Pool Participant Profile: Jonathan McLeod

Jonathan's string of mediocrity continued in 2011

Birthplace: Fredericton, NB.

Current residence: Eastern Passage, NS.

Profession: Pastor.

Wife: Marsha.

Children: Connor (11), Cohen (7), Sophie (1).

Church: Forest Hills Fellowship Baptist Church.

Nickname(s): Minister of Prognostication, Johnny B. Goode, Big Johnny Mac.

Favorite NFL team: Patriots.

Most hated NFL team: Jets. (Dishonorable mentions: Colts, Steelers.)

Favorite quote from week 16: "It's time to shut up, fat boy!"--Brandon Jacobs to Rex Ryan.

Favorite NFL personality: None. (Or does Frank Caliendo count?)

Most annoying NFL personality: Terry Bradshaw.

Favorite sport: Baseball.

Favorite athlete(s): Dustin Pedroia, Tom Brady, Jordan Eberle.

Favorite Christmas gift: Backpack for my laptop.

Which of your parishioners do you want to win the pool: John or Patrick? Next question.

Favorite movie: Citizen Kane.

Favorite TV show(s): Lost, Seinfeld. Currently watching Person of Interest.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Flint, egg-laying hen, Swiss army knife.

What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Go to Disney World!

Week 16 - Tebow-Mania? Tweet-Mania!

Week 16 Results

Jonathan - 13-3 (+3.5)
Bob - 11- 5 (+0.6)
Joel - 11-5 (+0.6)
John - 11-5 (+0.6)
Patrick - 11-5 (+0.6)
Roger - 11-5 (+0.6)
Jarrett - 9-7
Jeremy - 9-7

Jonathan, knowing he desperately needed a first place finish in week 16 and being an AFC East expert, decided to go with Buffalo against Denver. He even sent a tweet to Mr. Tim Tebow prior to the game.

@TimTebow Sorry. Need to gain ground in my football pool so I'm picking against you. Prove me wrong.
— Jonathan McLeod (@jonrmcleod) December 24, 2011

Well, as we all know now, the Minister of Prognostication was not proven wrong. And now Patrick not only has to think about catching John, but also has to prevent Jonathan from sneaking into second.

Week 16 notes: (1) John is still first in total points, but Patrick is first in total bonus points. (2) Jonathan is now first in PF-PA, but fourth in total bonus points. (3) Patrick is only two wins ahead of Jonathan. (4) John is already ahead of Bert's 2010 point total (184.75).

--Jonathan

Week 16 was Jonathan's week, hands down. He made his move. Not that he's likely to catch anyone ahead of him, but he certainly lost me and has forced Bob to have a good week 17 in order to catch him. Here are the standings after week 16.

1. John
2. Patrick -2.33
3. Jonathan -8.85
4. Bob -1.82
5. Joel -7.42
6. Jeremy -4.93
7. Roger -4.40
8. Jarrett -13.01 

Races to watch: John vs. Patrick, Jonathan vs. Bob, Joel vs. Jeremy, Jeremy vs. Roger. Actually, depending on how wild Patrick goes trying to catch John and given the volatility of week 17, Jonathan might even have a chance at 2nd. John's been in 1st place since week 4. But what matters is who's in first place after the last game has been played. Right, Patriots? According to Jonathan, we find out this week whether I'm a false prophet.

Best pick of the week: Bills over Broncos.

Worst pick of the week: Bucs over anyone.

Critical game of the week: Eagles at Cowboys.

Hey Pat (and Jarrett), wouldn't it be nice if you'd picked the Eagles once or twice in the past 3 weeks?

--Joel Kuehner

Pool Participant Profile: John Couch

A warm sweater is always a practical Christmas gift

Birthplace: 48.424181,-89.269656

Current residence: 44.608011,-63.479921

Profession: http://www.forces.ca/en/job/navalcombatsystemsengineeringofficer-82.

Wife: http://www.facebook.com/johnandstephaniecouch.

Children: 2.28 (Daniel, Hannah and ?).

Church: http://www.fhfbc.org.

Nickname: Sofa. [Editor's note: Also known as "Commander Couch" around these parts.]

Number of years as pool champion: Two, as far as I can recall.

Favorite NFL team: No firm allegiances (Bills 1988-1993, Packers 1993-1999, Browns 2000-2010ish). [Editor's note: Looks like John is once again looking for a new favorite team.]

Most hated NFL team: No reason to hate anyone.

Favorite NFL studio personality: Chris Berman.

Most annoying NFL studio personality: Michael Irvin.

Favorite sport: Hockey.

Favorite athlete: I like Joel’s Tebow pick, anyone singing “Our God is an Awesome God” during warm-ups is worth cheering for.

Christmas wishlist: Anything practical.

Favorite movie: Life is Beautiful.

Favorite TV show: Arrested Development.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Bible, emergency position-indicating radio beacon, and do we have advance notice as to the expected climate? Should it be an Arctic climate, I’m going with extreme cold weather clothing. For temperate and tropical climates, I will chose a knife as my third item.

What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Haven’t quite decided what I am going to do, probably nothing dramatic, maybe retire. [Editor's note: Bulletin board material for Patrick? He said, "what I am going to do," not "what I would do."]

Why does e=mc(squared)? Because we don’t yet have a better way to account for energy-mass equivalence.

