To Absent Friends - Henry Kissinger

 

I will leave it to others to eulogize former Secretary of State (under Presidents Nixon and Ford) Henry Kissinger, and ponder his place in history.  I will certainly acknowledge his place as one of the foremost leaders and shapers of American foreign policy in the latter half of the twentieth century, but I will let the historians among you debate his contributions, both positive and negative.  Instead, let us pay tribute to Henry K as one of the great Ladies Men of all time, proving that "power is indeed the ultimate aphrodisiac."  In researching for this post, I learned that it was Henry himself who coined that Shakespearian-like phrase.

Henry in his salad days....

Of course, Henry probably had help after consulting with this noted fashionista....

"Always tuck your tie in your pants, Henry."

RIP Henry Kissinger.

Oh, and I will close with offering these three photos of some of the people that HK met with over the course of his life.  I will make no comment, but readers are welcome to give me their thoughts on the juxtaposition presented here.

Eagles Soar, Tide Rolls, and the Up to Date GPR

It was quite a football menu that we experienced this past weekend.

On Saturday we watched Michigan deliver their third straight victory over hated rival Ohio State, 30-24.  The seat gets hot for Ryan Day in Columbus, and the Wolverines have now gone 6-0 this season while their bombastic head coach Jim Harbaugh has been serving various suspensions.  Will he get paid for those six games?

In an absolutely terrific game, Alabama defeated Auburn in the Iron Bowl 27-24, on a last second pass when it was fourth and goal from the THIRTY-ONE YARD LINE.    Yes, you read that right, 4th and goal from the thirty-one.  A simply amazing play, and it sets up what should be a fantastic SEC Championship game on Saturday between 11-1 Alabama and 12-0 Georgia.

In the pros, the best game of the weekend took place across the state in Philly, as the Eagles defeated Buffalo 37-34 in overtime when Jalen Hurts ran for a touchdown from 14 yards out.

The metaphor of "it was like a heavyweight fight" is overused in sports, but that was what this game was like.  Josh Allen was completely unbelievable throwing for two TD's and running for two more, but Hurts was even better for the Eagles.  It was just a terrific game.  While anything can happen in a single elimination playoff format, the Eagles sure look like the best team in the NFL right now, and should be playing in the Big Game in Vegas come February 11.

Oh, and didn't you love those throwback Kelly green shirts and helmets that the Eagles were wearing on Sunday?

Locally, the Steelers defeated the Burrow-less Bengals on Sunday, and in the first game of the post Matt Canada Era, Kenny Pickett had his best game of the season, and their offense looked worlds better, producing 400+ yards for the first time since 2020.  Still, they only produced 16 points and one touchdown, but for the first time all season, I feel hopeful about what this team might be able to do going forward.

And now, what you all have been waiting for, the updated Grandstander Power Rankings.

1. Eagles 10-1 (Last week: 1)
2. Ravens 9-3 (2)
3. Chiefs 8-3 (4)
4. 49ers 8-3 (5)
5. Dolphins 8-3 (6)
6. Lions 8-3 (3)
7. Jaguars 8-3 (7)
8. Cowboys 8-3 (9)
9. Browns 7-4 (8)
10. Steelers 7-4 (not ranked)

Three Movies For Your Viewing Pleasure

Catching up on three recently viewed movies.  Let's take them in alphabetical order..... 

"NYAD"

This movie tells the story surrounding renowned marathon swimmer Diana Nyad's open ocean swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida at the age of 60.  After four failed attempts, she finally accomplished the feat in 2013.  It is rather an amazing and inspirational story, and the movie is getting a lot of Oscar buzz, especially for Annette Benning in the title role, Jodie Foster as Nyad's friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, and Rhys Ifans (you might remember him as the goofy roommate in the 1999 Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant RomCom "Notting Hill") as companion boat captain John Bartlett.

The movie is a good one, and the acting is excellent, but I want to go off course a bit and comment on the actresses, Annette Benning and Jodie Foster.   Benning is 65 years old and Foster, who started out as the little girl in the Coppertone commercial and is a two time Oscar winner, is 61.  Both women are to be saluted, in my humble opinion, for allowing themselves to age gracefully and naturally, and both look beautiful in this movie.  The realization is all the more affirming after seeing Meg Ryan in her recent movie, "What Happens Later".  Ms. Ryan opted to go the plastic surgery route early on in her career.  Benning and Foster look much better.

