NFL Week 4 Results

Well, there were once again many upsets in the NFL this week, meaning FanYard results were mixed. Although we had just five correct winners picked with our Yardsticks, there was one very good result.

Many of you, I presume, are somewhat like me and are involved in football fantasy leagues and other types of pools. Well, one of these type of pools is based on picking the winners of each game against the spread. This week, I had just finished driving all night and did not have the brain-width on Saturday morning to allocate too much thought on how I was going to make my picks. Then I thought, “Why not use the Yardstick for each game as my reasoning for which team to take?”

So, I did. And I went 9-5. Color me happy with that!

New additions to the fanyard

A couple new things you will notice on FanYard: on the NFL and NCAA pages, the Leaderboard will now show the top scorers from the previous week, as opposed to the yearly leaders. Now, everyone has the chance to see themselves at the top in any week.

You can also now send your friends an email showing them how well you are doing. To do so, simply go to your Yard and, at the bottom of your Score Card, you’ll see a link that says, “Email my Score Card to friends.”  Now, you can also use this feature to encourage your football lovin’ friends to take part in FanYard, in fact, that is exactly what you should do. Right now…

Turner ’round and get out

Well, NFL Week 4 was an eye-opener for many and the end of the season for some. Who’s eyes were opened? Let’s take stock, shall we?

1) San Diego Chargers fans, management, players and coaches who thought the team could turn things around against the lowly Chiefs – myself included. Again, I say, no team – even New England – could possibly have a winning record with Norv Turner calling the shots. When the Chiefs beat you 30-16, you are bad. Very bad. What kind of coaching moron goes into the second half of a game with a 10-point lead and runs LT just six times? A coach as bad as Turner, that’s who. Weird thing is that Chiefs coach Herm Edwards probably would have done the same thing, and that is how the Chiefs were able to win. He knew what bad calls were coming. Here’s one more eye-opener on this subject for you: this is not Turner’s fault. The fault lies with control-freak GM A.J. Smith and Spanos, the Chargers’ owner. They should have known better, but their egos are like a hood over their eyes. We’ll see what they have to say when the Chargers get beaten in Week Five by the Broncos.

2) People who think a quarterback-by-committee approach can’t work in the NFL. Hello Arizona, where Kurt Warner and Matt Lionheart could be the start of something positive – finally – in the Desert. If the team had started Week Three with this approach, the Cards would be 3-1 now.

3) Anyone who thought the Niners would continue to develop their offense this season with Norv Turner gone from the offensive coordinator position. This is now three weeks out of four that the Niners have gained less than 200 yards of total offense. Up next week, the Baltimore Ravens visit the 49ers. Interestingly, Niners backup QB Trent Dilfer will be playing against the team he won a Super Bowl with. Irrespective of losing to the Browns last week, playing the Ravens defense is probably not the best case scenario for San Fran to get their offense on track.

4) Believers in the Bears defense. Detroit scored an NFL-record 34 points in the fourth quarter. That is the Lions, people. Chicago is done.

5) Non-believers in the Giants defense. They sacked McNabb 12 times. That tied a single-game record. This eye-opener could also be for believers in the Eagles offense.

Who’s season ended? Well, the Bucs lost Cadillac Williams and Luke Petitgout for the rest of the year. That hurts.