Crazy Eyes, Danny Fumbles, Mono, and Black Cats - A Year in New York Football

Can you believe it's Week 17 already in the league where they pay ...... fah play. Unfortunately, in East Rutherford, it's another season where no meaningful games were played in December. For Gang Green, it's the ninth straight season without a playoff appearance, and could be the fourth consecutive year with double digit losses. Big Blue meanwhile, have only sniffed the postseason once in the past eight years, and have lost over 11 games the past three seasons.

I can't wait for this decade to finally end on Tuesday. Since Costa's in the Cage is read by both Woody Johnson and John Mara (especially after I begged the Jets to draft Dashaun Watson) I know my plan to turn both franchises will be on their respective desks before kickoff tomorrow. Since the Jets won the Snoopy Bowl this year I'll cover them first.

After dumping a man who somehow had less charisma than a bag of milk, the Jets handed the keys of the franchise over to banished former Dolphins coach Adam Gase. Jets fans wanted Mike McCarthy, bro, and were even more furious after an introductory press conference where it looked like Gase was having his testicles electrocuted while having to watch every Jet failure from the past 50 years. Things settled down going into the draft, where the Jets picked Quinnen Williams with the third pick.

Being the dumpster fire front office we're known for, the Jets couldn't let things go smoothly into training camp. After we signed CJ Mosley and Lev Bell, the Jets fired GM Mikey Mac. Soon after, Joe Douglas was in charge and ready for the season. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall to know what really happened that led to hostile takeover by Gase. My best guess is that the Jets always wanted Douglas, but he had prior commitments where he couldn't leave the Eagles until after the draft.

With all that in the past, we were ready on Week One to potentially compete for a playoff spot this season. In true Jets fashion, it took three quarters for it all to fall apart. After jumping out to a 16-0 lead against the Bills, CJ Mosley got the AIDS and we lost 17-16. A few days later, it came out that Sam Darnold would be out a month with mono, after kissing too many girls under the Seaside Boardwalk.

A once promising season was 0-4 and then after a shocking win against Dallas in Darnold's return was quickly 1-7 after seeing ghosts on Monday Night against the Pats. A win against the Little Giants though sparked the Jets to make a little run, who are currently on a 5-2 run that has given gullible  Jets fans like myself promise going into next season.

We enter this offseason with a little more stability, much to the chagrin of some Jets fans (bro), Gase will be back next season, and he's ready to work together with Joe Douglas to fix some glaring holes on our roster. I personally don't hate Gase, but am not convinced he will be the guy who can turn the ship around either. However, in Sam Darnold's best interest, it would be best to not have to learn another playbook next season.

The Jets are near the middle of the pack with $60 million in cap space before making any cuts (Trumaine Johnson, Avery Williamson, and Quincy Enunwa to name a few), and currently hold the 10th overall pick. They also hold the Giants 3rd round pick, giving us four picks in the Top 75 of the draft.

After almost trading him at the deadline, I'd make resigning Robbie Anderson a top priority this offseason. Rumors are he's looking for around $10 million per year, and while he isn't a top reciever he has great chemistry with Darnold. If you can team him up with Jerry Jeudy or Ceedee Lamb, and use the rest of the draft and cap space to sure up the o-line and bring in a pass rusher the Jets would be in great shape for the future. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to give Jamal Adams a long term deal to make up for almost trading him at the deadline. He's the leader of the defense and should retire a Jet.

Enough about the Goddamn Jets. Get your popcorn ready, it's time to talk about the losers on the other side of Jetlife Stadium. After finishing 8-24 the past two seasons, the Giants needed a major rebuild to begin competing in 2019. Instead, GM David Gettleman made several strange decisions. The G-Men also made a huge mistake shunning the Sports Pope when he called them out on their foolish maneuvers.

Trading Odell Beckham to Cleveland wasn't bad in a vacuum, getting back Jabril Peppers and the 16th overall pick in the draft is a pretty fair value. Making the trade after signing him to a big contract the past offseason, that led to $16 million in dead cap space however is a different story. They also thought that 31 year old Golden Tate would help ease the loss of Beckham, but he's quickly become an afterthought in the offense. Drafting Daniel Jones with the 6th pick has seemingly worked out during an up and down rookie season. However, much like the Beckham trade there's a flip side of this decision. Keeping Eli Manning and his $17.5 million salary and benching him two games into the season is foolish given the other glaring holes on this roster.

The Giants of 2019 looked very similar to the old Giants in the first two weeks of the seasons, with an anemic offense and swiss cheese defense. This led to the decision to bench veteran Eli Manning and start rookie Danny Dimes. Shurmur and Gettleman looked like geniuses and were smirking smugly after Jones led the team to wins in Tampa and at home against the Skins. The win against Tampa was bittersweet as Saquon Barkley suffered a high ankle sprain that made him ineffective for the remainder of season. The Danwagon derailed almost as quickly as it accelerated.

