Twitter Update

It's official. Besse and Keefe are both on twitter. You have seen Besse's "Sweet Tweets" for awhile now on the upper right hand portion of the Brief. Now, I, Rich Keefe have made the move. Continue to check out Besse; @tbesse29 and feel free to to follow @Keefe21

I promise not to bore you with what I ate for lunch or how many hours I slept, but rather some quick hit observations I make, that aren't worth writing out here on the Brief. We will both continue to write here on the blog, look for Besse's, er, Jimmy the Greek's Weekly NFL Picks, and my new weekly segment, "Keefe's Pick 3." Only going with 3 NFL games, but I guarantee

a winning record... or that I will try to give you a winning record.

So keep checking back here on The Sports Brief and tell a friend and check us out on twitter now.

-Keefe

Jimmy the Greek's Week 1 NFL picks

With the Thursday night game behind us, I'm looking to turn things around and go undefeated the rest of the way. If you're on the fence and thinking about betting on today's games, just follow along below and send me a percentage of your winnings and a thank you card later. Here we go...

Falcons (-3.5) over Dolphins
The Falcons add Tony Gonzalez to what was already a solid offensive lineup, and Matty Heisman returns at the helm. This team should put up a lot of points against a Dolphins squad that overachieved last year but won’t do the same in ’09. Falcons win comfortably at home.

Colts (-6.5) over Jaguars
I don’t like the Jaguars offense other than Maurice Jones-Drew. He’ll get his numbers and have a solid fantasy day, but look for Peyton Manning and the Colts O to silence all the critics in Week 1. A lot of people have them finishing out of the playoffs at 8-8, but I think they’re delusional.

Vikings (-2.5) over Browns
I hate this pick probably because I hate Brett Favre. What a loser. But let’s face it, AP is filthy good and Brady Quinn just found out he’s starting the other day. Mangini is a dink and the Browns will lose because of it (and the fact that the Vikings are better).

Cowboys (-3.5) over Buccaneers
Who the hell is the quarterback for the Buccaneers? I honestly have no idea. And who is their running back? In fact, who the hell is on the freakin’ team?

Jets (+4.5) over Texans
I like the Texans to win, but they’ll do it on a Kris Brown field goal. Mark Sanchez will have some bumps and bruises in his debut, but overall he’ll be solid and keep them in it. Look for Steve Slaton to have a day and Andre Johnson to quietly go about his business with double digit catches, 100 yards receiving and a TD.

Ravens (-9.5) over Chiefs
Matt Cassel isn’t starting and the Chiefs had the 30th ranked run defense last year. Hello, Ray Rice. It’ll be a feast for the Ravens on offense as Joe Flacco simply hands the ball off and starts off 1-0 in 2009.

Bengals (-3.5) over Broncos
We don’t know if Brandon Marshall is playing and Kyle Orton sucks. Plus, Chad OchoCinco is in for a MONSTER year. Remember where you heard it first!

Saints (-11.5) over Lions
This could be over after the first quarter.

Eagles (+1.5) over Panthers
Another pick I hate. This is going to be a rough, physical game. You know the Panthers are going to try and run the ball with D’Angelo Williams and a banged up Jonathan Stewart, but the key will be Delhomme’s ability to find Steve Smith. I think the Eagles stop them when they need to, and a well balanced offensive attack will help them sneak by with a win.

Giants (-6.5) over Redskins
Albert Haynesworth against arguably the best offensive line in football makes for a lot of fun. This will be a competitive game, but the Giants simply have too good a defense to let the Redskins score enough to stay in it come the 4th quarter. Manning and Jacobs will help them eventually pull away as the big, physical RB wears down the ‘Skins D.

Rams (+7.5) over Seahawks
Hawks win but don’t cover. Rams should be OK on offense, and I think Steve Spagnola will have them disciplined and ready to play. Seattle is an interesting team to follow with a lot of guys coming back from injury. But they have no running game which will eventually hurt them down the road.

