Sunday Game Score Predictions:
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Buffalo, 16-14. Bills win an ugly game at home.
Scottie V's Pick: Miami, 23-6. Buffalo be bad.
Vegas Lines Pick: Miami, 21-17. Miami by 3, Over/Under 38.5.
Accuscore Pick: Miami, 21-17. Miami 56% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Miami, 17-13. Miami won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Buffalo, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Buffalo, 20-17
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Chicago, 30-17. Out to prove the Lions are still the doormats of the North, Chicago holds onto the ball and runs away with this one
Scottie V's Pick: Detroit, 27-14. Cutler throws 4 INTs, including a pick-6.
Vegas Lines Pick: Chicago, 27-20. Chicago by 6.5, Over/Under 44.
Accuscore Pick: Chicago, 24-10. Chicago 70% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Chicago, 23-10. Chicago won all 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Chicago, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Chicago, 20-17
Oakland Raiders at Tennessee Titans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Tennessee, 24-17. Both teams pick up where they left off.
Scottie V's Pick: Tennessee, 27-10. Al Davis inquires, "Who's this Tennessee team? When do we play the Oilers???"
Vegas Lines Pick: Tennessee, 24-17. Tennesee by 6, Over/Under 40.5.
Accuscore Pick: Tennessee, 24-10. Tennessee 68% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Tennessee, 23-20. Tennessee won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Tennessee, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tennessee, 20-17
Cincinnati Bengals at New England Patriots
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New England, 27-16. Brady reminds everybody he is worth every penny.
Scottie V's Pick: New England, 31-20. Tom Brady returns from his car accident to tear up the un-Tweet-worthy Bengals.
Vegas Lines Pick: New England, 26-21. New England by 4.5, Over/Under 44.5.
Accuscore Pick: New England, 20-17. New England 53% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: New England, 23-13. New England won 4 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: New England, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New England, 20-17
Carolina Panthers at New York Giants
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Carolina, 24-23. Upset special. Carolina shocks the Giants and ruins the opening of the New Meadowlands Stadium.
Scottie V's Pick: Carolina, 20-17. Matt Moore outplays Eli in New York. Tom Coughlin's demeanor changes from furious to livid.
Vegas Lines Pick: New York, 24-17. New York by 6.5, Over/Under 41.
Accuscore Pick: New York, 24-13. New York 66% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Carolina, 27-26. Carolina won 2 of 5 simulations outright and overall average.
Best Record Wins Pick: New York, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New York, 20-17
Atlanta Falcons at Pittsburgh Steelers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Pittsburgh, 24-23. Pitt's D bends but doesn't break and the running game keeps the Steelers in the game until the very end.
Scottie V's Pick: Pittsburgh, 23-21. Dennis Dixon plays solidly, but unspectacularly, in leading the Steelers to victory.
Vegas Lines Pick: Pittsburgh, 20-17. Pittsburgh by 2.5, Over/Under 38.
Accuscore Pick: Pittsburgh, 17-14. Pittsburgh 52% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Atlanta, 16-13. Atlanta won 4 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Pittsburgh, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Pittsburgh, 20-17
Cleveland Browns at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Cleveland, 20-17. Somebody has to win. A tie would be hoping for too much.
Scottie V's Pick: Tampa Bay, 17-6. At least the weather will be nice...
Vegas Lines Pick: Tampa Bay, 21-17. Tampa Bay by 3, Over/Under 37.
Accuscore Pick: Tampa Bay, 21-17. Tampa Bay 56% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Cleveland, 24-17. Cleveland won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Tampa Bay, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Tampa Bay, 20-17
Denver Broncos at Jacksonville Jaguars
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Jacksonville, 21-20. Too bad nobody will see this game.
Scottie V's Pick: Denver, 24-23. Orten catches fire late to bring the Broncs back from behind.
Vegas Lines Pick: Jacksonville, 23-20. Jacksonville by 2.5, Over/Under 40.
Accuscore Pick: Jacksonville, 21-17. Jacksonville 56% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Jacksonville, 21-16. Jacksonville won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Jacksonville, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Jacksonville, 20-17
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Indianapolis, 23-20. Eventually Houston will win one of these, but not this week.
Scottie V's Pick: Indianapolis, 38-27. The Texans are closing the gap, but not there yet.
Vegas Lines Pick: Indianapolis, 26-23. Indianapolis by 2, Over/Under 47.
Accuscore Pick: Indianapolis, 23-14. Indianapolis 63% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Indianapolis, 20-17 (OT). Indianapolis barely won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Houston, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Houston, 20-17
San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Francisco, 21-16. The 49ers begin to assert their dominance over the woeful NFC West.
Scottie V's Pick: Seattle, 23-14. In spite of Taylor Mays' best efforts to stick his former coach, Seattle prevails.
Vegas Lines Pick: Seattle, 21-17. Seattle by 3, Over/Under 37.
Accuscore Pick: San Francisco, 21-16. San Francisco 58% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: San Francisco, 17-14. San Francisco won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Seattle, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Seattle, 20-17
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Green Bay, 30-27. The young gunslinger shows he can win the shoot-outs, too.
Scottie V's Pick: Green Bay, 38-17. The boo-birds will be out in Philly. Fans drive home to the tune of "Don't Know What You've Got (Til It's Gone)". We miss you, Donovan!
Vegas Lines Pick: Philadelphia, 27-23. Philadelphia by 3, Over/Under 47.5.
Accuscore Pick: Green Bay, 21-16. Green Bay 58% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Philadelphia, 21-20. Philadelphia won 2 of 5 simulations outright, but dominated both for the overall advantage.
Best Record Wins Pick: Philadelphia, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Philadelphia, 20-17
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Arizona, 26-17. Free of Leinert, Cardinals roll over their division foe.
Scottie V's Pick: Arizona, 20-14. The battle of Beaver alums... Derek Anderson wins round 1.
Vegas Lines Pick: Arizona, 23-17. Arizona by 4, Over/Under 39.
Accuscore Pick: Arizona, 23-16. Arizona 61% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Arizona, 20-17. Arizona won 4 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: St. Louis, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: St. Louis, 20-17
Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins
Creative Misfortune's Pick: Dallas, 21-17. Dallas spoils the home opener for their NFC East rivals.
Scottie V's Pick: Washington, 27-23. Donovan McNabb is the hero... Announces his nomination for the presidency in 2012.
Vegas Lines Pick: Dallas, 24-20. Dallas by 3.5, Over/Under 40.5.
Accuscore Pick: Dallas, 21-16. Dallas 59% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: Dallas, 24-16. Dallas won 4 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Washington, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Washington, 20-17
Monday Night Game Score Predictions:
Baltimore Ravens at New York Jets
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New York, 20-16. Jets win at home in a defensive struggle with their running game and a few key Sanchez completions late in the game.
Scottie V's Pick: New York, 28-24. Darrelle Revis earns his keep and Mark Sanchez plays error-free ball.
Vegas Lines Pick: New York, 20-17. New York by 2.5, Over/Under 36.
Accuscore Pick: New York, 14-13. Game split 50%-50%. Home team given the 1 point edge.
What If Sports Pick: Baltimore, 20-14. Baltimore won 2 of 5 close simulations, but dominated those games.
Best Record Wins Pick: New York, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New York, 20-17
San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs
Creative Misfortune's Pick: San Diego, 28-17. Chargers hit the ground running and steamroll KC.
Scottie V's Pick: Kansas City, 27-24. In front of a rockin' Arrowhead crowd, ryan Succop kicks the game-winner.
Vegas Lines Pick: San Diego, 26-21. San Diego by 4.5, Over/Under 45.
Accuscore Pick: San Diego, 24-14. San Diego 64% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: San Diego, 27-24. San Diego won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: Kansas City, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: Kansas City, 20-17
Come back on Monday to view the prediction roundup and game recaps. Which prediction will take the early season lead having guessed better than the others at the Week 1 results?
