NFL in London

National Football League in London

bill belichick

Week 1 Picks

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Praise to the NFL Gods! We’re back with the 2020 season, and Wade & Ryan couldn’t be happier.
This whole year has felt like a Cowboys vs Patriots Super Bowl, with screaming idiocy everywhere, but at least we can find comfort in the start of another year of football.
The guys might not be able to predict what the bloody hell is going to happen in the next 6 months, but at least they will steer you right in their NFL picks.

The first week of the NFL is always tricky to handicap, as there are so many unknown factors and new dynamics rolling off of training camp. 2020 is an even tougher year to predict, as the lack of preseason and physical preparation are all going to factor into some wild and crazy scores. Injuries will also be a major issue, as the lack of a preseason means some of these guys might be soft and brittle the first time someone plows into them.

Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull have done the research, looked at the tape, read a few fantasy magazines and are ready to prognosticate. Wade had a whopping 64% correct against the spread last season, while Ryan came in with 57% correct. Will Wade be able to repeat his wizardry this year? Let’s find out with some of their top picks.

TNF-Texans vs Chiefs (-9) +54.5

The reigning Super Bowl champs kick off the season at home against a foe they face early on in the playoffs last year. Despite trailing 24-0 to Deshaun and the Texans, Mahomes was able to rally his team to go all the way. So how much is changed the season?
Hopkins is gone, Cooks is in and the running game now rests in the hands of Duke Johnson.
The Chiefs have much of their magic back, although some of the blocking on the O line is weaker due to some trades and opt outs.
Both Wade & Ryan like the Chiefs to win here, although Ryan sees the Texans keeping this game closer, while Wade predicts a blowout in from of a smaller Chiefs crowd.
Wade-Chiefs 31 Texans 20
Ryan-Chiefs 31 Texans 28

Dolphins vs Patriots (-6.5) +43

This is the first time we see Bill Belichick without his Tommy Boy, so how will he react to his new NFL normal? He’ll be fine, as BB is known for his meticulous planning for any opponent. Cam will add a nice healthy dose of dip and dash to the offence, and old man Edelman will prove his worth in some quick cuts and short routes. Fitzmagic will need to find his magic wand, as many of his tools have either been traded or regressed in the offseason. Fitz will have some success, but the Patriots D is still one to be feared in the league. Ryan likes the Dolphins to cover, whereas Wade sees this as another beatdown.
Wade-Patriots 30 Dolphins 17
Ryan-Patriots 24 Dolphins 20

Seahawks (-2) vs Falcons +49

The Seahawks are out for a title this year, and many believe that this could be ‘their year’, but first they have to get through some tough competition. The Falcons have struggled with great talent and bad injuries in the past few years, and one wonders if Matt Ryan will ever make a trip back to the Super Bowl in his career. The dome might be lacking in fans, but there will be a lot of eyes on new acquisition Todd Gurley and whether he can stay healthy.
Ryan likes the Seahawks to rough up the Falcons, with Russell Wilson having an impressive day hitting Tyler Lockett.
Wade on the other hand is quick to point out the traditional slow start of the Seahawks, and Pete Carroll not covering the spread on Week 1 since 2014. He has Atlanta in an upset.
Wade-Falcons 30 Seahawks 28
Ryan-Seahawks 31 Falcons 21

For the rest of the predictions, have a listen to our podcast for all the games and scores.
How will the boys do this week?
Make sure you join us one weekend for an NFL event once all of this malarky is behind us.
Stay safe, stay sane, let’s go NFL!

AFC-Division Preview

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Everybody is an NFL pundit, so why not listen to the blathering on of some NFL experts?
Wade McElwain and Ryan Cull are ready with their divisional picks to make your life either easier, or more complicated.
Those are the kind of choices you get in a Covid world.

