#episodes 5-9 about to be grand slams. every single one. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rickhorrow · 5 years

Text

10 To Watch : Mayor’s Edition 9919

RICK HORROW’S TOP 10 SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 9 : MAYOR’S EDITION

with Jacob Aere

1. NFL Network rolls out centennial celebrations on air. Thursday marked an historic occasion as the NFL's 100th season got under way with the 2019 NFL Kickoff. NFL Media has been building up to the occasion with a slate of NFL Network series and specials that celebrate the “memories, moments and people that have made the NFL an iconic brand for 100 seasons.” The league announced that “NFL 100 Greatest” and “NFL 100 All-Time Team” would be serving as the anchor series for the full lineup of NFL 100 programming, with additional series “NFL 100 Roundtables” and “NFL 100 Sessions” also showcased across the network this fall. NFL 100 Greatest debuts September 13, rolling out over 10 weeks with two one-hour episodes airing back-to-back every Friday night. NFL Films conducted more than 400 interviews with celebrities, current NFL stars, and legends that will air across 20, one-hour episodes. “NFL 100 Roundtables” debuts September 27 as a special eight-part series that connects some of the greatest to play the game by position. It’s also worth noting that Thursday’s NFL season kickoff on NBC scored 22 million viewers, a 16% jump over last year.

2. Nearly one-quarter of adults in the United States say they would bet on an NFL game this season if it were legal in their state, according to a recent survey commissioned by the American Gaming Association. An online poll conducted for the gambling trade association by Morning Consult last month found that 24% of adults would bet if they could do so legally, while 39% of avid NFL fans plan to bet on a game this season, legally or not. The survey also drew the now familiar correlation between betting and engagement. Three-fourths of NFL bettors said they are more likely to view a game when they wager on it, while 51% said they are more likely to watch pregame shows if they intend to bet. Based on the survey, the AGA projects that 38 million American adults will bet on NFL games this season – and you can bet the league will continue to monitor this scenario very closely.

3. Buffalo Wild Wings moves toward the sports gambling world alongside MGM. According to USA Today, the two giants released a mobile football game designed to let customers pick favorite NFL teams, choose weekly fantasy performers and make proposition picks. The name of the partnership is called Roar Digital, and it tries to offer a sports betting-style experience beginning with a free-to-play football game. Odds and point spreads will appear on screens at select Buffalo Wild Wings. The long term goal is to have Buffalo Wild Wings expand in states where sports betting is legal through a mobile app called BetMGM. Although there won’t be cash bets at first, players can win prizes such as trips to Las Vegas or to the Borgata casino in New Jersey to compete in the first BetMGM sports betting competition. This partnership looks to capitalize on the casual gamer and new sports bettors – a route that may find success on the back of Buffalo Wild Wings’ 1,200 restaurants across 10 countries, with abundant clientele to test the new venture.

4. Spaniard Rafael Nadal won the 2019 U.S. Open and his 19th Grand Slam title. Canadian Bianca Andreescu won her first Open and first Slam respectively. Both singles winners took home $3.85 million paychecks. But those winnings are a mere blip to the cash cow tennis tournament. According to Hashtag Sports, in 2018, the two-week-long U.S. Open generated $65 million in sponsorship deals alone. Tickets and broadcasting pulled in $120 million each; while concessions added $30 million. And in 2019, the annual tournament, put on by the nonprofit USTA, was on target to have the biggest year in its 51-year history. The U.S. Open is evolving, and becoming more brand-friendly, by design, and tennis is reaching a global audience at an unprecedented scale. The sponsors on the ground at Billie Jean King Tennis Center reflect the global appeal of the sport. Heineken is the official beer, not a domestic brew. Rolex replaced Citizen as the official timekeeper. Emirates is the official airline. And the spacious newly-renovated facility attracted 737,872 spectators this year, an all-time attendance record. If you build it, the brands, and the fans, will come.

5. Disney has completed the sale of its 80% stake in the YES Network for $3.47 billion to an investor group comprising the New York Yankees, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and Amazon. Sinclair acquired a majority stake in the YES Network as part of its $71.3 billion purchase of Fox assets in 2017, though it had to divest the property due to a Department of Justice order last summer, along with 21 other RSNs purchased by Sinclair for $10.6 billion. The YES Network, of which the Yankees already own a 20% share, broadcasts Yankees games and also those of the Brooklyn Nets. An announcement made by all parties on August 29 confirmed the transaction, which brings an end to a year of negotiations between Disney and prospective buyers for the 22 Fox RSNs. The networks were originally valued in the region of $20 billion, though have been sold for just over $14 billion. For Sinclair, the deal adds to its portfolio or regional sports rights while Amazon continues its push into sports broadcasting.

