Sports by Schmucks Podcast - Episode 8

The Schmucks offer their take on the NFL playoffs, recent firings in the NFL and hand out their high fives and face palms for 2013.

WWE Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2013

This year the TLC Pay Per View was all built on one match: the unification of both the WWE Title and the World Heavyweight Title. A match eleven years in the making, it was only fitting that it not simply be a normal match. One of this magnitude, like all other matches of extraordinary importance was contested under special rules, in this case (as the title would suggest) a TLC match. It stands as one of my favourite types of matches of all time and the one thing that has endured is the unpredictable nature of such a match, something this main event had a lot of, but more on that later.

3 on 1 Handicap Match: CM Punk vs. The Shield

This was the first match of the evening seeing CM Punk take on the entire team of the Shield, one of the most dominant and impressive teams in a great many years. That match started as one would expect, with Punk’s emotion getting him an early advantage. But as we’ve seen, the power game of Roman Reigns started to wear down Punk in the ring. With that advantage, the Shield used sound tag team strategy, keeping Punk in their corner and using multiple tags to keep each man fresh. When Punk found himself on the outside of the ring, Reigns attempted his devastating spear on the outside, missed, and went sailing into the announce table narrowly missing Cole in the process and injuring his eye. While he was being attended to by the ring doctor, Punk almost defeated Dean Ambrose with the Anaconda Vice submission and with the top rope elbow drop.  Then when attempting the GTS finisher on Ambrose, Punk was interrupted by Rollins who then suffered the GTS himself.  By now Reigns had re-entered the ring and again attempted to spear Punk, but missed and hit Ambrose by accident allowing Punk to pick up a victory with the odds stacked against him.

Divas Championship: Natalya vs. A.J. Lee

During the pre-match interview, A.J. was once again talking trash about the other Divas generally saying how she is better.  Early in the match Natalya was using her submission talents to earn an advantage over the champion, but constant distractions from Tamina on the outside gave A.J. a lot of help. This ultimately led to Natalya finding herself caught in the Black Widow submission, but was able to counter it. When she attempted her second Sharpshooter of the match, A.J. grabbed a handful of hair and turned it into a roll-up pin, getting her the win.

Intercontinental Championship: Damien Sandow vs. Big E. Langston

Before the match, Sandow got on the microphone and proceeded to make fun of the crowd, essentially referring to them as country rubes (he didn’t use that word but I’m trying to bring it back) since they were in Texas. Langston’s power game got him an advantage early on, but Sandow turned it around with the help of the ring post, and he got several near falls out of it. In the end Sandow did all he could, but when Langston lowered them straps it was all over. Langston retained his title in what I thought was a pretty good match.

Tag Team Championship: Real Americans, Rey Mysterio and Big Show, Rybaxel, and the Rhodes Brothers

This was a Fatal Four-way elimination match for the titles, so simply put, when a member of the team is pinned, that team is eliminated. The first to be eliminated was the team of Ryback and Curtis Axel, known as Rybaxel, a team name I hate more every time I hear it (thanks JBL). With them out of the way, it was time for the Real Americans to shine, specifically Antonio Cesaro who got to show off his impressive strength. When he hit the Cesaro Swing on Goldust, he got quite the ovation, and Cody had to save the match for his team. After Goldust had been isolated for quite a while, with Cody on the floor, he tagged in Big Show who then delivered the knock-out punch to both Cesaro and Swagger, which saw them eliminated. It was now time for Rey Mysterio to enter the match and go on a flurry of offense. After Big Show went head first into the ring post, Mysterio attempted a 619 on Cody, who managed to counter into the Cross Roads finisher, retaining their titles. Personally I would like to have seen the Real American win the tag titles, because I think it’s about time they had one. I feel they’ve been slightly underutilized and that we as an audience would all benefit from hearing Zeb Colter talk a little bit more.

R-Truth vs. Brodus Clay

This match was a result of Brodus Clay’s slow heel turn as a result of Xavier Woods (who accompanied Truth to the ring) stealing his gimmick. Tensai kept interrupting the match to try to reason with Brodus, which lead to Tensai and the Funkadactyls leaving the ring and the distraction lead to a roll-up pin by Truth for the win.