During a nine-game losing streak, Jones had nine interceptions and twelve fumbles. The Giants infamously had a 12-3 lead against the Cowboys before a black cat appeared on the field, as Dallas went on to win 37-18. After Daniel Jones suffered an injury during the Week 13 loss against the Packers, Eli Manning returned had a feel good win against the Dolphins in Week 15 snapping their losing skid. In typical Giants fashion, the good vibes ended during last week's win against the Redskins, which big blew their chance at Ohio State linebacker Chase Young. The Giants can finish the season on a high note playing potential spoiler to the Philly Scumbags.

Owner John Mara enter the offseason with a lot of big decisions to make. Coach Pat Shurmur is going to be let go on Black Monday, and I feel like Gettleman should join him on the unemployment line. It would be foolish to say Gettleman has been a total failure in his two years, drafting the future of the offense in Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Darius Slayton. However his ego and grating personality has run it's course in New York. Gettleman may be a good scout of talent, but his decision making has put the Giants in a big hole. 

I went through this with the Jets last season, where Woody should've let Mike Mac go with Todd Bowles and start fresh. You don't want to follow the Jets pattern of dysfunction. Instead, let your new GM decide which head coach he wants to hitch his wagon to, with big names available include Mike McCarthy and Riverboat Ron.

The Giants have $66 million in cap space and currently hold the 4th overall in the draft. Their offensive line is still an issue and the defense almost needs a complete overhaul, giving up the 4th most points in the league this season (417). For now, Giants fans need to wait a few more days to see if John Mara makes the correct decision on Black Monday.

2019 NFL Season Winding Down and College Bowl Picks

Don't cry because it's over smile because it happened.

The 2019 NFL season begins to wind down, almost all of the playoff spots have been locked up, and now several teams are left playing for seeding. This makes gambling on Week 16 and 17 especially tough, since you need to see what is still motivating these players on teams that are out of the race. Vegas knows this as well, and you will see some inflated lines. I'm here to help you pick out the best spots to bet this week.

Texans -2 at Bucs - Kicking off the Saturday slate, is a great game to help you build your bankroll going into the rest of the weekend. Houston bounced back from their shocking loss to Drew Lock and the Broncos with a dominant performance against their division foes, the Titans. Despite the 24-21 final score, Houston dominated that game from bell to bell. Jameis Winston is having one of the strangest seasons in NFL history, and you never know if he's throwing an 80 yard bomb or will get strip sacked. This game will be a little different since he is without both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, take the Texans -2 and don't overthink it.

Bills +6.5 at Patriots - Bills Mafia locked up a playoff spot with a win over the Steelers, but need to win out and need the Pats to lose out to win the AFC East. New England, on the other hand, is staring down the barrel at having to play in the Wild Card round for the first time in a while. The first time these two teams met, it was a close, hard hitting defensive battle. Since then, the Patriots offense has sputtered as Father Time has possibly caught up with Brady. Buffalo should stay close enough to cover the number.

Jets +3 vs Steelers - The Steelers were dealt a tough blow with the loss to Buffalo at home Sunday night. Duck Hodges and Mason Rudolph have been the benefactors of the return of the Steel Curtain defense, as Pittsburgh has gone back to being a defense-first team. Lev Bell's honeymoon in New York was short, with rumors already swirling that Gang Green wants to trade the former Pro Bowler. I feel like Bell will want to show the Black and Yellow they made a mistake not paying him, and Gase will be happy to oblige with plenty of carries. It would also would be smart to avoid Darnold having to throw too much against a ball-hawking defense. The Jets still seem to be competing for Gase, and I see them playing spoiler Sunday.

Ravens -10 at Browns - Baltimore has won 10 straight after getting embarrassed at home 40-25 by these same Cleveland Browns. That was also the highlight of the Browns season, that has blown up in Freddie Kitchen's face. Lamar Jackson will avenge the loss and the Ravens roll.

Cowboys -2 at Eagles - This is a de facto playoff game, with the winner getting the NFC East crown. This has been a tale of two seasons for Dallas, who are 7-7 in spite of two 3-game losing streaks. The 'Boys are still the more talented team than Philly, and are 4-0 against their Divisional opponents this season, and Jason Garrett is 7-2 lifetime at the Linc. Carson Wentz has had a nightmare season this year, with seemingly every wide receiver going down at one point in the season. The Bird Gang won't have a Merry Christmas, and might be booing Santa Clause again after this one.

