Week Five NFL

Week four went 9-6 with picks which gets me closer to 500 on year as my record inches upward to 22-25. Four teams have byes so only 14 games this week.  Let's see if I can obtain 500 on year which is far shots cry from 62.5 % which I think is a must.


Colts 2-2 @ 1-3 Texans:  Will luck play?  Texans the stars of the summer NFL show Hard Knocks.    Not sure Colts can win this game even with Luck.  26-23 Texans.

Bears 1-3 @ 1-3 Chiefs:  what has happened to Chiefs?  We know the Bears  have Cutler and they lose road games.  Chiefs 26 Bears 20

Seahawks 2-2 @ Cincinnati 4-0:  just don't think Seahawks are a playoff team this year.  Bengals playing good but we are all waiting for the big drop off.  Cincy wins to go to 5-0. 27-17.

Redskins 2-2 @ Atlanta 4-0:  I think Atlanta is for real and Redskins play better at home Atlanta 36 Skins 28

Jacksonville 1-3 @ Tampa 1-3:  this is battle for the best team in Florida.  If you add Miami all three teams are 1-3.  The big question will be will there be anyone at game.  Bucs 27 Jax20

Browns 1-3 @ Ravens 1-3:  Another game of the week here.  Ravens need to win a few to get into playoff contention 20-10 Ravens.

Rams 2-2 @ Packers 4-0.  So far Rams up and down.  Todd Gurley showed last week that he even believes now his knee is fine.  So can Todd Gurley Rush enough to off set Aaron Rogers?  23-17 Packers..

News Orleans 1-3 @ Philly 1-3.  Is everyone in NFL 1-3.  Don't think either team is very good but one must win.  Philly 26-24

Bills 2-2 @ Titans 1-2.  Sure looks as Bills play better on the road.  Titans not bad with Mariota at QB .  Nashville 23 Bills 21

Cardinals 3-1 @ Lions 0-4.  Cardinals will be spitting nails after loss to Rams.  Lions will be on the verge of giving up on year.  However after getting bad call and Lose in Seattle.  It will be Lions spitting more nails.  Lions 23 Cards 21.

Pats 3-0 @ Cowboys 2-2. Three months ago would Pats  be 2-2 with Brady suspended.  Now they will be 4-0 as Boys are suffering with two stars sidelined. New England 38 Cowboys 26

Denver 4-0 at Oakland 2-2:  I think Denver has great defense and they totally have to win with D.  Oakland is going be a bad road game for all visitors this year.  Raider Nations 23 Broncs 17

San Fran 1-3 @ Giants 2-2:  does it seem to you every year at the midway point the Giants are 2-6 or 6-2.  Giants will be halfway to six 26-17.

Steelers 2-2 @ Chargers 2-2. No Big Ben for Steelers no wide receivers  for  Philip.  Antonio Gates is back and Pr knows how to find him near goal line.  SD 27 Steelers 23.

Shrine Roster Slim On Big East Players

Wide receiver Tahj Deans of Southern Nash is the only player from the Big  East selected to play in the 2015 Shrine Bowl football at Wofford College on December 21st. Deans has 174 yards receiving so far this season.  Deans would hope the Shrine Bowl is one week after his Firebird team would have played in the state championship on December 14th.

We are approaching the first conference game which means we are halfway with the football season.  Even though no conference games played so far here are the leaders in several categories.  The top scoring team in the league is Rocky Mount averaging 39.9 points per game second is Southern Nash at 32.5

Best defensive team Hunt holding teams to 13.3 points.  Second to Hunt is Rocky Mount at 18.5 despite having given up 61 to Rose. Leading passer in the league is Zach Foster  of Southern Nash averaging 140 yards.  Second is Forest Bell of Rocky Mount is averaging 92 yards per game.

Leading Big East rusher is Darius Barnes from Hunt rushing for 707 yards in six games.  AJ Hines Of Fike  has rushed for 538 yards.  The top receiver is Shakuan Daniels of Fike who has 212 yards. Second is Nadir Thompson of Southern Nash Only one yard behind with 211.

The leading scorer in the league is AJ Hines of Fike scoring 86 points.  Second is Nadir Thompson  of Southern Nash scoring 58.  The best ball hawk in the league intercepting passes Jerod Wright Of Southern Nash with four and  four others are tied with two.

The leading tackler in the league is Kenny Johnson of Fike with 52 tacklers.  Second is Gase West of Fike with 48.  The conference sack leader is Southern Nash's Demetrius Perry with five and Sherrod Green of Rocky Mount with four.

How Times Have Changed

Watching the NFL pre game show yesterday there was a segment on  the Carolina Panthers were on their buses going from the hotel to Tampa Stadium  and several players were twitting pictures and recording  messages.  What a different world we live in.

