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Feb Football News

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Holy crap, is football really over? Has anyone started to go through withdrawal yet, or get a massive case of the shakes?
Well, we can help you out with a round up of some of the latest Feb Football news.

If you are suffering from some of these symptoms, try to digest the following, and make sure you watch plenty of old games.
The XFL is also on, but ughhh…so let’s start there.

XFL

Can you smell what the Rock is cooking? ‘Cause it’s smells a bit undercooked, as the XFL kicked off its third incarnation in mid Feb 2023.

When Vince McMahon first birthed the XFL in 2001, many had hoped that the league might remain and offer a building block of rosters for the NFL.
Sadly it collapsed just like his WWE dreams, before it was saved by one of his former employees.

The Rock had tried to revive the league, partner it with the CFL, then took a safety in 2021 when the then ‘coronavirus’ punched any hopes of the league restarting right in the throat.

So how did it do on its return to the airwaves in 2023?
Meh.
Ratings are down huge from 3.3 million in 2020, to well under 1.6 million for the new games.

To put that in perspective, that’s LESS than both the launch of the AAF and the 2022 debut of the USFL, which brought in over 3 million viewers.

The XFL does benefit from being on both ABC and ESPN, so there is hope for the league if they continue blasting it to bored fans.

Not so easy for us to watch in the UK though, with games not starting til roughly 1am.

Some clever clog on Reddit made a concept for an XFL expansion. We’ll just leave that here for you.

Chad Ocho

NFL legend Chad Ochocinco has dropped a big bomb on fans that he actually lived at the Cincinnati stadium during his first two years in the league.

Ever clever and good for sound bites, Ocho revealed on a recent podcast that given the Bengals stadium had showers, food, video games and more, it made sense for him to live there to save some dosh.

While no one can officially confirm that Ocho did actually live there for 2 seasons, it would be on par with the behaviour of a celebrated bon vivant of the league.

How cool would it be to play Madden on the Jumbotron when you had the stadium to yourself?

Pay Brady

Tom Brady needs money y’all, so someone else has just dumped a truck load of cash to his Florida bachelor pad.

SiriusXM has renewed Tommy’s ‘Let’s Go’ podcast with former NFL’er Larry Fitzgerald and broadcaster Jim Gray, for more cashola.

TB12 isn’t required for his 10 year broadcasting deal with FOX, in which he will make another $375 million.

Of course that won’t mean anything, if the Dolphins or 49ers get to that point in the season where they just need one top QB to get them to the promised land.

He’ll be back…

Free Agents

As we all patiently wait for the 2023 NFL Draft, eyes are on some of the top prizes in the game, and where they might end up next season.

Some of the big guys everyone will be watching includes:

Lamar Jackson

Will the Ravens be foolish enough to part with Lamar, or are they planning on building a team around him?
The ‘will they’ or ‘won’t they’ has become so infuriating with Baltimore, it feels like the romantic twist in a bad sitcom.
We predict that he will stay in Baltimore for next year and beyond.

Geno Smith

Geno was initially seen as a stop gap solution when he beat out Drew Lock to captain the Seahawks last season. Then Geno went off, and the whispers of ‘MVP’ started circling given the way he was able to sling some Seattle wins together.

So will the Seahawks pony up and pay the man?
Seems pretty bloody likely given how well he played for what he was paid.
Had their running game not gone to crap, maybe they could have made the post season.

Derek Carr

This Carr cracker crumbled in 2023, after his much hyped Las Vegas Raiders ate a big turd-burger despite some pretty marquee talent.

Carr is gone from Vegas despite promising fans that the Raiders would be the last team he would play for. He can still sling the pig skin, so it makes sense that he plays a few more years, before taking his fugly-jug to the broadcast booth next to his gorgeous bro.

We see Derek Carr heading down to New Orleans next year to lead the Saints to a losing record.

London Games

Are you ready for the Bills, Titans and Jaguars to come to London this year?

