NFL Preview

Game of the Week

The real big game of this weekend is Bengals at Steelers.  I know that that the Sunday night game features an undefeated Colts team playing host to a surging Patriots squad, but you know both of those teams are going to make the playoffs.  Everyone knew they were going to be fighting for home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but did anyone think that the division lead would be on the line this weekend in Pittsburgh, no way.

The only letdown for the Steelers and Bengals matchup is that Marvin Lewis didn’t let Chad Ochocinco send the Steelers a care package with mustard, last week he sent the Ravens deodorant.  Lewis caught wind of Ochocino’s plan to send mustard to the Steelers, who play at Heinz Field, because of tweets that Ochocinco sent out.  Lewis put an end to that and told Ochocinco not to send anything to the Steelers.  This might be best for the Bengals because the Steelers really don’t need any extra motivation for this game.

We wrote about the Bengals after last week’s impressive victory over the Ravens, but if they beat the Steelers this weekend expect to see and hear a lot more of Chad Ochocinco.

Players to watch

The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for their defense and Dick LeBeau loves to blitz the quarterback and wreak havoc whether it be by sacking the quarterback or pressuring the quarterback into bad throws, they’ve been doing it for a long time.  Because the Bengals need to get the Steelers to respect the run, Cedric Benson is the player to watch for the Bengals.  If the Steelers can make the Bengals one dimensional on offense it is going to be a rough day for the Bengals.  On the flip side if Cedric Benson can have success running the football and force the Steelers to bring Troy Polomalu up into the box to stop the run look for the Bengals to have success with the play action pass.  Another player to watch for the Bengals has to be Chad Ochocinco if for no other reason than to see what he does on the sidelines and after the play, but don’t be surprised if he makes a game changing play in this one.

For the Steelers to be successful in this game they have to run the ball with Rashard Mendenhall.  I know that Big Ben has been playing lights out football as of late, but in order to win a big game like this one he needs for Mendenhall to step up big.  Mendenhall has shown that he is more than capable as he ran for 156 yard last week, but this Bengals defense is good.  Mendenhall will need the help of his offensive line in a big way to create gaps for him to run through.  If the Steelers offensive line can win the majority of the battles this weekend expect for the Steelers to wear down the Bengals and come away with a victory.  Another player to watch for the Steelers would be rookie Mike Wallace, the speedster has earned the trust of Big Ben and seems to have a knack for making big plays in big moments.

The Prediction

This game is going to be a good one, with two teams that play defense and fight to the finish.  For me though it comes down to one thing and that is a lack of trust in this Bengals team.  I want to go with the Bengals and I know I’ll regret it on Monday, but the Steelers have shown me that they are a big time team and now that it looks like they have hit their stride I don’t see them slowing down against the Bengals.  That’s why I’m picking the Steelers over the Bengals, 24-17.  Matt, Kelden and our two guests this week are also picking the Steelers.

Here’s the rest of this week’s picks:

Jesse Kunz: Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, Falcons, Raiders, Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Patriots, and Ravens.

Matt Flygare: Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, Falcons, Raiders, Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Colts, and Ravens.

Kelden Peterson: Bills, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, Falcons, Raiders, Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Colts, and Ravens.

Guest Dan Condie: Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, Panthers, Raiders, Cowboys, Cardinals, Eagles, Patriots, and Ravens.

Guest Kellen Knowles: Titans, Saints, Dolphins, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, Falcons, Chiefs, Cowboys, Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Ravens.

If you want to be apart of next weeks Friday picks as one of our guests, then submit funny youtube videos, drop some comments or give us some feed back at our email hmhdblog@gmail.com

Written by: Jesse Kunz

The halfmanhalfdog team

NFL Recap

After a quick glance at this weekend’s games, a couple of things stand out to me.  First and foremost if someone had told you that the Bengals would be where they are at this point in the season you are either a die hard Cincy fan or you should begin a career as a very successful psychic.  The Bengals were the team that impressed me the most this weekend.  A few other teams were also impressive including the Saints, Colts, Cowboys, and Steelers.  The Saints and Colts still have unblemished records at the midway point and the Cowboys and Steelers both looked impressive in big road victories.