Pool Participant Profile: Joel Kuehner

Eleven years serving as Commissioner and all he got was this lousy hat!

Birthplace: Fredericton, NB.

Current residence: Buffalo, NY.

Profession: Engineer.

Wife: 1 (Karen).

Children: 4 (Laura, Nicole, Lucas, William).

Church: First Baptist Church of Marilla.

Nickname: The coolest guy on the planet. [Editor's note: I knew it got cold in Buffalo, but not that cold.] 

Favorite NFL team: Detroit Lions.

Most hated NFL team: New York Jets.

Favorite NFL analyst: Chris Collinsworth (if John Madden is not acceptable). Chris has grown on me. I like Dungy too.

Least favorite NFL analyst: Terry Bradshaw.

Favorite sport: Football.

Favorite athlete: Maybe Tebow. I respect him at least.

Christmas wishlist: Pants, farm tractor.

Favorite movie: The Princess Bride. [Editor's note: Inconceivable!]

Favorite (Current) TV show: Person of Interest.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Bible, boat, airplane.

What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Buy a lottery ticket; odds are about the same.

Week 15 - False Prophet?

Week 15 Results

Bob - 10-6 (+2.5)
Joel - 10-6 (+2.5)
Jarrett - 9-7 (+0.33)
Jonathan - 9-7 (+0.33)
Patrick - 9-7 (+0.33)
Jeremy - 7-9
John - 7-9
Roger - 6-10

We're about half-way done the pool now, and John has broken 100 points. I'm not sure he's catchable, even for you guys who think you're close. He's just statistically too consistent. [...] Sorry to burst everyone's bubbles (except for John's).--Joel, week 8

Well, it's now week 15 and Patrick's bubble is alive and well. The Mighty Morand has surprisingly managed to pull within 2.34 points of John. Certainly, the PIT/SF game was the most critical of the week. If the Steelers had won on Monday night, there would be a virtual tie for first. It seems Commander Couch is getting a bit reckless, admitting that he picked Denver to make watching the game with Jonathan more interesting. (Or was that an excuse for a foolish pick?)

But let's not forget this week's winners: Bob and Joel. "Big Herm" is now in third and determined to prevent the Forest Hills Boys from keeping all the medals in Dartmouth/Eastern Passage. "The Prophet" Joel also has visions of third place dancing in his head. Too bad his head has also been full of many bad picks. Question for Joel: If anyone had correctly picked the Colts to win in week 15, would they still have been given worst pick of the week? Word is that Jonathan, "The Minister of Prognostication," is not only aiming for third spot, but also first place in points for (now second behind Patrick). This would allow him to take home the (uncoveted) "Tough Luck" award.

"Golden Boy" Jeremy didn't have a very golden week. But Kuehner clan bragging rights are still in reach as he's only 2.23 points behind Joel. And what can be said about Roger "Ace" Fenton? Not much good can be said when you get beat by both "participants-in-training." "Moody" Jarrett (a.k.a., the human 10-second delay), could still escape the basement with two strong closing weeks.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

--Jonathan

Week 15 has come and gone, and the jockeying continues. The leader board looks roughly as follows, with point differentials relative to the person ahead, and rounded to the nearest 0.5:

1. John
2. Patrick -2.5
3. Bob -10.5
4. Jonathan -3
5. Joel -4.5
6. Jeremy -2.5
7. Roger -7
8. Jarrett -10.5

What does this mean? This means that: John has a chance of being caught. Patrick has a chance of catching someone. Bob has a chance of being caught. Jonathan has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Joel has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Jeremy has a chance of catching someone, and of being caught. Roger has a chance of catching someone. Jarrett should submit picks more often.

I'll qualify all of that with the fact that really, John is sitting pretty and Patrick has no chance of catching anyone, due to the email I sent out around week 8.

Best pick of the week: Seahawks over Bears.

Worst pick of the week: Jets over Eagles.

Critical game of the week: Steelers @ Niners.

Too bad no one picked the Colts. They would have, for the first time ever, received best pick of the week (because it would have been, unless someone had also picked KC) and worst pick of the week (because I'm a man of my word).

Sorry, Roger, about Oakland. That one had me worried as soon as I saw you'd picked them. I knew Oakland could very well win that, and I thought you had a pretty decent loner.

--Joel

Week 14 - Kuehner Fever

Week 14 Results

Jeremy - 15-1 (+3)
Joel - 13-3 (+1.5)
Patrick - 13-3 (+1.5)
Jarrett - 12-4
Jonathan - 12-4
John - 12-4
Roger - 12-4
Bob - 11-5

Did the rumored tongue-lashing from Bert "Double Crown" Kuehner actually take place? If so, it was effective as both Kuehner boys posted good weeks. But it was the Golden Boy, Jeremy, who took top spot. The only pick he got wrong (SF) was also picked wrong by everyone else.

"Tacos in the wild?! I haven't been this excited since that one time I thought I might actually have a chance to win the pool!! Hey, anyone know if there's a bathroom close by?"--Joel Kuehner (Jeremy, less excited, is on the right.)

For the second week in a row, the Mighty Morand narrowed the gap between him and Commander Couch.   But if Patrick would have put a little faith in his Jaguars, he would be 1.5 points closer! The importance of each point is now magnified.

Week 14 notes: (1) Patrick is now 4.67 points behind John. (2) If Patrick had picked the Jaguars, he would only be 3.17 points behind. (3) Jonathan has now passed Bob for third, which means that the Forest Hills Boys are now 1-2-3.

