Super Bowl XLIX Picks and Props

Patriots (-1.5)

Patriots Win + Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow

UNDER 2 minutes 1 second on the National Anthem (Idina Manzel)

OVER 3 mentions of "deflate" or "deflated" during the game

OVER 2 mentions of Katy Perry in the 1st half 

Rob Gronkowski = Super Bowl MVP

GREY Hoodie for Bill Belichick

OVER 15.5 rushing yards for Robert Turbin

Need more, luckily still have plenty of time before kickoff. 

Lynch vs. Gronk

Well this was amazing. Lynch stole the show. Gronk was great as always. Conan was solid. And Mortal Kombat X looks SIIIIIIIICCCKK.

Marshawn Lynch Critics Out In Full Force

Next 4 Sundays on TV

Strong, to quite strong.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18
3:00pm NFC Championship: Seahawks vs. Packers
6:40pm AFC Championship: Patriots vs. Colts
10:00pm UFC Fight Night (Boston): McGregor vs. Siver

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25
8:00pm WWE Royal Rumble

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
6:30pm Super Bowl XLIX

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 8
9:00pm The Walking Dead (2nd half of Season 5 premiere)

Top 10 TD Passing Leaders (Super Bowl Wins)

1. Peyton Manning (1)
2. Brett Favre (1)
3. Dan Marino (0)
4. Drew Brees (1)
5. Tom Brady (3)
6. Fran Tarkenton (0)
7. John Elway (2)
8. Warren Moon (0)
9. Johnny Unitas (1)
10. Vinny Testaverde (0)

The Picks...

• Seattle to win 
• Doug Baldwin to score 1st TD (16/1) 
• Wes Welker UNDER 57.5 receiving yards 
• Wes Welker UNDER 8.5 receiving yards on 1st reception 
• Robert Turbin UNDER 10.5 rushing yards 
• Peyton Manning WILL THROW a TD in 1st quarter 
• Renee Fleming will NOT wear gloves

UPDATE:

Went 3-4; hit Seahawks, Welker (under 8.5 on 1st reception), and Fleming not wearing gloves!

Should have gone with my picks I posted the other day.  (scroll down)

Super Bowl XLVIII

And don't forget the Zombie Bowl. The Walking Dead is back next week!

Super Bowl Prop Bet Bonanza!

I feel great about each and every one of these picks.  Jump aboard the money train...

GAME RELATED PICKS!

• Seahawks (+3)
• Under 48 points
• MVP - Russell Wilson (15/4)
• Player to score the first TD: Doug Baldwin (16/1)
• Russell Wilson OVER 210.5 passing yards
• Russell Wilson OVER 1.5 TD passes
• Russell Wilson OVER 12.5 yards on longest rush
• Marshawn Lynch UNDER 21.5 carries
• Marshawn Lynch UNDER 90.5 rushing yards
• Marshawn Lynch UNDER 19.5 yards on longest rush
• Robert Turbin UNDER 3 carries
• Golden Tate OVER 19.5 yards on longest reception
• Percy Harvin UNDER 45.5 receiving yards
• Percy Harvin UNDER 20.5 yards on longest reception
• Peyton Manning UNDER 290.5 passing yards
• Peyton Manning UNDER 2.5 TD passes
• Peyton Manning OVER .5 INTs
• Wes Welker UNDER 57.5 receiving yards

***UPDATED RESULTS:  11-7***

OTHER PICKS!

• Renee Fleming OVER 2 minutes 25 seconds on National Anthem
• Eli Manning OVER 1.5 times shown on TV
• UNDER 2 times "12th Man" is said on air
• YES Percy Harvin will get hurt during the game (+300)
• Russell Wilson MORE completions than Jeff Green points vs. Orlando

***UPDATED RESULTS: 3-2***

Current Odds to Win Super Bowl

Seattle Seahawks (+190)

Denver Broncos (+200)

San Francisco 49ers (+300)

New England Patriots (+450)

Some good prices there.  The only team I don't see winning is the Broncos (so that alone gives them a good chance.)

NFC Championship is going to be a battle and a half.  If you feel strongly one way or another jump on that team this week, cause you won't get them + anything to win the Super Bowl. 

Bridgestone's Reply All commercial

Well done. Because it happens to people every day.



-Bess

Best Sports Weekend of 2010?

2010 is obviously still young, but this upcoming weekend has a chance to be the best in sports for the entire year. The NFL Playoffs provide great weekends, mainly because you get so many games. But take a look at what we have coming up in just a few days, even with just one football game.

