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GOLF

Choosing the Right Golf Ball – Top 6 Comparison test

The Right Ball

   For about a year now I’ve been trying to figure out which ball is right for me. As a High Handicapper cost is always a concern because it’s a rare occasion when I finish a Round of Golf with the Ball I began with. On average I go through a sleeve of balls each Round I play. I try to keep the majority of Rounds I play to under $50. If the balls I’m playing are $5 each that can seriously add to the cost of a Round. The second thing I take into consideration is how easy I find a Ball to be controllable around the Greens. I don’t necessarily need the ball with the most Spin. I just need a Ball to stop where I intend it to. I don’t need the smoothest rolling Ball off the Putter. I just need a Ball that I can feel come off the Putter face, and be able to control the distance it rolls. Lastly I would like a Ball that’s long enough off the Tee, and doesn’t roll out too much on full shots 160 yards and in. Ideally I’d like to find a Ball that meets all of those criteria for less than $30/dozen.

I have tried many different balls over the last three years. The majority of them were simple 2 piece balls because of the price. It wasn’t until Nike decided to get out of the Golf equipment game that I got my first real taste of what was possible with a 3 piece ball. Stores that carried Nike Golf equipment quickly put the RZN series balls on clearance. I was able to buy four dozen Nike RZN Reds at $20/dozen. It didn’t take long before I noticed two discernable differences. My putting improved from an average of 2.4 putts per hole down to 2. That’s an average of 7 less putts per Round! Was a 3 piece ball that much easier to Putt? Actually it isn’t. The Ball felt good off the Putter but that wasn’t the reason I was sinking more Putts. The real reason was that for the first time I was able to generate enough Spin on short approach shots to hold the Greens, and leave myself a lot more Putts from within 10 feet. Now before everyone reading this rushes out to buy five boxes of 3 piece balls. Let me first say that there are some very good 2 piece balls on the market. Three of the final six balls I tested were 2 piece balls in fact. Again price plays a very important role in my selection process and most 3 piece balls just cost too much. In the end there was a clear winner, with two others that I may end up playing because of the difference in price.  Before I give my opinions of the final six balls I tested, you should probably know a little bit about me.  My Driver swing speed is just a little north of 90mph.  I hit my 7 Iron around 140 yards with a full swing.  My current handicap is 30, and the lowest it’s been is 27.  All in all I tested 15 different balls, plus a few others that are no longer available.  I specifically chose these six to demonstrate what works, and what doesn’t work for me.  One of the balls not covered in this test that I would recommend was the Srixon Soft Feel.  It is in my opinion the best Budget ball by far.  I found them for as low as $1.33/ball.

3 Golf Balls that didn’t suit me

Q Star
– putts slow, medium feel
– A lot of Spin off the Wedges
– short Driver distance
– low durability
Going into this comparison test I had high hopes for the Srixon Q-Star. Although it is a 2 piece ball, it also has an additional coating they call Spin skin on the outer shell that’s designed to increase Spin.  Essentially Srixon’s goal was to create a 2 piece ball for a 2 piece price that performs like a 3 piece ball.  Around the Greens the Spin I was able to create with my Wedges was excellent. Even better than two of the 3 piece balls that I tested. Unfortunately the performance across the other categories was poor. Putting was a challenge because it requires more force than I’m used to to get the ball rolling. I just kept coming up short which anyone will tell you is the worst way to miss a putt. Approach shots held the Greens from about 130 yards and in which isn’t bad, but far from optimal for me. What made matters worse was Driving distance on average was the shortest of all the balls tested. Only on the shortest Par 4s would I be within 130 yards after my Tee shot.

Aeroburner Soft
– putts fast, light feel
– very little spin on half swings
– long Driver distance
The Aeroburner Soft isn’t the newest ball on the market but I’ve seen them for sale in many different locations so I figured I would give them a try.  First of all everything I’ve tested from Taylormade with the Aeroburner moniker has been long on distance. The Aeroburner Soft Golf Ball is no exception. Off the Tee it was the absolute longest of all the balls I tested. It actually had decent stopping power on full swing approach shots as well. Unfortunately once you get near, or on the Green the trouble begins. This Ball practically explodes off the Wedge, or Putter face which made it extremely difficult to control for me. Any strokes gained off the Tee were quickly lost when I reached the Green. A full Round with this Ball would probably test my nerves severely.

DT Trusoft
– putts fast, medium feel
– very little spin off half swings
– medium Driver distance
You don’t see too many Golf Ball Comparisons that don’t include the Titleist Pro V1. Well at $5/ball they definitely weren’t making the cut. Instead I gave their DT Trusoft a try. The Trusoft wasn’t terribly bad at anything, but it wasn’t especially good either. I was able to get decent distance with the Driver, generate decent Spin on full shots, hit long runners with the Wedges, and control my Putts relatively well. So why didn’t it make my Top 3?  The answer to that is Price. Although it’s only a 2 piece ball, it’s the same price as one of the 3 piece balls tested, and even more expensive than another. It proved to be significantly more durable than two of the balls I tested but when you rarely finish a full Round with one ball, durability is of little concern.

The 2 alternate Balls I’d play

Project A
– putts mid pace, maximum feel
– A lot of spin on full or half shots
– long Driver distance
Of the six balls I chose to test the Taylormade Project A was the clear winner overall. I’ve never played a ball that immediately made me feel like I was going to score better. I felt like I could sink every putt, smash it off the Tee, and stick it close to the Pin from anywhere. The only categories it didn’t outright win were Driving distance (Aeroburner Soft) and Price (Q Star). So why didn’t it snag the number 1 spot? Once again the mighty dollar holds me back. Of all the balls tested it was the most expensive. In fact the only time it falls within my budget is when it’s on sale. Believe me when I tell you that every time it goes on sale I’m buying a few dozen though.

Vice Tour
– putts fast, medium feel
– spins well off of the Wedges
– medium Driver distance
– low durability
Vice has been quickly establishing themselves as the tour quality Ball manufacturer, at a discount price. According to their Ball fitting online questionnaire, the Vice Tour is the Ball for me. There was a lot to like about the Vice Tour. Unfortunately it was difficult to stop on anything but full Iron shots into Greens, and like the Q-Star wasn’t very durable. The 2 piece DT Trusoft actually performed a touch better, but as long as you buy five dozen Vice Tour balls the price is hard to beat.

I don’t mind the look.