The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston

This “impromptu” match came on the heels of a fight between the two during the pre-show when the Miz, as part of the expert panel, used his opportunity to trash talk Kingston. Kingston came out, it came to fisticuffs, and this match was made. Kofi went for Trouble In Paradise on the outside and accidentally kicked the ring post instead of Miz, giving Miz an extended advantage. At one point Miz exposed the turnbuckle, but it came back to bite him when Kingston sent him head first into the turnbuckle and hitting the Trouble In Paradise on the second try, earning Kingston a win. I was hoping this rivalry would see either Kingston or Miz turn heel, because honestly, they aren’t doing anything else. Kingston usually gets beat up in every match, which is fine for a time, but after a while it gets old. Time will tell where this story line goes.

3 on 1 Handicap Match: Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family

This match comes off the heels of Daniel Bryan being asked to join the Wyatt Family, an offer he refused. This match saw Bryan get beaten down for pretty much the entire thing. He did his best to fight back with his kicks, but overall he had very little offense until the closing moments of the match. When it all started to break down, Bryan was able to separate all three Wyatts, got some more kicks in, dove through the ropes to send Harper into the announce table. When Bryan attempted the Yes Lock, Bray Wyatt was able to use his strength to counter into his finisher, earning the Wyatt’s a win. I found this match to be quite entertaining, including a crab walk by Bray Wyatt and several more attempts at recruiting Bryan. I would love to see Bryan join the Wyatt family. He already has the facial hair to match them and if he isn’t going to be in the title hunt anymore, then he needs to do something. Also they could call themselves the Bryatt Family (maybe not the best name but still better than Rybaxel).

Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

This match was “11 years in the making” (in quotations since that statement was uttered constantly) and saw two of the biggest names square off. The match itself was back and forth. Both men had advantages with ladders and chairs (the tables would come into play later in the match). Both took turns getting beat with a steel chair and hit with a ladder. Orton was the first man to go through the table set up on the outside, but recovered quick enough to knock Cena off the ladder and hit the RKO. When the match went outside again, Cena hit Orton twice in the head with the steel steps, but Orton again recovered and went all Brad Maddox on Cena and beat him in the head with the microphone. He then attempted the patented Punt, but Cena countered into an Attitude Adjustment through the Spanish announce table (you’d think those guys would learn to sit somewhere else). Cena then climbed the ladder to the belts and got high enough to grab the apparatus holding the belts up when Orton recovered again and took the ladder out from under Cena leaving him suspended in the air. After Orton hit a dangling Cena with a chair to knock him down, Cena recovered enough to spear Orton through the table leaning in the corner of the ring. After Orton had again put Cena on the ground, he went outside the ring and produced a set of handcuffs and cuffed Cena to the bottom rope. Orton had all but won, but Cena was able to unscrew the rope from the ring post, climbed the ladder with the rope in tow, and hit Orton in the head knocking him off the ladder.  Orton regained his composure before Cena could grab the belts and pulled Cena off the ladder with the rope to land head first into the other table leaning in the corner. This allowed Randy Orton to ascend the ladder and grab both title belts and become the Unified Champion.

Overall Thoughts

I thought this was a pretty entertaining pay-per-view. Sure the Brodus Clay match didn’t really belong here and the Miz-Kingston match felt more like something I’d see on RAW, but the matches moved along smoothly without much filler in between (something I’d gotten used to). Personally I was very happy with the end of the main event, although I thought for sure something, anything, was going to happen to affect the outcome of the match. It was a clean match all the way through and never eased off the suspense meter. Up next is my favourite event of the year, the Royal Rumble and I look forward to seeing what comes next as the Road to Wrestlemania begins.

The Run to the Playoffs: NFL Edition

Well folks, it's about 3/4 of the way through the NFL season. What better time than now to take a look at the Schmucks' preseason predictions and get a look at some thoughts for the upcoming run to the Super Bowl.