Friday, September 10, 2010
"If Real Football Used Fantasy Scoring..." - Week 1 Starting Lineups
Sunday Games - Creative Misfortune Fantasy Lineups
Monday Night Games - Creative Misfortune Fantasy Lineups
Check back later this evening for predictions of all remaining Week 1 NFL games...
| Miami Dolphins | pts | pts | Buffalo Bills | |||
| Chad Henne | 0 | QB | 0 | Trent Edwards | ||
| Ronnie Brown | 0 | RB1 | 0 | CJ Spiller | ||
| Rickie Williams | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Fred Jackson | ||
| Brandon Marshall | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Lee Evans | ||
| Davonne Bess | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Roscoe Parrish | ||
| Brian Hartline | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Steve Johnson | ||
| Anthony Fasano | 0 | TE | 0 | David Martin | ||
| Dan Carpenter | 0 | K | 0 | Rian Lindell | ||
| Miami Dolphins | 0 | DEF | 0 | Buffalo Bills | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Detroit Lions | pts | pts | Chicago Bears | |||
| Mathew Stafford | 0 | QB | 0 | Jay Cutler | ||
| Jahvid Best | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Matt Forte | ||
| Kevin Smith | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Chester Taylor | ||
| Calvin Johnson | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Johnny Knox | ||
| Nate Burleson | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Devin Aromashodu | ||
| Bryant Johnson | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Devin Hester | ||
| Brandon Pettigrew | 0 | TE | 0 | Greg Olsen | ||
| Jason Hanson | 0 | K | 0 | Robbie Gould | ||
| Detroit Lions | 0 | DEF | 0 | Chicago Bears | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Oakland Raiders | pts | pts | Tennessee Titans | |||
| Jason Campbell | 0 | QB | 0 | Vince Young | ||
| Darren McFadden | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Chris Johnson | ||
| Michael Bennett | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Javon Ringer | ||
| Louis Murphy | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Kenny Britt | ||
| Darrius Heyward-Bey | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Nate Washington | ||
| Johnnie Lee Higgins | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Justin Gage | ||
| Zach Miller | 0 | TE | 0 | Bo Scaife | ||
| Sebastian Janikowski | 0 | K | 0 | Rob Bironas | ||
| Oakland Raiders | 0 | DEF | 0 | Tennessee Titans | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Cincinnati Bengals | pts | pts | New England Patriots | |||
| Carson Palmer | 0 | QB | 0 | Tom Brady | ||
| Cedric Benson | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Laurence Maroney | ||
| Bernard Scott | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Fred Taylor | ||
| Chad Ochocinco | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Randy Moss | ||
| Terrell Owens | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Wes Welker | ||
| Andre Caldwell | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Julian Edelmann | ||
| Jermaine Gresham | 0 | TE | 0 | Alge Crumpler | ||
| Mike Nugent | 0 | K | 0 | Stephen Gostkowski | ||
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | DEF | 0 | New England Patriots | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Carolina Panthers | pts | pts | New York Giants | |||
| Matt Moore | 0 | QB | 0 | Eli Manning | ||
| DeAngelo Williams | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Ahmad Bradshaw | ||
| Jonathan Stewart | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Brandon Jacobs | ||
| Steve Smith | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Steve Smith | ||
| Dwayne Jarrett | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Hakeem Nicks | ||
| Dexter Jackson | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Mario manningham | ||
| Dante Rosario | 0 | TE | 0 | Kevin Boss | ||
| John Kasay | 0 | K | 0 | Lawrence Tynes | ||
| Carolina Panthers | 0 | DEF | 0 | New York Giants | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Atlanta Falcons | pts | pts | Pittsburgh Steelers | |||
| Matt Ryan | 0 | QB | 0 | Dennis Dixon | ||
| Michael Turner | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Rashard Mendehall | ||
| Jason Snelling | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Mewelde Moore | ||
| Roddy White | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Hines Ward | ||
| Michael Jenkins | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Mike Wallace | ||
| Brian Finneran | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Atwaan Randle El | ||
| Tony Gonzalez | 0 | TE | 0 | Heath Miller | ||
| Matt Bryant | 0 | K | 0 | Jeff Reed | ||
| Atlanta Falcons | 0 | DEF | 0 | Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Cleveland Browns | pts | pts | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |||
| Jake Delhomme | 0 | QB | 0 | Josh Freeman | ||
| Jerome Harrison | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Cadillac Williams | ||
| Peyton Hillis | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Kareem Huggins | ||
| Mohamed Massaquoi | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Mike Williams | ||
| Josh Cribbs | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Maurice Stovall | ||
| Chansi Stuckey | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Sammie Stroughter | ||
| Benjamin Watson | 0 | TE | 0 | Kellen Winslow | ||
| Phil Dawson | 0 | K | 0 | Connor Barth | ||
| Cleveland Browns | 0 | DEF | 0 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Denver Broncos | pts | pts | Jacksonville Jaguars | |||
| Kyle Orten | 0 | QB | 0 | David Garrard | ||
| Knowshon Moreno | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Maurice Jones-Drew | ||
| Correll Buckhalter | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Rashad Jennings | ||
| Jabar Gaffney | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Mike Sims-Walker | ||
| Eddie Royal | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Mike Thomas | ||
| Demaryius Thomas | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Jarett Dillard | ||
| Daniel Graham | 0 | TE | 0 | Zach Miller | ||
| Matt Prater | 0 | K | 0 | Josh Scobee | ||
| Denver Broncos | 0 | DEF | 0 | Jacksonville Jaguars | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Indianapolis Colts | pts | pts | Houston Texans | |||
| Peyton Manning | 0 | QB | 0 | Matt Schaub | ||
| Joseph Addai | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Arian Foster | ||
| Donald Brown | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Steve Slaton | ||
| Reggie Wayne | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Andre Johnson | ||
| Pierre Garcon | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Jacoby Jones | ||
| Austin Collie | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Kevin Walter | ||
| Dallas Clark | 0 | TE | 0 | Owen Daniels | ||
| Adam Vinatieri | 0 | K | 0 | Neil Rackers | ||
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | DEF | 0 | Houston Texans | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| San Francisco 49ers | pts | pts | Seattle Seahawks | |||
| Alex Smith | 0 | QB | 0 | Matt Hasselback | ||
| Frank Gore | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Justin Forsett | ||
| Brian Westbrook | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Leon Washington | ||
| Michael Crabtree | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Mike Williams | ||
| Josh Morgan | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Deon Butler | ||
| Ted Ginn, Jr. | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Golden Tate | ||
| Vernon Davis | 0 | TE | 0 | John Carlson | ||
| Joe Nedney | 0 | K | 0 | Olindo Mare | ||
| San Francisco 49ers | 0 | DEF | 0 | Seattle Seahawks | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Green Bay Packers | pts | pts | Philadelphia Eagles | |||
| Aaron Rodgers | 0 | QB | 0 | Kevin Kolb | ||
| Ryan Grant | 0 | RB1 | 0 | LeSean McCoy | ||
| Brandon Jackson | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Leonard Weaver | ||
| Greg Jennings | 0 | WR1 | 0 | DeSean Jackson | ||
| Donald Driver | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Jeremy Maclin | ||
| James Jones | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Jason Avant | ||
| Jermichael Finley | 0 | TE | 0 | Brent Celek | ||
| Mason Crosby | 0 | K | 0 | David Akers | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 0 | DEF | 0 | Philadelphia Eagles | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Arizona Cardinals | pts | pts | St. Louis Rams | |||
| Derek Anderson | 0 | QB | 0 | Sam Bradford | ||
| Tim Hightower | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Steven Jackson | ||
| Beanie Wells | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Kenneth Darby | ||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Laurent Robinson | ||
| Steve Breaston | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Danny Amendola | ||
| Early Doucet | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Mark Clayton | ||
| Stephen Spach | 0 | TE | 0 | Billy Bajema | ||
| Jay Feely | 0 | K | 0 | Josh Brown | ||
| Arizona Cardinals | 0 | DEF | 0 | St. Louis Rams | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| Dallas Cowboys | pts | pts | Washington Redskins | |||
| Tony Romo | 0 | QB | 0 | Donovan McNabb | ||
| Marion Barber | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Clinton Portis | ||
| Felix Jones | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Larry Johnson | ||
| Miles Austin | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Santan Moss | ||
| Dez Bryant | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Anthony Armstrong | ||
| Roy E. Williams | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Joey Galloway | ||
| Jason Witten | 0 | TE | 0 | Chris Cooley | ||
| David Buehler | 0 | K | 0 | Graham Gano | ||
| Dallas Cowboys | 0 | DEF | 0 | Washington Redskins | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
Monday Night Games - Creative Misfortune Fantasy Lineups
| Baltimore Ravens | pts | pts | New York Jets | |||
| Joe Flacco | 0 | QB | 0 | Mark Sanchez | ||
| Ray Rice | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Shonn Greene | ||
| Willis McGahee | 0 | RB2 | 0 | LaDainian Tomlinson | ||
| Derrick Mason | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Braylon Edwards | ||
| Anquan Boldin | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Jerrico Cotchery | ||
| T.J. Houshmandzadah | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Brad Smith | ||
| Todd Heap | 0 | TE | 0 | Dustin Keller | ||
| Billy Cundiff | 0 | K | 0 | Nick Folk | ||
| Baltimore Ravens | 0 | DEF | 0 | New York Jets | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
| San Diego Chargers | pts | pts | Kansas City Chiefs | |||
| Philip Rivers | 0 | QB | 0 | Matt Cassel | ||
| Ryan Mathews | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Jamaal Charles | ||
| Darren Sproles | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Thomas Jones | ||
| Malcom Floyd | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Dwayne Bowe | ||
| Patrick Crayton | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Chris Chambers | ||
| Legedu Naanee | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Dexter McCluster | ||
| Antonio Gates | 0 | TE | 0 | Leonard Pope | ||
| Nate Kaeding | 0 | K | 0 | Ryan Succop | ||
| San Diego Chargers | 0 | DEF | 0 | Kansas City Chiefs | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
Check back later this evening for predictions of all remaining Week 1 NFL games...
