Offshore Contest Results

Generally, when I'm in the hunt early, I stay in the hunt. Not always, but usually. So here are the results through two weeks of the NFL season. For those who want to follow along, anyone with accounts at these sites can check week to week results.

1) Northbet NFL Contest. You pick NFL games without point spreads. Currently tied for sixth out of what I'm guessing are 500-600 entries. Top five cash at the end of the season.

2) Heritage Race to the Super Bowl. Top 25 cash. You pick all NFL games without spreads AND all of the primetime NFL totals. I'm currently tied for 22nd out of a couple thousand entrants.

3) TopBet NFL Picks Contest. All NFL games without point spreads. Currently tied for 11th out of 1380. I think top 20 cash, but I'll have to verify that. I'm entered under the name "reptilicus," which is my favorite Danish monster movie. Really terrible effects, but I loved it.

And here's a trivia note: one of the offshores has a free Thursday and Monday night contest where you pick the score. If you hit it exactly, you get 10K. The good news is that I hit the KC/Charger 27-24 game exactly. The bad news is that so did 40 other people on the site, so I got a grand total of $240. LOL.

That's it. Follow along if you like. The Wise Guys Contest ended with the pandemic, unfortunately. I was in that for more than 30 years. It was invitation only, and you had to pick two ATS games a week for each week of the NFL season plus a playoff week. I finished up somewhere in the top three of those who had been in the contest for a decade plus. Some day I need to go back and tally it all up.

Good luck this season.

Heading into Monday Night, I got clobbered in both the Northbet and Heritage contests. I don't know how bad the drop will be after tonight, but in Heritage I fell to 56th from 22nd. In the TopBet contest, I think I probably improved, so that's some consolation. I'm expecting to have cracked the top five or six, but I'll see when the official standings come out Tuesday night.

I got destroyed in two of the three NFL contests. In Heritage, I fell from 22nd to 86th out of a couple thousand. In Northbet, I got knocked down from a tie for sixth to off the Top 25 leaderboard. In TopBet, however, I moved from 11th into a tie for third. Rugged week and rugged results.

After Week Five, here are the "Obscure Contest Results." For those who think picking outright winners in the NFL and totals is a worthless skill, please skip the following:

1) Back on the leaderboard at Northbet, tied for 11th out of between 500 and 600.

2) Tied for 50th in Heritage out of a couple thousand (my prime time totals have not gone well).

3) Tied for first out of roughly 1300 in Topbet. Odds are way against winning it with this many people, but I can't complain about the position. Now all I have to do to hang onto first is pick a winner between Washington and the Bears. Gag me with a spoon. Lose the game, and I drop to fifth or sixth.

Gee Whiz redietz... take off the dresses!!

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Originally Posted by monet

Gee Whiz redietz... take off the dresses!!

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I watch football with no sound, so I missed all the action. If I were his partner, I would have made some sideways comment like, "You're right, but you're going to catch heck for phrasing it that way" or something to bail him out.

Troy gets a pass from me. There have been Aikman interviews where he admits he had bad stretches due to the numerous severe concussions he sustained. He's worked hard to get to where he can do what he does. His brain is all messed up is what I'm saying.

You do remember Buddy Ryan turning loose some vintage Eagle 46 defenses on him his first two years, don't you? Aikman took a worse beating those years than poor old Archie Manning back in the day. And let's not forget, when people say Terry Bradshaw is dumb -- how smart would you be after this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcQqwpCFJ4&t=17

Smear the Queer!
The way football was meant to be played.
I miss it but at least I got to watch a lot of it in the 80's and 90's.

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

---

They had some issues with the quickest release of all time (Marino), but against ordinary folk, they were like the horsemen of the apocalypse.

His Eagle defenses weren't much inferior to those Bears, and they brutalized Aikman his first year in the league. Worst beatings I have ever seen (played them twice, of course).

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Originally Posted by redietz

His Eagle defenses weren't much inferior to those Bears, and they brutalized Aikman his first year in the league. Worst beatings I have ever seen (played them twice, of course).

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Buddy Ryan's time with the Eagles was way before my time In Philly and as an Eagles fan. But while I only attended one single game at the old Veterans Stadium (the vet), my first year in Philly, before the Linc opened, people claim that the Vet's turf was like playing on cement. Opposing QB's must have hated coming in there to play. I am told there was a game against Washington Redskins dubbed the "body bag game" that all 3 QB's on the Redskins roster were knocked out of the game, leaving them to finish with a running back or receiver playing quarterback.

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Originally Posted by redietz

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Originally Posted by monet

Gee Whiz redietz... take off the dresses!!

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I watch football with no sound, so I missed all the action. If I were his partner, I would have made some sideways comment like, "You're right, but you're going to catch heck for phrasing it that way" or something to bail him out.

Troy gets a pass from me. There have been Aikman interviews where he admits he had bad stretches due to the numerous severe concussions he sustained. He's worked hard to get to where he can do what he does. His brain is all messed up is what I'm saying.

You do remember Buddy Ryan turning loose some vintage Eagle 46 defenses on him his first two years, don't you? Aikman took a worse beating those years than poor old Archie Manning back in the day. And let's not forget, when people say Terry Bradshaw is dumb -- how smart would you be after this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcQqwpCFJ4&t=17

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Troy gets a pass from me too, as I don't think he said anything wrong.
I mean how far have we fallen if criticizing a ticky-tack roughing call with a "dresses" comment gets one in trouble. Who does that offend? And who cares....!
Being this woke is total BS.
I'm glad I grew up in the era of Howard, Frank, and Dandy Don in the booth.

