We’re back for the first Jode-pourri of the year. 5 big ideas and an NFL Wild Card Preview/Picks!
- The Steelers stink. They are a rotten piece of fruit collecting flies and smelling like death. Their offense is terrible which creates an impossible situation for the defense. The Bengals had the ball for twice as long as the Steelers on Saturday, no defense can thrive in that situation. The shine has come off Russell Wilson, he is holding the ball forever, missing open wide receivers and making poorly timed mistakes. The two minute drill at the end of the Bengals game was atrocious, I would have had more confidence in Bruce Gradkowski. George Pickens is certifiably insane, he’s got AB attitude with Markus Wheaton’s resume. Pickens is a total headcase, he had 1 reception for 0 yards. 0 yards. He tried to fight a fan, had 4 drops and made zero impact on a critical game. He’s clearly quit. The defense is not completely without blame, DC Teryl Austin (Mike Tomlin) determined that Cory Trice – a 7th round pick making his first NFL start – should cover the best WR in the NFL.
- Tomlin needs to go. His regular season success is undeniable, but he has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season and nobody has taken the Steelers seriously as Super Bowl contenders for the better part of a decade. His team enters the playoffs as the biggest fraud in the NFL for what feels like the 7th or 8th time. Its like when someone walks a 5k, yes they got the shirt and completed the 3.1 miles, but did they really do a 5k? This season was somewhat different as they took care of business early but have been leaking gravy since Thanksgiving. Its no surprise they are the biggest underdog of the week at +9.5 (some have it at +10) at Baltimore. The organizational philosophy is massively flawed for professional football in 2024. Its defense first, in a scoring league. You would love to have a shut down defense, but you also need a dynamic offense. Tomlin refuses to get with the times and continues to live on a reputation that was earned from 2007-2011. The tagline “Steelers have only had 3 head coaches since 1969” is now the tail wagging the dog. Tomlin is a great coach, I know this because the national media has crowned him year after year for some reason, but his time in Pittsburgh has come and gone.
- Sullivan needs to go. Mike Sullivan is the greatest coach in Penguins history, he has more wins, more cups and has survived longer than any coach in franchise history. Herb Brooks and Scotty Bowman were incredible coaches but did not have the same run in Pittsburgh that Sullivan had. Slow starts, soft defense and a lack of scoring have plagued this team for the better part of 5 years. I really like Sully, I know that means a lot to him, coming from someone as important as me, but he needs to be shown the door. Of course this team wins random games like Thursday night against Edmonton which only further muddies the path going forward as buyers or sellers…..hockey purgatory.
- Pitt basketball is an NIT Team. Jeff Capel has restored Pitt to its mid – late 90’s mediocrity. That’s actually a compliment, he was left with the barest of cabinets after taking over for Jacob’s dad, Kevin Stallings. The Panthers have won a bunch of games this season, have a good record, but have been smoked twice this season and will likely miss the NCAA tournament. Capel has done a good job developing and keeping talent which is no small task in the transfer portal era. They just don’t have a reliable big man and if they can’t shoot they cant find other ways to win. Duke exposed them and the ACC is too weak this season to provide for more quality wins. Pitt basketball is stable and in a good place, good job Capel.
- The New England Patriots demise has been less satisfying than I thought it would be. I guess Brady leaving NE and winning in Tampa and then Belichick leaving shortly after sort of ruined this for me. I needed to see a Brady-Belichick-Kraft disaster season where Brady was slyly calling out Belichick and then Belichick was calling out Kraft and then Kraft calling out Belichick and them getting destroyed at home by the Jets. It just ended and we never got to see them all go down in flames. Sports can be unsatisfying in that way.
Wild Card preview and Picks
Media outlets need to stop referring to the NFL Playoffs as a bracket, its not a bracket. After the Wild Card round the teams are reseeded, a bracket does not reseed. Please stop doing this if you are a media member that is reading this. I know many do.
Saturday January 11, 2025
4:30pm 5. Chargers (-3) vs No. 4 Texans
The Texans are legally obligated to play at 4:30 on the first Saturday of the NFL Playoffs. The Chargers are a better team with a better coach. Harbaugh has them trending up, I would not be surprised if they win a Super Bowl within the next 3 seasons. They win easily 28-14. Chargers -3.
8pm No. 6 Steelers at No. 3 Ravens (-10)
The Steelers should leave at halftime, warm up the busses. They will lose this game by at least two touchdowns. Tomlin’s “genius” defense allowed 5.8 ypc last time these two teams met just a couple weeks ago, this game will be over before it starts. The Ravens are on the upswing and the Steelers are that Italian cruise ship that was sideways. Ravens win 37-10 and it won’t even be that close. If you find someone to take a bet on a Pickens melt down put your life savings on it. Ravens -17 million.
Sunday January 12, 2025
1pm No. 7 Broncos at No. 2 Bills (-9)
I am still of the opinion that Sean McDermott is one of the most overrated coaches in the NFL. He is entering Mike McCarthy territory, great QB and nothing to show for it. The Bills have Josh Allen and have made as many super bowl appearances as I have. Bills win but don’t cover. Broncos +9 is the play.
4:30pm No. 7 Packers at No. 2 Eagles (-5)
Packers are super hurt and the Eagles are very good. Most complete team in football, if Hurts is fully healthy I don’t anticipate this being a close game. Jordan Love hurt his elbow, which I have heard is important to throwing a football. Green Bay’s best WR blew out his ACL, which I have heard is important to running routes and catching footballs. Those two things make Green Bay an easy target for a very good Eagles team that should be around come Championship weekend. Eagles -5 is the pick, I would even bet them up to -9.
8pm No. 6 Commanders at No. 3 Buccaneers (-3)
I have no clue on this one. Just straight guessing, from The Athletic “Since 2000, rookie quarterbacks are 10-16 in playoff games.” So I guess the Commanders are at a slight disadvantage but the seem to be the more complete team. Tampa always gets in the playoffs in part at least because their division is terrible. This is the first time since 2012 (Wilson, Luck, Griffin III) that multiple rookie QB’s are making playoff starts. I guess I trust Baker Mayfield more than Jayden Daniels, but Tampa didn’t impress me in Week 18 and I NEED IMPRESSED DAMMIT! IMPRESS ME! I guess Bucs -3 is the pick, but maybe just save your money and put it into a Vanguard index fund, great returns and low expense ratios. #notanad
Monday January 13, 2025
No. 5 Vikings (-2.5) at No. 4 Rams
The NFL does not need to have playoff games on Monday Night Football. If you would have told me when I was a child that Monday Night Football would have playoff games I would have lost my mind, I would have also lost my mind to find out that Sega Channel would not be around forever. This game was moved from LA to Arizona due to the wildfires. Minnesota winning 14 games and having to open on the road is nuts. The Rams are finally fully healthy on offense and while I love Kevin Oconnell in Minnesota, I think the QB and Coach advantage is squarely with the Rams on this one. Minnesota’s offense looked terrible last week in a must win game at Detroit. The Rams are going to rely on former Steeler great Ahkello Witherspoon to cover Jefferson or Addison, so I guess I would pick Minnesota….I just hate both sides here. Maybe just save your money.
Well there you have it, sports opinions that the world desperately need to read. I am going to attempt to do this more regularly, I wrote it on my 2025 goals list so I will no doubt accomplish it!……
*edit to correct Sean McVay to Sean McDermott….ugh.