Chiefs -6 at Bears - The Chiefs are starting to get their mojo back as Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes are getting healthy again. I've seen Mitch Trubisky too often in prime time games this season, and his interception at midfield last week ended all hope of the Bears making it back to the postseason. KC might also be playing for a bye if the Pats lose Saturday.

Packers +5.5 at Vikings - This isn't the same Packers team that we're used to, and I'm starting to think Rodgers is regretting chasing Mike McCarthy out the door for Matt LaFleur. Despite all that, Kirk Cousins is 0-8 on Monday and the Vikings might be without Dalvin Cook. This line seems to be a little too high, after the Vikings steamrolled the Chargers last week.

BONUS PICKS

Going rapid fire with some of my favorite Bowl picks up to next Saturday. I love Bowl season, as you really need to look into outside factors (motivation, coaching changes, player suspensions) almost as much as the X's and O's.

12/21 Boise State +2.5 v Washington
12/23 Marshall +17.5 v UCF
12/24 BYU -2 v Hawaii
12/26 Lousiana Tech +6 v Miami
12/27 UNC -4.5 v Temple
          Wake Forest +150 v Michigan State
          Oklahoma State +7 v Texas A&M
          Iowa -2 v USC
12/28 Penn State -6.5 v Memphis
          Iowa State +3.5 v Notre Dame

Clemson -2 v Ohio State - Clemson has been quietly been beating teams in the ACC as Trevor Lawrence has yet to lose in his college career. The Buckeyes were blown out 31-0 the last time they faced the Tigers in the Playoffs, and I'm going with Dabo Swinney to win it again.

Oklahoma +17.5 v LSU - I bought the 3.5 points on Pointsbet to drive the line up to 17.5 at -150. LSU and Heisman winner Joe Burrow will win this game, but I like Oklahoma with the backdoor cover.

UFC Card of the Year?

Tonight's UFC 245 event, the last pay-per view event of 2019 is stacked. This is the first time since UFC 217 where three titles are up for grabs, as well as two UFC legends looking to see where they fit in the 135 lb weight class against two of the sports most exciting young prospects. Dana White said in an interview the promotion had to move their annual year-end show a few weeks to make up for ESPN's airing of the College Football Playoffs.

I'm not going to break down the X's and O's of the fights (I'd highly recommend Luke Thomas' Youtube page), instead I'd like to share my thoughts on some major topics as we close out 2019 and look ahead to 2020 in the world of UFC.

• Tonight's Main Event, Covington vs Usman, doesn't feel as big as I thought it would outside of the MMA bubble. Not sure if Colby's MAGA character is starting to feel forced and not as clever as the likes of Chael Sonnen, or if the Conor-Khabib rivalry got so ugly that fans don't want to see things get as heated outside of the Octagon again. I'd like to see Jorge Masvidal get a title shot against the winner.
• If Holloway can get past Volkanovski in the co-main, it's getting harder to find potential opponents for "Blessed" at Featherweight. Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez didn't look ready for Max in their last fight, and I would love to see a number one contender bout between them.

• Champ-Champ Amanada Nunes is riding a nine-fight winning streak, and has cleaned out Women's Bantamweight and Featherweight. It seems to early to throw Ketlen Vieira or Aspen Ladd in the cage with her.
• Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber are in their second decade of their MMA careers and looking for a spark of what made them future Hall of Famers against two up and comers. Marlon Moraes is trying to bounce back from his loss against Henry Cejudo and is welcoming Aldo to 135 pounds. Petr Yan is 5-0 in the UFC and a win against Faber will put him on the fast track to title contention.

• Frankie Edgar's decision to fight the Korean Zombie next weekend at featherweight instead of waiting for his scheduled debut at bantamweight against Corey Sandhagen in January is peculiar. In an interview on Luke Thomas' Sirius XM show, Edgar said he's been looking to get back into the cage before the end of the year and feels great. He reached out to Dana once Ortega was injured and had to pull out of the fight. Ironically, Edgar was scheduled to fight Zombie last November before pulling out with an injury. I don't see how waiting a month would really make much of a difference, but I'm not a professional athlete. It seems to me that Edgar feels like Holloway is going to lose tonight, and a win against Zombie will be enough to get his 4th crack at the Featherweight crown. Either way I feel like Edgar is in a tough position as he enters the twilight of his legendary career. He's good enough to beat almost any contender, but isn't at the elite level to add a second championship to his record.

• UFC kicks off 2020 with Conor McGregor making his long awaited return at UFC 246 against "Cowboy" Cerrone. While this isn't an easy fight, this is a smart fight for Conor. Cerrone won't be afraid to stand and bang with him, which will lead to an entertaining fight. I just hope McGregor's past is behind him and see him make the walk to the cage several times this year.
• UFC 247 will feature Jon Jones defending his belt against Dominick Reyes who is one of the last remaining contenders for the Light Heavyweight belt. I'd be surprised if "Bones" doesn't go to heavyweight soon.
• I wonder if we'll really see Khabib-Ferguson at UFC 249 in Brooklyn. Dana White's white whale fight, that has fallen apart four times appears to be jinxed. I won't believe it until Bruce Buffer announces their names in Barclays Center.

