Scott Taylor's Blog, page 76

NFL Picks Week 9: Vikes play a team with a winning record

By The Coach and Dr. Football

So far this season, the Minnesota Vikings and their 5-2 record are somewhat of a myth. In fact, a couple of stats mavens have the Vikings 27th best in the NFL right now, simply because of the weakness of their schedule.

This week, the Vikings face the St. Louis Rams and, if they beat Jeff Fisher’s group, it will be the first time since Week 1 (when everybody was 0-0) that the Vikes have beaten a plus-.500 team.

Adrian Peterson. “We have to beat a team with a winning record.”

Sure the Vikings are 5-2, but they’ve beaten lowly Detroit twice, Chicago, San Diego and Kansas City. That’s hardly impressive.

However, to be fair, this week, the Vikings start the toughest part of their schedule and according to ESPN, for the rest of the season, they have the toughest schedule in the NFL.

On the up side, the Vikings do play five for their final nine games at home and they don’t lose very often at TCF Bank Stadium. If they can sweep at home, it won’t matter what they do on the road. They’ll be 10-6 and likely in the playoffs.

Of course, that would require a win this week against the improving Rams plus wins later against the Packers and Seahawks. Even though Teddy Bridgewater has won his last eight at home, all streaks do come to an end.

Meanwhile, our boys are finding that the schedule is getting a tad easier. Last week, The Doc went 11-3 straight up (72-47) and 6-8 (52-67) against the spread. The Coach went 11-3 straight up (75-44) and 8-6 against the spread (61-58).

This week, the Doc once again captures the brilliance of our erudite selections while The Coach just cries about the officiating and keeps screaming, “Oh, yeah, the fix is in!”

Let’s take a close look at Week 8. There are six byes and only 13 games.

Thursday Night 

Johnny Manziel

Cleveland Browns (2-6) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-0)

Line: Bengals by 10

The Bengals are 7-0 for the first time in club history and four of their wins are one the road. They are for real. They’ll be 8-0 Monday morning. The Coach says: The Browns won’t win and they aren’t very good, but with Johnny Manziel at quarterback, they’ll have a better chance than they ever did with Josh McCown.

Dr. Football: Take the Bengals to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Bengals to win but not cover.

Early Sunday Afternoon

Oakland Raiders (4-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-4)

Line: Steelers by 4.5

The Raiders have won two straight and are over .500 in November for the first time in four years. The Steelers have proven this season they can beat teams with winning records but fall flat against teams that have losing ones. This one breaks that trend. The Coach says: Perhaps Derek Carr has matured and perhaps the Raiders are real. We’ll find out this week.

Dr. Football: Take the Steelers to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Raiders.

Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) at New York Jets (4-3)

Line: NO LINE

The Jets will start a rookie at QB which shouldn’t really matter against a terrible Jacksonville team. The Coach says: Jets are at home.

Dr. Football: Take the Jets to win.

The Coach: Take the Jets to win.

Ready Teddy Bridgewater.

St. Louis Rams (4-3) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2)

Line: Vikings by 2.5

If you like old school run based football this is your must see game. The NFL’s top two running backs Todd Gurley and Adrian Peterson will tear up the field in a close game. The Coach says: There is no reason to believe the Vikings can stop Todd Gurley. The Vikings haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. And still, because Teddy Bridgewater is now 8-0 at home, I’m going with Minnesota.

Dr. Football: Take the Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Vikings to win and cover.

Miami Dolphins (3-4) at Buffalo Bills (3-4)

Line: Bills by 3

The Bills crushed the Dolphins 41-14 five weeks ago in Miami before the Dolphins made the coaching switch. It’s a different team now with Dan Campbell running the show. The Coach says: Neither of these teams will make the playoffs, but they are both about as awful as each other so it’ll be a good football game.

Dr. Football: Take the Dolphins in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Bills (and hold your nose)

Drew Brees

Tennessee Titans (1-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-4)

Line: Saints by 8

The Saints are riding the momentum of a three-game winning streak while this week Tennessee fired Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt. Don’t expect any Miami magic from the Titans, especially since they’re in the Saints dome. The Coach says: Drew Brees threw seven touchdown passes last week. I’d say he might be ready to take a run at the Divisional title.

Dr. Football: Take the Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: take the Saints to win and cover.

Washington Redskins (3-4) at New England Patriots (7-0)

Line: Patriots by 13.5

The last time these two teams met was in 2007 and the Patriots won 52-7 and went on to finish the season 16-0. Both are possible this season. The Coach says: Dr. Football makes a heck of a point.

Dr. Football: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

Green Bay Packers (6-1) at Carolina Panthers (7-0)

Line: Packers by 1.5

The Packers have allowed over 500 yards the past two games and now play another unbeaten team on the road. Even the great Aaron Rogers can’t put up enough points to make up for the defense. The Coach says: Had the Packers won last week against Denver, I’d have said they’ll blow out Carolina. Now, with Green Bay on the road, I’m not so sure.

Dr. Football: Take the Panthers in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Panthers.

Late Sunday Afternoon

Atlanta Falcons (6-2) at San Francisco 49ers (2-6)

Line: Falcons by 4.5

The Falcons haven’t been playing well the last few weeks but a game against the lowly 49ers should get them back on track. The Coach says: Colin Kaepernick will be traded soon. The Jets perhaps?

Dr. Football: Take the Falcons to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Falcons to win and cover.