Us too, and we’ll let you know more as soon as we hear about it.

Make sure you check here for all the latest news, and thanks for reading our Feb Football News.

https://www.nfl.com/uk/international-games

 

 

Super Bowl 57

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After 20 something weeks of exciting play, it’s finally time for the big game, as we make our predictions for Super Bowl 57 in Arizona.

It is a Super Bowl of historics, not only featuring two brothers playing each other, but also the first time that two black quarterbacks have faced each other in the big game.
It does feel that we are on the precipice of the new dynasty of heroes to emerge.

To make your life easier, Wade and Ryan have compiled all of their thoughts on the big game in this easy to listen to podcast.
All you have to do is sit back, kick your feet up, and listen to two Canadians in London try to figure out the big game.

Here’s the link to the podcast:

Kansas City Chiefs (14-3) vs 1-.5 Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) + 51

It’s the teams with the best two records in football, as it feels right that these two are battling it out on the final game after both teams showcased dynamic play throughout the season.
The Chiefs come into the big game as another underdog, a role they seemed to have thrived in during the playoffs.
Mahomes was able to shake off the curse of Burrows, but he wasn’t able to shake off an ankle injury, which will have all eyes on his mobility on Sunday.
The wide receiver corps is a bit a broken toy syndrome, with all of them in the workshop trying to cobble together their bodies before giving it there all.
Kansas City was even more short-handed against the Bengals, and were somehow able to thrive on the back of their D, and the stellar play of Chris Jones.
Patrick Mahomes is the best player in the league right now, it just depends on whether the rest of his team will play at the top of their game.
Philadelphia Eagles are technically in a ‘rebuilding’ year in 2022, but oh look at them go.
Philly was able to do what most teams failed to this season, make incremental gains to be a bit better than they were last year.
Their O line is top notch, boasting the best protection in the league.
Philly’s D is also humming, notching up 70 sacks, spread out amongst a dynamic team of pass rushers.
The only thing that seems to have dropped as of late is QB Jalen Hurts.
Hurts started the season on fire, but a mid-season injury seemed to take not only a bit of a spring our his step, but also the deep-ball out of his game.
If it turns into a shoot-out, the Eagles are going to need to find ways to get that ball DEEP, because this is where Mahomes thrives.
Ryan is picking the Chiefs in this one, as his AFC faithfulness believes that Mahomes and Kelce are just too good to be stopped.
He likes this one to go down to the wire, but that the red, white and yellow will be hoisting the Lombardy Trophy.
Wade is going with the Eagles, as the strength of their D, the protection from their O line, and the various running options at their disposal makes them too much to cover for a spread out D.
He thinks that the game will be close, but could actually see it get out of hand in an Eagles blow out if the Chiefs can’t keep their composure.
Ryan-Chiefs 27 Eagles 23
Wade-Eagles 26 Chiefs 23

Prop Bets

Here are a few prop and fun bets that we are looking at for Sunday.
-Mahomes UNDER 290.5 yards passing
-Gainwell OVER 19.5 receiving yards
-NO missed PATs -380
-First sack-Josh Sweat +1000
-Boston Scott-Anytime Touchdown -550
-Gatorade poured over winning coach will be BLUE +400

Super Bowl Trivia

How much do you know about the Super Bowl heading into Sunday?
Ready to take on our tough SuperBowl Quiz?
Just click here to play along!
That’s it for us for this week! Have fun on Sunday and enjoy the game!

Conference Picks

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And then there were four teams left, as the 49ers, Eagles, Bengals and Chiefs make up the ingredients for our Conference Picks.

Wade and Ryan use this podcast to look back at the Divisional Championship games, as Ryan fully believes his life ‘can start now’ that the Bills have been eliminated from contention.

The guys look at the two games scheduled for Sunday night, and make their very own Conference Picks so that you don’t have to.

If you want to listen to the podcast, or even catch up on some more of out east episodes make sure that you check out our Soundcloud page.
Here is the link for this week.