So that were 3 outrageous roughing the QB calls.

The first on in the early morning (6:30am) game in L8ndon I did not see.

The second was the call on Brady in which they claimed the defender "slung" Brady to the ground when he did not. He rather gently rolled him to the ground.

The 3rd was the call on the cheifs. Clearly the cheifs guy braced himself with his arms he wasn't coming down on Carr with all his weight.

But oddly what was missed is later in the Cheifs game, Mahomes was "slung" to the ground (much worse that the Brady call) and no penalty was called.

Between these phantom roughing the QB calls and defensive backs not allowed to touch receivers, I don't know how teams are supposed to play defense. And I suppose that is what the NFL wants. Offense. Offense offense. 55-52 games.

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Originally Posted by kewlJ

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Originally Posted by redietz

His Eagle defenses weren't much inferior to those Bears, and they brutalized Aikman his first year in the league. Worst beatings I have ever seen (played them twice, of course).

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Buddy Ryan's time with the Eagles was way before my time In Philly and as an Eagles fan. But while I only attended one single game at the old Veterans Stadium (the vet), my first year in Philly, before the Linc opened, people claim that the Vet's turf was like playing on cement. Opposing QB's must have hated coming in there to play. I am told there was a game against Washington Redskins dubbed the "body bag game" that all 3 QB's on the Redskins roster were knocked out of the game, leaving them to finish with a running back or receiver playing quarterback.

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I remember that moniker. The Vet turf was thin and rock hard.

I lived at grad circle at Penn State for four/five years, and I was maybe 100 yards from an outdoor artificial turf field PSU used to practice. When it was zero degrees, I'd go out on that field just to see what the conditions were like. I can't imagine playing in December on that Vet turf. My God. It must have been a nightmare.

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Originally Posted by redietz

After Week Five, here are the "Obscure Contest Results." For those who think picking outright winners in the NFL and totals is a worthless skill, please skip the following:

1) Back on the leaderboard at Northbet, tied for 11th out of between 500 and 600.

2) Tied for 50th in Heritage out of a couple thousand (my prime time totals have not gone well).

3) Tied for first out of roughly 1300 in Topbet. Odds are way against winning it with this many people, but I can't complain about the position. Now all I have to do to hang onto first is pick a winner between Washington and the Bears. Gag me with a spoon. Lose the game, and I drop to fifth or sixth.

---

A quick reenactment of what redietz says and probably thinks, every week, before kickoff...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OQRqXPJzXBY

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by redietz

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Originally Posted by monet

Gee Whiz redietz... take off the dresses!!

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I watch football with no sound, so I missed all the action. If I were his partner, I would have made some sideways comment like, "You're right, but you're going to catch heck for phrasing it that way" or something to bail him out.

Troy gets a pass from me. There have been Aikman interviews where he admits he had bad stretches due to the numerous severe concussions he sustained. He's worked hard to get to where he can do what he does. His brain is all messed up is what I'm saying.

You do remember Buddy Ryan turning loose some vintage Eagle 46 defenses on him his first two years, don't you? Aikman took a worse beating those years than poor old Archie Manning back in the day. And let's not forget, when people say Terry Bradshaw is dumb -- how smart would you be after this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcQqwpCFJ4&t=17

---

Troy gets a pass from me too, as I don't think he said anything wrong.
I mean how far have we fallen if criticizing a ticky-tack roughing call with a "dresses" comment gets one in trouble. Who does that offend? And who cares....!
Being this woke is total BS.
I'm glad I grew up in the era of Howard, Frank, and Dandy Don in the booth.

---

We were debating the other day at lunch about how Howard got in trouble for referring to the Colt RB, who was about 5'8", as "a little monkey."

Well, I explained, first of all, that crew was half in the bag most broadcasts, or at least Don and Howard were. And second, my grandfather (an old hard-nosed German dude) routinely referred to hyperkinetic children as "little monkeys." He used that phrase often, and he was about the same age as Cosell. It had nothing to do with racism -- it was just something grandfathers said about youngsters. Cosell may have been guilty of being overly paternal, but he was not really being racist. He got all kinds of hell for it.

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by redietz

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Originally Posted by monet

Gee Whiz redietz... take off the dresses!!

---

I watch football with no sound, so I missed all the action. If I were his partner, I would have made some sideways comment like, "You're right, but you're going to catch heck for phrasing it that way" or something to bail him out.

Troy gets a pass from me. There have been Aikman interviews where he admits he had bad stretches due to the numerous severe concussions he sustained. He's worked hard to get to where he can do what he does. His brain is all messed up is what I'm saying.

You do remember Buddy Ryan turning loose some vintage Eagle 46 defenses on him his first two years, don't you? Aikman took a worse beating those years than poor old Archie Manning back in the day. And let's not forget, when people say Terry Bradshaw is dumb -- how smart would you be after this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcQqwpCFJ4&t=17

---

Troy gets a pass from me too, as I don't think he said anything wrong.
I mean how far have we fallen if criticizing a ticky-tack roughing call with a "dresses" comment gets one in trouble. Who does that offend? And who cares....!
Being this woke is total BS.
I'm glad I grew up in the era of Howard, Frank, and Dandy Don in the booth.