Thursday Night Football - Recap
Thursday Night Football Prediction Roundup:
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints (Saints win 14-9)
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans dominates the game, but Minnesota scores late to make it interesting.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans, 45-23. The game is close for the first half, but the Vikes fade down the stretch
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans, 27-21. New Orleans by 5, Over/Under 48.
Accuscore Pick: New Orleans, 24-13. New Orleans 67% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17
All systems picked the correct winner, but all expected the score to be higher. Default Home Team Wins and Best Record came closest to getting the score right. No system picked the correct 5 point winning margin.
Thursday Night Football - Creative Misfortune Fantasy Result
| Minnesota Vikings | pts | pts | New Orleans Saints | |||
| Brett Favre | 8 | QB | 13 | Drew Brees | ||
| Adrian Peterson | 9 | RB1 | 14 | Pierre Thomas | ||
| Toby Gerhart | 0 | RB2 | 4 | Reggie Bush | ||
| Bernard Berrian | 0 | WR1 | 6 | Marques Colston | ||
| Percy Harvin | 1 | WR2 | 3 | Robert Meachem | ||
| Greg Camarillo | 2 | WR3 | 9 | Devery Henderson | ||
| Visanthe Shiancoe | 13 | TE | 2 | Jeremy Shockey | ||
| Ryan Longwell | 3 | K | 2 | Garrett Hartley | ||
| Minnesota Vikings | 2 | DEF | 13 | New Orleans Saints | ||
| Total | 38 | >>> | 66 | Total |
Check back later today for all the remaining fantasy lineups for the Week 1 NFL games...
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thursday Night Football - Prediction and Starting Fantasy Lineups
IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!
The NFL season kicks off tonight when the defending champion New Orleans Saints take on the Minnesota Vikings down in the bayou.
New Orleans comes into the season riding a wave of optimism. Although a lot of experts (yours truly included) don't think the Saints will repeat as Super Bowl champions, there is no reason to believe they won't go deep into the postseason before their title defense falls short. The Saints enter the season healthy, confident and with the complete support of the beleagured New Orleans community. The only blot on their offseason has been the discussions surrounding Reggie Bush's break-up with Kim Kardashian and the possibility of the Heisman committee stripping him of his trophy. Maybe his play will improve once he no longer has the dead-weight of being known as a Heisman trophy winner hanging around his neck.
By contrast, Minnesota, the team destined to lose on a Brett Favre interception in 2009, comes into the 2010 season reeling. As a resident of Minnesota, I can tell you the local fans here are anything but confident for the 2010 campaign. While the Saints come into this game healthy, confident and supported, the Vikings come in injured, uncertain and lacking the support of all but the most die-hard homer fans.
The Favre drama sapped this team and its fan base of cohesiveness going forward. Injuries, particularly to the wide receiving corps, will keep the Vikings' passing game hit-or-miss until Favre gets comfortable with his receivers. The defense should be solid again this year, but is currently deciding how best to use three cornerbacks to defend against teams like New Orleans that tend to throw out a lot of four wide receiver sets.
Coach Childress remains stubborn as ever. By trading away Sage Rosenfels to the New York Giants last week, he has yoked his cart to the future success or failure of Tarvaris Jackson. If Jackson was the answer, why were the Vikings so concerned Favre might actually stay retired? Local sports radio hosts question Jackson's abilities on a daily basis and his preseason showing has done little to change people's opinion of him. When Favre finally does retire next year (here's hoping), Jackson better be the unequivocal starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. I wonder if Childress will really be willing to stand by his man once Favre is no longer an option?
Enough chit chat. On with the predictions! For every NFL game this season I will do my best to predict the game winner. But what fun would it be to just pick games by myself in a vaccum without having other prediction systems to compare against? To that end, all games will be predicted by the following systems:
First, the human systems -
Creative Misfortune's Pick – My pick of who I think will win and my predicted score.
Scottie V’s Pick – My friend, Scottie V, chimes in with his predicted winners and scores.
Vegas Lines Pick – These picks will be determined by looking at the favorite and the over/under for the game. Basically, if Team A is a 5 point favorite and the Over/Under for the game is 46, the Vegas Lines prediction will be based on Team A winning the game by 6 (beating the spread) with the total points scored equal to or 1 point more than the Over/Under value. In this example (Team A by 5, Over/Under 46), the Vegas Lines pick would be Team A 26, Opponent 20 (thus predicting Team A beats the spread by 1 and equals the Over/Under number). Since the lines offered by Vegas tend to be fairly close to actual results, we'll see how accurate this method is for picking games "straight up" over the course of the season. No Vegas Lines picks will results in obscure scores, such as 22-19.
Next, the computer systems -
Accuscore Pick – The Accuscore pick is based on the computer simulations run by Accuscore, a company affiliated with ESPN. Accuscore computers simulate the games 10,000 times to determine who will be the winner of the game. If Team A wins 64% of the 10,000 simulations, they are picked by Accuscore to win with 64% confidence. Since Accuscore only provides their percent chance winner for free (you must pay for their spread numbers and final score projections), I will use their percentage chance of victory to determine a predicted score for the game, based on my own custom formula. Basically, if a team is predicted to win 53%-55% of the simulations, I will predict them to win their game 20-17. A 65% win percentage would result in a predicted score of 24-13. The biggest predicted margin of victory possible would be an Accuscore win % of 100% and a final score prediction of 37-0. In case of a 50%-50% tie, the Home Team will be predicted to win the game 14-13.
What If Sports SimMatchups – The What If Sports website allows you to simulate upcoming games as many times as you would like with different “offensive playbooks”. To get this computer system's predicted results, I will run 5 simulations for each game (2 with Balanced Offense, 1 with Run Heavy, 1 with Pass Heavy and 1 with West Coast style) then take the average score for each team in those 5 comparisons to get the What If Sports predicted winner and final score projection. Note: Running the What If Sports SimMatchups multiple times will result in a different result almost every time. By comparing 5 different runs, though a mere fraction of a fraction of Accuscore's 10,000+ simulations, we'll see which computer system is more accurate over the course of the season.
