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racingtoaredlight · 4 years ago

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RTARL’s 2020 NFL Season Week 7 Extravapalooza

With the way the COVID-19 situation in America (and lots of other places around the world) is rapidly heading in the wrong direction, I’m beginning to genuinely wonder if the NFL is going to have to pause the season for a few weeks as some states potentially decide that the gatherings that come with staging a football game are less than necessary.

Once the league decided to start the season as scheduled, I figured there was no way they’d stop the train once it began lurching forward, even if some unlucky teams were forced to start someone like Brian Hoyer at QB instead of their normal guy. Ahem. But, I also didn’t think things would deteriorate virus-spread wise quite to this degree. I was really giving us as a society way too much credit, it would appear. Given the resistance to the first round of shutdown measures, I think there’s a real possibility that shit could hit the fan in a way few of us have seen before if another batch were implemented, but it seems like the only option going forward for some places if they don’t get their shit together. Our choices in the very near future appear to be: court massive civil unrest spurred on by the very worst among us, or do nothing and let many of those same people carry disease to every corner of the country as hospitals become overwhelmed and people die alone and miserable. Hooray for letting the dumbest assholes dictate the courses of everyone else’s lives.

Now for some football picks!!!

My picks are in BOLD, and the lines come to us courtesy of our friends at Vegas Insider. I use the “VI Consensus” line, which is the line that occurs most frequently across Vegas Insider’s list of sportsbooks. Your sportsbook of choice may offer a different number, and if you’d like my opinion on said number A) you are insane, and B) leave a comment below and I’ll try to answer at some point before things kickoff today.

EARLY GAMES

Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons (-2)

Ah, a team who recently fired their terrible head coach against a team who desperately needs to. I’m glad it finally appears to be dawning on Detroit’s offensive braintrust that D’Andre Swift is the best RB on the team and thus should get the bulk of the touches. You could even say he deserves the LION’S SHARE. Sorry.

I was ready to declare Matt Ryan officially washed heading into last week’s games, but then he went out and threw for 371 and 4 TDs against the (admittedly trash-ass) Vikings defense, and now I just don’t know. Does having Julio Jones in the lineup really make that much of a difference for him? Maybe! This game should be enjoyable slop and I don’t have any strong leanings one way or another. I’ll pick the Falcons just because a Lions loss gets them one step closer to freedom from their dipshit Goomba-from-Mario-Bros-lookin’ motherfucker of a head coach.

Cleveland Browns (-3.5) at Cincinnati Bengals

I like to make fun of the Browns just like everyone else, but I’d prefer to see less digital ink spilled on QB Baker Mayfield’s crappy play and more celebration of DE Myles Garrett instead. Garrett is AWESOME. Through 6 games he has 7 sacks (2nd in the NFL) and 3 forced fumbles (also 2nd in the league), and those numbers don’t fully capture how disruptive and nightmarish he is for opposing offenses most weeks. Sure, he maybe tried to kill a guy with his helmet last year, but c’mon. That was just a harmless little goof. No reason to hold it against him, in my opinion. Like, have you seen what Mason Rudolph looks like? He had it coming.

I feel bad every time I pick against Joe Burrow because I want he and I to be friends, but *points to previous paragraph about how Myles Garrett swallows planets whole*.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans (-1.5)

Last week I wrote a whole big thing (with stats to back it up!) in the Titans blurb about how Derrick Henry wasn’t playing well and was potentially wearing down, and then he proceeded to rush for over 200 yards and 2 TDs, including an unreal 94-yarder. I concede that I may have been misguided, and that attempting to use research is for lameass nerds. That said, I HIGHLY doubt he’ll have a huge day against the Steelers defense, but the combo of Henry and the Ryan Tannehill-led passing game should be able to put up enough points to win.

These teams are both very good and very evenly matched, but I don’t want to pick Pittsburgh because I actively dislike them. You won’t find that kind of analysis on Football Outsiders, friends.

Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints (-7)

New Orleans will be without WRs Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders for this one, and I think QB Drew Brees is too far over-the-hill to make chicken salad out of the chicken shit that remains in their group of pass catchers. RB Alvin Kamara is great, but he can’t do it by himself. Oh, and speaking of Michael Thomas, a report came out yesterday that the Saints are open to dealing him. This report came from Mike Florio, so grain of salt and all, but it did lead to me reading a rumor that Thomas’ teammates hate him and secretly call him “Can’t Stand Mike,” a play on his “Can’t Guard Mike” Twitter handle. I found this hilarious and very much want it to be true.

Let’s raise a glass to Panthers backup RB and fantasy football savior Mike Davis, as his gravy train likely comes to a halt after today with the impending return of Christian McCaffery. The New Orleans rush defense is very good, so I don’t see him going out in a blaze of glory, but his out-of-nowhere statistical bonanza deserves to be celebrated.

Buffalo Bills (-10) at New York Jets

LOL Jets Head Coach Adam Gase still hasn’t been fired despite losing 24-0 to Miami last week. What’s it gonna take, I wonder? A second consecutive shutout may do it, but the Bills defense has been terrible, so it’ll take a real commitment to ineptitude for the Jets to put up their second squadoosh in a row. NY QB Sam Darnold is returning to the lineup, but he’s going to be without his best weapon, WR Jamison Crowder. I honestly feel terrible for poor Sam, as he was drafted into the worst situation I can remember. At least David Carr was hit enough that he likely doesn’t remember ALL of the bad stuff.

