Politics, NFL Style: A Guide to the Presidential Playoffs

There are so many candidates currently vying for the presidency, that it’s gotten to look like the NFL playoff grid. Here are some sporty thumbnail sizeups about each, offered roughly the way the polls (which I don’t trust, by the way) have been generally lining them up. We’ll divide the candidates just like NFL teams, into the Democrat Conference and the Republican Conference. The top four

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #15 Winners and Losers... with Media Notes

There are five NFC teams still alive for a wild-card berth. The AFC is all but sewn up, though the Tennessee Titans still have an outside chance should Cleveland or Pittsburgh falter. So keep your eyes on the wannabes, and glance occasionally over the Patriots' way, to see if they can nail down that perfect record. After they beat the Dolphins this coming weekend, they'll be 15-0. Their last

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #14 Winners and Losers... w/ Media Notes

Truth is, this is maybe the best time of the pro football season. There are a lot of teams still vying for wild-card berths, even teams that don't have a snowball's chance in hell of going anywhere in the postseason even if they do secure a playoff slot. But especially in a year where the Patriots look to be a lock to win it all, it's fun to watch teams like Arizona and Cleveland and Minnesota

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Titans Blow a Big One: Inept Young a Big Reason for Collapse

The Tennessee Titans blew a big ball game yesterday. Their record fell to 7-6, and their playoff hopes as an AFC wild-card team grew dimmer with the continued success of the Cleveland Browns (8-5) and Jacksonville Jaguars (9-4). The Titans probably need to win their three remaining games, and even then they may need some help to get into the postseason. It was bad enough that they lost at home

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Old News: Money Rules College Football and the Big-Time Universities Are Hypocrites

There are two recent developments that telegraph a big loud message: Big-time college football is a joke, as are the universities affiliated with it. First let’s examine the recent firing of Karl Dorrell as head coach at UCLA. Interesting facts: Dorrell had a 35-27 record in five years, including a 10-2 record in 2005, a huge (and unlikely) upset of rival USC in 2006, and a 24-18 overall

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #13 Winners and Losers... w/ Media Notes

Before anything, we’d like to congratulate the Miami-Dade police department and its director Robert Parker for their swift work in apprehending the apparent killers of Sean Taylor. We were snidely critical of their theorizing earlier last week, and we were premature in our judgment and just flat-out wrong in leveling any criticism. The entire Taylor story is a sad one from its beginning, and

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It’s a Wonderful Life: The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Watch Baseball...and Oprah

I suppose it was inevitable. I’m now officially a socialist.As we descend into heavy-duty holiday mania and parse our way through Charlie Brown’s depressing Christmas commercialism, I’m feeling the residual effects of being too sensitive, and knowing too much about too many things. For example, sports media’s (and especially ESPN’s) obsession with Alex Rodriguez’ new $275 million contract made

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CSI Miami Cast Takes Over Taylor Investigation

Citing the already demonstrated incompetence of the Miami-Dade police department, members of the cast of CBS’ popular crime show CSI Miami have stepped in to take control of the investigation into the recent shooting death of pro football player Sean Taylor. After being informed that Miami police chief Robert Parker has ruled out premeditated foul play in the case, series star David Caruso (left)

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SMA Notebook: Swin Cash Fouls the Air at ESPN, and Nonsense from the Miami Police in the Sean Taylor Slaying

ESPN is at it again. Hiring unqualified TV personalities. Tonight’s viewing brought me my first encounter with the inimitable Swin Cash. Who you ask? (Yeah, that’s what I said.) I wandered into ESPN’s “NBA Fastbreak,” a show that plays game highlights while so-called experts—read: ex jocks who have no business being in front of a camera—rattle on inanely. I had no idea who Swin Cash was. I saw

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R.I.P. Sean Taylor: A Sad but All Too Familiar End for an African American Athlete

The death of Sean Taylor. It’s like deja vu all over again. About a year ago we were mourning the violent death of the Denver Broncos’ Darrent Williams, shot in a drive-by.Ranting about this stuff seems pointless. But it’s hard not to reflect on the upshot of it all. So many things come to mind. Reality check:1. Why does it ring false to me when Taylor’s teammates talk about how he “turned his

