Neil Keefe

Jan 5, 2016

My Super Bowl 50 Dilemma

Someone will win Super Bowl 50, but it won’t be the Giants. Unfortunately, this column is becoming an annual thing because of the Giants’ inability to reach the postseason.

1. Vikings
My girlfriend is a Vikings fan, so with the Giants out of the playoffs, I’m an honorary Vikings fan. (Hopefully, this goes better than when I became an honorary “12” for the Super Bowl after going to the NFC Championship Game in Seattle.)

2. Broncos
If the Broncos hadn’t been able to win home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, then writing all of this wouldn’t have mattered because the Patriots would be going to the Super Bowl and the only that would matter is backing whichever NFC team reached Santa Clara. But at home in a potential AFC Championship Game where the Broncos beat the Patriots two seasons ago, well I can get on board with that happening.

The return of Peyton Manning in Week 17 to clinch home-field advantage and now healthy and ready for the postseason could be the start of the best end to a career since John Elway. Peyton is going to need a second Super Bowl win to be considered the greatest quarterback ever and not just the greatest regular-season quarterback ever. He had his chance in Super Bowl XLIV and again in XVIII and I hope he gets the chance again in 50 because that will mean the Patriots won’t be there.

3. Texans
The Texans have no chance of winning the Super Bowl. Zero chance. They actually shouldn’t even have a postseason spot because of their zero chance they have of winning. (This also goes for the Redskins.) But one can imagine how fun it would be for Brian Hoyer to be a Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

4. Cardinals
In 2013, Bruce Arians’ Cardinals finished 10-6 and missed the playoffs because of the deep NFC West, while the 8-7-1- Packers won their division and hosted a first-round game. Last season, Arians lost Carson Palmer for Weeks 2, 3 and 5 (they had a bye in Week 4), and then to a season-ending injury in Week 10. The Cardinals went 6-0 when Palmer was their quarterback and 5-5 when he wasn’t. The Cardinals then lost Drew Stanton and had to start Ryan Lindley in the playoffs and there they lost to the Panthers. The Cardinals are finally in the postseason with a real starting quarterback, but fr as much as I would like to see Arians win it all, I can’t say the same about Carson Palmer.

5. Bengals
A.J. McCarron believes he can go on a Tom Brady-like run and mirror what Brady started and did 13 years ago. He has the offensive weapons to do so and the defense to back him, so it’s not that outrageous to think McCarron could lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl as long as he doesn’t ruin a postseason game for them. Being a Bengal and having Marvin Lewis as his head coach in the playoffs is working against him and that might be too much to overcome.

6. Chiefs
Andy Reid as a Super Bowl-winning head coach? Alex Smith as a Super Bowl-winning quarterback? Kansas City as Super Bowl champions just three months after winning the World Series? Hey, it could happen.

7. Panthers
The Cam Newton MVP and hype train is insufferable, but at least he’s deserving of the attention he gets and it’s not like he’s the one giving himself the attention. I’m not rooting against the Panthers though I’m not rooting against them, I just can’t see them beating the Patriots if it came to that next month and that’s really what this is all about. And let’s not forget …

I’m still mad at the Panthers for their Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to the Patriots that gave the Patriots their second Super Bowl in three years. And I’m still mad at the Panthers, well mainly just Jake Delhomme, for destroying that divisional round game against the Cardinals in 2008 with five interceptions, costing me the Panthers -10 pick.

8. Steelers
If Ben Roethlisberger wins a third Super Bowl then we’ll have to hear the hot takes like “Is Ben Roethlisberger the best quarterback of all time?” and he’ll certainly be given the nod as the best quarterback of the 2004 draft class over Eli Manning and I can’t stand for that.

9. Redskins
I already don’t like that I have to root for the Giants’ division rival in the first round this Saturday and I certainly wouldn’t want to see them win the Super Bowl or even get there for that matter. We saw what the Redskins did against the Patriots this season, and after Pete Carroll handed them a championship last season, we don’t need the Patriots being given anymore championships.