It's said, "Bad company spoils ruins good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33 ESV). Perhaps it should also be said, "Bad company spoils good football sense." (Jarrett is front row center.)

--Jonathan

Well, week 14 is in, and Jeremy is the big winner, with a stellar 15-1 record. Fortunately for him, he did 2 better than everyone else. Otherwise, there would have been some controversy. Why? Well, his Thursday pick was a consensus pick. And my policy is to allow consensus picks, especially for pretty one-sided games. However, I don't (intentionally, at least) allow consensus picks to give you bonus points. So, in other words, the bonus points are based on Jeremy going 14-2. Since 14-2 is still better than everyone else, he gets full bonus. Actually, on a week with only 4 games that matter, getting 2 better than everyone else is pretty good.

Jeremy blew by me, Jonathan has squeaked by Bob, and Patrick is continuing his mission to squeeze by John.

Best pick of the week: Jaguars over Buccaneers.

Worst pick of the week: Dolphins over Eagles. (Come on, all you Dolphin bandwagoners. Philly's badness and Miami's goodness are relative.)

Critical game of the week: Giants at Cowboys (ridiculous).

Three weeks left, with one of them being a free-for-all.

--Joel

Week 13 - Patrick Strikes Back

Week 13 Results

Patrick - 13-3 (+3)

Jonathan - 12-4 (+2)

John - 12-4 (+1.5)

Jarrett - 9-7

Bob - 9-7

Jeremy - 9-7

Joel - 8-8

Roger - 8-8

Just when everyone thought John was going to run away and hide, the Mighty Morand responds by putting 16 big points up on the board, narrowing the gap between him and Commander Couch. With four weeks to go, everything is setting up for an epic struggle between two of the pool's Forest Hills Boys. As HNIC's Bob Cole might say, "EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING!" The third Forest Hills Boy, Jonathan, presently sits in fourth, 0.92 points behind Bob. Jonathan's goal is now to finish in third, which would give the Forest Hills Boys a clean sweep of the medal podium.

The Forest Hills Boys: Jonathan, Patrick, and John

You may have noticed that two "participants in training," Connor (Jonathan's 11-year-old son) and Gillian (Patrick's 7-year-old daughter), have started making picks. Last Sunday Connor boasted, "You could just make random picks and do better than some people." However, Connor's picks were not completely random in week 13. He has stated that he will always pick the Patriots (not forced by Jonathan). And he was also counselled by his father to consider win-loss records. The result: a 10-6 record--better than Jarrett, Bob, Jeremy, Joel, and Roger. On Monday morning, when Jonathan informed Connor, "You did better than some of the guys in the pool," Jonathan's other son, six-year-old Cohen, asked, "What guys in the pool?" If this football thing involved a swimming pool, Cohen was ready to sign up.

The Football Pool Blog is presently trying to substantiate rumors of a Sunday evening Kuehner family conference call. One source claims that reigning pool champion Bert scolded his two sons, Jeremy and Joel, for their weak 2011 performances. If true, Christmas with the Kuehners could be a bit awkward this year.

Week 13 notes: (1) John is now 7.17 points ahead of Patrick--certainly not an insurmountable lead. (2) John is third in points for/against (behind Patrick and Jonathan) but has 6 more wins than Patrick and 9 more than Jonathan. (3) Jarrett (despite missing 2 weeks of picks) is now closer to Jeremy, Joel, and Roger than those three are to John. (4) Gillian (perhaps foolishly) has more faith in her father's favorite team, picking the Jaguars to win in the Monday night game. (5) Jonathan is now tied with Bob in wins.

Will John enjoy a smooth ride to the championship? Or are there bumps ahead?

--Jonathan

Well, needless to say, week 13 was essential for Patrick. If he wants any hope of catching John, he needed week 13, and he needs at least a couple more of them. Of course, it would be better for him if John had relented a little, allowing his complacency to take over. But the entire Dartmouth trio was strong this week, thanks to Jonathan's after-the-fact "Oh yeah, by the way, I picked Seattle." Dismal week for me; I'm still barely in 4th. Poor week for Bob as well, but he's still holding onto 3rd by a hair over Jonathan.

Best pick of the week: Seahawks over Eagles. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Worst pick of the week: Jaguars over Chargers. Why did I rationalize over my gut?

Critical game of the week: Panthers at Bucs. If you got that right, you got points.

Most suspicious pick of the week: Seahawks over Eagles.

--Joel

Pool Participant Profile: Patrick Morand

Alone on Morand Island: I'm smiling, but I'm really crying inside (see below).

Birthplace: North Bay, ON.

Current residence: Dartmouth, NS.

Profession: Sales and marketing. (Editor's note: a bit vague?)

Wife: Tara.

Children: Gillian (7).

Church: Forest Hills Fellowship Baptist Church.

Nickname: Yes I Said It First. (Editor's note: Has anyone ever called Patrick this, other than himself?)

Favorite NFL team: Jaguars.

Most hated NFL team: Dolphins.

Favorite NFL studio personality: Jimmy Johnson.

Most annoying NFL studio personality: Boomer Esiason.

Favorite NFL analyst: Troy Aikman.

Favorite sport: Hockey.