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #12 Winners and Losers

Once as a kid, watching pro football with my Dad, I heard him say something like this: “Does it really matter who your running back is? Seems to me if your offensive line is in synch and blowing out big holes in the defense, that any reasonably talented runner could gain 100 yards a game.” I think he had a point. Matter of fact, I think Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan and Mike McCarthy and

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #11 Winners and Losers

Should we just stop playing the season and anoint the Patriots the champs? At 10-0, they do look invincible, and it would save a lot of wear and tear on everybody’s precious bodies. One thing no one talks about that much: the Patriots’ offensive line. Tom Brady’s just immune sitting back in that pocket. And those guys don’t make stupid motion penalties and the like. They’re simply a

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Where’d They Play Their College Ball?

I guess most football fans can tell you right off the bat where Vince Young played his college football (Texas). Or Peyton Manning (Tennessee). But unless you’re a total geek about this stuff, it can be a fun challenge to test the backwaters of your memory. Some of the NFL QBs listed below aren’t that long removed from their alma maters. Others are getting pretty long in the tooth. But all have

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #10 Winners and Losers

Rams finally win one. Dolphins remain winless. Colts on two-game losing streak. Cowboys and Packers assert dominant NFC leanings. And the wild-card races in both conferences just get tighter. You won’t hear fans complain about that. It was fun to lounge around on the couch this past weekend, and watch parity at its best. That includes the college game, where the typical powers continue to

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The Return of the Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #9 Winners and Losers

We’ve been busy lately, with paid music and writing gigs and also a special free-lance photography project I hope to have completed by the spring of ‘08. I’ve still got my finger on the NFL’s pulse, though. For most teams, this is the halfway point—eight games into the season—and a good time to take stock. There are plenty of disappointments out there: Rams (0-8), Jets (1-8), 49ers (2-6),

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Modest Milestone: Three Years and Counting for SMA

Sports Media America is three years old today. Guess we’re still just out of infancy. In 36 months, we have produced nearly 150 stories (146 to be exact, including this one)—on major sports issues and events, on the various national and local radio and TV outlets that provide sports coverage, on the book publishing industry, and, in several cases, on non-sports-related media events about which we

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Ramsey the Radio Shill: Cashing in for Christ on Sports Talk Radio

Nashville sports radio is where Nashville sports radio talent make money—and not necessarily talking about sports. No, the real ultimate bonanza, once you can break into the local radio game, is doing voiceovers for commercials. George Plaster, Mike Keith, Frank Wycheck, Jeff Diamond—the list goes on. Once they are voices on the radio, they convert their insider position into additional bucks by

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Burns’ “War” Embattled: Hispanic Outcry, Stylistic Sameness Dull Its Documentary Luster

Warning: Non-Sports ContentI’ve been checking out segments of the new Ken Burns documentary film The War on PBS. Guess what? It kinda sucks. Let me preface my remarks by saying that, unlike the Hispanic Americans who raised a stink about the film, I do not think Burns is a racist. No, the guy whose three previous major PBS features—The Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz—basically rubbed the white

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #3 Winners and Losers... w/ Media Notes

The beat goes on. Five teams remain undefeated: New England, Indy, Pittsburgh, Dallas and—surprise!—Green Bay. Five remain winless: Atlanta, Buffalo, Miami, St. Louis and New Orleans. Titans 34, Saints 14—Titans (2-1) do a lot of little things well enough, but also intercept Drew Brees 4 times. Saints—considered Super Bowl contenders by many preseason prognosticators (ahem...)—are in trouble

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The Tuesday Morning Quarterback: NFL Week #2 Winners and Losers...w/ Media Notes

Surprise victories by the Browns, Cardinals, Buccaneers, 49ers and Texans confirm that the road to a division title will be a lot tougher than expected for some preseason favorites. The Saints and the Jets, for example, are out of the box with an 0-2 record, and that’s definitely not a good sign for them. Meanwhile, the Lions, Packers, 49ers and Texans are feeling their oats at 2-0. This is

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NFL Wrap-Up: Week #1 Winners and Losers

A quick look at the first week of NFL action. Injuries studded the landscape, and some surprise opening-game victories might portend changes in divisional dominance. Indianapolis Colts 41, New Orleans Saints 10—An impressive win over a good Saints team proved the Colts’ offense is as potent as ever. Indy’s re-tooled defense also looked

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Whoops, Whoopi! Washed-Up Comedian Defends Vick (Sort of), Displays Geographical Ignorance on “The View”

Remember Whoopi Goldberg? That comedian from the ‘80s and ‘90s who segued into an acting career for a while? Yeah, I could hardly remember her myself. Then this past week she took her new seat on “The View,” that ghastly concoction that Wikipedia describes as a “multiple Emmy-award winning American daytime talk show that airs on the ABC network.” “The View” won an Emmy? “The View” won an Emmy???