Cardinals (-6.5) over 49ers
Cardinals have too many weapons on offense, even with Anquan Boldin out, for the 49ers to make this a competitive game on the road. Josh Morgan isn’t ready to carry the load for the receiving corp and the 49ers need Michael Crabtree to sign and report. In a year or so, however, that will be a potent offense if they can find a quarterback for the future (apologies to Alex Smith).

Bears (+3.5) over Packers
I like Green Bay as a Super Bowl team, but the Bears will be tough for anyone all year long. Cutler adds some intrigue to an offense already built around Matt Forte. Packers by a field goal.

Patriots (-10.5) over Bills
As long as Brady doesn’t get hurt in the first 8 minutes, this won’t even be close. The Patriots will pick up where they left off in 2007 as a record setting offense. Call me crazy, but I think they have a good enough offense to have us wondering about 16-0 again in a few weeks.

Chargers (-8.5) over Raiders
Oakland still sucks.

Enjoy the games.

-Bess

Oregon Trail Meets the NFL

If you like the Oregon Trail and the NFL... wait a minute, there is no "if" necessary. Two of the greatest things of all time have finally been combined in this less than 3 minute long video posted below. Enjoy.



-Keefe

The Sports Brief's 2009 NFL Preview

The NFL Season Kicks off tonight with Steelers and Titans. Below are the predictions for the 2009 season. Final division standings, playoff match ups, Super Bowl picks, and the big individual awards.

KEEFE's Picks:

AFC East

1. Patriots*

2. Bills*

3. Dolphins

4. Jets

AFC North

1. Steelers*

2. Ravens*

3. Bengals

4. Browns

AFC South

1. Texans*

2. Colts

3. Titans

4. Jaguars

AFC West

1. Chargers*

2. Raiders

3. Chiefs

4. Broncos

Playoffs:

Wildcard:

Patriots over Bills

Ravens over Texans

Divisional:

Patriots over Steelers

Chargers over Ravens

Conference:

Chargers over Patriots

NFC East

1. Eagles*

2. Giants

3. Redskins

4. Cowboys

NFC North

1. Bears*

2. Vikings*

3. Packers

4. Lions

NFC South

1. Saints*

2. Panthers

3. Falcons

4. Buccaneers

NFC West

1. Cardinals*

2. Seahawks*

3. Rams

4. 49ers

Playoffs

Wildcard:

Seahawks over Cardinals

Eagles over Vikings

Divisional:

Eagles over Bears

Saints over Seahawks

Conference:

Saints over Eagles

SUPER BOWL: Chargers over Saints

MVP: Drew Brees, Saints

Offensive Player of the Year: Brees, Saints

Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Williams, Texans

O-Rookie: Percy Harvin, Vikings

D-Rookie: Brian Cushing, Texans

Coach: Gary Kubiak, Texans

BESSE's Picks:

AFC East

1. Patriots*

2. Dolphins

3. Jets

4. Bills

AFC North

1. Steelers*

2. Bengals*

3. Ravens

4. Browns

AFC South

1. Colts*

2. Texans*

3. Titans

4. Jaguars

AFC West

1. Chargers*

2. Broncos

3. Chiefs

4. Raiders

AFC Playoffs

Wildcard:

Chargers over Texans

Colts over Bengals

Divisional:

Pats over Chargers

Steelers over Colts

Conference:

Pats over Steelers

NFC East

1. Giants*

2. Cowboys*

3. Eagles

4. Redskins

NFC North

1. Packers*

2. Bears

3. Vikings

4. Lions

NFC South

1. Saints*

2. Falcons*

3. Panthers

4. Bucs

NFC West

1. Seahawks*

2. Cardinals

3. 49ers

4. Rams

NFC Playoffs

Wildcard:

Falcons over Giants

Cowboys over Seahawks

Divisional:

Packers over Cowboys

Falcons over Saints

Conference:

Falcons over Packers

SUPER BOWL: Pats over Falcons

Awards:

MVP – Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Offensive POY – Drew Brees, Saints

Defensive POY – Justin Tuck, Giants

Offensive ROY – Knowshon Moreno, Broncos

Defensive ROY – James Laurinaitis, Rams

Coach of the Year – Mike McCarthy, Packers

-The Sports Brief

Week 1 Picks

Keefe: Steelers(-6) over the Titans

Hate both teams, but I'll go with Pittsburgh at home to win by more than a touchdown. They will be all jacked up and could get off to a slow start, but I think that's going to be the Titans' problem all year. Collins plays himself out of the starting QB job, only for it to get worse with Vince Young at the helm.