By the way, while doing some background research before writing this post, I learned that governing bodies of Open Water and Marathon Swimming, yes, there are such organizations, have thrown some shade on Diana Nyad's 2013 Cuba-to-Florida swim, and the Guinness Book of World Records has removed her swim from its pages.  Me?  I'll go the Liberty Valence route on this one:  When the facts contradict the legend, print the legend.

Three Stars from The Grandstander.

"Some Kind of Heaven"

This is a documentary from 2020 about life in the sprawling senior/retirement community of The Villages in Florida.  The movie told the story of life in The Villages through three people. (1) A couple dealing with the husband's descent into dementia while having trouble with the law, (2) a woman whose husband died shortly after they sold everything and uprooted themselves from the Boston area to The Villages; she is forced to work in a job she hates while trying to cope with being single, and (3) an 80 year old grifter who lives out of his van while hoping to latch onto a wealthy widow to house and support him.

I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this viewpoint.  The whole movie was  bit depressing .

One Star from The Grandstander.

"You Berra It Ain't Over"

This documentary opens with Lindsay Berra, Yogi's granddaughter and the main narrator in the film, telling the story of watching the 2015 All-Star Game with  her grandfather.  Before the game, MLB introduced the "four greatest living ballplayers" to throw out first pitches.  The players were Hank Aaron, Johnny Bench, Sandy Koufax, and Willie Mays.  Nice group, but "why wasn't my grandfather there?" Lindsay wondered, and she then proceeded to make a convincing case that Yogi should have been one of the four greatest living players at that time.  Among her arguments were that Yogi won three MVP awards, more than any of the four players honored did, and his ten World Series Championships were more that all of those won by the four players combined.

All I can tell you is that if you are a baseball fan, make it a point to watch this movie as soon as you possibly can.  It is wonderful.  The film drives home the point that the character of Yogi Berra  - the funny sayings, some of which he actually did say, the oddball characteristics, and even his physical appearance - grew to far outlive and overshadow just how great a player he was. 

Just  couple of observations from me on this.  

Remember the famous play in the World Series when Jackie Robinson stole home, and Yogi vigorously argued the call with the umpire.  Sure, you've all seen that film clip.  It is something that bothered Yogi forever.  Years and years later at Yankees old-timers games and spring training camps, players like Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter could get under Yogi's skin just by saying "Jackie was safe."

All three of Yogi's sons are interviewed in the movie including ex-Pirate Dale Berra.  Dale's story of his drug addiction and the intervention, led by Yogi, that the Berra family had with him, and Dale proudly talking about his twenty-seven years of sobriety  were moving beyond words.

Just watch the movie.  It is available on Netflix.  And stick with the entire run of the credits as the various contributors to the film - Jeter, Mattingly, Billy Crystal, Bob Costas, the Berra children, and a ton of old Yankees - tell Yogi that "It ain't over."  Great stuff.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

Oh, Canada...and the Latest GPR

The weekly Grandstander Power Rankings will have to wait just a bit because of the breaking news out of the South Side headquarters of the Pittsburgh Steelers:

Matt Canada OUT as the Steelers OC.  Hey, I'll never rejoice when someone loses his job (with the exception of 45), but everyone is accountable to someone, and today, the books got balanced where Matt Canada was concerned.

Not sure where this goes from here.  Of course they aren't going to change the playbook at this point, but maybe they can use what they have in a more imaginative way?

This also represents a change in the Steelers Way of doing things.  Firing a coach in mid-season, even an assistant?  I can't say that I ever remember them doing something like this, and I've been following this team for over (covers month and mumbles indistinctly) years.  Clearly, things weren't going right.  One didn't need to possess the football intellect of Vince Lombardi to see that.  Maybe the jolt of Canada's firing will light a spark under this offense.  It's a long shot, but keeping the status quo was sending the wrong message to everybody.

Josh McDaniels is currently unemployed.  He was lousy head coach, twice, but he was peerless as an OC, or at least he was when he had Tom Brady as a quarterback.  Just throwin' a name out there.

Okay, now it's time for the GPR.

Some movement this week.  Vikings and Steelers out, Cowboys and Texans in, and the Eagles maintain their stranglehold at Number 1 by winning their Super Bowl rematch last night against the Chiefs.