Jameis Winston

New York Giants (4-4) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

Line: Giants by 2.5

The 614 yards the Giants surrendered to the Saints last week was the second most in Giants history but they can still score. The Bucs are coming off a hard fought victory in Atlanta. Both teams will be tired, but I think the Giants will be in for a surprise. The Coach says: The only reason the Giants are favored is because they’re from New York.

Dr. Football: Take the Buccaneers in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Bucs

Denver Broncos (7-0) at Indianapolis Colts (3-5)

Line: Broncos by 4

Peyton Manning returns to Indy to face a Colts team in disarray. After losing three straight, the Colts are scrambling, and they won’t stop the Denver defense. The Coach says: The Colts will lose this week, but they’ll still win their division.

Dr. Football: Take the Broncos to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Broncos to win and cover.

Sunday Night

Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (2-5)

Line: Eagles by 2.5

The last time the Cowboys won was against the Eagles and have dropped five games since then. The Eagles get their revenge. The Coach says: Without Tony Romo, the Cowboys might lose 10 straight.

Dr. Football: Take the Eagles to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Eagles to win and cover.

Monday Night

Jay Cutler

Chicago Bears (2-5) at San Diego Chargers (2-6)

Line: Chargers by 4

I wonder if ESPN regrets paying all that money to broadcast MNF when the NFL schedules them games like these. I’ll be watching Dancing with the Stars. The Coach says: I’ll watch this game because the two quarterbacks might throw for 900 yards – each.

Dr. Football: Take the Chargers to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Chargers to win and cover.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Jets sliced up by buzz saw in Montreal

By Scott Taylor

Winnipeg Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson suffered his first loss of the season on Sunday night. It was probably a good thing that he was no longer in net when the game ended.

The Montreal Canadiens built a 4-0 lead just three minutes and two seconds into the second period and coasted to a 5-1 victory over the Jets at Le Centre Bell in Montreal.

Thomas Fleischmann celebrates his first of two goals.

Paul Byron and Thomas Fleischmann scoded in the first period to give the habs a 2-0 lead after the first period, then Fleischmann and David Desharnais each scored by the 3:02 mark of the second period and the Habs were on their way.

Before the second period ended, Lars Eller deflected a shot from Andrei Markov and beat Ondrej Pavelec on the power play to make it 5-0 Habs.

The Jets scored the only goal of the third period when Chris Thorburn wrested one past Montreal’s Michael Condon. Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers drew the assists. Ehlers parents were at the game.

This one was all Montreal right from the opening faceoff. The Habs took the play to the Jets, outskated Winnipeg and took advantage of the fact that Winnipeg’s defensive play was marginal – the Jets D was far too aggressive and they were caught early and often. Combine Winnipeg’s shaky goaltending with a Montreal team that has been terrific this season and you have a recipe for disaster.

Michael Hutchinson stops Thomas Fleischmann. That was rare.

Fleischmann had two goals, Desharnais had a goal and two assists and the line of Fleischmann, Desharnais and Winnipeg’s Dale Weise (one assist) combined for six points as the Habs improved to 5-0-0 at home this season. It’s the first time in 36 years that the Canadiens have started a season 5-0-0. Montreal is now 11-2-0 on the season, first overall in the NHL.

With the loss, the Jets fell to 7-4-1 on the season and 4-2-0 on the road. It was the first time this season that the Jets lost the second game of a back-to-back on the road. Winnipeg beat Columbus 3-2 on Saturday night. The Jets have already played three back-to-backs on the road this season.

Hutchinson started the game but was taken out after allowing Montreal’s fourth goal at 3:02 of the second period. Hutchinson stopped only five of the nine shots he faced.

Micheal Condon stops Nikolaj Ehlers.

Pavelec was better, stopping 14-of-15 Montreal shots, but no one was as good as Montreal netminder Michael Condon. Condon started ahead of Carey Price who is nursing a lower body injury. The undrafted rookie out of Princeton who spent the better part of two seasons in the ECHL, stopped 18-of-the-19 shots he faced.

Montreal outshot Winnipeg 26-19. Montreal was one-for-five on the power play while the Jets were zero-for-three.

The Jets continue this four-game road swing on Wednesday night with a game at Air Canada Centre in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Game time is 6 p.m. on Rogers Sportsnet’s Wednesday Night Hockey.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Copp scores first NHL goal to lead Jets past Jackets

By Scott Taylor

Halloween certainly wasn’t haunted for Andrew Copp.

Copp, a National Hockey League rookie, scored his first NHL goal to help lead the Winnipeg Jets past the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus on Saturday night.

With the win, the Jets improved to 7-3-1 overall this season but also to 4-1-0 on the road as the Road Warriors continued to play better away from Winnipeg than they do at MTS Centre. With the loss, Columbus fell to 2-10-0 this season. The Jackets have not won at home this season. In fact, Columbus and Toronto are the only teams in the NHL that haven’t won at home this season.

Andrew Copp celebrates his first NHL goal.

It would be impossible to say this was “all Winnipeg,” but after the Jets scored the game’s first goal, there was never any sense Columbus was going to score three times.

“It was a good confidence builder going into the road trip,” Little told Rogers Sportsnet. “It was a little close in the third, but we were able to hold them off and it was a big win for us.

“Our line played well again and it’s really a lot of fun when everybody’s going.”

