Mike Shanahan Fired After An Ugly 8-8 Season.
Mike Shanahan was let go after a nightmare meltdown finish to the season, just missing the playoffs. The Denver Broncos had what seemed like a different running back starting each week. They led the AFC West every single week except the last, letting the San Diego Chargers sneak by them in the final game and losing the Division Championship.
Mike Shanahan was in Denver for 14 seasons, leading the Broncos to the playoffs 7 times, which included 2 Super Bowls and more than a few Championship games. In his last few seasons though, the Broncos have gone from an elite team to an absolute mystery, winning the big games but losing focus against some questionable opponents. In Shanahan’s last 3 seasons the Broncos have gone 24-24, and more than a few people were ready for a change.
2009 NFL draft orderTeam ‘08 Record Opp. Win %
1. Detroit 0-16 .559
2. St. Louis 2-14 .533
3. Kansas City 2-14 .537
4. Seattle 4-12 .498
5. Cleveland 4-12 .572
6. Cincinnati 4-11-1 .553
7. Oakland 5-11 .520
8. Jacksonville 5-11 .537
9. Green Bay 6-10 .504
10. San Francisco 7-9 .447
11. Buffalo 7-9 .453
12. Denver 8-8 .457
13. Washington 8-8 .479
14. New Orleans 8-8 .496
15. Houston 8-8 .518
16. San Diego-x 8-8 .516
17. N.Y. Jets 9-7 .471
18. Chicago 9-7 .475
19. Tampa Bay 9-7 .480
20. Detroit (Dallas) 9-7 .498 [part of the Roy Williams Trade]
The Following are playoff teams and may be subject to change based on how far they go in the playoffs
21. Arizona-x 9-7 .486
22. Philadelphia-x 9-6-1 .514
23. Minnesota-x 10-6 .504
24. New England 11-5 .480
25. Atlanta-x 11-5 .459
26. Miami-x 11-5 .461
27. Baltimore-x 11-5 .521
28. Philadelphia (Carolina)-x 12-4 .488 [Eagles traded out of the first round last year gaining the Panthers 2008 2nd and this pick]
29. Indianapolis-x 12-4 .498
30. N.Y. Giants-x 12-4 .502
31. Pittsburgh-x 12-4 .525
32. Tennessee-x 13-3 .459
3 coaches got canned on Monday morning: Romeo Crennel, Rod Marinelli, and in a shocker Eric Mangini of the NY Jets, after going 9-7. Brett 
Favre might have dodged the bullet with Mangini losing his job this morning, but
most likely Favre will be forced out with any new coaching 
personnel installed. The Jets, who started off great, had only 1 win in their last 5 games, just missing the playoffs. At one point this season, people were talking Jets/Giants Super Bowl after beating New England and Tennessee in such a commanding fashion. Now New York is singing a different tune, after what could have been an easy December.
On average the NFL has 5-6 coaching changes per year, and with Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer floating around, it shouldn’t be long before one of these two guys are scooped up. Other top candidates include Steve Spagnuolo, Greg Williams, Cam Cameron, and Jeff Davidson. Don Banks has a great article for new coaches on the rise from SI.com.
Week 17 “Money Where Your Mouth Is” looks to be the first week that’ll go down without a win. While we had a winning record against the spread this week (9-6-1), the 3 bets we recommended lost…go figure. Our prediction of the Raiders playing spoiler in Tampa came through, along with our other upsets including the Colts and Texans, but we’re a little unhappy with a couple of our predictions.
As a result of today’s wacky upsets, the Philadelphia Eagles are going to the playoffs thanks to the Raiders and Texans. The biggest thanks may belong to the missed field goal in overtime by Cincinnati to give them the tie-breaking “tie” over the Cowboys. The Cowboys and Buccaneers had haunting losses today that will definitely play in an interesting offseason. Gridiron Experts wouldn’t be surprised if both teams were blown up and re-built.
Gridiron Experts is putting together a free playoff pool called “Beat The Experts”, and after a bad week with our picks (even though we had a winning record in a tough season), this would be a great time to sign up and play for great prizes. Check back tomorrow for sign ups!