6. Oracle launches a new series of lower-tier professional tennis tournaments across the U.S. As the American leg of the global pro tennis circuit drew to a close, Larry Ellison’s company announced the Oracle Pro Series, comprising approximately 25 new women’s tournaments and 25 new men’s tournaments, with the intention of providing American players with a better route to the top-tier ATP and WTA tours. Most of the tournaments will be staged as combined events, with equal prize money and many will take place on college campuses. The prize funds will range from $25,000 to $108,000 per competition. Crucially, according to the New York Times, ATP and WTA ranking points will be up for grabs at each of the tournaments, which will enable players to step up to tennis’ elite men’s and women’s circuits. The new series is to be managed by InsideOut Sports & Entertainment, the New York-based event production company founded by former World Number One player Jim Courier. Seven combined events will take place later this year in California, Florida, and Texas before the series begins in full next year.

7. Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco will donate $200 per strikeout for the rest of the season to childhood cancer research after just beating cancer himself. According to CBS Sports, Carrasco returned to the mound on September 3 for the first time since May 30 after he was diagnosed with leukemia. On top of being celebrated by his teammates for such a healthy and quick return, Carrasco came up with the new charity name to support his childhood cancer research: Punch Out Cancer with Cookie. As September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, it is only appropriate that Carrasco announced his charity during the final month of MLB’s regular season. Further, New Balance and other MLB partners play a role in donations to fight childhood cancer. The sporting goods company will even match donations made on punchoutcancerwithcookie.com to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital up to $200,000. After defeating his own form of cancer, it seems Carrasco isn’t taking any moment for granted and is already giving back to those similarly afflicted.

8. Former NFL player Mike Brown is using gaming as a way to modernize philanthropy. According to Black Enterprise, the former Colts linebacker created Win-Win after he observed an overall decline in the number of people donating to charity. Win-Win tackles this problem to help pro athletes, entertainers, and anyone with influence activate their fans to support causes they care about through games in which users pick winners for upcoming sporting events. After making picks, users donate to enter the competition and unlock unique perks and prizes like dinner with their favorite athlete – the activity becomes a mixture of gambling and philanthropy for a charity cause. To push his company to the next level, Brown recently launched an equity crowdfunding campaign for Win-Win to allow for fan investments. After exceeding his initial fundraising goal, he is now building the platform and launching new partnerships. By leveraging star power and the newest forms of technology into philanthropy, Brown looks to be a leader in sports philanthropy.

9.From an agency perspective, the NFL is moving in the right direction. Rick recently sat down with Arnold Wright, Executive Vice President and co-head of consulting for Octagon. Wright brings NFL team, league, and player deals to life for sponsors including Castrol, Delta, Bank of America, and others. “The league is obviously an incredible platform that leaps up year to year in terms of ratings and engagement,” Wright said. “The on field action is also as good as it’s ever been.” From a global perspective, Wright says, “The international piece in particular has been great for the league. You continue to see key markets like the UK, Mexico, and even Brazil growing internationally. It’s bringing other brands into the NFL ecosystem from a partner and promotional perspective.” As for the NFL’s 100th season platform, Wright says, “The league has done a lot of really great work in terms of positioning themselves, celebrating the history of the league from a player and a fan perspective. They have demonstrated a real savviness around their marketing and their connectivity to fans. The league several years ago probably would not have demonstrated that level of flexibility in terms of their marketing and what you could do with their platforms. But that’s certainly changed.”

10. The new Roc Nation and NFL partnership will donate $400,000 to Chicago charities. The two charities that will receive the support are the Better Boys Foundation Family Services organization and the Crusher’s Club. According to Variety, both groups are designed to present local at-risk youth with alternatives to gang violence and criminal activity. The donation is attached to a free concert in a “Songs of the Season” series that featured Meek Mill, Meghan Trainor, and Rapsody in Chicago. The three performers, along with Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, will visit the programs this week. The event is the first in a planned Inspire Change series that will make similar donations in each NFL city. Songs of the Season is an initiative that will run throughout the season in which selected musicians will create and deliver a song to be integrated in all NFL promotions each month and their songs’ proceeds will go toward Inspire Change. Although Jay-Z took heat for partnering with the NFL, it seems that through his collaboration he will be able to make a large impact on social injustices.