Bryan Little opened the scoring at 5:52 of the first period as he came off the right wing and blasted a big shot under the crossbar that completely fooled Columbus’ starting goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Then, just 53 seconds later, at 6:45 of the first, Copp scored the first of his career as Tyler Myers and Anthony Peluso drew the assists.

Then after Brandon Saad scored for the Jackets to make it 2-1 at 10:32, Blake Wheeler scored a power play goal at 16:59, his sixth of the year, to give the Jets a 3-1 advantage after the first 20 minutes.

At that point, Columbus coach John Tortorella replaced Bobrovsky with 32-year-old veteran Curtis McElhinney and he shut out the Jets for the next 40 minutes. Meanwhile, the Jackets made it interesting with 1:14 to go when Scott Hartnell scored with McElhinney on the bench.

However, the Jets held off the Blue Jackets and recorded their second straight road victory.

The Jets outshot Columbus 27-21 as Ondrej Pavelec got the win and improved his record to 3-3-1 this season. Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler led the Jets with a goal and an assist each.

Anthony Peluso and Jared Boll drop the gloves.

Peluso had quite a game. He dished out his first assist of the year, won the Jets first fight of the year (against Jared Boll) and had a shot and a hit in just six minutes and nine seconds of ice time.

The best aspect of the Jets game on Saturday was the penalty killing unit. The Jets held Columbus scoreless on five power-play chances, including a double high-sticking minor to Mark Stuart midway through the third period.

The Jets continue their four-game road swing with a big game in Montreal against the Canadiens. It goes at 6 p.m. CST on Rogers Sportsnet.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

CFL Picks Week 19: All the Bombers Can Do is Watch

By The Coach and Dr. Football

Well, it was quite a week in Winnipeg. Seems the beautiful new Investors Group Field needs an upgrade so taxpayers are on the hook for another $35 million and change.

As we’ve seen — at least of us who are still going out there have seen – IGF is only three years old, but still faces some serious leaking and cracking difficulties.

The province has guaranteed another loan (?) of $35 million to rip up the concrete and replace all the concourses. Of course, the government has already loaned the Football Club $213 million to build it and then repair it a first time.

A lawsuit filed in Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench alleges errors in the design and con

Selinger’s Folly? It still ain’t right.

struction the stadium. The contractor and the architect deny the lawsuit’s charges and, instead, say the Bombers board was in such a hurry to get into the new stadium that they told the builders to cut corners. In the end it didn’t matter all that much. Last week the Bombers drew only 23,773 fans. The Bombers are the only team in the past 50 years of North American professional sports that has failed to see any bump in attendance with a new stadium.

IGF cost $209 million to build, nearly $20 million over budget, and was about a year overdue. It’s been a money pit, not just for the taxpayer, but also for the Football Club. The Bombers are 7-20 since moving into the new building. Of course, this team is 6-20 in its last 26 games under this current coaching staff and management group.

It’s painfully obvious the Bombers have to make changes at the top but there is one problem with that. As questionably managed as the club has been and as poorly as it’s played, this year’s team still has a chance to get to the Grey Cup.

The Bombers are 5-12 while B.C. and Montreal are 6-10. If B.C. and Montreal lose their final two games — and it’s certainly possible — then the Bombers need a win in Toronto in their final game to make the playoffs. It won’t be easy, but in a league like the CFL – a league where the back door to the playoffs might be bigger than the front door – it wouldn’t even be considered a miracle.

In the meantime, our fearless prognosticators are definitely ready for a couple of miracles this week.

Last week, The Doc went 3-1 straight up (44-30) and 4-0 against the spread (41-32) while The Coach went 1-3 (41-33) straight up and 1-3 (38-35) against the spread.

This week, The Doc again writes our erudite observations while The Coach just continues to whine about all the penalties.

Remember, all games are on TSN. And as we remind you each and every week, for your own personal mental health, always keep the mute button handy.

Let’s take a close look at Week 18:

Friday Night

Andrew Harris.

B.C. (6-10) vs. Toronto (9-7)

Line – Toronto by 3

B.C. has played well as of late while the Argos will start Ricky Ray who may or may not be 100 per cent Ricky Ray at 50 per cent is pretty darn good, but one team still has a shot at the playoffs and won’t be coasting. The Coach says: I’m still convinced that the Lions and Alouettes will lose out and Winnipeg will secure a win in Toronto next week and make the playoffs. Do I believe in Grey Cup fate or am I just crazy?

Dr. Football: Take the Lions in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Argos to win and cover.

Saturday Afternoon

Saskatchewan (2-14) vs. Calgary (12-4)

Line – Calgary by 14

What a quiet plane ride it will be from Regina to Calgary…similar to the walk to the electric chair I would imagine. Calgary will be giving them both barrels after a week off. Imagine the plane ride home. The Coach says: Saskatchewan fans deserve better.

Dr. Football: Take Calgary to win and cover.

The Coach: Take Calgary to win and cover.

Early Sunday Afternoon

Henry Burris (Photo by Jeff Miller)

Ottawa (10-6) vs. Hamilton (10-6)

Line – Hamilton by 4

One team is on a hot streak right now while the other got thumped in B.C. The taste of success is addictive and Ottawa will want more. The Coach says: Ottawa is a real Grey Cup contender.

Dr. Football: Take Ottawa in an upset.

The Coach: Take Ottawa.