1. Eagles 9-1 (Last Week 1)
2. Ravens 8-3 (3)
3. Lions 8-2 (5)
4. Chiefs 7-3 (2)
5. 49ers 7-3 (4)
6. Dolphins 7-3 (6)
7. Jaguars 7-3 (9)
8. Browns 7-3 (7)
9. Cowboys 7-3 (not ranked)
10. Texans  6-4 (not ranked)

Others receiving consideration: Bills, Bengals, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Vikings.

Two weeks ago, on November 7, I made a parlay bet on Fan Duel that the Eagles and Ravens would win their Conference Championships and meet in the Super Bowl at +1520.  My $5 wager will return $81 if it hits.  I'm liking that bet.  Those odds, by the way, on this same bet have now dropped to +1350.

To Absent Friends - Rosalynn Carter

Rosalynn Carter

1927 - 2023

First Lady of the United States

1977 - 1981

Humanitarian

The President and Mrs Carter

Husband and Wife for 77 years

RIP Rosalynn Carter

 

New Movie, Old Movie (and Absent Friend), Streaming Series, Old Book

As a great man once said, "In the area of critical commentary...."

"What Happens Later"

Everybody loved Meg Ryan in what were perhaps the three greatest romantic comedies ever, "When Harry Met Sally", "Sleepless in Seattle", and "You've Got Mail", each of which bore the imprint of the late great Nora Ephron.  Well, Ryan has been off of the grid for it seems like the last twenty or so years, and in this movie, which she co-wrote and directed, Ryan tries to channel the magic of Ephron and recreate a classic RomCom.  In fact, the dedication of the entire film is "For Nora".  Sad to say, this one doesn't come close to anything that Nora Ephron ever did.

Two long ago lovers, played by Ryan and David Duchovny run into each other in some unnamed podunk airport where all flights have been canceled or delayed by one of those annual snowstorms of the century.  After having not seen each other for over twenty-five years, Willa and Bill (they are both named "W. Davis"; cute, huh?) are forced to talk and talk and talk about what happened then, what's going on now, and, of course, what happens later.

It wasn't very romantic, and it wasn't very comedic, and I was distracted throughout by the uncanny resemblance between Duchovny and the late, great Pittsburgh sports broadcaster, Stan Savran:

One Star from The Grandstander.

"Shaft" and Absent Friend, Richard Roundtree

Richard Roundtree

1942-2023

When actor Richard Roundtree passed away last month at the age of 81, I was not inclined to write an Absent Friends post about him, until, that is, I read what Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote about him in his biweekly Substack column.  Rather that trying to paraphrase, let me just turn it over to Kareem...

Richard Roundtree died last week, and I felt his passing deeply. In 1971, I was sitting in a dark movie theater watching in awe and excitement as Roundtree, playing Black private detective John Shaft, swaggered, fought, sneered, and romanced his way through Shaft. Even as a 24-year-old, I knew then that this was pop culture history in the making: A new era had arrived in which Black men didn’t have to be polite, non-threatening “Good Negroes.” They could be badass muthas who stood their ground no matter who was pushing against them: White cop or Black gangster.

It was the beginning of the Black action hero trend known as Blaxploitation (though Roundtree and Shaft director Gordon Parks didn’t like that term). Watching Shaft for the first time gave me an injection of pride, and I walked out of the theater with a bit of Shaft’s swagger. Soon Black women action heroes were featured, including Foxy Brown, Coffy, and Cleopatra Jones. Interestingly, Black women became action heroes before White women did, probably because White women were still seen as physically passive gatherers (see above article). Black women, on the other hand, were seen as closer to the jungle, to the sensually primitive. Looking back, the whole trend was pretty sexist, but it was one small step for a Black man, one giant leap for Black culture.

Isaac Hayes created one of the best theme songs in movie history. I hear the first guitar-chainsaw notes and I’m right back on the crowded streets of New York City, black leather jacket and carefully groomed ‘fro, strolling confidently but with purpose. Knowing I “won’t cop out when there’s danger all about.”

So, reading Abdul-Jabbar caused me to seek out, find, and watch the movie for which Roundtree is most famous, 1971's "Shaft", a movie that I had never seen.  It is out there on Amazon Prime ($2.99 rental fee), and I got around to seeing it yesterday.  All that I can say is that it is a movie that is "of it's time."   It is a bit cheesy and dated, but Roundtree is quite charismatic in the role.  In fact, the best part of the movie might have been the opening credits that show Roundtree/Shaft walking the streets of New York City in his leather coat while Isaac Hayes' classic theme music plays.