10. Seahawks
After Pete Carroll’s goal-line decision in the Super Bowl, I promised myself I would never root for the Seahawks again unless they were playing the Patriots in the Super Bowl again. The last thing I want to see is Carroll and Russell Wilson hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, a year after they gave it to the Patriots, pretending like last year never happened. If the duo wins again, it would overshadow what happened last year and I need that to be their lasting Super Bowl memory after ending the Patriots’ nine-year championship drought.

11. Packers
Let me remind you of how the Packers’ seasons have ended in the Aaron Rodgers era:

2008: Missed playoffs
2009: Lost in wild-card round
2010: Won Super Bowl
2011: Lost in divisional round (first game)
2012: Lost in divisional round after beating Joe Webb and the Vikings in the Wild-Card round
2013: Lost in wild-card round
2014: Lost in the NFC Championship after blowing a 12-point lead with just over two minutes left

In the seven years with Rodgers as the starter, the Packers have won six playoff games with four of them coming in the same year. And if the “Miracle at the Meadowlands” doesn’t happen, the Packers don’t even make the playoffs in 2010 let alone win the Super Bowl. If the Packers win the Super Bowl, the never-ending praise for Rodgers is only going to get worse.

I’m so sick of Aaron Rodgers. The idea that he’s the best quarterback in the world is ridiculous and the excuses made for him because his receivers are Randall Cobb, James Jones and Davante Adams are disgusting. That trio would go down as one of the best trios Tom Brady would have ever had in his career, yet when Rodgers isn’t successful with them, it’s not his fault, it’s theirs.

12. Patriots
From the 2010 playoffs:

There is no way I want the Patriots to win the Super Bowl. None at all. I would rather walk across the George Washington Bridge naked, during rush hour, while it’s freezing rain than see the Patriots win.

From last year’s playoffs:

I’m scared that this is the year the Patriots finish the job after losing two Super Bowls, three AFC Championship Games, two divisional round losses, a wild-card round loss and a missed postseason over the last nine years. But the one thing keeping me from penciling the Patriots in as the Super Bowl XLXI champion is Mike Hurley telling me that he has seen better Patriots team he thought would win the Super Bowl and they didn’t.

The Patriots have to lose.

Well, they didn’t. Thanks, Pete Carroll. The only way to put even the slightest dent in what happened last year is if the Broncos beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and then Peyton Manning wins the Super Bowl and rides off into the sunset as a champion. This has to happen.

Blogs

Jan 4, 2016

Goodbye, Tom Coughlin

I won’t think about the bad times when I think of Tom Coughlin and his Giants teams from 2004-2015. Without the bad times, the good times aren’t as good, and he gave me two of the best days of my life.

Tom Coughlin is partially responsible for two of the best sports days of my life. And since I’m not married yet (Hi, Brittni) and since I haven’t had a child yet, it’s hard not to say Coughlin is partially responsible for two of the best days of my life, not just my sports life: Feb. 3, 2008 and Feb. 5, 2012.

When the Giants hired Tom Coughlin on Jan. 6, 2004 with a four-year, $11 million deal, the team was coming off a 4-12 season, was two years removed from blowing a 38-14 third-quarter lead in the playoffs against the 49ers and three years removed from getting blown out in Super Bowl XXXV. At the time of the hiring, John Mara said the Giants were a franchise “in trouble.” For as bad as this season went, with a 6-10 record, and six losses to the Cowboys, Falcons, Saints, Patriots, Jets and Eagles that should have been wins and two more losses to the Redskins and Panthers that could have been wins, the Giants aren’t in the same kind of “trouble” they were in nearly 12 years ago. This 6-10 season could have been as good as 12-4 and could have easily been 9-7, which would have landed the Giants a home game for Wild-Card Weekend this weekend. But it wasn’t. Bad decisions, choices and clock management resulted in the Giants’ third straight losing season and it resulted in Tom Coughlin being fired on Monday.