Late Sunday Afternoon

Montreal (6-10) vs. Edmonton (13-4)

Line – Edmonton by 8

Edmonton basically took the first half off last week in Regina and still clobbered the Riders while Montreal destroyed Toronto. But the Eskimos have something to prove to their southern neighbours and won’t want to go into their bye week squandering their chance for first place. The Coach says: The Edmonton defense will destroy Kevin Glenn. Or whomever.

Dr. Football: Take the Eskimos to win and cover.

The Coach: Take Edmonton to win and cover.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Hutch brilliant: Jets Continue to Have Hawks Number

By Scott Taylor/Photos by Jeff and Tara Miller

They might be the defending Stanley Cup champions, but the Winnipeg Jets still have the Chicago Blackhawks number.

Thursday night, the Cup champs invaded MTS Centre and took the play right to the Jets from the opening faceoff. Trouble is, undefeated Michael Hutchinson was almost perfect and Blake Wheeler, Andrew Ladd and Mark Scheifele each scored a goal as the Jets beat the Blackhawks 3-1.

It was a big night for Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson (Photo by Jeff Miller)

“Clearly Michael (Hutchinson) has played very well against the Blackhawks, but he’s played very well against other teams, too,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “He’s built a routine for himself that he follows and his routine never changes. He’s a good goaltender. We have very good goaltending here.”

Last year, the Jets got the better of the Blackhawks, going 3-1-1 against the eventual Cup winners. Ladd led the team with a goal and seven points and on Thursday night he was all over the Hawks, Not only did he score the winning goal, but he had four shots, three hits and two blocked shots.

The Blackhawks opened the scoring on the power play at 1:26 of the first period as Patrick Kane fired a wrister over Hutchinson’s shoulder. At one point, early in the first period, the Hawks had outshot the Jets 9-2 and finished the period outshooting Winnipeg 14-9.

But before the period ended, Wheeler scored his fifth of the year from Bryan Little and the Jets went to the break, deadlocked 1-1 with the Hawks.

Giving up the first goal doesn’t seem to bother the Jets. In eight of Winnipeg’s first 10 games this season, they’ve given up the first goal to their opposition. Yet the Jets now have a 5-2-1 record in those games.

It was a rough night for Jonathan Toews (Photo by Tara Miller)

In the second period, Ladd scored his third of the year from Little and Perreault at 5:09 and then, in the third, Scheifele took a nice pass from Nikolaj Ehlers and beat Corey Crawford on the short side. Ehlers now has a five-game point-scoring streak and with the win, the Jets improved to 6-3-1 on the season.

The Blackhawks outshot the Jets 46-31 But Hutchinson was rock solid. In the second period, he stopped Marian Hossa on a clear cut breakaway and then beat him again, in close, late in the third period. He also made superb saves off Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Chicago went to a sixth attacker with 2:40 left to play in regulation time, but even though they had a couple of great scoring chances (including an uncontested point blank shot from Tanner Kero), Hutchinson, who is now 4-0-0 this season, was equal to the task.

“I’m not sure what it is against Chicago,” said Hutchinson. “I just saw the puck real well tonight. It’s always easier, the more shots I see. I got a little tired, but I always find I’m sharper when I see a lot of shots like I did tonight.

“The fans were great tonight and we all really appreciate it.”

Both teams were one-for-three on the power play. Jets defenseman Mark Stuart, the game’s second star, had nine hits and five blocked shots and drilled Hawks captain Jonathan Toews with a solid bodycheck at the Jets blueline in the third period.

Nikolaj Ehlers made a good play to set up Mark Scheifele with the Jets third goal. (Photo by Jeff Miller)

“He had a real strong game,” said Maurice. “He’s played strong for a very long time. He’s got the compete right. He was very good tonight, standing up at the blueline, moving the puck, he played well in all aspects of the game.”

Winnipeg also completed a six-game homestand, the longest homestand of the season, with a record of 3-2-1.

The Jets will now head out onto the road and play in Columbus on Saturday night, in Montreal on Sunday night, in Toronto on Wednesday night and in Ottawa on Thursday before coming home to play the Philadelphia Flyers next Saturday at MTS Centre.

It’s an odd month for the Jets. They play only four games at home in November.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

NFL Picks Week 8: The Boys Like the Vikes in Chicago

By The Coach and Dr. Football

The Minnesota Vikings head back out on the road this week and that’s never a good thing. Not even when the opposition is the marginally talented, less-than-consistent Chicago Bears.

The Vikes won their first road game in the North Division since 2012 last week, with a 28-19 win over the truly lousy Detroit Lions. The Vikes are 4-2 and have won four of their last five and that’s why they’re favored heading into Chicago.

Teddy Bridgewater.

The Bears meanwhile, started the season with three straight losses, but have won two of their last three and that’s probably why the Vikings – with maybe the best defense in the NFC – are only two-point favorites.

The difference in this one won’t be Adrian Peterson and it won’t be Teddy Bridgewater, although the Bears secondary is pretty weak so Charles Johnson, Stefon Diggs, Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph could have a field day. The difference, however, will be the Vikings lockdown defense.

The Vikes D is third in the NFL in points allowed per game and seventh in yards allowed per game. Granted, the Bears’ offense is improved since Jay Cutler returned from injury while Matt Forte has been outstanding and Alshon Jeffery is back in the lineup. Still, this Vikings defense can shut people down. Even good people.