Oh, and for you sports fans out there one of the "badass muthas" who Shaft must battle is played by none other than Drew Bundini Brown, one time cornerman and chief hanger-on to Muhammed Ali.

Two Stars from The Grandstander.

"Only Murders In The Building"

We know that we are late to the party here, but over the last couple of months, Linda and I have caught up with the delightful streaming series from Hulu, "Only Murders In The Building".  Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez play neighbors in an old and stately New York City apartment building.  Martin plays a washed up television actor, Short plays a washed up never was Broadway director, and Gomez plays a late twenties young woman still trying to figure out where her life is going.  By accident, they learn that they are fans of the same true crime podcast, and they are then thrust into investigate a murder that has taken place in their apartment building.

Both Martin and Short are fabulous as they ham it up as the old show biz hands thrust into detective work, which, by the way, they are turning into a true crime podcast of their own, and Gomez is similarly delightful as she tries to cope with these two old guys who barely know how to operate a cell phone.  While all three are great in the roles, it is Short who is the first among equals in the cast.  And did I mention all of the oddball peripheral characters that they have to encounter as they pursue their investigations?

It all adds up to a funny and delightfully entertaining series, which is teed up for  fourth season sometime in 2024.

Four Stars from The Grandstander.

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles"

A Kindle special price deal prompted me to spend $1.99 to purchase and then reread this Agatha Christie classic.  Fans of Dame Agatha know that this book was her very first novel, published in 1920, and it introduced to the world her famous sleuth, Hercule Poirot.

Agatha Christie published over sixty novels in her career, and I once tallied and discovered that I have read over fifty of them in my lifetime.  It was Agatha Christie who introduced me to the genre of mystery and detective fiction, and for almost sixty years reading such works has been one of my favorite ways to spend my leisure time.  I will maintain to anyone willing to listen that her novel "And Then There Were None" is perhaps the most perfect mystery ever written.

All of this is why it pains me to say that I found, upon rereading this one, that it was staid and just not all that good.  One needs keep in mind, I suppose, that this book was written over 100 years ago and was certainly unique and almost revolutionary for its time.  Times, however, have changed, and this one, for me at least, just doesn't quite hold up.

Two Stars from The Grandstander.

Grandstander Power Rankings - Through Week 10

The Grandstander departs from the usual format today, and lists a Top Ten for the NFL Grandstander Power Rankings.  I will also include some selected commentary as well.

1. Eagles 8-1
2. Chiefs 7-2
3. Ravens 7-3
4. 49ers 6-3
5. Lions 7-2
6. Dolphins 6-3
7. Browns 6-3
8. Vikings 6-4
9. Jaguars 6-3
10. Steelers 6-3

Others receiving consideration: Bengals, Bills, Cowboys, Saints, Seahawks, Texans.

Now for the commentary, presented in bullet point form and in no particular order of importance.

• With the Eagles idle last week I was prepared to move the Ravens into the #1 spot had they beat the Browns.  I suppose that it can't be considered a surprise that the Browns beat the Ravens, but to score 33 points on what was perceived to be one of the better defenses in the NFL?  That was a shocker.  So, the Ravens not only don't move up, but they also drop below the Chiefs, who were also idle last week.
• The 49'ers, who had lost three in a row as Brock Purdy appeared to begin looking like the last player drafted two years ago, came back from their  bye week with a roar by laying a 34-3 beatdown on Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars.  The Jags were a team that I thought might move up this week, but that thrashing by SF puts those plans on hold for the time being.
• Three teams from the AFC North are in the top Ten, with a fourth knocking at the door.  This portion of the rankings will no doubt appear much different after this weekend with games between the Ravens-Bengals and the Steelers-Browns, followed by a Week 12 matchup between the Steelers-Bengals.
• Speaking of the Bengals, their loss to Houston dropped them out of the If-The-Season-Ended-Today playoff picture, and they now face back-to-back games with Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  It is not an exaggeration to say that these next two games are "must win" for the Bungles.
• Speaking of North, I have two NFC North teams in here, the Lions and the Vikings.  Detroit outlasted the Chargers on Sunday, and they appear to be the goods.  I'm not so sure about the Vikings over the long haul, but how can you not love the Josh Dobbs Story that is unfolding up in the Land of Hubert Humphrey and Marge Gunderson?

