venerdì 29 dicembre 2017

NFL week 16 Power Rankings

1) New England Patriots (12-3) (+2) They also win against the Bills thanks to a second half of the exceptional match, throwing themselves towards the first AFC series head.
2) Minnesota Vikings (12-3) (+2) The victory against the Packers was the result of a superlative performance by the defense that seems to have returned to the usual levels after a couple of disappointing games.
3) Philadelphia Eagles (13-2) (-2) Suffered victory against the Raiders in Monday Night where special team and attack did not play at all well but thanks to a new defense have managed to keep the first place in the NFC.
4) Los Angeles Rams (11-4) (+1) Against the Titans have not seen the best Rams but have nevertheless been able to win a game for nothing simple against a hungry team.
5) Pittsburgh Steelers (12-3) (+1) Rampage and convince against the Texans despite heavy absences.
6) New Orleans Saints (11-4) (+2) They dominate the Superdome Falcons and remain very favored for the victory of the NFC South.
7) Carolina Panthers (11-4) (=) Performance not entirely convincing against the Bucs but thanks to a good Newton in the final they managed to snatch a key victory that guarantees the playoffs.
8) Kansas City Chiefs (9-6) (+1) Effortlessly against the Dolphins where the Chiefs did the first tests for the playoffs.
9) Los Angeles Chargers (8-7) (+5) We expected much more from them against the Jets but in the end the only thing that counted, that is the victory.
10) San Francisco 49ers (5-10) (+6) After Tennessee also Jacksonville ... these 9ers are the hottest team in the NFL and deserve a place in the top 10 thanks to a solid team performance.
11) Baltimore Ravens (9-6) (=) They struggle much more than expected against the Colts but take it home anyway and remain the favorites for the fifth place in the playoffs.
12) Seattle Seahawks (9-6) (+6) Needed a victory to wash away the humiliating home defeat against the Rams and eventually came, against Dallas, a victory that keeps them afloat for the run to the playoffs.
13) Jacksonville Jaguars (10-5) (-12) Bortles' embarrassing performance not only cost him the match and the chance to compete for the bye week in the playoffs.
14) Atlanta Falcons (9-6) (-8) Dominated far and wide by the Saints who demonstrated their superiority by putting the Falcons' chances to participate in the playoffs at serious risk.
15) Buffalo Bills (8-7) (-2) They lose the "control" of their destiny with the defeat against the Patriots.
16) Dallas Cowboys (8-7) (-6) Out of the playoffs between whistles and blatant gambling problems, one out of all Dei Bryant.
17) Washington Redskins (7-8) (=) A convincing victory against the Broncos.
18) Arizona Cardinals (7-8) (+4) Shoutout win against the Giants giving the impression of being competitive for next season once the key players are recovered.
19) Tennessee Titans (8-7) (=) The internal defeat against the Rams is very likely where once again Mariota has not played well giving rise to more than one doubt about attack in a clear crisis.
20) Oakland Raiders (6-9) (+4) Very good performance on Monday Night against the Eagles where they went a breath away from winning.
21) Miami Dolphins (6-9) (=) Bad performance against the Chiefs who condemns them to a losing season.
22) Detroit Lions (8-7) (-7) Forgive against the Bengals leaving the race for the playoffs with such bitterness.
23) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-11) (=) Continue the good performance but do not stop the series of defeats.
24) Green Bay Packers (7-8) (-12) Penza Rodgers and many others in the reserves against the Vikings.
25) Chicago Bears (5-10) (=) Good performance of the whole team and victory against the Browns that could save the place to coach Fox.
27) New York Jets (5-10) (=) Without McCown they played against the Chargers thanks to a very good defense.
28) Denver Broncos (5-10) (-7) Each improvement seen in the last few games has vanished against the Redskins where they lost badly never entering the game.
29) New York Giants (2-13) (=) After a series of good performances, especially offensive, the 0 points in the points scored against the Cardinals return everything as before.
30) Indianapolis Colts (3-12) (=) Insubstantial attack and forced defense for too long in the field are the reasons for the defeat against the Ravens.
31) Houston Texans (4-11) (=) Nothing to do for them against the excessive power of Pittsburgh.
32) Cleveland Browns (0-15) (=) fifteenth defeat in as many days, the situation in Cleveland is well described by his numbers.


