Something must be done about bad NFL officiating.
Sure, referees get blamed far too often for the outcome of games. However, last week’s debacle in the Houston-Oakland game on Monday night was as blatant an example of incompetence in officiating as I’ve ever witnessed.
Flag-happy pass interference penalties, inconsistent unsportsmanlike conduct calls, razor-margin judgment situations that can kill or extend key drives — all this and more has made football watching an excruciating experience. Moreover, many officials simply are flat out blowing calls, even with overwhelming video evidence. For instance, I watched one NFL game last week where a punt was marked incorrectly by TEN YARDS. The players and coaches on the sideline protested, but the yells to correct the terrible error went ignored. How does an entire officiating crew miss marking the ball by TEN YARDS?
Here’s an idea: Simplify the rules. Eliminate judgment calls. Mandate an official be placed in front of the television screen to look for errors. It’s really not that difficult to figure out. Do something.
Now, on to handicapping….
In the black again after the martingale teaser system produced a nice winner with last week’s blowout hub team — Seattle.
This week, I’m wheeling Tennessee, laying -6 at Chicago. The Titans are not a reliable road favorite, so this isn’t a team I’d normally look to wager on. They haven’t been favored by this many points as the away team in more than two years. However, this is rare game where the Titans appear to enjoy a clear advantage in virtually every sphere of the match up.
Chicago enters this game absolutely decimated by injuries (14 players on IR at the moment). The Bears will also start a third-string quarterback, which is the primary reason why the line moved from -2 to -6. That’s lots of points for an inconsistent team like the Titans with a 4-5 record. But this is an ideal opportunity to get back to the .500 mark and — at least for the time being — re-join the playoff race. Lose this game, and it’s basically all over for the Titans.
I expect Tennessee’s #3 ranked rushing attack to be the key difference in this game. Look for Titans to have just enough talent at the skill positions to get out of Chicago with a victory. Meanwhile, the Bears lose not only Jay Cutler at QB (has this malcontent finally taken his last snap?) but their primary WR target and deep threat, who is serving a four-game suspension. Hard to see how Chicago scores many points in this game.
Taking Tennessee on the teaser, which gets notched down to a pick’em situation. I’m wheeling the Titans for $110 to win $100 on each of these sides/games. Total wagers $1,650 to win $1.500:
TENN (pick) with HOU +8.5
TENN (pick) with JAX +13.5
TENN (pick) with BUFF -1.5
TENN (pick) with CINCY +9.5
TENN (pick) with ARIZ +10.5
TENN (pick) with MIA -1
TENN (pick) with LA +14.5
TENN (pick) with NOR -2.5
TENN (pick) with NYG -1
TENN (pick) with SEA (pick)
TENN (pick) with TB +12
TENN (pick) with CAR +9.5
TENN (pick) with KC +9.5
TENN (pick) with NWE -1.5
TENN (pick) with GB +9.5
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2016 NFL SEASON RECORD
STARTING BANKROLL: $10,000.
CURRENT BANKROLL: $10,314.
NET GAIN/LOSS: + $314.
LAST WEEK: + $2,034.
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Last week’s results (all wagers risked $242 to win $220):
SEA – half point / TENN +9 W
SEA – half point / DET — pick W
SEA – half point / JAX +12 W
SEA – half point / KC -1 L
SEA – half point / TB +13 W
SEA – half point / ARZ +8.5 W
SEA – half point / BUFF +8.5 W
SEA – half point / DAL -1 W
SEA – half point / BALT +13 W
SEA – half point /PITT -2.5 W
SEA – half point / CLEVE +14.5 L
SEA – half point / LA +7.5 W
SEA – half point / NWE -5.5 W
SEA – half point / GB +9 L
SEA – half point / OAK — pick W
SEA – half point / HOU +12 W