Bad Motherfuckers and NFL Week 9 Picks

UFC 244 emanates from the Mecca tonight, with an electric main event for the "Baddest Motherfucker in the Game" Title. Stockton's favorite son Nate Diaz takes on "Street Jesus" Jorge Masvidal in what has the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate. The whole fight just feels fun. From Nate's callout after UFC 241, to the creation of an actual BMF Title Belt, the UFC is catering to what the fans want to see.

This event marks the 11th UFC event in New York state following a two-decade ban and will be the fourth annual November trip to the World's Most Famous Arena. UFC 205 in 2016 and UFC 217 in 2017 rank in the top 5 live sporting events I was in the building for, ughkay.

Going down memory lane, Dana White brought out the big guns for MMA's debut at MSG. Khabib Nurmagemedov and Frankie Edgar had to fight on the prelims of the event that featured EIGHT current, former, or future champions (Edgar, Khabib, Tate, Weidman, Jedrzejczyk, Woodley, Alvarez, McGregor). The night culminated with the crowning of the first Champ - Champ when McGregor knocked Eddie Alvarez in the second round.

UFC 217 didn't have the pomp and circumstance of 205, but it can be argued the Triple Main Event can't be topped. It all started with Rose Namajunas' shocking knockout of Joanna, and was followed by the grudge match that ended when TJ Dillashaw knocked out Cody Garbrandt (a result that has seemed to derail Cody's career). Then, in the return of the undisputed GOAT, GSP submitted Michael Bisping.

UFC 230 didn't have as much heat as the two event that proceeded it, with a Heavyweight main event of DC and the Black Beast, but it did feature the third UFC fight of current Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya.

I'll be watching the action tonight from my couch tonight, but I was able to attend the UFC 245 Press Conference and the UFC 244 Weigh-Ins from the Theater at Madison Square Garden. The BMF fight does feel like a much bigger fight than I ever anticipated, as Diaz and Masvidal have done a great job of building their brand by just being themselves. "I'm not surprised Motherfucker"

Week 9 Picks

Last Week: 1-5
Season: 19-23

After last week, I'm officially off the Jets and Bears bandwagon. They've both burned me way too many times this season.

Texans -2.5 v Jaguars (London)

Colts ML @ Steelers

Seahawks -6 v Bucs

Raiders -2.5 v Lions

Packers -3.5 @ Chargers

Patriots - 3.5 @ Ravens

Ghosts Move From Yankee Stadium to Metlife

A 103 win season went by the wayside last Saturday, as Aroldis Chapman's 2-1 slider to Jose Altuve was deposited into right-center field at Minute Maid Park for a walk-off two run homer. The play hurt even more after DJ Lemahieu had one more Yankee moment in him after tying the game in the top of the 9th with a two run blast of his own. The 2010's will end as the first decade without a Yankee World Series appearance.

Reality has started to settle in that this isn't the franchise I grew up watching. Yankee postseason magic has gone away along with the House That Ruth Built. Some fans may say we didn't have the starting pitching, but more damning is the fact that when push came to shove we were in all but one game when Cole, Verlander, or Greinke left the mound. The bats Cashman built this team around became limp with runners in scoring position, much like they did against the Red Sox last season.

The more difficult question to answer is how can the Bronx Bombers take a step up from 100+ win regular season and carry that success in October. After a decade of failures in the playoffs something has to give. Pettitte, Mariano, and Jeter aren't walking into the clubhouse next season. Another dark offseason will begin and this team currently has more questions than answers.

As high as I was feeling after the Cowboys win is how low I am after getting embarrassed in prime time again by the Patriots. All Jets fans had the sinking feeling in their stomach watching Brady march down the field with a surgeon's like precision on the first drive. Then, in typical Gang Green fashion our first drive ended in an interception, along with four other drives ending in turnovers and another in a safety.

Ghost-gate has been overblown however. Belichick has sowed his oats making life a living hell for young quarterbacks, and Darnold won't be the last that sees ghosts against this Patriots defense. Coach Gase and the Jets do have a right to be salty with NFL Films allowing that moment to be shown on ESPN on Monday Night. We just have to hope "Seeing ghosts" doesn't follow Darnold the way the Butt-Fumble followed Sanchez around.

I'm seeing Hamburglars trying to make my picks the last few weeks. 4-4 last week keeps me at .500 for the season at 18-18.