The Best Ball for me

Project S
– putts mid pace, medium feel
– medium Spin on full or half shots
– medium Driver distance

The Project S does everything great, just not as great as the Project A. It’s that simple. Switching from the Project A to the Project S was quite easy. All I had to do was account for a little extra roll out on Chips, and Approach shots, and be a little less aggressive on lag putts.  It was only 3 yards shorter in carry distance with the Driver as well.  In fact some of my closest Chips and Pitches to the Pin came with the Project S because I like a little bit of roll out. The Flop shot isn’t my preferred shot. If it’s yours I’d highly recommend the Taylormade Project A. When it comes right down to it the Project S wins because it’s on average $10/dozen less than the Project A. Simply put it’s the best ball for my budget. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest that you do.

Let me know which ball you play, and which of my final 6 balls tested is your favourite and you will have a chance to win a sleeve of balls.

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Uncategorized

Royal Caribbean 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise on Oasis of the Seas Review

CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN

Something I haven’t written about before that I love to do is cruising. My wife and I have been on a number of cruises with quite a few different cruise lines. Each line has their own identity, standout features, and shortcomings. If you have cruised before you might have experienced the same feeling of awe that I had when your ship was docked alongside a Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship. If you are unfamiliar with these ships, all you need to know is that they are the largest cruise ships in the world.

When choosing a cruise there are a number of factors that contribute to your selection. For each person how much importance is placed on each factor is different. For me the factors in their order of importance are the location of the cruise, the length of the cruise, the ports the cruise will dock at, and lastly the cruise line. I just returned from my most recent cruise to the Caribbean, for one week, with stops in Labadee Haiti, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel Mexico with Royal Caribbean cruise line. I would have preferred to have had one additional port but there aren’t many itineraries available that include a stop in Jamaica. My wife really wanted to see Jamaica because my mother is from there, and she had heard so much about it from me. Luckily for us Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was the ship we would be on. Finally the opportunity to sail on one of these gigantic ships was ours. Needless to say that I was definitely excited.

The Oasis of the Seas has everything that you would expect to find on a cruise ship. It has pools, hot tubs, restaurants, bars, theatres, a casino, shops, a gym, a spa, and many many staterooms. It also has a few additional features that you might not expect like Rock climbing walls, a zipline, a miniature golf course, an ice skating rink, flowrider surfing simulators, and a carousel. Given it’s size it’s basically a floating resort town. With everything there is to do on ship the small number of ports didn’t concern me. Days spent at sea would be full of opportunities, or so I thought. For those of you that haven’t cruised before it’s important to know that each day has it’s own schedule of activities on board. The itinerary will usually include assorted shows, trivia events, karaoke, shopping events, sports, dance parties, scavenger hunts, seminars, and interactive game shows. Couple that with time spent on deck sun tanning, or in a pool, with all the other things to experience, and you are looking at quite a full day. At least that’s what you would expect.

Unfortunately what we expected was not what we received. Itineraries were uninspired, and poorly scheduled. During the early afternoon there was surprisingly very little of interest to do. Each day was divided into three distinct activity times. The mornings generally consisted of exercise, spa activities (at an additional charge) and simple kids games. Unfortunately my wife and I prefer to not work out while on vacation so we took our time having breakfast, and then walked the ship before going up on Deck 15 for miniature golf, or Deck 16 to relax in the sun. The afternoon activities were generally a barrage of sales that took place on the main promenade, and a series of sporting events like basketball, ping pong, or rock climbing challenges up on Deck 15. Neither of these really interested us so we would usually find ourselves at the Art auction during each day at Sea between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. It was actually supposed to run from 1:30pm till 2:30pm but registration begins at 1:00pm and it always ran late which caused some scheduling issues for a few people. My wife and I have attended a number of Park West auctions on other cruises, and generally found them to be informative, and interesting. Unfortunately on this particular cruise every auction we attended was filled with the same infomercial style information about the artist Peter Max. I get the feeling that Park West has so many works by Peter Max in their warehouse that they are desperate to develop an increased interest. Supply has definitely exceeded the demand. It didn’t matter how hard they tried, people just weren’t interested. From the very first time I saw a work by Peter Max I felt uninspired, and far from impressed. Art is truly subjective, and there are artists that have been regarded as masters that I have absolutely no interest in. Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Ed Ruscha would qualify as very successful artists that have absolutely no effect on me. Well you can add Peter Max to the list. After dinner the schedule usually included a trivia event, karaoke, and the main theatre show. We usually took advantage of one or two of these events depending on scheduling. What I quickly realized was that on a ship of this size (6490 passengers) you need to have a minimum of 30 minutes between events or there is no way you’ll be able to attend. It took me a few days to figure that out. You would think that the Cruise and Activities Director would have that figured out by now. If karaoke in the On Air bar ends at 8:00pm, then there’s no way you can make it to the Trivia night at the Schooner Bar at 8:00pm even though it’s only a couple minutes walk away because all of the seats would already have been taken 30 minutes ago. Another issue with a ship this size is that even the largest theatre can’t accommodate everyone so you are practically forced to reserve your spot in the main shows. On any other ship I’ve been on you just had to show up and find a seat, overcrowding was never an issue. Of course those ships only had around 3500 passengers. Which brings me to another observation. The Oasis of the Seas is huge. There’s no denying that. To be honest though, it doesn’t feel that much larger than any other large ship. There are times when we would have to make the long walk from our cabin which was at the very front of the ship to the American Icon main dining room at the absolute rear. It was a bit of a hike, but nothing overly strenuous. Although if you are out of shape, or mobility challenged I would suggest that you select a cabin in the middle of a ship this size, or avoid Oasis class sized ships altogether. The evening’s activities usually included a number of themed dance parties, live music in a number of the bars, and a late night club. Although some of these events interested me. Late night events are often too late to attend because we are going on a shore Excursion the next morning. The last thing you want to happen on a cruise is to be too tired or hungover to enjoy the amazing places you visit. So as great as their late night itinerary appeared to be. It was too late to really take advantage.

Now before you begin to think I had a terrible time on this cruise, let me stop you right there. My wife and I had a great vacation. Although it wasn’t because of the Oasis of the Seas, but in spite of it. I’ll begin with the three places we visited.