My biggest prediction from the off-season predictions and NFL preview podcast was that Mr. All Day himself Adrian Peterson would break the NFL's rushing record of 2,105 this season. As of this article with Week 13 coming up, he isn't even the league's leading rusher. So, count me off track on that one. I mostly blame the terrible quarterback play of the Vikings for this one. Whether it be Ponder, Freeman or Cassel, all of them have been terrible. Expect a high quarterback pick this May in the draft.

Another subject both Brett and I discussed actually came semi-true and that was the play of Robert Griffin III and how he would come back from his ACL injury. So far, he actually has played pretty well, but you can tell he is not the same quarterback that he was last year: jittery in the pocket and doubling the amount of turnovers this year from the same time last year. The lack of training camp in the off-season, and all his focus on rehabbing his knee are most likely the culprits for his slide. I expect a full off-season to fix what ails him and for him to bounce back next year.

Not to insult fellow writer Brett with a couple of dubious picks this year, but he is last in the fantasy football league that we are in and will have the SACKO coming his way this year. (Editor's note: I believe I said I would win the SACKO) And his pick of Eli Manning for league MVP was quite off to say the least. (Don't know what I was on when I picked that scenario.) Our choice of Jarvis Jones for defensive rookie of the year was off base as well, but the Steelers struggles have been quite surprising. Our picks for division winners this year have been hit and miss this year especially in the AFC South.

In the NFC East, our choices of the Giants for Brett (Giants are only two games back) and Redskins for me is completely off with the revamped teams of the division the Eagles and Cowboys in a dogfight for top dog in the division. I believe Nick Foles will lead the Eagles to win the division. In the NFC North, no would in their right mind would think the Lions would be on top this late into the season, but the injury to Aaron Rodgers and the terrible defensive play of the the Packers left that door open. The Lions will win the division in a tight race to the end with the Bears. The NFC South has been a topsy-turvy story with every team being a surprise in their own right. Both Brett and I picked the Saints to win the division, but I did not see the Panthers playing this well. I thought next year would be in their fight for the division lead. The weeks coming up will be a big factor in who wins the division with the Panthers and Saints facing off twice. I think the Saints will come out on top. My prediction of the Falcons being overrated came to fruition, and the Buccaneers were going to be boom or bust this year as I said. It looks like they went bust, but have been competitive none-the-less. The NFC West has been Seattles' play thing this year and if they win home field you might as well book them a trip to New York for the Super Bowl. The 49ers have been surprisingly flat so far, but seem to be coming around late in year. My pick for a surprise wild card team in Arizona has been playing extremely well.

The AFC East, West and North has gone to plan for our picks with the Patriots, Bengals, and Broncos on top of their divisions handily. The AFC South pick of the Houston Texans went quite terribly with their season being an absolute disaster, with quarterback Matt Schaub going belly up and more then likely forcing the Texans into a high quarterback pick in the u coming draft. The interesting fight in the AFC is for the wild card position, where pretty much every team but the Texans and Jaguars have a shot at the final playoff spot. The Dolphins and Ravens are at 6-6 records right now, with the Titans, Chargers, Steelers, and Jets breathing down their necks at 5-7. The Bills, Browns, and Raiders are still in the picture at 4-8, but any kind of run in the upcoming weeks can put them right there at the end.

This season has been chalk full of shocking stories like the Jonathan Martin bullying situation down in Miami. I know it is the NFL and teams demand their players to be bad-ass, tough son of a guns, but in the end of the day these men are still human and who likes to be threatened while going to work? I believe Richie Incognito's punishment so far to his reputation and suspension have been fitting to the crime. I do believe he will play again, but not with the Dolphins. I believe both players will be moved in the off-season to new teams for the fresh starts they need.

As I said, RG3's drama this year has even gone beyond the knee with even his father being to blame for his play in the locker room. Washington has just been a bad team this year and the season will be a growing pain year like the one that Kansas City faced last year. Expect a bounce back next year.