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Who Is Mark DeRosa, and Why Is He Doing Those Wonderful Things for the Cubs?

As of this writing, the Chicago Cubs hold a shaky one-half game lead in the National League’s Central Division. But even with a mild case of the DTs, it’s remarkable that the Cubs are in the pennant chase at all, given the team’s penchant for ultimate failure. For now, it’s okay to savor the moment. Most casual fans would look at the Cubs and assume that they are where they are because of

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NFL 2007: Predictions, Prognostications and Playoff Possibilities

I wonder if the late Pete Rozelle and the other godfathers of parity ever had nightmares. Like waking up in a cold sweat after dreaming that every single team in the NFL had completed the season with an 8-8 record. League bosses would have to determine playoff participants entirely by looking at head-to-head intra-divisional results, intra/inter-conference records, strength of schedule

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September Stretch Run: MLB Divisional Races Continue to Compel

There’s nothing like excellent baseball, surprise performances and competitive division races to help baseball fans forget about steroids. The 2007 season has been incredibly entertaining. Even at this relatively late date, nothing is assured for any front-runner, and the Wild Card subplots add yet another level of intrigue. Here’s a divisional overview:AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST—Well, it’s presumed to

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The Worst Football Telecast Ever: Overhyped Vick-Watch Hangs ESPN’s TV Coverage

NFL preseason games have no bearing on the standings. Yet preseason matchups are invaluable, not only for the teams trying to get warmed up and test out their rookies, but for gamblers and prognosticator types as well, who are looking for clues to the teams’ forthcoming performances in the regular season. There’s always some talk around the NFL about trimming the so-called exhibition schedule,

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Falcons Better Off—and Maybe Even Better—Without Vick

I’m starting to feel bad for Michael Vick. Mainly because ESPN and other TV news outlets continue to show—over and over and over—the same footage of the erstwhile Atlanta Falcons quarterback walking from a courthouse, accompanied by lawyers and sporting the serious look of a once-pampered and -acclaimed athlete who is realizing that this time the hand of fate means business. Honestly, I’m

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So Long, Scooter: Ex-Jock Broadcasters Everywhere Should Tip Their Hats to the Late Phil Rizzuto

Phil Rizzuto passed away at the age of 89 on Monday. He’d’ve been 90 on September 25. There’s been the typical outpouring of tributes. When a Yankee dies, it’s supposed to mean more, I suppose, than when, say, a White Sox dies. Or a Phillie. Typical New York media biases apply. In fact, Rizzuto was a controversial figure, his folksy persona notwithstanding. Brooklyn-born, he played shortstop for

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Amateur Night: Web 2.0 Meets the Wild Wild West

Title: The Cult of the Amateur: How the Democratization of the Digital World Is Assaulting Our Economy, Our Culture, and Our ValuesAuthor: Andrew KeenPublisher: Doubleday/CurrencyPrice: $24.95ISBN: 9780385520805 A sports blog may not be the ideal venue for which to review a book about the Internet and what its technological wonders hath wrought upon our society, culture, economy and moral

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Titans' #1 Draft Pick Griffin Breeds Pit Bulls: Does Bud Adams Know?