Favorite athlete: Cal Ripken Jr., Dale Hunter, Esa Tikkanen, Ulf Samuelsson, Alex Ovechkin, Bernie Nicholls, Marshall Faulk, Kurt Warner, Chris Hoiles, Kelly Hrudey, Adam Jones (not "Pac Man"), Mickey Tettleton, Mark Brunell, Tim Tebow (just added). (Editor's note: Thanks for narrowing it down to just a few, Patrick.)

Christmas wishlist: Stanley Cup.

Favorite movie: The Shawshank Redemption.

Favorite TV show: Seinfeld.
Who do you like least between Mike Milbury and Don Cherry? Cherry.

What three items would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Laptop with Wi-Fi, satellite TV, and a McDonald's restaurant. (Editor's note: Sadly, Patrick will lack a power supply for his computer, TV, and restaurant.)
What would you do if you won this year's pool championship? Start planning to repeat. Extra answers: "Win the pool? Win the pool? I'm just trying to win one week!" "If I win the pool then everyone will know I am who I thought I was." "I play to win the game." (Editor's note: Those added answers are actually things Patrick would say, not do. But maybe that's being a bit too picky.)
How many TVs do you have in your rec room? Two.

Announcing the 2011 Football Pool Awards

Soon the Football Pool Blog will begin accepting nominations for the 2011 Football Pool Awards. Below is a list of the awards (other than the gold, silver, and bronze medals).

• Gold Medal: given to the person with the most points this season.
• Silver Medal: given to the person with the second most points this season.
• Bronze Medal: given to the person with the third most points this season.
• Winner Award: given to the person who picks the most winners this season.
• Bonus Award: given to the person with the most bonus points this season.
• Score Award: given to the person with the best points for/against record this season.
• Comeback Award: given to the person who improved the most from last season.
• Perseverance Award: given to the person who best overcame adversity this season.
• Lifetime Achievement Award: given to a person with outstanding past performance.
• Rookie of the Year: given to the person with the best performance in his first season.
• Best Fan Award: given to the person whose favorite NFL team performed the best this season.
• Best Brother Award: given to the person with the best record who also has a brother in the pool.
• Kuehner Award: given to the person with the most points this season whose last name is Kuehner (sponsored by the Bert Kuehner Foundation).
• Best Blogger Award: given to the person who contributed the most to the pool by blogging.
• Pastor's Award: given to the person who best balanced pastoral and pool responsibilities.
• Roger Federer Award: given to the person whose name most resembles a famous professional athlete.
• Comments Award: given to the person who contributes the most undeleted comments to the Football Pool Blog.
• Double Crown Award: given to the person who wins the pool and whose favorite team wins the Super Bowl in the same season (won by Bert Kuehner in 2010).

Week 12 - John Sails to Victory Once Again

Week 12 Results

This week's winners:

  

John - 14-2 (+3)
Bob - 13-3 (+1)
Joel - 13-3 (+1)
Roger - 13-3 (+1)
Jarrett - 12-4
Jeremy - 11-5
Jonathan - 10-6
Patrick - 10-6

See what I did there? John...sailing...he's in the navy. Pretty clever, huh?

Following a couple of poor weeks earlier in November, John had been complaining that his navy duties were affecting his picks. But now after a strong week by Commander Couch and a poor week by Patrick, John is once again comfortably in first. It was thought that Patrick might pose a challenge to John, but, as Dennis Green might say, it seems he is who we thought he was.

A few notes: (1) Bob is now only 3.33 points behind Patrick. (2) Joel has surpassed Jeremy for Kuehner family bragging rights. (3) Roger is now tied with Jeremy in sixth place. (4) When interviewed, Jarrett thought he had missed only one week of picks instead of two.

The McLeod brothers might not be doing too well in the pool, but at least their Patriots are having another fine season. (Hey, wasn't there someone in this pool who kept saying the Jets were going to win the AFC East?) Unfortunately, the other favorite teams of the pool participants aren't doing so well (Jaguars, Bills, Browns, Eagles). And what's going on with Joel's Lions? After a Suh-weet start, their season is turning sour.

Here's a question for you: would you rather have your favorite team with the Super Bowl or you win the pool?

If John puts as much thought into his weekly picks as he did to construct the above apparatus, it's no wonder he's doing so well this season!

--Jonathan

Mr. Complacency no more. John pounds the mouse and thumps the keys to take solo first place in week 12. John's picks were the same as mine, except he picked BAL over SF. His picks were the same as Bob's, except he picked NYJ over BUF. John was right on both accounts.

In case no one noticed, Bob is now in second place in terms of Right-Wrong picks, with 118 to Pat's 117.  Roger also pulled off another strong week. Jarrett had a pretty good week as well, but will it be too little too late?

Best pick of the week: Broncos over Chargers. Kudos to the Tebow believers.

Worst pick of the week: Colts over Panthers. I said before that any Indy pick automatically gets worst pick of the week.

Critical game of the week: Niners at Ravens.

--Joel

Current Standings

Pool Participant Profile: Jarrett McLeod

Jarrett as flag bearer for the Canadian Special Olympics team

Birthplace: Fredericton, NB

Current residence: Fredericton, NB

Profession: Youth Care Worker

Nickname: D. L. Moody

Favorite NFL team: Patriots

Most hated NFL team: Jets (especially because of Rex Ryan)

Favorite NFL studio personality: Steve Young

Most annoying NFL studio personality: Terry Bradshaw

Favorite sport: Tennis

Favorite athlete: Tom Brady, Roger Federer, Jeff Gordon

Christmas wishlist: TV, black jogging pants, grey jogging pants

Favorite movie: Home Alone

What three things would you want if you were stranded on a deserted island? Bear Grylls, giant sea turtle, Bible

Why did you forgot to make all those picks? "I don't know."

Week 11 - A Creature Is Stirring in the Basement

Week 11 Results

This week's winners:

Jarrett - 12-2 (+2.5)
Bob - 12-2 (+2)
Joel - 12-2 (+2)
John - 11-3
Jonathan - 10-4
Roger - 10-4
Patrick - 9-5
Jeremy - 8-6

If Jarrett were writing this post, he might say, "Allow me to crack the bubbly!" (inside joke).

Back when Jarrett was living at home (which wasn't too long ago), he often remained asleep in his basement bedroom until sometime in the afternoon. Perhaps he was still asleep at 2:00 on those two Sunday afternoons that he didn't submit any picks.

Either way, the following question must be asked: Has Jarrett now awoken from his Football Pool slumber? The answer: It appears so. And that answer leads to another question: Is it too late for Jarrett? The answer: Yes. But an additional question comes to mind: Can Jarrett escape the basement? The answer: Perhaps. But who can he catch? The obvious answer: The free-falling Jeremy. And what is the probability of that happening? The answer: According to our calculations: He has a 16.7% chance of catching Jeremy. And one final question: How ashamed would anyone be if Jarrett caught them? The answer: Very.

Seriously, one can only wonder what position Jarrett would be in now if he had simply remembered to submit picks for all of the games. (Keep in mind that his forgetfulness also led to several desperation picks.)

"Let me tell you right now, there are two Canadian brothers--I think their last name is McLeod--that probably could be linebackers on this team. Why haven't we signed them? Well, I'll tell you why. They're Patriots fans, and I can't convince them to play for the Jets."--Jets coach Rex Ryan

--Jonathan

Look out! Here comes Jarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrretttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!! Jarett went with the dream team, and he gets rewarded with a successful loner pick, and a tie for first! If he'd submitted his Thursday pick, maybe he'd have taken the week by himself.

It was a fine start this week for Bob and Roger. The rest of us now all wish we'd had the guts to do what they did. We wanted Denver to win. We knew Denver could win. But we were scared that other people would pick the Jets and get it right. Well, they had the guts, and they got off to a head start.

Bob used that head start to grab part of the 3-way tie for first. Too bad he didn't have enough confidence in his own Eagles; if he had, he'd have had sole possession of first place.

Best pick of the week: Eagles over Giants.

Worst pick of the week: Bills over Dolphins.

Critical game of the week: Seahawks at Rams.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 10 - Another Insanely Good Week for Patrick

Week 10 Results

This week's winners:

  

Patrick - 10-6 (+3)
Jonathan - 9-5 (+1.5)
Roger - 9-5 (+1.5)
Bob - 8-8
Joel - 8-8
John - 7-9
Jeremy - 6-10
Jarrett - 1-15 (didn't submit picks)

If you've ever watched sports with Patrick, you know he likes to yell at the TV. We assume he knows that the players can't hear him, but that never seems to stop him. If the Jaguars are driving to take the lead at the end of the game, Patrick will often yell, "DON'T SCORE TOO SOON!" And now as Patrick is so close to regaining the lead from John, all of his fans (Tara & Gillian?) are yelling, "DON'T SCORE TOO SOON?" Will Patrick ignore his own advice? Or will he peak too soon?

While we're thinking of questions concerning Patrick, other questions come to mind. Questions like, if Patrick takes the lead, will he start to become complacent (like John?) and not push the keyboard as hard when submitting his picks? Will the seemingly illogical reasoning behind Joel's weekly awards cause Patrick to suffer a nervous breakdown? (Right now, Joel's assessment of the Colts over the Jaguars as the worst pick of the week is probably driving Patrick crazy. I do think, though, that if you don't trust your favorite team to beat the Colts, you have absolutely no faith in them. Where is the loyalty?) Does Patrick have enough money to pay Bert's former advisers (whom Patrick claimed to have hired at the end of last season)? Yelling at the TV, hiring imaginary advisers--maybe he's already gone crazy!

The most satisfying pick of the week was Jonathan's pick of New England. (Roger also picked the Patriots, but he's not a New England fan.) By now it should be clear that you should be very careful about picking against the Patriots when everyone doubts them. The Patriots win allowed Jonathan and Roger to share second place this week.

With the excitement of Patrick's pursuit of John, perhaps no one has noticed that Jeremy has been tumbling down the standings. In week 7, he was less that one point out of second place. He now sits in fifth. The reclusive Jeremy was unavailable for comment.

"Lastly, I would like to say that my decisions as a coach affect not only our football team and our fans, but also the Football Pool. My decision to go for it on fourth down in overtime allowed Patrick to steal first place this week from Jonathan and for that I am deeply sorry."--Atlanta Falcons coach Mike Smith

--Jonathan

I'm really getting sick of NFL football. It's so tiring making the best picks week in and week out, and not getting the points for it!

There are lots of candidates for all of these, but here's what I'm dishing out this week. I'm sure these could be debated ad nauseum.

Best pick of the week: Giants over Niners. Just kidding. Titans over Panthers.

Worst pick of the week: Colts over Jaguars. And Patrick still won the week.

Critical game of the week: Patriots at Jets.

It's good to see the Bills back. And the Lions. Nice to see the Eagles living up to expectations. Nice for Atlanta to show no faith in their defence, even though they'd just 3-and-outed the Saints the previous possession. How about those Rams? Convincing win #2. Tim Tebow. 2 for 8, 60-some yards, and a 17-10 win.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 9 - Impossible Is Nothing

Week 9 Results

This week's winners:

  

  

Patrick - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jonathan - 8-6 (+1.5)
Jarrett - 8-6 (+1)
Bob - 8-6 (+1)
Joel - 8-6 (+1)
Roger - 8-6 (+1)
Jeremy - 7-7
John - 7-7

Joel says John can't be caught, but Patrick has been gaining ground the last two weeks. He's now only 6.67 points behind. Has John grown complacent (according to Joel, another impossibility--see last week's comments)? Probably not. But, suddenly, the race for first has became a whole lot more interesting.

Speaking of Joel, our mighty commissioner finally tasted the sweet nectar of victory (albeit it was a six-way tie, and technically Patrick and Jonathan led the weak due to their loner picks--but we won't mention that). To Joel's great satisfaction, his correct pick of Arizona was critical to his first place finish. Had St. Louis won, it would have been only Patrick and Jonathan in first (most critical game of the week?).

Both Patrick and Jonathan made last-minute changes to their picks, each deciding to go with a New York team. Patrick picked the Giants, and Jonathan picked the Jets. Both picks turned out to be successful loner picks, enabling them to gain the most points in week 9.

The only change of position this week was Bob surpassing Jeremy for third. In the past two weeks, Bob has gained 6.5 more points than Jeremy. Now only 0.42 points separate Bob, Jeremy, and Jonathan. Would any of them be content with the bronze medal? Does Joel send out punctual recap emails? In other words, NO! (Sorry, Joel.)

Roger, Joel, and Jarrett are all battling to avoid the basement. Jarrett's strategy seems to have shifted. He's now flinging less hail Marys and throwing more solid short-range passes. Perhaps his goal is no longer to capture the glory of first, but to escape the shame of last.

One reason for hope for those who are trying to catch John: take a look at his points for/against differential. It's fourth best in the pool. This means that a lot of the close games have been going John's way. Perhaps the second half of the season won't be so kind to him.

"In our opinion, Joel Kuehner resembles an old Barry Sanders. Our scouts have their eyes on him. And there's a very real possibility that if Jackson can't go this Sunday, you could see Joel in a Bills uniform. However, the league has advised us that a conflict of interest might exist due to Joel's position as an NFL football pool commissioner."--Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey

Joel is so fast, he makes other guys seem like they're standing still!

--Jonathan

Current Standings

Week 8 - Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Week 8 Results

This weeks winners:

 

Bob - 10-3 (+2.5)
Patrick - 10-3 (+2.5)
Jonathan - 10-3 (+2)
Jeremy - 8-5
Joel - 8-5
John 8-5
Jarrett 7-6
Roger 7-6

I think week 8 was the first time this season when the MNF game was meaningful for our pool. AND WHAT A GAME IT WAS! (However, I'm sure I would have a different perspective if I had been on the losing end of that game.)

In case you missed it, the game was tied 20-20 with less than a minute left and the Chargers on the Chief's 15-yard line. Everyone knew that San Diego would soon kick a game-winning field goal. BUT EVERYONE WAS WRONG!

What happened? Philip Rivers fumbled the snap and the Chiefs recovered. The game went into overtime and the rest is history. (Are the Chargers the least-clutch team in NFL history?)

For Philip Rivers, it was "the worst day ever." For me, checking the score this morning gave me a nice start to my day. (I now wish I had stayed up to see the end of the Chargers/Chiefs game--or at least PVRed it. Unfortunately, I turned the TV off right before this play.)

Was week 8 the start of John's fall back down to earth? Or was it simply a bump in the road? Time will tell.

--Jonathan

It seems some folks are a bit put off that some of the weekly recaps are too much Joel-focused, and not enough them-focused. So I'll attempt to stroke a few egos this week. But first, the objective stuff.

Best pick of the week: Steelers over Patriots. (I would've given this to Pat for his Vikings pick, but his Cowboys pick nullified it.)

Worst pick of the week: Cowboys over Eagles.

Critical game of the week: Chargers at Chiefs. (If this had gone the other way, Bob would have won outright and there would have been a 5-way tie for second).

Kudos to Bob for a stellar week. He didn't even pick the Chargers/Chiefs game, and he still tied for first place. Kudos to Pat for a stellar week. He picked the Cowboys over the Eagles, and he still tied for first place. Kudos to Jonathan for a stellar week. He kind of tied for first, but didn't have a loner pick. He actually gained ground on John. Kudos to Jeremy for doing as well as John. Kudos to John for doing as well as Jeremy. Kudos to Roger for correctly going against his Browns. I know it's hard, but you're getting better at it this year. Kudos to Jarrett for ... um ... picking KC.