#10 #10towatch

0 notes

montalbanotechnology · 6 years

Text

2018 NFL Win Totals and Over/Unders: Breaking down what Las Vegas expects for every team

The 2018 NFL Draft is over which means teams have done their offseason work in preparation for the 2018 season. The dead period is here; we know a lot about these teams (and yet so little), so the next logical step is for Las Vegas to release over/under win totals for every NFL team. And the step after that is for us to take a microscope to those totals and figure out everything we can about each NFL team.

It’s entirely stupid, but guessing which teams will be good and which teams will be bad in May is my favorite thing I do every year. And despite what you might think, I’m OK at it! In fact, if I listened to May me in August, I’d be much better off.

Two years ago I did these by conference (10-5-1 in the AFC, 8-7-1 in the NFC) and last year I did them by division. I was absolutely SCORCHING in the AFC:

My best bets from the AFC, in May, were the Chargers over 7.5 (win) and Jets under 5.5 (win, it would later drop to 3.5 but they would go under the original 5.5, just for the record).

The NFC, once again, wasn’t quite as good, but still over .500.

Lost the Cardinals over best bet. Boy that was bad. I did hit the Bears under 5.5 wins as a best bet though, which brings my four best bets to 3-1 overall. Not too shabby.

All told I went 21-9-2 on over/under picks from May last year. WHEW. Again, it would have been helpful if I remembered these thoughts in August. Whatever. This year we’re getting even more granular. With the Pick Six Podcast going daily — 30-ish minutes of NFL news and notes and analysis every morning by 6 a.m., you should subscribe via: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play — and me wanting to fill some space and take some deeper dives on these teams, we’re going to hit a separate post on every single team’s over-under total for the year along with a separate podcast with a guest relating to the team.

This is the landing page for those posts as well as the podcast on each team (although, again, subscribe and you’ll get the podcast sent straight to your app every morning). Bookmark this page and come back over the next month or so as we fill out those teams.

If you have thoughts on what you want to hear for a particular team or just general suggestions and complaints, hit me on Twitter @WillBrinson.

NFC East

Giants Win Total Breakdown | Giants Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

That is an extremely low win total for a team being universally praised coming out of the draft; it implies the reworked offensive line with Nate Solder and Will Hernandez will not open up tons of holes for Saquon Barkley and that Eli Manning may be, in fact, old and washed.

2017 Result (9.0): Under

And by a lot! The Giants were terrible and completely fell apart in all facets. They benched Eli for Geno Smith late in the season for no real reason. Everyone was fired.

Redskins Win Total Breakdown | Redskins Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 7

The Redskins are a really under-appreciated sleeper to hit the over, because swapping in Alex Smith, even in a new offense, gives them a very high floor.

2017 Result (7.5): Under

Offensive line injuries cratered Washington’s season and they couldn’t hang in the playoff race despite a strong year from Kirk Cousins.

Cowboys Win Total Breakdown | Cowboys Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 8.5

A submerged total with the new offense — now more "Dak Friendly"? — still very much a question mark and the pass catchers looking like a bunch of newbies. It’s a hard team to figure out but the public always leans over here.

2017 Result (9.5): Under

Dallas fought hard to try and make the playoffs, but it was ultimately derailed by a dropoff in offensive line play plus Ezekiel Elliott’s lengthy legal battle and suspension.

Eagles Win Total Breakdown | Eagles Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 10.5

If Carson Wentz comes back healthy for Week 1, 10 wins is the floor, but oddly the juice favors the under here (+120 to the over, which is just a hard number to hit).

2017 Result (8.5): Over

And it wasn’t remotely close. The Eagles blasted that number by Thanksgiving.

NFC South

Buccaneers Win Total Breakdown | Buccaneers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

Not a lot of faith in the work Jason Licht has done this offseason, which makes them interesting, because of the talent added on the defensive line through free agency and the draft. If Jameis Winston bounces back, this is a playoff contender.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

Winston didn’t take the leap everyone expected and the Bucs were just a bad team on defense for much of the year after an inspiring "Hard Knocks" performance. They did not eat the W often.

Panthers Win Total Breakdown | Panthers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 9

No help on the offensive line for Cam Newton this offseason? No problem, according to Vegas! Carolina is a steady presence in the division, but this might all hinge on how Norv Turner’s offense looks in Year One.

2017 Result (9): Over

Carolina came out swinging and won 11 games to nearly secure the division title, but was swept by the Saints last year including a playoff loss in New Orleans.

