Metro Football Pool

The first pick sheet has been posted! Please visit the Weekly Pick Sheet page and email to either Rob or I before the game on Thursday night. If you have not donated your cash… not cool. We use this to invest in small business ventures in hopes to profit prior to any payouts necessary at the end of the season. Last year it was a currency for cats and dogs to use. Good luck this week!

This headline was often overshadowed by the equally important NFL drama over the past several months. Finally an end to the baseball summer snooze fest!! We’re pumped to have everyone back and hopefully the addition of some newbs to steal from. Before this seasons’ inaugural address on integrity, here are a couple notes:

1. Please visit the rules page for all the details on how the system works (other than the cheating). All the answers you need are on this page and it would be dumb to ask any questions.
2. The entree fee is now $25… this includes $2 for the website (part of the new cba) and your $5 optional entrance into the hot tub later in the season. If you opt into the hot tub later in the season, $5 of your entree fee rolls over into the hot tub while the other $18 is forfeited in the main pool… otherwise the net amount remains in the main pool ($23). This is due before the first game on 9/8/2011. You gotta pay to play.
3. The playoff point allocations will feature spreads this season. For example, instead of a traditional 16, 15, 14, 13 it might be 16, 12, 8, 4. We think this will cause even more chaos!

On integrity. A few people have expressed that we (Rob and Ryan) have an unfair advantage because we can look at everyone’s picks. Allegedly this ‘insight’ allows us to create a mathematical  algorithm for guaranteed victory. I worked on said formula for years with my sidekick Wallace. After numerous failures during the 2009 season, we ceased efforts, sold our source code to Rob, and refocused our attention and proceeds on the Tron suits. Wallace pictured below:

Seriously though… at best we could probably come up with something to place in the top 20%. This includes the assumptions that your picks don’t suck and we lack moral fiber. We can assure you that at least one of these is not accurate :). If your a sore loser, your money is still good here… Just remember that you lost because your picks blew, not because of any crazy cheating conspiracy. Rob may have placed 1st last year, but he also won in a sister pool with a similar format. As for me… I sucked in both pools, but only to throw your expectations completely off for this season!

Please send us an email and let us know you’re playing so we can get some counts…

Big Ben’s nightmare came true… Rodger’s confetti sprinkled in his eyes. Now he knows what it feels like to be the victim. Maybe this offseason he can work on losing that extra chin he was carrying around last night. Rob’s (or should I say Sandie’s) decision to stick with the cheeseheads resulted in an inspiring 1st place finish. He quietly fought his way up through the ranks while also gaining 150 lbs, becoming black, and traveling back in time 28 years to sign with the Packers as an undrafted rookie gaurd in late December.

Bob won the Hot Tub! Since this was the inaugural year of our side pool, he will go down in history as the first and be remembered for all time (or at least until next season). Interestingly enough, he would have placed 6th overall in the main standings which means… he made the right move in switching. Congrats to all those who will be taking home some cheese! You guys really suck.

We hope everyone had a great time. Although we all can’t be in the money, the rhetoric and entertainment value you get out this pool is worth it’s weight in gold… assuming you can quantify this to approximately .5 grams as of today. Next year we are shooting for more participants and prizes. I know it may seem like we just let any derelict in (MW for example) but we do have an arduous screening process so be sure to only invite the coolest of the cool. Cool beans. For all those that paid up and stopped participating, we look forward to having you back next season! Thanks and good luck with something else for the time being!

A champion of both drinking games and Super Bowls alike, Big Ben will have a chance to solidify his name amongst the greats. A Steeler victory could mean future simultaneous inductions to the NFL Hall of Fame and the downtown Milledgeville bathroom wall of shame (actually he already left his ‘mark’ there). On the flip side, Aaron Rodgers could even more quickly make Packer fans realize that Favre was actually taking notes from him over his last few years in Green Bay. Regardless of the story line, it looks like we’ll have a pretty good Super Bowl this year.

