Jim Vallet and Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter
It was not the same. We couldn’t agree on simple things like which golf course we wanted to play or which restaurant to patronize. When we did get to the course, we could not agree on what kind of beer we wanted. And then, the talk turned to politics…
We have not been in contact since.
As a kid, I loved a pizza place in Michigan called “Sila’s Pizzeria”. My wife and I, when we were dating, would meet up there after work on Friday afternoons before embarking on whatever we were going to do on a particular Friday night. We returned there after a 20-year absence and were very disappointed. It looked like the tablecloths and chairs were the same ones from 20 years prior and the pizza tasted like it was as old as the chairs.
I thought of all this as I was watching the reunion of Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams last Sunday night as they went against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two had previously been pretty much unstoppable during the 7 seasons they played together in Green Bay, but Sunday night it looked to me like a lot has changed.
Whatever the reason, right now Aaron Rodgers is not the player he was with Green Bay.
We do not know how the Rodgers/Adams reunion with the Jets will ultimately turn out. Sunday night was clearly not a good start, but the Steelers have a really good defense, maybe things will get better. As far as I know, Aaron Rodgers does not have a Taco Bell in his house, where Davante Adams is staying right now. So, although less fast food has to be a good thing for Davante Adams’ play, Father Time, the injuries to Adams and Rodgers, and what I see as Rodgers’ diminishing confidence in throwing the ball may combine to be too much for the duo to regain their past successes. We’ll see.
There are more examples of mixed results in all the major sports, but the biggest factor seems to be the age and health of the athletes. If a duo is young and in good physical shape, there is a good chance of replicating past glories. After all, they were great together once. But, if one or both of the athletes is hurting or more interested in making commercials than participating in working out, it won’t work.
Green Bay Packers (-4) at Jacksonville Jaguars: The Packers look good. This one opened at Packers -5 ½, so you’re getting a free point and a half.
Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills (-3) at Seattle Seahawks
Los Angeles Chargers
Pittsburgh Steelers (-6 ½) vs New York Giants: The Giants play horribly against teams that bring quarterback pressure. The Steelers can do that.
Season 18-25-1
Robert’s picks
I went 1-4 last week in the college picks here, but I got pushes on my actual bets on two of those losses. It’s important to find the best lines. But I haven’t been more wrong about a game in a long time as I was about Nebraska-Indiana, and I'm not sure which team I was wrong about. Probably both. I also though East Carolina had a great shot to hold Army under 30 points, and they were down by 31 just 5 minutes into the third quarter, then proceeded to come from behind and push my bet at +17, even though it was a loss in this column at + 15.5.
Michigan St. +4 at Michigan: This is not a line or a bet I would have anticipated when the season started. But Michigan has cycled through quarterbacks and still hasn’t found an effective one. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Michigan St. this year because of all the transfer losses from last year, but new coach Jonathan Smith is really good and while Michigan is treading water, State is picking up speed. Better coach and better QB plus points is a formula that’s worked for me for a long time.
Mississippi St. (+7 ) over Arkansas: It looked like it was going to be a rough season for the Bulldogs after the first couple of weeks, and a 1-6 record says it has been. But they’re 4-3 against the spread, and playing well offensively since freshman QB Michael Van Buren took over. Now a team that’s getting better by the week and is hungry for a win gets a home game against a team they will believe they can beat when they watch the film.
Colorado St. (-4 ½) over New Mexico: Lobos have scored 50 or more in three straight games and sophomore QB Devon Dampier legitimately could end up as the best in program history if he stays for his whole career and plays as well as he has this year. But I’ve followed this program closely since I was 9 years old, and they almost never beat Colorado St. The defense has allowed almost as many as the offense has scored the last three weeks, and the Lobos aren’t going to win if the offense suffers any kind of drop-off.
Oregon St. (+10 ½) at Cal: Cal has lost four straight close games after starting 3-0, starting with a huge blown lead against Miami. They got overrated off that early start, and now they’re laying double digits in a game where there doesn’t appear to be any sort of talent advantage. This looks like another game down to the wire to me.
Packers (-4) at Jaguars: I lost by a half point with the Packers last week, but they dominated the Texans a lot more than the scoreboard showed, mainly because of three turnovers. But the Packers are just a better team than the Jaguars, and with Jacksonville coming back from London, being at home this week won’t mean as much as it usually does.
Commanders (+3) over Bears: The Bears have had a lot of good situational luck so far this season, but I don’t believe this is a true 4-2 type of team. The defense has been terrific, but the Texans are the only thing close to a good offense they’ve faced. Now the Bears are favored on the road because Jayden Daniels is expected to be out. A rookie QB with seven career starts is worth 5.5 points in the line? Not to me.
Seahawks (+3) over Bills: I’ve cashed tickets twice against the Seahawks, but NFL betting is all about situations, not teams. The Bills are 3,000 miles from home in their fourth road game in five weeks off a blowout win that gave them a commanding lead in their division. Seattle is back home after ending a 3-game losing streak last week. They make it two wins in a row.
Eagles (+2 ½) at Bengals: I don’t understand all the teeth-gnashing about the Eagles. They have an offense that’s built for a certain game flow. When they get that flow, they’re tough to beat. When the game doesn’t flow that way, they’re in trouble. The Eagles are just better than the Bengals and they should be able to get their run game and RPO action working. Philly shouldn’t be the underdog here.
Last week
College 1-4
NFL 1-2
Season
College 16-17
NFL 12-7-1
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