During my youth you were told that once school ended on Friday you needed to get your game face on.  If we were playing and away game and the bus was leaving at say 4:30 you better be on the bus at 4:15 with your mouth shut.  The entire ride the only noise was coaches talking among themselves about preparations for the game.  Afterwards if we lost there had better not be any noise coming home.  If we won you could make all the noise you wanted.  We have so many modern conveniences that make our life better but I don't know if they actually do

Hello NFL meet Todd Gurley.  All preseason the Rams head coach preached that they we going to be sure Todd Gurley was completely healthy before they placed him in a game.  Last week Gurley got his first taste on six carries he ran for 9 yards a very unimpressive 1.5 yards per carry.. Half time on Sunday against maybe the best defense in football Gurley had four carries for two yards.  That's 10 carries for 11 yards on the year.

You know they play 60 minutes in the NFL and the second 30 minutes belonged to Todd Gurley.  He got 15 carries in the second half and ran for 144.  One went for 52 yards which was on the drive in which St Louis won the game.  Two games and one one hundred yard game.

You all know my favorite player in the NFL is Philip Rivers.  Four games into the NFL season the Chargers have already started nine different linemen and yesterday the Chargers had two wide receivers in which the second and third string tight ends had to move to wide receivers for the chargers to finish the game.  All Rivers did is torch Cleveland for 358 yards and three touchdowns

Saturday Carolina won their game at Georgia Tech by coming back from 21 points behind which is their biggest comeback in history..  As Carolina was running out the clock they kept running their quarterback.  They have one of the best running backs in the league and yet they risk their quarterback to injury late in the game.  Sometimes I think coaches do too much coaching and not enough let's just play.

Duke wins a game without scoring a touchdown and Boston College does and loses, go figure.  Duke's  D is good.  Their offense is not.

ECU did a good job of not living off a great win a week ago and turn around and lose the next week.  SMU is pretty good.

Wake proved yesterday they are not going to be a push over to anybody.  FSU is going to have a hard time winning the ACC this year.

NC State found out that beating four patsies was not enough to get them prepared for the rigors of conference play..  Once they got use to the level that any team needs to win in D 1 football they got the game under control but already put themselves in a hole that they never played their way out of.

Conference Play Begins Friday

Nash Central started the year with two major streaks going that they would like to see disappear.  The football program had sunk so low that they had lost 25 straight games and part of those 25 12 were conference games.  So for the Bulldogs went through two straight  years without a win.

The management at Nash Central went looking and they settled on Chris Lee a former BW Holt  disciple from the six years Holt was at Rocky Mount.  Craving to prove his worth as a head coach Lee left at the end of first semester 08/09 and moved up the road to Louisburg to be head football coach.

While coaching under Holt Lee was the head JV coach in charge of offense while Kent Cox took the defense.  That combo went 48-3 in their six years leading the Rocky Mount JV program.  Lee had no idea  that by the end of the school year in 09 that Holt  would leave Rocky Mount and if he was still on the Gryphon staff just maybe he would have been named the head coach of the Gryphons then.  Lee has proven himself as a head coach  in Louisburg while Cox moved to the Gryphon baseball program after the departure of Pat Smith.

January of this year Chris Lee came to Nash Central as head coach.  Rumors were floating around in February that Lee wanted Cox to join him  on Carriage Road.  Rumors roared all baseball season and spilled into summer baseball before the word that Cox was heading to the Bulldogs.

Of the two streaks sticking in the gut of Bulldogs they took care of the losing streak which had reached 25 before victory.  Everyone says lookout for those Bulldogs.  The next four games have not brought victory for the Bulldogs so still staring them in the face is the 12 game conference losing streak.

How much do the stars line up when Chris Lee's first chance to break the conference losing streak comes against a school that helped get him a head coaching job?  How much do you think Kent Cox wants to beat the team in which he has spent most of his adult life.  Those two coaches will have their
Bulldogs wired  to a level they have not seen at Nash Central maybe ever in the short history of the school.

Rocky Mount has shown they could be one of the best teams in Big East or even all of the east in the 3-A football.  They need to understand the Nash Central team that they will play Friday this is their game of the year.  If Rocky Mount wants to play the game of the year later in the year they can not let the Bulldogs  stay in this game.

Jason Battle needs to make his Gryphons think this is their game of the year.  It will be if they lose Friday because they will have fallen to the bottom.  It is hard in the Big East to climb out of a hole created by losing to the team you were suppose to beat.  The Big East there simply are not many games where you are favored.  Most games each week are pick'em.  You had better win all the games you are suppose to win.  Should be a tremdous crowd on hand Friday night.

Who Knew?

All of the public high school conferences were off this week but who knew everyone else would be off too? The Rocky Mount Academy game has been postponed until Monday night.  I would assume  all the others will play Monday that is of course assuming the rain stops by then.

The Major League Baseball season ends this weekend and the weather looks like those teams trying to either be the 1st wild card or second will probably be playing double headers on the east coast to get the entire season in.   Even the NASCAR race in Dover had the qualifying rained out yesterday.

State, Duke And Wake all play home today.  Wonder how much money will be spent repairing the fields Next week?

The big NFL brew-ha this week has been the statement made by Cam Newton that Ed Hoculi the referee told him he had not been in the NFL long enough to get a roughing call on a play Sunday.  You would think as many cameras at every NFL game somebody heard or at least picked up enough sound somebody could decipher what was said.

I have a feeling something was said about not getting a call but I doubt Hoculi said that exact words.  As loud as a NFL game is I find it hard to believe that Cam heard exactly what he said.  I think to this point Cam has shown maturity in his growth as a quarterback and leader of the Panthers.  I do how ever believe telling the news media  in an after game press conference  about a conversation shows Cam still needs some growing to do.

Heard on Mike and Mike yesterday that Cam since he has been in the NFL has had only three roughing the quarterback penalties while he has had 30 personal fouls penalties called on people tackling him which since he has been In the league no other QB has had 30.

If you are not in church Sunday there will be and NFL  game Sunday Morning.  The Dolphins and Jets.  Had better be glad they are in London because both Miami or New York might be flooded.

Bowl Bids Up For Sale

This week is the first week of full fledged conference action and if you are interested in being in the final four in the playoffs you had better at least win your division. Last week went 5-3 reducing my record to 42-10.

Louisville 1-3 @ NC State 4-0.  All the experts are doing whatever it takes to shun State's 4-0 start.  We will find out Saturday at 12:30 as State opens conference play hosting Louisville.  The Ville struggling to find an acceptable quarterback.  Pack almost won this one last year in Louisville.  Pack may be most improved team in the country despite winning 8 games last year.  Pack 27 Louisville 20.

North Carolina 3-1 @ Georgia Tech 2-2:  I just don't see Carolina going to Atlanta  and winning this game.  Tech Can't be as bad as last two weeks losing on the road.  I am not real keen on Carolina 's quarterback.  Could be high scoring game.  GT 31 Carolina 27

BC 3-1 @ Duke 3-1:  is Duke playing all  their games this year at home?  Should be low scoring game but Duke I now believe defense is better than last but their problem is the offense.  Duke 16 Boston College 10

ECU 2-2 @ SMU 1-3:  The Pirates need to not have a let down like they did last year after big wins.  Pirates 27 SMU 24

Florida State 3-0 @ Wake Forest 2-2:  this is not a Florida State team that will make final four.  Wake is improved and this game will be closer than most think.  FSU 35 Wake 24

Miami 3-0 @ Cincinnati 2-2:  Should be a nail biter but this will be the game to determine whether Miami is a serious contender for ACC title.  MI 33 Cinn.  27

Pitt 2-1 @ Virginia Tech 2-2.  Pitt just may go into Blacksburg  and win.

North Carolina Wesleyan 0-3 @ Huntindon 2-2:  The Bishops lost all three of their home games to start the season.  Saturday first  road game for Wesleyan.  They will be 0-4 before help is on the way. I will be on PA for rest of the home games so I will do best I can coaching from press box.  Huntington 27 NCW 20

Off Week - Slim Schedule

Only three Local games in the area Friday night As all the public schools are off.  Went 7-2 in games last weekend to up my year's record to 39-8

SouthEast Halifax 1-4 at Rocky Mount Prep 1-2:  talk about a hard game to predict!  I think SE Halifax takes this one in another high scoring game SEHalifax 45 Prep 38

Kestrel Heights 6-0 at NE Carolina Prep 2-2. Should be all KH. 44-14

RMA 5-1 at Southampton Academy 4-0.  All nine wins between the two teams have been bottom feeders.  This starts the run as seedings  for the playoffs start and both these teams should finish high enough to host at least one home game.  Whether they get two or more will be in the hands of the winner. Southampton 38 RMA 35

Preseason the coaches voted Fike first, Southern Nash Second, Rocky Mount and Hunt third, Nash Central fifth and Northern Nash last.  Let's look and see where they probably will be after the first six non conference games.

Fike 4-2 Lost  the first two games and looked as if they didn't have any defense.  The last four weeks they found it.  Will be in the fight for first till the end.

Southern Nash 4-2.  Their power game does not look like the Firebirds of the past.  Defense maybe not quite as good either.  Probably sink to the 3rd/4th area but this is Big  East and they could be in the Hunt right to the end.

Rocky Mount 4-2. Who else can claim their two losses are Middle Creek and Rose and four solid wins.  Forest Bell as Gryphon quarterback could be best leader in Big East.  Gryphons will be in first place fight right to the end

Hunt 4-2.  They are not blowing people out but they probably have best defense in league.  Think by the end will be in the middle.

Nash Central 2-4 picked to win one conference game and break conference losing streak that goes back to 2012.  Offense improved but where is the D?  Think they will finish last which will be a major disappointment.

Northern Nash 2-4. First four games looked awful but have found offense the last two weeks.  They seem to be improving.  They will finish fifth or sneak in to the 3/4/5 slot.

Looks to me Fike and Rocky Mount are the top two but remember this is the Big East.