And finally, the "blind" control systems -
The blind control predictions are exactly that - blind to the teams involved in the game. They only care where the game is played and the record of the teams involved. No fancy stats. No gut feelings. Just blind picks, even if it means picking Detroit or St. Louis to beat New Orleans.
Best Record Wins, Else Home Team Wins – This is the so-called "Isaacson-Tarbell Postulate", proposed by ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback (TMQ) readers Eric Isaacson of Indiana University and Catey Tarbell of Kirkland, Washington. You can view a discussion of this system in TMQ's archived column for February 9, 2010 under the heading "Weekly Game Predictions". This system basically predicts that the team with the best record will win the game. In case both teams have identical records, the Home Team will be predicted to win. Because all the predictions on The Art of Creative Misfortune will have scores associated with them, the NFL’s default score of 20-17 will be used for any Best Record Wins predictions.
Home Team Wins - ***The True Control Value*** - Let’s face it. Any prediction system that loses out to blindly predicting that the Home Team will win, regardless of the matchup, is not a good prediction system. As such, this will be used as a control value to blindly pick all games. Typically, NFL teams win at home about 57% of the time. All the other predictions systems featured on The Art of Creative Misfortune should be able to beat the Home Team Wins system. As with the Best Record Wins system, all Home Team Wins predictions will predict the NFL's default score of 20-17.
Now, let's pick tonight's matchup...
Thursday Night Football Score Prediction:
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans dominates the game, but Minnesota scores late to make it interesting.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans, 45-23. The game is close for the first half, but the Vikes fade down the stretch
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans, 27-21. New Orleans by 5, Over/Under 48.
Accuscore Pick: New Orleans, 24-13. New Orleans 67% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17
Thursday Night Football - Starting Creative Misfortune Fantasy Lineups
Tomorrow, recapping the Saints-Vikings game plus predictions and fantasy football starting lineups for the remaining slate of Week 1 NFL games...
The NFL season kicks off tonight when the defending champion New Orleans Saints take on the Minnesota Vikings down in the bayou.
New Orleans comes into the season riding a wave of optimism. Although a lot of experts (yours truly included) don't think the Saints will repeat as Super Bowl champions, there is no reason to believe they won't go deep into the postseason before their title defense falls short. The Saints enter the season healthy, confident and with the complete support of the beleagured New Orleans community. The only blot on their offseason has been the discussions surrounding Reggie Bush's break-up with Kim Kardashian and the possibility of the Heisman committee stripping him of his trophy. Maybe his play will improve once he no longer has the dead-weight of being known as a Heisman trophy winner hanging around his neck.
By contrast, Minnesota, the team destined to lose on a Brett Favre interception in 2009, comes into the 2010 season reeling. As a resident of Minnesota, I can tell you the local fans here are anything but confident for the 2010 campaign. While the Saints come into this game healthy, confident and supported, the Vikings come in injured, uncertain and lacking the support of all but the most die-hard homer fans.
The Favre drama sapped this team and its fan base of cohesiveness going forward. Injuries, particularly to the wide receiving corps, will keep the Vikings' passing game hit-or-miss until Favre gets comfortable with his receivers. The defense should be solid again this year, but is currently deciding how best to use three cornerbacks to defend against teams like New Orleans that tend to throw out a lot of four wide receiver sets.
Coach Childress remains stubborn as ever. By trading away Sage Rosenfels to the New York Giants last week, he has yoked his cart to the future success or failure of Tarvaris Jackson. If Jackson was the answer, why were the Vikings so concerned Favre might actually stay retired? Local sports radio hosts question Jackson's abilities on a daily basis and his preseason showing has done little to change people's opinion of him. When Favre finally does retire next year (here's hoping), Jackson better be the unequivocal starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. I wonder if Childress will really be willing to stand by his man once Favre is no longer an option?
Enough chit chat. On with the predictions! For every NFL game this season I will do my best to predict the game winner. But what fun would it be to just pick games by myself in a vaccum without having other prediction systems to compare against? To that end, all games will be predicted by the following systems:
First, the human systems -
Creative Misfortune's Pick – My pick of who I think will win and my predicted score.
Scottie V’s Pick – My friend, Scottie V, chimes in with his predicted winners and scores.
Vegas Lines Pick – These picks will be determined by looking at the favorite and the over/under for the game. Basically, if Team A is a 5 point favorite and the Over/Under for the game is 46, the Vegas Lines prediction will be based on Team A winning the game by 6 (beating the spread) with the total points scored equal to or 1 point more than the Over/Under value. In this example (Team A by 5, Over/Under 46), the Vegas Lines pick would be Team A 26, Opponent 20 (thus predicting Team A beats the spread by 1 and equals the Over/Under number). Since the lines offered by Vegas tend to be fairly close to actual results, we'll see how accurate this method is for picking games "straight up" over the course of the season. No Vegas Lines picks will results in obscure scores, such as 22-19.
Next, the computer systems -
Accuscore Pick – The Accuscore pick is based on the computer simulations run by Accuscore, a company affiliated with ESPN. Accuscore computers simulate the games 10,000 times to determine who will be the winner of the game. If Team A wins 64% of the 10,000 simulations, they are picked by Accuscore to win with 64% confidence. Since Accuscore only provides their percent chance winner for free (you must pay for their spread numbers and final score projections), I will use their percentage chance of victory to determine a predicted score for the game, based on my own custom formula. Basically, if a team is predicted to win 53%-55% of the simulations, I will predict them to win their game 20-17. A 65% win percentage would result in a predicted score of 24-13. The biggest predicted margin of victory possible would be an Accuscore win % of 100% and a final score prediction of 37-0. In case of a 50%-50% tie, the Home Team will be predicted to win the game 14-13.
What If Sports SimMatchups – The What If Sports website allows you to simulate upcoming games as many times as you would like with different “offensive playbooks”. To get this computer system's predicted results, I will run 5 simulations for each game (2 with Balanced Offense, 1 with Run Heavy, 1 with Pass Heavy and 1 with West Coast style) then take the average score for each team in those 5 comparisons to get the What If Sports predicted winner and final score projection. Note: Running the What If Sports SimMatchups multiple times will result in a different result almost every time. By comparing 5 different runs, though a mere fraction of a fraction of Accuscore's 10,000+ simulations, we'll see which computer system is more accurate over the course of the season.
And finally, the "blind" control systems -
The blind control predictions are exactly that - blind to the teams involved in the game. They only care where the game is played and the record of the teams involved. No fancy stats. No gut feelings. Just blind picks, even if it means picking Detroit or St. Louis to beat New Orleans.
Best Record Wins, Else Home Team Wins – This is the so-called "Isaacson-Tarbell Postulate", proposed by ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback (TMQ) readers Eric Isaacson of Indiana University and Catey Tarbell of Kirkland, Washington. You can view a discussion of this system in TMQ's archived column for February 9, 2010 under the heading "Weekly Game Predictions". This system basically predicts that the team with the best record will win the game. In case both teams have identical records, the Home Team will be predicted to win. Because all the predictions on The Art of Creative Misfortune will have scores associated with them, the NFL’s default score of 20-17 will be used for any Best Record Wins predictions.
Home Team Wins - ***The True Control Value*** - Let’s face it. Any prediction system that loses out to blindly predicting that the Home Team will win, regardless of the matchup, is not a good prediction system. As such, this will be used as a control value to blindly pick all games. Typically, NFL teams win at home about 57% of the time. All the other predictions systems featured on The Art of Creative Misfortune should be able to beat the Home Team Wins system. As with the Best Record Wins system, all Home Team Wins predictions will predict the NFL's default score of 20-17.
Now, let's pick tonight's matchup...
Thursday Night Football Score Prediction:
Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints
Creative Misfortune's Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans dominates the game, but Minnesota scores late to make it interesting.
Scottie V's Pick: New Orleans, 45-23. The game is close for the first half, but the Vikes fade down the stretch
Vegas Lines Pick: New Orleans, 27-21. New Orleans by 5, Over/Under 48.
Accuscore Pick: New Orleans, 24-13. New Orleans 67% win confidence
What If Sports Pick: New Orleans, 27-23. New Orleans won 3 of 5 simulations.
