As usual, I will have my weekly NFL picks with the spread posted each week of the season. But before we begin the season, let’s get to how I see the 2015-16 NFL season finishing up:

AFC East
1. New England Patriots
2. Miami Dolphins
3. Buffalo Bills
4. New York Jets

Comments: A motivated Tom Brady will aim to stick it to the NFL and they should win another division title. Ryan Tannehill doesn’t get the credit he deserves and with the improved defense, they will challenge the Patriots this season. Rex Ryan moves to another AFC East team, and he will face the same problems he did with the Jets – great defense, solid run game, but inconsistent QB play. The Jets are just a mess.

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Cleveland Browns
4. Cincinnati Bengals

Comments: Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best QBs in the game and Antonio Brown could be considered the best WR in the game, add to that LeVeon Bell, a top 5 RB and the Steelers should have a good year. The Ravens will struggle more on offense this season without Torrey Smith to take the top off the defense. The Browns and Bengals could finish either way, but I’m going to take the Browns and say that I think their defense is terrific and that Josh McCown will be stable and able to control the offense a la Alex Smith.

AFC South
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Houston Texans
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Tennessee Titans

Comments: The Colts will win this division easily, and hopefully that doesn’t hurt fantasy football players if the Colts decide to bench Andrew Luck during the end of the season. The Texans defense will be no joke with J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork and Jadeveon Clowney. The Jaguars will continue to slowly improve, but they are still at least a year away from seriously challenging for the playoffs. I am not sold on Marcus Mariotta leading the Titans in his first year, he will need more time to adjust to the NFL game.

AFC West
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. Denver Broncos
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Oakland Raiders

Comments: This division is one of the most difficult to predict this season. The Chiefs did not throw a TD pass to a Wide Receiver last season, and I think that changes in a big way with the addition of Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is a far better receiving threat than Dwayne Bowe and with TE Travis Kelce, the passing game should improve greatly. I think this is the season that Peyton Manning starts his regression, we saw it at the end of last season and I think it continues this year. The Chargers could win this division if Melvin Gordon is the answer at RB, but based on the preseason, I’m not convinced of that for this season. The Raiders will be much improved and they could be a real threat next season. David Carr and Amari Cooper will both put up solid numbers this season.

NFC East
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. New York Giants
4. Washington Redskins

Comments: The Eagles will look to prove to everyone that they are not crazy by letting their best WR (Maclin) leave, trading their best RB (LeSean McCoy) and trading for a QB that cannot stay healthy (Sam Bradford). As crazy as it sounds, I think Chip Kelly knows what he is doing. The combination of Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor at WR will be a top 5 combo in the NFL and the tandem of DeMarco Murray, Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles at RB will be borderline unstoppable. The Cowboys addressed their defense needs and once Greg Hardy finishes his suspension, they will really start to click. The New York Giants could be great this season, if everything works out perfectly, but I think that Odell Beckham Jr. will regress from his rookie season as he gets more attention. I’m not sold that Victor Cruz makes a full recovery back to his normal self and I don’t think Rashad Jennings stays healthy for the full season. The Redskins are a mess and it will show in the standings.

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears

Comments: I liked the Packers to win the Super Bowl this season, until Jordy Nelson got injured. But I still think they are good enough to get their without him as long as they have Rodgers running the show. Don’t sleep on the Vikings this season, with Adrian Peterson returning to action fresh and motivated (see his season after the ACL injury) the Vikings will challenge for the playoffs this season. Teddy Bridgewater is a solid young quarterback and the addition of Mike Wallace will definitely help. The Lions are going to be good this season, but can Calvin Johnson stay healthy will be a major concern. The Bears will live and die by Jay Cutler’s inconsistency. I think Vic Fangio improves the defense, but you can only do so much, he will need to have some more talent.

