Claude Humphrey, Ray Guy named 2014 Senior Hall of Fame candidates

by | Aug 21, 2013 | Hall of Fame

With the class of 2013 enshrined in Canton, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s senior committee Wednesday got started on naming its class of 2014.

Ray Guy, the Oakland punter who earned seven Pro Bowl nominations, three First Team All Pro awards and spots on both the team of the 1970s and the 75th anniversary team, was joined by Atlanta defensive end Claude Humphrey, a six-time Pro Bowler who was All Pro twice in his 13 years.

Guy has been a finalist seven times. He is bound to be the more controversial of the two candidates because he is a punter. Supporters say his ability to boom high punts with long hang time reduced potential returns and allowed the Raiders to play a field position game previously unseen in the NFL. Detractors point to a low net average and say guys like Tommy Davis or Jerrel Wilson were equal or better to Guy.

Humphrey, a three-time finalist, is an oft-mentioned name on this site. Though he was just All Pro First Team twice, his Pro Football Reference page also indicates he won AP All Conference honors several additional times. (more…)

In depth 2013: Atlanta Falcons

by | Apr 21, 2013 | 2012 season, 2013 season, NFL Draft, NFL Free Agency, NFL Random Thoughts

The Atlanta Falcons had been criticized heading into 2012 for going out with a whimper two seasons in a row to the tune of blowout losses in the playoffs. The Falcons answered those doubters last season, winning one game before bowing out in a tightly contested NFC Championship game.

So where do the Falcons go from there? Matt Ryan’s continued development is key as is finding some complementary pieces on the defense. If that happens, either through the draft or free agency, this could be another interesting year for football fans in Atlanta, says Kevin, founder and editor of Grits Blitz.

Zoneblitz: The 2012 Falcons lost a close one in the NFC Championship game, but did get further than they had the previous couple seasons. How do you assess 2012 overall? (more…)

NFL Picks, 2012 season, Week 17

by | Dec 26, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Picks

With a convincing win over Detroit on Saturday night, the Atlanta Falcons took another step toward a championship by locking up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

So why isn’t anyone buying Atlanta? The 13-2 Falcons have been dominant against teams they should beat this season, but have not played the most difficult of schedules. That’s not their fault – you can only play the teams they tell you to play. But there’s still the lingering feeling stemming from blowout losses in playoff games the last two seasons.

Greg Huseth, senior editor and staff writer for Blogging Dirty, says those two games have this team better prepared for what it takes to have success in the playoffs.

“The Falcons have been embarrassed the last two seasons in the playoffs and I think that has made them more mentally tough,” he says. “They also overlooked a bad Carolina Panthers team in Week 14 and got obliterated. Those playoff losses, and the more recent loss to Carolina, have taught them not to overlook any aspect of the game and that if they don’t execute, it won’t matter that they’re the number one seed in the NFC.”

The Falcons are going to have a challenging road in the postseason, even if they are playing at home. San Francisco and Seattle look to be peaking and Green Bay also is playing well. But it did look to me like Atlanta did take its game up a notch against Detroit, so maybe they are poised for a better showing.

Huseth joined us as our guest blogger for the regular season’s final week. Last week’s guest celebrity blogger was Keith Myers from 12th Man Rising. He went 12-4, which was good for second place last week. He beat Tony, who went 9-7. Andy hit on a bunch of upsets, which led to a 14-2 week that sprung him to a two-game lead for the season.

  Week 16 Season
Andy 14-2 153-86-1
Tony 9-7 151-88-1
Celebrity bloggers 12-4 148-91-1

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ZB Notebook 11-20-12

by | Nov 20, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Random Thoughts

I’m not going to say the Atlanta Falcons are a bad team. At 9-1 they deserve more respect than that, but they may be the least convincing 9-1 team I’ve seen in awhile.

The offense remains explosive, but the team lost five picks to Arizona at home last weekend in a game that shouldn’t have been as close as four points. The run game is nonexistent and now news has leaked that an already injury-tainted offensive line will now be down Joe Hawley for four games due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.

This isn’t a good thing for a team whose top runner has put up just 61 yards in the last two games. The defense isn’t much better either. LaRod Stephens-Howling broke the century mark and scored against this tackling-challenged bunch.

Truth be told, Atlanta’s impressive record has been built on close wins against less-than-stellar opponents. Six wins have been by a touchdown or less. And some of those victories have come against Kansas City, San Diego, Washington, Oakland, Philadelphia, Dallas and Arizona. (more…)

NFL Best Bets: Week 10 – 2012

by | Nov 6, 2012 | 2012 season, NFL Gambling

Sure, when I go to Vegas, everything is normal, but the week after I leave all hell breaks loose.

“Books get destroyed,” screams the headline of a VegasInsider.com story that estimates gamblers took the city’s establishments for $7 million to $9 million over the weekend due to the success players had in betting favorites on parlay cards.

Nobody is going to feel sorry for Las Vegas sports books, however. Whether they lost $9 million or not, over time they’ll do fine. And they still did better than Tony and I did on our bets, which have been a struggle all season long.

I got a 2-2 for the week that probably would have netted a small profit with my success in nailing the upset of the week, Tampa over Oakland. It wasn’t a big spread, but the Raiders never should have been favored in that game, in my humble opinion.

Tony was 1-3, hitting only the Indianapolis win over Miami. So, for the season, Tony is a dismal 14-22 while I am a slightly even more pathetic 13-23.

So here’s your next chance to win money by doing the opposite of what we suggest… (more…)