Best Record Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17. Both records at 0-0, advantage home.
Home Team Wins Pick: New Orleans, 20-17
Thursday Night Football - Starting Creative Misfortune Fantasy Lineups
| Minnesota Vikings | pts | pts | New Orleans Saints | |||
| Brett Favre | 0 | QB | 0 | Drew Brees | ||
| Adrian Peterson | 0 | RB1 | 0 | Pierre Thomas | ||
| Toby Gerhart | 0 | RB2 | 0 | Reggie Bush | ||
| Bernard Berrian | 0 | WR1 | 0 | Marques Colston | ||
| Percy Harvin | 0 | WR2 | 0 | Robert Meachem | ||
| Greg Camarillo | 0 | WR3 | 0 | Devery Henderson | ||
| Visanthe Shiancoe | 0 | TE | 0 | Jeremy Shockey | ||
| Ryan Longwell | 0 | K | 0 | Garrett Hartley | ||
| Minnesota Vikings | 0 | DEF | 0 | New Orleans Saints | ||
| Total | 0 | ^^^ | 0 | Total |
Tomorrow, recapping the Saints-Vikings game plus predictions and fantasy football starting lineups for the remaining slate of Week 1 NFL games...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings ~ Preseason
Creative Misfortune Power Rankings are based on a complicated formula that takes into account, among other things, a team's projected ability to score an Offensive Fumble Recovery TD. All power rankings guaranteed to be less accurate than real NFL team abilities on any given Sunday and are subject to change on a weekly basis. If your team’s ranking remains unchanged for 4 hours or more, please consult with your doctor, as serious side effects may occur.
The Forked Few ~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - St. Louis Rams
# 31 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
# 30 - Detroit Lions
# 29 - Washington Redskins
# 28 - Cleveland Browns
The Creatively Challenged ~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Oakland Raiders
# 26 - Kansas City Chiefs
# 25 - Jacksonville Jaguars
# 24 - Cincinnati Bengals
# 23 - Chicago Bears
# 22 - Tennessee Titans
# 21 - Buffalo Bills
The Remarkably Average ~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - New York Giants
# 19 - Denver Broncos
# 18 - Miami Dolphins
# 17 - Arizona Cardinals
# 16 - Philadelphia Eagles
# 15 - Seattle Seahawks
# 14 - Carolina Panthers
# 13 - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Fortunate Seven ~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Houston Texans
# 11 - Atlanta Falcons
# 10 - San Francisco 49ers
# 9 - New England Patriots
# 8 - Minnesota Vikings
# 7 - Baltimore Ravens
# 6 - Dallas Cowboys
The Creative Elite ~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Green Bay Packers
# 4 - Indianapolis Colts
# 3 - New Orleans Saints
# 2 - New York Jets
# 1 - San Diego Chargers
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLV Favorite ~ After the Preseason
San Diego Chargers
Tomorrow, Creative Misfortune's "If real football used fantasy football scoring..." season and score prediction segments officially kick off with the NFL's season opener featuring the Minnesota Vikings and the defending champion New Orleans Saints...
The Forked Few ~
Abandon hope and fortune all ye who rank here
# 32 - St. Louis Rams
# 31 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
# 30 - Detroit Lions
# 29 - Washington Redskins
# 28 - Cleveland Browns
The Creatively Challenged ~
Folly remains ever their mistress
# 27 - Oakland Raiders
# 26 - Kansas City Chiefs
# 25 - Jacksonville Jaguars
# 24 - Cincinnati Bengals
# 23 - Chicago Bears
# 22 - Tennessee Titans
# 21 - Buffalo Bills
The Remarkably Average ~
Dancing the fine line between misfortune and glory
# 20 - New York Giants
# 19 - Denver Broncos
# 18 - Miami Dolphins
# 17 - Arizona Cardinals
# 16 - Philadelphia Eagles
# 15 - Seattle Seahawks
# 14 - Carolina Panthers
# 13 - Pittsburgh Steelers
The Fortunate Seven ~
The best of those not yet elite
# 12 - Houston Texans
# 11 - Atlanta Falcons
# 10 - San Francisco 49ers
# 9 - New England Patriots
# 8 - Minnesota Vikings
# 7 - Baltimore Ravens
# 6 - Dallas Cowboys
The Creative Elite ~
Wielding misfortune at its finest
# 5 - Green Bay Packers
# 4 - Indianapolis Colts
# 3 - New Orleans Saints
# 2 - New York Jets
# 1 - San Diego Chargers
Creative Misfortune Super Bowl XLV Favorite ~ After the Preseason
Tomorrow, Creative Misfortune's "If real football used fantasy football scoring..." season and score prediction segments officially kick off with the NFL's season opener featuring the Minnesota Vikings and the defending champion New Orleans Saints...
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
2010 NFC Standings ~ Creative Misfortune Predictions
Below are Creative Misfortune's official predictions for how the NFC will shake out through the regular season and playoffs. Playoff predictions and Creative Misfortune's NFC Super Bowl XLV favorite will be listed below the standings.
NFC East ~
Dallas Cowboys, 12-4
Despite all the pressure to win, Dallas roars into the postseason as defending NFC East champions.
Philadelphia Eagles, 8-8
Too much transition and some breakdowns on defense keep Philadelphia out of the playoffs.
New York Giants, 7-9
As good as their offense is, their defense will be just as bad. They will lose more shoot-outs than they will win in 2010.
Washington Redskins, 2-14
A weak team in a strong division still trying to find its identity after nearly a decade of ineptness. The woes in Washington continue at least one more year.
NFC North ~
Green Bay Packers, 11-5
The gunslinger may have crossed state lines but Rodgers proves once and for all in 2010 that the Packers were right to have let Favre go when they did. Who needs all that drama anyway?
Minnesota Vikings, 10-6
Offseason diva drama, injuries to the wide receiving corps and Coach Childress' inability to admit he was wrong on Tarvaris Jackson all culminate this year in a disappointing regular season finish.
Chicago Bears, 7-9
Improved offense and declining defense puts the Bears in the middle of the pack once again.
Detroit Lions, 2-14
There is still not much to get excited about in Michigan. The passing game should be the strength of this team, but little else will fall into place.
NFC South ~
New Orleans Saints, 13-3
The defending champions show they haven't lost a step and tear through the NFC once again.
Atlanta Falcons, 10-6
Atlanta puts together their third consecutive winning season for the first time in franchise history and punches a ticket for the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers, 7-9
Excitement abounds in Carolina with fewer interceptions knocking them out of games, but this young team is still at least one season away from challenging New Orleans and Atlanta for the division title.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2-14
Youth struggles to find victories and inexperience leads to mistakes that keep this team in their spin cycle.
NFC West ~
San Francisco 49ers, 10-6
The 49ers win the weakest division in football with aggressive defense and a consistent running game. Alex Smith and his corps of receivers improve over last year and propel San Francisco into the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks, 8-8
Pete Carrol's return to the NFL is helped by 6 division games, but he still won't be able to get this team above a .500 record.
Arizona Cardinals, 7-9
Without a quarterback controversy Arizona goes into the season with confidence, but the drop off from Kurt Warner to Derek Anderson will still be too much for the team to overcome.
St. Louis Rams, 4-12
Bradford has given this team hope. Steven Jackson gives them some experience on offense and the defense will show signs of improvement, but it will still be a long year for the Rams.
Projected NFC Playoff Teams ~
Division Champions
#1 New Orleans Saints
#2 Dallas Cowboys
#3 Green Bay Packers
#4 San Francisco 49ers
Wild Cards
#5 Minnesota Vikings
#6 Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card Games ~
#3 Green Bay over #6 Atlanta
#4 San Francisco over #5 Minnesota
Divisional Games ~
#1 New Orleans over #4 San Francisco
#2 Dallas over #3 Green Bay
NFC Championship Game ~
#2 Dallas over #1 New Orleans
Creative Misfortune's NFC Preseason favorite ~
Dallas Cowboys
Tomorrow, Creative Misfortune's Preseason Power Rankings…
NFC East ~
Dallas Cowboys, 12-4
Despite all the pressure to win, Dallas roars into the postseason as defending NFC East champions.