Then, as John Facenda once intoned, there are the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I admit that my inclusion of the Steelers in the Top Ten may be our provincialism and Fanboy blindness on my part, but, as the Bill Parcels cliche goes, "you are what your record says you are."  I've watched this team for all nine games, and I can't say how they are 6-3.  Much of the time, they sure don't look like a 6-3 team, and it often appears that their opponent is a better team.  However here is what they have going for them right now.

• While Kenny Pickett has not made anyone forget Big Ben, he has not thrown an interception in over 160 some passes, and the team does appear to respond to his leadership.
• In the last two games, they have rushed for 166 and 205 yards.  This comes after first round draft pick Broderick Jones was inserted as a starter at right tackle.  That can't be a coincidence.
• Their Defense.  While the team defense ranks low in the NFL in most categories, I say that this is a case of the three kinds of lies:  "Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics." (Per well known football analyst Benjamin Disraeli.)  The numbers say that they aren't great, but my eyes see TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, other teams settling for field goals and not touchdowns, and a squad that forces turnovers at the most opportune times.  (See the last plays of the last two games.)

I don't know how sustainable this brand of football is, and I am still waiting for win by something like a 34-7 score, but until then, the Steelers fan is going to enjoy the ride while freaking out on RENEGADE.  Oh, mama!

Thoughts on Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett's career with the Steelers, which is so far halfway through his second season with the team and in the League, has been, at best a mixed bag.  His ability to mount fourth quarter comebacks - he's had six of them in his one and one-half seasons, has been remarkable.  The corollary to that, of course, is that his less than stellar performances in the first three quarters of games have put the Steelers in the position to need comebacks in the fourth quarter.  His passing statistics are, to put a kind face on it, unimpressive.  We are still waiting for that 3 TD/0 INT/300 yards performance in a blow out Steelers win from him.  National commentators have said that "he's not that good", and local sportswriters have been harsh in their criticisms, and talk radio hot take artists want to run him out of town.  Some are even suggesting that the Steelers play Mason Rudolph in his stead.

Criticism of him is fair, but then there are opinions such as this one from a Facebook post from a friend of mine, a fellow whose sports opinions I respect, that he posted in a thread after Thursday's win over the Titans:

As far as Pickett I think he is a middle-of-the-road starter and his replacement is in the draft in the next 2 years. He will make them bowl-eligible the next 2 seasons but not really much more than that. Doubt the playoffs are in his future. 

Here was my response to the gent:

So, you've already assigned Pickett to the scrapheap of mediocrity halfway into his second season? Just wondering if you were saying the same things about Terry Bradshaw midway through the 1971 season, because at that point, he was a hell of a lot worse than Pickett has been thus far.

I don't think that I need to add anything further.  I will also say that I am not suggesting that Pickett will go on to duplicate the career of Terry Bradshaw, but I am suggesting that some people need to tap the brakes a bit before they run Pickett out of town on a rail.

I can remember a time when quarterbacks took two to three years to develop.  Stand next to the coach during games, hold a clipboard, do your work in practice, and wait until you are fully seasoned to get your chance to play.   That philosophy doesn't apply anymore, largely due to economics, salary cap, and the value of contracts to highly drafted rookie QBs.  That doesn't make it any less true that a kid doesn't walk into the NFL and light it up as a QB in his rookie year.  Ben Roethlisberger did, CJ Stroud  appears to be doing it this season, but those guys are exceptions.    Aaron Rodgers sat on the bench behind Brett Favre for three or four seasons, and those of us in Pittsburgh who have been around long enough can remember the struggles of Bradshaw in his first several seasons.  Even in his fifth season, 1974, when the Steelers would win their first Super Bowl, Bradshaw was benched at the beginning of that season in favor of Joe Gilliam.

I admit that the fact that I watched Pickett play at Pitt for his college career and that I really WANT him to succeed as a Steeler is probably coloring my view here, but it is way, way, WAY too soon to, as I said above, "assign him to the scrapheap of mediocrity."  He at least deserves the rest of this season and probably all of next season before we can draw a definitive conclusion on him.  He may indeed become the next Terry or Big Ben, but we know from experience that guys like that come along once every forty years or so.  Or, he might become the next Neil O'Donnell, who, I remind you, took the Steelers to a Super Bowl once.  

Too soon to call him a failure is all that I am saying.