Nearly all of the Bills’ TEs are in the COVID-19 protocol, so I’m not sure how they’re gonna address that. BRING BACK JAY RIEMERSMA!

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Football Team (-1)

The Cowboys being underdogs against Washington is hilarious, even more so because it’s justified. I thought QB Andy Dalton would do a decent job leading the Cowboys offense last week against Arizona, and I was very, very wrong. I still think he can get his shit together somewhat, but the ceiling for this team has been lowered to “Darren Sproles might have to duck a bit” height. I can only condone watching this game for schadenfreude purposes, but even that’s stretching it. Any more than a quarter is just straight-up masochism.

Green Bay Packers (-3.5) at Houston Texans

I’m simultaneously excited to watch this game and struggling to come up with anything novel to say about it. I’m interested to see how Green Bay deploys their awesome CB Jaire Alexander, as whichever Texans WR avoids him is likely to be peppered with targets. Shoutout to Will Fuller’s hamstrings for holding up so far and allowing him to kick ass.

As of right now it looks like Green Bay will be without studly RB Aaron Jones and sexy touchdown beast TE Robert Tonyan, which isn’t great. But, if there’s one opponent where you should still be ok using a backup RB, it’s the Houston Texans and their atrocious rush defense. Wait, why am I picking Houston? Whatever, fuck it, the heart wants what the heart wants.

LATE GAMES

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-5) at Las Vegas Raiders

A couple of days ago, it looked like the entire Las Vegas offensive line might miss this game due to being placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list. As of this writing, all those beefy boys are cleared to play, which is good news since they’re going against Tampa Bay’s top-shelf defense (ranked #1 in defensive DVOA). Even with their full compliment of offensive personnel, I still predict many hilarious angry and frustrated faces from Jon Gruden.

Tampa Bay has decided to sign WR Antonio Brown, despite already having two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. It’s pretty clear this signing was done entirely because QB Tom Brady wanted it, as Brady has been pushing for his team to sign Brown going back to last year in New England. It’s so weird, Tom Brady doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would advocate for an emotionally unstable and supremely narcissistic accused rapist who’s left multiple organizations in disarray upon his unceremonious departure.

Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Denver Broncos

Fuck yeah, our first potential snow game of the year! The gametime forecast as of right now calls for 5-degree windchill temps with a 35-40 percent chance of flakes throughout. That sounds horrible to play in, but glorious to watch. If we don’t get at least one shot of steam rising off of an offensive lineman’s head I’m gonna be pissed. I’m curious to see what Kansas City does with newly acquired RB Le’Veon Bell in this game. He’s definitely played in more winter-weather games than my boy Clyde Edwards-Helaire, so do they give him more carries this week than they would normally? I hope not, but I can definitely see the argument for it.

San Francisco 49ers at New England Patriots (-3)

I’m a little shaken (relatively, I’m not a complete lunatic) by how shitty New England, and Cam Newton in particular, looked against Denver last week. The lack of practice time due to multiple COVID-related outbreaks is a valid reason for it, but still. I think the Niners are the much better team when healthy, but they’re gonna be missing their best RB Raheem Mostert for this game (and the next few), which does impede their power-run game somewhat. Backup Jerick McKinnon is still very good, he just has a different, less-demoralizing style. Handsome Jimmy will have to make some plays, and I think he can do just enough. The overall talent gap will be too much for NE to overcome, I fear.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Los Angeles Chargers (-7.5)

The Jags have lost five straight games coming into this one, while the Chargers have dropped four in a row. Something’s gotta give! I will say that the Jacksonville losses seem more depressing (3 of them were by double-digits), while even though L.A. is losing, they at least feel exciting. A shiny rookie QB who looks decent will do that, I guess. Still, I’m riding with my man Minshew to cover one last time here. If he fails, well, I think it’ll be time for us to go our separate ways. “Separate Ways” by Journey is also what plays in Gardiner Minshew’s helmet speaker instead of play calls, coincidentally.

SNF: Seattle Seahawks (-3.5) at Arizona Cardinals

Seattle’s already abysmal secondary is going to be down Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams for this one, so Cards QB Kyler Murray should be able to sling it around with relative ease. His best weapon, WR Deandre Hopkins is Questionable with a lingering ankle injury, but he’s been playing through it so far and it hasn’t seemed to slow him much. I think this is the week the magic runs out for the Seahawks, and they take their first L of the season. Russell Wilson can’t bail them out EVERY time. Probably. This game is likely to be the stylistic opposite of the Monday nighter, because...

MNF: Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (-6)

...all signs point to this being a butt-ugly game. I like good defense, don’t get me wrong, but nobody should purposely watch Nick Foles and Jared Goff play QB against competent defenses. I suppose I can see some entertainment value in getting to see both Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack torment quarterbacks in the same game, but I think I’m gonna pass for the same reason that I don’t really like to watch animals get eaten in nature shows. I get that it’s the way things are meant to happen, but damn. I’m a real wimp, by the way.

Last Week’s Record: 7-7

Season Record: 44-38-4

#Sports!#Football #NFL #Gambling

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Actually, EVERYONE believes in the Patriots

The media stuck by New England despite losing streaks, Vegas knows never to doubt the Pats, and bettors love to dump money on them. Spare us the underdog narrative.

Patriots players, with nothing more to conquer, have taken up lying to themselves and everyone else about being disrespected underdogs. It worked for them nearly two decades earlier, during their first Super Bowl win, so why not bring it back? No one believes in us!