NFC South
1. Atlanta Falcons
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Tampa Bay Bucs
4. Carolina Panthers

Comments: The Falcons offense has never been the problem, and I think Dan Quinn will bring enough to the table to improve the defense enough to win a weak division that saw the winner last season have a losing record. The Saints will greatly miss Jimmy Graham, but I think Drew Brees has a bounce back season and that Brandin Cooks makes big strides this season. The Bucs made the right choice by choosing Jameis Winston and I think his skills combined with Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson will greatly improve the offense this season. Without Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers are going to struggle to score in a major way. As good as their defense has potential to be, I just don’t see them scoring enough points to win games.

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. San Francisco 49ers
4. St. Louis Rams

Comments: This division will continue to be one of the best divisions in the NFL. The Seahawks added some firepower with Jimmy Graham, but their offensive line will struggle. The Seahawks are not locks to win this division this season, but it’s hard to go against the back-to-back NFC champions. The Cardinals, assuming that Carson Palmer remains healthy, will challenge the Seahawks this season. Their defense is terrific, and John Brown is going to have a breakout year. The 49ers will not be the total collapse everyone is writing them off to be this season. They had a horrible offseason, but Carlos Hyde is no slouch to replace Frank Gore. And although they lost Patrick Willis and Chris Borland, they do get All-Pro Navarro Bowman back this season, and he had a great preseason showing. The Rams will be good, and I think each team could finish above .500 this year. Nick Foles will be solid, as I think he was underrated in Philadelphia, and their defense should be Top 5 in the NFL this year.

Postseason
AFC
Wild Card Weekend
3. Steelers over 6. Broncos
4. Chiefs over 5. Ravens

Divisional Round
1. Colts over 4. Chiefs
2. Patriots over 3. Steelers

AFC Championship
1. Colts over 2. Patriots

NFC
Wild Card Weekend
3. Seahawks over 6. Vikings
5. Cowboys over 4. Falcons

Divisional Round
1. Packers over 5. Cowboys
2. Eagles over 3. Seahawks

NFC Championship
1. Packers over 2. Eagles

Super Bowl 50
Colts over Packers

NFL Honors
MVP: Andrew Luck (Colts)
Coach of the Year: Mike Zimmer (Vikings)
Offensive Player of the Year: Adrian Peterson (Vikings)
Defensive Player of the Year: Mario Williams (Bills)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Nelson Agholar (Eagles)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Vic Beasley (Falcons)
Comeback Player of the Year: Navarro Bowman (49ers)

[Photo Credit: OpposingViews.com]

This year, I created my own little formula to rank the teams in the tournament to eliminate personal biases and subjectivity. Well, the factors included in the formula are subjective to what I feel you need to win in the tournament, but by applying them to all the teams, I am evening the field. Here is my 2015 bracket. I will update this page with results as the tournament progresses.

— Update after Round of 64 —
It was a wild Thursday slate of action, with a relatively calm Friday during the Round of 64, but all things considered, my bracket is in decent shape for the rest of the tournament with all my Elite Eight teams still in the tournament.

— Update after Round of 32 —
The Round of 32 busted my bracket pretty good. I failed to give Tom Izzo the credit he deserves for his hot March run and his Michigan State team took down Virginia, whom I had in the Championship. I still have 6 of 8 Elite Eight teams and 3 of 4 Final Four teams, but it will be hard to make up the damage the Round of 32 did to my bracket.

Round of 32: 21/32
Sweet Sixteen: 7/16
Elite Eight: 6/8
Final Four: 1/4 (Kentucky, Arizona, Virginia, Utah)
Championship: 0/2 (Kentucky, Virginia)
Champion: 0/1 (Kentucky)

(Click to Enlarge)

We should have some tremendous series take place throughout the playoffs, but will the lack of major markets (outside of LA) hurt National ratings? Probably, but Regional numbers should be stronger than ever – especially in the Baltimore region, Kansas City and Pittsburgh.