Saturday:
14 NHL Games
12 NBA Games
UFC 109: Relentless

Sunday:
Celtics vs. Magic
Super Bowl XLIV

Taking a closer look at the important events for this weekend, let's start on Saturday. Prior to 10pm you can enjoy some NBA and NHL action, but then it's time for the UFC. Their 1st card of the month features some "classic" match ups. Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman headline the event in a light-heavyweight clash. Also on the card: Nate Marquardt vs. Chael Sonnen; Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago; Frank Trigg vs. Matt Serra; Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller.

Not the best card in the world, no title fights, but Couture (former heavyweight/ light-heavyweight champ), Coleman (former heavyweight champ), Marquardt (challenged for middleweight belt), Serra (former welterweight champ), and Trigg (challenged for welterweight champ) all have big time headliner experience. Some are saying the "Trigg vs. Serra" bout could be a "Loser Leaves the UFC" fight. I think it will be a solid card.

Sunday at 2:30 you get the Celtics and Magic. (At noon it's Tyreke Evans and the Kings vs. Chris Bosh and the Raptors, maybe Bosh's last game for Toronto?) This, early Feb. game suddenly becomes important for the now 4th place Celtics. They just lost to the Hawks, Magic, and Lakers, and have struggled vs. good teams all year long. The C's are at home and could use the win for confidence if not the standings.

That game should be over with plenty of time to get your snacks and drinks of choice in order for "The Big Game." I think you can get it (-6) Colts right now. They probably do cover, but I'll be rooting for the Saints so I don't want to go against that.

All in all, that's a damn good sports weekend. UFC 109, Celtics/ Magic, and the Super Bowl. Beat that 2010.

-Keefe

Super Bowl Spot

Doritos has issued a challenge to those creative types to come up with a commercial that will air during the upcoming Super Bowl. Besse and I dropped the ball on this one, but you know who didn't? Friend of the Brief, David Storch and his crew from Sans Pants Productions, that's who. All you got to do is watch their proposed commercial, the number of views will help narrow the choices for the Cool Ranch people, before turning it over to a voting process in January.

I know you will all enjoy it. I sure as heck did... Sorry I couldn't upload the video right to the blog, you'll have to click on the link below. (It does take a second or two to load, after the counting thing click on the "skip intro" on the lower right. That should about do it.)

http://www.crashthesuperbowl.com/#/video/5015/

-Keefe

I liked Belicheck's decision...

"I thought we could make it. I don't know how we could not get a yard on that (play) but we didn't...We came out here to win." - Belicheck via @Trags on Twitter.

That's exactly why I liked Belicheck's play call on 4th and 1 at the NE 28 yard line. If they get a yard, the game is over. Done dada. And the Pats are sitting at 7-2, the Colts 8-1, and New England holding a tie-breaker for home field throughout the playoffs. And he's right, they should have gotten a yard there.

I like the call for a few reasons. He went for the kill. On the road against an undefeated Colts team with one of the best quarterbacks of our era, he tried to finish them off without giving Peyton a chance to win it. But I have to think that Belicheck saw the Jets lose today and figured at this point, it will be hard for the Patriots to lose the AFC East. They hold a 2-game lead over the Dolphins and have already beaten them (27-17 at home last week). The Patriots will contend for a Super Bowl, and he is showing confidence in his TEAM for the rest of the season, which is more important than showing confidence in his defense for one game that, in the grand scheme of things, isn't really that big of a deal.

Let's face it, it's not a guarantee that had the Pats won, the Colts would lose another game and/or the Pats will win out. Because in order to hit that tiebreaker, that's probably what would've needed to happen. And even if the game goes through Indy for the playoffs, I'm a fan of the Pats offense indoors. They dropped 34 points on the Colts tonight. And they can probably do it again. So relax everyone, the Pats are fine. If the Pats were tied for the division lead and on the bubble for a playoff spot, I think Belicheck punts. But they're not. They'll make the playoffs as the AFC East champs and he knows that. You should too.

-Bess

The Sports Brief's NFL Predictions for 2008

With tonight's Giants-Redskins season opener, the 2008 NFL season is finally upon us. Which can only mean one thing...NFL predictions from The Sports Brief! We've got division winners, our playoff predictions along with individual awards and Week 1 picks with the spreads. So check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be keeping a running tally on the weekly picks, and we've added in a random submission of picks every week to see if our "expertise" holds up against pure luck. That and my picks are the ones I submit to my father's office pool every week. So I'm hoping to bank on these puppies bigtime.

