California, has been living in Miami his whole career. With the Cardinals clear need for power and presence in the middle of their order they have to have a plan in place.
Solution: Eric Hosmer, while Hosmer doesn’t provide the 40 homer potential of Stanton but he does provide the presence in the middle of the order. The Silver Slugger winner will allow players like Paul Dejong and Jedd Gyorko to move into lineup spots that better fit their attributes. With St. Louis’s depth in the outfield as well as young arms they can also make a move to beef up the rotation and bullpen or make the smart move and go sign Juan Nicasio and Jason Vargas. They can also pray for a resurrection of Stephon Piscotty. St. Louis fans want Stanton, he would be the first real impact bat acquired by the front office since they resigned Matt Holiday back in 2010. If they really think they need more thump. The Cards could also take a flyer on a couple of vets for low cost (Jose Bautista or Carlos Gonzalez )
San Francisco Giants
Problem: Bottom five farm system. The Marlins seem set to move on from the money owed to Stanton. But can how can an organization already struggling with fan attendance possibly let their biggest asset leave and getting nothing of value for him.
Solution: Trade Christian Arroyo to Blue Jays, Sign JD Martinez. The Giants were last in the league in homers in 2017. Bringing back Pablo Sandoval is not the answer. JD Martinez is the only answer that makes sense for the Giants. They can put him in Left Field and problem area that they seem to never be able to fill. That punch in the middle will create great protection for Buster Posey. Next they should look to see the value of their one trade chip top prospect Christian Arroyo. Call up the Blue Jays and offer Arroyo and two other prospects for slugger Josh Donaldson. With the Blue Jays need for depth pretty much everywhere they may bite. A lineup featuring Posey, Donaldson and JD Martinez makes you an immediate contender.
Boston Red Sox
Problem: Doesn’t really fill their need for a first baseman. Do they really need another contract that size on the books? If the Red Sox make the move work for Stanton they would be taking on a lot of money. I can understand their hesitation as their last few big contracts haven’t worked out that well thus far (Sandoval, Price).
Solution: If the Red Sox can’t make the Stanton deal work then they should go fill the need that is most pressing for them. Making his second appearance on the board is Eric Hosmer. Hosmer in Boston makes all the sense in the world. The move would allow a sometimes lets say spacey defender such as Hanley Ramirez to stay at DH and gives them a bat to put right in the middle of the order. If Boston still sees a need in the outfield for a power bat they have the resources to make that work. Top prospect Bobby Dalbec is currently blocked by even better prospect Rafael Devers. Call up a team always hungry to dump players like Oakland and check on the availability of Khris Davis. Dalbec and Jackie Bradley Jr. for Khris Davis would make a lot of sense for both teams. Davis would provide some serious power in the lineup behind Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi. I Theses plans fail a logical choice would also be an underrated star in Carlos Santana, the price tag would be much more favorable.
No matter what happens the decision made by Stanton and the Marlins will impact the entire baseball world. Per usual the MLB offseason is going to be fun unless you are a Marlins fan.
Weekly Picks Nov 9 2017
Week three of out picks against the spread kept us winning as we went 4-2 with out losses coming from the Thursday night game as well as my hatred for Mizzou causing us a lose. But we still had a good week. We are shooting for a big money weekend and with some exciting matchups in both the NFL and college football we are looking to keep winning, our total record right now is 12-7!
*all spread from sportsbook.com
College Football
North Carolina State -3 at Boston College, over/under 58
Boston College has won 3 games in a row in convincing fashion. North Carolina State has lost two games in a row to top ranked teams. Boston College can run the ball but so can NC State. Boston College will keep this close but ball control for NC State and a ferocious defensive line will cause trouble for Boston College all day. We see NC State by at least a touchdown.
Pick: North Carolina State -3
Florida at South Carolina -7 , over/under 45.5
Florida is a dumpster fire on offense right now. They travel to South Carolina on Saturday, a South Carolina team that is 5-2-2 ATS this season. With Florida’s inability to score and interim head coach that doesn’t seem to care much about winning. Florida’s four straight losses will be five after Saturday. Bet early on this line all the action is going to go on South Carolina.
Pick: South Carolina -7
Michigan State vs. Ohio State -15.5, over/under 54.5
This is one of the most highly argued games at I Talk Sports and That’s It. The Buckeyes cost themselves a chance at the college football playoff after getting stomped at Iowa. We think the Buckeyes defense has been exposed and if they can’t stop the other teams offense JT Barrett will be useless. I don’t think we see Michigan pull off the upset in Columbus but I don’t think they lose by three scores.