Jets +6.5 and Moneyline @ Jaguars - The best way to put Monday Night behind us would be to beat the Jags in Jacksonville Sunday. The Jets defense has been strong this season, and I can see us winning the turnover battle against Minshew. A heavy dose of Lev Bell is in order for Sunday along with the Jets winning outright.

Bears -3.5 v Chargers - The Chargers o-line is banged up, and I see the Bears front seven licking their chops. Matt Nagy's job hangs on if he can figure out how to win the Trubisky.

Giants +6.5 @ Lions - Rumors out of Detroit is that the team is upset after the trade of captain Quandre Diggs. Can this be the Golden Tate revenge game?

Panthers +5.5 @ 49ers - The undefeated Kyle Allen takes on the undefeated 49ers. The irresistible force meets the immovable object. I see this game being a defensive slugfest, so I'll take Carolina getting the points with the possible MVP in Christian McCaffery.

Chiefs +3.5 v Packers - Arrowhead is one of the toughest places to play in football and the Packers have played a lot of tight games this season. Matt Moore still has Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce at his disposal Sunday night and I'll take them with the hook.

NFL Week 7: 8 Picks Everyone Knows the Rules

Mistakes were made last week and I went 3-4 for my first below .500 week of the year. My record isn’t where I hoped it would be at 14-14, but in the league where they  pay for play (ughkay) it’s not how you start it’s how you finish. I like a season high 8 plays this week after hitting a ML/Spread bet on KC Thursday.

Rams -3 @ Falcons - Dan Quinn and the Falcons find new ways to lose games, including a missed extra point last week against the Cardinals. The Falcons defense could cure what ails Jared Goff and the rest of the Rams offense that’s looked more like the team we saw in the Super Bowl than the rest of the 2018 season. The addition of Jalen Ramsey, who has cured his nagging back in the LA sun, should be able to stop the Falcons biggest weapon in Julio Jones.

Raiders +5 @ Packers - Are the Packers good? Rodgers has looked almost pedestrian this season and the Green Bay D has settled back down to earth after a hot start. Jon Gruden and the swashbuckling Derek Carr has a week to prepare coming off their bye, and are riding a two game winning streak. This should be a one possession game and I’ll be happy taking Oakland with the points.

Vikings -1 @ Lions - Kirk Cousins has looked much better the last two games and the Vikings have rallied around their QB. Detroit was screwed by the refs on Monday Night but they still have the feel of a team that’s always the bridesmaid and never the Bride.

Colts -1 v Texans - Houston followed Indy’s game plan to beat the Chiefs last week. Both teams are riding high in an early matchup that could determine the AFC South winner. Indy has rallied around Jacoby Brissett after Andrew Luck’a sudden retirement and I see them squeaking out a win at home.

Giants -2.5 v Cardinals - This will be a big test to see how Danny Dimes bounces back from some adversity, after throwing four interceptions and going 0-2 the past two weeks. Saquon, and safety blanket Evan Engram should be back against a bad Cardinals defense. This is a fun matchup of rookie QBs that will hopefully see each other a lot in the next ten years, and I give the first round to Jones and the G-Men.

Saints ML @ Bears - News has come out that Mitch Trubinsky is questionable after practicing this week. This will be a battle of two of the top defenses in the league, and I trust the veteran Teddy Bridgewater to not make the mistake the Bears QB will.

Eagles ML @ Cowboys - Dallas is banged up right now, and it's even worse their injuries are in clusters. 2 WR, 2 CB and 2 OT are out. I saw first hand what the Eagles front 7 can do against a bad line, and I see Big D continuing their downfall.

Jets +9.5 v Patriots - The Jets lost by 16 without Darnold, they can't lose by more than 10 with him, right? In all seriousness I have to think Jetlife is one of the stadiums Brady has performed the worst in the past 10 years. Adam Gase also gave the Pats some trouble during his tenure as Dolphins HC. CJ Mosley is trending to come back and Gang Green is riding high after getting  their QB back and the first win of the season at home against Dallas last week. Jets fans have amnesia about weeks two through five,  and a moral victory would be huge here as they head into a cupcake schedule in the second half.

ALCS and NFL Week 6

The 2017 ALCS rematch starts tonight with the Yankees facing off against the Astros for right to make it to the 2019 World Series. These are the two teams most analysts predicted would face each other after Houston won the season series 4-3. However, neither team was at full strength at the time. I will compare both teams position by position, and put the team with the edge in bold.


Infield

Catcher
Gary Sanchez
Robinson Chirinos

First Base
DJ Lemahieu
Yuli Gurriel

Second Base
Gleyber Torres
Jose Altuve
Push

Shortstop
Didi Gregorious
Carlos Correa
Push

Third Base
Gio Urshela
Alex Bregman

These two teams may have the best infields in the majors, with a who's who at each position. I think it's likely whichever team's middle infield performs better will win the series.