Falcons Win Total Breakdown | Falcons Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 9

The NFC South is just a tough division, and there are a cluster of teams up top. If this defense makes a leap next year and Calvin Ridley impacts the offense in his first year, Atlanta could be very dangerous. No Super Bowl hangover talk either.

2017 Result (10): Push

When you consider how everyone was rooting against the Falcons and how they stumbled out of the gate, 2017 was a really nice year for Dan Quinn.

New Orleans Saints

Saints Win Total Breakdown | Saints Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9.5

New Orleans doubled down in the draft and added Marcus Davenport with a first-round trade up that will cost them a future first. They clearly believe they’re a player away from a Super Bowl run and Vegas doesn’t disagree, although they have a lower total than a lot of the top-shelf contenders in the NFC.

2017 Result (8.5): Over

The defense was magically fixed thanks to Sean Payton and Micky Loomis hitting a grand slam in the draft. Alvin Kamara exploded onto the scene post Adrian Peterson trade and the Saints were one of the most fun teams to watch last year.

NFC North Chicago Bears

Bears Win Total Breakdown | Bears Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total: 6.5

If you listen to the latest episode of the Pick Six Podcast, you know that Nick Kostos and I see the 2018 Chicago Bears as a poor man’s version of the 2017 Los Angeles Rams. TBD if we’re correct but they’ve followed the blueprint this offseason.

2017 Result (5.5): Under

The Mike Glennon signing didn’t go well from the get-go, and Chicago had to make a midseason trade for Dontrelle Inman to get Mitchell Trubisky a No. 1 target. This was one of my best bets last year and it hit.

Lions Win Total Breakdown | Lions Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

A lot is up in the air for this team, mainly with Matt Patricia joining as the head coach. There’s continuity on the offense and the defense should theoretically be improved so there’s upside. This is a tough neighborhood though.

2017 Result (8): Over

Jim Caldwell got canned after a nine-win season that saw him miss the playoffs. His record in Detroit was surprisingly good.

Packers Win Total Breakdown | Packers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

A healthy Aaron Rodgers, even without Jordy Nelson, is probably going to result in at least 10 wins, especially with an improvement in the personnel on defense and an upgrade from Dom Capers to Mike Pettine.

2017 Result (10): Under

Aaron Rodgers wasn’t healthy and the defense wasn’t that good. Disaster season.

Vikings Win Total Breakdown | Vikings Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

Adding Kirk Cousins means there are heightened expectations; there should be, especially with Dalvin Cook returning from injury and a nasty defense that isn’t losing anyone. This is a three-year contending team.

2017 Result (8.5): Over

The Vikings were a team I predicted could "steal the division" — they didn’t steal anything. They walked into the NFC North cafeteria and took everyone’s lunch money.

NFC West Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Win Total Breakdown | Cardinals Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 5.5

There are no expectations this year in a difficult-looking division with the combo of Sam Bradford/Mike Glennon/Josh Rosen behind a bad offensive line. This defense could be sneaky good next year, however.

2017 Result (8): Under

Disaster season for the Cardinals and a nightmare scenario for yours truly, who loved their over and had them winning the Super Bowl. *slinks away like Homer in a bush*

Seahawks Win Total Breakdown | Seahawks Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Crazy to see the Seahawks considered the third-best team in the division, but they are very much in transition, are rebooting the Legion of Boom and didn’t bring in much offensive line help on offense. Vegas is scared and confused on this one, as it should be.

2017 Result (10.5): Under

Everything fell apart for Seattle, which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011 under Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Russell Wilson ran for his life and the defense suffered tons of injuries.

49ers Win Total Breakdown | 49ers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

This is obscene and might be completely unreasonable for a team that is probably one year away from being a serious NFC contender. They are the darlings this offseason, though, and have done a nice job adding pieces.

2017 Result (4.5): Over

They would have hit this over just in the games started by Jimmy Garoppolo last year. The 2018 hype might be unreasonable.

Los Angeles Rams

Rams Win Total Breakdown | Rams Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10

Possibly the NFC favorite after all they’ve done this offseason, bringing in Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, Ndamukong Suh and Brandin Cooks via free agency and trade. They’re slamming the gas while the Super Bowl window is open.

2018 Result (5.5): Over

Smashed this over by a substantial margin, winning 11 games, securing the division and hosting a playoff game. If Seattle is Derek Zoolander, L.A. is Hansel — so damn hot right now.

AFC East New York Jets

Jets Win Total Breakdown | Jets Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6

The future is here with Sam Darnold drafted, but the expectations are still pretty low for New York. I’ll set the over/under on Darnold starts at 12.5 and take the over (and lean under on the wins).