To me though the Bengals are the story and Chad Ochocinco didn’t even have to bribe me to write it.  The most impressive part about the Bengals is that they are doing it with a balanced attack.  Cedric Benson is finally showing why he was the number four overall pick in the 2005 draft.  Carson Palmer is returning to pro bowl form again, but Benson rushed for more than a 100 yards in both of their meetings this year.  The Ravens rarely allow a 100 yard rusher, but to allow the same guy to do it twice in a season is unheard of.

Last, but not least we have to talk about what happened to the Green Bay Packers.  How do you a let Tampa Bay beat you?  It’s always shameful to lose to an unbeaten team, but the Bucs were just asking for the Packers to beat them when they wore those creamsicle jerseys.  That uniform is synonymous with losing, when I saw that they were doing a pregame ceremony, I actually thought they might be honoring the 1976 Buccaneers for going an entire year without a win.  Seriously Green Bay you should be ashamed of yourselves. As far as the picks go I ended up on top, picking 11 of 13 games correctly.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

The halfmanhalfdog team

SEC = Scamming Every Call

It was a wild weekend indeed in the college football world. Nobody saw the 5-4 Northwestern Wildcats going into Iowa and beating the undefeated Hawkeye team 17-10. Three other upset games included Navy beating Notre Dame 23-21, Nebraska beating Oklahoma 10-3, and Oregon St. beating Cal 31-14. The Cal running back Jahvid Best left the game on a stretcher with a serious concussion. USC, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, and Wisconsin all barely held on for wins while Houston won with an onside kick and game ending field goal. Houston quarterback Case Keenum kept his Heisman trophy hopes alive throwing for over 500 yards for the 3rd time this season. Oregon who was fresh off their win over USC had a down week and lost to Stanford 51-42. I guess they don’t deserve that respect that I talked about before. Ohio St. went into Death Valley and beat Penn St. 24-7 in a uneventful game.  Ohio St. now holds control over the Big Ten and will look forward to that big matchup against Iowa this upcoming weekend. And then there was some big game down in the SEC I believe…..

In a hard fought, tough, grind it out type game, Alabama found a way to win Saturday afternoon when LSU came to town, and Bama stamped their tickets to the SEC championship game against Florida with their 24-15 victory.  I really would love to talk about how great a game this was, but a missed call infuriated me to the point of not wanting to watch the rest of the game. With just under six minutes to go in the game, LSU defensive back Patrick Peterson appeared to have picked off a pass from Alabama QB Greg McElroy on the sideline.  As the play was being reviewed we sat and watched the replays and clearly Peterson not only had one foot inbounds, but two and probably would have been called an INT in a NFL game.  But as it was called an incomplete pass, the officials either didn’t see enough evidence to overturn the call, or wanted maybe some else.  The SEC said that there would be no public statement made by the league and that they will speak to LSU directly. Why? Are they going to tell LSU that they have been fixing games all year to make sure Florida and Alabama play in the title game?  Florida was  giving a win by SEC officials earlier in the year and now that Alabama has, it creates some concerning questions.  The SEC is a joke this year and in my mind has lost all of it’s credibility. Needless to say the refs don’t overturn that call, Alabama converts a 3rd down play on the next snap and later scores and seals the game. Does LSU win if that call is overturned? Maybe, they were playing without their starting QB and runningback due to injuries, but I would have liked the game to be called correctly and given LSU the chance they deserved when Peterson made one of the best interceptions never called. Here is the replay.

This week’s Friday picks winner was our guest Rhet Fieldsted who picked 11 correct games.  Jesse and myself both had 10. If you want to participate in next week’s Friday picks, email us at hmhdblog@gmail.com, submit a video, or drop us some comments or feedback.