LABADEE HAITI

I have never been to Haiti before, and that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to most people. Haiti isn’t high on most people’s preferred vacation destinations given it’s economic, and political issues. It wasn’t on mine either. Now I should clarify that a visit to Labadee isn’t at all like visiting Haiti. Why I say this is because although it’s attached to Haiti, the entire peninsula is owned by Royal Caribbean cruise line. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. If a realistic representation of Haiti is what you are looking for, well you are definitely going to be disappointed. If you would prefer beautiful beaches, Zip-lines, mountain coasters, and watercraft, well then you will absolutely love it.  Labadee is like being at an all inclusive resort only about 5 times the size. You don’t even really need to bring cash with you, except a few dollars to tip with because you can pay for any of the additional activities on shore with your Royal Caribbean ID card. To sum it up it was simply a day of relaxation, and fun in the sun.

FALMOUTH JAMAICA

I have been to Jamaica many times, and still have family that reside there. If you have ever been to Jamaica you’ll already know how beautiful, and unique the island is. This being my wife’s first time there I wanted to provide her with an experience that wouldn’t be overcrowded with tourists. This meant that typical excursions like Dunn’s River Falls, or visiting one of the many “private” beaches was out. Instead we booked a private bamboo raft ride down the Martha Brae river.

It turned out to be the perfect choice. We had a great tour guide in the bus on the way to the river, an excellent raft captain (Nelson) and a fantastic day for a relaxing ride through the jungle. The views, sounds, and feel of the ride were just fantastic. Luckily for us the excursion is only about 2 hours long, and shortly after we returned back to Falmouth the rains started. This is the Rain season in most of the Caribbean but other than a few showers we mostly avoided it. Some of the longer excursions did return to the ship soaked though so keep that in mind when planning your next trip.

COZUMEL MEXICO

My wife and I didn’t actually spend much time in Cozumel. Upon departing the ship we immediately boarded a Ferry over to Playa Del Carmen. We spent a short amount of time in Playa Del Carmen, and then boarded a tour bus for the ancient Mayan city of Chitchen Itza. By the time we reached Chitchen Itza we were closer to Guatemala than Cozumel. Chitchen Itza is of bucket list proportions to me, and it did not disappoint. This was actually one of those rare occasions where the experience exceeds the expectations. I was completely blown away by everything I saw. The main attraction is of course “El Castillo” the largest temple there.

The ancient sports stadium was equally as awe inspiring. Second only to the Roman Colosseum for me. Another attraction that exceeded expectations by the way. The history associated with the site is as interesting as the structures themselves. Our two tour guides did an amazing job of not only educating us about Chitchen Itza, but the Mayan history and culture as well. This tour was so amazing that I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

OASIS OF THE SEAS

I’ve already discussed the scheduling shortcomings on the ship, but there are a few highlights that I’d like to mention as well. I’ll begin with the exemplary service we received from our staff in the main dining room American Icon.

AMERICAN ICON

From day 1 they were excellent. Not a fork out of place, attentive caring service, genuine interest in who we were, and a willingness to adjust things (even the menu) to insure our satisfaction. Although there are many people involved behind the scenes. I’d like to thank those few that took the time and effort to make every dinner special.

Thank you GLANE CARVALHO, GLENN RADA, and ADRIAN DALEY.

These three went above and beyond what should be expected. So much so that my wife and I had considered sampling some of the other specialty restaurants, but decided not to. We didn’t want to miss one dinner with exceptional service. This might actually be counterproductive to what Royal Caribbean is trying to achieve. Most nights we were brought additional sample dishes to try, or even offered meals that weren’t on that evening’s menu. ADRIAN DALEY went as far as purchasing some local treats while we were docked in Jamaica for my wife to try. If that isn’t going above and beyond then I don’t know what is. By the way she loved the coconut drops Adrian. On days at Sea that felt particularly lackluster, the American Icon Dining room still left us feeling satisfied.

OASIS DUNES

This is obviously a personal favourite of mine due to my love of Golf. This is, and probably will remain the only cruise ship I ever sail on with a Miniature Golf course. Given the amount of free time during the day while at Sea, my wife and I had ample opportunity to play the course. As miniature golf courses go it was more about reading the break, than navigating your way around gimmicky obstacles. It wasn’t easy by any means, and I wish I could have brought my Putter with me. My wife had as much fun as I did playing this course, and golf really isn’t her thing, so I feel confident saying that most anyone would enjoy a Round. Another bonus to having unlimited access to the course is that the majority of passengers seemed disinterested in Golf, so it was never too busy. Try your best to get around that course and finish under Par. It won’t be easy.

SMALL CAFES AND RESTAURANTS

On a ship of this size with almost 6500 passengers you need more than a buffet to keep people well fed. This is where the assorted cafes and restaurants situated all over the ship play an important role. Whether it was grabbing a slice of pizza a couple of hours before dinner from Sorrento’s, a bratwurst from the Boardwalk Dog House, or just a cup of coffee from the Promenade Cafe so you can sit back and people watch. These additional food and beverage locations meant we never had to walk very far to enjoy a snack. Smart planning on Royal Caribbean’s part.

SHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENT

I don’t really want to go into any detail about the shows. All I can tell you is that the majority of shows were amateurish, and only mildly entertaining. A couple of the shows were bad enough that I was relieved when they were over. The best of the remaining shows was the Headliner. Edge Effect is an acapella group with a truly great beatboxer as the lone standout. That show was worthwhile. I could have missed any of the others, and it wouldn’t have disappointed me.

CONCLUSIONS

Would I consider this trip a success? Yes I would. Was the Oasis of the Seas as spectacular as I had hoped? Yes it was. Did the places I visited live up to their expectations? Yes, in fact they exceeded them. Was my first Royal Caribbean cruise as wonderful as I had hoped? No unfortunately it wasn’t. Will I sail with Royal Caribbean or suggest sailing with them to others? Probably not. It would take an exceptional deal to get me back on one of their ships, and it definitely wouldn’t be an Oasis class ship. I simply can’t trust that I won’t encounter the same uninspired daily events, and poor scheduling I experienced on this cruise.

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FISHING Uncategorized

Fishing Grenadier Pond in High Park – The Right Angle RA-21

So Inviting

I will begin this by saying that there are many places to fish in and around the city.  Few are as inviting as Grenadier Pond in High Park though.  Easily accessible by car or TTC.  There is plenty of free parking available.  Restaurants on site in case you are hungry, or in desperate need of a bathroom.  Most of all Grenadier Pond has an abundance of fish.  With all that to offer you would probably assume that I fish here often, but I don’t.  Grenadier Pond does have one thing I’m not very fond of, an abundance of fishermen.

