Sports

The Spotlight NFL Week 10 picks against the spread

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Hello everyone and happy football Sunday!  Last week we came awfully close to losing our first week after we went 5-3 (with Monday night) but so this week we’re going to be taking a look at 7 games in the NFL but I will again warn that this is a tough week.  There are a lot of games this week where teams are so close and/ or Vegas has set the line exactly where it should be.  Let’s see what we can do here to navigate you through the week.

1) Dallas Cowboys (+2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Hold your breath here but I’m taking the Cowboys on the road, no less, to their first game of the year without Tony Romo.  I like some of things that Tampa Bay has done this season and I think that in a year or two they’re going to push for a playoff spot with Famous Jameis under center.  That said, they can’t win at home and they repeatedly shoot themselves in the foot a evidenced by last week’s game at Metlife where I really felt that they had the game except for a few dropped passes.  On the other side of dime here, the Cowboys have kept it close every single week and against pretty good teams (at least in Seattle and Philly).  If they can find a way to win this week, it won’t put Romo in the unenviable task of having to win every game in order for his team to have a chance to make the postseason and I think they know that too.

2) Chicago Bears (+9) at St. Louis Rams

I’m going back to the Bears this week after picking them to win the game outright in San Diego.  I’m actually starting to have a little bit of faith in Jay Cutler who seems to find a way to keep his team in games every week.  The Rams are probably the better team here but the’ve been under fire all week after the hit to Teddy Bridgewater and Vikings Head Coach, Mike Zimmer coming at the Rams personnel hard.  I also think the Rams were exposed last week in Minnesota and you know I don’t pick underdogs unless I feel there is a chance they can win outright.  I liked them at 7.5, love them 9, Da Bears with pick number two.

3) New York Giants (+7.5) over New England Patriots 

Perhaps underdogs are a theme this week with me but I love the Giants here.  Tom Coughlin is 5-1 lifetime against Bill Belichick which includes two Superbowl wins, one of which, the Patriots entered that game undefeated! I know you’re probably going to be quick to point out that those were different teams and while you’d be right, realize that those Giants teams weren’t that good back then, they were mediocre teams that went on historic runs. Eli Manning has been really good this season and I feel like he always plays to his competition.  I also look for the injury to Dion Lewis to be a tough one for the Patriots who now become a bit more one dimensional.  The Giants are also home and you know Metlife will be rockin!

4) Carolina Panthers (-3) over Tennessee Titans 

I’ll tell ya when the line was 5.5, I really liked the Titans in this one.  A really stout defense (especially against the run) coupled with a team feeling really good about their new coach and their rookie Quarterback who just got a win at New Orleans and their is reason to think the Titans may end the Panthers undefeated run.  That said, getting the Panthers by a field goal?  I’m willing to bite on this sucker bet.  The Panthers haven’t only been on such a good run but they’ve done it against some really good teams.  In the last four weeks, they beat the Colts, the Eagles, at Seattle and just last week they beat Aaron Rodgers.  Sorry but I’m not willing to count this team out against the Tennessee Titans especially when they haven’t won a game at home.

5) Minnesota Vikings (+3) over Oakland Raiders

Real good one here at the 6-2 Vikings head to Oakland to take on the 4-4 Raiders who came about as close as you could last week to really taking control of their destiny in the AFC playoff race.  A lot of people like the Raiders but I’m actually going the other way, especially after hearing that Teddy Bridgewater is a go.  The Vikings have to be feeling good about themselves and know that if they can find a way to win in Oakland, they will be really pushing the Packers in that division race.  I like the Raiders but they haven’t beaten a winning team yet besides the Jets and they were without their quarterback that week.  That won’t change this week as the Vikings will win this one outright.

6) IF YOUR DESPERATE: Kansas City Chiefs (+6) at Denver Broncos

Do you see the big caps letter up above?  Proceed with caution here as this pick is more a product of feeling a bit uneasy about picking the other games and wanting to give the Sunday Night game it’s own post.  This one is more of a product f how unhealthy the Broncos are as opposed to how much i believe in the Chiefs.  The Broncos will be without Aqib Talib and Demarcus Ware and may be without Emmanuel Sanders (who is a game time decision).  Peyton Manning will break some records this week but will do so with a bad rib cage injury and if he gets hit, the Broncos may be in more trouble.  The Chiefs will be without Jamaal Charles but at this point they know that and have had time to adjust.  They’re also coming off of a bye and are bad team doing so, this means they’ve been preparing and practicing that whole time for this game.  KC also knows that if they someone can find a way to steal one in Denver (which won’t be easy), they’re right back in a mediocre wildcard race in the AFC. The Chiefs had the Broncos beat the last time and can compete with them.