We're about half-way done the pool now, and John has broken 100 points. I'm not sure he's catchable, even for you guys who think you're close. He's just statistically too consistent. It's like election night, when the liberals/democrats are winning, and you're thinking, "But wait, only 20% of the polls are reporting! There's still a chance we'll come back! What if every remaining voter votes conservative/republican?", but you know it's just not going to happen. Sorry to burst everyone's bubbles (except for John's). Note: this does not mean we're officially projecting John as the 2011 pool winner.

--Joel

Week 7 - [Insert Clever Title]

Week 7 Results

This week's winner:

John - 10-3 (+3)
Jeremy - 9-4 (+2)
Patrick - 8-5 (+1)
Jarrett - 7-6
Joel - 7-6
Jonathan - 7-6
Roger - 7-6
Bob - 6-7

Well, positions one through eight remain unchanged after week 7, but John's lead continues to increase. How far is John ahead? If John didn't make his picks for the next two weeks, he still would remain ahead of Joel!

In the battle for the silver medal, Jeremy is less than one point behind Patrick.

Joel's love affair with Arizona continued. When will he come to his senses and permanently break up with the Cardinals? Adding to Joel's misery was a second straight loss for his Lions.

"What? John picked us, and Joel picked Arizona? YEAH! Looks like a win for us!"--Lamar Woodley

--Jonathan

Current Standings

Us Versus the "Experts"

This week, I added links to four sports websites (look to the right) that include NFL picks by their various writers and personalities (USA Today, CBS, Yahoo!, ESPN). If those guys were members of our pool, what would the standings look like? See below.

1. Mike Silver (Yahoo!) - 71-19
2. John Couch - 67-23
3. Mike Golic (ESPN) - 66-24
4. ? Judge (CBS) - 64-26
5. Les Carpenter (Yahoo!) - 64-26
6. Merrill Hodge (ESPN) - 64-26
7. Patrick Morand - 63-27
8. Pete O'Brien (USA Today) - 63-27
9. Mike Schlereth (ESPN) - 63-27
10. Nate Davis (USA Today) - 63-27
11. Jeremy Kuehner - 62-28
12. ? Wickersham (ESPN) - 62-28
13. Bob Hermann - 61-29
14. Jonathan McLeod - 61-29
15. Jarrett Bell (USA Today) - 61-29
16. Adam Schefter ( ESPN) - 61-29
17. John Saraceno (USA Today) - 61-29
18. Gary Mihoces (USA Today) - 60-30
19. Jason Cole (Yahoo!) - 60-30
20. Pete Prisco (CBS) - 60-30
21. ? Richard (CBS) - 60-30
22. Jim Corbett (USA Today) - 60-30
23. Tom Pedulla (USA Today) - 59-31
24. ? Allen (ESPN) - 59-31
25. ? Freeman (CBS) - 59-31
26. Joel Kuehner - 58-32
27. Robert Kelmko (USA Today) - 58-32
28. Roger Fenton - 57-32
29. Chris Mortenson (ESPN) - 54-36
30. ? Brison (CBS) - 54-36
31. Jarrett McLeod - 52-38

Week 6 - Sofa So Good for Couch

Week 6 Results

This week's winner:

John - 11-2 (+3)
Jeremy - 10-3 (+0.75)
Joel - 10-3 (+0.75)
Jonathan - 10-3 (+0.75)
Roger 10-3 (+0.75)
Bob - 9-5
Jarrett - 8-5
Patrick - 8-5

I repeat: SOMEBODY STOP JOHN!

Once again, John is this week's winner. Somehow the crucial games always seem to go his way. What's his secret? Superior prognostication skills or his collection of four-leaf clovers and horseshoes?

Roger almost served a second straight ace. Meanwhile, Jeremy is quietly inching his way toward second place. Patrick needs to return to his early season form. Perhaps he should make more use of his Sunday Ticket package ("I've got all the games!") and turn his rec room into a film room. What about Bob? Unfortunately for him, he was on the wrong side of both of the crucial games.

It looks like Jarrett is already in desperation mode, but I think it's a bit early to be throwing Hail Marys. Personally, I'm trying to remain patient. John's due for a couple of bad weeks in a row, right? RIGHT?

Inspired by John's mini-rant on Joel's "Joel recap," some of the pool members had a little fun with Joel's spreadsheet. Perhaps Joel felt the rebuke was warranted since he has not yet deleted the comments.

Is this picture a foreshadowing of the season-ending exchange between Joel and John, if John wins? (I said "if.")

--Jonathan

Well, I thought I was doing well in week 6. The difference between me gaining on John and John gaining on me was a late Fitzpatrick pick. But that's what John gets paid the big bucks for--he knew the pick was coming; I didn't.

Best pick of the week: Niners over Lions.

Worst pick of the week: Vikings over Bears.

Critical game of the week: Bills at Giants.

I got to see the Lions, Niners and Bills play this week. One thing I observed: these teams have pretty good records, but I think that's got to be because all of the other teams are getting worse. I didn't see any of them play particularly well--certainly not well enough to warrant their nice records.

--Joel

Current Standings

Week 5 - Somebody Stop John!

Week 5 Results

This week's winners:

  

He could...go...all...the...way!

At one point during the early games it looked like I might gain a few points on John. Then everything fell apart. Well, at least I got the San Francisco pick right.

Question: Why are the late games so much easier to pick?

--Jonathan

Well, I think I did it! I think I pretty much picked all of the teams that would be trailing after three quarters! At least my Lions are providing me some joy this season.

Best pick of the week: Raiders over Texans.