Sharing Space

Something I’ve never quite understood, and I’ve come across it many times in many places, is the attraction to fishing off of a dock or pier.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand why you would select that spot.  It usually has deeper water, a comfortable place to sit, creates a shaded safe haven of sorts for fish, and is easy to get to.  The issue I have isn’t with the actual location. It’s with the number of people that try and share it.  What makes anyone think that their bait will be the one selected when a fish happens to swim by.  I’ve seen relatively small docks with 20 people fishing from it.  The are practically sandwiched together shoulder to shoulder hoping to book the big one of the day.  It just seems ludicrous to me!  Keep in mind that I don’t use live bait either, and a lot of the people fishing from docks do.  I could have the newest lure on the market from Rapala, and it’s still less likely to be as enticing as a live bait.  No offence to Rapala, but they are called artificials for a reason.  Now as ponds go, Grenadier Pond isn’t a little one.  There is a lot of area available to be fished.  Due to it’s location in High Park there are some areas that are off limits to fish.  Those areas are clearly marked though so they are easy to avoid.  Still whenever I go there’s always a large collection of people casting their lines from the one pier of sorts available.

So where to fish?

Like I said Grenadier Pond is quite large.  IvI’ found a number of spots that aren’t to difficult to reach by foot that have yielded me some excellent catches.  The two best in my opinion are at the southernmost end alongside the Queensway Blvd, and the north end casting from the west bank.  Time of day plays a role as well.  If you plan on giving the northern tip a try, I would suggest early morning just before sun up.  Later in the day the predator fish tend to move south, although you can catch a variety of sunfish all day long.  In the evening the southern section of Grenadier Pond yields the best catches.  I’ve  pulled very nice sized Bass and Crappie in the evening from a spot just off of Ellis Ave.  There are a number of easily accessible places to cast all around Grenadier Pond, but it’s always best to pick a location less frequented by tourists.  Unless you enjoy constant questions about what you have caught that day, what you are using for bait, and don’t mind being photographed.  Now I’m quite photogenic (at least my Mom tells me so) but part of the reason I enjoy fishing so much is the solitude.  Fishing is a brief respite from the chaos of the city.  It takes a little bit of effort but you can even get a sense of being away from it all if you pick the right spot on Grenadier Pond.

 

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FANTASY Uncategorized

NFL Fantasy Free Agency – Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-39

Serious fantasy implications

(Cobe Life has recently switched to a new Subscription service.  I strongly advise current Subscribers to resubmit their follow request)

This is a huge year for Fantasy Free Agency.  Of course a lot of the attention will be on the group of Quarterbacks that are available.  I’ve already made my predictions for what might happen with them in my Quarterbacks Carousel blog entry.  In this article I’ll highlight a few of the more intriguing Free Agents that could seriously effect the Fantasy Football outlook for next Season.  There are some really intriguing possibilities that have the potential to transform franchises.

Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson & Marqise Lee – it wasn’t that long ago that the Jacksonville Jaguars duo was arguably one of the best Wide Receiver tandems in football.  Even though the Jaguars had a great Season, and even won a playoff game.  It wasn’t because of the play of their two Free Agent Wide Receivers.  Marqise Lee had a pedestrian Season of just over 700 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Allen Robinson spent the almost the entire Season on IR.  When healthy Allen Robinson is the better Wide Receiver.  He can be a true star in the NFL, and I expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to resign him.  Marqise Lee will probably find himself wearing a new jersey next Season.  Any team interested in adding a speedy Receiver with good hands could make an offer.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the New York Jets, New England Patriots, or Dallas Cowboys make a play.

Sammy Watkins – people were stunned when the Bills dealt Sammy Watkins to the L.A. Rams.  Word got out that Sammy wasn’t interested in remaining a Buffalo Bill, so only one Season away from Free Agency the Bills decided to deal him.  Sammy Watkins didn’t have the kind of Season we were used to seeing from him.  It took a while for Goff to get on the same page with the ridiculously quick Wide Receiver.  The one thing that wasn’t missing from Sammy Watkins repertoire was his big play potential as evidenced by his 8 touchdowns on only 39 receptions. That’s a touchdown every five times he catches the ball.  That’s absolutely insane!  I would expect a Season of catching balls from Goff, and an off season to get their timing on point will turn Watkins into a true number 1 Wide Receiver once again.  The L.A. Rams should sign him, and after a couple subpar Seasons they’ll get him for a deal.

Terrelle Pryor – will the real Terrelle Pryor please stand up.  After a break out Season in Cleveland in 2016.  Terrelle Pryor just couldn’t get it going in Washington.  A former quarterback Terrelle Pryor has the ability to adjust to new systems relatively quickly.  The Redskins are notorious for looking outside their own locker room when adding talent.  That makes it very unlikely that Terrelle Pryor will be a Redskin next Season.  There are industry insiders that have said the Panthers, Steelers, and Seahawks are all interested.  Between those three I see the Carolina Panthers as the best fit.

Danny Amendola – lets be honest here.  Amendola might have had his last quality Season.  He’s not getting any younger, and he has a reputation for being brittle.  In my opinion the only team that might have some genuine interest in Danny Amendola is the New England Patriots.  He will probably get a two year contract for very little money as a security blanket in case Edelman gets hurt again.  It doesn’t sound too appealing does it?  Well actually for Amendola it might be exactly what he wants.  Best case scenario he sees maybe 25% of the offensive snaps.  The Patriots win another Superbowl with him on the roster.  Due to his injury concerns, and veteran status he gets to take it easy at practice, and during training camps.  The alternative is to call it quits.  Hang up the cleats and retire.  After having one of his better Seasons i don’t think he’s ready.  I see him as a Patriot for at least one more Season.

Jordan Matthews – this one has me scratching my head.  We haven’t had much of a sample size to evaluate Jordan Matthews.  One thing is for sure.  The Revamped Bills head office was quick to clean house, and build their team.  Acquiring Jordan Matthews was one of their moves.  So it remains to be seen if they stick with their guy, or accept that he was a bust.  The good news is that if they decide to keep him.  He definitely won’t cost much.  The bad news is that there are quite a few teams looking for Wide Receiver help.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Matthews takes a few calls from some other teams.  There could be a lot of teams interested including the 49ers, Dolphins, Browns, Chiefs, and Redskins.  I believe that there’s a very good chance that he ends up in Miami.