49ers (13-4) vs -2.5 Eagles (14-3) +46.5

Have you got the Purdy’s yet? Does your live feel a bit Purdier? Well, everyone and their grandma is all over Brock Purdy after slinging together seven wins in as many weeks.
It’s not like Purdy is jumping behind the wheels of the Jets however, as this San Fran squad is set for the Super Bowl based on how crazy strong that front D is.
Christian McCaffery has been a beast on form, hitting a touchdown in each of his last games, and along with a group of speedy receivers it begs the question who can stop this group?
Meet the Philadelphia Eagles, who are still technically on a ‘rebuilding’ year, but have dismantled some of the best teams in the league.
Jalen Hurts has come into form, and led a squad of talented receivers and a trio of running backs who can hit you from every angle.
Don’t forget their defence, who shook Daniel Jones for five sacks last week, and are up their with the 49ers as the top two in the league.
Ryan is all Eagles in this one, as he doesn’t believe that Purdy will grow under the Philly home crowd.
Mistakes will be made, and the wide receivers of the Eagles should be able to outmatch the 49er corners.
Wade is also all over Philly and thinks that these guys are just getting started in a phenomenal season.
Jalen will have a massive day with his legs, as the Niners D will find themselves chasing him.
Purdy will probably get rocked by that D, shaking his new confidence.
Ryan- Eagles 24 49ers-20
Wade-Eagles 26 49ers 18

-1 Bengals (12-4) vs Chiefs (14-3)  +47.5

Oh how the Bengals have been bolstering after their demonstrative beat down of the Bills last Sunday.
From humble to Burrowheads and dismals of Damar Hamlin, Cincy has gone from sweet to sour on the socials.
That hasn’t stopped the line from moving in the direction of Cincinnati, as the vast improvement with every game has made them a favourite to cover 13 of their games this season.
Oh, and let’s not forget the 3-0 record against the Chiefs-which the Bengals players continue to remind them of before the big game.
Trash talk never back fires.
‘High ankle sprain’ is an often Googled term of late, as Patrick Mahomes took a massive twist on Sunday giving the Jaguars a chance to cover.
Patty M did eventually return after some ‘doctoring’ and his progress has been followed as closely as Tom and Gisele’s personal life, but all on both counts seems fine at this point.
Everyone has been writing of Kansas City all year, but here they are again, playing in their fifth consecutive AFC Championship.
These two teams match up well, but it could be the snow and wind that blows in the Chiefs favour at home.
Ryan is Chief-leaver, or Belief-Chiefer, he thinks that the Chiefs will win.
The trash talk that the Bengals have been scatting around the social jungle is enough to make a Native American mad, and throw a tomahawk chop in response.
He likes the Chiefs to win at home, and put themselves back in the Super Bowl once more.
Wade is giving Burrowhead, wait, what? He likes the Bengals.
With Burrow and the boyz firing on all striped cylinders, they have the plan to beat the Chiefs, and that plan is Lou Anarumo. Lou adjusts his second half with the precision of seasoned drag performer, and delivers the goods with a bit of oomph.
Ryan- Chiefs 27- Bengals 24
Wade- Bengals 24 Chiefs 17
Who you got?
Make sure you check us out on social media as well.

Playoffs and London Games

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And then there were 8 teams left as we head into the divisional round, as we look at our Playoffs and London Games and all the news ahead.

It’s been a wild and upheaving few weeks in the NFL, and we’re now building up to the final four, as the league gets bumpy in the Divisional Round.

Playoffs

The 49ers were first through the gate, with a solid thumping of the Seahawks in a dismal day for Geno. Brock was Purdy indeed, relying on a solid San Fran team to push them through to a next round match-up with the Cowboys

For anyone who has ever blown a Charger, you know how much that really sucks. Well imagine blowing 27 Chargers all at once (not PornHub dirty minds).
San Diego Angeles got rocked by Trevor and the Jags who took the Staley out of the situation for a sweet win, and a next round date with the Chiefs.