Worst pick of the week: Bucs over Niners (and John still won the week).

Critical game of the week: Cardinals at Vikings.

--Joel

Current Standings

First Quarter Stats

The current NFL season is now one-quarter complete. I went back and looked at our records for each team. (You can find the chart here. This is the first time I did a spreadsheet, so I didn't really now what I was doing. If anyone has some extra time, you could edit Joel's spreadsheet to automatically calculate these stats. I have no clue how to do that.) So without further ado, here is what I discovered.

• Most predictable teams so far: San Diego (31-0), New Orleans (31-0), St. Louis (30-1), Green Bay (30-1), Miami (29-2), Carolina (28-3), Houston (27-4), Indianapolis (26-5).
• Most unpredictable teams so far: Buffalo (8-23), Cincinnati (10-21), Tennessee (11-20), Philadelphia (13-18), San Francisco (14-17), Cleveland (14-17).
• Each member's most impressive performance: Jarrett (3-0 picking Tampa Bay games), Bob (4-0 picking Tampa Bay games), Jeremy (4-0 picking Seattle games), Joel (3-1 picking Tennessee games), Jonathan (3-1 picking San Francisco games), John (4-0 picking Washington games), Patrick (4-0 picking Kansas City games), Roger (4-0 picking Detroit games).
• Each member's least impressive performance: Jarrett (0-3 picking Tennessee games), Bob (2-2 picking Carolina games), Jeremy (1-3 picking Tampa Bay games), Joel (1-3 picking NY Giants games), Jonathan (2-2 picking Minnesota games), John (1-3 picking Cleveland games), Patrick (2-2 picking Arizona games), Roger (0-4 picking Buffalo games).

(One further note: Jarrett only has three picks for each team because he forgot to submit his picks for week 3.)

Week 4 - Off the Couch and into the Lead

Week 4 Results

This week's winners:

 

I believe the goal this season is to pick who will be trailing after 3 quarters.  If you can figure that out, then you assume that team will be the winner.

As Jonathan says, we have a new leader.  Congratulations to John.  However, Patrick's still right there, and he had another solid week.  He's yet to have a vintage Pat week in which he forfeits his entire season's gains.

Best pick of the week: Titans over Browns.

Worst pick of the week: Broncos over Packers in cheese town.

Critical game of the week: Giants at Cardinals.  I know that's probably a bit biased, but if that game had gone the way it was supposed to, without the refs blowing a call, I'd have beat y'all.  (Of course, I always say you can't blame a game's outcome on a single call.)

--Joel Kuehner

Current Standings

(Here's the video of the "fumble.")

Week 3 - The Forest Hills Boys

Week 3 Results

This week's winners:

  

Well, week 3 went pretty much as the previous weeks for Patrick and John. It also unfortunately went about the same as previous weeks for me. Bob had his first poor week. Jonathan got his first bonus points.
There were 3 players each with two loners, each of whom got one loner right and one loner wrong. A lot of games this week were actually very tight, such that really there were no particularly bad picks. If you look at the PF-PA for the week, it was really tight. Actually, Roger did the best in that category thanks to his Giants pick.

Best pick of the week: Raiders over Jets (maybe Giants over Eagles).

Worst pick of the week: Jaguars over Panthers.

Critical game of the week: Redskins versus Cowboys.

Looks like the Lions/Bills Super Bowl is shaping up.

--Joel Kuehner

Week 2 - More Morand

Week 2 Results

It's not midnight yet, is it?

Here are the week 2 results.

Patrick is making Roger try a little harder to keep up this year.

Best pick of the week:  Bucs over Vikings.

Worst pick of the week:  Chiefs over Lions.

Critical game of the week:  Cowboys at Niners.

--Joel Kuehner

Week 1 - The Mighty Morand

Week 1 Results

Patrick is off to a flying start.

Best pick of the week: Bills over Chiefs.

Worst pick of the week: Steelers over Ravens.

Critical game of the week: Giants at Redskins.

Things look promising for my Lions, Jeremy's Bills, Bob's Eagles and Patrick's Jaguars.

Things don't look so promising for John's and Roger's Browns.

Of course, things are always looking fine for Jonathan's Patriots.

I don't know what team Jarrett roots for.

--Joel Kuehner

Google+ Hangouts

I have a dream. A dream of a place where Football Pool Members can discuss and debate freely with each other. A place accessible to all with a Gmail account and an internet connection. A place where YouTube videos can be uploaded and video chat is possible (though perhaps not desired).

Today, I announce that my dream can become reality. There is such a place. And it is called Google+.

But one small step remains. Each pool member must be willing to join me and enter this new world. I implore you to through off the shackles of Facebook and join Google+.

A bit dramatic? Perhaps.

Some have you have already received from me (annoying?) emails about this. So far, three members of the pool have joined. Everything you need to know can probably be found here.

One of the good features of Google+ is the ability to create "circles" of friends. I have made a circle called "Football Pool." All who join Google+ from this pool will be put into this circle. Then when a game starts, I will create a hangout, and all who are in the Football Pool circle will be able to join it.

I think it's worth a try.

Predictions

It's that time of year again--time for your NFL predictions. Please look into your crystal ball and tell me this season's division champions and wild card teams. Could we award bonus pool points to the person who gets the most right?

UPDATE: Here are Patrick's NFC predictions. And here are his AFC predictions.