Running Backs

Dion Lewis & Rex Burkhead – here’s the problem that everyone faces almost every Season.  Are the Patriots Running Backs any good, or are they just a product of a good system that forces defences to focus on containing Tom Brady?  Obviously last Season LeGarrette Blount proved that he was for real.  I’m willing to bet that Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead aren’t.  I’m not saying that they aren’t good Running Backs.  I’m just saying that neither one is more than a platoon or backup player.  Which suits the Patriots just fine.  Their platoon system prevents any one Running Back on their roster from standing out.  That in turn makes resigning them relatively easy on the cheap.  So in most cases that’s what happens.  Only this year things are a little different.  A number of Patriots coaches have left for greener pastures with other franchises.  One such franchise that could use a serviceable Running Back is the Detroit Lions.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they make a move to land one of these and offer them a larger role in the offence.  I see Dion Lewis as the more versatile of the two, and could be wearing the Lions Blue and White next Season.

Carlos Hyde – a lot of people have doubts about whether or not Carlos Hyde is a true number one Running Back in the NFL.  I will go on record as saying that I don’t have any doubt.  Carlos Hyde is definitely a number one Running Back.  What people have forgotten is that until recently the quarterback situation in San Francisco has been a mess.  Hopefully for Carlos Hyde, and the San Francisco 49ers signing Jimmy Garoppolo to a long term contract has fixed that.  With a quality signal caller taking the snaps, Carlos Hyde should find a little more running room.  I expect the 49ers to sign him because having a veteran Running Back that knows the system will only Jimmy Garoppolo progress smoothly.

Le’Veon Bell – look I wasn’t even going to talk about Le’Veon Bell because it’s pretty obvious what will happen in this case.  On second thought though I realized it actually isn’t completely obvious.  There are two scenarios that could play out.  Scenario 1 is that the Pittsburgh Steelers pay him what he wants and he continues to slice his way through defences.  Scenario 2 is that the Steelers and Bell fail to reach an agreement and he holds out.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he was willing to sit out the Season.  Bell has been the most consistent Running Back during his current contract.  Unless the Steelers are willing to make him the highest paid Running Back.  There could be a serious impact on Fantasy Football next Season.

Jerick McKinnon – after Dalvin Cook went down last Season.  Jerick McKinnon finally showed some of that explosiveness many of us expected to see right out of college.  Unfortunately for him he will be relegated to being a backup running back once the Season starts.  Minnesota will be interested in paying him as one, but there will be other teams that recognized his star potential.  Possible fits are with the Cleveland Browns, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Houston Texans, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  I would see the Houston Texans as a perfect fit.  The addition of McKinnon could really make for an explosive offence.

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham – Jimmy Graham’s career plays out like a highlight reel and last Season was no exception.  10 touchdowns and it took a while for Jimmy to really get rolling. Jimmy Graham strikes me as a bit of a Mercenary.  He will go wherever the money takes him, but I don’t believe he’s interested in playing for a losing franchise.  The Seattle Seahawks just missed the playoffs last Season so that might just be the push Jimmy needed to look elsewhere.  Some may argue that him and Russell Wilson were really beginning to click last Season.  Well it wasn’t like he didn’t click with Drew Brees in New Orleans.  It will take a fair amount of money to keep him, and Seattle is limited with cap space.  The teams with the deepest pockets that Jimmy could be interested in are the L.A. Rams, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Texans.  The only one of those three with a truly veteran Quarterback is of course the Patriots so I see him there.

Tyler Eifert – I’ll go on record as saying that Tyler Eifert is a total bust.  The Bengals know it, and unfortunately for Eifert so does everyone else.  The bengals won’t keep him unless it’s for peanut money.  He’s most likely to land on a team looking to start a rookie quarterback, or first year starter.  That way he can serve as a big physical target across the middle as the rookie develops.  That limits his potential landing spots to Cleveland, Houston, San Francisco, or Cincinnati.  I believe Cincinnati re-signs him for a song.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins – it took a while but Austin Seferian-Jenkins showed some signs of brilliance last season.  The New York Jets have some of the deepest pockets right now.  Although you should expect a large portion of their cap space to go to signing a marquee quarterback.  Still i expect them to have enough money left over to keep Seferian-Jenkins.  I fully expect him to be wearing Jets Green next Season.

Keep close attention!

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GOLF

Golf & Travel show Giveaway!!!

Got to Play to Win!

This contest is open to all North American Subscribers. All you have to do is complete the three steps to enter.  This contest is totally free!

Step 1 – If you haven’t already Subscribe to this blog.  Use the Subscription field provided below.

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Gain additional entrys by introducing yourself to me at the Toronto Golf and Travel show this weekend and saying “I’m a fan of Cobe Life Golf”. I’ll be easy to spot. Just look for the guy in Orange pants!  Contest will close February 28th, and the draws will be held on March 1rst.

Thank you for becoming a member of the Cobe Life crew.  Good luck!

Categories
FANTASY

Superbowl 52 analysis – Cobe Life Predictions

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The numbers don’t lie, or do they?

New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles

If you were to strictly judge these two teams based on their total potential. The Philadelphia Eagles would win Superbowl 52 rather easily. The Patriots only surpass them in two categories, and one of them is debatable. Obviously Tom Brady is the superior Quarterback so the Pats have the edge there.

Advantage – Patriots

Rob Gronkowski would be considered a better Tight End than Zach Ertz by most. Although the actual numbers aren’t much different. They both caught 8 touchdowns during the regular season. Although Gronk has more receiving yards, Ertz has more receptions. I would argue that they are actually even when you evaluate them on paper. Still to keep things from falling into too much of a grey area. I will give the edge to the Patriots at Tight End.

Advantage – Patriots

Now here’s where things begin to get a little one sided. I’m going to begin at the line of attack and work outwards.
When comparing the two Offensive lines the average fan might assume that the group protecting Brady would be the stronger group. Well you would be wrong. One of the reasons why Nick Foles can step in and have immediate success is the strength of the Eagles offensive line. The Patriots have a very good offensive line as well, and are especially good at protecting their franchise Quarterback. They just aren’t as good at all aspects of the game.