Money Where Your Mouth Is Week 17 (Last minute)
This a weekly column that puts our expertise to the test, as we show a couple of the bets that we are placing on specific games, or prop bets offered by the many sports books and casinos. Of course we are a sports betting advisory, so our goal is to help you win money, but if you can’t afford to place bets…don’t.
Week 17 is never a great week to bet on games with all the uncertainties about players being rested for the playoffs. But this year is a little different, as there are so many wildcard opportunities.
Read more…
Snowball Fight In Vegas
Hot chocolate and Irish coffee couldn’t fix a cold betting day in the NFL this weekend. If you count the Ravens road win in Dallas on Saturday night, there were 9 upsets in week 16. While some games were a coin flip, others had playoff ramifications and were dubbed as “must wins”. Gridiron Experts seemed to avoid the betting disaster, going 2-2 in our week 16 edition of Money Where Your Mouth Is. Kansas City broke our hearts (again) on the final drive of the game, which made us go .500.
With calling the Seahawks and Chargers wins, you’d think we’d be having a good week, but when teams like Denver and Philly blow chances at playoff opportunities, you really have to wonder who is going to the playoffs.
Last year, all anyone would talk about week after week was the Patriots. Tom Brady this and Randy Moss that; this year it’s hard to find a team worth talking about for more than a couple of weeks, as playoff runs fall apart in a matter of seconds. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were my sleeper team; I took them to beat the Carolina Panthers 3 weeks ago, thinking the Bucs could hand an NFC South team a loss at home…man, was I wrong. At the time, it seemed very possible; Carolina had been frustrated by Tampa Bay’s defense in their 
first meeting, only managing to put up a field goal. Now, I wouldn’t bet on the Buccaneers to beat a high school football team. The offense has vanished, while the running defense is a joke.
The Broncos are also falling apart. You know that as hard as the coaching staff tried to hide the score of the Chargers win earlier that day, they found out. So you would think that after the Broncos caught wind of their division rival’s win, their game vs. the Bills would turn into a must win for them. The Broncos are very streaky and unreliable; they don’t deserve a playoff wildcard spot. The sad thing is, the Chargers don’t deserve one either.
What Do The 6 Worst NFL Teams Want For The Holidays?
Gridiron Experts takes a break from our usual fantasy and betting tips to see if we can predict what the six worst NFL teams want for the holidays. Each team gets one gift, and while many greedy fans want more, we focus on what would be the perfect present that could help improve each team.
Detroit 0-14
Real Lions fans don’t want a win, they want an offseason that can bring them the 10 wins that John Kitna had promised them a year ago. With Matt Millen out of the picture and the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft almost a lock, the Detroit Lions look to make a big splash in the offseason. While Detroit needs more than just one thing, a Quarterback would be the perfect gift. Some are
thinking Sam Bradford, the recent Heisman winner from Oklahoma, could be the next QB for the Lions. Bradford threw for more than 7500 hundred yards and 84 touchdowns in just two seasons with Oklahoma, and will decide soon
whether or not he wants to declare for the draft. Gridiron Experts thinks the Lions should head in a different direction, by selecting the top offensive tackle in the draft and throwing as much money at Matt Cassel as possible. Cassel has made huge strides this season, and will be the top free agent by far. If the Lions can snag him, their 2009 season will be bright.
Christmas toy equivalent: Castle Greyskull - Don’t lie, you watched He-Man as a kid!
St. Louis 2-12
Who’s running the show in St. Louis? There seems to be a lack of direction with the Rams these days, because as far as I can tell, they enjoy losing. Whatever happened to the greatest show on
turf? Scott Linehan only lasted 4 games into the 2008 season before being canned. Linehan was 10-25 as head coach in St. Louis, and was a big waste of time overall. The Rams would love a head coach that can lead this team back to the playoffs.
Christmas toy equivalent: Optimus Prime - No one talked back to this guy.