Besse: Steelers (-6) over Titans
While some money grubbin' whore in Vegas is digging up the names of every chick Big Ben has slayed (good luck w/ that), he'll be methodically breaking down the Titans defense on opening night. The loss of Haynesworth will gleam brightly tonight for the Titans, and the vaunted Steelers defense will shut down the run and force Kerry Collins to pass more. By the end of the night, we'll be wondering if Collins fell off the wagon again. And look for Willie Parker to do what he did last year: explode in Week 1, get all of his fantasy owners jacked up for the rest of the season, then get hurt and run like Maroney for the rest of the year. If you can't tell, that's exactly what happened to me last year. Bitter? Nah...

NFL Previw Soon!

The Sports Brief's 2009 NFL Preview is coming soon. Check back later today. It will be up before kick off of the season opener between the Steelers and Titans.

Gentlemen's Club Draft Results

Here are the results from last night's Fantasy Football Draft. Tristan Besse (Big Papsmear) had the 2nd pick while Rich Keefe (Bulletproof Tigers) landed pick #6. Meanwhile, Ryan Davey (author of www.pen15blog.blogspot.com) already took home one prize, that being for Best Team Name... "The Jackson 4" Enough said. Check out the round by round results below.

League starts QB-RB-RB-WR-WR-WR-TE-K-DST, basic scoring, 6 pts TD pass, No point per catch

Round 1
1 NYSackExchange Peterson, Adrian RB MIN
2 Big Papsmear Jones-Drew, Maurice RB JAC
3 Vaughn-o-matic Turner, Michael RB ATL
4 Doushmonsters* Forte, Matt RB CHI
5 LandSharks Brady, Tom QB NE
6 Bulletproof Tigers Brees, Drew QB NO
7 Ball Don't Lie Moss, Randy WR NE
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Williams, DeAngelo RB CAR
9 Clamdyke Bars Jackson, Steven RB STL
10 The Jackson 4 Fitzgerald, Larry WR ARI
11 Hennekey Slaton, Steve RB HOU
12 Shark Week Johnson, Andre WR HOU

Round 2
1 Shark Week Johnson, Chris RB TEN
2 Hennekey Jacobs, Brandon RB NYG
3 The Jackson 4 Gore, Frank RB SF
4 Clamdyke Bars Tomlinson, LaDainian RB SD
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Portis, Clinton RB WAS
6 Ball Don't Lie Manning, Peyton QB IND
7 Bulletproof Tigers Johnson, Calvin WR DET
8 LandSharks Barber, Marion RB DAL
9 Doushmonsters* Westbrook, Brian RB PHI
10 Vaughn-o-matic Wayne, Reggie WR IND
11 Big Papsmear Jennings, Greg WR GB
12 NYSackExchange Colston, Marques WR NO

Round 3
1 NYSackExchange Grant, Ryan RB GB
2 Big Papsmear Rivers, Philip QB SD
3 Vaughn-o-matic Smith, Steve WR CAR
4 Doushmonsters* Boldin, Anquan WR ARI
5 LandSharks White, Roddy WR ATL
6 Bulletproof Tigers Owens, Terrell WR BUF
7 Ball Don't Lie Thomas, Pierre RB NO
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Jackson, Vincent WR SD
9 Clamdyke Bars Welker, Wes WR NE
10 The Jackson 4 Rodgers, Aaron QB GB
11 Hennekey Warner, Kurt QB ARI
12 Shark Week McFadden, Darren RB OAK