2017 Result (5.5): Under

I have 5.5 listed as the over/under from May, but it was actually down to 3.5 by the time August rolled around. You could have middled it if you were so inclined, as they won five games, which was impressive given what was on Todd Bowles’ roster.

Dolphins Win Total Breakdown | Dolphins Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6

The loss of Suh — along with other veterans — and the lack of Ryan Tannehill playing in recent years has Vegas bearish on the Dolphins. This is an Adam Gase blue collar squad though.

2017 Result (7.5): Under

Quietly a disastrous season for Miami: no one really talks about it but they were displaced by a hurricane, had a veteran linebacker go AWOL and had an offensive line coach resign over a scandal involving a video of him doing cocaine posted on social media by a Vegas entertainer he met on Craigslist. Say it out loud.

Bills Win Total Breakdown | Bills Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6.5

The biggest difference in this year’s team is the floor at quarterback, which now features AJ McCarron and Josh Allen. Totally unknown situation for Buffalo.

2017 Result (6): Over

Really impressive and borderline underrated coaching job by Sean McDermott to win nine games and make the playoffs despite a serious lack of talent on the roster. These guys are grinders.

Patriots Win Total Breakdown | Patriots Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 11

This is kind of value for the Patriots, who have not won fewer than 12 games since 2009. If you want to bet on Tom Brady and Bill Belichick falling apart, be my guest.

2017 Result (12.5): Over

They weren’t perfect, and weren’t even close to it — losing multiple games at home and fighting reports of tensions between Brady and Belichick — and they still won 13 games.

AFC South

Colts Win Total Breakdown | Colts Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 6.5

It all hinges on what Andrew Luck is able to do and no one’s seen Luck throw a regular-sized football in almost two years, which should not lend a ton of confidence. If he starts throwing and looks good this number could spike to eight.

2017 Result (9): Under

Goodness gracious. This number cratered down to the 6.5 range once the season got closer and Luck looked like he might not play. It went under regardless, with the Colts winning four games and looking like dead dogs under Chuck Pagano, who was fired.

Titans Win Total Breakdown | Titans Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Slightly lower expectations in Mike Vrabel’s first year as people wonder what the ceiling is for Marcus Mariota. I don’t think we’ve seen his best football yet. Quietly, Jon Robinson has built a defense that could do some damage.

2017 Result (9): Push

Weird season where the Titans were capped by a questionable offense, almost fired their coach, made the playoffs, almost fired their coach again, won a playoff game and then actually fired their coach.

Texans Win Total Breakdown | Texans Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8.5

Entirely predicated on medical recovery — if J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson return from their respective injuries and play 16 games each the Texans will compete for the division title and perhaps more.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

This under looked like a lock out of the gate, then Watson was inserted as starter, began to torch the league and ultimately tore his ACL. It ended up easily hitting as a result.

Jaguars Win Total Breakdown | Jaguars Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

This should be a popular over, with the Jaguars returning everyone from last year’s dominant defense and adding pieces to last year’s offense. It’s hard to imagine the Jags being a consistent winner but that might be reality now.

2017 Result (6): Over

A laugher here as Jacksonville FINALLY broke out, winning 10 games and a division title. They were a quarter away from a Super Bowl appearance.

AFC North

Browns Win Total Breakdown | Browns Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 5.5

Already on record as saying I like this over (GULP), but there is certainly a much higher floor with the Browns this year thanks to the additions of Tyrod Taylor and Jarvis Landry. It might hinge on when they decide to play Baker Mayfield, their No. 1 overall pick.

2017 Result (4.5): Under

They didn’t win a single game last year.

Bengals Win Total Breakdown | Bengals Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 7

The Bengals’ biggest problem last year was not having an offensive line to protect Andy Dalton — they went out and addressed that by trading for Cordy Glenn and drafting Billy Price (although the latter is dealing with injury already).

2017 Result (8.5): Under

The year is 2085 and nuclear winter has enveloped the country while zombies and robots roam the planet, trying to snuff out the remaining human life on Earth. Marvin Lewis is still Bengals coach.

Ravens Win Total Breakdown | Ravens Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

The final year as GM for Ozzie Newsome and perhaps the final year as QB for Joe Flacco. It’s going to be fascinating to see how this team performs, as it was built to win now and win later in the draft. The specter of Lamar Jackson looms if Flacco starts slow.

2017 Result (9): Push

A last-second Andy Dalton TD pass robbed them off a playoff berth — give John Harbaugh credit for a surprising nine-win season. The Ravens don’t have the high-end offensive personnel to win a ton of games but just won’t go away.