It’s nice to think that Tom Coughlin really did decide that at the age of 69 and after four straight playoff-less seasons it’s time to go into John Mara’s office and tell him he’s resigning as head coach of the Giants. But it’s also nice to think that growing up a fat man from the North Pole left all of the presents under the tree and a giant bunny put plastic eggs full of candy around the house and a tiny fairy was in the business of trading teeth for money. If you believe John Mara that this was Tom Coughlin’s decision then you probably also believe the national game broadcasters who think Craig Dahl has been a valuable part of the Giants’ secondary all season because of a tackle he makes on Monday Night Football. Coughlin didn’t want to leave the Giants and the only job he’s had for the last 12 seasons, but he also didn’t want to have the word “fired” officially attached to the end of his Giants coaching career and the front office certainly didn’t want a stain on the resume and reputation of the head coach that brought them two championships and their only two since the 1990 season.

I have had a love/hate relationship with Coughlin over the last 12 years, which began when I was 17 years old, but there was only one time I truly thought he should be fired. That was in the last few weeks of the 2011 regular season when it looked like the Giants would miss out on the playoffs for the third straight season after losing their first playoff game in 2008 despite being the best team in the league. I thought that even though the Giants had won Super Bowl XLII, if they missed the playoffs in 2011, it would have meant one championship in eight seasons with three straight playoff-less seasons and even though some fan bases would do unimaginable things for that kind of success, it felt like the Giants could have and should have accomplished more. Maybe a new head coach and coaching staff would get the Giants to realize their full potential consistently and not just once every few years and make them a true annual contender.

After their Week 9 win in New England in 2011, the Giants were 6-2 and the idea of a second-half collapse, which would be their third in as many years, seemed impossible. But then they lost to 49ers, Eagles, Saints and Packers and suddenly were 6-6 and it was happening once again. At 6-6, they trailed the Cowboys by 12 in Dallas in Week 14 with five minutes and 41 seconds left and the Cowboys looking at running out the clock and clinching the division, and that’s when it all changed. Tony Romo overthew Miles Austin to win the game and then with a chance to force overtime, Dan Bailey’s field-goal attempt was blocked by Jason Pierre-Paul after Tom Coughlin’s timeout caused Bailey’s first successful attempt to not count.

The Giants still lost the following week to the Redskins with an embarrassing effort similar to the one they produced against the Redskins near the end of this season, but it didn’t matter. Beat the Jets in Week 16 and the Cowboys in Week 17 and they were in. Victor Cruz’s 99-yard touchdown saved them against the Jets and they routed the Cowboys in the season finale on Sunday Night Football to return to the postseason. The second-half collapse streak had been broken and a month later they were Super Bowl champions again. Super Bowl XLVI was the last time the Giants played a playoff game and it was the last time Tom Coughlin would coach a playoff game for the Giants unless there’s some Joe Gibbs-like return planned for the future.

The Giants should have been back in the playoffs when they were 6-2 before yet another second-half collapse in 2012. They should have found a way to beat the Cowboys in 2013 after overcoming an 0-6 start to the year and they should have found a way to keep their three-game winning streak going that got them to 3-2 at the beginning of 2014. They should have found a way to win the NFC East this season given the state of the division. But each time, the Giants failed, the same way they did in 2009 after starting that season 5-0 and the same way they did in 2010 after starting that season 6-1.

The playoff losses to the Panthers in 2005 and Eagles in 2006 will always hurt. The second-half collapses will always be devastating. The Miracles at the New Meadowlands will cause me to lose sleep forever. The opening nights in Dallas in 2013 and 2015 will forever have me asking, “Why?” The divisional round playoff loss in 2008 as the No. 1 overall seed in the league following Plaxico Burress’ nightclub catastrophe will always leave me wondering, “What if?” But I won’t think any of the bad times when I think of Tom Coughlin and his Giants teams from 2004-2015. Without the bad times, the good times aren’t as good.