---

Duplicate and delayed post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by monet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

After Week Five, here are the "Obscure Contest Results." For those who think picking outright winners in the NFL and totals is a worthless skill, please skip the following:

1) Back on the leaderboard at Northbet, tied for 11th out of between 500 and 600.

2) Tied for 50th in Heritage out of a couple thousand (my prime time totals have not gone well).

3) Tied for first out of roughly 1300 in Topbet. Odds are way against winning it with this many people, but I can't complain about the position. Now all I have to do to hang onto first is pick a winner between Washington and the Bears. Gag me with a spoon. Lose the game, and I drop to fifth or sixth.

---

A quick reenactment of what redietz says and probably thinks, every week, before kickoff...

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OQRqXPJzXBY

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Weird Al was a California native, right? How did he get so in tune with coal region polka sensibilities?

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Originally Posted by redietz

Weird Al was a California native, right? How did he get so in tune with coal region polka sensibilities?

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His family was into it and they were from West Virginia and Cleveland.
Look up Frankie Yankovic.
"America's Polka King"

I had to listen to my father sing this all the time but I grew up in Western Pennsylvania.
Not much difference between West Virginia and Cleveland if you know the area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zg1pnTPKC0

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Originally Posted by monet

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Originally Posted by redietz

Weird Al was a California native, right? How did he get so in tune with coal region polka sensibilities?

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His family was into it and they were from West Virginia and Cleveland.
Look up Frankie Yankovic.
"America's Polka King"

I had to listen to my father sing this all the time but I grew up in Western Pennsylvania.
Not much difference between West Virginia and Cleveland if you know the area.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zg1pnTPKC0

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This is great! One generation removed from, and the precursor for one of my fave Spinal Tap songs:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjC0vMIrOAk

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Originally Posted by redietz

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by redietz

I watch football with no sound, so I missed all the action. If I were his partner, I would have made some sideways comment like, "You're right, but you're going to catch heck for phrasing it that way" or something to bail him out.

Troy gets a pass from me. There have been Aikman interviews where he admits he had bad stretches due to the numerous severe concussions he sustained. He's worked hard to get to where he can do what he does. His brain is all messed up is what I'm saying.

You do remember Buddy Ryan turning loose some vintage Eagle 46 defenses on him his first two years, don't you? Aikman took a worse beating those years than poor old Archie Manning back in the day. And let's not forget, when people say Terry Bradshaw is dumb -- how smart would you be after this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtcQqwpCFJ4&t=17

---

Troy gets a pass from me too, as I don't think he said anything wrong.
I mean how far have we fallen if criticizing a ticky-tack roughing call with a "dresses" comment gets one in trouble. Who does that offend? And who cares....!
Being this woke is total BS.
I'm glad I grew up in the era of Howard, Frank, and Dandy Don in the booth.

---

We were debating the other day at lunch about how Howard got in trouble for referring to the Colt RB, who was about 5'8", as "a little monkey."

Well, I explained, first of all, that crew was half in the bag most broadcasts, or at least Don and Howard were. And second, my grandfather (an old hard-nosed German dude) routinely referred to hyperkinetic children as "little monkeys." He used that phrase often, and he was about the same age as Cosell. It had nothing to do with racism -- it was just something grandfathers said about youngsters. Cosell may have been guilty of being overly paternal, but he was not really being racist. He got all kinds of hell for it.

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No, Cosell was not a racist. It was not even the first time he used that term. BTW, it was Garrett the Redskin WR he was referring to. He got a lot of support, even from Garrett himself, but it ended up pretty much being a career ender as he left MNF at the end of that season.
I remember watching that game and hearing that comment.

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

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IIRC, Ditka used to punt early sometimes (i.e. 3rd down) just to have his D on the field, LOL.

Ok... turns out that is a misconception and the two Yankovic's were not related but did collaborate and Frank did have an influence on Al.

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Originally Posted by redietz

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

---

They had some issues with the quickest release of all time (Marino), but against ordinary folk, they were like the horsemen of the apocalypse.

His Eagle defenses weren't much inferior to those Bears, and they brutalized Aikman his first year in the league. Worst beatings I have ever seen (played them twice, of course).

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That's right,....the Dolphins got em that year. And, on MNF I think.
Had to watch the 72 Dolphins pop champagne.
As for Marino. Agreed.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

---

IIRC, Ditka used to punt early sometimes (i.e. 3rd down) just to have his D on the field, LOL.

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I had not heard that lol.
Really wasn't a Bears fan growing up in San Diego, but I knew I was watching a once in a lifetime defense.
Poor Patriots. Never had a chance.

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by tableplay

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

---

IIRC, Ditka used to punt early sometimes (i.e. 3rd down) just to have his D on the field, LOL.

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I had not heard that lol.
Really wasn't a Bears fan growing up in San Diego, but I knew I was watching a once in a lifetime defense.
Poor Patriots. Never had a chance.

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It was a long time ago Danny, but I think I remember watching at least a couple games where Ditka thought the Bear's offense was playing poorly enough to justify them punting on 3rd down to get the other teams pinned way back inside their 10 yard line so that the Bears could get a safety,fumble or force a punt to get the ball back deep inside the other team's half. He did this more than once in at least one of the games. I guess he did it on 3rd down rather than 4th because he didn't want the other team to at least get close enough to get a field goal and to have one less down for the Bear's offense to turn the ball over in a dangerous position. Or maybe he just wanted to send a message to Mcmahon and the rest of the offense to get their shit together.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by tableplay

IIRC, Ditka used to punt early sometimes (i.e. 3rd down) just to have his D on the field, LOL.