The Bears are better than they were a month ago. The Vikings defense is as good as it gets. This is a must win for both teams. After this one, the Vikings have four tough ball games while it’s pretty obvious that if the Bears lose this one, they fall to 2-5 and are pretty much out of the playoff hunt.

It should be close. Two mediocre offenses against one great defense. The lesser of the two teams is at home. A Vikings win a late field goal does not seem out of the question

Meanwhile, speaking of mediocre, that would pretty much sum up our fearless prognosticators this season. The Doc went 10-4 straight up (61-44) and 7-7 (46-59) against the spread. The Coach went 10-4 straight up (64-41) and 7-7 against the spread (53-52).

This week, the Doc once again captures the brilliance of the boys picks while The Coach whines about the Lions offensive line, the Browns’ coaching staff and the Texans reprehensible owner.

Let’s take a close look at Week 8:

Thursday Night

The Dolphins Ryan Tannehill.

Miami Dolphins (3-3) at New England Patriots (6-0)

Line: Patriots by 7.5

The Dolphins have outscored their opponents 82-36 in Dan Campbell’s first two games as Head Coach. But those opponents weren’t coached by Bill Belichick. The Coach says: Despite a makeshift offensive line and all their other problems, the Patriots might be better than ever because Tom Brady is still pissed off at the NFL.

Dr. Football: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

Sunday Morning (8:30 a.m. CDT from London, England)

Detroit Lions (1-6) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2-5)

Line: Chiefs by 6

The Lions cleaned house on Monday, turfing three members of the offensive coaching staff, two popcorn boys, and a 93-year-old man who sold programs. Not a bad start, but not enough. The Coach says: Matthew Stafford was sacked seven times last week. There is not likely an offensive line in professional football that’s worse.

Dr. Football: Take the Chiefs to win and cover.

The Coach: take the Chiefs to win and cover.

Early Sunday Afternoon

Minnesota Vikings (4-2) at Chicago Bears (2-4)

Line: Vikings by 2

The Vikings haven’t won in Chicago since 2007. They might be the only ones. A new era begins for the Purple. The Coach says: Mike Zimmer is not stupid. He said Jay Cutler was a good quarterback who “has beaten us in the recent past.” No bulletin board crap coming from the Vikes this week.

Dr. Football: Take the Vikings to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Vikings to win and cover.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) at Atlanta Falcons (6-1)

Line: Falcons by 7

The Bucs squandered a 24-0 lead last week on the road against a terrible Washington team ,while the Falcons eeked out a road victory. Tough times in Tampa Bay. The Coach says: Blowing a big lead against the Washingtons pretty much ended the Bucs season.

Dr. Football: Take the Falcons to win and cover

The Coach: Take the Falcons to win and cover.

Drew Brees

New York Giants (4-3) at New Orleans Saints (3-4)

Line: Saints by 3.5

The Saints have won two straight and are starting to win in different ways. Won’t be a happy homecoming for Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. The Coach says: Talk about a team finding its bearings. The Saints are starting to look very good.

Dr. Football: Take the Saints to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Saints to win and cover.

San Francisco 49ers (2-5) at St. Louis Rams (3-3)

Line: Rams by 8

Imagine how good the Rams would be with a talented quarterback? This one won’t be on “NFL Classics” anytime soon, but the 49ers will put up a fight. The Coach says: Bet Minnesota would love to have a do-over on that season opener.

Dr. Football: Take the Rams to win but not cover.

The Coach: Take the Rams to win and cover.

Johnny Manziel, Browns

Arizona Cardinals (5-2) at Cleveland Browns (2-5)

Line: Cardinals by 4.5

With all the issues the Browns are having the Cardinals might feel they have Sunday off after a tough Monday Nighter against the Ravens so they will have to stay focused. The Coach says: The worst coach in football resides in Cleveland. The best team ion the NFC might be in Glendale, Ariz.

Dr. Football: Take the Cardinals to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Cardinals to win and cover.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-0) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

Line: NO LINE

Big Ben is expected to return for the Steelers, who need him to get the team back on track. Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton has a 79.2 passer efficiency rating and is 2-6 all-time against the Steelers. It will be 2-7 after this won is over. The Coach says: Toss up, in Pittsburgh, a good team against the most inconsistent team in the league. Until somebody beats the Bengals, I’ll ride that tiger.

Dr. Football: Take the Steelers.

The Coach: Take the Bengals

San Diego Chargers (2-5) at Baltimore Ravens (1-6)

Line: Ravens by 3

Both teams have been dismal this year but the Ravens have at least been in every game so far this year. The Chargers defense is horrible which should make life easier for Joe Flacco and company. The Coach says: One of these teams will find a way to screw it up. Hope I pick the right one.

Dr. Football: Take the Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: take the Ravens to win and cover.

Marcus Mariota, Titans

Tennessee Titans (1-5) at Houston Texans (2-5)

Line: NO LINE

Stinkeroo alert. Both teams are awful. The Texans will have Marcus Mariota back for this one. Go with the home team. The Coach says: One good thing for the stinkin’ Texans,: There is no flight to miss.

Dr. Football: Take the Texans to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Titans.

Late Sunday Afternoon

New York Jets (4-1) at Oakland Raiders (2-3)

Line: Jets by 1.5

Both teams have equalled their 2014 win totals six games into the season, but does anyone expect Oakland to win many more. I think they threw everything into last week’s game and will come out flat. The Jets meanwhile took their lumps against the Patriots, but will remained focused. The Coach says: I just kind of like the Raiders at home and I don’t know why.