Here is how I see the Postseason playing out:

AL Wild Card Game:
Athletics over the Royals: Despite the very poor showing the Athletics put-on after the All-Star break (.433 winning percentage), this is exactly why they pulled the trigger for Jon Lester. I think that move allows them to win this game.

NL Wild Card Game:
Giants over the Pirates: Pitching wins, and I’ll take Madison Bumgarner over Edison Volquez every time. Although Volquez has pitched very well after the All-Star break, I just don’t trust him after last year’s playoff game. Add to the fact that the Pirates struggled more against lefties throughout the season and I see the Giants winning this game.

AL Divisonal Series (ALDS):
Athletics over the Angels: I’m going with the theme that pitching will prevail. The Angels by far have the better hitters in this series, but when the Athletics will be able to pitch Jeff Samardzija, Sonny Gray and then Jon Lester against the Angels rotation filled with question marks, I just can’t helped going with the Cinderella story of the Athletics.

Tigers over the Orioles: I really want to go with the Orioles in this series, but did you see the Tigers starting rotation? The last three CY Young Winners (Justin Verlander, David Price and Max Scherzer) should provide enough to cover the less than stellar Tigers bullpen. The Orioles may have a dominant bullpen, but I just don’t see them getting enough leads to take this series. Miguel Cabrera, the AL’s Player of the Month for September, is on-fire when it matters most, unlike his injured postseason last year and I think that makes a difference.

NL Divisional Series (NLDS):
Nationals over the Giants: The Nationals will continue to roll after ending the season with Jordan Zimmerman’s no-hitter. The Giants don’t have enough pitching to win this series, and that is compounded by them having to use their best pitcher just to get to this series.

Dodgers over the Cardinals: Clayton Kershaw and the NL’s Player of the Month for September (Matt Kemp), should keep the Dodgers rolling (they ended on a 5 game winning streak) and allow them to win the rematch of the 2013 NLCS.

ALCS:
Tigers over the Athletics: The two best pitching staffs in the American League will face-off for the ALCS, and in this series the hitting will be the difference. With both teams able to start three legitimate aces during this series, timely hitting is going to make the difference. Cabrera and the Tigers have too much firepower for the Athletics to keep up with.

NLCS:
Nationals over the Dodgers: As much as it seems like it, Clayton Kershaw will not be able to win a seven game series by himself. Although the Dodgers pitching is no joke, the Nationals had the #1 pitching staff in the entire majors with a combined 3.03 ERA. They have enough hitting to compete with the Dodgers (.714 OPS compared to the Dodgers .738), and if they have a lead at the end of games – their bullpen is going to be too much for the Dodgers.

World Series:
Nationals over the Tigers: If you have read the rest of this post, this pick will not be a surprise. The Nationals pitching is too deep for the Tigers. Although the Tigers have the last 3 AL CY Young winners, their team ERA is only 4.01 which is a full run worse than the Nationals 3.03. When the game is on the line, the disparity is even bigger with the Nationals’ relievers having a 3.00 ERA (4th best in the MLB) compared to the Tigers’ relievers having a 4.29 (4th worst in the MLB).

[Photo Credit: SportsLogos.net]

When all is said and done, here is how I see the season playing out:

AFC East:
1. New England Patriots
2. Miami Dolphins
3. New York Jets
4. Buffalo Bills

AFC North:
1. Cincinnati Bengals
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Pittsburgh Steelers
4. Cleveland Browns

AFC South:
1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Tennessee Titans
3. Houston Texans
4. Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West:
1. Denver Broncos
2. San Diego Chargers
3. Kansas City Chiefs
4. Oakland Raiders

NFC East:
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Washington Redskins
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. New York Giants

NFC North:
1. Green Bay Packers
2. Chicago Bears
3. Detroit Lions
4. Minnesota Vikings

NFC South:
1. New Orleans Saints
2. Tampa Bay Bucs
3. Atlanta Falcons
4. Carolina Panthers

NFC West:
1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Seattle Seahawks
3. Arizona Cardinals
4. St. Louis Rams

