Quote of the day
"We don't want to talk about the officials, trust us. But it's affecting the game. When we meet with teams and coordinators, frustration boils out into limited on-the-record statements. Off the record, what guys are saying -- it's a nightmare. It is impacting the game." -- ESPN broadcaster Mike TiricoDaily blurb
After watching the 4th quarter of last night’s NFL game, all I can say is, “Wow.” If I were a replacement official, I’d probably lay low this week. If I were a locked out official, I’d probably be more optimistic about the prognosis for a near-term settlement. And if you’re Golden Tate (or if he was starting for your fantasy team this week), life is good.
On the other hand, if the NFL wants cheap publicity, they’re getting it. You no longer have to turn to the sports pages or sports networks to see commentary on the impact of the replacement refs.
Only 27% of Football Pickoff slates posted positive scores this week. For the season, only one-third of all cumulative scores are now positive. If you register now and start with a clean slate (and a score of zero), you’ll rank ahead of two-thirds of all entries. What are you waiting for?
That said, the top score of the week was +487 from SkySail, with 12 correct picks, including a double of Minnesota over San Francisco. For the season, if you had taken the road less traveled with each pick and selected every consensus underdog, you would currently rank 5th overall with 676 points. Of course, if everyone tried that, it would be impossible to achieve, since the consensus underdogs would all become consensus favorites.