Philadelphia Eagles, 8-8
Too much transition and some breakdowns on defense keep Philadelphia out of the playoffs.
New York Giants, 7-9
As good as their offense is, their defense will be just as bad. They will lose more shoot-outs than they will win in 2010.
Washington Redskins, 2-14
A weak team in a strong division still trying to find its identity after nearly a decade of ineptness. The woes in Washington continue at least one more year.
NFC North ~
Green Bay Packers, 11-5
The gunslinger may have crossed state lines but Rodgers proves once and for all in 2010 that the Packers were right to have let Favre go when they did. Who needs all that drama anyway?
Minnesota Vikings, 10-6
Offseason diva drama, injuries to the wide receiving corps and Coach Childress' inability to admit he was wrong on Tarvaris Jackson all culminate this year in a disappointing regular season finish.
Chicago Bears, 7-9
Improved offense and declining defense puts the Bears in the middle of the pack once again.
Detroit Lions, 2-14
There is still not much to get excited about in Michigan. The passing game should be the strength of this team, but little else will fall into place.
NFC South ~
New Orleans Saints, 13-3
The defending champions show they haven't lost a step and tear through the NFC once again.
Atlanta Falcons, 10-6
Atlanta puts together their third consecutive winning season for the first time in franchise history and punches a ticket for the playoffs.
Carolina Panthers, 7-9
Excitement abounds in Carolina with fewer interceptions knocking them out of games, but this young team is still at least one season away from challenging New Orleans and Atlanta for the division title.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2-14
Youth struggles to find victories and inexperience leads to mistakes that keep this team in their spin cycle.
NFC West ~
San Francisco 49ers, 10-6
The 49ers win the weakest division in football with aggressive defense and a consistent running game. Alex Smith and his corps of receivers improve over last year and propel San Francisco into the playoffs.
Seattle Seahawks, 8-8
Pete Carrol's return to the NFL is helped by 6 division games, but he still won't be able to get this team above a .500 record.
Arizona Cardinals, 7-9
Without a quarterback controversy Arizona goes into the season with confidence, but the drop off from Kurt Warner to Derek Anderson will still be too much for the team to overcome.
St. Louis Rams, 4-12
Bradford has given this team hope. Steven Jackson gives them some experience on offense and the defense will show signs of improvement, but it will still be a long year for the Rams.
Projected NFC Playoff Teams ~
Division Champions
#1 New Orleans Saints
#2 Dallas Cowboys
#3 Green Bay Packers
#4 San Francisco 49ers
Wild Cards
#5 Minnesota Vikings
#6 Atlanta Falcons
Wild Card Games ~
#3 Green Bay over #6 Atlanta
#4 San Francisco over #5 Minnesota
Divisional Games ~
#1 New Orleans over #4 San Francisco
#2 Dallas over #3 Green Bay
NFC Championship Game ~
#2 Dallas over #1 New Orleans
Creative Misfortune's NFC Preseason favorite ~
Dallas CowboysTomorrow, Creative Misfortune's Preseason Power Rankings…
Monday, September 6, 2010
2010 AFC Standings ~ Creative Misfortune Predictions
Below are Creative Misfortune's official predictions for how the AFC will shake out through the regular season and playoffs. Playoff predictions and Creative Misfortune's AFC Super Bowl XLV favorite will be listed below the standings.
AFC East ~
New York Jets, 13-3
A strong running game, great defense and fewer mistakes by second year quarterback Sanchez allow this team to knock New England off the AFC East pedestal.
New England Patriots, 11-5
An aging team filled with savvy veterans and a renewed vertical passing attack finishes the season in the thick of the wild card chase.
Miami Dolphins, 8-8
Still a young team trying to catch lightning in a bottle, the Dolphins will both surprise people and make mistakes in 2010. They'll fall short of the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills, 7-9
Buffalo will improve from previous years, but still end up in the cellar in the strong AFC East.
AFC North ~
Baltimore Ravens, 11-5
Emerging offensive firepower finally gives this veteran defense on the downslope a break and leads the way to the AFC North crown.
Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-7
Too much off-field adversity keeps this team from truly succeeding despite dominate defensive play.
Cincinnati Bengals, 6-10
The combination of TO and Ochocinco will prove dramatic, but this team takes a step back this season and makes enough mistakes to fall a few games shy of a .500 record.
Cleveland Browns, 3-13
2010 will start off with the Browns flying high before reality sets in and they remember they are still the Browns. Expect another year of rebuilding for this franchise.
AFC South ~
Indianapolis Colts, 12-4
This year the starters won't rest the last few games of the season because the Colts will need every victory they can get to maintain their supremacy in the South.
Houston Texans, 11-5
After all these years Houston finally makes it to the postseason.
Tennessee Titans, 8-8
Chris Johnson runs wild, but Young's passing accuracy is too erratic for this team to achieve a winning record in 2010.
Jacksonville Jaguars, 6-10
The apathy of the fan base continues as the Jaguars underachieve again this season and finish dead last. Maybe the London Jaguars or Los Angeles Jaguars will find greater success in 2012.
AFC West ~
San Diego Chargers, 14-2
San Diego rolls through the regular season, taking advantage of a weak division and one of the NFL's kinder schedules.
Denver Broncos, 7-9
With the Chargers the class of this division, Denver finishes a poor second, unable to get above .500.
Oakland Raiders, 5-11
Still at least one year from reaching the playoffs, the Raiders steal enough games this year to position themselves nicely for a return to relevance in 2011.
Kansas City Chiefs, 3-13
There is nothing to be excited about this year in Kansas City. Sorry, Chiefs fans.
Projected AFC Playoff Teams ~
Division Champions
#1 San Diego Chargers
#2 New York Jets
#3 Indianapolis Colts
#4 Baltimore Ravens
Wild Cards
#5 Houston Texans
#6 New England Patriots
Wild Card Games ~
#3 Indianapolis over #6 New England
#5 Houston over #4 Baltimore
Divisional Games ~
#1 San Diego over #5 Houston
#3 Indianapolis over #2 New York Jets
AFC Championship Game ~
#1 San Diego over #3 Indianapolis
Creative Misfortune's AFC Preseason favorite ~
San Diego Chargers
Tomorrow, Creative Misfortune's official predictions of the 2010 NFC standings…
AFC East ~
New York Jets, 13-3
A strong running game, great defense and fewer mistakes by second year quarterback Sanchez allow this team to knock New England off the AFC East pedestal.
New England Patriots, 11-5
An aging team filled with savvy veterans and a renewed vertical passing attack finishes the season in the thick of the wild card chase.
Miami Dolphins, 8-8
Still a young team trying to catch lightning in a bottle, the Dolphins will both surprise people and make mistakes in 2010. They'll fall short of the playoffs.
Buffalo Bills, 7-9
Buffalo will improve from previous years, but still end up in the cellar in the strong AFC East.
AFC North ~
Baltimore Ravens, 11-5
Emerging offensive firepower finally gives this veteran defense on the downslope a break and leads the way to the AFC North crown.
Pittsburgh Steelers, 9-7
Too much off-field adversity keeps this team from truly succeeding despite dominate defensive play.
Cincinnati Bengals, 6-10
The combination of TO and Ochocinco will prove dramatic, but this team takes a step back this season and makes enough mistakes to fall a few games shy of a .500 record.
Cleveland Browns, 3-13
2010 will start off with the Browns flying high before reality sets in and they remember they are still the Browns. Expect another year of rebuilding for this franchise.
AFC South ~
Indianapolis Colts, 12-4
This year the starters won't rest the last few games of the season because the Colts will need every victory they can get to maintain their supremacy in the South.
Houston Texans, 11-5
After all these years Houston finally makes it to the postseason.
Tennessee Titans, 8-8
Chris Johnson runs wild, but Young's passing accuracy is too erratic for this team to achieve a winning record in 2010.