Steelers Win Total Breakdown | Steelers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 10.5

The Steelers don’t have any trouble winning a bunch of football games, especially in a watered-down division (albeit one that is better than in recent years). They’re loaded on offense; replacing Ryan Shazier by committee is key, though, because the defense fell off last year.

2017 Result (10.5): Over

An incredible season for most teams was an abject disappointment that involved losing home field in the playoffs at the last second and getting blasted by the Jaguars in the playoffs at Heinz Field.

AFC West

Broncos Win Total Breakdown | Broncos Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 7

John Elway killed the draft and the addition of Bradley Chubb alongside Von Miller is spicy. If they can protect Case Keenum and run the football, this looks like a potential bounce-back team. If not, it could get ugly again on offense.

2017 Result (8.5): Under

See: the second sentence above. The offense was a disaster and the defense couldn’t hold up by itself. Football’s a team game at the end of the day.

Raiders Win Total Breakdown | Raiders Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8

Anyone’s guess here how this thing plays out with Jon Gruden. The offseason has been wild, man. They could win 10 games and they could win two games and nothing would surprise me.

2017 Result (10): Under

A ridiculous total after an over-inflated 12 wins from 2016 that was a layup of an under last year, when they couldn’t win every game at the last second and the offense didn’t replicate its success.

Chiefs Win Total Breakdown | Chiefs Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 8.5

This is a slap in the face to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, although I understand why — the floor is lower now, even if the ceiling is raised for the offense. The defense lost a lot but the offense could be high octane.

2017 Result (9): Over

I actually had the over on this number last year, and it hit despite a miserable middle of the season, because Reid is a great coach and gave up playcalling. It backfired in the playoffs.

Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers Win Total Breakdown | Chargers Pick Six Podcast Preview

2018 Over/Under Win Total 9

Has Vegas lost its mind? It installed the Chargers as division favorites and has them with the highest win total in the division. Get off my corner VEGAS. There’s a lot to like about this team, though, especially with the Derwin James addition and full-time focus on Hunter Henry.

2017 Result (7.5): Over

A 2017 best bet for me, the Chargers took care of it pretty easily despite acting like idiots in the early going of the season. Nine wins when you give away 2-3 of them in September is impressive.

Source Article

The post 2018 NFL Win Totals and Over/Unders: Breaking down what Las Vegas expects for every team appeared first on M TECHNOLOGY.

Read More At: http://www.montalbanotechnology.com/2018-nfl-win-totals-and-over-unders-breaking-down-what-las-vegas-expects-for-every-team/

0 notes

flauntpage · 7 years

Text

Your Friday Morning Roundup

The Phillies lost to the Dodgers 5-4. If you’ve been someone that hasn’t followed the Phillies since June, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you. The Phils lost to the best team in baseball, not a shock.

But dig deeper into that 61-92 record and you see the Phillies have actually been good since the All-Star break. They’ve gone 32-34 overall and 18-15 in their last 33. They went 29-58 in the first half.

During that stretch, the Phillies have lost their title as baseball’s worst team, which now belongs to the San Francisco Giants by a game. They’re close to leapfrogging the White Sox and Tigers as well, and are four-and-a-half games behind the Mets for fourth in the NL East.

A big reason for this surge has been the arrival of their highly-touted prospects. And throughout this Dodger series, they played a huge role in the team’s three wins.

Monday night, Aaron Altherr hit the first grand slam home run Clayton Kershaw ever gave up. Rhys Hoskins hit a bases-clearing three RBI double Tuesday night and batted in another run. Altherr was clutch once against the following game, thanks to a game-tying homer in the seventh, followed by a two RBI single.

Yesterday, Hoskins, who started at first base, and Nick Williams drove in all four runs the Phillies would score, while J.P. Crawford drew three walks.

We saw a glimpse of what the 2018 Opening Day lineup could be. No Tommy Joseph. No Maikel Franco. No Cameron Rupp. Cesar Hernandez started at second base, but that could change if Scott Kingery excels in Spring Training.

There’s still plenty of things for the Phillies to fix, especially their pitching. But it’s been a long time since the team was fun to watch. And thanks to the prospects, they’ll be fun to watch for the final nine games of the season.

That starts tonight with the team’s final road series of the season against the Atlanta Braves at 7:35. Ben Lively goes on the mound against Sean Newcomb.

The Roundup:

Sticking with the Phillies, Tommy Joseph knows his role has changed, and he’s been professional about it.