While New England would be much more enjoyable if it just embraced being the Evil Empire and stopped pretending it’s anything other than a top contender every single year, let’s find the receipts.

The media believed in the Patriots in the preseason.

Anyone who thinks New England wasn’t universally considered a title contender: Google is still free. Let’s use it to look back through some predictions panels.

SB Nation’s preseason predictions roundup had the Pats as one of six potential Super Bowl champions (Sarah Hardy even explained her Minnesota pick by writing, “they’re not the Patriots, who will probably end up here anyway”).

Five of six Ringer staffers had New England in the Super Bowl.

Most of Football Outsiders’ writers agreed with the math and picked the Pats to win the Super Bowl.

SI had the Pats in the AFC Championship.

CBS had them as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

USA Today’s panel named them one of five Super Bowl champs.

Half of Pro Football Talk’s panel had the Pats in the Super Bowl.

Numbers too! ESPN’s FPI had the Patriots as the likeliest team to win the Super Bowl.

Every human on Earth picked New England to win the AFC East, of course.

The media believed in the Patriots all season long, even as the Patriots themselves tried to create doubt by losing games they shouldn’t have.

More or less, the Pats won twice as a slight media underdog, but lost five times as a pretty heavy media favorite. If anything, the media overrated New England on a weekly basis.

Let’s use a combination of ESPN’s and SB Nation’s weekly picks posts. Here were the total numbers of combined NFL media people at just these two outlets who picked New England to win each week (I’m guessing the numbers would be pretty similar if we expanded to include more outlets, but I ain’t trying to do all that math):

Week 1 vs. Texans: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 2 vs. Jaguars: Patriots picked by 10 of 17 (and lost)

Week 3 vs. Lions: Patriots picked by 17 of 17 (and lost)

Week 4 vs. Dolphins: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 5 vs. Colts: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 6 vs. Chiefs: Chiefs picked by 10 of 17

Week 7 vs. Bears: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 8 vs. Bills: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 9 vs. Packers: Patriots picked by 16 of 17

Week 10 vs. Titans: Patriots picked by 16 of 17 (and lost)

Patriots disrespected by national media, which does not pick New England to record a win against Bye Week

Week 12 vs. Jets: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 13 vs. Vikings: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 14 vs. Dolphins: Patriots picked by 15 of 17 (and lost)

Week 15 vs. Steelers: Patriots picked by 12 of 17 (and lost)

Week 16 vs. Bills: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 17 vs. Jets: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Patriots disrespected by national media, which doesn’t think New England will win any wild card games

Playoffs vs. Chargers: Patriots picked by 9 of 15

AFC Championship: Chiefs picked by 10 of 15

Super Bowl: The average ESPN picker has the Patriots winning and covering.

So twice all year, a somewhat representative portion of the NFL media picked a team to beat New England. Both times, the panelists were still quite split. Both times, Kansas City had the better record and computer ratings. And both games came down to New England barely winning.

lol the Pats were the most popular choice to come out of the AFC *by far* back in September https://t.co/ySkWWhINyv

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 27, 2019

Some media members did wonder if the Patriots — who had a 9-5 record at one point — were a step below their usual level. Guess what? So did people with all kinds of jobs, including plenty of Pats fans.

Given how long Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have been doing this, some commentators wondered whether the dynasty was at or nearing its end, sure. Many commentators also assumed New England would turn it around in time to make the Super Bowl again.

No one could predict the future or predict the Chiefs would lose an overtime coin toss, but New England enjoyed FAR more public faith than any other 9-5 team would’ve.

The sportsbooks believe in New England enough to take their own computer projections with a grain of salt.

Based partly on computer models and partly on gut instinct about how bettors might pick the Super Bowl, many sportsbooks opened with the three-loss Rams as very slight favorites over the five-loss Patriots. A great story by David Purdum shows how oddsmakers consciously applied a Patriots Tax before revealing their lines:

The staff at BetCris also was somewhat divided. One oddsmaker had the Rams as the favorite; the other had the Patriots. Nash, a professional oddsmaker since 1978, said he has the Rams power-rated 3.5 points higher than the Patriots but knew that was too high of a number to post, so he settled at L.A. -1.5.

Even with a line set below what the raw rankings would’ve dictated, big early bets showed bettors had far more confidence in the Patriots than expected. Oddsmakers reacted immediately:

At 10:15 p.m. ET, just minutes after the AFC Championship Game ended, BetCris opened the Los Angeles Rams as 1.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

By 10:32 p.m., the Patriots had gone from underdogs to 2.5-point favorites.

Vegas planned to give New England at least a couple more points than the computers said New England deserved, but then went along with the public to offer a line nearly opposite what computer formulas would’ve recommended. This is Universal Belief In The Patriots put into cold, hard action.

The sportsbooks have long believed in the Patriots.

Per OddsShark’s database, New England has been an actual underdog just 2.1 times per season in the last decade, only once since 2016. They haven’t been double-digit underdogs in any game since 2001. They’ve been favored by 10 or more points in five different games for three years in a row.

The public at large OVERWHELMINGLY believes in the Patriots.

Per Jon Campbell at OddsShark, here’s one look at how bettors have invested in each side all total, which includes bets placed back when the Rams were favored:

OddsShark consensus: 58 percent Pats spread

BetOnline: 78 percent Pats spread, 78 percent Pats moneyline

This changes from book to book (and there is a good bit of late money on the Rams covering the spread), but people have proved far, far, far more comfortable in betting on the Patriots than on the Rams, happily giving up points to the team with the superior record on the field.