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I had not heard that lol.
Really wasn't a Bears fan growing up in San Diego, but I knew I was watching a once in a lifetime defense.
Poor Patriots. Never had a chance.

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It was a long time ago Danny, but I think I remember watching at least a couple games where Ditka thought the Bear's offense was playing poorly enough to justify them punting on 3rd down to get the other teams pinned way back inside their 10 yard line so that the Bears could get a safety,fumble or force a punt to get the ball back deep inside the other team's half. He did this more than once in at least one of the games. I guess he did it on 3rd down rather than 4th because he didn't want the other team to at least get close enough to get a field goal and to have one less down for the Bear's offense to turn the ball over in a dangerous position. Or maybe he just wanted to send a message to Mcmahon and the rest of the offense to get their shit together.

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Teams did occasionally quick kick back then. Not often, but it wasn't that rare, and especially in bad weather if you had the ball and long yardage. It helped to have a QB who had punt, pass, and kick experience, as many did back then. It was a thing.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by tableplay

IIRC, Ditka used to punt early sometimes (i.e. 3rd down) just to have his D on the field, LOL.

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I had not heard that lol.
Really wasn't a Bears fan growing up in San Diego, but I knew I was watching a once in a lifetime defense.
Poor Patriots. Never had a chance.

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It was a long time ago Danny, but I think I remember watching at least a couple games where Ditka thought the Bear's offense was playing poorly enough to justify them punting on 3rd down to get the other teams pinned way back inside their 10 yard line so that the Bears could get a safety,fumble or force a punt to get the ball back deep inside the other team's half. He did this more than once in at least one of the games. I guess he did it on 3rd down rather than 4th because he didn't want the other team to at least get close enough to get a field goal and to have one less down for the Bear's offense to turn the ball over in a dangerous position. Or maybe he just wanted to send a message to Mcmahon and the rest of the offense to get their shit together.

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Late edit:it might also have been a wind thing (Soldier Field, etc.). So getting the punt off before the change of direction at the quarter break, etc..

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Originally Posted by dannyj

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Originally Posted by redietz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dannyj

Ryan’s 85 Bears defense.
Greatest of all time!

---

They had some issues with the quickest release of all time (Marino), but against ordinary folk, they were like the horsemen of the apocalypse.

His Eagle defenses weren't much inferior to those Bears, and they brutalized Aikman his first year in the league. Worst beatings I have ever seen (played them twice, of course).

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That's right,....the Dolphins got em that year. And, on MNF I think.
Had to watch the 72 Dolphins pop champagne.
As for Marino. Agreed.

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I believe it was MNF. The two Marks beat coverage a couple of times. I think one TD was on a deflection. It was clear early on that the premise of the 46 was not going to have much effect on Marino. The ball came out so fast, even deep balls. There was no wind up. Bad matchup for the Bears, and the Dolphins got lucky on a couple of balls.

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Originally Posted by redietz

Teams did occasionally quick kick back then. Not often, but it wasn't that rare, and especially in bad weather if you had the ball and long yardage. It helped to have a QB who had punt, pass, and kick experience, as many did back then. It was a thing.

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Yes. Danny White comes to mind (honorable mention - Elway). However, as you know, a quick kick is a surprise move done from a non-punting formation (usually from a running formation I would think). What I'm talking about with the '85 Bears is a 3rd down punt from a punting formation. Maybe I am not remembering things correctly since that was a long time ago, but that is what I recall. Obviously Danny White did punts in both quick kick (regular offense 1st thru 3rd down) and conventional punting formations since he was the punter and kicker for the Cowboys as you know.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

Yes. Danny White comes to mind (honorable mention - Elway). However, as you know, a quick kick is a surprise move done from a non-punting formation (usually from a running formation I would think). What I'm talking about with the '85 Bears is a 3rd down punt from a punting formation. Maybe I am not remembering things correctly since that was a long time ago, but that is what I recall.

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This doesn't sound right to me. I watched a documentary just after Buddy Ryan died about 5 years ago and Ryan and Ditka hated each other. Buddy Ryan was hired as defensive coordinator BEFORE Ditka was hired as coach. Ditka didn't want Ryan but was stuck with him and hated that Buddy Ryan got as much if not more credit for that team than he did. I have seen video of both men being carried off the field after the superbowl which has to piss Ditka off. So I can't see him doing that.

In addition, didn't the bears have a decent offense. They had Walter Payton as running back, McMahon at QB and a speedy fast receiver, I forget his name. So I don't see them punting on 3rd and long unless it was 3rd and 26 or something.

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Originally Posted by kewlJ

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Originally Posted by tableplay

Yes. Danny White comes to mind (honorable mention - Elway). However, as you know, a quick kick is a surprise move done from a non-punting formation (usually from a running formation I would think). What I'm talking about with the '85 Bears is a 3rd down punt from a punting formation. Maybe I am not remembering things correctly since that was a long time ago, but that is what I recall.

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This doesn't sound right to me. I watched a documentary just after Buddy Ryan died about 5 years ago and Ryan and Ditka hated each other. Buddy Ryan was hired as defensive coordinator BEFORE Ditka was hired as coach. Ditka didn't want Ryan but was stuck with him and hated that Buddy Ryan got as much if not more credit for that team than he did. I have seen video of both men being carried off the field after the superbowl which has to piss Ditka off. So I can't see him doing that.