Austin Murphy has been a senior writer for Sports Illustrated since 1984. He's covered both pro and college football, but professes a stronger fondness for the latter. (Murphy sees the pro game as corporate, sterile, monolithic, and lacking heart; the college game's closer affiliation to amateur status—such as it is in its own billion-dollar way—apparently holds more charm.)In September, keyed to

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Greer Stadium: Reflections on the State of the Facility and the Future of Minor League Baseball in Nashville

[Original photography by Danny Murphy]Bastille Day, July 14, was for some a day to celebrate French liberation. Opting out of a gracious invitation to the 35th Annual Bastille Day Party at the Belmont Boulevard home of hostess extraordinaire Jocelyne Bezzi-Batani, instead I took up another gracious invitation to head out to Greer Stadium with some friends to check out the Triple A minor league

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Cubs Tantalize Their Faithful with Promising First Half, but the Batting Order Needs a Shakeup

Suffering along with the Chicago Cubs is not only a pastime; it’s almost an endeavor of art. Let’s see... How many creative ways can you try to convince yourself that this might be the year? In fact, there’s a distinct and different philosophical/spiritual tack for every individual who roots, or has ever rooted, for the Cubs. So okay, maybe it’s not art—more like religion. I lived in Chicago

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Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and the Baseball Hall of Fame: When Being Great Isn’t Good Enough

Baseball broadcaster Tim McCarver’s syndicated Sunday TV program featured two very interesting guests last night: Bert Blyleven (left) and Jack Morris (right). While interviewing these two genial, articulate former pitching greats, McCarver also none too slyly inserted comments regarding his own belief that both fellows belonged in the Hall of Fame. So far, both have been snubbed by Cooperstown

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Stand by Your Horse (With Apologies to Tammy Wynette)

[SMA's horse specialist, Los Angeles-based Steve Brady, offers us his assessment of Saturday’s running of the 139th Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. Post time is scheduled for approximately 6:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage set for 5 p.m. ET on ABC.]Stand by your horseEven as his odds keep risin'The payout could be surprisin’If tracks are fast or sloppy.Stand by your horseAnd

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Shut Up and Play: Sheffield’s Attempt to Clarify GQ Interview Falls Flat

A year or so ago, I heard some jabber on sports radio about current major league baseball players who will or won’t make the Hall of Fame. When the name of Gary Sheffield came up, the consensus seemed to be that he wouldn’t. In fact, as I recall, there was little debate on the matter. But hold on a second. As I write this, Sheffield has 468 career home runs, 1,533 career RBIs, and a career

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Weenie Greenie: ESPN Radio’s Mike Greenberg Gives Us All a Lesson in Arrogance

If it was ever in doubt before—and it certainly wasn’t to me—ESPN Radio’s Mike Greenberg officially entered the category of “weenie” this past Thursday morning. He also entered a few other categories as well, like “arrogant SOB,” “cheapskate,” and let’s throw in “insensitive, presumptuous boob” while we’re at it. I suppose he also enters the category of “stupid guy,” for telling the story that

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The All-Asian Major League Baseball Team

There’s been much talk of late about the decline in the numbers of African American major league baseball players. Commensurate with this trend has been the rise of the Latin ballplayer. Indeed, there are so many guys named Cabrera and Gonzalez on MLB rosters these days, it gets dizzying trying to keep them all straight. But after years of fairly halting progress, the major league ranks are

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AFS (Adjusted for Steroids): A Sabermetric Approach to the Bonds Question

The closer Barry Bonds gets to Hank Aaron’s home run record, the higher the hairs rise on the back of my neck. I keep trying to figure out if I’d be less agitated if Bonds was a nice guy. No matter. He seems to be such a surly SOB that it’s easy to let the resentment rise, where it will probably move easily into contempt. (If I’m wrong, Barry, and you’re really a sweetheart of a human being, then

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The Good Stuff

This is a mediawise site, with focus on print and electronic sports journalism, and so being critical is too often a big part of our mission. But every once in a while we like to focus on the strictly positive. This time out, we celebrate a personal story that helps to remind us of the good things—about family, people and sports. Sports Media America is proud to announce that Leo Joseph Brady,

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Oh Maryland, My Maryland—The 2007 Preakness Stakes

[Editor’s Note: Intrepid L.A.-based handicapper Steve Brady gives Sports Media America readers the lowdown on the 132d running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes, Saturday, May 19, at Baltimore’s Pimlico Racetrack. NBC television carries the action beginning at 5 p.m. ET; post time is 6:05 p.m ET.] Man, those two weeks went fast. It seems it was just yesterday I was wiping my tears away with my