It's officially Super Bowl Sunday! 73.7k bets have been placed on the game so far 74% of tickets on NE, 71% of the $ 56% of tickets on the Over, 51% of $ on the Under

— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) February 3, 2019

The bottom line is this:

Any “nobody believes in us” whining requires obsessing with some rogue talking head’s opinions and ignoring people who have skin in the game.

You can always find one media person who believes anything. We have media people who believe the government is conspiring to make frogs gay. Anyone can contort any video package into DISRESPECT FUEL, given enough motivation.

And as is often the case, using a couple minutes of media rants as evidence for a grand point about society at large is not a good way to connect with reality.

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delwray-blog · 6 years ago

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BIG MEDIA IS JEWISH

JEWS CONFIRM BIG MEDIA IS JEWISH Editor's note: In 2002 the Jewish website "Judaism Online" posted an extensive list of Jews who dominate the American media. Since 2006 this article, with my comments, has proven one of the very most frequented at www.truthtellers.org. In this update and revision, I keep much of the original Judaism Online article (which is in italics) but delete out-of-date information. I add much more, documenting the present status of the Jewish media moguls who tell us what to believe - and degrade our morals. Unless otherwise stated, these individuals are Jewish. The names of persons who are almost certainly Jewish but unconfirmed are followed by an asterisk. Jewish control of the media is a taboo topic. In Congress, among evangelicals and mainline conservative talk radio, it is never mentioned. It is discussed only in snatches on far right alternative talk radio. This is astonishing, considering that almost every substantial library in America contains a number of books confirming such Jewish control. These include Neil Gabler’s An Empire of Their Own: How the Jews Invented Hollywood and Hoberman and Shandler’s Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting. These encyclopedic histories of Jewish control of the American media outdo any efforts by so-called “anti-Semites” to document an astonishing, frightening fact: The majority of media news and information to the American public comes from Jews. An authoritative Jewish website Judaism Online (www.simpletoremember.com) in its article “Jewish Success in the American Media” documents Jewish media preeminence. It does so not from motives of anti-Semitism but from Jewish pride. Its 2002 list of many Jewish superstars in the media today is printed, in part, below. Of course, there are more Gentiles than Jews in the American media, as in America at large. But notice how many Jews are in control of media giants. This helps explain why the media is so relentlessly anti-Christian, constantly pushing immorality and the liberal Zionist political agenda. Why are Christians always marginalized in films and TV? Why is the Palestinian perspective not included in the news? Face the forbidden truth: The media speaks with a Jewish voice. TELEVISION NETWORKS CBS/Viacom: Sumner Redstone - chairman of board and CEO of the CBS Corporation, which includes Viacom, "world's biggest media giant" ( Economist, 11-23-02). The CBS Corporation is the world's most powerful and corruptive Jewish media giant. Viacom owns Viacom Cable, CBS, and MTV… Blockbuster Video Rentals, and Black Entertainment TV. Viacom operations include UPN, BET Networks, Paramount Pictures and such well-known global brands as VH1, CMP, Logo, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., Teen Nick, Comedy Central, Showtime, Spike TV, TV Land, Rock Band, Addicting Games, Atom, Neo Pets, and Shockwave as well as Simon and Schuster. Phillipe Dauman is president and CEO of Viacom. Leslie Moonves (great-nephew of Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion) - president of CBS Television. Just Resigned Martin Franks (*) is executive vice president, planning, policy and government affairs. Louis J. Briskman (*) is executive vice president of research and planning and general counsel. Although Jews compose less than 2 percent of the US population, the CBS Corporation Board of Directors, as well as major corporation divisions, is occupied by over 60 percent Jews. NBC: In 2011 Comcast purchased NBC Universal. Steve Burke (a gentile yet board member of J. P. Morgan) became new CEO of NBC Universal. Robert Greenblatt is chairman of NBC Entertainment. Steve Capus (*) is president of NBC News. Max Mutchnik and David Kohan - co-executive producers of NBC’s “Good Morning, Miami.” ABC: Robert Iger - major owner of Walt Disney, Capital Cities, and ABC. Disney owns cable TV networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, A&E TV Network, ABC Family, as well as many other entertainment venues. Allan Braverman is executive vice president and general counsel of Walt Disney Company. Ben Sherwood is president of ABC News. FOX: Rupert Murdoch (Jewish mother, hence legally Jewish) is owner of FOX TV, New York Post, London Times, and News of the World. Joel Klein, ex-chancellor of New York Department of Education, was appointed by Murdoch to clean up the news corporation's hacking image. CNN: Wolf Blitzer is host of CNN’s "The Situation Room." HOLLYWOOD MOVIE STUDIOS The prestigious Encyclopedia Judaica, in its article “Motion Pictures,” pg. 449, says: “Thus all the large Hollywood companies, with the exception of United Artists...were founded and controlled by Jews.” Sony Corporation (worldwide): Howard Stringer - chairman and group CEO. Sony produced the blasphemous "Da Vinci Code" (SeeThe Jews Behind Da Vinci Code) Columbia Pictures: Michael Lynton - cochairman. Sony Pictures Entertainment: Amy Pascal - cochairman. Warner Bros.: Barry Meyer - chair. Edgar M. Bronfman Jr. was CEO of Warner Music Group from 2004 until sale of WMG in 2011. He was previously CEO of Seagram and vice chairman of Vivendi Universal. Time Warner: Gary Ginsberg is executive vice president of marketing and communications. Paramount: Brad Gray - president of Paramount Pictures. DreamWorks: Stephen Spielberg, David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg (owners). Miramax Films: Harvey Weinstein, former CEO of Miramax, left to found, with his brother, Weinstein Films. Warner Brothers: Barry Meyer - chairman. MGM: Harry Sloan - chairman. AMC: Charlie Collier - president. Screen Actors Guild: Alan Rosenberg - president. RADIO Clear Channel Communications: Robert Sillerman - founder. PBS: Ben Wattenberg - moderator, PBS ThinkTank. PUBLISHERS The Encyclopedia Judaica, in its article “Publishing,” lists the following