In addition, didn't the bears have a decent offense. They had Walter Payton as running back, McMahon at QB and a speedy fast receiver, I forget his name. So I don't see them punting on 3rd and long unless it was 3rd and 26 or something.

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You're probably referring to their receiver Willie Gault. I think the Bears did have a decent offense too. One of the reasons Walter Payton rightfully receives so many accolades is because he didn't have the greatest offensive line, but got things done anyway. Maybe at some point, someone who was a Bears fan that followed them closely that season will read this thread and can clarify how often they did third down punts and out of a punting formation. Also, maybe trying to remember things from 37 years ago is a fool's errand.

Now Randall Cunningham, playing for Buddy Ryan and the Eagles, famously had a 91 yard punt from his own 2 yard line (rolling a good part of the way), to the Giants 7 yard line. I am not sure if that was a quick kick on 3rd down or was 4th down in punting formation, but obviously Cunningham wasn't the normal punter, so makes me think it was 3rd down and that surprise might have been why it rolled for a good distance (because no one was back to receive the punt). I don't know though.

And yes, Willie Gault was the receiver. He was an Olympian sprinter right?

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by redietz

Teams did occasionally quick kick back then. Not often, but it wasn't that rare, and especially in bad weather if you had the ball and long yardage. It helped to have a QB who had punt, pass, and kick experience, as many did back then. It was a thing.

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Yes. Danny White comes to mind (honorable mention - Elway). However, as you know, a quick kick is a surprise move done from a non-punting formation (usually from a running formation I would think). What I'm talking about with the '85 Bears is a 3rd down punt from a punting formation. Maybe I am not remembering things correctly since that was a long time ago, but that is what I recall. Obviously Danny White did punts in both quick kick (regular offense 1st thru 3rd down) and conventional punting formations since he was the punter and kicker for the Cowboys as you know.

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Here's a little Danny White trivia. White was an excellent coffin corner punter. Part of his expertise had to do with the curvature of the Cowboys' home field. As you know, none of the NFL fields are really flat. Some have more of a drainage slope to them than others. The Cowboys' field had a really severe slope to the out of bounds. White perfected nailing his kicks so that they'd hit the slope and angle out of bounds. I'm not sure if Dallas had the most severe slope, but they were in the top couple.

One reason teams had some adjusting to do playing in Europe the first few times was that the international fields were more truly flat than the American fields.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by kewlJ

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Originally Posted by tableplay

Yes. Danny White comes to mind (honorable mention - Elway). However, as you know, a quick kick is a surprise move done from a non-punting formation (usually from a running formation I would think). What I'm talking about with the '85 Bears is a 3rd down punt from a punting formation. Maybe I am not remembering things correctly since that was a long time ago, but that is what I recall.

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This doesn't sound right to me. I watched a documentary just after Buddy Ryan died about 5 years ago and Ryan and Ditka hated each other. Buddy Ryan was hired as defensive coordinator BEFORE Ditka was hired as coach. Ditka didn't want Ryan but was stuck with him and hated that Buddy Ryan got as much if not more credit for that team than he did. I have seen video of both men being carried off the field after the superbowl which has to piss Ditka off. So I can't see him doing that.

In addition, didn't the bears have a decent offense. They had Walter Payton as running back, McMahon at QB and a speedy fast receiver, I forget his name. So I don't see them punting on 3rd and long unless it was 3rd and 26 or something.

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You're probably referring to their receiver Willie Gault. I think the Bears did have a decent offense too. One of the reasons Walter Payton rightfully receives so many accolades is because he didn't have the greatest offensive line, but got things done anyway. Maybe at some point, someone who was a Bears fan that followed them closely that season will read this thread and can clarify how often they did third down punts and out of a punting formation. Also, maybe trying to remember things from 37 years ago is a fool's errand.

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When the Bears had a terrible offense, Payton was a warrior. Literally, he would bang for 3 1/2 yards no matter what, and those runs were herculean efforts. It was when the Bears were goddawful on offense that I really came to appreciate Payton. He was the whole friggin' offense. Anything anyone else did was because the defenses were geared to dealing with Payton.

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Originally Posted by kewlJ

He was an Olympian sprinter right?

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That's right. An extremely talented individual. Did Ok for the Raiders too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tableplay

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Originally Posted by kewlJ

This doesn't sound right to me. I watched a documentary just after Buddy Ryan died about 5 years ago and Ryan and Ditka hated each other. Buddy Ryan was hired as defensive coordinator BEFORE Ditka was hired as coach. Ditka didn't want Ryan but was stuck with him and hated that Buddy Ryan got as much if not more credit for that team than he did. I have seen video of both men being carried off the field after the superbowl which has to piss Ditka off. So I can't see him doing that.

In addition, didn't the bears have a decent offense. They had Walter Payton as running back, McMahon at QB and a speedy fast receiver, I forget his name. So I don't see them punting on 3rd and long unless it was 3rd and 26 or something.

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You're probably referring to their receiver Willie Gault. I think the Bears did have a decent offense too. One of the reasons Walter Payton rightfully receives so many accolades is because he didn't have the greatest offensive line, but got things done anyway. Maybe at some point, someone who was a Bears fan that followed them closely that season will read this thread and can clarify how often they did third down punts and out of a punting formation. Also, maybe trying to remember things from 37 years ago is a fool's errand.