The Buccaneers have had embarrassing story after embarrassing story come out this year. If it wasn't three players on the team getting a severe staph infection called MRSA, it was the ridicule of head coach Greg Schiano and the calling for him to be fired. Or the release of quarterback Josh Freeman. This year clearly has not gone to plan for the Buccaneers, but they have been playing well enough to have a much better record then they currently have. Mike Glennon could contend for Rookie of the Year. I still expect changes in off-season to the coach and GM, and a big year next year.

The biggest story of the year has to be the Texans and Chiefs, one going from worst team last year to potential Super Bowl contender and the other going from Super Bowl contender to worst team in the league. Even worse than the Jaguars. Quite shocking what has happened in Houston. They will need a lot of help in the off-season to get back to division top dog. Kansas City has played so well on behalf of their quarterback not being incompetent, with fringe choice for MVP Alex Smith leading them to a 9-3 record so far this year, and their defence being one of the best in the league.

Now that we have recapped what has taken place so far this season, it is time for updated selections for MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Rookies of the Year, and the Super Bowl champion of course!

We will start off with the Rookies of the Year on the defensive and offensive side. Our original picks for the Offensive Rookie of the Year was for EJ Manuel (Brett) and Tavon Austin (me). Manuel had a great start to the season, but injuries derailed his chance at the award. As much as Austin has picked it up later in the season, his beginning to his rookie year was terrible and he hasn't been able to recover from that. So with that, my updated pick for rookie of the year is Eddie Lacy from the Packers, who has single-handedly revived a stale and nearly dead rushing attack for the Packers. Also in consideration has been Mike Glennon from the Buccaneers who has turned the team around since taking over for Josh Freeman.

On the defensive side of the ball, the original picks for the Rookie of the Year for both Brett and I was Jarvis Jones of the Steelers. While Jones hasn't had the greatest first year, recording only one sack and 24 tackles up to the point of this article being written, it is another line backer taken in the 2nd round who has become the Sports By Schmucks defensive Rookie of the Year. Kiko Alonso from the Buffalo Bills has quietly become a force in the middle of the Bills' defence. The rangy former Oregon Duck has amassed 112 tackles up to this point, which is second in the league, along with four interceptions and two sacks. Another player to that caught my eye this year has been Sheldon Richardson from the Jets, who has been a disruptive force on the defensive line for the Rex Ryan Jets.

Both Brett and I had some interesting choices for who the Defensive Player of the Year could be. Brett chose Cam Wake and I chose Brian Orpako for the DPOY. Both are having solid years, but no one can touch this Seattle defender who has backed up his talk as one of the best to ever play the position. My choice for Defensive Player of the Year is Richard Sherman. While his stats aren't eye popping, that is for a reason: quarterbacks are just afraid to throw at him. He is the definition of shut down. With 29 tackles and 4 picks to this point, I don't expect him to put up to many more tackles or picks. But it's the fear he brings to quarterbacks that earns my respect and my player of the year choice. My other consideration for the award would be Robert Mathis from the Colts who is quietly having a great season in Indy, amassing 15.5 sacks so far this season to go along with a safety and five forced fumbles.

Our Offensive Player of the Year choice was Adrian Peterson. He was also my MVP choice. Brett's choice for MVP crazily enough (emphasis on crazy) was Eli Manning. But I believe it is the other Manning who will take home both awards. Peyton Manning has been having a whale of a season, with just over 4,100 yards passing, 41 touchdowns and only 9 picks all while leading his team to a 10-2 record. He more than deserves the choice as the Most Valuable Player in the NFL. Other players in consideration for each award is Calvin Johnson in Detroit and Adrian Peterson for the Vikings. Each are having incredible years, but will fall short in comparison to the year that Peyton is having.

Now, down to a topic we didn't hit on in the podcast or my season preview which is coach of the year. My choice for coach of the year is Ron Rivera in Carolina who has taken a team who last year had a 7-9 record, started out 0-2 this year, and is now 9-2 with nine straight impressive wins. Failing a late season collapse to the playoffs, he will win the award. Andy Reid in Kansas City also deserves major kudos for the job done there, but his roster was full of Pro Bowl talent. Bringing in quarterback Alex Smith maybe deserves more credit there for the turn around.

