January 11, 2013 11:40 am
Note: This piece refers to the playoff draft on the last HMGL podcast. If you didn’t listen to it, check it out here.
Wild Card Weekend Standings:
(+1 point for advancing to the divisional round)
Justin (3) — DEN +1, GB +1, BAL+1, IND 0
Possible this week: 4 points (DEN/BAL, GB)
Worst-case: 2 points (DEN/BAL) win, GB loses
Matt (3) — NE +1, ATL+1, Hou+1, Cincy 0
Possible this week: 4 points (NE/HOU, ATL)
Worst-case: 2 points (NE/HOU) win, ATL loses
Neal (2) — SF +1, SEA +1, WAS 0, MIN 0
Possible this week: 4 points (SF, SEA both win)
Worst-case: 0 points (SF, SEA both lose)
January 3, 2013 11:27 am
By Matt Ford
Better to be lucky than good.
Or, more like it, better dangerous than solid.
So who is the most dangerous team entering the 2012 NFL Playoffs?
Category One: The Psy “Gangnam Style” Award for “Congrats for Making It To The Big Time! But Now That You’re Here, You’re Going Away Quickly.”
Category Two: The Kwame Brown Award for “Just Look At Them! They Have To Be Better Than They’re Playing”
Category Three: The Looking At The Google Analytics Of HireMeGrantland.com Award for “Why Is No One Impressed By Us?”
Category Four: The Mumford and Sons Award for “Everyone Thinks We’re Underrated, But We’re Actually Overrated”
Category Five: The 2007 LeBron James Award for “We’re playing … him? Uh Oh.”
December 17, 2012 12:56 pm
Without further ado: Matt and Justin’s discussion of the NFL playoff picture leading into the end of the regular season, with special guest Neal Suidan.
All you have to do is click here and click “Listen” or “Download” once you get to our hosting site.
Our first post is about the NFC Playoff picture leading into last week’s games. Listen to how wrong we were about San Francisco after last night’s result, Neal’s analysis of his hometown Bears (and Bulls), Matt’s pipe-dream of a Redskins playoff run and more.
Our next pod is about the AFC, but includes a bonus round of which coaches should get fired (and Matt’s prediction of Chip Kelly to Carolina that he has been patting himself on the back for ever since), and Neal trying to Beautiful Mind his way through the muddy AFC North playoff picture. Justin’s breakdown of the Raiders, fortunately for you all, was omitted due to “microphone problems.”
Shortly, these episodes will be available on the iTunes store (Apple has to screen them first before they unleash our idiocy on the unwashed masses).
December 15, 2012 5:42 pm
(Nothing like a winless week to really make you want to show your face on camera.)
December 7, 2012 4:13 pm
Justin Elliott’s Week 14 picks… on our NEW YouTube channel!!!
December 3, 2012 9:52 am
By Matt Ford
Watching RGIII as a rookie is like the first time you heard OK Computer, or saw Louis CK’s standup a few years ago, or watched Barack Obama in the 2004 Democratic Convention. “Holy shit!” you think. “Do people know about this yet?”
You form a special kind of relationship with an entertainer, athlete or politician after an experience like that — you realize: “Hey, this guy could be the real deal, and I think I just saw history.” Often, I find I become invested in people like that, rooting for history just to say in a few years, “I was there…”
RGIII to the rescue. He is, by many accounts, the most exciting player in the league. He draws friendly fans to FedEx Field. His value to a shrinking fan base is unspeakable. It’s hard to root against him, even if your team is playing against him.
Robert Griffin III has revitalized one of the most valuable franchises in the world. The value of hope is what Griffin brings to the table, in addition to all those other tangible assets.
November 30, 2012 3:01 pm
By Justin Elliott
Overall Record: 32-26-2
As you can see, until Week 12 it has basically been feast or famine with at least four wins or losses for eight straight weeks.
If I could only channel those good weeks I would have a chance at winning this thing. But the odds of that have to be like one in a million…
If my odds are good enough for Lloyd Christmas, they’re good enough for me. So onward with my Week 13 picks.
November 2, 2012 11:03 am
The Charleston Chew “Why The Fuck Did I Select This Candy?” Award for being a terrible fantasy draft pick: Oakland Raiders RB Darren McFadden.
The “Toothbrush In The Candy Bag” Award for the worst fantasy pick possible: Maurice Jones-Drew, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars.
The “Wait, Is That A Costume Or Is That Just What That Guy Wears?” Award for strangest team of the season: The New England Patriots.
The “Cool Dad” Award for the old guy who can hang with the kids: Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos.
The “Aren’t You A Little Old To Be Trick-Or-Treating” Award: Randy Moss, WR, San Francisco 49ers.
The “Twix Bar” Award for playing in a small market (when do you eat Twix besides Halloween?) but being absolutely amazing: CJ Spiller, RB, Buffalo Bills.
October 13, 2012 1:44 pm
By Matt Ford
Friday’s Game Five letdown by the Washington Nationals was, as Tim Kurkjian said, “possibly the most depressing loss” in baseball history… But only No. 4 on this list.
But how do those losses stack up against each other? How can you quantify the worst losses in DC/Maryland recent history when there are just SO MANY to choose from!
So, with one being a blowout regular season loss and 10 being a “Franchise-breaking, you can’t mention it without someone hurling a chair at you, go on a run two weeks later at midnight because you accidentally thought about it” kind of loss, Power Rankings of the Worst Losses in DMV History.
But at the end of the day, hopefully we can have some perspective.