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When the Bears had a terrible offense, Payton was a warrior. Literally, he would bang for 3 1/2 yards no matter what, and those runs were herculean efforts. It was when the Bears were goddawful on offense that I really came to appreciate Payton. He was the whole friggin' offense. Anything anyone else did was because the defenses were geared to dealing with Payton.

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Great points. He'll never be forgotten.

Cardinals may just have saved their season by activating Hopkins off the steroid suspension list and acquiring Anderson. They should never have allowed Kirk to leave.

Here's the contest(s) update after six weeks. I will update this every two weeks, good or bad.

1) Tied for 61st out of a couple thousand in Heritage Race to the Super Bowl. I won this about six years ago, which was cool. I won 25K in wagers on the SB. I have done really, really badly this season picking primetime NFL totals.

2) Tied for 11th in NorthBet Pick the Pros out of 500+. The best I have ever done in this was second.

3) Tied for first in TopBet NFL Picks Contest out of 1300+. This will not be easy to win, as there are 20 entrants within two games of the leaders. It will be challenging and fun to try. My first pain-in-the-ass decision will be the Thursday night game, with Arizona vs. the Saints. Win and stay in first. Lose and drop.

Week Eight looks impossible. After Week Seven:

1) Dropped to 72nd in Heritage. Getting murdered in primetime totals.
2) Moved up to tie for ninth in NorthBet.
3) Tied for first in TopBet.

There is no way to do well Week Eight, so I have to accept that holding first is highly unlikely. The important thing is to stay patient if I take a beating this week. Usually you have to outperform the linesmakers by at least seven or eight games to contend in these things. I'm three or four games ahead of the linesmakers at this juncture, depending on opening versus closing lines. Odds are always against actually winning any of these, but usually when I'm in the hunt, I manage to stay in the hunt.

Do you think Mattress Mack is hedging his 75 Million Dollar Ticket(s)?

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Originally Posted by monet

Do you think Mattress Mack is hedging his 75 Million Dollar Ticket(s)?

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I always assume he hedges some of it from the beginning. He recruited some of the LVA guys to help him organize his wagering a few years back. I assume he does that every year, but maybe keeps it quieter these days.

I think the series line is a little light, but I know nothing about baseball.

So he gets $75 million if the Astros win and he doubles everyone's furniture payout? Sounds like fun.

I doubt he sat out the Yankees series, so I'm guessing he now has a good chunk invested in this, so yeah, he'll hedge. I guess the question is where. He can spread it around. Pinnacle offshore. Circa. SuperBook. MGM will take a chunk. I'm wondering if his position works for or against him when it comes to negotiating the line.

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Originally Posted by redietz

Week Eight looks impossible. After Week Seven:

1) Dropped to 72nd in Heritage. Getting murdered in primetime totals.
2) Moved up to tie for ninth in NorthBet.
3) Tied for first in TopBet.

There is no way to do well Week Eight, so I have to accept that holding first is highly unlikely. The important thing is to stay patient if I take a beating this week. Usually you have to outperform the linesmakers by at least seven or eight games to contend in these things. I'm three or four games ahead of the linesmakers at this juncture, depending on opening versus closing lines. Odds are always against actually winning any of these, but usually when I'm in the hunt, I manage to stay in the hunt.

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The bad news is that I got killed this past week. The good news is I hardly budged in standings.

1) Tied for 74th in Heritage out of a couple thousand. I couldn't pick a primetime total if I knew the halftime score.
2) Tied for 10th in Northbet out of 500+. Got clobbered but dropped one spot.
3) Tied for first in TopBet out of 1300+. Don't know how I didn't drop a ton, but I didn't.

Got killed and still remained in first place in TopBet?
Seems odd.
1300 hundred people betting the same bets?

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Originally Posted by monet

Got killed and still remained in first place in TopBet?
Seems odd.
1300 hundred people betting the same bets?

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That's one possibility. Another is the message of being so far ahead in 1st place in the TopBet contest that, getting killed, he is still in first place. I think we both know which possibility is more likely. Totally unrelated to these two possibilities, I am randomly pasting a screenshot below.

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Originally Posted by tableplay

That's one possibility. Another is the message of being so far ahead in 1st place in the TopBet contest that, getting killed, he is still in first place. I think we both know which possibility is more likely. Totally unrelated to these two possibilities, I am randomly pasting a screenshot below.

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Hard to believe that he is that far ahead.
Hard to believe that someone isn't controlling multiple accounts.
I'd like to see the picks posted a few hours before post time please... thanks.
This brings me to a song and movie reco at the same time.

All the Way or better known as the Joker is Wild.
Currently Free on Youtube.
The audio seems a little funny.
I'll have to check my dvd and see if the audio syncs better.
This youtube version isn't bad... certainly watchable.
(Eddie Albert before Green Acres)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfEX9Z4NkCM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5rSwoG7YCg

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Originally Posted by monet

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Originally Posted by tableplay

That's one possibility. Another is the message of being so far ahead in 1st place in the TopBet contest that, getting killed, he is still in first place. I think we both know which possibility is more likely. Totally unrelated to these two possibilities, I am randomly pasting a screenshot below.

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Hard to believe that he is that far ahead.
Hard to believe that someone isn't controlling multiple accounts.
I'd like to see the picks posted a few hours before post time please... thanks.
This brings me to a song and movie reco at the same time.