Outfield

Right Field
Aaron Judge
Josh Reddick

Center Field
Brett Gardner
George Springer

Left Field
Giancarlo Stanton
Michael Brantley

Designated Hitter
Edwin Encarnacion
Yordan Alvarez

Aaron Judge and George Springer are each squads respective best outfielder. I still believe a more patient Stanton can be a difference maker in this series if he can shake off his playoff jitters. It will be interesting to see where the returning Aaron Hicks fits into Aaron Boone's plans.

Starting Pitchers

Yankees
Masahiro Tanaka
James Paxton
Luis Severino

Houston
Zack Greinke
Justin Verlander
Gerrit Cole
Jose Urquidy

The Yankees best chance to win this series would be to work the count and get the Astros starters out of the game as quickly as possible. Aaron Boone has a slight advantage after sweeping the Twins to set up the rotation as he sees fit, while the Astros were forced to use ace Gerrit Cole in a winner take all Game 5 Thursday.

Relief Pitchers

Yankees
Aroldis Chapman
Zach Britton
Adam Ottavino

Astros
Roberto Osuna
Ryan Pressly
Will Harris

The Yankees put a lot of stock into keeping and improving their bullpen from last season, even with the injury to Dellin Betances. If the Bombers can keep games close after 6 they have huge edge in the pen. Boone got creative in the ALDS throwing Ottavino for only one batter twice, and will have to find the edge here also.

Prediction

The homer in me is predicting Yankees in six. I believe they beat Greinke and Urquidy as well as stealing one from Verlander. Worst case for the Yankees is letting Houston get to Game Seven where they can throw the possible Cy Young winner in Gerrit Cole. This should be like a heavyweight boxing title match with the two best teams in the majors slugging it out until only one is left standing.

Week 6 Picks

Another .500 week last week brings my season total to 11-10.

Panthers -2.5 v Buccaneers -  Gotta bet the the 9:30 AM football game, breaking out the kegs and eggs. I'll be all for a London game every week. Last time these two teams played Cam Newton was the worst player on the field. Kyle Allen has shown that he is a very serviceable backup and I expect Christian McCaffery to find more success this week than he did in the first time these two teams met.

Jaguars -1.5 v Saints - Minshew Magic faces off against Big Dong Teddy Bridgewater. The Saints are a different team out of the dome and Kamara is questionable after not practicing this week. I believe the Sacksonville D makes enough stops to win the game. 

Texans +4 @ Chiefs - Dashaun Watson broke out against the Falcons last week, while Patrick Mahomes was dinged up by an ankle injury in the Sunday night loss to Indy. It's possible Tyreek Hill returns Sunday, but I don't trust the Chiefs defense to make enough stops to cover the four.

Eagles +140 @ Vikings - Both teams beat up against bad New York football teams last week. The Eagles are rounding back into Super Bowl contender form, while I still don't trust the Vikings after picking on the Giants defense.

Jets +7 v Cowboys - "Sam isn't a magic wand" "I want to make sure I'm not going to die" "If his spleen bursts, we have a problem" Welcome to 2019 Jets football. Maybe I'm smoking something, but after seeing the Cowboys let Aaron Jones run all over them, I believe Bell will have his breakout game with an actual NFL quarterback back behind center. Jets may not win, Sam may die, but Gang Green will cover.

Titans +115 @ Broncos - The Titans seem to play great one week and terrible the next. I'm following that pattern and see them beating a bad Broncos team on the road.

Packers -4 v Lions - I told you to ride Green Bay last week, and a consecutive pick from the Chippa is their reward. Aaron Rdogers in primetime in Lambeau won't lose twice this season. Lions have improved but the Packers are still the better team, period.

Spleens and Savages

Welcome to October where the only thing scarier than Pennywise and the Joker is the Jets offense trying to get a first down. It would be very short-sighted for Adam Gase to play Sammy Spleen Muffins this week in Philly. Throwing Darnold behind this offensive line after only a few days of practice is a death sentence, and hopefully someone in Florham Park has our long term future in mind. Even if Sam is cleared by doctors our odds to leave Scumbag Philly with a win are minimal. Let’s get him to 100 % and see if we can make a run with our cupcake schedule after Week 7. This Jet season has to be the most disappointing since the Testaverde achilles injury in 1999.