Reliever Jesen Therrien might be out for the entire 2018 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Ryan Lawrence has five candidates who could replace Larry Andersen on the Phillies radio team next season, including Jayson Stark:

Sometimes you put a list together and you feel really good about the names on it, but you’re searching for one last one to top it off. And then you realize that it’s probably the most obvious and best fit of the bunch. Broadcasting experience? Check. Stark worked at ESPN for nearly two decades. Baseball knowledge? Check. Stark is as plugged-in as anyone in baseball and has been for nearly 40 years working at the Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN.com. Encyclopedia-like knowledge of the Phillies? Check. Stark is a former Phillies beat writer who wrote about baseball in Philadelphia and around the league while at the Inquirer for 21 years. He still lives in the area. Like Glanville, Stark was shockingly let go during ESPN’s layoffs in April. He should still be writing somewhere, surely, but maybe in 2018 he can be like Ken Rosenthal and write for one company while broadcasting for another.

Lawrence also interviewed Joey Davis, the area scout that signed Hoskins and a few other rookies.

The Phanatic got a date with Dodgers reporter Alanna Rizzo prior to yesterday’s game.

—

The Eagles are still trying to figure out their situation at safety. Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham, and Jaylen Watkins didn’t practice yesterday with hamstring injuries. Is new arrival Trae Elston ready to play on Sunday? Les Bowen has more:

Would defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz try some sort of four-linebacker look, with [Kamu] Grugier-Hill covering in the box? Is there any way to get Elston ready, even for one specific package?

“I really don’t know,” Elston said, when asked if the Eagles’ defense was similar to what he played in with the Bills. “I’m just trying to run fast, do it full speed.”

With Jalen Mills and Rasul Douglas as the probable starters at cornerback this week, and Sidney Jones waiting to play, are the Eagles grooming their next long-term starters at the position?

Or could they go and get Malcolm Butler from the Patriots? Albert Breer thinks it’s possible:

Who would be the trade partner? The Eagles make sense. And they have a versatile front seven piece that would fill a major need for the Patriots and has been tied to trade talks in the past: linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

Speaking of Jones, Elijah Qualls thinks he’ll be a top corner when he finally plays in the NFL:

DT Elijah Qualls was a terrific guest on Pro Football Report. He's convinced his college teammate, Sidney Jones will become an elite corner.

— Merrill Reese (@mreeseeagles) September 22, 2017

In what might be a historic running back class, the Eagles failed to get an impact running back. But everything will be alright.

We’ll have game predictions later today.

—

The Flyers fell to the Bruins 2-1 in overtime last night. Travis Sanheim scored the lone Flyers goal in the third period on a shorthanded opportunity, and Brian Elliott stopped all 18 shots he faced in two periods of work. The big worry was the power play units, going 0-for-9 in the game.

The team also reduced their training camp roster by 18 players. Notables include 2016 first round pick German Rubtsov heading back to Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, Philippe Myers going to Lehigh Valley’s training camp. The roster currently sits at 36 players.

But the toughest decisions have yet to come.

—

Chris B. Haynes has a small Joel Embiid update:

chris b haynes reporting on embiid, says he's expected to do some basketball activity during camp, no one has a timetable http://pic.twitter.com/SpCQwp59LE

— Drew Corrigan (@Dcorrigan50) September 21, 2017

One of the big questions surrounding the Sixers that doesn’t involve Embiid’s health is how Brett Brown will use Markelle Fultz, according to David Murphy:

“I feel like the city and the media has to recognize that he just turned 19 a few months ago, and we all get how unforgiving the NBA is,” Brown said, “and there are weaknesses obviously that we have to address in his game, and we really want to go hard at this defense, but I think when you ask what do we see at first glance, I see a person, a real person, I see somebody that is incredibly gifted and the game comes easy offensively, I see someone who will be challenged defensively, especially as it relates to NBA point guards, and then how does he navigate NBA seasons and the rhythm of an NBA season at 19 years old, we will all learn more about.”

The team will also give center Jahlil Okafor every chance to play while he’s being shopped.

A realistic worst-case scenario from the Sixers this season. And be sure to take a listen to Kevin Love’s latest podcast, featuring Tom Moore:

Episode 6 of the Sixers Science podcast is live, featuring the ever insightful @TomMoorePhilly https://t.co/trhYu03iPh

— Kevin Love (@KevinLove_76) September 21, 2017

The team will also hold their Blue x White scrimmage at the Palestra October 1.