All the Way or better known as the Joker is Wild.
Currently Free on Youtube.
The audio seems a little funny.
I'll have to check my dvd and see if the audio syncs better.
This youtube version isn't bad... certainly watchable.
(Eddie Albert before Green Acres)

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I appreciate the reco Monet. Eddie Albert was terrific so I doubt he'll disappoint in Joker is Wild.

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Originally Posted by monet

Got killed and still remained in first place in TopBet?
Seems odd.
1300 hundred people betting the same bets?

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Well, it's not like the results are opaque. It's a no spread contest, so when you start the week with two favorites (Bucs, JVille) who lose outright, you are "getting killed" because you can't do worse if you took them. I had them. I got 10 out of 14 games right, which is not good...at all. The previous co-leader did worse -- 8-6. But a guy who was two games back went 12-2 and caught me. Actually was ahead of me going into the 4 PM games, as it turned out.

So no, it's the opposite. Everybody is taking radically different games because so many underdogs are winning outright this season.

You guys draw conclusions that are completely wrong so often that it's really surprising to me. Surely you have been in those free or low-cost no-spread Las Vegas contests like Boyd and Palace Station used to run every year.

Squinting at the standings, I see that one guy went 13-1 and is one game behind me and the 12-2 dude. Everybody is taking very different teams. My best shot is if things settle down and all of these three or four point underdogs don't keep winning.

Monet, you must have been in the old Barbary Coast and Palace contests. My girlfriend won a house in Palace Station way back maybe 30 years ago. The best I ever did was winning a cruise for two at the old Barbary Coast. I sold it to a friend. I split the weekly prizes many times, but never for more than 2K. I think the best I did in the season-ending prizes besides the cruises was 1k, which I got pretty much every year, but never significantly more than that.

One guy in the old Barbary Contest, a local business owner, coordinated 1100 entries out of 30,000. He had all of his employees put entries in and he organized them. I was told by BC staff that he had the second biggest organized cartel in the contest.

Well, now that I read his posts, I suppose tableplay was taking a shot at me without facts. Nothing new. A lot of these "APs" lack facts. Or evidence. Or actual expertise. They are, after all, APs. The experts to end all experts, even when they have no idea what they are talking about. Tableplay, in this instance, decided to be snarky without actually (1) reading what I wrote or (2) bothering to check and see if what he was saying was at all accurate. Must be a special skill set for some APs -- ability to read without comprehending and knowing things without doing any actual checking. Congrats, tableplay, you are the classic AP.

Talk about "humble brags." Tableplay assumes he knows what he's talking about without checking anything. Then labels someone else as "humble bragging." What I posted was completely accurate and not terribly humble. I did the math. Out of the top 30 people in the contest, four had worse records than me last week. Twenty-three had better records. Three had the same. That seems a reasonable definition of "getting killed."

Well, it seems to me that just presuming you know what you're talking about without fact checking, and then saying that someone else is humble bragging, is a form of humble bragging itself. Because you are presuming people should take you at your word because, well, because you're always/generally/inevitably right? But you don't state that you're always/generally/inevitably right. You just want folks to assume it.

So congrats on the humble bragging, tableplay. Another AP skill that goes humbly unnoticed so many times.

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Originally Posted by redietz

Talk about "humble brags." Tableplay assumes he knows what he's talking about without checking anything.

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I didn't assume anything. I mentioned them as possibilities.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

Talk about "humble brags." Tableplay assumes he knows what he's talking about without checking anything. Then labels someone else as "humble bragging." What I posted was completely accurate and not terribly humble. I did the math. Out of the top 30 people in the contest, four had worse records than me last week. Twenty-three had better records. Three had the same. That seems a reasonable definition of "getting killed."

Well, it seems to me that just presuming you know what you're talking about without fact checking, and then saying that someone else is humble bragging, is a form of humble bragging itself. Because you are presuming people should take you at your word because, well, because you're always/generally/inevitably right? But you don't state that you're always/generally/inevitably right. You just want folks to assume it.

So congrats on the humble bragging, tableplay. Another AP skill that goes humbly unnoticed so many times.

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He did get you to type out a very lengthy response and that isn't very easy to do.

Mixed results.

1) Dropped to 94th in Heritage.
2) Moved into tie for sixth at NorthBet.
3) Dropped into solo second at TopBet.

This is hard. People are really winging it. I had those mixed results with identical lineups in terms of teams (Heritage also has totals). I had to win both the Bucs and Ravens games to be where I am. Just very tough.

Another brutal Thursday night choice on the agenda this week.

I got absolutely clobbered again. Went 6-8 picking outright winners in NorthBet, which is awful. Results:

1) Moved into 89th in Heritage out of a couple thousand. Got some totals right for a change.
2) Dropped into tie for eighth in NorthBet out of 500+.
3) Tied for second in TopBet out of 1300+.

If not for Tom Brady these last two weeks, I'd really have gotten my ass kicked. I don't even like Brady, but when the chips are down in toss-up games, the only QB I'd rather have is Joe Montana. And Montana is who Brady modeled himself on.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

If not for Tom Brady these last two weeks, I'd really have gotten my ass kicked. I don't even like Brady, but when the chips are down in toss-up games, the only QB I'd rather have is Joe Montana. And Montana is who Brady modeled himself on.