publishing houses, as of 1971, owned or controlled by Jews: Viking, Knopf, Random House, Modern Library, Simon and Schuster, Harcourt, Brace & Co., Greenberg Publishers, Ziff-Davis, Crown Publishers, Dial Press and Dryden Press. Publishing houses either founded by or with a Jew as editor-in-chief include: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, Abelard-Schumann, Basic Books, Grosset & Dunlap, Federal Writers Project, Gaer Associates, Macmillan & Co., Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Citadel Press, Chanticleer Press, Arthur Frommer, Inc., Hart Publishing Co., Lantern Press, Oceanea Publications, Twayne Publishers, Arco Publishing Co., Grossman Publishers, and Stein & Day. Publishing houses involved in book clubs, reprints, or children’s literature either founded by or controlled by Jews include the Literary Guild, Book of the Month Club, Limited Editions Club, Heritage Club, Junior Heritage Club, Readers Club, Jewish Book Guild, Military Science Book Club, Natural History Book Club, Book Collector’s Society, Art Book Guild, Science Book Club, Beech Hurst Press, A. S. Barnes & Co., Sagamore Press, Thomas Yoseloff Inc., The Modern Library, World Publishing Co., Little Blue Books, Pocket Books Inc., Avon Publications, Popular Library, Schocken Books, Golden Books, and Golden Press. In its article on New York City, the Judaica adds to the list of publishing houses owned by Jews, Liveright & Boni, and Anchor Books. Today, Random House, Doubleday, and Anchor Books, while Jewish owned and controlled, participate in the world’s largest publishing consortium, Bertelsmann A.G., benefiting from its staggering distribution advantages. Judaism Online says: Bertelsmann’s American operations are headed by Joel Klein, chair and CEO. NEWSPAPERS The following, from the 2002 Judaism Online article, though largely outdated, I have left unrevised because of the general picture it presents. Samuel Newhouse Jr. and Donald Newhouse own Newhouse Publications, which includes 26 newspapers in 22 cities. The Conde Nast Magazine Group includes the New Yorker, Parade, the Sunday newspaper supplements, American City Business Journal, business newspapers published in more than 30 major cities in America, and interests in cable television programming and cable systems serving one million homes. Wall Street Journal: Peter R. Kahn, CEO New York Times, Boston Globe, and other publications: published by Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. New York Daily News: Mortimer Zuckerman, owner Village Voice, New Times and network of alternative weeklies: Owned by David Schneiderman Washington Post: Donald Graham, chair and CEO, son of Katharine Graham Meyer, former owner of Washington Post San Francisco Chronicle: Ron Rosenthal, managing editor; Phil Bronstein, exec. editor AOL-Time Warner Book Group: Laurence Kirshbaum, editor Magazines: US News & World Report: Mortimer Zuckerman, owner and chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish-American Organizations, one of the largest pro-Israel lobbying groups New Republic: Marty Peretz, owner and publisher (NR openly identifies itself as pro-Israel.) Barron’s: Peter R. Kahn, CEO National Review: Michael Ledeen, editor Business Week: Bruce Nussbaum, editorial page editor Newsweek: Donald Graham, chair and CEO, and Howard Fineman, chief political columnist Weekly Standard: William Kristol, editor, also executive director, Project for a New American Century, (PNAC) The New Yorker: David Reznik, editor; Nicholas Lehman, writer; Henrick Hertzberg, “Talk of the Town” editor Miscellaneous: Ivan Seidenberg - CEO of Verizon Communications, Comcast-ATT Cable TV, with Ralph and Brian Roberts as owners. Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute - regular columnist for USA Today, news analyst for CBS and co-chair with Leslie Moonves of the Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligation of Digital TV Producers, appointed by Clinton. Dennis Lebowitz - head of Act II Partners, a media hedge fund. Barry Diller - chair of USA Interactive, former owner of USA Entertainment. Kenneth Roth - executive director of Human Rights Watch. Richard Leibner - head of N. S. Bienstock talent agency, which represents 600 news personalities such as Dan Rather, Dianne Sawyer, and Bill O’Reilly. Ari Fleischer - Bush’s former press secretary Stephen Emerson - every media outlet’s first choice as an expert on domestic terrorism. Terry Semel - CEO of Yahoo!, former chair, Warner Bros. Mark Golin - VP and creative director for AOL. Warren Lieberford - president of Warner Bros. Home Video Division of AOL-Time Warner. Judaism Online’s list presents only the most outstanding, well-recognized Jews in the American media. I could name hundreds more from the top ranks of Jewish media leadership. Such names are readily available from corporate directories such as Standard and Poor's and Lexis Nexus. Yes, some a small number of the Jewish superstars listed above are political conservatives. Yet studies of top-level Jewish media executives prove they are overwhelming liberal. The famous Lichter-Rothman poll in the early 1980s found that top media executives were radically out of step with the moral values of the American public. Of these, 97% affirm a woman's right to an abortion if she pleases. 80% disagree that homosexuality is wrong. 86% believe homosexuals have the right to be schoolteachers. 51% believe adultery is permissible. Of 104 top executives polled, 59% were "raised in the Jewish religion." Who can deny such Jewish domination of big media? As Jewish film critic Michael Medved argues, "It makes no sense at all to try to deny the reality of Jewish power and preeminence in popular culture. Any list of the most influential production executives at each of the major movie studios will produce a heavy majority of recognizable Jewish names." Does it matter who dominates the media? It does! The media shapes not only our children's values and actions but our own. The Jewish media has normalized sexual degeneracy, profanity and all kinds of sin. It also leads us into war to make the Mid-East safe for Israel. This happened in Afghanistan, Iraq and, tomorrow, Iran. If an anti-Christian agenda were being advanced by Moonies or Scientologists, dominating the most powerful positions of media leadership in America, there would be a howl of protest. Americans would demand Congressional hearings and investigations. But because the Jewish media has forbidden identification of itself as Jewish, vilifying such as anti-Semitism, a deafening silence prevails. Meanwhile, relentless evil continues to control the spigot of information from which America drinks.NPN Email Alert: Updated! Jews Confirm Big Media is Jewishtruthtellers.org

