Armadillo: Tuesday's six-pack
Six interesting spreads for Week 3 NFL games:
— Miami @ Jacksonville (-3, 47.5)
— Las Vegas @ New England (-6.5, 47)
— LA Rams @ Buffalo (-2.5, 47)
— Houston @ Pittsburgh (-3.5, 45)
— San Francisco (-4.5, 41) @ NJ Giants
— Tennessee (-2.5, 47.5) @ Minnesota
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 199,938
Please wear a mask when you go out.
**********
Armadillo: Tuesday's Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
13) Las Vegas 34, Saints 24
— Penalties: Saints 10-129 yards, Raiders 3-13 yards
— Saints averaged 7.4 yards/play, converted 7-11 on 3rd down.
— New Orleans lost eight of its last ten road openers.
— Raiders converted 16-28 on 3rd down, scored 68 points in winning their first two games.
— Las Vegas ran 76 plays, the Saints only 57, but were outgained by 49 yards.
— AFC West teams are 5-0-1 ATS outside their division.
12) Raiders have spent $52.6M of their salary cap on their offensive line, the most of any team in the league.
When the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas was approved by the league, the vote was 31-1; for some unknown reason, Miami Dolphins were the team that voted against the move.
11) Being a head coach involves having both onions and a feel for your team.
3rd quarter Sunday, Rams lead 21-16 at Philly, 6:51 left in 3rd quarter. LA has 4th and a foot on their own 29, after intercepting a Wentz pass in the end zone on the Eagles’ previous drive. Most coaches, maybe 90%, maybe higher, punt the ball there.
McVay has the Rams go for it, Goff sneaks for the first down, and Rams go down and kick a FG on a drive that went 68 yards on 16 plays and gave his defense a nice rest.
10) NFL injury issues:
— Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley is out for the year.
— Panthers’ RB Christian McCaffrey is out 4-6 weeks.
— Broncos’ QB Drew Lock is out for 3-5 weeks.
9) With Lock out for a while, Jeff Driskel figures to be backed up by Brett Rypien, who played college ball at Boise State but has to make his NFL debut.
8) So far this season, NFC West reams are 6-0 ATS outside their division; AFC West teams are 5-0-1 ATS. NFC East teams are 1-5.
7) Deion Sanders is going to be the football coach at Jackson State, where his son will undoubtedly follow him to play quarterback.
Shedeur Sanders has verbally committed to play at Florida Atlantic, but that’s about to change; the kid is an accurate passer, a 4-star recruit. He played on ESPN a few weeks ago, and looked pretty good. Deion Sanders is the offensive coordinator for his son’s high school team.
6) They were talking on a ballgame the other night how hitters are no longer allowed to watch videos in between their at bats, and it has screwed up some hitters, who are used to doing that and need it to adjust their approach. Thank the Astros and their garbage can for that.
5) ESPN had Ian Happ miked while he played the outfield Sunday night; this bothers me, it is an intrusion on the game. Alex Rodriguez actually was busting Happ’s chops because he roots for the Cleveland Browns. Who in the commissioner’s office thinks BS like that is a good idea?
4) I’m thinking that if the expanded baseball playoffs that start next week are popular with fans, they’ll become a permanent part of the major leagues, in combination with a slightly shorter regular season (154 games?)
One thing I DO NOT want to see ever are automated umpires for balls/strikes; no thank you.
3) 203 ballplayers have made their major league debut this season, 18 of them play for the Miami Marlins. Someone’s going to write an interesting book about this unusual season.
2) Of the 30 current major league managers, Colorado’s Bud Black is the only one who was a pitcher in the major leagues. 10 of the 30 skippers were catchers in their playing days.
