
Gregarious gunslingers,
As I write this, Case Keenum just broke the Rams franchise record for consecutive completions.
Now, Mike Wallace just hauled in a 60-yard completion. And now, the Giants just stopped the Ravens on 4th and goal from the 1.
Mike Wallace getting buckets, stonewall Giants D, and Case Keenum smashing records. Commish no longer believes in the constancy of time.
Additionally, Commish no longer believes in the constancy of the Pittsburgh Steelers...
See your friends' picks and comments, as well as the full spreadsheet of picks:
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WEEK 6 FAST FACTS
- Your Buffalo Bills are BFIG's top pick for the second time in our eight-year history. The other time? Week 16, 2015, when five of the remaining 11 survivors picked Buffalo. The Bills promptly lost.
- The Bills were - by far - our weakest top pick (by volume) this year at 28 percent of title pool picks. That said, our top five picks (BUF, PIT, TEN, NE, ARI) accounted for a whopping 96 percent of picks. That makes it six straight weeks with that "top 5 pick density" stat rising - it was 91 percent last week.
- Interestingly, the Second Chance Pool saw nearly twice as many picks on the Steelers (far and away the top pick) as the Bills. Looks like our first glimpse of already picked teams affecting things.
- Again assuming a 67 percent unique pick win rate, the most likely outcome of our five top picks is 4-1 (33.2 percent), followed closely by 3-2 (32.8 percent).
- The probability of all five picks surviving is a decent 13.5 percent, though Pittsburgh isn't looking so hot right now.
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WEEK 6 AWARDS
"You've Got Moxie, Kid" Award
Four people picked the Jaguars-Bears game today. I quadruple checked; it's true. Commish is tossing out three Moxie drumsticks to the fine folks on Chicago, and I'm giving this week's Moxie to Geoff Hackett (Hacknuts) for picking the Jacksonville Jaguars. On the road. You can read that again.
Commish Communication Award
THE ALL-BULLS HAIR TEAM! Take it away, Alex Mace (alexmace4) - Bills:
"Sports hairdo hall of fame: Dennis Rodman, Jaromir Jagr, Carlos Valderrama, Troy Polamalu, Colin Kaepernick??? JK, Kaep is nowhere near those legends. Taking Bills Mafia all day. (P.S. Completely unrelated but imagine this All-Chicago Bulls Hair team: Rodman, Noah, Artest, Ben Wallace, Carlos Boozer (sprayed on hair). Promotional ideas are endless @JerryReinsdorf)"
And secondly, THE COMPOST CONFLAGRATION! Courtesy of James Hunter (James_hunter) - Steelers:
"Sure, Pittsburgh has a proud tradition of playing down to their competition, even going so far as to blow the occasional game where they're the heavy favorite. But the dolphins really are that bad. Dumpster Fire is already a registered trademark owned by Washington, so instead I will lobby for Miami to officially change it's name to the Compost Conflagration."