Jacksonville Jaguars, 6-10
The apathy of the fan base continues as the Jaguars underachieve again this season and finish dead last. Maybe the London Jaguars or Los Angeles Jaguars will find greater success in 2012.
AFC West ~
San Diego Chargers, 14-2
San Diego rolls through the regular season, taking advantage of a weak division and one of the NFL's kinder schedules.
Denver Broncos, 7-9
With the Chargers the class of this division, Denver finishes a poor second, unable to get above .500.
Oakland Raiders, 5-11
Still at least one year from reaching the playoffs, the Raiders steal enough games this year to position themselves nicely for a return to relevance in 2011.
Kansas City Chiefs, 3-13
There is nothing to be excited about this year in Kansas City. Sorry, Chiefs fans.
Projected AFC Playoff Teams ~
Division Champions
#1 San Diego Chargers
#2 New York Jets
#3 Indianapolis Colts
#4 Baltimore Ravens
Wild Cards
#5 Houston Texans
#6 New England Patriots
Wild Card Games ~
#3 Indianapolis over #6 New England
#5 Houston over #4 Baltimore
Divisional Games ~
#1 San Diego over #5 Houston
#3 Indianapolis over #2 New York Jets
AFC Championship Game ~
#1 San Diego over #3 Indianapolis
Creative Misfortune's AFC Preseason favorite ~
San Diego ChargersTomorrow, Creative Misfortune's official predictions of the 2010 NFC standings…
Friday, September 3, 2010
BEAVERS! How Can You Not Love Them This Week?
Throughout the NFL season, The Art of Creative Misfortune will feature guest posts by my good friend, Scottie V, a raving mad fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oregon State Beavers. His Way Out There, Left-Coast Style columns will appear most Thursdays to be followed by his BEAVERS! How Can You Not Love Them This Week? columns on most Fridays.
When it comes to the Oregon State Beavers, Scottie V is prone to poetry, though he can't carry a tune to save his life. Prepare to learn more about the Pac-10 Beavers than you ever wanted to know as they get ready to take on #6 ranked TCU...
“The House That Jerry Built”
They call it “The House That Jerry Built”
I call it the place where Horned Frog guts will be spilt
Led by a confident quarterback, hometown boys and veteran D
The Beavs will run roughshod on the world’s largest HDTV
They call it “The Eighth Wonder of the World”
I call it the place where TCU’s dreams will come unfurled
The Beavs have weapons the likes unseen in the Mountain West
And Riley’s been cooking up x’s and o’s with a little more zest
They say they keep the roof open so God can watch His favorite team
I say “How egotistical can one franchise be?!”
(Misfortune note: Wait a minute! That sounds like a knock on the Cowboys!)
God doesn’t need a window and His first priority is the kneelers
Besides, don’t you all know He’s really a fan of the Steelers?
They call this dust-ridden territory the Lonestar State
A place where Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson used to mate
The home of good salsa, unlike that of New York City
If only those saps tried Reser’s, oh, such a pity!
They boldly claim “everything’s bigger in Texas”
This is why the stature of the Rodgers’ brothers does vex us
But what they lack in size, they make up for in brawn
So, buckle up boys because it’s on like Tron!
They say in the press we are 14-point ‘dogs
But I’ve never known a Beaver who backed down from some Frogs
Just as surely as the Cowboys’ Cheerleaders will be wearing spurs and chaps
The Beavers will roll into Texas and they’re gonna kick their ass!
Go Beavs!!!
Scottie V's Final Score Prediction: Oregon State Beavers 27, TCU Horned Frogs 23
Next week, predicted standings for all NFL teams, playoff and Super Bowl favorites plus the first official Creative Misfortune Power Rankings of the 2010 season...
When it comes to the Oregon State Beavers, Scottie V is prone to poetry, though he can't carry a tune to save his life. Prepare to learn more about the Pac-10 Beavers than you ever wanted to know as they get ready to take on #6 ranked TCU...
“The House That Jerry Built”
They call it “The House That Jerry Built”
I call it the place where Horned Frog guts will be spilt
Led by a confident quarterback, hometown boys and veteran D
The Beavs will run roughshod on the world’s largest HDTV
They call it “The Eighth Wonder of the World”
I call it the place where TCU’s dreams will come unfurled
The Beavs have weapons the likes unseen in the Mountain West
And Riley’s been cooking up x’s and o’s with a little more zest
They say they keep the roof open so God can watch His favorite team
I say “How egotistical can one franchise be?!”
(Misfortune note: Wait a minute! That sounds like a knock on the Cowboys!)
God doesn’t need a window and His first priority is the kneelers
Besides, don’t you all know He’s really a fan of the Steelers?
They call this dust-ridden territory the Lonestar State
A place where Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson used to mate
The home of good salsa, unlike that of New York City
If only those saps tried Reser’s, oh, such a pity!
They boldly claim “everything’s bigger in Texas”
This is why the stature of the Rodgers’ brothers does vex us
But what they lack in size, they make up for in brawn
So, buckle up boys because it’s on like Tron!
They say in the press we are 14-point ‘dogs
But I’ve never known a Beaver who backed down from some Frogs
Just as surely as the Cowboys’ Cheerleaders will be wearing spurs and chaps
The Beavers will roll into Texas and they’re gonna kick their ass!
Scottie V's Final Score Prediction: Oregon State Beavers 27, TCU Horned Frogs 23
Next week, predicted standings for all NFL teams, playoff and Super Bowl favorites plus the first official Creative Misfortune Power Rankings of the 2010 season...
Thursday, September 2, 2010
V's Way Out There, Left Coast-Style
Throughout the NFL season, The Art of Creative Misfortune will feature guest posts by my good friend, Scottie V, a raving mad fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oregon State Beavers. His Way Out There, Left-Coast Style columns will appear most Thursdays to be followed by his BEAVERS! How Can You Not Love Them This Week? columns on most Fridays. I ask your forgiveness ahead of time for any extraneous hyperbole found in these columns…
Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go in the Water
(ECFE – A Cautionary Tale)
There’s something about being stuck on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic that just kind of helps people to get along. My wife and I returned about a week ago from Florida… SEC country. Aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s splendid, but aging, vessels we had the pleasure of dining with a few people who had a severe case of East Coast Football Elitism. ECFE, as I’ll call it, is a debilitating, headstrong, and irrational belief that the quality of football played gets stronger the further east you are in the United States. Cases of ECFE seem to be most severe in the southeastern corner of the United States: SEC country.
Upon meeting these people (‘Bama boy, his Gator wife, and Gamecock man), I immediately struck up a conversation about football. Forgetting where I was, I began extolling the virtues of the Pac-10 and my beloved Oregon State Beavers. ‘Bama boy, who was otherwise friendly, quickly dismissed my banter and steered the conversation back to SEC-talk. I could tell he had little respect for any team west of the Mississippi. It got me to thinking how awfully convenient it must be to be an SEC fan. Somehow, someway the SEC has gotten a free pass. I don’t know how it happened or when it happened, but it is disgusting.
PLAY SOMEBODY!!!
I am so tired of hearing the excuse that teams in the SEC don’t need to play a tough non-conference schedule because their conference games are already so tough. How do we know that to be true? Why is their conference given a pass for being tough, but USC can be lambasted on ESPN for losing to Oregon State on the road? It makes no sense. Look at USC’s non-conference schedule and record the last 5-10 years and you will see that they play some very tough non-conference games and win virtually all of them. Does anyone with a case of ECFE ever stop to think that losing that game to Oregon State is more of an indication of the strength of the Pac-10 and less a condemnation of the quality of USC?
Here are some of the non-conference juggernauts the SEC will be facing this year:
San Jose State, Tennessee Tech, Duke, Arkansas State,
Jacksonville State, Chattanooga, Alabama-Birmingham,
Georgia State, McNeese State, Alcorn State and
Louisiana Monroe x3 (the Warhawks will have the distinct honor – and payday – of
being trounced by three SEC teams this season)
By the way, all of these are home games for the SEC.