Onto something positive, the best part of October is that the Bronx comes alive where we do Playoff Baseball like no other city in the majors. Once the calendar changes, Aura and Mystique are not just dancers at Hott 22, and the ghosts come alive at the Stadium. The Yankees didn’t have to play in the put all your chips on the table Wild Card game this season after winning the AL East for the first time since 2012. They draw a fairly easy matchup in the ALDS against a Twins franchise that knows we are their master (MASTER!)  . Aaron Boone has done a tremendous job navigating one of the strangest seasons in recent memory. The Bombers are at the healthiest they’ve been all season and it would surprise me if they don’t take the series in 3 or 4. 

Week 5 Picks

After another 3-3 week, I'm now 9-8 on the season.There's plenty of games left to bet. Just have to keep plugging along, and a few bounces my way and we'll start making some money. Not really loving the board this week, so I'm going to limit my plays.

Ravens -3 @ Steelers - People are starting to forget how good the Ravens looked the first two games of the season after consecutive losses to the Chiefs and Browns. The Steelers came up with a good gameplan Monday to beat the lowly Bengals, but the Ravens defense is simply too good.

Bears -5 v Raiders - They say defense travels, and I believe it also counts when you travel to Jolly Old England. The Bears and Raiders play the first game this season across the pond. Is it possible Chase Daniels is better than Mitch? Mack has been waiting to show Jon Gruden he should still be in the Silver and Black and will dominate Oakland's O-line.

Viking -5.5 @ Giants - Hungry dogs run faster. Giants fans are living in a world of lollipops and rainbows watching Daniel Jones mesmerize defenses. I've been on the right side of all four G-Men games this season, and don't see them winning Sunday. The Vikings are having their own issues with their QB. Fans are already anticipating Kirk Cousins' three year $84 million contract to end next season. That's exactly why I'm backing them here. Minnesota is too talented offensively and the Giants defense will be a cure to their ailments here.

Packers +4 @ Cowboys - Rodgers almost led the Packers into Overtime last Thursday, and the talking heads are questioning Matt LaFleur's playcalling in the loss to Philly. I feel the Cowboys' loss of LT Tyron Smith will result in some struggles to get Zeke going. This should be a close game, but I'll take The Pack with the points.

Era of AEW Begins

The State of Pro Wrestling is taking a seismic shift this week. WWE is beginning the Smackdown on Fox era, and will be debuting new sets, graphics and announce teams, along with the return of pyro starting on Raw Monday!! NXT on the USA Network is expanding to two hours, and there are rumors of CM Punk returning as an analyst for a new studio style show on FS1.

The biggest news of the week though, is the debut of AEW Dynamite on TNT, the first real challenge to McMahon since WCW. I'll be giving some brief big picture thoughts on all four brands, but keep in mind WWE is holding their annual Draft next week which will lead to more changes.


Raw - The flagship show for almost 27 years may soon become the B-brand to Smackdown. WWE's relationship with USA is strong, since they have been the driver of the applecart for decades. The move of Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Renee Young to Smackdown may give you an idea of where Vince views the brand. Ratings continue to decline, especially during the 17 weeks a year they go against football, and the three hour format has drawn criticism for years. Seth Rollins' title reign hasn't moved the needle for me and I think The Fiend will grow old quick if he wins the strap at Hell in a Cell. Paul Heyman has taken the reigns on creative, and while the show has improved I think the damage has been done.

Smackdown - Fox has put it's full marketing machine behind the blue brand. They're all over football broadcasts, and the wrestlers will be appearing on all of Fox's properties leading to the Friday debut. Fox is hoping it chose correctly paying up for WWE's rights and letting the UFC leave for ESPN. The debut show is loaded, with appearances by Stone Cold and Hulk Hogan, Brock vs Kofi for the belt and Shane and Kevin Owens in a ladder match. It will be interesting to see how the performance holds up over time.

NXT - WWE's third brand, ran by Triple H, was a fan favorite for it's use of top indy stars and a different wrestling style than you'll see on the main roster. In my opinion, they will be damaged the most by the new landscape. From what we've seen so far, AEW does NXT better than NXT. The idea of being a developmental brand is over with the debut of a two hour show on national television. Also, their popular Takeover shows are reportedly going be scheduled against top AEW events, creating an us vs them mentality.

AEW - So far, AEW has exceeded everyone's expectations. Fans have been waiting for an alternative to WWE for 18 years, and it will be interesting to see if Dynamite can quench their thirst. The promotion has a smart team behind the scenes, (led by Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and the Young Bucks) and has made waves with the addition of Chris Jericho and John Moxley (Dean Ambrose). It would be premature to write about WWE's demise, but as a fan I hope the competition makes both companies stronger.

Week 4 Picks

I went 3-2 last week bringing my record to 6-5 on the season. I apologize for the Raiders game, I read that completely wrong.