Instead, I will think of the Giants going to Tampa Bay and dominating the Buccaneers during Wild-Card Weekend in January 2008 as I watched from Mohegan Sun. I will think of watching R.W. McQuarters intercept Tony Romo to clinch the Giants’ win over the 1-seed Cowboys a week later with my friend Red in Jillian’s in Boston, as the only two people in the whole bar. I will think of Coughlin’s frozen face in Green Bay watching and Lawrence Tynes’ third attempt at beating the Packers in the NFC Championship Game finally go through the uprights the following week. I will think about sitting in St. Leonard’s Church in the North End of Boston on the morning of Super Bowl XLII asking God to please let the Giants upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and avenge the Yankees’ collapse from October 2004. I will think about not being able to breathe watching Eli Manning escape to find David Tyree in XLII. I will think of feeling like my house burned down when Randy Moss scored to give the Patriots the lead and then feeling like I had just won the Powerball when Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress wide open in the corner of the end zone and all the beer showers that followed. I will think of walking down Hanover Street in Boston the following morning and feeling like Will Smith in the opening scene of I Am Legend.

I will think of Tony Romo missing Miles Austin and Coughlin’s timeout forcing Dan Bailey to kick that field goal once again and Jason Pierre-Paul blocking it. I will think of Victor Cruz scoring a 99-yard touchdown with the Giants backed up to their own 1 with the season on the line. I will think of worrying about which Giants team would show up on Sunday Night Football against the Cowboys and then relaxing when the Giants took a 21-0 halftime lead. I will think of watchingJulio Jones and Roddy White being shut out and the favored Falcons being run out of MetLife out on wild-card weekend. I will think about the Giants going to Lambeau and embarrassing the 15-1 Packers and Aaron Rodgers at home, including Eli Manning’s end-of-the-first-half Hail Mary to Hakeem Nicks. I will think about watching Eli Manning take a beating from the 49ers during the NFC Championship Game, nearly throwing up from anxiety 17 times during overtime, watching Lawrence Tynes kick the Giants to the Super Bowl again and celebrating like Theo Fleury in the 1990-91 Stanley Cup Playoffs. I will think about watching Tom Brady commit that intentional grounding penalty for a safety to start Super Bowl XLVI, Eli Manning finding Mario Manningham with a perfect throw and unbelievable catch down the sideline and Ahmad Bradshaw mistakingly falling in the end zone. I will think about jumping around and yelling when Tom Brady’s Hail Mary fell out of reach from Rob Gronkowski’s fingers as if I had miraculously held the winning Powerball ticket for the second time in four years.

That’s what I will think of when I think of Tom Coughlin. Because without Tom Coughlin, I don’t have Feb. 3, 2008 and Feb. 5, 2012. So while this is goodbye to the man who led the Giants to two championships and kept Tom Brady and Bill Belichick from two more, it’s also thank you. Thank you and goodbye.

Blogs • Giants

Dec 31, 2015

NFL Week 17 Picks

The Tom Coughlin era could be coming to an end on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It doesn’t seem real that I might be watching Coughlin on the Giants sideline for the final time and it

The Tom Coughlin era could be coming to an end on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It doesn’t seem real that I might be watching Coughlin on the Giants sideline for the final time and it shouldn’t be, but until it’s official, I will hold out hope that ownership gives him at least one more year.

It’s the final week of the regular season and with 27 games left in the NFL season, barring an epic disaster, this picks season is going to end above .500. With Week 17, we’re faced with a lot of meaningless games between teams that have nothing to play for and will begin their offseason on Monday and teams that have already locked up their seed and will likely rest their starters for all of the majority of their final game. That makes these picks the hardest of the season, but also the easiest to write.