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Amy Lawrence Sucks

The main problem women in electronic sports media have is credibility with men. When a TV or radio sports chick clearly is faking it...well, it’s like their orgasms: the sensitive male can spot it a mile away. Which leaves guys with a lot of post-coital sports reportage disappointment. Take Amy Lawrence, who I keep running into on ESPN Radio’s “GameNight,” or sometimes subbing for Bobby Valvano

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Race Shape and History Collide in 133d Kentucky Derby

[Editor’s note: SMA’s Los Angeles correspondent and ace handicapper Steve Brady returns for an in-depth look at this year’s Run for the Roses. Steve is a devotee of Pace Pals, a handicapping system using cuddly cartoon figures—Rabbit, Fox, Hound and Turtle—that offers bettors a smart, speedy and useful method for sizing up the pace scenario of a race. Steve first described how to use Pace Pals

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DRAFT SPECIAL Titans Brass Should Take a Lesson from the Past: Defense First

The first life-affirming thrill I ever had as a football fan was in 1972, when my hometown Washington Redskins made it to the Super Bowl. It was the second year in George Allen’s tenure as Redskins head coach. Allen (left) came to the Redskins after a successful run as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. The Redskins hadn’t been to the playoffs in about 30 years until 1971, Allen’s first year in

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I Read the News Today, Oh Boy...

A fella at work told me about it. It was on the radio on my way home. The evening TV news was all over it (immediately before, I'd seen a commercial for Lysol that used the Beatles' "Hello, Goodbye" as its jingle). I wasn't surprised, but certainly I was dismayed.

So pick your poison. It's been a newsy week. Now I'll tell you what I think.

I always thought Don Imus (left) was a weirdo. The

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Nothing Minor About Sounds' Media Day: 2007 Squad Debuts for Reporters and Photogs

Under the watchful eye of Nashville Sounds media relations director Doug Scopel, the 2007 version of the Milwaukee Brewers' Triple A minor league affiliate took the field at Greer Stadium yesterday, to pose for pictures and submit to interviews with representatives from local newspaper, television and online outlets. [Above: Tennessean staff photographer Dipti Vaidya snaps a pic of new Sounds

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Insights, Irony and Ignominy: Short Takes on Long Issues

Last year, I got a lot of interesting feedback on my story regarding Keith Hernandez’ remarks about the presence of a female masseuse in the San Diego Padres’ dugout. Now comes the latest encroachment on the male baseball domain: umpire Ria Cortesio, who recently worked a MLB exhibition game in Arizona, thus becoming the first female umpire to do so since Pam Postema in 1989. I also got some

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Against the Grain: The Only Way to Enjoy Bracketology Is to Take Some Risks

Rather than bore you, dear reader, with a full-blown NCAA bracket, let's go about the Big Dance with quick hits and thematic force. You'll still get the predictions that count. Here's the opening salvo: Former NBA great Reggie Miller, Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon and ESPN's Dan Patrick have all got Georgetown winning the whole thing. But this weird John Thompson II and III/Patrick

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Conference Tournaments: The Big Stumbling Block to Fairness at the Big Dance

Syracuse University basketball coach Jim Boeheim (seen left, pleading for an answer) was all over the radio and TV Monday. He thinks his Orangemen got jobbed being left out of the NCAA basketball tournament. He marshaled all his reasons why his team did “everything they had to do” to get a tourney invite. He made some good points. Unfortunately, an equal number of counter-points could be made

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Don't Worry, Be Happy: Titans Show Restraint Amid Free-Agency Madness

Drew Bennett. Travis Henry. Bobby Wade. Erron Kinney. Zach Piller. All are gone from the Tennessee Titans—either via free agency or outright release. That’s essentially your leading runner, your two leading wide receivers and one-third of your offensive line. Now don’t get too excited, but the Titans have re-signed Kerry Collins, Justin Geisinger and Rien Long. Underwhelming, you say?

