Tuesday Morning Self-Esteem Check.

Self-Esteem Runneth Over.

I’m not going to say it’s blog-wide, but most should be feeling pretty happy with themselves in 3-PT nation.  We featured two 4-0-1 weeks in NFL Pick ‘Em, and our fearless five prognosticators went a combined  15-7-3.  That’s 68% winners. I can twist that stat to make us the most successful touts on the internet, but I know I don’t need to do that.  Everyone sees what’s going on here.  We’re locking this horse bleep in.  Get ready for an avalanche of winners in the 2nd half of the season.  Let’s tally…

NFL Pick ‘Em Standings:

1. JCK:  20-9-1 (This Week, 3-2)
2. Big Dub: 17-10-3 (This Week, 4-0-1)
3. Grossy:  16-13-1 (This Week, 4-0-1)
4. Kraft: 15-12-3 (This Week, 2-2-1)
5. Nichols: 13-15-2 (This Week, 2-3)

The “I Had Week 6 in the Christian Ponder Pool,” Pick of the Week:  I don’t know if I’ve given the overall leader too much credit in this space this year.  What can I say, I like to use people’s analysis in making my selections, and JCK has been notoriously mum.  But, he broke out a few pearls this week.  Some were about teams in the game he picked, others were just about random teams around the league.  In a week where a unique winner was very hard to come by, I think we’ve got to acknowledge JCK taking S.F. over the Lions on the road.  Not an easy pick to make, especially with everyone waiting for the Niners to collapse.  They didn’t just cover, they won outright.  Also, the Mel Gray reference proved popular.

The “Can I Borrow 4 More TDs,” Awful Pick of the Week:  Unfortunately, I have to award Mr. Kraft this week.  He had the Vikings, which includes such crimes as betting on Donovan McNabb.  The Vikes couldn’t cover the 3 point number and lost by 29.  This can happen though, we’ve all been on the wrong side of a blowout, but I’ve got to zero in on Kraft’s claim that, “Chicago can’t stop the run.”  The Vikings had 17 carries for 53 yards.  That looks like some decent run-stopping to me, but the moral is, Donny Mack can suck the life out of any running game with a quick 4-TD deficit.

D.A. Football Standings and Summaries:

What’s the good news in D.A. regarding self-esteem?  Well, everyone is still in this thing.  All it took was a couple of games this week and our entire league tightened up into one big knot.  Every GM out there is two weeks away from first, or possibly last, place.  That should keep things interesting especially with the influx of new D.A. candidates into the draft pool.

D.A. Standings:

1. Neckbeards and Codeine  4-2
2. JCK 4-2
3. The Shiva Cry 3-3
4. Fake Chow 3-3
5. Team Horse Face 3-3
6. The Slop Jocks 3-3
7. Kraft 2-4
8. Eli Esses D 2-4

Eli Esses D Slips by Kraft, Wins 2 out of 3 for First Time in Over a Year.  

Nothing flashy in this game.  Alex Smith stole the show with his inaccuracy, and Big Dub rode that all the way to a modest 14 point victory.  The incompletion is definitely the key D.A. stat.  You can survive almost anything if your QB is around 50% passing.  Kraft had both QBs in the Indy/Cincy barn burner, but couldn’t get anything going.  Not enough turnovers, and both Painter and Dalton inexplicably were completing passes at a 65%+ clip.  The result puts these guys in a virtual tie for 7th, but either one, especially Kraft with his cumulative point total, would be in good shape with a win next week.

Slop Jocks Knock off 1st Place Neckbeards and Codeine 22.25 to 13.  

Neckbeards looked like a team that was immune to the vagaries of 2011 D.A.  Rolling right along at a 4-1 clip and leading the overall point chase.  To beat a solid squad like this you need a solid performance and perhaps a bit of luck.  First, the Slop Jocks utilized the 1st pick for Blaine Gabbert, who put up 22 points and is becoming a real D.A. stalwart.  On the other side, Sam Bradford did not have his expected 4 turnovers against Green Bay, and Jason Campbell was injured, but could still only manage 12 points and it wasn’t enough.  The Slop Jocks win their 2nd straight and bring Neckbeards back to the pack.

The Shiva Cry Explodes for Decisive 63 to 36.75 Victory over Fake Chow.  

Despite what is now a 3-3 record, The Shiva Cry took over 1st place in the cumulative points race.  This will serve them well should they maintain that position in the playoffs.  This game featured two QBs putting up 47 points.  First, Rex Grossman.  Grossman came out of the gate slangin’.  He immediately killed Washington’s momentum with an interception, sprinkled in 3 more picks, and was eventually replaced by John Beck.  The only thing he didn’t do was throw a pick-6. Fake Chow may have been a bit surprised when Matt Moore fell to him at #2, and Moore started off strong with a 100-yd gift to Revis Island, then closed with a flourish for his big day.  The difference was in the 2nd round, where the serviceable Matt Schaub made all the difference for Shiva Cry.

JCK Extends Win Streak with Big 60 to 9 Win over Team Horse Face.  

JCK was a little slow out of the gate.  They were 0-2.  Even their initial wins weren’t big point explosions, but things have turned around.  I could be wrong, but JCK seems to end up with Cam Newton most weeks and as Cam’s season takes a turn for the worst, JCK is reaping the rewards.  Newton threw 3 picks and his penalty yardage days are a thing of the past.  His 32 points were complimented by Colt “50%” McCoy’s 28 to give JCK his biggest point total of the year.  Team Horse Face is working in the opposite direction, taking their 3rd straight loss.  I’d blame this one on Donovan McNabb’s inability to put up D.A. points even in blowout losses.  Just another reason to put in Ponder.

The 3-PT D.A. of the Week:

I feel like we’re on a nice definitive run of D.A. award winners around here.  As much as I like a stacked field, I appreciate when someone goes above and beyond, and that is certainly what Rex Grossman did this week.  You know Grossman’s numbers by now.  9 of 22.  4 INTS.  But, what really sets this game apart in my mind is that he threw 3 INTs to Kurt Coleman.  Coleman plays safety…for the Eagles.  In baseball terms, Coleman’s WAR is about -46.  Unless, of course, that replacement also plays for the Eagles, in which case, his WAR becomes 0.0.  No quarterback is going to make the Eagles’ safeties look this good again this year.  I promise you that.  For his trouble, Grossman may have played himself out of a job.

*It was an informative historical D.A. this week.  At least for me.  I don’t know if anyone reads those, but you can check it out at the top of the page.