7) LOCK OF THE Week : New Orleans Saints (pk) over Washington Redskins

The Redskins get their play maker back this week in Desean Jackson and they’re back hoe where they are 3-1 so this one wont; be a slam dunk but if I’m getting the Saints in a pickem, I have to go with them, even on the road where they are 1-3.  The Saints are coming off of a brutal loss at home to a rookie quarterback but this is a chance for Drew Brees and Sean Payton to right the ship and I don’t think they’ll fall in Washington.  I always say that when I get a choice to go against Kirk Cousins in a close game, I’ll do it every time and this week is no exception.  The Saints defense is awful but if it’s up to Cousins to take advantage of that defense, I say no thanks.  The Saints are the Lock of the week and I haven’t lost one of those all season.

That’s going to do it for me but follow along with me on twitter @TommyOnTheSpot as I’ll be live tweeting throughout the day, despite attending an engagement party.  I’ll also be back with my Sunday Night Football pick a little later on, until then have fun and go make some money!

The Spotlight On UFC 193

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Well I just got back from a nice time over at Dave & Busters where we viewed UFC 193 and let me tell you I’m still in shock after that finish.  I’m not going to claim to be a UFC enthusiast.  As a matter of fact, I’m not even going to talk about any of the other fights on the card here tonight.  It’s not that I don’t like UFC, I actually became a pretty big fan when I started watching the shows for Brock Lesnar when he starting fighting for them in February 2008.  But I’ll be honest, many of the personalities in UFC just didn’t catch my attention after Brock left in 2011.  I liked GSP but he really toned down his schedule, I liked Rashad Evans but then he got hurt.  Then in late 2012, Dana White announced that Ronda Rousey had signed with the promotion and was going to be the promotion’s first ever women’s champion, as the Bantamweight champion, and I was immediately intrigued.

It had been a long time coming for UFC and I was surprised it took that long for UFC to embrace female fighters.  I also noticed that my girlfriend was also intrigued as she asked to join me when I went to see UFC 157 with my friends, the event that had the first ever women’s fight in UFC history(Rousey vs.Carmouche).  Her interest in the entire sport really grew and I noticed that a lot more females I spoke to suddenly became fans of UFC, all thanks to Ronda. I also found myself pretty engulfed, again in UFC thanks to this new movement.  Fighters like Conor McGregor, Daniel Cromier and Hofstra’s own Chris Weidman became favorites of mine but nothing compared to Ronda Rousey.  My girlfriend and I made sure that no matter what we were doing, we went out of our way to catch every one of Ronda’s fights.  In particular, there was a time that we were both away on a snowboarding trip in the poconos and we traveled 30 miles in the snow to the one Buffalo Wild Wings in town showing Ronda’s fight.

Tonight was no different tonight as despite her working a 12 hour shift, I picked my girlfriend up from work at 8pm and we gathered a few friends and went to Dave and Busters to see the fight.  I’ll tell you that I was pretty nervous going into this one because of the fact that Ronda was going up against an undefeated fighter but, to be fair, she did the same with Bethe Correia and knocked her out in under a minute.  Holly Holm was much different though, she came in with a clear gameplan and right away you knew this fight wasn’t going to be one minute, or even one round.  Of course, I don’t think anyone could’ve predicted a second round knockout for Holm.  This was easily the most shocked I’ve been since Brock Lesnar beat Rany Couture or maybe when Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva.  Holm deserves all of the credit in the world for not allowing herself to become intimidated by the aura that is Ronda Rousey and pulling off one of the biggest upsets in UFC history.