DALLAS -3.5 over Washington
Somewhere someone who isn’t a Cowboys fan or a Redskins fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

New York Jets -3.5 over BUFFALO
A must-win game for the Jets, well that is unless the Steelers lose to the Browns, and of course standing between the Jets and controlling their own fate for a postseason berth is Rex Ryan, who you could say has stood between them and a postseason berth since 2011. It’s hard to see the Jets not winning this game after they were able to knock off the Patriots (even if the Patriots looked like they could care less about winning) in Week 16. If the Jets lose this game and the Steelers beat the Browns, it might be the worst regular-season loss in the history of the Jets. For once, will the Jets not be the same old Jets?

INDIANAPOLIS -6.5 over Tennessee
The Colts need some help to get in the playoffs, but they’re not going to get it. The Texans are going to win and the Colts’ postseason streak under Chuck Pagano will come to an end.

CINCINNATI -7.5 over Baltimore
This game is important for the Bengals’ postseason chances because it gives A.J. McCarron another game under his belt heading into the playoffs. If McCarron truly believes he can launch a Tom Brady-like career as a backup who took over for an injured starter, he’s going to need all the real-game experience he can get before Wild-Card Weekend.

New England -9.5 over MIAMI
It’s nearly impossible to beat the Patriots at Gillette in the postseason and all the Patriots have to do to clinch home-field advantage in the AFC is to beat the Dolphins who have been waiting for the offseason for months. After the Patriots barely tried to beat the Jets last week, and still nearly did, it might take even less of an effort to get past the Dolphins and make sure they host the Broncos in a potential AFC Championship Game matchup. The Dolphins might be the only thing standing between the Patriots and another red carpet walk to the Super Bowl and that’s not good for anyone.

CHICAGO -1.5 over Detroit
Somewhere someone who isn’t a Bears fan or a Lions fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

Pittsburgh -10.5 over CLEVELAND
Somehow the Steelers lost to Ryan Mallett and the Ravens in a potential must-win game for a playoff berth and now they need some help. The Steelers should be able to easily handle the Austin Davis Browns, but it’s going to take a Jets loss in Buffalo for the Steelers to survive their embarrassing loss to the Ravens.

HOUSTON -6.5 over Jacksonville
A Texans win and they’re in and the way they have been able to beat up on their division this season makes this the easiest pick of the week.

NEW YORK GIANTS -3.5 over Philadelphia
This could be the last game of the Tom Coughlin era and here I am hoping the Giants lose. If the Giants win, they get a lower draft pick and have to play the Seahawks in Seattle in 2016. If the Giants lose, they get a better draft pick and play the Rams in London in 2016. No Giants fan should be rooting for the Giants on Sunday.

ATLANTA -4.5 over New Orleans
Somewhere someone who isn’t a Falcons fan or a Saints fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

DENVER -7.5 over San Diego
A Patriots loss and Broncos win gives the Broncos home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs and means there might be a chance that the Patriots don’t get to the Super Bowl. If the Broncos have to go to Gillette for the AFC Championship Game, I might as well start hoping the Cardinals, Panthers or Seahawks can beat them in February.

SAN FRANCISCO +3.5 over St. Louis
Somewhere someone who isn’t a 49ers fan or a Rams fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

KANSAS CITY -6.5 over Oakland
From 1-5 to 11-5? If the Chiefs beat the Raiders in Week 17, they will finish the season on a 10-game winning streak and be the hottest team in the league entering the playoffs with what looks like a first-round game at Houston.

CAROLINA -10.5 over Tampa Bay
A Panthers win clinches them home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and that should be reason enough for them to go full out against a Buccaneers team with absolutely nothing to play for.

ARIZONA -4.5 over Seattle
The Cardinals say they are going to play to win this game even if things aren’t going their way out in Carolina. If the Cardinals do play to win and play the way they have over their first 15 games, the Seahawks won’t win. But if Bruce Arians decides to get to his bye week as healthy as possible, this pick won’t stand a chance.

Minnesota +3.5 over GREEN BAY
Once again, I’m picking the Vikings because my girlfriend is a Vikings fan, who hates the Packers the way she hates the San Francisco Giants, and because the Vikings have been so good to me this year in my picks. Let’s finish the regular season on a winning note.

