We’re back with another edition of H&H, in which we celebrate the good & call out the bad that we’ve witnessed in the past month. Though I am convinced that we’ll probably see some sort of big snowstorm in the next few weeks here in northcentral WV I’m thankful that we’ve made it to the end of February having enjoyed a good amount of sunshine & 60/70-ish degree days. If this is global warming…i.e. climate change…then I’m here for it with few complaints. Let us go forward into spring with renewed hope, vigor, and joy.
“President” Brandon Biden & Pete Booty-Keg
It was inevitable that China Joe, a strange mix of immoral & incompetent, would end up here. Though I am convinced that his elevator hasn’t reached the top floor in several years and he isn’t really in charge of anything, as long as he holds the title he must be held accountable for his administration’s ineptitude & stupidity, including filling positions of authority with unqualified idiots in the name of “equity”. On February 3 a train derailment in East Palestine, OH (20 miles south of Youngstown) left toxic chemicals to contaminate the water & soil and pollute the air. Two & a half weeks later Biden still hadn’t went to Ohio but instead spent Presidents’ Day in Ukraine hanging off Zelenskyy’s junk and giving away more of OUR money. As a matter of fact Biden STILL hasn’t been to East Palestine and has given no indication that he intends to do so. However, nearly three weeks after the incident Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg did show up in Ohio, about two & half weeks after he should’ve already been there. The citizens of East Palestine are showing signs of illness & their environment is demonstrably contaminated, but Biden clearly cares more about his Ukraine kickbacks than American citizens, while Mayor Pete (who absolutely got his position because of his sexual preference) is in way over his head and seems to be more concerned with identity politics than doing a job that he was unqualified for in the first place.
Natural Immunity
It has now been confirmed by legitimate sources that masks have always been useless against Covid-19 and that natural immunity from having had the virus is just as effective as the “vaccine” so many were forced into receiving, with the added benefit that natural immunity doesn’t cause mysterious heart ailments or lead to otherwise young & healthy people dropping dead. Those of us with common sense & critical thinking skills understood this a few years ago, but we were shunned, belittled, “fact” checked, and called conspiracy theorists.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers is a weird dude. I don’t know the details of all of his issues with the Green Bay Packers, but it seems pretty obvious that the 39 year old quarterback and the team that he has played for since 2005 are heading for a divorce. However, before he can make any kind of big decisions AA-Rod recently had to embark on a “darkness retreat”, during which he spent nearly a week inside a cabin with no lights, no phones, no TVs, etc…just a pitch black isolation room, kind of like solitary confinement. Perhaps I am a bit old-fashioned and even somewhat obstinate, but what the hell kind of New Age BS is that?? 😂 There are undoubtedly lots of folks with real problems who might benefit from such tranquility, but a wealthy athlete believing he needs it is silly. The Packers need to trade him & be done with it.
Don Lemon
Lemon is another beneficiary of identity politics. A straight white male would’ve been fired long ago, but because Lemon is what he is he has gotten away with much more than others. A few weeks ago, after former South Carolina Governor & former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley announced her 2024 Presidential bid, CNN’s Lemon opined that the 51 year old Haley “isn’t in her prime” because women are in their prime in their 20’s & 30’s. Okay, first of all, what does Don Lemon know about women?? Secondly, if Ambassador Haley isn’t in her prime then what the hell is the deal with the fossil in the White House and all the old geezers in Congress?? Their expiration dates came & went a long time ago.
Former President Donald Trump
Unlike Biden, who has yet to visit East Palestine, OH and probably never will, the allegedly evil former President went to Ohio and distributed cases of bottled water & other needed supplies. You know…what we used to call leadership. Look, I’ve never put Trump up on a pedestal and will never waste time trying, but it is undeniable that the train derailment makes the Biden Administration look incompetent & unsympathetic on multiple levels, while Trump actually did something positive. Was it a smart political move?? Probably, although that area of Ohio is known to be mostly conservative folks who voted for Trump in the past, so at most it might’ve been repaying a kindness. It certainly can’t be categorized as “buying” votes since those people are already considered Trump voters. Conversely, Biden’s no-show could be looked at thru the prism of him not giving a damn about those who aren’t useful to him. At any rate, the fact is that President Trump actually showed up no matter what the motivation may have been, and I’m sure the citizens of East Palestine appreciated his generosity.