Advantage – Eagles

When comparing the two Defensive lines it becomes far more obvious which team is better. Even the casual fan can see the dominance of the Eagles defensive line. They are numero uno against the run. In comparison the New England Patriots are ranked 31rst overall against the run. Sure they have shown an improvement in their last few games. The stats are a bit skewed though because they were playing from behind against teams that were content trying to run out the clock. When you really analyze the numbers though. There’s no team better than the Philadelphia Eagles at controlling the line of scrimmage.

Advantage – Eagles

When comparing the Linebacker units the official depth charts don’t really tell the full story. Injuries have reduced the overall strength of the Eagles group, and recent acquisition James Harrison has been utilized more than his third string ranking would suggest. If you look at which players are actually performing on the field. The unit that will be making more individual plays should be the New England Patriots. Sorry Steelers fans.

Advantage – Patriots

The Running Back comparison was a lot closer before the Eagles signed Jay Ajayi. Used correctly, and Ajayi could end up being the difference in this game. The Patriots are well aware of what LeGarrette Blount can do in short yardage or goal line situations. If it wasn’t for the amount of attention defences focus on Tom Brady. Their group of Running Backs wouldn’t have the space they require to get meaningful yards. There isn’t a top quality Running Back among them.

Advantage – Eagles

When comparing the cornerback units the first thing that stands out is the two former Bills Players that have made an immediate impact. Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby are a couple of ball hawks that can make plays. They both have capable corners opposite them. Based upon individual talent the edge would go to the Patriots. Although things aren’t so cut and dry when you analyze the schemes they usually employ. I’ll get to that later.

Advantage – Patriots

Testing those cornerbacks will be two of the more underrated Wide Receiver groups in football. Both of these teams place a premium on spreading the ball around, and utilize their Tight Ends, and Running Backs in the passing game more than most. As a result the actual reception, yards, and touchdown numbers for their Wide Receivers are relatively low. That’s not to say that they don’t play an important role though. Brandin Cooks might be the most talented Wide Receiver on the field on Sunday, but his fellow Patriots Wide Receivers leave a lot to be desired. The Eagles have a great group of Wide Receivers that would be a huge advantage in this category if Tom Brady didn’t make the Patriots WRs perform better than expected.

Advantage – Eagles

When comparing the Safety units it’s difficult to ignore scheme, but I will. If you are only looking at the statistics. Especially big play statistics both for, and against. The Eagles safeties led by Malcolm Jenkins is marginally better. I’m not saying that the New England Patriots are outclassed, because they aren’t. The stats are more a result of the complete Defence as a whole.

Advantage – Eagles

On paper vs on the field

So by my calculations the overall Advantage goes to the Eagles by a score of 5 to 4. That’s really that much of an advantage right? Especially when you could argue that Tom Brady should be worth an additional point. Thus making the two teams even. Well here’s why I believe that the Eagles should be seen as strong favourites to win Superbowl 52. The Eagles should control the line of scrimmage throughout the game. By doing so their superior Running Backs should be more productive than the Patriots group. This will force the Patriots to play a pass heavy offence. Having Tom Brady under center makes this an appealing option except when you factor in the Eagles Defensive scheme. The Eagles play a lot of Nickel defense allowing their Safeties to effectively become free Safeties. Brady makes a living off of reading defences, but when there are more zone defenders than receiving options it becomes a gamble. I expect the turnover advantage will be in the Philadelphia Eagles favour, and turnovers lead to Superbowl Championships.

I expect the Philadelphia Eagles to be leading at half-time like many of the Patriots opponents have. Unlike many of those opponents though, I expect the Philadelphia Eagles Offence to keep the pressure on so their Defence doesn’t have to try and win the game on their own.

Advantage – Philadelphia Eagles

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GOLF

Cobe Life’s 5 to watch – Waste Management Phoenix Open

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Matsuyama is just too obvious

Everyone and their pet dog is talking about how Matsuyama is the man to beat.  He’s gone back to back at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  If he can win this year he will be the only other person to three-peat alongside the great Arnold Palmer.  Obviously he is one of the Players to watch.  Do I think he’ll three-peat?  He’ll no!  He’s not playing at an elite level right now.  He’ll compete, but winning is very unlikely.

True favourites

Rickie Fowler

Lets be honest here.  One of Matsuyama’s wins should really have been Rickie’s.  He imploded coming down the stretch, and eventually lost in a playoff.  The stadium feel is an advantage for Rickie.  He’s so popular among the fans that playing in front of any crowd is like having home field advantage.  Anyone playing alongside him is going to feel like the enemy.  Rickie feeds off the crowds energy and has a number of high finishes here to show for it.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the energy at TPC Scottsdale lifts him to a Championship.

Jon Rahm

Rahm has played some amazing golf recently to where he has moved up to second overall in the PGA rankings.  While the crowd will help Rickie feel like he’s playing in front of a home crowd.  Jon Rahm actually will be.  As a former Arizona State Sun Devil, Rahm will feel right at home at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.  You can be damn sure he’ll come out wearing some Sun Devils garb at some point.  Given his recent performance you can bet good money that the crowd at TPC Scottsdale will be pulling for their local boy to win.  Every Championship means something on the PGA tour, but I’m willing to wager that this one means a little bit more to Jon Rahm.

Potential Surprises

Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley comes into this event in great form, and has exactly the kind of game that suits TPC Scottsdale.  He’s impressively accurate with his long clubs, and can bomb it.  There’s a lot of risk/reward plays available at TPC Scottsdale.  Keegan Bradley has the accuracy to effectively minimize the risk, while enjoying the reward.  Given his recent play I would expect him to take a few more chances than usual, and capitalize.  Keegan Bradley has the game to flat out win this event, but I’m expecting a Top 15 finish.

Kevin Streelman

Another Player coming into the Waste Management Phoenix Open in excellent form is Kevin Streelman.  If it wasn’t for the quality of this particular field I would consider Streelman to be a favourite.  His Ball striking has been stellar, and he seems to be playing with a lot of confidence.  I don’t expect him to overpower the TPC Scottsdale course, but where others will take risks, and pay the price.  I expect Streelman to play a very smart, safe game that will keep him in contention.  I just don’t see him being able to turn it up a notch on Sunday against this field.  A top 20 finish isn’t out of the question though.