Round 4
1 Shark Week Schaub, Matt QB HOU
2 Hennekey Bowe, Dwayne WR KC
3 The Jackson 4 Addai, Joseph RB IND
4 Clamdyke Bars McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Ochocinco, Chad WR CIN
6 Ball Don't Lie Smith, Kevin RB DET
7 Bulletproof Tigers Brown, Ronnie RB MIA
8 LandSharks Jones, Thomas RB NYJ
9 Doushmonsters* Romo, Tony QB DAL
10 Vaughn-o-matic Johnson, Larry RB KC
11 Big Papsmear Houshmandzadeh, T.J. WR SEA
12 NYSackExchange Ryan, Matt QB ATL

Round 5
1 NYSackExchange Cotchery, Jerricho WR NYJ
2 Big Papsmear Williams, Roy E. WR DAL
3 Vaughn-o-matic Witten, Jason TE DAL
4 Doushmonsters* Marshall, Brandon WR DEN
5 LandSharks Clark, Dallas TE IND
6 Bulletproof Tigers Gonzalez, Tony TE ATL
7 Ball Don't Lie Edwards, Braylon WR CLE
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Royal, Eddie WR DEN
9 Clamdyke Bars Gates, Antonio TE SD
10 The Jackson 4 Olsen, Greg TE CHI
11 Hennekey Evans, Lee WR BUF
12 Shark Week Lynch, Marshawn RB BUF

Round 6
1 Shark Week* Holmes, Santonio WR PIT
2 Hennekey Jackson, DeSean WR PHI
3 The Jackson 4 Gonzalez, Anthony WR IND
4 Clamdyke Bars Ward, Hines WR PIT
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Cooley, Chris TE WAS
6 Ball Don't Lie Rice, Ray RB BAL
7 Bulletproof Tigers Wells, Beanie RB ARI
8 LandSharks Driver, Donald WR GB
9 Doushmonsters* Coles, Laveranues WR CIN
10 Vaughn-o-matic Cutler, Jay QB CHI
11 Big Papsmear Parker, Willie RB PIT
12 NYSackExchange Henry, Chris WR CIN

Round 7
1 NYSackExchange Carlson, John TE SEA
2 Big Papsmear Stewart, Jonathan RB CAR
3 Vaughn-o-matic Berrian, Bernard WR MIN
4 Doushmonsters* Keller, Dustin TE NYJ
5 LandSharks Moss, Santana WR WAS
6 Bulletproof Tigers Ward, Derrick RB TB
7 Ball Don't Lie Breaston, Steve WR ARI
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Palmer, Carson QB CIN
9 Clamdyke Bars* Hester, Devin WR CHI
10 The Jackson 4 Mason, Derrick WR BAL
11 Hennekey Steelers DST
12 Shark Week* Bryant, Antonio WR TB

Round 8
1 Shark Week* Winslow, Kellen TE TB
2 Hennekey Roethlisberger, Ben QB PIT
3 The Jackson 4 Moreno, Knowshon RB DEN
4 Clamdyke Bars* Giants DST
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Vikings DST
6 Ball Don't Lie Walter, Kevin WR HOU
7 Bulletproof Tigers Ginn Jr., Ted WR MIA
8 LandSharks White, LenDale RB TEN
9 Doushmonsters* Titans DST
10 Vaughn-o-matic Bush, Reggie RB NO
11 Big Papsmear Ravens DST
12 NYSackExchange Washington, Leon RB NYJ

Round 9
1 NYSackExchange Jets DST
2 Big Papsmear* Shockey, Jeremy TE NO
3 Vaughn-o-matic Smith, Steve WR NYG
4 Doushmonsters* Gostkowski, Stephen K NE
5 LandSharks Benson, Cedric RB CIN
6 Bulletproof Tigers Harvin, Percy WR MIN
7 Ball Don't Lie Brown, Donald RB IND
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Sproles, Darren RB SD
9 Clamdyke Bars* Crosby, Mason K GB
10 The Jackson 4 Mendenhall, Rashard RB PIT
11 Hennekey Moore, Lance WR NO
12 Shark Week Hightower, Tim RB ARI

