Peyton Hillis, the cover boy of Madden 2012 (thanks to the citizens of Cleveland who have nothing better to do than vote on line) is still bitching and moaning and aching over his itty bitty salary and his hamstring. Well boo-freakin’-hoo!
This dude isn’t too bright now is he? When did they tell Hillis that pretending to PMS is a great way to create leverage in contract discussions? Man up and pretend you are Matt Forte or Ray Rice. Now there are two players digging in and doing it the old fashioned way – earning it!
Speaking of Ray Rice, let’s get this straight – Rice gets a $7,500 fine for stiff arming a would-be tackler. His teammate Bernard Pollard is hit up for 10 large for delivering a textbook albeit crushing blow to a would-be receiver. And then Matt Birk gets a $5,000 fine for removing a microphone wire from his shoulder pads that was sticking him in the neck (later rescinded by the league).
But Troy Polamalu gets nothing for mistaking Wes Welker’s head for a twist off beer bottle?
Mojo thinks Roger Goodell must have dandruff and Polamalu has him hooked up with a lifetime supply of Head & Shoulders.
The Ravens v. Steelers rivalry is arguably the best in all of sports. The Ravens took the Steelers to the woodshed on opening day and according to the Hines “Cha Cha” Ward, the Steelers remember everything. Oh I’m sure that just scares the hell out of the Ravens, right?
Apparently some of the Steelers are belly-aching about the Ravens 2 point conversion despite the game being completely controlled by Baltimore and the outcome hardly in question. Mojo gives thumbs up to the Ravens. Look if they overload one side of the line with 8 players to block the kick and potentially risk their Pro Bowl kicker Billy Cundiff, why not run it for 2? I bet the Steelers show a more balanced look the next time they line up for a field goal or extra point against Baltimore.
Mojo heard that Raiders’ HC and OC Hue Jackson and Al Saunders respectively, are both pretty jazzed about new signal caller Carson Palmer. Hey, why wouldn’t they be? The alternative is Kyle Boller. Jackson has now taken to calling the trade (the 2012 No. 1 pick and at worst the 2013 No. 2 pick to Cincinnati) as “the greatest trade in football.”
For whom Hue?
We keep hearing, “If [Carson] can play anywhere close to where he was from 2005 to 2007, the Raiders are going to be looking at their first playoff appearance since 2002.”
That kind of logic just might inspire Tony Sparano to call Dan Marino.
Now on to Mojo’s picks for Week 9… Last week Mojo 7-6 against the line and a rather 10-3 on winners pushing the season totals to 45-38-4 v. spread and 58-30 with winners.
Falcons (-6.5) @ Colts ~ Is Peyton Manning up for Defensive Player of the Year? He leaves and the defense goes to hell with an express pass. Dirtybirds dump on the horseshoe and cover.
Bucs @ Saints (-8) ~ If it looks like a trap, smells like a trap and tempts like a trap – it’s probably a trap. Bucs beat the Saints outright just a few weeks ago and now they’re 8 point dogs after the then winless Rams beat them. Kick logic to the curb and lay the points!
Browns @ Texans (-10.5) ~ Are the Browns that bad? Yep! Longhorns hook ‘em big!
Jets @ Bills (-2.5) ~ Bills are opportunistic; Fitzpatrick gets the ball out quickly and Freddie J is on a roll and all of that plays to the Jets weaknesses. Bills to cover.
Dolphins @ Chiefs (-4) ~ Matt Moore (or less) is awful and so are the rest of his self-destructive pod. Chiefs use the sea of red at Arrowhead and blow out Flipper’s blow hole. How appropriate for that team.
49ers (-4) @ Redskins ~ This one makes little sense but Mojo has a hunch all these frequent flier miles are wearing the Niners down. The Navajo get a boost from their defense as John Beck registers his first win as a professional starter.
Seahawks @ Cowboys (-11) ~ The osprey won’t score any perch in JerryWorld. Cowboys get a little swagger and get back in the win column convincingly. Go with the Big Star!
Broncos @ Raiders (-7) ~ Are prayers really answered in the Black Hole? Three hours worth of Tebowing won’t help the visitors. This one is going to get ugly.
Bengals @ Titans (-3) ~ Bengals have been among the league’s surprises this season but they’ll be the ones surprised today. The Titans tame the cats and cover.
Rams @ Cardinals (-3) ~ Yawn! The battle of St. Louis teams. Yawn! Who cares? Yawn! Heads Rams, tails Cardinals. And it’s……Rams.
Giants @ Patriots (-9) ~ Pats rebound at home but the G-Men keep it close. Take the points.
Ravens @ Steelers (-3) ~ The NFL is all about matchups and the Ravens spent their entire offseason addressing matchup issues against this divisional nemesis. Ravens get one on the road at Heinz.
Bears @ Eagles (-7.5) ~ The birds look like they are turning things around and they’ll need to keep that plus mojo going on Monday Night. In the end the hometown crowd will go home happy but not after a temporary scare. Yogi and BooBoo cover but Baldie emerges with the win.