When it comes to NFL picks, Wade & Ryan are quite good at picking NFL winners. Wade was able to hit a whopping 64% correct against the spread in 2019, putting him right up there with Vegas Tipsters.
Ryan was able to hit 56%, which is better than grandma or an octopus can pick. So you’re in good hands.

So who do the boys like for this season? Let’s find out. Or you can listen to the latest podcast where they explain it all.

AFC East

Ryan is a Buffalo Bills fan, so expect a bit of a bias in his picks. He believes that the Bills will finally see their year, outperforming the New England Patriots and taking the division title with an 11-5 record. He has the Pats slightly behind at 9-7, with the lowly Jets and Dolphins finishing up at 6-10.
Wade also likes the Bills, but not so much. This is a tough division, which means that they will probably beat the crap out of each other to .500 records. He has the Bills at a respectable 9-7, with Bill Belichick’s coaching nipping on the heels of the Bills at 8-8. As for the other dumpster fires, the Dolphins will either start strong or finish strong, but they will deffo suck in the middle. Adam Gase will do what he does, and turn Jets fans a fiery red.

AFC North

Can the Baltimore Ravens repeat their Lamar-a-rific performance like they did last year? Ryan says yes, Wade says no. Ryan likes the Ravens have what it takes to take the division, pipping the Browns with the Steelers trailing in third. The Bengals of course are his fourth place,  as are most peoples’.
Wade is hot on Pittsburgh this season as the drama is behind them, and Tomlin is focused on a title run. Their D is incredible and their offence is finally healthy enough to challenge. Wade has Baltimore trailing with a respectable 11-5 record. He isn’t as bullish on the Browns however, as the high profile players will once again implode with a 6-10 season. He too thinks that the Bengals will stink worse than 2020, if that’s at all possible.

AFC South

The Titans rose as giants in their division last year, but will the brilliance of Bill O’Brien save the Texans? Not according to the boys. Ryan likes the pep of Phillip Rivers to take the Colts and their wicked O-line to a 10-6 record and the division title. He has both the Titans &  Texans slightly behind, with the Jaguars playing so bad, they should just be called ‘Florida’.
Wade on the other hand sees ties in the future, in fact a 3 way tie. He has the Titans, Colts and Texans all chunking out 9-7 records with the Jaguars getting shot in the jungle with a lowly 1-15 record.
The south will definitely not rise again.

AFC West

Damn this is one tough division. Not only do you have the Super Bowl champions looking to repeat, but a few other plucky teams who are ready to challenge.
Ryan is all aboard the Chiefs wagon, looking at them to win a whopping 14 games, and smoking the opposition. He has the Broncos in 2nd, Raiders in 3rd, and has the Chargers limping in at 4th place.
Wade is not as convinced on the Chiefs, as many teams experience a Super Bowl hangover, especially young teams with not enough focus. He still has them to win the division, but with only 10 wins, and 1 more than the Broncos. He also thinks that the Chargers will be a surprise this year, as the heat is off, Rivers is gone, and a whole new dynamic enters the locker room. If any team tests positive for Covid, Wade thinks it will be the Raiders, as you can catch anything in Vegas.

Who do you like? Who do you have to win it all?

Get in touch, follow us, and make sure you come to one of our events once this season gets kicking.

Fantasy Time-Podcast

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The NFL is only a week away, have you got your Fantasy teams sorted?
As every NFL fan knows, fantasy time is when you get to assemble your Avengers to take on the legion of dolts you call ‘pool friends’.
It’s nerve racking, logistical and a hell of a lot of fun.

Sadly Covid has claimed another victim in Fantasy Pool Parties, where you get together with your gang and a big board to choose your players for an uncertain 2020 season.
Who are you going to take? What position in the draft are you in? Who’s going to go boom or bust this season?

Wade and Ryan take an overview look at the NFL Fantasy season, and offer some tips to look at in each round of the draft.
The guys also talk about:

Leonard Fournette

He’s a Buc now (Wade & Ryan didn’t know that yet), so what will he do for Tampa? Is he a toxic mess? Is he washed up? Too old? Or is he just one of the drinkers of Tom Brady Koolaid for this upcoming season?