I was at an outdoor concert a couple of weeks ago, and as darkness fell around 9pm I felt a slight chill in the air. Autumn was in the breeze. That’s a feeling I usually don’t experience until Labor Day Weekend while attending our local Italian Heritage Festival. In the moment I was not pleased because I tend to prefer the warmth & sunshine of summer. I have nothing particular against fall except for the fact that it ushers in winter, which I despise. At any rate, in an effort to find a silver lining and think positive I must say that there are a few good things about autumn…my birthday, Halloween, & football. Glorious football is back!! It’s time once again to look into the pigskin crystal ball and make some predictions about how this season might play out. I don’t put a whole lot of stock in pre-season, but there are injuries, holdouts, & emergent rookies we can’t ignore. As always the team’s record from the previous year is in parentheses, with the predicted record for this season following it. And remember…no wagering. I am not a professional and most of the time I’m not very good at this. Let’s just relax & have some fun.
divisional games to be even more competitive than usual. Don’t sleep on the Ravens…they’ll battle for every yard on both sides of the ball, and new QB Lamar Jackson is feast or famine: he’ll have moments of pure brilliance, but he needs to become a better passer and has to stay healthy. Everyone needs to slow their roll on the “new & improved” Browns. Going back to his college days I’ve always opined that QB Baker Mayfield gave me a Bret Favre-ish vibe, and I see it now more than ever. Adding receivers Odell Beckham Jr. & Jarvis Landry into the mix along with a backfield of Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt bodes well for the offense. I like their defense too…DEs Myles Garrett & Olivier Vernon and tackle Sheldon Richardson should be stout against the run as well as put some pressure on opposing QBs, and the secondary might be sneaky good. Having said that, I’m not buying Cleveland as a playoff team just yet. The Bengals finally pushed longtime head coach Marvin Lewis out the door, but I’m not sure 35 year old Zac Taylor is the answer. He’s never been a head coach at any level and the learning curve will be quite foreboding. Regardless of whether or not Taylor lasts more than a season or two Cincy probably needs to blow things up and construct a whole new roster from the ground up.
the answer Jacksonville has been seeking?? Marlon Mack, Derrick Henry, Lamar Miller, or Leonard Fournette…which running back will lead the pack?? Will any of these four defenses emerge as elite (the Jags were #5 a year ago, the Titans #8, Indy & Houston were #11 & #12)?? I’m downgrading Indianapolis a bit due to concerns about Luck’s ankle, but still think they will win the division if he doesn’t miss more than a couple of games. I like Foles and the Jags’ defense is stout, but have serious doubts about the durability of Fournette and the rest of their skill players inspire little confidence. I love Texans’ QB Deshaun Watson, but somebody other than WR DeAndre Hopkins has to step up and be reliably productive. Houston has the same issue on the defense…JJ Watt is fantastic, but others have to contribute. My vibe is that they take a step back this season, make some adjustments, and become serious contenders in 2020. This feels like a make or break year for Titans’ QB Marcus Mariota. When he came out of Oregon in 2015 the big debate about who would go #1 overall in the draft was between him and Florida St.’s Jameis Winston. Winston went to Tampa while Mariota was chosen next, but neither quarterback has set the world on fire. There just seems to be something amiss in Tennessee. I think they decline slightly and head coach Mike Vrabel finds himself on the hot seat.
have become Tiger Woods from two decades ago when he was winning a lot but we all knew he really only cared about the majors. In much the same way it seems like everyone understands that New England will win a rather weak division, and their only true goal is another Super Bowl. With that in mind I think they’ll win the division but not run away with it. Jets’ QB Sam Darnold continues his maturation process, and now he has RB Le’Veon Bell as a safety net. I like what the Jets are doing and believe they’ll noticeably improve. I feel bad for Dolphins & Bills fans. They’ve known for a decade & a half that their teams aren’t winning the division, but they don’t even get to enjoy watching obvious progress. Both squads just seem to be treading water and perpetuating their mediocrity with poor coaching hires, bad free agent moves, and subpar drafts.