Kansas City Chiefs 2-12
The Chiefs are having a pretty good season despite their record. It’s a season of rebuilding, and the
fans know that. Trading Jared Allen before the draft was smart, as they couldn’t afford to keep him around. Keeping Tony Gonzalez, who is a huge fan favorite, after the trade deadline was another smart move; scoring has been something the Chiefs have been able to do. Tyler Thigpen looks to be a capable starter for this team, taking pressure off of Larry Johnson and a rebuilt o-line. Herm Edwards and the Chiefs have learned a lot about themselves this season, and the future looks bright. For Christmas, I think the Chiefs will be content with giving out gifts (wins to opponents) as good karma for next season. Although, “Lego” would be a good representation of the building blocks that are in place to make a new team.
Christmas gift equivalent: Lego- I just hope Kansas City knows what they’re building.
Read more…
Gridiron Experts Week 16 Picks
Overall: Straight up 146-78 ( 38- 10 in the last 3 weeks) ATS 111-108-5
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WEEK 16 Match Ups
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Grid-X Picks
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ATS
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Baltimore at Dallas-4.5
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DAL 24-21
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BAL
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New Orleans-7 at Detroit
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NO 31-10
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NO
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Cincinnati at Cleveland-3
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CLE 23-21
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CIN
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Miami-3.5 at Kansas City
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KC 17-14
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KC
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Pittsburgh-2.5 at Tennessee
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PIT 20-17
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PIT
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Philadelphia-5 at Washington
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PHI 29-23
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PHI
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San Francisco-5.5 at St. Louis
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SF 31-21
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SF
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Arizona at New England-7.5
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NE 31-17
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NE
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Atlanta at Minnesota-3.5
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MIN 26-21
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MIN
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Houston-7 at Oakland
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HOU 31-21
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HOU
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NY Jets-4.5 at Seattle
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SEA 28-27
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SEA
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Buffalo at Denver-7
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DEN 31-26
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BUF
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San Diego at Tampa Bay-4
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SD 21-17
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SD
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Carolina at NY Giants-3
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CAR 30-26
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CAR
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Green Bay at Chicago-4
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CHI 24-21
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GB
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Quick Reasoning Why:
Miami at Kansas City = Weather
San Diego at Tampa Bay = Chargers are still alive, Bucs banged up
NY Jets at Seattle = Last home game for Mike Holmgren
Thursday Night Football Quick Pick
Indianapolis Colts -7 at Jacksonville Jaguars
This game is one that people were circling on the calendar at the beginning of the season. The Colts have owned the AFC South for years now, but people were expecting that the other 3 teams in this division would begin to challenge for the top spot. While the Titans have made leaps and bounds in improvement, Jacksonville seems to have fallen apart. The Jaguars surprised a few people last week by beating the Packers, but since their bye week they have only gone 2-7. Injuries have piled up, and overall this team has lost hope. With expectations high in September, the Jaguars have been a huge let down, and jobs made be lost because of it. The Jaguars actually have a better record on the road than at home, but nevertheless, the goal is to spoil the Colts season, as Peyton and company have not yet locked it up in the playoffs. Expect the Colts to continue their 7 game winning streak on Thursday, giving them plenty of time to prepare for the Titans in week 17
.
Team records:
Indianapolis: 10-4 SU, 5-9 ATS
Jacksonville: 5-9 SU, 4-10 ATS
Indianapolis most recently:
When playing in December are 8-2
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 7-3
When playing within the division are 7-3
Jacksonville most recently:
When playing in December are 4-6
When playing on grass are 3-7
After being outgained are 6-4
When playing within the division are 4-6
A few trends to consider:
Indianapolis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
Indianapolis is 14-3 SU in its last 17 games on the road
Indianapolis is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing Jacksonville
Indianapolis is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Jacksonville
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 5 games
Jacksonville is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Indianapolis
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Jacksonville’s last 7 games when playing at home against Indianapolis
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Jacksonville’s last 6 games when playing Indianapolis
Gridiron Experts doesn’t think Jacksonville will put up much of a fight, despite the huge rivalry between these two teams. Indianapolis will cover 27-14