Jason Bell Dances

Congrats to our buddy Jason Bell for making the TV series strictly come dancing. If we watched the show, we would cheer you on. Always nice to see a nice guy get good things. Just a word of advice-if you cross the line holding your partner, make sure not to Gronk Spike her of added effect.

Predictions

Wade & Ryan make their win/loss predictions for each division, and some of the results might surprise you. Ryan loves his Bills to be a force in the AFC, while he sees Kansas City having another great season. Like Wade, they both think that the 49ers will struggle this year.
Wade likes the Steelers and Seahawks to put together some title defining seasons this year, and has his Bears as tough contenders in the NFC North.
If you want to hear all of their predictions, you have to listen to the podcast.

We will have more news about our upcoming plans for the 2020 season.
Listen, Subscribe and Share.

Make sure you get FanDraft for your 2020 Draft! Use our promo code FANDRAFTUK to get 15% off your pro order.

Sleeveless Bill

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Hold on sports fans, we have a new category to lump Bill Belichick in…actor!
Sure, he’s done a bit of acting when he pretended not to know about Aaron Hernandez, or that he didn’t think that Tom Brady was leaving, or even acting when it came to knowing nothing about Robert Kraft and his mayo-laden massage sessions, but this time he is in a real ad.

Subway has taken over from Papa John’s as the food of the NFL, and has chosen Patriots coach Bill Belichick as their frontman.
He’s the first guy to jump into the role since Jared got busted for trying to punch his 6 inch card at local high schools and Subway had to take a commercial break for a few years.

Can Bill act? Hell no.
Is it as painful to watch as Tom Brady sliding head first into a tackle? Yes.
Do you think that Bill actually eats at Subway? Hells no.

At any rate, it is nice to kick off the NFL again, and those tummy jitters that come with the start of an impending season.
The Patriots are kind of like a sub…they have a white bread bottom, lots of flavour on offence, a smothering sauce of a defence, and Cam Newton is like the pineapple and jalapeño you throw on just to make it yours. It might be gross to taste this season, but that’s the way they made it.

What’s your favourite NFL food?

 

NFL 2020?-Podcast

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Ughh, it’s not looking good is it.
2020 is a ‘Butt Fumble’ for the NFL season, and with maskless asses continuing to flaunt the rules, it looks like that the season is looking in doubt.
(We’re talking to you Florida)

In this episode of the podcast, Wade & Ryan look at the woeful situation stateside, and what needs to be done to get this season going.
Not like they have any say in how this whole shitshow plays out.

The boys also touch on the following:

Redskins

There’s a whole lot more going in Washington that just the racism in the name. Word out of the capital is that the coaches and owners were naughty and broke some serious rules and laws. While lots of this is conjecture, the growing sentiment is that Dan Snyder and co, might have some explaining to do. Numerous people would like to see Snyder out, so we will see how this whole drama plays out.

Dak Prescott

Dak will be playing next year under the franchise tag, but could he have closed the deal? His brother thinks so. Dak is looking for Mahomes money, but that is a folly given the way he has played the past few years. Yes, he’s good-but is he good enough to deserve this kind of money? Considering what a company man he is for the Cowboys, he sure has to be pissed.

Myles Garrett

Big helmet swinging! Myles signs a monster $100 million+ contract that befits a guy of his skill. Hopefully he can put all of the mess with Rudolph behind him and get back to what he does best, sacking QBs.

Aaron Rodgers

He’s split from his girlfriend Danica Patrick, now he is saying that he is worried about the 2020 NFL season. What’s going on AA-Ron? He is usually a calm voice in the league, so his worries might echo a bit more across the league.

Have a listen, have a laugh, and get in touch if you want to be a part of our next podcasts.