Round 10
1 Shark Week Manning, Eli QB NYG
2 Hennekey Daniels, Owen TE HOU
3 The Jackson 4 Flacco, Joe QB BAL
4 Clamdyke Bars* Lewis, Jamal RB CLE
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Holt, Torry WR JAC
6 Ball Don't Lie Cowboys DST
7 Bulletproof Tigers Maclin, Jeremy WR PHI
8 LandSharks Patriots DST
9 Doushmonsters* Cassel, Matt QB KC
10 Vaughn-o-matic* Eagles DST
11 Big Papsmear Avery, Donnie WR STL
12 NYSackExchange Nicks, Hakeem WR NYG

Round 11
1 NYSackExchange Sanchez, Mark QB NYJ
2 Big Papsmear Hasselbeck, Matt QB SEA
3 Vaughn-o-matic Favre, Brett QB MIN
4 Doushmonsters* Graham, Earnest RB TB
5 LandSharks Burleson, Nate WR SEA
6 Bulletproof Tigers Jones, Felix RB DAL
7 Ball Don't Lie Miller, Zach TE OAK
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Bironas, Rob K TEN
9 Clamdyke Bars* Jones, Julius RB SEA
10 The Jackson 4 Dolphins DST
11 Hennekey Washington, Nate WR TEN
12 Shark Week Buccaneers DST

Round 12
1 Shark Week McGahee, Willis RB BAL
2 Hennekey Taylor, Chester RB MIN
3 The Jackson 4 Crabtree, Michael WR SF
4 Clamdyke Bars* Norwood, Jerious RB ATL
5 Ron Mexico: Redux Edwards, Trent QB BUF
6 Ball Don't Lie Chambers, Chris WR SD
7 Bulletproof Tigers Chargers DST
8 LandSharks Muhammad, Muhsin WR CAR
9 Doushmonsters* Jackson, Fred RB BUF
10 Vaughn-o-matic Taylor, Fred RB NE
11 Big Papsmear Gage, Justin WR TEN
12 NYSackExchange Celek, Brent TE PHI

Round 13
1 NYSackExchange Packers DST
2 Big Papsmear McCoy, LeSean RB PHI
3 Vaughn-o-matic Longwell, Ryan K MIN
4 Doushmonsters* Bradshaw, Ahmad RB NYG
5 LandSharks Gould, Robbie K CHI
6 Bulletproof Tigers Delhomme, Jake QB CAR
7 Ball Don't Lie Elam, Jason K ATL
8 Ron Mexico: Redux Williams, Cadillac RB TB
9 Clamdyke Bars* Orton, Kyle QB DEN
10 The Jackson 4 Bruce, Isaac WR SF
11 Hennekey Rackers, Neil K ARI
12 Shark Week Crayton, Patrick WR DAL

Round 14
1 Shark Week Akers, David K PHI
2 Hennekey James, Edgerrin RB SEA
3 The Jackson 4 Folk, Nick K DAL
4 Clamdyke Bars* Boss, Kevin TE NYG
5 Ron Mexico: Redux* Williams, Ricky RB MIA
6 Ball Don't Lie Shiancoe, Visanthe TE MIN
7 Bulletproof Tigers Kaeding, Nate K SD
8 LandSharks Campbell, Jason QB WAS
9 Doushmonsters* Morgan, Josh WR SF
10 Vaughn-o-matic Watson, Benjamin TE NE
11 Big Papsmear Brown, Kris K HOU
12 NYSackExchange Tynes, Lawrence K NYG

-Keefe

Did David Wright Shrink?

That's actually terrible. I've never been hit in the head with 95 mph fast ball. I'd probably wear the helmet from Space Balls if I knew it would protect me. I am happy to see that Wright made his way back before the 2010 season, in large part because he is on my fantasy team.

Speaking of Fantasy, huge draft tonight. Rich Keefe and Tristan Besse are both trying to become the 1st Owner/ GM to have his name on the plaque twice. It's the big time. I'll hit you with the draft results tonight/ tomorrow.

-Keefe