On to the final topic to look at and that is the eventually champ of the NFL. Brett and I originally had the match up set as the Denver Broncos vs the Seattle Seahawks for the Super Bowl. Nothing has changed from that original picking. We are just now more reinforced in our picks. Brett still has Peyton going on to win his 2nd Lombardi trophy, while I have Seattle winning it's first title ever bringing the trophy back to the 12th man in Seattle.

That is our look back and forward of the NFL's season so far. Keep an eye out for upcoming articles and podcasts from the guys at Sports by Schmucks, including a look at the MLB off-season at the big free agent signings so far and what's to come.

Follow us on Twitter at @SportBySchmucks and like us on Facebook for new posts on the website, live tweeting of events, and overall fun. If you don't follow, you won't know which game we'll be tweeting. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest podcasts and sports gaming videos.

Buffalo Bills Owner Mode - Epsiode 5

The Buffalo Bills host the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens in this episode of the Buffalo Bills Owner Mode. C.J. Spiller makes his return to the line-up. Will he help the Bills defend home turf?

Please take the time to subscribe to the YouTube for more content. You never know. I may forget to post a video here from time to time. Just like episodes three and four. Take some time to catch up by checking out the playlist here.

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Xavier Banks Road to Glory - Episode 10

Xavier Banks is back with two more games, both in the Pac-12. He takes on Stanford and Washington in this one. Will the Ducks stay undefeated?

Xavier Banks Road to Glory - Episode 9

Xavier Banks continues to lead the Oregon Ducks on their quest for the National Championship. How will his team do with two straight road games?

NHL Season Preview: Pacific Division

We are in the home stretch now as the NHL preview heads to the West Coast to look at the Pacific Division. It includes the final three Canadian teams and the entire state of California. Oh, and Phoenix. Let's get this started.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks surprised a lot of people last year, finishing second in the Western Conference before being knocked out in the first round. It'll be hard to keep up with the pace from last year. Francois Beauchemin had a Norris calibre season last year. Will he be able to do that again? Viktor Fasth broke on to the scene as well, providing some stability in the net Jonas Hiller hasn't been able to the last couple of seasons. The known quantities from the Ducks are Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf putting up points and Teemu Selanne lacing up the skates. Bobby Ryan is gone, but Anaheim got a decent return for him including Jakob Silfverberg. It'll be an interesting season for the Ducks, but they'll be in a fight to make the playoffs this season.

Calgary Flames

Remember when Calgary were up 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Finals? That season started 10 years ago. A lot has changed since then, especially since last year. Jarome Iginla was finally traded after a couple of years of speculation. Long-time goaltender Miika Kiprusoff retired just before the season started. The silver lining for the Flames is they'll get a long look at many of their young prospects as they don't have much else. The addition of Jiri Hudler will help guide some of these players on and off the ice as they learn the NHL game. Defensively, new captain Mike Giordano (that still sounds weird) will lead this defence core into the season. They'll have their work cut out for them as new starting goalie Kaari Ramo has 48 total games played in the NHL over his career. Unfortunately for the Flames and their fans, the most interesting story for the team will be how Burke and Feaster work together. They won't even sniff the playoffs.

Edmonton Oilers

I really liked the moves Edmonton made in the offseason. They were able to unload Shawn Horcoff's contract, brought in David Perron to add some physicality to the top 6, and addressed their defence in the draft and through free agency. The Oilers signed Andrew Ference away from Boston, and he has already become Edmonton's captain. His leadership for a young defensive core will do wonders for the team. Unfortunately, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will miss the first month and Sam Gagner will most likely miss the first two. It's forced Taylor Hall into the first-line centre roll for the team. It leaves the team very shallow down the middle, which is one of the strengths of the best teams in this division. If Devan Dubnyk can keep the team in it while they wait for their centres to come back, the Oilers might sneak into a playoff spot. If not, it'll be another long winter in Edmonton.