Last week: 5-11-0
Season: 128-107-5

Blogs • Yankees

Dec 29, 2015

Brian Cashman Triumphs Through Trade Again

The Yankees need two general managers. One that does the trades and one that does the free-agent signings the way a football team might have two kickers, one specifically for kickoffs and one for field goals.

(Editor’s note: I don’t know what’s going to happen to Aroldis Chapman when it comes to the domestic violence allegations from early December that caused his trade to the Dodgers to fall through. But for the sake of this column, I’m going to write as if he’s going to play the entire 2015 season.)

The Yankees need two general managers. One that does the trades (Brian Cashman) and one that does the free-agent signings the way a football team might have two kickers, one specifically for kickoffs and one for field goals. There’s no doubt that Cashman is the master of trades in Major League Baseball and he once again proved it on Monday by acquiring Aroldis Chapman from the Reds.

So far this offseason, Cashman has made five trades:

Nov. 11: Traded 2B Jose Pirela to Padres for RHP Ronald Herrera.

Nov. 11: Traded C John Ryan Murphy to Twins for CF Aaron Hicks.

Dec. 8: Traded RHP Adam Warren and 2B Brendan Ryan to Cubs for 2B Starlin Castro.

Dec. 9: Traded LHP Justin Wilson to Tigers for RHP Chad Green and RHP Luis Cessa.

Dec. 27: Traded RHP Caleb Cotham, RHP Rookie Davis, 3B Eric Jagielo and 2B Tony Renda to Reds for LHP Aroldis Chapman.

To put it as one big trade …

The Yankees traded:

2B Jose Pirela
C John Ryan Murphy
RHP Adam Warren
2B Brendan Ryan
LHP Justin Wilson
RHP Caleb Cotham
RHP Rookie Davis
3B Eric Jagielo
2B Tony Renda

FOR

RHP Ronald Herrera
CF Aaron Hicks
2B Starlin Castro
RHP Chad Green
RHP Luis Cessa
LHP Aroldis Chapman

Essentially, the Yankees traded a player they felt had no real position (Pirela), a backup catcher they could afford to lose because of depth (Murphy), a pitcher they have no set role for (Warren), a utility infielder who can’t hit (Ryan), a left-handed middle reliever who’s good but not great (Wilson) and four minor leaguers for the 14th overall pick in 2008 (Hicks), a 25-year middle infielder with 991 hits whose under team control for five more years (Castro), arguably the best closer in all of baseball (Chapman) and two minor leaguers. (Side note: With Cotham traded and Andrew Bailey now with the Phillies, Joe Girardi is running out of terrible right-handed options to face the heart of the Blue Jays’ order though I guess he can always turn to Branden Pinder.)

Last offseason, I wanted the Yankees to sign Andrew Miller and also re-sign David Robertson. I thought the Yankees needed to have both to go along with Dellin Betances to make up for the instability of their rotation. They didn’t and were fortunate that Justin Wilson was good and that Chasen Shreve was good for most of the season, especially when Miller went down for an extended period of time. The Yankees tried to redo their decision to only sign Miller when they made a push for Craig Kimbrel at the trade deadline and were willing to give up actual players and real prospects for Kimbrel rather than just giving up money for Robertson in the winter, which is the opposite of how they have normally done business.

I haven’t understood this offseason why Brian Cashman has been willing to trade Andrew Miller if the price is right. The Yankees’ only true strength is the back end of their bullpen, so to trade Miller before and even after the Chapman trade made and makes no sense. Sure, the Yankees could afford to trade one of their three bullpen stars, but with a potential suspension surrounding Chapman as well as the idea that someone who consistently throws 100-plus mph could have arm trouble at any second, the bullpen should be treated like the rotation in that you can never have enough arms.