Buffalo survived a tight contest against Miami, eeking out a last minute win to seal their move to the next round. The Bills didn’t look great, but they got it done and now face a fierce Bengals squad.

Daniel Jones and the Giants have had a Cinderella story to get them this far, with big ole Dabol and his winning smile cheering on the G Men to victory.
Minnesota went out like a turd that didn’t even a double flush, although Kirk Cousins chains hung a little lower after another disappointing run.

Joe Burrow and the Boys faced a tough Ravens D in the Wildcard Weekend, and were able to stomp out JT Huntley, and a Ravens squad that sorely lacked Lamar and many other options.
Cincy is started to chili cook in the AFC again, and they have to face Bills squad they were smacking around until the Hamlin incident.
A great game lies ahead.

TB12 was actually TB14 on Sunday, as Dak and ‘dem Boyz were able to rout the Bucs on their home pirate ship.
Dallas actually looked good, which was quite impressive after some recent hiccups.
The Bucs looked flat, with everyone playing like it was their last game of the season, and not in an inspired way.
How far can Dallas go now?

London Games

Good news NFL in London fans, the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars will all host London contests in 2023.

The Bills and Titans will both host home games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Northeast London, while the Jags will make it a Wembley affair in Northwest London.

Germany gets two games in 2023, with the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs all playing. Given how amazing the German fans were in 2022, it’s well deserved that they get to host two for the world.

No dates have yet been announced, nor has the opponents for these games been either, as the league typically reveals these in the early spring.
We of course will do our own due diligence to guess who those matches might be, and we’ll let you know that soon too.

Info from Tottenham Stadium is here.

https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2023/january/nfl-announces-designated-teams-for-2023-international-games/

Tom and Aaron

Now that Tommy and Aaron are out of the playoffs, the buzz and gossip is what is going to happen to these two in the offseason?
Will they stay in their respective teams? Move on to warmer playing fields? Retire? Host a dating show together where they both travel the world meeting gorgeous women?
All sound possible.

Tom Brady
As for Tommy Boy, the oddsmakers have his first possible destination is lovely Las Vegas at +350.
Carr is out, and Sin City might be TB12’s playpen if the price is right, and the Raiders have any money left.
Miami is the second choice at +450, which seems a bit given the fine the Dolphins were given for trying to mix themselves up a little Tommy Boy cocktail a few years ago. If Tua’s multiple concussions are a sign (and they should be), Miami might need a good QB for that flight of speedsters they have at receivers.
San Francisky is frisky in third at +500. Depending on what Purdy is able to accomplish for the Niners this year, they might be in need to bring in an old stud to mentor Trey Lance while he mends.
Staying in Tampa is a fifth option at +750. Hey, they won the Super Bowl a few years ago, so if the Glasers pony up some money to build the team he needs, who knows?
Last but not least is retirement at +600.
Actually last is the Jets at +900, but c’mon!

Aaron Rodgers
Aaron is a bit of oddball, because his journey could be sent on a tangent if he goes on a bad trip during the offseason.
A sea of supple influencers awaits A-A-Ron, so he knows who might appear on his feed and take him off a  road that doesn’t involve the NFL.
Oddsballs have Rodgers first choice being back in Green Bay at +200.
The 49ers are next on this Cali boy’s destination, with him pipping Tom with +450.
Las Vegas is also in the cards for AR, as the house has him coming in at +575.
Retirement looms even closer for Rodgers, who might want to gameshow his way to the bonus round of life, and end it all. His NFL career, not his life.
Ending his life would be signing with the Jets at +1200, or the Colts at +1500.
Might as well put a bell on his neck and give him a goat for company as you put them out to pasture.

As for us, we think Brady goes to the 49ers, and Rodgers goes to Vegas.
The goat and the old horse still got a little bit of kicking left to do.