Grandstander Power Rankings - Week 9 - REVISED

I obviously experienced a major brain fart when compiling the Week 9  GPR earlier today.  Herewith is my revised and honest-to-God GPR for Week 9.

As tonight's Chargers-Jets game will have no impact on the Week 9 GPR, I thought I'd get these out early this week.  So, here we are If The NFL Used The Same Method As College Football.

1. Eagles
2. Ravens
3. Chiefs
4. Bengals

Knocking At The Door -  49'ers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Jaguars, Lions.

If you forced me to predict the Super Bowl participants right now, I'd go Eagles-Ravens.  Baltimore looking really, really strong.

Nine more weeks until the Playoffs begin.

The Return of the GPR!

 

With the release of the first College Football Playoff rankings this week, I thought that it would be a chance to bring back the Grandstander Power Rankings (GPR).  To refresh your memories, these are rankings If The NFL Used The Same Method As College Football.

Without further ado, I give you the first GPR of the 2023 season (through  NFL Week 8):

1. Eagles
2. Chiefs
3. Dolphins
4. Ravens

Knocking on the door in alphabetical order: 49ers, Cowboys, Jaguars, Lions.

Steelers at 5-3 (Not Sure How), and Other Football Thoughts

The Steelers defeated the Tennessee Titans last night 20-16 and bumped their record to 5-3, good for second place in the AFC North pending the games to be played this weekend.  The victory followed the team's tried and true 2023 formula:  a tenacious defense led by outside linebackers TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith, a key turnover at the end the game that sealed the deal, and yet another  fourth quarter  comeback led by QB Kenny Pickett.  This one was a 92 yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Dionte Johnson.  It was Johnson's first touchdown since week 17 of the 2021 season.

The Steelers also did something a little different in this game from what we have become accustomed to - they scored a TD in the first quarter.  This was a  ten yard run by Najee Harris at the end of a length of the field drive to open the game.  Harris and Jaylen Warren also combined for 166 rushing yards, easily the best Steelers rushing performance of the season.  Both of them outgained Derrick Henry, as a matter of fact.

Despite all of that, the Steelers offense still leaves much to be desired.  Fourth quarter comebacks are fun and exciting, but how sustainable a formula is that?  Would it be too much to ask for something like a 38-14 win at some point?

A small bone to pick with the Amazon Prime telecast last night.  It became apparent from the pregame chatter with the Amazon Talking Heads and with the Al Michaels/Kirk Herbstreit announcing duo, that the main storyline of the game would be Titans rookie QB Will Levis, who had made his debut the week before and threw four TD passes.  Perhaps it's just Steelers Fan paranoia in me, but everything was framed around what Levis did.  Even when getting sacked by Watt or Highsmith, it was, "let's see how Levis can come back from this" kind of stuff.  Oh, well, that's showbiz, I suppose.

As for Levis, he appears to be pretty good.  He certainly outplayed Pickett for most of the game.  Until the fourth quarter that is, but had Kwon Alexander not intercepted that last pass, the ball appeared to be headed right into the hands of a Titans receiver for what would have been the game winning touchdown for Tennessee.  As I say, he appears to be pretty good, but he's played two games so far, so slow down on ordering that Gold jacket for him.

For the "OVER" betters....

The over/under on Steelers wins for the season was set at 8.5.  So, at the halfway point of the season, how is it looking for us OVER betters?  The Steelers have five wins with nine games remaining.  Can they go at least 4-5 to enable us to cash our tickets?

The five out of division games are home games with the Packers, Cardinals, and Patriots, and road games with the Colts and Seahawks.  Looking at things on this November 3, the Steelers should be favored or, at the least, short odds underdogs in at least four of those five games.

They have four AFC North games @Browns, @Ravens, and home and away with the Bengals.

They will not win all five out of division games, but I also don't think that they will lose all four AFCN games, as many predict.  I think that they could split the North games, and win three of the five other games, so a ten win season is not out of the question.  However, we have watched this team all season, so don't bet the house on any of these predicted scenarios, but I am liking my OVER 8.5 wager at this point.

My wager on Kenny Pickett to throw OVER 17.5 TD passes?  That appears to be money down the drain at this point.

For the weekend....

There are three really attractive match-ups for this coming Sunday in the NFL.

• Chiefs -1.5 over Dolphins in Germany
• Eagles -3 over Cowboys in Philly
• Bengals -1.5 over Bills in Cincy on Sunday night

Myself, I think that I would go with the favorite in each of those games.