Dr. Football: Take the Jets to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Raiders.

Seattle Seahawks (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (2-4)

Line: Seahawks by 6

The Cowboys have lost four consecutive games which isn’t good for morale. The Seahawks may have turned things around last week in San Francisco. I think they’re due for a big game. The Coach says: Dallas will find a way to lose.

Dr. Football: Take the Seahawks to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Seahawks to win and cover.

Sunday Night

Aaron Rodgers

Green Bay Packers (6-0) at Denver Broncos (6-0)

Line: Packers by 3  

The Broncos have won 10 consecutive regular season games at home while the Packers are just 6-5 away from Lambeau Field since 2013. I think Peyton will silence his critics and the Broncos’ defense will silence Mr. Rodgers. The Coach says: I love the Broncos defense and they’ll keep it close. This will be an outstanding football game.

Dr. Football: Take the Broncos in an upset.

The Coach says: Take the Packers to win and cover.

Monday Night

Indianapolis Colts (3-4) at Carolina Panthers (6-0)

Line: Panthers by 6.5

A battle of former number one draft picks that are going in different directions. Cam Newton is getting it done while Andrew Luck just tosses interceptions. The Coach says: Cam Newton is making a pitch to be NFL player of the year. That is, he’ll be player of the year if Tom Brady gets hit by a truck.

Dr. Football: Take the Panthers to win and cover.

The Coach: take the Panthers to win and cover.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Kings Trap Jets, win sixth straight

By Scott Taylor/Photos by Jeff Miller

Winnipeg Jets rookie Nikolaj Ehlers scored the first goal on Tuesday night.

Trouble was, the Los Angeles Kings scored the next four.

Jets celebrate Nikolaj Ehlers goal. It was a short celebration. (Photo by Tara Miller).

The Kings won their sixth straight game in front of another capacity crowd of 15,294 at MTS Centre as Los Angeles managed 14 shots and three goals – two into the empty net — in the third period and came back to beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1.

On a night when Jets captain Andrew Ladd played his 700th NHL game and linemate Blake Wheeler was trying to extend his franchise record-setting eight-game points streak (from the start of a season), the Jets got trapped.

As a couple of NHL scouts in the building pointed out, “the Kings just skate and check and chip it in and chip it out and wait for you to make a mistake. The Jets made a couple of mistakes and the Kings pounced on them.”

“They (the Kings) controlled the flow of the game in the third period,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “They owned the third.”

In a fast, physical game, the two teams played a scoreless first period. Then, at 8:45 of the second, Ehlers scored his fourth goal of the season and his third in the last three games to give the Jets a 1-0 lead. Little did the partisan crowd know, that was it for Winnipeg.

Kings defenseman Jake Muzzin scored his first of the year for the Kings on a big slapshot from the point to tie the game at 1-1 at 15:50 of the second and the two teams went to the second intermission deadlocked.

Blake Wheeler’s scoring streak was stopped. (Photo by Tara Miller)

However, in the third period, it was all L.A. The Kings outshot the Jets 14-5 and picked up the eventual winner at 15:19 when the game’s first star, Milan Lucic, tipped home a pass from Tyler Toffoli. However, it might have been Toffoli’s goal. On replay it appeared as if the puck went in off Tyler Myers’ stick. Regardless, Toffoli got his seventh of the season into the empty net at 19:06 and then Trevor Lewis wrapped up the scoring with another empty netter at 19:33.

“(On the winning goal) we were set up for a shot, but they made the play and they’re fast,” said Maurice. “They were good at what they’re good at tonight and they got better at it as the game went on. You have to make adjustments to your game and we didn’t do that well enough tonight.”

With the win, the Kings improved to 6-3-0 on the season. The Kings lost their first three games to start the campaign, but have now won six in a row. The Jets meanwhile, fell to 5-3-1 as netminder Ondrej Pavelec lost his third straight start.

Andrew Ladd played his 700th NHL game. (Photo by Tara Miller)

However, it’s impossible to blame Pavelec for this one. The Jets were outshot 32-25 and Pavelec allowed two goals on 30 of those shots (plus two empty netters). A couple of big mistakes cost the Jets in this one. Jonathan Quick was very good in the Kings net, but he wasn’t tested like Pavelec was.

Both teams were 0-for-one on the power play.

Wheeler’s eight-game points streak was stopped. Ehlers three-game scoring streak became a four-game scoring streak.

Winnipeg will get back to work with practice on Wednesday and will then face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks at MTS Centre on Thursday night at 7. The Jets will wrap up a six-game homestand, the longest of the season, on Thursday. So far, the Jets are 2-2-1.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Maurice and Burmistrov in Monday spotlight

By Scott Taylor/Photos by James Carey Lauder

On Monday, Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice was asked to respond to a claim made by Evander Kane that he was “playing through injuries and felt unappreciated.”

“Hey Evander, sorry you feel that way” (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

The claim was made by Kane during an interview with The Hockey News: “You have a broken ankle; you have a broken hand – a shoulder problem,” Kane said. “I’m sacrificing my body, playing through pain, doing everything I can to help the team win with the feeling – knowing guys don’t have my back. I feel the organization doesn’t have my back and you feel unappreciated.”

At his post-practice news conference on Monday, Maurice was asked about the comments and said, without a hint of irony, that he was sorry Kane felt that he was “unappreciated.”