This week I like

Titans +3.5 @ Falcons - Titans are a better team than they looked last Thursday, which being in primetime hurt their public perception. Falcons defense keeps losing key defensive players, including safety Keanu Neal. Tennessee dominates the line on both sides of the ball and may win outright.

Giants -3 v Redskins - Washington is a mess, with rumors of Jay Gruden coaching for his job. Daniel Jones impressed last week, and should have no problem covering in his first home game.

Patriots -7 @ Bills - Bills Mafia needs to learn they aren't on the Pats level. Every year a dildo gets thrown on the field and New England covers. Josh Allen will learn quick he's not playing the Jets or Giants this week.

Browns +6.5 @ Ravens - The season is on the line for Cleveland and the Ravens are mentally exhausted after losing a heat check game in KC last week. I don't think the Browns win, but keep it within a TD.

Broncos -3 v Jaguars - Taking the opposite approach as the Titans game. The Jags are America's Darling with Mustache Minshew after a primetime win Thursday, and are reportedly without Jalen Ramsey. Pressure is on Denver, who hasn't recorded a sack yet this season. Von Miller and Bradley Chubb hit the taste saver off the Jags QB and get their first win.

Cowboys -2.5 @ Saints - The Cowboys have looked like the best team in the NFC this season, behind an improved passing game from Dak and Cooper. I think they let Zeke eat this game. Bridgewater is a very serviceable QB and we can find value in N'Awlins the next few weeks, but not Sunday.

The King is Back

Did you miss me? After going into a coma induced by binge drinking and Jets football, I'm here to help you beat your bookie.

A lot has happened in the past three years, Gang Green drafted their new QB in Sam Darnold, we finally canned Todd Bowles, and then our savior got drugged by one of Bill Belichick's cronies and came down with mono.

The Yankees farm system produced several studs, traded for Giancarlo Stanton, and sort of forgot about starting pitching. But Sevy is back and we are locked and loaded for a big run in October.

Juve added Cristiano Ronaldo and keep collecting Scudetti like they're hooker trading cards in Las Vegas.

The UFC has seen significant changes, McGOAT and Rousey are after thoughts, and Nate Diaz turned his shot at McGregor into superstardom. The move to ESPN is great for the sport overall, but it may never reach the heights of Brock's heyday again.

But forget all that shit, sports gambling is legal in New Jersey and I'm ready with the best advice South of Jetlife Stadium.

I'll give you my 5 winners each week along with my thoughts on everything sports and entertainment. I'll also be dropping nuggets on the prime time games on Twitter @FrankCostaNJ.

Last week I went mezza-mezza at 3-3, and looking to turn that Jamal Adams into a winning record.

Giants +6.5 @ Bucs

Now that news has come out Eli has finally been moved to the retirement home, about 4 seasons too late, we can award the Eli Face Award to, mine and yours favorite former clueless Jet coach, Todd Bowles. I've seen this before, the Tampa D is getting some respect for playing well against Scam Newton and the Panthers, and Danny Dimes is making his debut. Easy win for Tampa. NOPE! I bought my ticket for the Danwagon. CHOO CHOO MOTHERFUCKER!

Raiders +9 @ Vikings

Now that AB can terrorize the rest of the league on the Patriots, the Raiders have rallied around Coach Gruden. Kirk Cousins (328 yds 52% CMP 2 TD 2 INT) continues to prove he's not a franchise QB with a back breaking INT against the Packers Sunday. Meanwhile Derek Carr has spread the ball well between Tyrell Willams (151 yds 2 TD) and Darren Waller (13 rec 133 yds). I may even sprinkle a little ML love on Oakland. Knock on wood if you're with me.

Chiefs -6.5 v Ravens

There's really not much else you can say about Patty Mahomes that hasn't been said already. Lamar Jackson really taking that whole "Not much more than a RB" knock pretty hard, huh? The Ravens can be a very good team, but until the Chiefs stop covering, I'll keep picking them.

Texans +3 @ Chargers 

The only thing worse than being a Jet fan may be a Charger fan. They swap coaches, cities, but they still can't find a kicker that makes clutch kicks. The Texans looked slow against a solid Jags D after a sprint against the Saints on Monday Night Week 1. Nuk isn't held under 50 yards receiving like he did against Jalen Ramsey often, and I think they have a good bounce back this week.

Steelers +7 @ 49ers

Going with another road dog this week, not to be confused with the TravisDog (WoofaWoofaWoofa). San Fran has beaten the Bengals and Bucs to get to 2-0, and I feel like Vegas has them a little too high here. Big Ben's elbow injury hampered Pittsburgh the first two games, and Mason Rudolph looked competent replacing him in the second half. The Steelers have enough players on both sides of the ball (11) to keep this game within a TD.

Feel free to mock my picks and tell me how much I suck. I'll be back again next week.