As for Ronda Rousey, you really got to wonder where she goes from here.  She is obviously a very driven individual and I know that she isn’t going to take this loss lightly.  I also believe that she has one more fight left on her contract and a rematch with Holm would make perfect sense.  That being said, Ronda is getting ready to star as the lead role in the new Roadhouse movie and it seems like she has plenty of offers in Hollywood.  I also know that Ronda is a huge WWE fan and has stated that she’ll be back at some point, which she won’t be able to do (at least in a match capacity) while under contract with UFC. So while tonight’s loss was heartbreaking, the fact remains that Ronda is currently sitting in a hospital bed for observation following her fight and has to have some thought if she’d like to continue risking all of these other opportunities, or her health, by continuing to fight.

So in the end, yes this loss was heartbreaking but it’s very hard for a fighter to go undefeated no matter how dominant you are (give the devil his due, what Floyd Mayweather has done is unprecedented).  While it was a shame to see someone who has revolutionized the entire UFC by spearheading the Women’s fighting movement go down in defeat, the loss doesn’t tarnish her legacy at all. Ronda really made history, as evidenced by UFC headlining and co-headling with two womens fights tonight.  In many ways, you can also make a strong case that Ronda is indirectly responsible for the Divas Revolution you currently see in WWE.

As for UFC, they should be commended for changing with the times and featuring women more prominently on the top of their cards.  It’ll be interesting to see if this continues without Ronda Rousey but I hope it does as their is obvious interest as evidenced by the 56,000+ that were in attendance tonight.  I can confirm that UFC will return to Austrailia on March 20th, this time running Brisbane.  If you would like more UFC 193 coverage might I suggest you check out f4wonline.com or the fight network as they both do a great job.  I’d also like to suggest you give @RobinBlackMMA a follow as he did a great breakdown of the Ronda-Holm fight.

That’s going to do it for after a history making night at UFC193 and the end of an era as it’s nearly 3AM here on the east coast.  Tomorrow is a Football sunday so I will be back bright and early, coffee cup in hand with my football picks and a lot more fun stuff right here on thedailyspotlight.com

The Spotlight On The Biggest Game Of The Season For the New York Jets-Thursday Night Football Preview

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Normally on Thursday afternoons, I post my Thursday Night Football Pick Against The Spread. Honestly it’s hard for me to do that today with the Jets involved and, well, with me having no confidence in this game whatsoever. Rex Ryan returns to MetLife Stadium for the first time since taking over as the coach of the Buffalo Bills to take on his old team, the New York Jets. If you don’t think that Rex has had week 10 circled on his calendar since his first day on the job, then I’m not sure what you’re thinking. I’ve been fired before and whenever I see my old employer, I want to make them look bad and look my best, it’s human nature. Rex hasn’t taken the high road either in naming IK Enemkpali a team captain for the Bills tonight for the sole reason of him breaking Geno Smith’s jaw.

Aside from Rex, this is a tale of two teams going in opposite directions in terms of health. The Bills had both Tyrod Taylor & Sammy Watkins return last week and they are just a different team with those two players healthy. It also appears that the Bills will have Lesean McCoy healthy for tonight’s game and if they can ever get Shady McCoy going, they can be one of the most explosive offenses in football. 

On the other side of the ball, the Jets seem completely ravaged by injuries everytime I turn on the TV. Our top three running backs are banged up (Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell, & Stevan Ridley), both of our top wide recievers (Brandon Marshall & Eric Decker) are banged up & our quarterback (Ryan Fitzpatrick) is playing with a torn ligament in his non throwing hand. If that wasn’t bad enough, look at our defense: Dee Milliner- Out, Calvin Pryor- Doubtful, Antonio Cromartie- doubtful, Dion Bailey- Doubtful, Buster Skrine-Questionable. To make matters even worse the Jets will be without 2 cornerstones of their Offensive Line in Nick Mangold (who can’t stay healthy) and Willie Colon who was shut down for the season. The cherry on the top of this doom and gloom injury report is of course that the Jets will be without their Even Steven kicker, Nick Folk, and had to dust mothballs off of Randy Bullock with only four days to prepare. 