“We did play with a lot of injuries,” Maurice said, referring to the entire Jets team last year. “But if you can find me a player that I’ve ever coached that I came out and said, ‘Boy, this guy’s playing with a broken ankle and I really appreciate it,’ I’ve never said that. I would never talk about a guy’s injury.”

It’s true. Prettu much everyone knew Kane was playing through injuries last year, as was Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd (Ladd had off-season surgery) but Maurice wouldn’t discuss and he certainly did not bring it up himself.

On Monday, Maurice said that, indeed, Kane played with injuries and often for extended periods of time. However, Maurice also said it was Kane’s decision to play and yes, he appreciated what the player did.

“He played on it and then there was a lot of pain,” Maurice said. “He did, he played through an awful lot of pain, and we really appreciate it, but I’m not coming out here giving you guys a list of injuries and (a list of) the guys who are playing with iinjuries because they’re playing with those injuries. There’s no sense drawing targets on their backs.

“Sorry he felt that way. I certainly appreciated him playing through those injuries.”

*                           *                           *                           *

BURMISTROV FINED FOR ELBOWING SPURGEON

On Monday, the National Hockey League fined the Winnipeg Jets feisty new/old centre, Alexander Burmistrov.

In fact, Burmistrov, who has become one of the Jets best checking forwards, was fined the NHL maximum of $4,166.67, for elbowing Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon in the second period of the Jets 5-4 win over Minnesota on Sunday night.

Burmistrov, who was fined the maximum under the Colective Bargaining Agreement, was a handed a minor penalty for an elbow that drew a long, loud “Ahhhhh,” from fans at MTS Centre when it was shown in slow motion.

Elbows Up (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

Spending a couple of seasons in the Russia/European/Asian Kontinental Hockey League has made Burmistrov a tougher player. In fact, in the season opener, he took a penalty for giving Boston forward Patrice Bergeron a nasty shot to the noggin.

The eighth overall pick by Atlanta in 2010, Burmistrov had 20 points and was minus 12 in 74 games as an 18-year-old rookie. After the Thrashers arrived in Winnipeg, he had 13 goals and 28 points but then, after an inability to see eye-to-eye with head coach Claude Noel, he left for the KHL after a four-goal, 10-point campaign in 44 games during the lockout-shortened season is 2013.

In 107 KHL games, Burmistrov collected 20 goals and 63 points. He has a goal, three points and plus 2 mark in eight games with the Jets. He was plus four in the season-opener in Boston and has often been used in a defensive/checking role against the opposition’s top line while playing with linemates Drew Stafford and Adam Lowry.

Yes, he’s a little chippy, but he’s playing much tougher hockey under head coach Paul Maurice than he did with Noel behind the bench.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

After early alarm, Jets wake up and beat Wild

By Scott Taylor/Photos by James Carey Lauder

The Winnipeg Jets got an early wakeup call on Sunday afternoon.

After they shut off the alarm, however, it turned out to be a pretty good day at the office.

Jets celebrate Bryan Little’s goal. (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

On Sunday, in front of another capacity crowd of 15,294 at MTS Centre, Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker, beat Jets defenseman Jacob Trouba with a brilliant move then scored on Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson at the 10-second mark of the first period.

But that did nothing ore than wake up the Jets. Bryan Little scored to tie the game at 1:22 of the first period, the first of five straight goals by the Jets, who eventually had to fight for their lives to beat the visiting Wild 5-4.

“We didn’t start out very well but we were able to come back and played pretty well,” said Drew Stafford, the game’s first star. “We’re so appreciative of the fans here in Winnipeg. They come out and support us every night and they were great tonight.”

There were some nervous moments in the third period of this one as the Jets were taken to the limit by a Wild team that looked almost unbeatable the night before in a 3-0 shut out of Anaheim.

However, with the win, Winnipeg improved to 5-2-1 and moved into a third-place tie in the Central Division with St. Louis and the Wild, who fell to 5-2-1 with the loss. Nashville leads the Division with a mark of 6-1-1 while Dallas is second at 6-2-0.

While Little, Andrew Ladd and Nikolaj Ehlers scored – Ehlers goal came on a gorgeous wrist shot to the top corner — to give the Jets a 3-1 lead after the first 20 minutes, Blake Wheeler dished out two assists to become the first player in Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise history to record points in the first eight games of a season (breaking Donald Audette’s record of seven). Wheeler now leads the Jets in scoring with four goals and seven assists in eight games.

Despite allowing the early goal, Winnipeg outshot Minnesota 17-9 in the opening period.

Hutchinson foils Ryan Suter (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

In the second period, Drew Stafford scored at 51 seconds to drive Wild starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the game and then Stafford scored again at 4:34 on the second shot faced by Kuemper’s replacement Devan Dubnyk. Stafford scored his fourth and fifth goals of the season and took over the team’s goal-scoring lead.

Later in the period, Mikko Koivu roofed a shot from the corner past Hutchinson on a power play at 14:17 to make the score 5-2 and that gave the Wild some life. After a miscue at the Wild blueline, Minnesota came back down the ice and Minnesota’s Justin Fontaine flipped one past Hutchinson at 14:55 to make it 5-3.

That’s how the second period ended. The Jets outshot Minnesota 10-9 in the second (27-18 overall).