Los Angeles Kings

The Kings are a team built for playoff success. They showed it when they won the Cup as an eighth seed in the 2011-12 season. Last year, they made a valiant run before losing to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions. The good news for the Kings is they've essentially returned the same team as last year. Los Angeles remains a physical team, and that is how they generate most of their offence. Anze Kopitar is still a playmaker, while Mike Richards and Jeff Carter can play physically and put the puck in the net. They are still a tough, defensive unit behind Drew Doughty. The Kings have a lot of stability and consistency on the blue line as well. Anchored in net by Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles will be scary. Quick's ability allowed them to trade back-up Jonathan Bernier to the Leafs for Ben Scrivens, Matt Frattin, and pick. Frattin will add some more speed to the forward group. It's pretty much a lock that L.A. will make the playoffs again.

Phoenix Coyotes

With the ownership situation seemingly resolved in Phoenix, it's time for the city to focus on the actual game of hockey again. The strike shortened season was one to forget, especially after the success of the last full season. One of the factors leading to the downward trend was the injury to Mike Smith who played so well for the Coyotes. Now healthy, Smith should be able to lead the team back to some of the success they saw before. Phoenix also has many talented young blue liners, led by Keith Yandle who is just entering his prime. Oliver Ekman-Larsson should continue emerge as one of the game's best offensive defencemen. Upfront, Shane Doan is back for another season with the Desert Dogs. That is also one of the negatives for the team as many of their forwards are entering the twilight of their careers. It'll be hard for them to keep up with the fast-paced play of the regular season. If the offence can find ways to score, the Coyotes can make a run for the playoffs.

San Jose Sharks
Every year it seems writers and other forms of media want to convince readers and listeners the Sharks' window to win a championship has closed. But, most years, the team responds by putting together a great regular season before falling short in the playoffs. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau have been the faces of the franchise since the 2004 lockout. The next big thing for the Sharks is Logan Couture, who is almost ready to supplant Thornton and Marleau. Add in a dash of Joe Pavelski and the team still has some gas in the tank. The defence has a nice balance of stay-at-home and puck-moving defencemen. Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic lead the charge from the back end to feed the offence. Antti Niemi is thankful for those two getting the puck out of his end consistently. Niemi was a Vezina contender last year and has the potential to do that again. It seems like the Sharks are destined to make the playoffs again, but how far will they go?

Vancouver Canucks
So, after all of that, the dust settles and Roberto Luongo is still a Vancouver Canuck. The least likely outcome happened, and the Canucks and Luongo have to repair a fragile relationship. With new coach John Tortorella, it might be easier to do so with a new voice in the room. In reality, nothing major has changed for the Canucks' roster other than the loss of Cory Schneider. The Sedins will still work their magic together; a healthy Ryan Kesler for a full season will help their depth at centre; Kevin Bieksa again leads the defence which will try to block more shots under Tortorella's system. The only difference that could effect the Canucks is if they buy in to what Tortorella is preaching. I think they do and make the playoffs again.

So, that was a quick breakdown of the seven teams in the Pacific Division. Now, let's see how they shake out in the standings.

1. Los Angeles Kings
2. Vancouver Canucks
3. San Jose Sharks
4. Phoenix Coyotes
5. Edmonton Oilers
6. Anaheim Ducks
7. Calgary Flames

Obviously, based on this, I think the Ducks were a fluke last year and can't sustain that level of play. With both Western Conference divisions now done, I believe Phoenix and Winnipeg makes the playoffs. Unfortunately for the Oilers, the injuries to start the season will just be too difficult to make up.

Well, there you have it. That's how I think the NHL will finish after 82 games. How do you think the season will go for all of the divisions. Sound off in the comments below or let us known on Twitter - also below.

Follow us on Twitter at @SportBySchmucks for new posts on the website, live tweeting of events, and overall fun. If you don't follow, you won't know which game we'll be tweeting. Also, subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest podcasts and sports gaming videos.