Juicy Words

Football Weekend Preview

I guess Bill Belichick will be just fine without Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel? It was “business as usual” for the Patriots on Thursday night, as New England opened the 2005 season with a 30-20 win over the Raiders.

Oakland took the opening kickoff and drove for a TD, marking the first time New England had allowed an opening-drive TD to an opponent, in 37 games! However, the defense settled down after that, allowing just a 73-yard TD ‘bomb’ to Randy Moss in the second quarter and a concession TD (leading 30-14) with about three minutes remaining in the game. As for the offense, Brady passed for 306 yards with two TDs (no INTs) and Dillon ran for two scores, despite rushing for just 63 yards.

New England has now won 35 of its last 39 games (counting the postseason), including 21 straight at home! No team in the Super Bowl era has ever won three straight championships and in NFL history, only Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers have won three consecutive titles. Green Bay won the NFL title in 1965 and then won the first two Super Bowls, following NFL title-game wins in the 1966 and 1967 seasons. Can the Pats make it three straight Super Bowls and four in five seasons this year?

I guess so but it’s not easy these days to even make the playoffs year in and year out. New England has won three Super Bowls in four years but in 2002, the Pats failed to even reach the postseason. Only three franchises have made it to the postseason in each of the last three years. Philadelphia tops the list with five straight playoff appearances, followed by Green Bay (four straight) and Indianapolis (three straight).

The Eagles finally broke their NFC title-game hex last year, beating the Falcons 27-10 in the NFC Championship Game, where they had lost the three previous years. The Eagles are easily the NFC’s best team again this year but are facing the fact that four straight and five of the last six Super Bowl losers have failed to post winning records the following year!

The Bengals own the longest playoff drought, having last been to the postseason in 1990. They’ll enter the 2005 season with a stretch of 14 consecutive playoff-less years. Behind Cincinnati is Arizona with six straight non-playoff seasons. Buffalo, Detroit, Jacksonville and Washington have each missed the postseason the last five years.

The San Diego Chargers ended an eight-year playoff drought last season, by improving from 4-12 in 2003 to 12-4 in 2004. A turnaround like the Chargers experienced last year has not exactly become the norm but it’s not a rarity, either.

Over a five-year period (2000-04), 25 of the 60 playoff participants (41.7 percent) have been teams that were .500 or worse the year before. Along with San Diego last year, Atlanta (from 5-11 to 11-5), the New York Jets (6-10 to 10-6) and Pittsburgh (6-10 to 15-1!) all made the playoffs coming off a non-winning season. Who will be this year’s surprise team?

Week 1 continues on Sunday with the marquee game featuring the Colts ‘visiting’ Baltimore to play the Ravens. For those of us who grew up with Johnny U, the Colts are NOT supposed to be the visiting team in a game played in Baltimore. Week 1 concludes with an NFC Championship Game rematch between the Eagles and Falcons. However, this time the game is in Atlanta, not Philadelphia.

College Football

Three games top college football’s second Saturday. No.2 Texas will visit Columbus, Ohio to meet No. 4 Ohio State, No. 3 Michigan hosts No. 20 Notre Dame and No. 5 LSU, displaced by Hurricane Katrina, will play at Tempe against No. 15 Arizona State (instead of hosting the Sun Devils in Baton Rogue).

TEXAS at OHIO STATE

Texas scheduled this game years ago and right now may be asking themselves, “Why this year?” After Oklahoma’s pathetic season-opening performance versus TCU, 2005 could be the year the Longhorns FINALLY beat the Sooners. A win over Oklahoma on October 8 would make Texas one of the prohibitive favorites for a place in this year’s Rose Bowl but NOT if the Longhorns lose in Columbus. Ohio State is 6-1 SU under Tressel versus top-10 teams and this will be the school’s seventh-ever night game in Ohio Stadium. In six previous games “under the lights”, OSU is 6-0 SU and ATS! As for Texas, the Longhorns have not lost a ‘true’ road game since a 42-38 loss in Lubbock versus Texas Tech in 2002 (eight straight wins).

NOTRE DAME at MICHIGAN

Talk about an underdog series? The ‘dog’ is an amazing 14-2-1 ATS when Notre Dame and Michigan hook up. Notre Dame opened with a 42-21 win at Pitt, as the Irish topped 500 yards of offense with 33 FDs in Charlie Weis’ debut. Michigan’s defense hasn’t played well since the team’s eighth game of last year. Since then, Michigan has allowed exactly 37 points to Michigan State, Ohio State and Texas, while allowing two other teams, Northwestern and Northern Illinois (last week), more than 400 yards. In Michigan’s favor is a great offense of its own and a 14-0 SU record in “the Big House” since installing its new artificial surface.

LSU at ARIZONA STATE

Hurricane Katrina forced a venue change for this game, as LSU was scheduled to host the Sun Devils in Baton Rogue. Could the Pac-10 finally be playing ‘lucky’ when it comes to a weather related game-change! In 1998, a hurricane postponed UCLA’s game with Miami from early September to early December, when Miami was a much more polished team. UCLA’s loss in December that year, cost the undefeated Bruins a chance to play in the first-ever BCS title game. Again last year, a hurricane pushed Cal’s game at Southern Miss to the end of the season and a closer than expected margin of victory in that game, may have cost the Bears a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Is this the year it works out in the Pac-10’s favor? LSU is loaded and would have been a solid favorite at home but playing in Tempe, the game is a toss-up. ASU, now gets its two biggest challenges of the year at home, Saturday night versus LSU and an October 1 date with USC.

CLOSING NOTE

Akron was the lone MAC team to not play last weekend and Purdue was the only Big-10 team not in action. Akron holds the distinction of being the only bowl-eligible team in 2004 (not on suspension) to NOT get a bowl bid. Purdue, was just 7-5 in 2005 but the team’s five losses came by a total of just 14 points! After opening the 2005 season 5-0, the Boilermakers lost consecutive games to Wisconsin (by three points), Michigan (by two), Northwestern (by two) and Iowa (by two). Purdue won its final two regular season games but then lost to Arizona State in the Sun Bowl, 27-23.

If last week’s results are any indication, Purdue shouldn’t be too worried about having a close game on Saturday. MAC teams went 1-10 (3-6-1 ATS) last weekend, the only win coming by Toledo over I-AA Western Illinois (62-14). The 10 losers allowed an average of 38.3 PPG! As for Big-10 last week, the conference was a perfect 10-0 SU and 7-2-1 ATS.

Larry Ness is a documented member of The Professional Handicappers League. Read more of his articles and get his premium plays here.

Backcountry Skiing for Intermediate Skiers

Snowcats have made backcountry skiing accessible to
intermediate skiers.

Backcountry skiing offers vast expanses of soft, consistent
powder snow in remote and spectacular high-mountain settings.
Often considered the domain of hardy and self-reliant ski
touring enthusiasts, or of proficient and deep-pocketed
helicopter skiers, backcountry skiing is now easily accessible
to snowcat skiers.

Snowcat skiing is typically much more affordable than helicopter
skiing and can be more adaptable to skier ability. Also, it
requires no special equipment or backcountry experience.
However, good physical fitness is desirable, especially in
skiers with little powder snow experience.

Cat skiing operators offer full-service tours into remote, high
alpine areas. Guests stay in comfortable lodges with
double-occupancy bedrooms and private baths, excellent food, and
outdoor hot tubs, complete with bar service. Guests’ needs and
comfort and safety comes first, both inside the lodge and on the
hill. Everyone has a good time. Refer to the Cat Skiing Articles photo gallery
(http://cat-skiing-articles.blogspot.com) for a pictorial
description of snowcat skiing.

Western Canada boasts many backcountry lodges, where
intermediate and expert skiers alike use snowcats to access the
very best of backcountry skiing. One such lodge is Chatter
Creek’s rustic 9300 sq.ft. Vertebrae Lodge which can be viewed
at www.backcountrywintervacations.com/vertebrae-lodge.html

Guests ski in groups of 12. Each group has a dedicated snowcat,
two highly qualified guides and a driver. Groups can be
assembled according to ability, and because the snowcat and
guides move at the pleasure of the group, the whole party enjoys
terrain and a pace of skiing that best suits them. There is
never pressure to maximize the utilization of the equipment.
Snowcat skiing is equally enjoyable for experts and strong
intermediates alike and for both skiers and snowboarders.

On the hill, the lead guide sets the track and the guests
follow, with everyone skiing in fresh, untracked snow. The guide
stops occasionally to regroup and to give people a chance to
rest, to take pictures and to share their experiences. The
frequency of stops depends on the ability and strength of the
group. Strong groups may ski non-stop to the bottom; 1800 to
2000 ft. of pure joy! Other groups may have a few stops along
the way. The guests determine the pace, not the guide.

The lead guide keeps his flock together and sees that no one
falls too far behind. The second guide, called the “tailgunner”,
is always the last person down the hill. If a guest falls or has
difficulty, the tailgunner will be at their side to assist.

Cat skiing offers a special experience for family groups
(children aged 19 & older)*, ladies groups, groups of business
associates or groups of friends. In a diverse social group,
everyone can feel relaxed and “part of a team”. Companions can
be enjoyed, not only in the lodge in the evenings, but also on
the ski hill. Groups keep together and interact while skiing
and, on the ride back up the hill, share jokes and conversation.
The snowcat rides allow guests to unbutton, warm up, dry out,
enjoy some lunch and to take more pictures.

Many guests arrive in prearranged groups of 12, organized by one
of the group members. These groups fill a single snowcat and can
be very compatible, with everyone skiing well together.

However, guests arriving singly or in pairs can be assured of
just as good a time as members of pre-arranged groups. The tour
operator will usually try to place individuals in a suitable
group and they will quickly make new friends and fit in to a
very sociable environment.

Guides are expert in finding “lines” for skiers of differing
ability. Better skiers might enjoy some “steeps” or “pop” off
bumps while others in the group are guided on a more “mellow”
line. Everyone has ample opportunity to challenge themselves,
and to wear themselves out.

As the end of the day approaches, and guests may start to tire,
they are welcome to sit out a run and ride back down the hill
with the snowcat driver. A slower skier may occasionally “sit
out” a run to allow the rest of the group a faster-paced run. If
a guest wants to “call it a day”, a staff member will drive them
back to the lodge on a snowmobile. Staff is committed to service
and want to make guests as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

Safety is the primary concern in the backcountry. Snowcat skiers
are always led by fully trained guides. The guide not only
selects safe terrain, but also the safest track through the
terrain. When the snow is unstable in the alpine regions, above
the tree line, skiing will be restricted to more stable slopes
at lower elevations. The first line of defense is prudence and
even in periods of high stability, guides will always “play it
safe”.

“Tree skiing” is a fixture of all backcountry skiing. Snowcat
skiers never hesitate due to weather. On stormy days, snowcat
skiers just head to the trees, where the snow’s best and the
visibility is good.

The smooth consistency of the snow and short, fat “powder” skis
allow intermediate skiers to master terrain they would not
normally attempt. There are no moguls and lumps of snow to
contend with. The snow is soft and light and helps control
speed. Skiers who rarely “ski the trees” not only find they can
do it, but that it’s fun! The sense of accomplishment and
delight after a first “tree run” is enormous.

Cat skiing offers a welcoming, fun-filled and comfortable
experience to skiers and snowboarders having a wide range of
abilities. It’s an experience that’s nice to share with friends
and family, but single individuals can be assured of enjoying
themselves, having wonderful skiing and of making new friends.

Many snowcat operators recommend that skiers be at least “strong
intermediates” and some snowcat operators prefer expert skiers
only. However, physically fit intermediate skiers of lesser
ability can also do well at many snowcat skiing venues,
especially if they are part of a specially organized group of
12. Skiers who are unsure of their ability should discuss their
concerns with a tour operator, who will be pleased to make
recommendations.

The Chatter News photo journal has over 350
photos at http://powder-skiing.blogspot.com/.

*Children younger than 19 may often accompany their parents.
However, more mature offspring will better enjoy the lodge life
(http://lodge-life-at-chatter-creek.blogspot.com) and the other
guests. Guests in their 20’s and 30’s will relate well to the
young, personable staff.

Foote Notes: Kansas City at Houston

ESPN takes its’ show to Reliant Stadium in Houston where the Chiefs and Texans will collide. Kansas City is priced as a 6.5-point favorite and the posted total is hovering at 44.

Despite a triple digit advantage in yardage, the Chiefs wound up on the short end of a 14-3 final at Buffalo last weekend. The setback dropped Kansas City to 5-4 (SU & ATS) overall, but just 2-3 (SU & ATS) when away from Arrowhead.

Meanwhile, Houston was given the unenviable task of playing the undefeated Colts at the RCA Dome last week. The Texans were outgained by 210 yards in the 31-17 loss, but kept close enough to grab the green as a 17.5-point underdog

The result dropped Houston to 1-8 (SU) overall, while improving their record against the number to 4-5 (ATS) overall. In fact, it was the hard-trying Texans third consecutive pointspread win. Nevertheless, “Houston, we have a problem” protecting the quarterback, as Carr has been sacked 46 times in nine games.

The Texans feeble attack manages just 13.8 points and 215.9 yards per game. This has Houston ranked second to last in the NFL in both total offense and passing offense, as well as 30th in points scored. And losing tackle Todd Wade in last weekend’s loss to the Colts is not going to help matters.

So are the Chiefs an automatic tonight? Hardly. Sure they are the superior team, but they are shouldering a lofty pointspread despite having lost three in a row on the road.

Moreover, Houston’s record is a bit misleading due to a ridiculous schedule. The Texans have faced four teams with two losses or less (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle and Indianapolis twice!).

Good luck with your bets tonight!

William Foote is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/William_Foote.htm