Even if he’s back in uniform Week 1 there have to be questions about fitness & durability after sitting out the entire pre-season. It’s a messy situation that opens the door just enough for the Chiefs to slip by & take the division. There’s a lot to like about KC, led by NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Speaking of messy situations, the Antonio Brown Circus has moved from Pittsburgh to Oakland, which theoretically should make the Raiders better on the field…but I’m not convinced. I’ve lost track of whether this is the team’s final season in Oakland or if they’ll have to wait until 2021 to relocate to Las Vegas, but until that move occurs I think the Raiders are stuck in neutral. The Broncos have ostensibly improved their quarterback quandary with the addition of Joe Flacco & by drafting Drew Lock out of Missouri in the second round of the draft. They also have new head coach Vic Fangio, which should help the defense. Give this group time to gel & they have potential, but I have low expectations for the current season.
have a new head coach and QB Aaron Rodgers has become increasingly enigmatic. The Vikings have some talent but not enough to move the needle. The Lions are…well, they’re the Lions. That leaves the Bears to claim another division crown and vie for home field thru the playoffs. QB Mitch Trubisky should take another step in his development and I have high expectations. Combined with a tough defense that makes for a potentially elite team. Anything short of an appearance in the conference title game will be a disappointment for Chicago.
vibe is that situation will provide motivation to an already very solid team. QB Drew Brees is almost as nature-defying as Brady, but I suspect this may be his last great opportunity to get another Lombardi Trophy. The Falcons & Panthers will both be good but not great, and I have serious concerns about the health & durability of Carolina QB Cam Newton. Tampa is just a warmer version of Buffalo with a more heralded QB. They can change coaches and do all the tinkering they want, but none of their decisions seem to work out the way they hope. Jameis Winston is undeniably talented, but I just don’t think he is a top shelf NFL quarterback.
Wentz needs to fulfill his potential for Philly to come out on top. I’m not buying the Cowboys’ hype. I don’t think they’ll be horrible, but the holdout of RB Zeke Elliott could have a negative impact. Media types will yap endlessly about a “quarterback controversy” in New York, but does it really matter?? I’ve never thought Eli Manning was that good, and if he loses the starting gig to rookie Daniel Jones it says a lot more about Manning than it does Jones. Either way the Giants’ QB…whomever it may be…won’t have Odell Becham Jr. to throw to, and that’s a problem. RB Saquon Barkley can only do so much, right?? The Redskins will have some solid games and at times look like a potential playoff team, but at the end of the day their fans will be disappointed and be left to wonder what happened. Head coach Jay Gruden is an offensive coordinator masquerading as a head coach, successfully trading on his more famous brother’s name, and he’s not going to achieve much success with Case Keenum as his starting quarterback. Rookie signal caller Dwayne Haskins will likely snag the job by mid-season, so there is some hope for the future.
ducks in the Super Bowl. As talented as they are I just knew that the Patriots were foaming at the mouth to take on a young & inexperienced coach/QB combo, and it turned out exactly as I knew it would. And now the Rams aren’t a secret to the rest of the league so their opponents will be more prepared than a year ago. I still think they’ll win the division, but it won’t be quite as effortless. Jimmy G. is back under center for the Niners, and that means a huge turnaround. They’ll be in a battle with several other teams for a wildcard berth, but that’s a nice change from last season. Seattle still has Russell Wilson and they made some solid draft picks, but I believe they’ll take a step back this year. The Cards are trying to copy the Rams’ formula, but I’m not convinced it’ll work. Kliff Kingsbury probably needed a few more years as a college coach before taking the helm of an NFL team, and Kyler Murray is a perfect example of a great college quarterback whose skills just don’t translate to the NFL. Kudos to the powers-that-be in Arizona for rolling the dice and trying something new, but two years from now Kingsbury will probably be coaching on Saturdays and Murray will be playing baseball…if NFL defenses don’t maim the little guy.
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Time flies when you’re having fun. Isn’t that the common expression?? I can hardly believe that we’re near the end of another football season. It seems like just yesterday the warm summer breeze of August was blowing as we began this journey, and now the cold winds of the holidays are making cozy blankets & hot mugs of cocoa the accessories of choice as we watch another year come to a close. I am pondering a slam bang finish to our entertaining little project next week, but for now we move forward after a week in which Zach (3-2) bested me (1-4) and point spreads were a key difference. He probably doesn’t have much of a chance to catch me for the season crown, but a strong finish is always nice, and I’m just trying to get back above .500.
Cincinnati at Cleveland (-8.5)
Green Bay (-3.5) at NY Jets
Houston at Philadelphia (-2)
Kansas City (-2.5) at Seattle
Denver (-2.5) at Oakland
The Manofesto 