Right now, the Yankees’ rotation is Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda, CC Sabathia, Nathan Eovaldi and Ivan Nova. With Tanaka’s elbow still (and I’m guessing always will be) a concern, Severino looking to pitch his first full season in the majors, Pineda having never made more than 28 starts in a season, Sabathia coming off another knee injury and his rehab stint for alcohol, Eovaldi having his season cut short due to elbow inflammation and Nova coming off Tommy John surgery and pitching to a 5.65 ERA over his last 21 starts, the rotation isn’t exactly something to believe in.

With Betances and Miller, the Yankees were able to turn games into seven-inning games. With Chapman added to the mix, their games will now be six-inning games, and you could make the case that if each of them gets four outs, you have a five-inning game with the three pitchers with the highest strikeout percentage in the majors over the last two seasons. The only problem with this unbeatable formula is I don’t know how the Yankees are going to get a lead for the trio to protect. That’s a problem for the master of trades to solve.

Blogs • Giants

Dec 24, 2015

NFL Week 16 Picks

The football season isn’t as fun when the Giants don’t matter and we’re a Redskins win over the Eagles on Saturday night from the Giants not mattering.

The football season isn’t as fun when the Giants don’t matter and we’re a Redskins win over the Eagles on Saturday night from the Giants not mattering and their season being over. If the Redskins beat the Eagles in Philadelphia, I will be the happiest person that Odell Beckham Jr. is suspended is suspended for Sunday Night Football and would go as far as to make him inactive for Week 17 even if the Giants’ single-season receiving yards record would still be a possibility despite him missing a game. There’s nothing good that can come from the Giants trying once they are eliminated. Tank the last two games, get an easier 2016 schedule and a higher draft pick. After blowing five should-have-been wins this season, that’s the least the Giants can do for their fans to end the season.

The picks season is a 17-week grind to get through the regular season and then another four-week grind in the postseason. It’s hard and frustrating and that’s before you get to the late weeks of the season when players are just hoping to get to the offseason healthy and where losing teams can taste the final minutes of their season before they hit the beach and the nice weather and skip out on the winter weather and stop beating up their bodies every week. This week there are five games that have absolutely no meaning when it comes to the playoffs and then number is only going to increase next week. After what has been a successful picks season, it’s time to finish strong and get hot heading into the postseason.

OAKLAND -5.5 over San Diego
I always take the Raiders in the Battle for Which Team Should Move, but usually when I’m taking the Raiders, they are getting points and a good amount of them. These two franchises are moving in opposite directions and to keep up with the times, I’m sticking with the Raiders, who I think have done more good than bad for me against their in-state rival.

PHILADELPHIA -4 over Washington
I actually think the Redskins will cover and win this game. The problem is I can’t root against the only hope the Giants have for making the playoffs even if the Giants haven’t done anything that should even have me wanting them to reach the postseason. Fly Eagles Fly! (I think I’m going to need to shower after rooting for the Eagles in this game.)

New England -2 over NEW YORK JETS
The Patriots don’t need this game and the Jets have to have this game. That’s usually enough of a reason for people to pick one way, but this is the Jets we’re talking about. The team that lost seemingly must-win games against the Bills and Texans and now need to win out and have the Steelers or Chiefs lose in the final two weeks to very bad teams. The Jets never make things easy for themselves, much like the Giants except the Giants manage to win the Super Bowl every once in a while, and if this is going to be a close game, I don’t trust the Jets.

Houston -4 over TENNESSEE
I would like to take this time to thank to the Titans for giving the Patriots a last-minute cover last week thanks to a turnover that felt so inevitable I was never really worried the Patriots weren’t going to cover a two-touchdown spread. The Titans are the worst team in the NFL and have absolutely nothing to play for in the final two weeks (though they haven’t had anything to play for for a while now). The Texans, still in the playoff hunt, should be able to get past the Titans easily even on the road and even with a quarterback that I wouldn’t trust under any other circumstance.