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junker-town · 6 years ago

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Actually, EVERYONE believes in the Patriots

The media stuck by New England despite losing streaks, Vegas knows never to doubt the Pats, and bettors love to dump money on them. Spare us the underdog narrative.

The media believed in the Patriots in the preseason.

Anyone who thinks New England wasn’t universally considered a title contender: Google is still free. Let’s use it to look back through some predictions panels.

Five of six Ringer staffers had New England in the Super Bowl.

Most of Football Outsiders’ writers agreed with the math and picked the Pats to win the Super Bowl.

SI had the Pats in the AFC Championship.

CBS had them as the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

USA Today’s panel named them one of five Super Bowl champs.

Half of Pro Football Talk’s panel had the Pats in the Super Bowl.

Numbers too! ESPN’s FPI had the Patriots as the likeliest team to win the Super Bowl.

Every human on earth picked New England to win the AFC East, of course.

The media believed in the Patriots all season long, even as the Patriots themselves tried to create doubt by losing games they shouldn’t have.

More or less, the Pats won twice as a slight media underdog, but lost five times as a pretty heavy media favorite. If anything, the media overrated New England on a weekly basis.

Week 1 vs. Texans: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 2 vs. Jaguars: Patriots picked by 10 of 17 (and lost)

Week 3 vs. Lions: Patriots picked by 17 of 17 (and lost)

Week 4 vs. Dolphins: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 5 vs. Colts: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 6 vs. Chiefs: Chiefs picked by 10 of 17

Week 7 vs. Bears: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 8 vs. Bills: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 9 vs. Packers: Patriots picked by 16 of 17

Week 10 vs. Titans: Patriots picked by 16 of 17 (and lost)

Patriots disrespected by national media, which does not pick New England to record a win against Bye Week

Week 12 vs. Jets: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 13 vs. Vikings: Patriots picked by 15 of 17

Week 14 vs. Dolphins: Patriots picked by 15 of 17 (and lost)

Week 15 vs. Steelers: Patriots picked by 12 of 17 (and lost)

Week 16 vs. Bills: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Week 17 vs. Jets: Patriots picked by 17 of 17

Patriots disrespected by national media, which doesn’t think New England will win any wild card games

Playoffs vs. Chargers: Patriots picked by 9 of 15

AFC Championship: Chiefs picked by 10 of 15

Super Bowl: The average ESPN picker has the Patriots winning and covering.

lol the Pats were the most popular choice to come out of the AFC *by far* back in September https://t.co/ySkWWhINyv

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 27, 2019

No one could predict the future or predict the Chiefs would lose an overtime coin toss, but New England enjoyed FAR more public faith than any other 9-5 team would’ve.

The sportsbooks believe in New England enough to take their own computer projections with a grain of salt.

Even with a line set below what the raw rankings would’ve dictated, big early bets showed bettors had far more confidence in the Patriots than expected. Oddsmakers reacted immediately:

At 10:15 p.m. ET, just minutes after the AFC Championship Game ended, BetCris opened the Los Angeles Rams as 1.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII.

By 10:32 p.m., the Patriots had gone from underdogs to 2.5-point favorites.

The sportsbooks have long believed in the Patriots.

The public at large OVERWHELMINGLY believes in the Patriots.

Per Jon Campbell at OddsShark, here’s one look at how bettors have invested in each side all total, which includes bets placed back when the Rams were favored:

OddsShark consensus: 58% Pats spread

BetOnline: 78% Pats spread, 78% Pats moneyline

At a major Vegas sportsbook, both the number of bets and the total money placed favor New England, even now that the Patriots have been giving points for more than a week:

Here are the current betting odds & trends as of 3:50 P.M. PT today (January 28, 2019) for #SBLIII at our 100+ Sports Books & Mobile Sports app in Nevada + New Jersey + West Virginia. 56.5 total Bet the game now! #NEvsLAR | #SB53#EverythingWeGot | #LARams pic.twitter.com/c8kvB0XitX

— William Hill US (@WilliamHillUS) January 28, 2019

This changes from book to book, but people have proved far, far, far more comfortable in betting on the Patriots than on the Rams, happily giving up points to the team with the superior record on the field.