Playoffs:

AFC Wild Card Weekend:
3. Patriots over 6. Ravens
4. Bengals over 5. Chargers

AFC Divisional Round:
1. Broncos over 4. Bengals
2. Colts over 3. Patriots

AFC Championship:
2. Colts over 1. Broncos

NFC Wild Card Weekend:
3. 49ers over 6. Bears
5. Seahawks over 4. Eagles

NFC Divisional Round:
1. Saints over 4. Seahawks
3. 49ers over 2. Packers

NFC Championship:
3. 49ers over 1. Saints

Super Bowl:
49ers over Colts

Awards:
MVP: Drew Brees (Saints)
Offensive Player of the Year: LeSean McCoy (Eagles)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Bishop Sankey (Titans)
Defensive Player of the Year: Patrick Willis (49ers)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jadeveon Clowney (Texans)
Coach of the Year: Lovie Smith (Bucs)
Comeback Player of the Year: Rob Gronkowski (Patriots)

And that is how I expect the NFL to unfold during the 2014-15 season.

Colin Kaepernick (@ Dallas Cowboys)

The San Francisco 49ers decide to give Kaepernick a brand new contract, and he will be able to hit the ground running against possibly the worst defense in the entire NFL. Not only was Dallas expected to struggle on defense, but injuries have made them even worse. They gave up 286.8 passing yards a year ago, and 128.5 rushing yards per game. This is great news for the youngster out of Nevada who is looking to prove he deserved the large contract signed this off-season.

Nick Foles (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)

A year ago, no one knew whether or not Foles would ever get a shot at being a consistent starter at the NFL level. Now, he is locked in as the franchise quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. The offense will be looking to put up some pretty nice numbers against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 1. The Jaguars are still not very good, and on the road they are usually even worse.

Potential Bargain: Derek Carr (@ New York Jets)

This pick is aimed for the daily fantasy players, but it could prove to be a worthy gamble. Derek Carr will be at near basement prices across all sites and that could allow you to stack your line-up at other positions. Carr earned the starting job with stellar off-season and pre-season play and he will be looking to prove he deserves the start. It doesn’t hurt that the Jets’ secondary situation heading into Week 1 is abysmal. Darrin Walls and Antonio Allen (a safety just 3 weeks ago) will be getting the start and that could allow Carr to have a pretty good game especially compared to his price.

[Photo Credit: sportressofblogitude.com]

In fact, according to ESPN Stats and Information, he is only the 3rd pitcher in the past 100 seasons to strikeout nine or more while allowing one hit in a loss.

For the fans that did show up, it was probably the best outcome possible. The prodigal son returns home and pitches in a dominant fashion, but the home team still wins. It really is a tough break for Price, as it is harder to pitch that stat line and lose than to pitch that line and win, that’s for sure.

It’s an even tougher break for the Tigers, who are in a tough battle for the final American League Wild Card position. When you get a dominant pitching performance like the one Price threw today, you need to win. It will be interesting if this has any impact on the Playoffs when the season is complete. Only time will tell.

[Photo Credit: FieldRush.com]

#MLB is back! The #Dodgers have won the 1st gm of the 2014 season. Can they complete the sweep? Since 1998, 52.05% of 2-gm series are sweeps

— MLB Sweep Tracker (@MLBSweeps) March 22, 2014

Sweep Fact #21: Since 1998, 27.16% of three game series ended with a sweep. #MLB

— MLB Sweep Tracker (@MLBSweeps) March 22, 2014

Sweep Fact #20: Since 1998, 14.30% of four game series ended with a sweep. #MLB

— MLB Sweep Tracker (@MLBSweeps) March 22, 2014

Sweep Fact #19: Since 1998, 11.11% of five game series ended with a sweep. #MLB

— MLB Sweep Tracker (@MLBSweeps) March 22, 2014

The Rum Diary came out last week to a small debut of only $5 million. Rum Diary, starring Johnny Depp and produced by his company Infinitum Nihil, is the second adaptation of a Hunter S. Thompson novel that Depp has starred in. The first, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, also debuted to a small opening at the box office when it was release in 1998. In honor of the debut of The Rum Diary, it’s time to revisit this cult class which is available to stream on Netflix.