Interesting story

J.B. Holmes

After his four minutes and ten seconds of club deliberation last Sunday before electing to lay up.  In a situation where he needed an Eagle to make a playoff, and potentially win the tournament.   A significant enough pause during the round that some people believe may have broken Alexander Noren’s concentration, and ultimately cost him the Championship.  After a few days of being slammed on Twitter, and forced to answer for his actions by the Golf media.  How will J.B. Holmes bounce back at the Waste Management Phoenix Open?  This tournament is perfect for his long hitter game.  As evidenced by his two previous victories here.  He’s obviously playing well considering he was an Eagle away from making the playoff last week.  Really he should be considered one of the favourites, but how will the TPC Scottsdale crowd welcome him after last week’s shenanigans?  If you are looking for a sneaky good bet to make in DraftKings, J.B. Holmes might be your guy.

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Categories
FANTASY FISHING GAMING GOLF

In case you didn’t know – Winter Sucks!!!

I’m Canadian so I know

For those of you that don’t really experience winter as the cold, dark, snow and ice filled hell that Canadians know it to be.  Well lucky you.  You really don’t have a winter Season.  What you experience is more of an extended fall, or if you are truly blessed, a cool summer.  The Winters that I’ve experienced in my lifetime range from mild (below zero with light snow) to severe (an entire city frozen in ice without power).  It’s during this abhorrent time that I go from an active sports enthusiast to an out of shape couch commando.  I’ve wondered what kind of shape I would be in if I could just keep doing the things I love (golfing, fishing, walking the city) year round.  Of course there are the many winter sports that so many find enjoyable.  Obviously something terrible has had to have happened to each of them at some point in their lives.  Why else would they subject themselves to such torturous endeavours. Strapping two thin planks to your feet and sliding down a snowy hill.  Fast enough to make the -10 degree temps feel like-20. If you prefer one wide plank that’s available.  Maybe you prefer strapping blades to your feet so you can slide across ice instead.  Desperately working on keeping your balance well enough to keep your ankles from breaking.  You could always head far enough up North to mount a tobaggan equipped with a high powered engine and really freeze your ass solid.  As appealing as some of those activities may sound to some of you.  They sure as shit aren’t for me.

Indoor Sport

So what’s an athletic guy to do?  I’ve considered joining the red and white GoodLife Fitness gym bag carrying crowd.  Unfortunately I can’t enjoy working out.  Especially when I know that playing a sport achieves similar results.  I have a collapsed arch in my left foot so simply joining an indoor soccer, or basketball team is out of the question.  I could take up swimming, but I’d trust the toxicity levels in Lake Ontario more than a public pool.  I’ve considered many potential activities, but not one fit the bill.  Winter has got me totally euchred.  I spend most of my days  in an area not much larger than a squash court.  I still Golf. Got a quick 18 holes in after Morning Drive yesterday.  Of course that’s 18 Rounds on my single hole putting mat in my living room.  There are times during the year that I look at my PS4 and think what a waste of money.  Well my opinion changes rather quickly as soon as the first snowfall hits.  Hardly a day passes without one of my PS4 controllers requiring a recharge.  I had the unfortunate situation where a label came off one of my blu-rays inside my PS4.  I played digital downloads for a couple days, but missed playing Tom Clancy’s The Division way too much.  So after about a week I broke down, and proceeded to take my PS4 apart to clear the drive.  It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected it to be.  Less than an hour later I was back to playing The Division.  Winter can do that.  It can motivate you to try things, or buy things you wouldn’t normally.  This is the weekend before the Superbowl so my favourite spectator sport isn’t available either.  I find myself watching movies galore.  Now I love film so that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  The problem is that I know I’m going to be spending so much time watching movies that I specifically select Trilogies or ongoing series.  I’ve watched the Bourne trilogy, the Millennium trilogy, the first six Star Wars films, the Hobbit trilogy, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, all of the Die Hard films, and I’m four films in to the Harry Potter series.  Can you see how this might be a problem.  Some of those movies I’ve seen so many times that I can quote every key line.  Not a single moment in any of those films surprises me anymore.  I find myself watching what’s going on in the background more.  Hoping to see something I might have missed the first 30 times I watched the movie.  Did you know that Michelle Monaghan was in the Bourne Supremacy?  I didn’t either until I noticed her as an FBI analyst at one of the terminals in the background.  That was the highlight of the film for me.

I’m in the dark here

Yes that was a Scent of a Woman quote, but it’s very relevant during Canadian winters.  If you leave for work before 8:00am, and return home after 5:00pm.  Then there’s a very good chance that you never experienced the light of day.  It was dark when you left, and dark when you returned.  I found myself yawning at 6:48pm last Thursday.  By accident last week my wife and I had dinner twice.  It got dark so early that we mistakenly had dinner at a little before 4:00pm.  By the time 8:00pm came we were hungry again, and realized that sleep might be impossible unless we ate again.

A sudden reprieve

Suddenly without any warning the temperature has been rising the last two days.  It actually got up to +8 degrees today.  Opportunity is knocking, and provided the temperature holds for one more day.  I am going to grab my clubs and make my way out to the Range to do what winter denies me.  Get outside, get some enjoyable exercise, and see the light of day.  If it doesn’t hold, and the winter weather forces me back indoors.  Well I only have to wait a couple more months before the sun begins to shine again.  Until then I have every Marvel movie to watch in chronological order.

Categories
GOLF

Why the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open has piqued my interest.

The Tiger Woods Factor

I don’t write many blogs about PGA tour events.  In this case I will make an exception though.  Tiger Woods will be playing his first full field event, and it won’t be at some Player friendly course in the Bahamas.  This is the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.  A course that’s held the U.S. Open.  It won’t have the strongest field, but there will be plenty of talent on display.

The field includes:
-PGA tour Champion Xander Schauffele
-The Players Champion Si Woo Kim
-Last year’s winner and currently world       number 2 Jon Rahm
-Other Top 10 World ranking players in   the field including Rickie Fowler, Hideki   Matsuyama, and Justin Rose.

As well as many other notable PGA tour mainstays.

What’s required from Woods

Winning this event will require some great skill off the Tee because it’s a long course.  It will also require some impressive Ball striking because you don’t want to be in the long grass at Torrey Pines.