According to my friends at @SportsInsights, about 80% of money coming in on Pats at -2.5. Anyone like the Rams?

— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) January 29, 2019

The bottom line is this:

Any “nobody believes in us” whining requires obsessing with some rogue talking head’s opinions and ignoring people who have skin in the game.

And as is often the case, using a couple minutes of media rants as evidence for a grand point about society at large is not a good way to connect with reality.

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junker-town · 8 years ago

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NFL draft grades 2017: Compiling grades for the entire draft

Where did draft analysts agree and disagree?

The 2017 NFL draft is now in rear view mirror, and now it’s time to assign grades for each team. These snap judgment grades are made based on a number of factors.

Did the team reach on the player relative to where they were rated? Did they take a player too early compared to who else was on the board at the same position? Did they unnecessarily give up picks or give up too many in a trade? Do the players fit the system the team runs? Did the team gamble too hard on a character risk? Did they find a player with potential that can be developed?

All of those things, and more, factor in to how a draft grade is put together. Is it too early to grade a draft? Of course it is. Are bad grades and indictment on the team and personnel members making the picks? Of course not. They’re a snapshot of right now. Which, of course, means we can revisit them in a year, or three years, or five years, or however many years is appropriate to grade a draft.

Below is look at how several people graded the 2017 NFL draft. That includes my own, which can be found here. It also includes grades from Mark Maske of the Washington Post, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports and Nate Davis of USA Today. Go to their grades for full explanations that, unlike what you may think, aren’t just jargon thrown against the wall without any thought.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals nailed pick after pick in this draft, starting with first-round selection Haason Reddick. Many liked the pick of guard Dorian Johnson in the fourth round because he should press for playing time early in his career. What puzzled most was not getting a quarterback.

SB Nation grade: B

CBS Sports: A

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: B

Atlanta Falcons

The Super Bowl runner-up may have played the draft correctly to get back to the title game this season. Atlanta traded up in the first round and then back in the second round. That evened things out for Atlanta, which scored at all levels of the defense getting a pass rusher, linebacker and cornerback.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: B

Baltimore Ravens

Another year, another draft where Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome collects priase for his draft. Baltimore’s defense-heavy draft where the first four picks came on that side of the ball was well-liked. The value of defensive lineman Chris Wormley stands out in this class.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: B

Buffalo Bills

The Bills got credit from dropping down from the No. 10 pick and acquiring a first-round pick in 2018. Finding starters with their first two selections was also praised.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: B

Carolina Panthers

Taking the pressure of quarterback Cam Newton got the Panthers high marks from most. Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel are new weapons for an offense that needed them. Defensive end Daeshon Hall was also considered a good selection in the third round.

SB Nation grade: C+

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B

Chicago Bears

The Bears got ripped by most for the move up for to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky at No. 2. Only drafting one player on defense was a critique of the Bears’ draft this year.

SB Nation grade: C

CBS Sports: D

USA Today: C-

Sports Illustrated: C-

Washington Post: D+

Cincinnati Bengals

The feelings about the Bengals draft centered on the selection of running back Joe Mixon in the second round. And it’s not even exactly about him punching a woman in the face. It was about the value of the pick since so many teams had him off their draft board. Some were averse to the pick of John Ross in the first round.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: A

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: C-

Cleveland Browns

The analysis on the deep class of picks by the Browns was loved by a few analysts. The Browns got a handful of good players, headlined by first overall pick Myles Garrett. The lone dissenter criticized the Browns because they were supposed to have a good draft with five top-65 selections. The pick of Caleb Brantley was criticized by most.

SB Nation grade: B

CBS Sports: A

USA Today: A

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: C+

Dallas Cowboys

The needs for Dallas were at pass rusher and in the secondary, and they checked those off early in the draft. The Cowboys pulled in Taco Charlton to get after the quarterback in the first round and brought in potential starting cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B-

Denver Broncos

I knocked Denver’s draft because I felt they reached on a few picks. Conversely, Chris Burke of SI praised Denver for picking off several needs. They started getting the offensive tackle they needed in the first round, but was Garret Bolles the right one? The selection of tight end Jake Butt in the fifth round was liked by many.

SB Nation grade: C+

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: A

Washington Post: B-

Detroit Lions

The Detroit draft didn’t excite some because they didn’t get a pass rusher that was perceived as being a high need in the Motor City. Most credited the team for taking Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis in the firs round, though.

SB Nation grade: C

CBS Sports: D

USA Today: C+

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: B-

Green Bay Packers

Like Baltimore, Green Bay is a team with a veteran general manager in Ted Thompson who got high marks for picking needs on defense. The team got potential starters Kevin King and Josh Jones with their first two picks. The key to this draft could be Vince Biegel, who could be the team’s future as an edge rusher.

SB Nation grade: B+

CBS Sports: A

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B

Houston Texans

Houston’s grade is dependent on the opinion of the acquisition of quarterback Deshaun Watson. Those who thought Houston gave up too much for him knocked the grade. Those who liked it gave them high marks.

SB Nation grade: C+

CBS Sports: C+

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: A

Washington Post: A

Indianapolis Colts

Value on value on value. That’s what defined the draft for the Colts this year. They stole safety Malik Hooker in the first round, then Quincy Wilson in the second round and found good value in edge rusher Tarrel Basham in the third.