giovedì 28 dicembre 2017

Indianapolis Colts reasons of the struggle and possibilities for the future

The 2017 season for the Indianapolis Colts was a total fiasco, they left with many supporters of their chances to win the AFC South but with the loss of Andrew Luck for the whole season having seen yet another injury to the right shoulder that is the launch, their competitiveness has been reduced to a minimum. To try and make up for the quarterback situation, the front office chose to buy Jacoby Brissett from the Patriots, a quarterback different from Luck and consequently the playbook of coach Pagano had to undergo radical changes, due to the passage from a good pocket passer who the ability to earn scramble yards to another from read options and designed runs. The three victories brought home so far have given rise to more than one voice on the future of Chuck Pagano, which is considered by many to be the main cause of this disaster. To evaluate the work of the whole coaching stuffs you have to analyze the potential in the field that had this season and the first comparison is with the team that three years ago arrived at the Championship against the Patriots, immediately the lack of the field not only Luck but also by Vontae Davis, Robert Mathis and Pat McAfee. These three key players together had a huge impact: Davis from cornerback was able to mark one man on the best receiver of the other team giving the possibility to a safety to play closer to the line of scrimmage to help against racing , Mathis was for a decade an elite pass rusher on both the weak side and the strong side and right outside linebacker in 3-4 had reached the Pro Bowl becoming a nightmare for the opposing quarterbacks, McAfee the punter also Pro Bowler was not just an excellent special team player but also an emotional leader and in the locker room.
These key absences for age and injuries have not been minimally covered by the free agency and the draft so assessing the work of coach Pagano is very difficult because Indianapolis is to be seen as a team in rebuilding more than a contender and as such it takes patience before to see winning results. The defensive system implanted by coach Arians (now head coach in Arizona) is no longer usable since to do an 3-4 attack are strong passrushers on both sides, what Mingo and Sheard are not, in addition they need internal linebackers athletes able to cover well distances and blitzare (which was very good for Jurrell Freeman now at the Bears). In today's NFL we know that building from scratch or almost a new system with new staff is difficult if the passrushers and talent defensivebacks are missing, the situation would be complicated even for a Belichick. In addition, the Colts have problems in the running game from the point of view of the halfback that removed "the elderly" although efficient Frank Gore is devoid of talented young to grow behind him as Mack and Turbin have had opportunities and have proven not to be starters.
For the immediate future the choice to dismiss Pagano I do not think it's the right thing since there are no excellent free coaches, plus the situation Luck must be addressed and there are some very serious questions to ask yourself: will you come back to play? If yes, what condition? Is it worthwhile to set up a deductible on him? What value does it have?
I honestly am of the idea that given the onerous contract he has and the now too many absences for a key injury as behind the launch I would try to exchange it especially in view of a good draft in the draft where you could try to take Rosen quarterback of UCLA that according to many has the potential to do very well even in the Pro, obtaining salary space and a choice in the third or fourth round to be used in a defense that at the current state of things is among the worst in the league with 391 points given up in 15 games worrisome given the schedule that includes many teams that do not have an explosive attack to justify these numbers.


NHL games picks 28/12/17

Thursday, Dec 28


venerdì 22 dicembre 2017

NHL games picks 22/12/17

Friday, Dec 22

NFL WEEK 16 GAMES PICKS

Saturday, December 23

MATCHUPpicks
 LOCATION
Indianapolis
BAL BY 20.5UNDER 37.5 M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Minnesota
MIN BY 17.5UNDER 39.5 Lambeau Field, Green Bay

Sunday, December 24


MATCHUP

 LOCATION
Cleveland
CHI BY 7.5UNDER 40.5 Soldier Field, Chicago
Detroit
DET BY 13.5UNDER 42.5 Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
Los Angeles
LA BY 16.5OVER 46.5 Nissan Stadium, Nashville
Miami
KC BY 10.5UNDER 42.5 Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
Buffalo
NE BY 5.5OVER 43.5 Gillette Stadium, Foxboro
Atlanta
NO BY 2.5OVER 49.5 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Los Angeles
LAC BY 13.5OVER 43.5 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
Denver
WAS BY 6.5UNDER 40.5 FedEx Field, Landover
Tampa Bay
CAR BY 7.5UNDER 43.5 Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
Jacksonville
JAX BY 21.5UNDER 42.5 Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara
Seattle
DAL BY 5.5
OVER 43.5 
 AT&T Stadium, Arlington
New York
AZ BY 0.5UNDER 43.5 U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale

Monday, December 25


MATCHUP

TICKETSLOCATION
Pittsburgh
PIT BY 17.5OVER 46.5 NRG Stadium, Houston
Oakland
PHI BY 7.5OVER 48.5 Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia