Power Position Betting Week 12 Quick Hits

You have got to be kidding me. There is no way that the Tennessee Titans dropped 24 points on the Giants, who were up 21-0 at the end of halftime, to win 24-21. Say it ain't so Kiwanuka, was that not hilarious? Great? Unbelievable? How could he not tackle Young, how could Eli throw up that ball like that? How? That was one of the best games I have seen all year. I love sports stories like this, these grand underdog narratives, and seeing the Giants completely melt down like that, just like the Eagles did to the Giants, it formed an odd circle in my mind on how this NFL season has shaped itself to be.

I can tell you Mr. Masters was distraught afterwards, staring at the screen in shock. At halftime, I leaned over to him and said, well, looks like our trend was wrong for this game. Giants fan that he is, he shrugged his shoulders with the smug look of a winning team on his face, saying that not all trends were solid. That the Giants were better than any trend--speaking with his heart, of course. Less than an hour later, he was nervously running his hands through his hair and when Burress gave up on that route, he knew it was over. He said he felt just like a Philly fan now. Just as terrible and depressed and pierced with agony.

I leaned over and said, well, at least the trend worked out.

That's the good thing about this year's football season, as wild and as crazy as it has been, there have been some pretty solid trends that have emerged, some great patterns to employ for profit, and above all else--a lot of fun to be had.

And so went another football Sunday.

How must Carolina fans be feeling right about now? They should call up some Giants fans and form a support group. A game they were supposed to win, a game they were supposed to steam roll the other team, only to walk away with a big old L plastered on their foreheads. Great stuff, and like the movie says, Any Given Sunday.

Hey Redskins fans, a win is a win. And it must be good seeing Jason Campbell lead the team for his first victory, and over what some people still maintain could be the eventual NFC champion. It made for some great action. Always great action on Any Given Sunday.

You can see the Bengals blank the Browns, just obliterate them, or the Ravens blank the Steelers. Two rivalry games, two games within the same division, and two lopsided victories. They weren't even fun to watch, unless you're a Bengals/Ravens fan.

Then you get the Falcons. What is going on down in Atlanta? Can someone apply some glue to all WR hands? I thought it was supposed to be Seahawks receivers who were supposed to drop balls. Vick took the game on his own legs, rushed up a monster game, but even then the D still let up 31 points to Brees who is easily the comeback player of the year and a pro-bowler. How nuts has Brees been? Fantasy owners who took him are praising God every Sunday.

Patriots fans praise Tom Brady, even when the man doesn't have his best game going. Still, he had a high completion percentage, controlled the clock, controlled the game, and steered his team to a close victory over the Bears, a potential Super Bowl match up. In other words, he, and the other Patriots, took care of business.

The Jets took care of business as well, and we saw the 3-man running back rotation in action. Now let's just hope for some more wins. They have an easier schedule than most, and if things break the right way, they may even end up playing in January. You never know...though I do wish we played that Bears game a whole lot different. Coulda, woulda, shoulda...

Which is what the 49ers must be saying. They outplay the Rams the whole game, in St. Louis, and then with 20 seconds left, Bulger finds Kevin Curtis in the end zone and game over. What can you do? Heartbreaking.

But not as heartbreaking as what happened to Jacksonville. They actually tied the game with about twenty seconds left, Matt Jones finding the end zone in what has been a disappointing season for the young WR. Then Losman, cool calm and collected, throws a 30 yard strike down one of the sidelines and game over--Bills, winners of two straight close games.

Which means the AFC East has returned as the NFL's toughest division (though the argument is made for the NFC East, the AFC is more balanced). Good times for Jets fans...

And good times for Colts fans. Can we say that the rookie of the year contest has just become a heated battle, with Addai taking over Colston as the favorite to win ROY? To have a game like that on national TV, on channel 4, huge amounts of exposure for the rookie and the word is that he is just beginning to heat up. Makes people forget about...what was his name? You know, that guy who used to run for the Colts. Um... Oh...yeah...

Edge. At least Arizona put up a great fight in Coach Green's return to Minnesota. Though when you compare the two running back's, Edge and Addai, it's pretty laughable. 25 yards receiving and running and a fumble lost for Edge to 208 yards and 4 touchdowns. Hey, you know what kind of numbers that Addai kid had?

Old Edge numbers, when he was on the Colts. Gotta sting a little bit, but in all honesty, the Positioning Group still likes what we see out there in Arizona, and although this is a lost season, we really think they are going to get over the historical hump that has kept them down and really turn things around. We're waiting, and we'll easily wait another year or two.

It reminds me of Rutgers, actually, my old school. Terrible football program, for years and years. Throughout those years, we always heard about a coach who was coming in and turning things around...and we kept on being terrible. But look at us now. And look at us in the coming future. There are good things in place in Arizona, and I can't wait to see their seeds ripen.

Like the seeds the Chargers have planted. Super bowl champs? Over the Colts? I think so. They played a so-and-so game against the Raiders, but a lot of teams do. The Raiders have turned into an actual black hole. That area for the die-hard fans? It's spread, and taken on properties of the black holes in space. Moss' talent couldn't escape it. Down went Sapp. Down went Brooks (who just seemed destined for black and silver, didn't he?) Down went Collins. Who knows where Romo went.

And down go other teams who play against them. It's hard to play at your top level against such an obviously inferior team (and I am mindful, of course, of the fact that this obviously inferior team still has some ballers). It's just natural to play down to your opponents level, to give up on a game when you're up 21-0. Ask Giants fans. They'll tell you what you think.