Written by: Matthew Flygare

halfmanhalfdog team

NFL preview

Game of the week

This week the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Dallas Cowboys in a battle for first place in the NFC East.  Both teams come into this game playing solid football.  The Eagles’ big play offense has an influx of youth with second year burner DeSean Jackson and rookies Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy.  Jackson right now is the biggest deep threat in the game, he already has six touchdown catches of 50 yards or more.   While there is a lot of new blood making a lot of noise for the Eagles it’ll be Donavon McNabb pulling the trigger like always for the Eagles.  McNabb always step up his game against the Cowboys, remember that 14 second scramble a few years ago.

Dallas may have found the number one reciever to replace Terrell Owens and it’s not Roy Williams, even though he disagrees.  The real number one is fourth year man Miles Austin.  Even if Austin can’t dunk it over the goalpost like T.O.he has generated some big numbers since replacing Patrick Crayton in the starting line up.  Austin has scored five touchdowns in the last three games and has more yardage in that three game span than any other reciever in Cowboys’ history.  The big question surrounding this game is whether or not Tony Romo can continue to make smart decisions with the football, he has only thrown one interception in his last five games.

Players to Watch

For Dallas the player to watch is DeMarcus Ware.  In the two games that the Eagles offense struggled against Oakland and Washington, it was because they were able to get pressure on Donavon McNabb.  If McNabb gets time in this game it’ll spell disaster for the Cowboys, but if DeMarcus Ware can harass Mcnabb in this one the Cowboys will have a much better shot at coming away with a victory.  Also watch perennial pro bowl tight end Jason Witten make a big catch or two in this one.

For Philadelphia the player to watch is Asante Samuel.  Samuel has a knack for making big plays in big games.  He and the rest of the Eagles defense have 14 interceptions on the year.  Samuel just has a nose for the ball.  If the Eagles pressure Romo and force him into gunslinger mode, look for Samuel to have a huge day and the Eagles to cruise to victory.  Also watch out for fullback Leonard Weaver, he’s a load and the Cowboys seem to struggle bringing down bigger backs.

The prediction

It’s always a dog fight when two teams from the NFC East square off.  Even though the last time these two teams met the Eagles demolished the Cowboys 44-6, both teams have made some changes.  Matt, Kelden, and our two guests this week are all going with the Eagles.  I say as long as Jessica Simpson doesn’t show up to distract Romo, he puts his critics to rest, at least for a week or two.  Cowboys 34, Eagles 31.

My other picks: Falcons, Cardinals, Ravens, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, Titans, Seahawks, Saints, Chargers, and Steelers.

Matt Flygare’s picks: Falcons, Cardinals, Bengals, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, Giants, and Steelers.

Kelden Peterson’s picks: Falcons, Cardinals, Bengals, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, 49ers, Seahawks, Saints, Chargers, and Steelers.

Guest Rhett Fieldsted’s picks: Falcons, Bears, Ravens, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, Titans, Seahawks, Saint, Chargers, and Steelers.

Guest Kevin Hall’s picks: Falcons, Bears, Ravens, Texans, Patriots, Packers, Jaguars, Titans, Seahawks, Saints, Giants, Steelers.

Written by: Jesse Kunz

halfmanhalfdog team

College football preview

Game of the week– Our game of the week sends us down south to the SEC matchup when LSU travels to Alabama. Since 2000 LSU has gone 7-2 against the Tide including a 4-0 record at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama does holding bragging rights at the moment by winning last years games 27-21 at LSU.  Simple SEC bragging rights are not all that are at stake come Saturday.  The winner of this game controls the SEC west and most likely will play Florida for a chance to go to the national championship game.  Mark Ingram, running back for the Crimson Tide is also looking to boost his heisman trophey hopes as well.  With a heisman hopeful and national championship implications on the line, this is the must see game of the week.  I am actually picking the upset and going with the Tigers in a tough game 24-21.