SB Nation grade: B

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: A

Washington Post: B+

Jacksonville Jaguars

In the first round the Jaguars got the player who will like be the favorite for offensive rookie of the year in running back Leonard Fournette. But that might only happen if second-round pick Cam Robinson comes along as expected.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: B+

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: A-

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are another team where the grade was determined on whether the grader liked the dramatic move up for Patrick Mahomes in the first round. The selection of running back Kareem Hunt was a favorite of most.

SB Nation grade: C

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: B

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers graded out as having one of the best drafts, largely for taking guard Forrest Lamp in the second round. Wide receiver Mike Williams in the first round was a solid choice as well. Getting defensive back Desmond King with the 151st pick was an unquestioned steal.

SB Nation grade: B

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: A

Washington Post: B+

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams might have garnered the worst grades of any team this year. After not having a first-round pick, the team added pieces for second-year quarterback Jared Goff. But neither Cooper Kupp or Gerald Everett were in the top three players at their positions in this draft.

SB Nation grade: C

CBS Sports: C-

USA Today: D+

Sports Illustrated: C

Washington Post: B-

Miami Dolphins

How you view Miami’s draft is dependent on whether or not you thought they should take an offensive lineman in the first round instead of pass rusher Charles Harris. After him, the Dolphins got a group solid albeit maybe unspectacular players.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: C+

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: B-

Minnesota Vikings

The grades for Minnesota are all over the place. I liked them for getting a top 10 talent in Dalvin Cook in the second round. Offensive lineman Pat Elflein was considered a good pick as well. After that, the Vikings’ draft might not have many starters.

SB Nation grade: A

CBS Sports: C+

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B-

New England Patriots

New England had a light class after trading for veterans Brandin Cooks and Kony Ealy this offseason. Still, the team was able to find a couple pass rushers in Derek Rivers and Deatrich Wise and good developmental offensive linemen in Antonio Garcia and Connor McDermott.

SB Nation grade: B+

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: C+

Washington Post: B

New Orleans Saints

The grades for the Saints varied after the selection of Marshon Lattimore in the first round. Ryan Ramczyk and Alvin Kamara might find it hard to get playing time early in their careers, and the team didn’t properly address pass rusher.

SB Nation grade: B

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: C+

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: A-

New York Giants

There are questions about New York’s draft. Did the Giants go away from their usual best player available mantra by taking tight end Evan Engram in the first round and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson in the second? Did the Giants also miss out on a need by picking quarterback Davis Webb in the third round?

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: C

USA Today: C-

Sports Illustrated: B-

Washington Post: B

New York Jets

The Jets started off their draft weekend in excellent fashion taking safety Jamal Adams at No. 6 overall. After that much of the draft got panned. No quarterback and waiting until the sixth round to get a cornerback was confusing.

SB Nation grade: C+

CBS Sports: C+

USA Today: B+

Sports Illustrated: C-

Washington Post: B

Oakland Raiders

The evaluations of Oakland’s draft are uneven because of the mystery surrounding first-round pick Gareon Conley. The pick of safety Obi Melifonwu in the second roudn was a favorite.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B-

USA Today: C

Sports Illustrated: B-

Washington Post: C-

Philadelphia Eagles

On draft weekend the Eagles proved you can draft for need. It just so happens when Philadelphia did there was value in players like pass rusher Derek Barnett in the first round and cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas on the draft’s second day. When grades get done again, Philadelphia’s might hinge on if Jones is healthy and playing as expected.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: C+

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Some consider the pick of quarterback Joshua Dobbs in the fourth round the linchpin of this draft class. No pressure. Many liked first-round pick T.J. Watt, but it was knocked some because of the depth of pass rushers in this draft. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is viewed as a good player but could have a limited role early in his NFL career.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: C+

Washington Post: B+

San Francisco 49ers

First-year general manager John Lynch earned a lot of praise for the blockbuster first-round trade with the Bears. No team had a better cumulative grade than San Francisco. Mine is the lowest simply because the picks on the third day didn’t blow me away and the quarterback group in San Francisco is poor.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: A

USA Today: A

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: A

Seattle Seahawks

Did the Seahawks have a good draft, or did the graders fear a repeat of 2011 where Seattle was given a low grade in a draft that had linebacker K.J. Wright and cornerback Richard Sherman in the middle rounds? This draft was given good grades for taking defensive lineman Malik McDowell and offensive lineman Ethan Pocic in the second round.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: B-

Sports Illustrated: B

Washington Post: B-

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tampa Bay’s draft grade was carried on the selection of tight end O.J. Howard at No. 19. The pick of wide receiver Chris Godwin in the third round was also liked because he can take some pressure off veteran Mike Evans. I downgraded the draft because taking safety Justin Evans in the second round seemed high.

SB Nation grade: C+

CBS Sports: B+

USA Today: B

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B+

Tennessee Titans

Did the Titans do enough in this draft to push for an AFC South title? That’s what one grader believes after the Titans picked up wide receiver Corey Davis and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in the first round. Fifth-round pick Jayon Brown got some kudos because of his coverage ability as a linebacker and his special teams play.

SB Nation grade: B-

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: B+

Washington Post: B-

Washington

Washington got some of the highest scores this year after landing Alabama defensive lineman Jonathan Allen in the first round. That’s not the only reason why Washington’s report card is peppered with A’s. Running back Samaje Perine, a fourth-round pick, was well-liked.

SB Nation grade: A-

CBS Sports: B

USA Today: A-

Sports Illustrated: A-

Washington Post: B+

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