All beginning of the season Super Bowl pick points have been accounted for in the updated rankings and the 10 points many of us received for picking Green Bay was nice. A lot of people are kicking themselves for not taking this seriously and making any selection. Doug is like an inch (or more specifically 4 points) off Rob in the main pool thanks to GB. Although Bob has a sizable lead in the hot tub, an incorrect pick by him and a correct pick by Nancy or Bill Hytree would divert some cash elsewhere. I know this is obvious, but you have to look at this game as a potential 39 point swing so if you’re within 39 points of a money spot there’s a lot that can happen. If you’re not, you can still submit and be able say that you didn’t quit like a lot of… I guess I can’t say losers because we’re going to lose… quitters!

Picks are due before the start of the Super Bowl on 2/6. Good luck and hopefully it’s an exciting finale to a wild season!

Although Rex is probably feasting on a tub of Neapolitan right now, I’m pretty sure we all really know what’s on his mind this week…

… Two games away from the most glorious toe ring ever made!! The Jets prevented many of us from going 4/4 but since everyone pretty much bet on NE, congrats to all those who went 3/4. Sorry if you need better accolades than that, at this point most of you just care about the current standings anyhow. I made that picture by the way… even put the ring on the toe.

Danita found herself in a real predicament this week (I think). By combining a masterful strategy of upsets and choosing from the heart she managed to tie everyone that did not turn in picks (aka 0/4). In her defense, I think it’s just as hard to actually try and pick 100% incorrectly as it is 100% correctly. However, this week, let’s shoot for the latter 🙂

This will be the biggest week of the year for all those in contention. A lot of people have the Packers in the Super Bowl which would be a nice point bonus (no one picked the Steelers and no one of any consequence has the Jets). Good luck!

Who are these Seahawks? Is this prolific offense we’re witnessing just the result of some anemic defenses or is Beast Mode (Marhsawn Lynch) making a push to upgrade his grill with some postseason bonus money? He’s certainly playing like the convict he used to be in Buffalo. When asked about his epic run in a post game press conference that only I was privy to, he eloquently stated: “the shine makes defenders go blind… I’m Beast Mode, b*!@$.”

Speaking of postseason pushes, the other Campbell (less frequently mentioned this season) managed a 74 this week. This is really cool considering many of us were in the red. While he cracked the top ten, it will take another big week to start seeing some green.

Thanks to a few -19s (most notably by Sampson who is now on the cusp of not receiving a dime), I don’t have to talk about my stellar -16. However, aside from those who didn’t submit, I was the only one in the Hot Tub who turned in a negative score. Sweet!

If you didn’t turn in picks last week, you’re most likely eliminated from any contention. People that give up make life a lot easier for winners so thanks for playing. Don’t forget to get your picks in by Saturday… will Seattle screw everyone for a third straight week?!?!

All the starting Heisman QBs in the NFL lost this weekend… the first time this event has ever occurred in NFL history when 3 or more have started. OK, I might have made that up. Nonetheless, Sam Bradford shouldn’t take all the blame as it looked as though his receivers must have been eating some buttery popcorn on the sidelines. Maybe Sampson was popping it due to his 16 point gamble on Seattle which paid off nicely in giving him the high score for the week and bumping him back into overall 2nd. Still, I bet St. Louis wished they had Tebow; it was Seattle after all (for you, Devin)!

The low score of the week was posted by the Dirt Dog in the Hot Tub. This should make for some interesting additional office smack between him and Sampson. Stop muddying the waters and make some better choices, Bill.

The latest pick sheet has been posted and wild card weekend begins Saturday. This means your picks are due by Saturday before the first game. As stated in the rules, all games from here on out are wagers. This week you will get to allocated 16, 15, 14, 13… next week: 15, 14, 13, 12… the following: 14, 13… and Super Bowl: 13 (each week decreases by 1). With this system if you are even in the top 20 you have a chance to place in the money in the regular pool and the Hot Tub is pretty much up for grabs from anyone. In other words, everything you may have worked for to get to this point might be meaningless (a good life lesson to start the New Year). Good luck and don’t forget to submit on time!