Kyle Neubeck of Liberty Ballers is leaving his post as Managing Editor. But he also teased he’ll continue to write about Philly sports full-time somewhere soon.

Finally, Benjamin Simmons:

—

Temple got crushed by #21 South Florida 43-7 in Tampa. The Owls recorded 89 yards in the air and -4 rushing yards. Their defense gave up 408 total yards to the Bulls, including 312 on the ground.

Speaking of the Owls, even though Matt Rhule has yet to win a game as Baylor’s head coach, he’s still the right pick to lead the Bears. I wish he never left Temple.

Tim Reilly reminds you Joe Paterno may not have been the perfect head coach at Penn State.

—

In other sports news, last night’s Thursday Night Football game between the Rams and the 49ers was…entertaining?

First play INT✅ 10 TDs✅ 80 points✅ Muffed punt✅ Fumbled kickoff✅ Missed 2pt conversion✅ Onside kick✅ Game-sealing sack✅#LARvsSF

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) September 22, 2017

This is some incredible football. Gotta be one of the highest effort games I've seen in a while.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 22, 2017

Amazing how all the people who complain about Thursday Night Football spend their Thursday nights tweeting about Thursday Night Football.

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 22, 2017

It was the highest-scoring TNF game in the history of the series.

Former Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez had a severe form of CTE in his brain when he committed suicide in April.

Jose Baez, Hernandez’s lawyer, said Hernandez’s brain showed a level of damage that was seen in players with a median age of 67 years.

Baez said he had filed a lawsuit in federal court against the Patriots and the N.F.L. on behalf of Hernandez’s daughter, Avielle. The suit seeks unspecified damages for loss of parental support. The suit alleges that the Patriots and the league were “fully aware of the damage that could be inflicted from repetitive impact injuries and failed to disclose, treat or protect him from the dangers of such damage.”

The Giants offensive line, as explained by a New York radio host.

Andre Ward, the undefeated light heavyweight boxing champion that was considered as one of the best in the world, unexpectedly announced his retirement.

Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said the team will discuss if they will visit the White House when they all meet later in the fall.

Screw the NCAA:

Texas A&M distance runner Ryan Trahan says that he has been ruled ineligible and warned by his university for using his name, image and likeness as an athlete on his YouTube page to promote a small company that he started. NCAA bylaw 12.4.4 rules that an athlete “may establish his or her own business, provided the student-athlete’s name, photograph, appearance or athletics reputation are not used to promote the business.”

In addition to his running, Trahan has his own YouTube channel with 14,000 subscribers and nearly one million views where he shares tips and insight into his training. He also promotes Neptune water bottles, a company that co-founded with a friend in 2016. Trahan just started his freshman year at Texas A&M after a successful high school career.

Clemson kicker Greg Huegel is out for the year after tearing his ACL on the last play of practice.

From being a running back on the Steelers to being one of the main minds behind Ballers, Rashard Mendenhall has found his dream job.

An interesting read by Nick DePaula on the race for sneaker companies to sign Giannis Antetokounmpo to a deal:

To kick things off this week, Bucks teammate (and Adidas endorser) Thon Maker walked Antetokounmpo out to the parking lot of the team’s practice facility after a Tuesday morning workout. Awaiting him was a truck full of size 16 Adidas sneakers, including everything from pairs of the coveted Yeezy Boost series to Adidas Originals staples like the Stan Smith and running models like the UltraBoost.

With his current Nike endorsement deal set to expire on September 30, Antetokounmpo is assessing his options. Rather than take brand pitches at their headquarters, as some players do, he insisted on hosting the meetings in Milwaukee, in order to not disrupt his no-frills workout schedule leading up to his fifth season — a season in which he has MVP aspirations.

Loving these new Colorado State unis:

Colorado State will wear these special State Pride uniforms Nov. 11 vs. Boise State. Love the helmet look http://pic.twitter.com/u7HeVW9IQm

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 21, 2017

LaMelo Ball got roasted and it’s beautiful:

LaVar's gotta find this clown and whoop him for disrespecting LaMelo like this. http://pic.twitter.com/OkJxqGZzNS

— Thomas Duffy (@TJDhoops) September 21, 2017

The NHL might want to let their players go to the Olympics in 2022:

—

In the news, Philadelphia police have charged a man after a pipe bomb scare Wednesday in East Oak Lane.

Two men are on the run after stealing about $2,000 worth of cigarettes at a Wawa.

North Korea could test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.

Hurricane Maria left a devastating mark on Puerto Rico.

Your Friday Morning Roundup published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

0 notes