Pick: Michigan State +15.5
NFL
New York Jets at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5 , over/under 43.5
The Jet’s burned us last week causing our only lose for our normal picks. This week they travel to Tampa and we have been gifted a spread from the betting gods. No Winston, no Evans and know chance for the Bucs. Josh McCown is playing at a pro bowl level and the Jets defense has shown the ability to cause pressure on the Quarterback. The world fell for the Bucs thanks to their appearance on Hard Knocks, sadly realty has set in that this is just not a very good team. Maybe Jameis will give us another ridiculous pregame speech, that will be the only entertaining thing about this game for a Bucs fan.
Pick: New York Jets -2.5
Pittsburgh Steelers -10 at Indianapolis Colts, over/under 43.5
The Steelers travel to Indianapolis on Sunday and we see big money here. Colts just released their best corner Vontae Davis who was going to be out for the season anyway with an injury. Big Ben should shred this defense with Antonio Brown and Juju Smith- Shuster. Pitssburgh also has the speed on the defensive line to keep Jacoby Brissett in the pocket and force him to beat them through the air. If Pittsburgh keeps Brissett from using his athletic ability then they should be able to control the Colts offense.
Pick: Steelers: -10 (Parlay the over)
James’s “Why Not” Pick of the Week 1-2: Giants at 49ers
I let my hatred of Mizzou cloud my judgement in last weeks “Why Not” pick of the week, that brings my record to 1-2. This week I am going for a slight underdog San Fransisco is 0-8 and has been embarrassing all season. The only teams more embarrassing are the Cleveland Browns and their opponent on Sunday the New York Giants. The Giants have enter turmoil which can only be matched by the cast of the Jersey Shore. Even if the Giants didn’t have inner turmoil, this team is just not very good.
Why Not pick of the week: San Fransisco +2.5
Good luck on your bets this week and remember if you aren’t down a paycheck you can still bet.
Michael Bisping MW Joke
At UFC 217 we saw the return of an icon. George St-Pierre returned to the octagon and showed us why he was the welterweight kingpin for so long, submitting Micheal Bisping in the 3rd round of their main event title fight. St-Pierre’s return not only gave us a nostalgic feel, it also gave us an end the the side show that was the Michael Bisping title run.
June of 2016 Bisping shocked the Middleweight world by surprising Luke Rockhold with a first round knockout. After the upset of Rockhold, Bisping stood a top of one of the most stacked divisions in the UFC. Up and coming talents like Yoel Romero, Robert Whitaker, Gegard Mousasi and Jacare Souza were all making statements throughout the division for a chance at the title. With Bisping now in control of the division, contenders saw it as their best chance to become champion. The UFC saw it as a chance to have their middleweight version of Conner McGregor. Problem with Bisping is that he can talk the talk but showed he can’t walk the walk. Instead of the UFC giving up and coming contenders a shot or giving former champs like Rockhold and Chris Weidman a shot, they choose to put 46 year old Dan Henderson in Bisping’s first title defense. This was a way to try and legitimize the new champ by putting a name like Dan Henderson in his way. While the Henderson fight made no sense in the true title picture we can understand this effort by the UFC to sell tickets and promote the grudge match. Bisping had his chance to show the world that he was a real champion that could dispatch of what should have been a challenge but ultimately just a stepping stone to real contenders. Bisping did what he does, he talked and talked and when it came to fight night he showed up and gave a good show, but it wasn’t a champions showing. While Bisping won by Unanimous Decision anyone that watched the fight can openly dispute the final decision.
Bispings win over the aging Henderson was all Dana White and UFC needed to promote him as a “real” champion. Week after week we saw Bisping parade himself on TV as the face of the middle weight division. As contenders rose from the middleweight rankings we would always see a brash Bisping yelling down to them from his fortress of solitude that was his desk in the FS1 studios. While he talked real contenders took care of business in the octagon. Injuries and bad timing caused Bisping to not have a title fight for a full year. Dana White desperate for a headliner for the first UFC show in Madison Square Garden decided that despite the lack of true prestige to Bisping’s championship run he could market a fight between Bisping and the returning George St-Pierre. Bisping did what Bisping does, he sold the world that he had a chance to defeat St-Pierre in New York. He sold the world on the fact that he was the best middleweight in the world. In three round Saturday night in New York Bisping’s true ability was brought to light. He was disposed by St-Pierre in convincing fashion, thus ending what became a joke in the division.
It’s not Bisping’s fault he was pushed. In a UFC world without “The Notorious One” the UFC ha to have their villain. Problem is that in the real world the villain has to be convincing. With St-Pierre at the top of the division all middleweights will now get a real chance to show their ability. We can have dream matchups between contenders and legends. When we look back at this period of the middleweight division I hope we can forget the run of Michael Bisping and remember the rise of legitimacy to what can be considered the most stacked 185LB weight class of all time. Bring on Whitaker, Romero, Wiedman and St. Pierre. Forget the jokes and forget the talking. Let’s see some real fights.
I Talk Sports and That's It 