It's Been Too Long

Good morning, and with football season back in full swing, I figured I'd dust off the old blog and start writing again. Now before you (won't) ask, "where have you been?" let me say that the last month has been something else to say August 17. It was caused by hypertension and high cholesterol; my BP was running over 200/115. Hell, I should be dead in all honesty but the good Lord put on his best Braun Strowman (WWE Superstar, for those who don't know) and said, "I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!!!!" After about a week in the hospital, I came back home, my left side totally messed up. I was put on BP meds and I'm happy to say my BP is lower. I just need to watch my diet from here on out, which means more fruits and vegetables. Junk food has been cut out completely, as well as (much as it pains me to do so) soda.

With all that, I missed firing this back up in the preseason. I thought about bringing this back last for last weekend, but there was something else that got in the way; Hurricane Irma. So instead of blogging, I was watching non-stop storm coverage from the local news. My family got incredibly lucky; power never went out and we were only without cable for about eighteen hours. Most folks down here weren't as fortunate however. In fact, there are still places in greater Tampa Bay area without power, and with the heat we've had this week, that isn't good. Anyone who has spent a tangible amount of time living in Florida will know that air conditioning isn't a luxury, it's a necessity. It's gonna be awhile before the Sunshine State returns to somewhat normal, but after Irma, we are indeed #FloridaStrong. Now let's hope this new storm in the Atlantic (Maria) stays the hell away from us.

Now to football. As I stated earlier, Irma washed  me out last week (as well as the Bucs and Dolphins), so my picks were made in a tweet. Last week : 12-3 (losses being New England, Cincinnati, and Houston). I lost the TNF game this week. Lesson learned: don't pick the Bengals. Now for this week
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Chicago at Tampa Bay
 Season opener for the Bucs, who were this season's "Hard Knocks" feature. New additions (Desean Jackson one of them) has made their offense on paper look elite. One thing though, they didn't look that way most of the preseason. Doug Martin (leading rusher) is suspended for three games for PED use. /furthermore, Mike Glennon, former Bucs starter, now starts for Chicago. How much of an asset  (he was under Dirk Koetter for one season) he'll be isn't sure. Bears got a bad break with Kyle Long listed as out for the game, but I have a sneaky feeling; I don't think the Bucs are as good as advertised, and I don't believe the DieBears are as bad as advertised. Not a lot of people I know at going to like this, but...

...in an "I hope I'm wrong" Upset Special,
Bears over Bucs

New England at New Orleans
Poor Saints, they got embarrassed at Minnesota on Monday night, and Adrian Peterson is already unhappy. Even worse, they get an angry Patriots team some thought would run the table...OOPS!

Pats over Saints

Rest of the early games:

Panthers over Bills
Titans over Jags
Ravens over Browns
Chiefs over Eagles
Steelers over Vikings
Cardinals over Colts


Miami at San Diego Los Angeles Chargers
Ah yes, the Chargers, the NFL's orphan team. They bolted (pun!) San Diego in hopes of greener pastures in LA, hoping to share their own stadium in Carson with the Raiders. Alas, that fell through, and now they're forced to play second fiddle to the Rams when their obscenely expensive digs in Inglewood opens in 2020. In the meantime, they will play in Carson; at a soccer stadium that barely seats 30K, and those games won't even sell out I bet. Ever wonder what the Tampa Bay Rays would look like as an NFL team? This is it. Similar color scheme, similar apathetic markets, similar less-than-ideal home stadia. At least the Chargers will have a new home eventually, and will stay put this time.

By the way, the Dolphins are kinda good,

Dolphins over Chargers

Rest of the late games:

Raiders over Jets
Cowboys over Broncos
Rams over Washington
Seahawks over 49ers

Sunday Night (GB at ATL)
Hey, it's the third grand opening of the new Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. The facility is nice, and already holds a record; largest ever crowd for a Major League Soccer game (70K and change for yesterday's match between Atlanta United and Orlando City). Plus, rumor has it that the "oculus" at the top of the stadium will be open for tonight. In fact all that's missing from it is a statue commemorating that 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl before...well, you know.
As for tonight, this is the game of the week. Falcons looked a little sluggish in Chcago last week. I doubt they will tonight.

Falcons over Packers

Monday Night:

Home opener for the Giants as they host Detroit. Call me cooky, but I actually believe in this Lions team. I kinda wish more football fans did. As for the Giants, Odell Beckham, Jr. could be in action. This is a tough game to pick. Heart kinda wants me to go Lions, but in New Jersey?

Giants over Lions

to recap:
CHI
NE
CAR
TN
BAL
KC
PIT
AZ
MIA
OAK
DAL
LAR
SEA
ATL
NYG

Enjoy the games!