Looking at all of those injuries I’m pretty pessimistic about tonight’s game for the Jets. The 4-4 Bills are right there in the playoff race and the Jets are just barely ahead of this mishmash of mediocrity battling it out for wildcard spots in the AFC, with a 5-3 record. Now if the Jets can somehow ride that hometown crowd to a victory well then 6-3 looks a lot better then 5-3 and the Jets could be 10-3 before you can say “Merry Christmas”. After the Bills game tonight,  the Jets travel to Houston and then are back at MetLife to face the Dolphins, Giants and Titans. All four of those games are winnable and may have to be for the Jets to get that precious 5th seed as they end the season heading to Tony Romo & the Cowboys, welcoming the Patriots and at these Buffalo Bills. 

Thus, tonights game can really be season-defining for the Jets. Will gang green be able to give us fans a little breathing room? Or will Rex Ryan be the guy to ruin this promising season for Jets…just like he’s been for the last three years. 

The Spotlight On Monday Night Football With Pick Against The Spread 

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Week Number 9 in the 2015 NFL season will conclude a little bit later on this evening when the 2-5 Chicago Bears head to San Diego to take on the 2-6 San Diego Chargers. 

I’ll tell ya this is a bit of a disappoint to see where both of these teams stand right now in their respective divisions (3rd & 4th respectively). On paper this game should be a lot more of an intriguing matchup with pro bowl caliber players everywhere from Phillip Rivers to Jay Cutler to Melvin Gordon and back to Alshon Jeffery. Instead, what we have two teams fighting to save their season and remain relevant at least for one more week. 

Logic would say that the Chargers should take this game tonight running away hosting a team with a subpar record in their building but that’s not the way I’m going tonight. While the injuries to both Eddie Royal & Matt Forte won’t help the Bears, the Chargers have far more injuries including 7 injuries alone just last week. Their O Line is banged up, their secondary is depleted & Phillip Rivers will be without his favorite target Keenan Allen. 

I’m as a big a fan of Phillip Rivers as any but 4 1/2 points are too many to back the Chargers against anyone this season. The Bears have had two weeks to prepare for this game and I expect them to keep it close, if they don’t win the game outright. 

Chicago Bears +4.5 is your pick for Monday Night Football tonight. 

The Spotlight On Seth Rollins’ Injury and The WWE World Heavyweight Championship

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Just about 30 minutes ago via his official twitter page, ESPN’s own Johnathan Coachman released the tweet above, confirming that last night at a WWE live event in Dublin, Ireland, World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins suffered a bad knee injury while wrestling Kane. The reports on what happened seem to indicate that Rollins suffered the injury on a sunset flip gone awry, as what is being described as something of a freak accident.  This obviously couldn’t come at a worse time for Rollins who was in the midst of the biggest push of his career, coming up on 7 months to his reign as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

From a WWE standpoint, this confirms that Rollins will miss Wrestlemania 32, news that comes just weeks after it was announced that Randy Orton will also miss Wrestlemania due to requiring shoulder surgery.  Furthermore, WWE will be without John Cena for all events until, at least, December 26th as he takes some time off due to personal reasons.  As for what this means for the WWE World Title, WWE announced that, obviously the match between Seth Rollins and number one contender Roman Reigns is off, and instead a tournament will take place at the Survivor Series on November 22nd to crown a new champion.

While one would assume that Reigns would be one of the superstars to compete in the tournament, WWE.com has not confirmed any of the superstars in the tournament, nor how many superstars will compete in the tournament altogether.  This will be the first time in which a tournament takes place for the World Title at the Survivor Series since 1998 when the Rock won his first World Heavyweight Championship.  With so many of the top superstars in WWE now on the shelf (along with Orton, Cena and Rollins, Daniel Bryan has still not been cleared to return to action and it seems as though Brock Lesnar is on a bit of a hiatus following Hell In A Cell), this really does open up the opportunity for somebody to step up and make a name for themselves on the WWE roster.  Aside from Reigns, I would look for the recently returning Alberto Del Rio, Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens, Reign’s best friend Dean Ambrose,  and long time fan favorite, Cesaro as possibilities to take this opportunity to step up.  I’d also look for some of the superstars down in NXT, namely NXT Champion, Finn Balor to potentially get an opportunity on the main WWE roster.

This again is really an unfortunate situation for Rollins, who was one of my favorite Superstars to watch each week on Raw, and we wish him a speedy recovery.  Be sure to continue to check for any updates on this situation right here on thedailyspotlight.com.  We will update you as soon as we know anything.