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Titans’ Free-Agency Options Limited, But a Few Key Bargain Hires Appear to Be in Order

The NFL race to sign unrestricted free agents (UFAs) has commenced, and the Buffalo Bills took the hardest early hits, as defensive back Nate Clements is off to San Francisco and linebacker London Fletcher off to Washington. But the Bills also signed some key offensive linemen in their own foray into the UFA pool. It’s a tit-for-tat routine that’s sure to change the face of many a team. As for

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The Jones Case: Minor League Reaction in a Major League Town

What with all the stern editorializing in the Nashville press and electronic media about Pacman Jones’ extracurricular activities, it’s probably time for a slightly alternative view. Jim Wyatt, recently in the Tennessean, and Liz Garrigan, today in the Nashville Scene, have both weighed in seriously about how the Tennessee Titans defensive back has harmed our city’s image. Garrigan especially

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Diamond Joins Sports Radio Show in Yet Another Example of Local Good-Ol'-Boy Networking

Excitement was high—well, not really—when we discovered today that former Tennessee Titans executive Jeff Diamond (left) will join jock DJ Bob Bell on WNFN-106.7’s “The Sports Guys” in the drive-home radio slot, 4-6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Jonathan Shaffer, whoever he is, will co-host from 3-4 p.m. until Diamond can show up for work. After not having his contract renewed by the Titans in

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Mickey Mantle, the Drunken Poonhound: New Golenbock Work of “Faction” Further Sullies the Mick’s Already Tarnished Image

Title: 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel Author: Peter GolenbockPublisher: Regan BooksPrice: $24.95 ISBN: 9780061238598 When I was young, I had a neighborhood friend who idolized Mickey Mantle. Idolized Mickey Mantle. For example, my friend's dog was named Mickey. When that dog died, he named his next one Mickey II. When we played Wiffle ball, my friend was always Mickey Mantle. He modeled his swing

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Baseball 2007: An Open Letter to Manny Acta

Dear Manny: As a fan of the Washington Nationals, I welcome you to the home of my birth. I live elsewhere now, but I have re-adopted the Nationals as the team closest to my heart, even after suffering as a youngster with the lousy Senators teams of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Believe me, I know what sucking as a baseball team is all about, because the Senators taught me that in spades. After that, the

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Blast from the Past: Dave Kingman

[Ed. note: Sports Media America begins a new occasional baseball feature, "Blast from the Past," which aims to focus on some of the lesser and/or maybe slightly forgotten major leaguers from the game's rich history. Readers' suggestions are welcome.] They called him “Kong.” When he arrived at Wrigley Field in 1978, Dave Kingman was thought by some to be washed up. He was 29 years old and,

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One Week Too Long: The Wait for the Super Bowl Always Dulls the Mind and Usually Throws the Players Off-Kilter

Huh? There’s a Super Bowl? Gosh, I’d almost forgotten. Sorry, but I’m not one of those guys trolling websites for warm and fuzzy stories about second-string linebackers who are having their lifelong dream fulfilled by playing in this Sunday’s Super Bowl. I gave up on that stuff long ago. What I have time for is watching the game and drawing my own conclusions about what happened. The sidebars

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Victors and Vanquished

All were favorites, but not a single home team covered the spread in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. On top of that, two home teams, the two teams with the best records in the AFC—San Diego and Baltimore—took it on the chin and were beaten outright. The SMA swami took it on the chin too: a 1-3 mark for the weekend, and now 3-5 for the playoffs thus far. Here’s the dope on the losers,

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Wild Cards Tank, Interesting Matchups Await in Divisional Playoffs

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. This year’s wild-card entries in the NFL playoffs were by and large teams that struggled just to get into the postseason. So when all four lost last weekend, by hook and by crook, perhaps justice was done. Getting to the Super Bowl is a survival-of-the-fittest proposition, and it’s a secure feeling knowing that the very best teams have advanced. As for the losers,

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An African American Tragedy

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”—Hamlet. ACT I, Scene 4. The body of Darrent Williams will be publically viewed tonight in Fort Worth, the hometown of the Denver Broncos player who was gunned down in Denver early on New Year’s Day. Williams’ funeral will be held January 6 at Great Commission Baptist Church. After a few days’ worth of reflection, it’s no easier to understand why

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Wild Weekend, Wild Finish, and Wild Cards

The NFL’s wild regular-season-ending weekend brought a few on-field surprises but also a bounty of ATS (against the spread) picks that clicked for the SMA swami. Chronic underachievers came through for us in fine style, including the Lions (over the Cowboys), the Steelers (over the Bengals), the Panthers (over the Saints), the 49ers (over the Broncos), the Packers (over the Bears), the Dolphins

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