Other game to watch– Ohio St. travels to Penn St. in a massive Big Ten game.  Loser of this game most likely is on the outside looking in on the BCS bowl games while the winner has a chance to play in the Rose Bowl.  If Ohio St. can pull out the win, the road doesn’t get any easier when they have to play the unbeaten Iowa Hawkeyes at home. If Penn St. can get a win, their final two games are against teams with sub .500 records. The Nittany Lions would have a smooth shot at a BCS game for coach Joe Paterno.  This game will come down to quarterback play.  If Terrelle Pryor can be an affective passer, then I think the Buckeyes have a shot, but have Pryor be an affective passer might be asking too much, I have Penn St. with the win 35-21.

My top 15 picks– Florida, Texas, LSU, Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Penn St., USC, Pittsburgh, Utah, Houston

Jesse Kunz’s picks– Florida, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, Wake Forest, Ohio St., USC, Pittsburgh, Utah, Houston

Kelden Peterson’s picks– Florida, Texas, LSU, Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, Wake Forest, Penn St., USC, Syracuse, Utah, Houston

Guest Kevin Hall’s picks– Florida, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, UCONN, TCU, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Penn St., UCS, Pittsburgh, Utah, Houston

Guest Rhett Fieldsted’s picks– Florida, Texas, Alabama, Iowa, Cincinnati, TCU, Oregon, Georgia Tech, Ohio St., USC, Pittsburgh, Utah, Houston

If you want to be apart of next weeks Friday picks as one of our guests, then submit funny youtube videos, drop some comments or give us some feed back at our email hmhdblog@gmail.com

Written by: Matthew Flygare

halfmanhalfdog team

NfL weekend preview

NFL game of the week– Minnesota Vikings at the Green Bay Packers: as much as I don’t want this to be the game of the week and as much as I hate watching grandpa Favre play, there is a lot of hype surrounding this game. It will be intriguing to see how the fans will treat the 40 year old quarterback, I’m sure the stands will be filled with mixed emotions. My key to the game for Green Bay is their offensive line. In their previous meeting this season the Vikings accumulated 8 sacks. If Aaron Rodgers can get some time he is lethal, don’t believe me? Look at their last game when he wasn’t sacked once. My key for Minnesota is Jared Allen who had 4.5 of those 8 sacks, a safety, and a forced fumble. If he can get the same pressure, it’s going to be another Viking victory. I think Brett Fave will find a way to win this game like always, oh wait he blew the game last week against the Steelers? I have the Packers winning then 34-24.

Game to watch– New York Giants at the Philadelphia Eagles: Any matchup in the NFC east is a big game. Both quarterbacks have had injuries this season and have inconsistent games since. Westbrook is a game time decision coming off that concussion. Whoever moves the ball more consistently will win this game. I am taking the Eagles 35-30. Let’s see a Vick touchdown like the old times.

My picks– Texans, Bears, Cowboys, Lions, Colts, Jets, Eagles, Broncos, Titans, Chargers, Cardinals, Packers, Saints

Jesse Kunz’s picks– Texans, Bears, Cowboys, Rams, Colts, Dolphins, Giants, Ravens, Titans, Chargers, Cardinal, Packers, Saints

Kelden Peterson’s picks– Texans, Bears, Cowboys, Rams, Colts, Jets, Eagles, Broncos, Jaguars, Chargers, Cardinals, Packers, Saints

Guest Brad Singer’s picks– Texans, Bears, Seahawks, Lions, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Ravens, Jaguars, Chargers, Cardinals, Vikings, Saints

Guest Ryan Doyle’s picks– Texans, Bears, Cowboys, Lions, 49ers, Jets, Eagles, Ravens, Jaguars, Chargers, Cardinals, Vikings, Saints

If you want to be apart of next weeks Friday picks as one of our guests, then submit funny youtube videos, drop some comments or give us some feed back at our email hmhdblog@gmail.com

Written by: Matthew Flygare

halfmanhalfdog team