KANSAS CITY -11 over Cleveland
The Chiefs were once 1-5. Now they are 9-5 and control their own fate for the playoffs. Not only are they a lock for a wild-card berth, but they could still take the AFC West from the Broncos and get a first-round home game. I wouldn’t want my team to have to go to Arrowhead in the first round of the playoffs and face a Chiefs team that could be on a 10-game winning streak in front of that crowd. Actually, who am I kidding? I would sign up for the Giants having to play in Seattle with all of the Giants players required to wear headphones and no cleats just to see a playoff game after these last four seasons.

Miami -2 over INDIANAPOLIS
The last thing I need is the Colts finding a way into the playoffs and then having Andrew Luck back for a postseason game and winning that game, so that the entire sports media world can drool over a guy who seems to throw as many interceptions as touchdowns. The Colts don’t have a chance in beating the Patriots if they were to meet in the playoffs and I need as many teams that can beat the Patriots in the playoffs as possible.

DETROIT -9 over San Francisco
Somewhere someone who isn’t a Lions fan or a 49ers fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

BUFFALO -6 over Dallas
Another one!

Somewhere someone who isn’t a Bills fan or a Cowboys fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

CHICAGO +3 over Tampa Bay
And another one!

Somewhere someone who isn’t a Bears fan or a Buccaneers fan is going to bet on this game and watch it in its entirety. Think about that.

Carolina -7 over ATLANTA
I don’t want Carolina to go undefeated because I feel like an undefeated team should be an absolute juggernaut that runs over every team the play. (Hi, 2007 Patriots!) Couple that with the fact that I’m still angry about the Odell Beckham Jr. suspension while Josh Norman got the equivalent of a $10 for a person with a normal everyday job and everything that happened last Sunday and the following punishments are just so stupid.

Pittsburgh -11 over BALTIMORE
The Jets can’t be happy about the Week 16 and 17 opponents for the Steelers and Chiefs needing one of them to lose a game. You don’t get anymore cupcake than Ryan Mallett starting in Week 16 for a Ravens team that has been waiting for the clock to read 0:00 in Week 17 for months.

Jacksonville +2.5 over NEW ORLEANS
There’s just no way I can back the Saints with that defense. Not even in the Superdome and not even against the Jaguars. The days of the Saints being two-possession favorites at home no matter who the opponent is are long gone as the days of taking the points against the Saints in New Orleans no matter who the opponent is are here.

SEATTLE -11 over St. Louis
We’re headed for a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl rematch. I can feel it. I won’t be anywhere as confident as I was headed into last year’s Super Bowl for the Patriots to lose until Pete Carroll handed it to them since the Seahawks’ defense has regressed as Russell Wilson has progressed. But it’s going to happen. Seahawks-Patriots Part II. (Or Cardinals-Patriots. It’s one of those two.)

ARIZONA -6 over Green Bay
I don’t enjoy football Sundays as much as I’m going to start enjoying picking against Aaron Rodgers Sundays. Can we please stop with the idea that he is the best quarterback in the league or that he ever actually was? As long as Tom Brady is still winning games as every average to above-average player goes down with injury around him, he’s the best. Rodgers lost Jordy Nelson for the season in preseason and you would have though he lost Jerry Rice in his prime with the way he is treated week after week with the excuses for his career-worst play. He still has Randall Cobb, Davante Adams and James Jones as well as Eddie Lacy and James Starks, and while some of those players haven’t lived up their potential or hype, if you give Brady those five players, the Patriots walk to another championship.

NEW YORK GIANTS +7 over Minnesota
This is it. An Eagles win coupled with a Giants win and Week 17 matters. But if the Eagles lose on Saturday night, this game could get ugly for a Giants team playing in freezing temperatures in Minnesota with nothing to play for and without their best player.

DENVER -4 over Cincinnati
Brock Osweiler vs. AJ McCarron! Just the way ESPN hoped it would be when they got this game for their final Monday Night Football game of the season.

Last week: 10-6-0
Season: 123-96-5

Author: Neil Keefe

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