For comparison, here are some of the non-conference legitimate powers the Pac-10 will be facing:
Iowa, @Wisconsin, Colorado, @Nevada, @Tennessee,
@TCU (technically at Cowboys Stadium), Louisville,
Wake Forest, @Kansas State, Virginia, @Minnesota,
@BYU, Syracuse, Nebraska, @Oklahoma State,
@SMU (ok, this is a stretch for a “power” team),
@Boise State, @Texas, @Hawaii (doesn’t sound menacing, but check out their
home record and you’ll change your tune), and Notre Dame x2 (Stanford plays
@ND, USC plays them at home)
The teams of the Pac-10 have shown that they will play anyone, anywhere… And, on most occasions, they will win. The teams of the Pac-10 do not hide behind an imaginary cloak of superiority. They pursue the best teams and they play them, home or away. Oregon State has possibly one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Division I this year: @TCU, home against Louisville, and @Boise State. The stupid Oregon Ducks (oh, how I hate them) chose to schedule Tennessee in Knoxville – a very daunting task. But not only will they win that game, they will destroy the SEC’s precious Volunteers on national television… Ok, just had to go throw up after writing that last bit.
My point being, until the SEC schedules some quality non-conference games, the treacherous ECFE will go untreated. My SEC-lovin’ cruisemates can run their mouths all they want, but eventually that ship has gotta land and you gotta play someone.
Tomorrow, Scottie V returns to tells us how his beloved Oregon State Beavers will fare against the rabid Horned Frogs of TCU...
Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go in the Water
(ECFE – A Cautionary Tale)
There’s something about being stuck on a cruise ship in the middle of the Atlantic that just kind of helps people to get along. My wife and I returned about a week ago from Florida… SEC country. Aboard one of Royal Caribbean’s splendid, but aging, vessels we had the pleasure of dining with a few people who had a severe case of East Coast Football Elitism. ECFE, as I’ll call it, is a debilitating, headstrong, and irrational belief that the quality of football played gets stronger the further east you are in the United States. Cases of ECFE seem to be most severe in the southeastern corner of the United States: SEC country.
Upon meeting these people (‘Bama boy, his Gator wife, and Gamecock man), I immediately struck up a conversation about football. Forgetting where I was, I began extolling the virtues of the Pac-10 and my beloved Oregon State Beavers. ‘Bama boy, who was otherwise friendly, quickly dismissed my banter and steered the conversation back to SEC-talk. I could tell he had little respect for any team west of the Mississippi. It got me to thinking how awfully convenient it must be to be an SEC fan. Somehow, someway the SEC has gotten a free pass. I don’t know how it happened or when it happened, but it is disgusting.
PLAY SOMEBODY!!!
I am so tired of hearing the excuse that teams in the SEC don’t need to play a tough non-conference schedule because their conference games are already so tough. How do we know that to be true? Why is their conference given a pass for being tough, but USC can be lambasted on ESPN for losing to Oregon State on the road? It makes no sense. Look at USC’s non-conference schedule and record the last 5-10 years and you will see that they play some very tough non-conference games and win virtually all of them. Does anyone with a case of ECFE ever stop to think that losing that game to Oregon State is more of an indication of the strength of the Pac-10 and less a condemnation of the quality of USC?
Here are some of the non-conference juggernauts the SEC will be facing this year:
San Jose State, Tennessee Tech, Duke, Arkansas State,
Jacksonville State, Chattanooga, Alabama-Birmingham,
Georgia State, McNeese State, Alcorn State and
Louisiana Monroe x3 (the Warhawks will have the distinct honor – and payday – of
being trounced by three SEC teams this season)
By the way, all of these are home games for the SEC.
For comparison, here are some of the non-conference legitimate powers the Pac-10 will be facing:
Iowa, @Wisconsin, Colorado, @Nevada, @Tennessee,
@TCU (technically at Cowboys Stadium), Louisville,
Wake Forest, @Kansas State, Virginia, @Minnesota,
@BYU, Syracuse, Nebraska, @Oklahoma State,
@SMU (ok, this is a stretch for a “power” team),
@Boise State, @Texas, @Hawaii (doesn’t sound menacing, but check out their
home record and you’ll change your tune), and Notre Dame x2 (Stanford plays
@ND, USC plays them at home)
The teams of the Pac-10 have shown that they will play anyone, anywhere… And, on most occasions, they will win. The teams of the Pac-10 do not hide behind an imaginary cloak of superiority. They pursue the best teams and they play them, home or away. Oregon State has possibly one of the toughest non-conference schedules in Division I this year: @TCU, home against Louisville, and @Boise State. The stupid Oregon Ducks (oh, how I hate them) chose to schedule Tennessee in Knoxville – a very daunting task. But not only will they win that game, they will destroy the SEC’s precious Volunteers on national television… Ok, just had to go throw up after writing that last bit.
My point being, until the SEC schedules some quality non-conference games, the treacherous ECFE will go untreated. My SEC-lovin’ cruisemates can run their mouths all they want, but eventually that ship has gotta land and you gotta play someone.
Tomorrow, Scottie V returns to tells us how his beloved Oregon State Beavers will fare against the rabid Horned Frogs of TCU...
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
NFC Predicted Finishes – 2010 Creative Misfortune Fantasy Season
Below are the projected Creative Misfortune Fantasy Season finishes for each NFC team. Any players listed as Key Starters for a team represent players projected to be among the top 10 fantasy scorers in the league at their position.
NFC East ~
#1 Philadelphia Eagles
Key Starters: DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, Defense, David Akers
#2 New York Giants
Key Starters: No top 10 position players
#3 Dallas Cowboys
Key Starters: Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Defense
#4 Washington Redskins
Key Starters: Chris Cooley
NFC North ~
#1 Minnesota Vikings
Key Starters: Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Defense, Ryan Longwell
#2 Green Bay Packers
Key Starters: Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley,
Defense, Mason Crosby
#3 Chicago Bears
Key Starters: Jay Cutler, Robbie Gould
#4 Detroit Lions
Key Starters: Calvin Johnson
NFC South ~
#1 New Orleans Saints
Key Starters: Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Garrett Hartley
#2 Atlanta Falcons
Key Starters: Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez
#3 Carolina Panthers
Key Starters: DeAngelo Williams
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Starters: Kellen Winslow
NFC West ~
#1 Arizona Cardinals
Key Starters: Larry Fitzgerald, Jay Feely
#2 San Francisco 49ers
Key Starters: Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Defense
#3 Seattle Seahawks
Key Starters: No top 10 position players
#4 St. Louis Rams
Key Starters: Steven Jackson
Projected NFC Playoff Teams ~
Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints,
Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants
NFC Preseason Creative Misfortune Fantasy Bowl I favorite ~
Minnesota Vikings
Tomorrow, the college football season kicks off...
NFC East ~
#1 Philadelphia Eagles
Key Starters: DeSean Jackson, Brent Celek, Defense, David Akers
#2 New York Giants
Key Starters: No top 10 position players
#3 Dallas Cowboys
Key Starters: Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, Defense
#4 Washington Redskins
Key Starters: Chris Cooley
NFC North ~
#1 Minnesota Vikings
Key Starters: Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Defense, Ryan Longwell
#2 Green Bay Packers
Key Starters: Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley,
Defense, Mason Crosby
#3 Chicago Bears
Key Starters: Jay Cutler, Robbie Gould
#4 Detroit Lions
Key Starters: Calvin Johnson
NFC South ~
#1 New Orleans Saints
Key Starters: Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Garrett Hartley
#2 Atlanta Falcons
Key Starters: Michael Turner, Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez
#3 Carolina Panthers
Key Starters: DeAngelo Williams
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Key Starters: Kellen Winslow
NFC West ~
#1 Arizona Cardinals
Key Starters: Larry Fitzgerald, Jay Feely
#2 San Francisco 49ers
Key Starters: Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Defense
#3 Seattle Seahawks
Key Starters: No top 10 position players
#4 St. Louis Rams
Key Starters: Steven Jackson
Projected NFC Playoff Teams ~
Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints,
Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants
NFC Preseason Creative Misfortune Fantasy Bowl I favorite ~
Tomorrow, the college football season kicks off...
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