And so, here goes nothing...

Division winners:

AFC East
Besse: Patriots
Keefe: Patriots

AFC North
Besse: Steelers
Keefe: Browns

AFC South
Besse: Jaguars
Keefe: Colts

AFC West
Besse: Chargers
Keefe: Chargers

Wildcard
Besse: Colts; Jets
Keefe: Texans; Jets

Wildcard weekend
Besse: Colts over Chargers; Jets over Steelers
Keefe: Colts over Texans; Jets over Browns

Divisional round
Besse: Patriots over Jets; Jaguars over Colts
Keefe: Pats over Jets; Chargers over Colts

AFC Championship
Besse: Patriots over Jaguars
Keefe: Patriots over Chargers

NFC East
Besse: Cowboys
Keefe: Cowboys

NFC North
Besse: Packers
Keefe: Vikings

NFC South
Besse: Saints
Keefe: Saints

NFC West
Besse: Seahawks
Keefe: Seahawks

Wildcard
Besse: Vikings; Giants
Keefe: Eagles; Packers

Wildcard weekend
Besse: Seahawks over Giants; Vikings over Packers
Keefe: Eagles over Vikings; Seahawks over Packers

Divisional round
Besse: Saints over Seahawks; Cowboys over Vikings
Keefe: Cowboys over Seahawks; Saints over Eagles

NFC Championship
Besse: Cowboys over Saints
Keefe: Cowboys over Saints

Super Bowl
Besse: Patriots over Cowboys
Keefe: Patriots over Cowboys

MVP
Besse: Tom Brady, Patriots (let’s face it, this team sucks without him)
Keefe: Tony Romo, Cowboys

Defensive POY
Besse: Patrick Willis, 49ers
Keefe: Mario Williams, Texans

Coach of the Year
Besse: Sean Payton, Saints
Keefe: Romeo Crennel, Browns

Offensive ROY
Besse: Steve Slaton, Texans
Keefe: Chris Johnson, Titans

Defensive ROY
Besse: Vernon Gholston, Jets
Keefe: Jerod Mayo, Patriots

Sleeper team
Besse: Carolina Panthers…to the Super Bowl if Jake Delhomme stays healthy.
Keefe: Have Browns and Texans in the playoffs, but I think the Raiders will surprise as well, maybe 2nd in the AFC West.

As mentioned earlier, The Sports Brief is proud to announce that we will be submitting out picks every week for every NFL game on the schedule. We will keep a running tally for both Besse and Keefe, as well as include picks for the “test dummy.” The test dummy, whom we will call Random Ron, may vary on a weekly basis, but its picks will be made through various activities such as flipping a coin, throwing darts, etc. This week, the test dummy’s picks were made by the flip of a coin. Heads for the home team and tails for the away team.
Without further ado, the picks for Week 1 are…

Besse:
Redskins (+3.5)
Saints (-3.5)
Jets (-2.5)
Bengals (+1.5)
Falcons (+3.5)
Rams (+7.5)
Seahawks (+0.5)
Jaguars (-2.5)
Patriots (-16.5)
Steelers (-6.5)
Chargers (-9.5)
Cowboys (-5.5)
Cardinals (-2.5)
Colts (-9.5)
Vikings (+2.5)
Raiders (+2.5)

Keefe:
Redskins (+3.5)
Saints (-3.5)
Jets (-2.5)
Bengals (+1.5)
Lions (-3.5)
Eagles (-7.5)
Bills (-0.5)
Jaguars (-2.5)
Patriots (-16.5)
Texans (+6.5)
Chargers (-9.5)
Cowboys (-5.5)
49ers (+2.5)
Colts (-9.5)
Vikings (+2.5)
Raiders (+2.5)

Random Ron:
Giants (-3.5)
Saints (-3.5)
Dolphins (+2.5)
Ravens (-1.5)
Falcons (+3.5)
Rams (+7.5)
Seahawks (+0.5)
Titans (+2.5)
Chiefs (+16.5)
Steelers (-6.5)
Panthers (+9.5)
Cowboys (-5.5)
Cardinals (-2.5)
Bears (+9.5)
Vikings (+2.5)
Raiders (+2.5)

Let us know what you think, and feel free to e-mail us sportsbrief@gmail.com

-Bess