Of course the first thing everyone wants to know is how well will Tiger do?  Well I actually have two answers for that question.  Sounds like I’m hedging my bets but really I’m not, and here’s why.  I believe that if Tiger Woods treats this event as just a stepping stone towards readying himself for future events then he will make the cut, and play some attractive golf.  Now if he enters this event with the desire to finish in the Top 10.  I don’t think things will go as smoothly for him.  Torrey Pines will punish Players who miss Fairways, or Greens when trying to push the limits in order to stay close to the leaders.  Tiger has shown that his scrambling is particularly weak, and his misses off the Tee are unpredictable.  If he just focuses on playing clean mistake free golf he’ll find himself in the middle of the pack, but if he pushes it he could potentially put up a number of double or even triple bogeys, and miss the cut.

Players to watch

There are a few Players of particular interest to me at this event.  Five of which I have already discussed in my Cobe Life 2018 Farmers Insurance Open Quick picks on YouTube.  Those five Players should be of particular interest to the FanDuel and DraftKings crowd.

https://youtu.be/XKiTWrpua_A

The next group of Players are interesting to me for different reasons.
JASON DAY
Former World #1 Jason Day had a down year last year.  Health and Family issues contributed to an uncommon lack of focus for Jason Day in 2017.  There is no disputing his talent, and Torrey Pines is the perfect course to gauge where his game is at.

BRANDT SNEDEKER
Another Player coming back from injury with the additional pressure of trying to make a return to the Masters.  Snedeker wouldn’t appear to have the kind of game that Torrey Pines requires, but he has won here twice before.  While everyone else is trying to bomb drives off the Tee.  Sneds will methodically work his way around the course.  If his Putter is on watch out!

CHESSON HADLEY
The 2017 Web.com tour Champion will have the opportunity to showcase his potential in this high quality field.  The Web.com tour has proven to be an excellent preparatory tour for the PGA with past Champions, and qualifiers finding early success when playing on the PGA tour.  I would expect Chesson Hadley to really make a strong showing at Torrey Pines.

ADAM HADWIN
I’m going to be watching Adam Hadwin at every event he enters this year for as long as he remains competitive.  Last year his 59 at the CareerBuilder Challenge kick-started what would become an excellent Season.  Last week his T3 at this year’s CareerBuilder Challenge had that same feeling.  If so, you should expect a number of high finishes to come Hadwin’s way.

ALEXANDER NOREN
Most people are still wondering if there should have been a Presidents Cup tournament last year.  The talent was so lopsided in the Americans favour the outcome was practically predetermined.  There’s already talk of how will the Europeans at this year’s Ryder Cup compete?  Look I think the Americans have the advantage, but don’t think for a second that they will win it easily.  Players that aren’t that well known on this side of the pond like Noren will put up a considerable fight.  If you would like to get a sneak peek of what’s to come.  Watch what Noren is capable of at Torrey Pines.  While you are at it check out Francesco Molinari as well.

Categories
FANTASY Uncategorized

Cobe Life 2018 NFL Playoff Predictions – AFC & NFC Championships

Do what we perceive is the actual truth?

There’s been much debate about the two Championship games on Sunday.  Are the favourites (according to Vegas odds) actually worthy of being favourites?  Is Nick Foles going to be the undoing of what might have been a truly dominant Season?  Does the Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive line have what it takes to rattle Tom Brady?  Are the Patriots as dominant as people think, or have they just made the most of an easy schedule?  Some of these questions will be answered, and some might still be on our minds come Superbowl.  For what it’s worth, I’ll do my best to answer them now.  Using the knowledge, understanding, and research I’ve done on the subject.  Of course a little bit of luck would also be welcome.  Well here goes!

David versus Goliath

The AFC Championship

You could have probably asked 100 football analysts at the beginning of this Season, who would be playing for the AFC Championship?  Not one of them would have predicted it would be the New England Patriots hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Most, myself included would have probably predicted that the New England Patriots would be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The safe pick to win would have been the New England Patriots.  Well they still are the safe pick.  As sexy a pick as the Jacksonville Jaguars are.  It would take some serious stones to pick them.  It’s not like they are completely outmatched.  They definitely have the better Defence.  I mean it isn’t even close.  Most of the Patriots Defenders wouldn’t get much playing time if they were with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Jaguars star Running Back Leonard Fournette is by far the most talented RB that will be on the field in that game.  He’s a beast of a Runner, capable of tiring out a Defensive line with his bruising style.  If Jacksonville can limit New England’s effectiveness with a strong Defence, and time sapping Running game then they can win.  Seems like a smart strategy to me.  I remember that particular strategy working before actually.  There was something very different about the teams that employed that strategy before.  They weren’t led by the most unpredictable signal caller in the NFL, Blake Bortles.  Blake Bortles who barely beat the Buffalo Bills.  Blake Bortles who went the distance with two time Superbowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger, and came out on top.  Who is this guy?  Which version of Blake Bortles will show up on Sunday?  If you are considering betting on this game?  Just don’t!  Bortles could throw a wrench into whatever you think you know.  Unfortunately for me I have to make a prediction.  It comes with the territory I’m afraid.  I’d like to pick the Jacksonville Jaguars.  I find them to be a far more exciting team to watch actually.  I enjoy high scoring games, but I prefer hard hitting defensive wars.  The problem is that I can’t pick them because I expect the New England Patriots to have a plan in place to give Blake Bortles fits.  The Jaguars will keep this game within reach though.

New England Patriots by 6

Will the real NFC favourite please stand up?

The NFC Championship

I’m beginning to think that the Philadelphia Eagles are thoroughly enjoying being labeled as underdogs.  I have always believed that being perceived as an underdog was a bonus.  The team that is expected to win has seemingly more to lose.  So even though Philadelphia is playing at home.  Being labeled as the underdog has placed additional pressure on the visiting Minnesota Vikings to display early dominance.  Not an easy task considering how well the Eagles have played all Season long.  Even though there are a number of star Players on the Offensive side of the ball for both teams.  This game is actually about Defence.  There are a few specific Players to watch for though.  Pay close attention to Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor, Adam Thielen, and Jerick McKinnon.  Both Quarterbacks will have to deal with constant pressure this game.  I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them misses a snap or two after taking a hard hit.  Emotions will be high in this one, and I do expect it to be a bit choppy.  Key penalties will play a role in who wins this one.  The Eagles playing in front of a home crowd looking to finally earn the respect they deserve, and the Vikings one win away from playing in a Superbowl in their home stadium.  Another game I just don’t want to make a prediction for, but I must.  I’m going with the more dominant Defence in this one.

Minnesota Vikings by 3

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