As all of you should know, the PHI vs. MIN game was rescheduled for tonight (should be on NBC @ 8:00 PM) so we’ll post updates tomorrow. The new pick sheet has been uploaded, but is not due until Sunday since there are no Thursday or Saturday games this week (I know it will be 2011 but keep naming the sheets 2010 please). Also, the wager game will be the Sunday night game (STL vs. SEA… woohoo!) since there is no MNF (insert frowny face)…

I didn’t get the memo that Atlanta was going to roll over so the Bucs could pretty much be statistically eliminated from any playoff hopes… nor the one that San Diego and Philly didn’t get a heads up that their games (against garbage teams) were pretty important to win. So on behalf of many of us… I’ll let Vick (Ron Mexico) represent. Respect.

For the few that pulled off big wagers on New Orleans… you guys suck! But, kudos to Rob (1st with a big lead), Doug (now in 2nd), Deven (high score of the week), Nancy (1st in the Hot Tub), & Bob (yea… you climbed the ladder right this week).

As for the low score… Peter was pretty pumped about remembering to turn in his picks this week. I’m not sure why. His name in this column has become a recurring trend… I like it and am glad he’s in the hot tub with me!

We hope all of you have a happy New Year! Nancy and Bob could make mine better by picking all the games incorrectly… if you want.

Clutch is to Dan ‘the Man’ Carpenter. I know the Giant’s giant blunder is a hot topic this week, but one that has received little attention (and is dear to me) is that Carpenter somehow managed to flub all four field goals he attempted which in turn helped eliminate any playoff dreams for the Dolphins (and my fantasy football team). The laces were out, Ray Finkle! C’mon Dan!!

Speaking of clutch, both Mike Smirch and Marty Engleman managed to shoot in the 70’s. This would be pretty solid if you were playing golf, but not so much in week 15 of our pool. Hopefully you guys can put some better numbers on the board next week… more so Mike, since Marty is in the Hot Tub.

Campbell played extremely conservative with his wager this week. I would have thought his quantitative intuition would have guided him in a better direction in knowing his competition. Since everyone wagered up on an easy Chicago pick, he dropped into 4th opening the door for MW, Rob, and Sampson.

Vince had the high score… the Hot Tub is Boyle-ing! Also worth noting is that I’m back on top (I know… not very surprising). For all those who send me comments like “I’m going to catch you.”, “I’m climbing the ladder.”, “Can you hear my footsteps in the winter breeze?” here are my responses in order: “You’re too slow.”, “You’re climbing in the wrong direction.”, “No, I have my ear muffs on.”

There is a Thursday and Saturday game this week. If you keep screwing up Thursday, you now also have the opportunity to screw up Saturday. This means if you don’t submit until Sunday it’s -16 + -15 (-31). Good luck this week and hope everyone has a happy holiday!

…Jet’s strength coach Sal Alosi certainly was when it came to laying out Nolan Carroll on the sidelines. Another solid week from a classy Jet’s organization!

Speaking of getting tripped up, Gary forgot to submit his Thursday pick (again) and was also the only one to gamble big on the Texans. While I can’t fault Gary for his intentions, I can say that he’s sucking harder in the pool than a hoover right now. The Texans deserved to win last night, but as Clint Eastwood said in Unforgiven, “deserves got nothing to do with it”.

Brittany posted the high score this week by a long shot. It was her b-day week and she seemed poised for a rebound. To Brittany… did I call it or what! While she’s still out of the running for the time being, the standings are being shaken up each week. Big MW now sits in a tie for 1st in the regular pool while Nancy’s ‘lucky, no skill required’ streak continued in the Hot Tub.

We have 3 more weeks of regular season games before the playoffs start. The next two will feature Thursday games… Gary. Good luck and don’t forget to submit your picks on time!