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This doesn't mean much but in my opinion Montana had far better players around him and I'm sure that you will agree that 80s NFL was completely different compared to 2000 on up.
With that being said, Tom Brady is by far the Greatest QB of All Time in my book and I'm not a Pats or Brady fan.
Montana was tougher and took way more punishment.
So an individual could argue that Montana and other QBs are better because they had to play with all the pain and vicious defensive hits over and over again.
One thing is for sure, it was way more entertaining to watch 70s, 80s and 90s NFL and NHL.
I'm sure the 60s NFL and NHL was just as fun.
And the MLB in those days was just Epic.

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Originally Posted by monet

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redietz

If not for Tom Brady these last two weeks, I'd really have gotten my ass kicked. I don't even like Brady, but when the chips are down in toss-up games, the only QB I'd rather have is Joe Montana. And Montana is who Brady modeled himself on.

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This doesn't mean much but in my opinion Montana had far better players around him and I'm sure that you will agree that 80s NFL was completely different compared to 2000 on up.
With that being said, Tom Brady is by far the Greatest QB of All Time in my book and I'm not a Pats or Brady fan.
Montana was tougher and took way more punishment.
So an individual could argue that Montana and other QBs are better because they had to play with all the pain and vicious defensive hits over and over again.
One thing is for sure, it was way more entertaining to watch 70s, 80s and 90s NFL and NHL.
I'm sure the 60s NFL and NHL was just as fun.
And the MLB in those days was just Epic.

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I was on The Amazing Mets bandwagon as a 12-year-old. We got their games on WPIX, I think. Cleon Jones, Tommy Agee, Seaver.

If you want to see an underappreciated QB at the time, take a look at Archie Manning's old clips. He played for a horrendous team, which is probably why Eli was so hard core about who he'd play for during the draft and who he wouldn't. Archie got murdered every week; it was pitiful.

Brady is pure assassin. I look at Montana two ways -- yeah, he had better players around him. But yeah, he also made everyone around him better. From what I've read, Brady is/was a real Montana fan. Montana was his guy.

Not much to report:

1) Currently 92nd in Heritage.
2) Tied for fifth in NorthBet out of 500+.
3) Tied for second in Topbet out of 1300+.

TopBet was interesting. I had been two games out of first in Topbet and with my 11-3 record was hoping to have made up a game. A guy one game behind me got them all correct and blew into first place, and the first place guy did not do well, and I passed him. Thus, I am still tied for second.

Got some totals right in Heritage for a change. The Colts loss hurt me in all of the contests.

1) Moved up to 59th in Heritage.
2) Tied for fifth in NorthBet. Thursday had moved me into fifth alone, then Monday put me back into a tie.
3) Alone in second in TopBet.

I'm at the point where I need to accept that I'm likely not actually winning any of these, so I need to just work to maintain where I am.

Uneventful week.

1) Dropped to 78th in Heritage. Lost two totals by a combined two points.
2) Dropped to solo seventh in Northbet.
3) Stayed in solo second in TopBet, but closed to within one game of the leader.

With two weeks to go:

1) Dropped to 132nd in Heritage out of a couple thousand. Could not get a Prime Time NFL total correct to save my life.
2) Tied for ninth in NorthBet (out of 500+).
3) Tied for second in TopBet (out of 1300+). One game out of the lead.

Denver (as a -3) losing outright to the Rams hurt me. Almost took the Rams in NorthBet, but just did not have the balls. I think Denver was working to get the coach relieved of duties.

Heading into the Monday Night game, I'm sitting alone in first of the weekly part of the NorthBet contest. You have the option of changing your MNF pick until 10 minutes before the game. I picked the Bengals originally, but I may change that.

If I get it right, I finish first in the weekly. If I'm wrong, there are about 10 people directly behind me, half of whom would undoubtedly tie me.

I got one game wrong thus far. Dan will like the fact I got the Eagles wrong. I was actually rooting for the Saints for my own selfish -- Dallas at +750 and +1000 to win the NFC -- reasons.

So 14-1 heading into MNF.

With the Bills/Bengals no-contest, I won the weekly Northbet contest with a 14-1 record. That record moved me into sixth overall for the season out of 500+.

Now, in case anyone is following along, I do NOT recommend taking who I take this week. Top five cash, and I am sixth. I'm one game out of the money and four games out of the lead.

Sometimes, when faced with this kind of contest for modest money, I just say the hell with any prize money and post the best record I can. But since there are many brutal games with third string QBs and dead-in-the-water coaches, I'll take a whack at moving up by taking five or six whackadoodle underdogs. That doesn't mean I think these teams should be moneyline bet; it just means it's my way of taking a longshot attempt at making it into the top three. Not going to happen, but I will take the shot.

Note: I had taken the Bengals in the MNF game, then two hours before kickoff, I changed to the Bills because the Bills had gone to -2 1/2. Then an hour before kickoff, I said the hell with it and changed it back to the Bengals.

Final tallies:

1) Finished 147 out of a couple thousand in Heritage. Could not pick a prime time total correctly. I was so bad, it was scary.
2) In Northbet, I took my underdog shot in an attempt to crack the top five but lost three of four whackjob underdogs. Finished tied for eighth out of 500+.

TopBet's NFL Picks Pool had 1328 entries. Let me say that again with a comma for emphasis -- TopBet's NFL Picks Pool had 1,328 entries.

Honestly, I did a C+ job. Made many mistakes, was not aggressive, made some fundamental misjudgements, not so much regarding teams but when to pull the trigger on them in toss-up games.

So here's how I finished:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FP808MiJUcM

Not a dream. Not an "AP" imaginary tale. Just some expertise that could be checked week after week after week.

Arrivederci.