1) If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL East: Tampa Bay, New York
AL Central: Chicago, Minnesota
AL West: Oakland, Houston
AL wild cards: Cleveland, Toronto
NL East: Atlanta, Miami
NL Central: Chicago, St Louis
NL West: Los Angeles, San Diego
NL wild cards: Philadelphia, Cincinnati
Six interesting spreads for Week 3 NFL games:
— Miami @ Jacksonville (-3, 47.5)
— Las Vegas @ New England (-6.5, 47)
— LA Rams @ Buffalo (-2.5, 47)
— Houston @ Pittsburgh (-3.5, 45)
— San Francisco (-4.5, 41) @ NJ Giants
— Tennessee (-2.5, 47.5) @ Minnesota
Americans who have died from COVID-19: 199,938
Please wear a mask when you go out.
**********
Armadillo: Tuesday's Den: Nobody asked me, but…….
13) Las Vegas 34, Saints 24
— Penalties: Saints 10-129 yards, Raiders 3-13 yards
— Saints averaged 7.4 yards/play, converted 7-11 on 3rd down.
— New Orleans lost eight of its last ten road openers.
— Raiders converted 16-28 on 3rd down, scored 68 points in winning their first two games.
— Las Vegas ran 76 plays, the Saints only 57, but were outgained by 49 yards.
— AFC West teams are 5-0-1 ATS outside their division.
12) Raiders have spent $52.6M of their salary cap on their offensive line, the most of any team in the league.
When the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas was approved by the league, the vote was 31-1; for some unknown reason, Miami Dolphins were the team that voted against the move.
11) Being a head coach involves having both onions and a feel for your team.
3rd quarter Sunday, Rams lead 21-16 at Philly, 6:51 left in 3rd quarter. LA has 4th and a foot on their own 29, after intercepting a Wentz pass in the end zone on the Eagles’ previous drive. Most coaches, maybe 90%, maybe higher, punt the ball there.
McVay has the Rams go for it, Goff sneaks for the first down, and Rams go down and kick a FG on a drive that went 68 yards on 16 plays and gave his defense a nice rest.
10) NFL injury issues:
— Giants’ RB Saquon Barkley is out for the year.
— Panthers’ RB Christian McCaffrey is out 4-6 weeks.
— Broncos’ QB Drew Lock is out for 3-5 weeks.
9) With Lock out for a while, Jeff Driskel figures to be backed up by Brett Rypien, who played college ball at Boise State but has to make his NFL debut.
8) So far this season, NFC West reams are 6-0 ATS outside their division; AFC West teams are 5-0-1 ATS. NFC East teams are 1-5.
7) Deion Sanders is going to be the football coach at Jackson State, where his son will undoubtedly follow him to play quarterback.
Shedeur Sanders has verbally committed to play at Florida Atlantic, but that’s about to change; the kid is an accurate passer, a 4-star recruit. He played on ESPN a few weeks ago, and looked pretty good. Deion Sanders is the offensive coordinator for his son’s high school team.
6) They were talking on a ballgame the other night how hitters are no longer allowed to watch videos in between their at bats, and it has screwed up some hitters, who are used to doing that and need it to adjust their approach. Thank the Astros and their garbage can for that.
5) ESPN had Ian Happ miked while he played the outfield Sunday night; this bothers me, it is an intrusion on the game. Alex Rodriguez actually was busting Happ’s chops because he roots for the Cleveland Browns. Who in the commissioner’s office thinks BS like that is a good idea?
4) I’m thinking that if the expanded baseball playoffs that start next week are popular with fans, they’ll become a permanent part of the major leagues, in combination with a slightly shorter regular season (154 games?)
One thing I DO NOT want to see ever are automated umpires for balls/strikes; no thank you.
3) 203 ballplayers have made their major league debut this season, 18 of them play for the Miami Marlins. Someone’s going to write an interesting book about this unusual season.
2) Of the 30 current major league managers, Colorado’s Bud Black is the only one who was a pitcher in the major leagues. 10 of the 30 skippers were catchers in their playing days.
1) If the baseball playoffs started today (they don’t):
AL East: Tampa Bay, New York
AL Central: Chicago, Minnesota
AL West: Oakland, Houston
AL wild cards: Cleveland, Toronto
NL East: Atlanta, Miami
NL Central: Chicago, St Louis
NL West: Los Angeles, San Diego
NL wild cards: Philadelphia, Cincinnati