That’s it for our Playoffs and London Games, make sure you like and follow!

Make sure you check out our social pages, and have a listen to the podcast.

 

 

 

Week 13 Picks Podcast

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It’s December you snowflakes, as we bring you our Week 13 Picks Podcast.

Wade & Ryan have been busy in the toy shed making their predictions for this next slate of games as the ground starts to harden in the league and around us all.

To say it’s been a bizarre season would be an understatement, as legends have faltered, new heroes have emerged, and the Eagles are 10-1. Who would have thunk?

With that in mind, the boys look at the more interesting matchups for Week 13 in the 2022 NFL season, with fun anticipation that anything can happen.

Here’s the link so that you can get the full Week 13 Picks Podcast.

 

Jets (7-4) vs -1.5 Vikings (9-2)  +44.5

The Jets and Vikings have surprised us all with their stellar start to the 2022 season.
Despite being Zach Wilson’d with a solid core, New York has found their way with a flash of Mike White.
Minnesota is shining bright under the light of one Justin Jefferson, while Cousins still shirks like a vampire in the shine of primetime.

New York has brought back Mike to lead the way after a beatdown of the Bears worthy of an Aaron Rodgers belt.
It’s the Jets D that has really kept them in games, and with 7 wins and the Patriots taking one on the chin from the Bills, a W here could start to set some separation.

No one believes in the Vikings, as if their wins are somehow as mythical in tally.
Kirk Cousins can still make some bonehead moves, but with a offence like his, he can pretty much fail to win.

Ryan likes Minnesota to swing their Viking hammer at home, knocking back the White-ness to reality with a display of scoring. He believes that the hype will be enough to beat the Jets.

Wade is backing the Jets here to upstart the shaky Minnesota miracles. The D will shake up the cousin flicking festival, and use their running game to keep themselves competitive.

Ryan- Vikings 29 Jets 24
Wade- Jets 30 Vikings 28

-1 Jaguars (4-8) vs Lions (4-7)  57.5

With a game boasting a 57 plus point total, Las Vegas knows that this match is gone to be a slugfest.
Both teams lack the D to deliver, and they’re both on an upward ascent of winning time.

Trevor Lawrence finally looked like an NFL star, leading his team down the field like a real leader.
Finally. It’s been along time coming, but can he sling together a series of wins after too many years of rebuilding?

Detroit has been hard-knocking their way back to the wins, as Dan Campbell has got his Lions ready to roar in this battle of the big cats.

Ryan likes Detroit here to upset the Jaguars at home, and bite out a chunk from the Jacksonville junkies.

Wade is also big on the Lions, betting that the running game and speedy receiver match-ups will be a sure source of fantasy picks.

Ryan- Lions 30 Jaguars 27
Wade- Lions 33 Jaguars 26

-5.5 Browns (4-7) vs Texans (1-9-1)  +47.5

Let’s talk about the Deshaun in the room shall we?

Buried beneath the big games, the NFL snuck us back the return of disgraced quarterback Deshaun Watson to face the team we wanted to leave.
You don’t mess with Texas.

Whatever the boo’s or shenanigans organised to shame this young man, it’s still an NFL game so show some respect.

Respect is something the Browns don’t have for themselves as they have blundered their way through some pretty easy picks and opportunities over the past few years.
Watson has a chance to at least hobble together a team that has Amari Cooper, and an underused running duo in Chubb and Hunt.

No respect at all for the Texans. Only Rodney Dangerfield could run a team with no respect all the way down.  Davis Mills is gone, so its on Pearce to run the ball up the line.

Ryan likes the Browns to get through the boo’s and get the win, although he thinks that the hometown Texas faithful will rally them to cover.

Wade has the Browns coming together to support Watson, and Cleveland getting a win to save some face.

Ryan- Browns 24 Texans 22
Wade- Browns 27 Texans 21 

Make sure that you check us out on all our social media, and listen to our podcast.