“We were quick, we moved the puck well, and we were efficient with our offence with pucks to the net,” said Jets head coach Paul Maurice. “We weren’t slowing down to create offense, and that crept into our game in the second period.  We slowed down, those two or three shifts in the neutral zone before we took the penalty that got them back into the game. We didn’t need to do that, it wasn’t how we were good early in the game. But the fore-check was really good and we got pucks to the net.”

The Wild came out hard against the Jets in the third period and cut the Winnipeg Lead to 5-4 with 9:19 left on the clock when Zach Parise scored from behind the Jets net, just squeezing one between Hutchinson’s legs. Suddenly it was game on.

The Jets hung in there for the next seven minutes until Dustin Byfuglien took a dumb boarding penalty, checking Jason Pominville into the boards while he was down on the ice. With 2:03 remaining in regulation, the Wild embarked on a power play (and also pulled goalie Dubnyk for a sixth attacker) and Hutchinson was brilliant. The Jets goalie shut down the Wild, who had three solid chances to score with the man advantage, and the crowd at MTS Centre rose to its feet.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

What was starting to look like a Jets rout in the second period, turned into a thriller and the Jets fans seemed to love every minute of it.

The Wild, with two third-period power plays, outshot the Jets 12-6 in the third period. Winnipeg outshot Minnesota 33-30 overall. Minnesota was one-for-five on the power play while Winnipeg was 0-for-one in an oddly officiated game. The Wild had nine of their 30 shots on the power play.

“Both teams had a lot of pride and they’ll play it out to the end,” said Jets captain Andrew Ladd. “You never know and that’s why you play the full sixty minutes to see what happens. At the end of it you look at what you can shore up and get better at and the positives that you did really well.”

The Jets play again on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Kings invade MTS Centre. It will be the fifth of game of this six-game homestand, the longest homestand of the season. The Jets are 2-1-1 in the first four games.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Once again, Bombers fizzle in a game they had to win

By Scott Taylor/Photos by Jeff Miller

Hey kids, it’s pretty much over. And that means it’s almost time for the local burghers in control of Manitoba’s community-owned football team start thinking about the future.

Saturday afternoon at Investors Group Field, the Ottawa Redblacks got a one-yard touchdown from quarterback Henry Burris with 45 seconds to play and it held up as the Redblacks beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-20.

Cameron Marshall with no place to go (Photo by jeff Miller)

With the loss, the Bombers fell to 5-12 on the season and are virtually eliminated from the playoffs. They are not mathematically eliminated but they will need a complete and utter miracle to make the post-season.

After B.C. beat Hamilton 40-13 on Friday night to improve to 6-10 on the season, the Bombers absolutely, positively had to win at home on Saturday.

After trailing 16-10 at the half, the Bombers outscored the Redblacks 10-1 in the third quarter to take a 20-17 lead, but Ottawa picked up a field goal late in the fourth quarter and then put their winning touchdown on the board after a 12-play, 76-yard drive that took four minutes and 36 seconds. That brilliant drive gave Ottawa a seven-point lead and a first-place record for 10-6.

Not bad for an expansion team that is in its second season in the Canadian Football League. The Bombers, an 85-year-old franchise hasn’t won a Grey Cup in 25 years. There are thousands of Blue Bombers fans that have never seen their team win a championship — playing in a league that has had only eight or nine teams during their lifetime. Meanwhile, an Ottawa CFL team hasn’t won 10 games in a season since 1978.

This current Bomber operation, from top to bottom is as inept as it’s ever been. In fact, the current coaching staff is 6-20 in its last 26 games with a terrible 5-12 record this season. In the games they’ve had to win, they have been frustratingly inferior to their opposition.

On Saturday, Burris finished with 29 completions on 43 pass attempts for 413 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also carried four times for 11 yards and a touchdown. Burris might have locked up the CFL’s most outstanding player award with this effort. Not bad for a 40-year-old quarterback.

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols (Photo by Jeff Miller)

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols finished with 16 completions on 24 attempts for 265 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bombers had only 296 total yards of offence to Ottawa’s 541. Ottawa runningback William Powell carried 22 times for 117 yards. Ottawa had 28 first downs, the Bombers had 14. The Bombers did not get a first down in the fourth quarter.

At halftime, with the Redblacks ahead by six, Burris had 18 completions on 27 attempts for 314 yards while Nichols was seven-for-12 with 142 yards. The Redblacks outgained the Bombers 372 yards to 141 in the first 30 minutes.

“Turnovers again,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea told the CJOB post-game show. “Not being on the field long enough. So many things. We just weren’t good enough. This was a playoff game, we needed to be spot on.

“We gotta win a game, find a way to get more points. We gotta hope that two other teams lose back-to-back games. We’re going to be working. We’ll get our game plan ready for Toronto, we’ll be ready.”

Henry Burris directed traffic and probably won the CFL’s most outstanding player award in the process (Photo by Jeff Miller)

So here’s what it means: The Bombers have a bye next week and then, in Week 20, they’ll got to Toronto (Friday, Nov. 6) to face the Argonauts. If they win that game and both B.C. (6-10) and Montreal (6-10) lose both of their final two games, the Bombers will make the playoffs. B.C. goes to Toronto and then finishes the season with Canada at home. Montreal goes to Edmonton next week and the plays host to 2-13 Saskatchewan in the final game of the season.

Yes, the Bombers still have a chance (slim) to play in the own Grey Cup, but the way this team is operated still has to be discussed at the board level.

And maybe, just maybe, the entire board of directors’ performance needs to be discussed at the government level.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com