Check it out and be sure to check back next week!

Just in time for Halloween, Paranormal Activity is available to watch instantly on Netflix. Paranormal Activity successfully builds tension and suspense while eschewing the buckets of blood found in most Halloween movies. The second film builds on the success of the first and, by all accounts–and the box-office domination–Paranormal Activity 3 is the best of the series. If you’re looking for a good movie to sit down and watch for Halloween, this is one series that builds honest and well earned scares. Definitely worth viewing with the lights off.

Pros:

• Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) play incredibly well off of each-other
• I am a fan of the obvious references to the first movie. I am glad this movie didn’t act as if the first movie never happened.
• The writers came up with some interesting new plot lines that kept the movie fresh, despite the similarities to the first movie.

Cons:

• At some points in the film, it was somewhat obvious what was going to happen next (if you saw the first movie).

The movie, set in 1891, stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a stage actor and brooding man who returns home to Blackmoor after Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt), his brother’s fiance informs him that his brother has died. This only adds to the sulky demeanor that he seems to have acquired when he witnessed his mother’s death. When he arrives home, he re-encounters his estranged father, Sir John, played by Anthony Hopkins. Lawrence vows not to leave Blackmoor until he finds out how his brother died.

The biggest problem with this move is that it lacks life. The dark backgrounds and scenery are portrayed beautifully, but the characters fail to bring any excitement to the movie. From the outset, the movie is unable to grab the viewer’s attention and convince them that this is a story worth investing in.

The werewolves look technically impressive, but they are not scary creatures. They just look like hairy people and don’t command as much respect as a vicious beast should. The transformation scenes are gruesome and there are buckets of blood liberally shed throughout the film. However, the main attraction–the Wolfman himself–does not look as scary as I would expect, though the costuming is well done.

Overall, the film looks great and has a good score, but the story itself as portrayed by the actors, was dull and lifeless and did not bring enough life to the classic tale.

Pros:

• Great Acting- Ben Affleck (Doug), Rebecca Hall (Claire), Jeremy Renner (James) gave amazing performances
• Great Plot- Action scenes were well put together and there was enough drama to satisfy all audiences

Cons:

• Slightly predictable at times, but there were some surprises

Pros:

• Amazing Cast- Sylvester Stallone (Barney ‘The Schizo’ Ross), Jason Statham (Lee Christmas), Mickey Rourke (Tool), Terry Crews (Hale Caesar), and Jet Li (Yin Yang) were all tremendous. Rourke gives some great emotional scenes while Crews and Li offer some quality comedic relief.
• Action, Action, Action- If you love action movies, you will love this movie.

Cons:

• Plot is very thin. This is basically a pure action movie, if you don’t like action this might not be for you.

In a world where people can literally enter the world of dreams, the movie is definitely far fetched, but the writers do an amazing job of setting up the story. Be warned, this is not a movie to go to the bathroom in the middle of it. Leaving for just a few minutes could easily get you lost as the movie switches from dream to reality to dream.

I would have to disagree with what the fact that you need to see it twice to understand what happened. The movie is not too hard to follow if you are paying attention. The beginning is slightly more confusing, but don’t let it discourage you. I recommend this movie 100%.

Steve Carell (Gru), Jason Segal (Vector) and Russell Brand (Dr. Nefario) are great as the voices behind the main characters. If you had doubts about this movie, put them aside and make sure you see it.

The movie further develops the romantic relationships between Bella and Edward and Bell and Jacob while at the same time offering intense action scenes to appeal to a larger audience. Ladies and men can find this movie entertaining.