"I Could Sell You Bengals Tickets" Award
The "Best Cody Kessler" story competition is OVER. This gets better as it goes. From Euno Lee (LeVeonBell420) - Titans:
"Tall, handsome, and generally always well-liked by his peers, the starting quarterback at my beloved alma mater, the University of Southern California, has historically been a mantle of American virility. I've admired the chiseled good looks of our starting quarterbacks to just this side of heterosexuality, and though unrelated it seems the physical attractiveness of our quarterbacks tend to correlate with their on-field success at 'SC. Leinart: Heisman. Palmer: Heisman. Matt "Why the long face?" Cassell: On the bench. So the summer after Barkley was a transitional period for USC. If you were on the field for practice during drills (and conveniently deaf), it was pretty clear who the heir apparent was going to be; The frozen rope-throwing beast god leaving Pi Kapp with two comely lasses at a time, Mr. Max Wittek. Wittek had all the makings of an NFL-ready quarterback; great arm, instinctual (at times perilous) decision-making, and of course most importantly, he was a tremendous prick. But apparently the coaching staff thought some country-music loving dude out of Bakersfield, California was a better fit for our offense. Why Lane Kiffin opted for the guy with the beer league arm to throw bubble screens is beyond me, but by my limited personal interaction with them, Cody Kessler, like Kiffin, was careful, measured, and an all-around nice guy. My vision of Cody's future prospects in the NFL was solidified one Thursday night my final semester at SC. It was about 12:30 or 1 a.m. at night, and I was making a stop at the 7-Eleven off Figueroa just north of campus near the West 27th apartments. I'm going through the fridge for some Gatorade when I notice a young man having a mild argument with a girl. "You're the quarterback, you're just like them. You're not even going to call me back, and I'm not that kind of girl," she said. It was Kessler, now in front of me in line at a 7-Eleven. "I'm not that kind of guy," Kessler protested in that mild baritone. He turns around and looks at me, recognizing me from being on the field. And then it just came out of my mouth, because f*** it, this man has served as the quarterback at the school I love for the better part of the last three years. "He's not," I said definitively. Kessler looked up at me again, a little flustered. And I continued. "I cover Cody for the Trojan. He's a nice dude who makes good decisions. You're in good hands." The concern scrunching his forehead loosened and his eyes lit into a smile. "Thanks, man." I gave him the fight on, and the couple walked out holding hands. I got my Gatorade, walked into my car for the drive back to Orange County and thought to myself, "Jesus. Cody Kessler can't close without a wingman." Titans by two touchdowns."
Definitely Not Concussed Award
Commish got totally trolled by Kyle Shockley (kydshock) - Cardinals. But, I mean... how amazing would this be:
"On this day in 1975, Carson Palmer's Dad won a gold medal in bobsledding. Carson ain't losin."
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THIS WEEK AT THE NORWOODS'
Rob Norwood (rnorwood) - Patriots: "I took on a couple projects this week, whilst stressing about surviving another week in BFIG. Project #1: Find a reliable method to stop my mom from using words like “succulent,” “load” and “titillating.” For the record, I’m also uncomfortable asking customer service where I can "get some caulk" in Home Depot. Sure I’m immature and stupid. I mean, like duh and stuff. Project #2: Determine a nickname for the new janitor (or “custodial artist” if you prefer) at work. So far the leading candidate is “Gasanova.” Classy. I feel like the Bengals are starting to circle the drain and maybe picking New England at home is premature, perhaps safe, but succulent none the less."
Paige Norwood (crashfu14) - Titans: "Titans HC Mike Mularkey often wears that face one makes when they accidentally rip off a skin tag while putting on a bulky cableknit sweater, but don’t want to admit exactly what’s wrong. Kind of a dopey, exhilarated yet terrified visage. Tennessee over the Browns it is. The Cavs and Indians are good, so the Browns have to be hot garbage, right?"
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MORE PICK COMMENTS
Michelle Single (ChargerGirl23) - Broncos: "I bleed blue and yellow. My youngest child is nicknamed Bolt and I bought a Dodge just because they named it Charger. But this year has been tough to watch and I have had to isolate myself to watch Charger games because a professional, football loving mom who is on the Board of many youth sports will embarrass a trucker if anyone sees how I yell at my team and watch the 4th quarter standing 3 feet from the TV. So, I have to have something to be happy about when I watch the Chargers this Thursday with a bottle of wine and tears in my eyes. Go Broncos."
Commish says: This might be my favorite Hedge of Happiness comment ever. Michelle, can you report back with the emotions you experienced during your Chargers' (possibly season-saving) win?
Mary Sorrick (Pancakes) - Bills: "Remember in Moneyball how MLB scouts would pass on players because their girlfriends weren't hot enough, or because they didn't have "the good face"? Buffalo is the NFL-franchise equivalent of not having the good face, for like two decades now. Except in this case they're supposed to win. What I'm saying is those of us who pick them are Billy Bean."
Vladislav Kemper (vxk5018) - Bills: "As an Eagles fan, I hate Chip Kelly but I used to love him. I understood releasing Desean because he was overpaid and I bought all the bad attitude stuff that surfed.... (Takes a shot)..... I understood not wanting to pay your RB that much money and Kiko was rookie of the year so eff it why not.....(drinks another shot)... I understood not overpaying for Maclin because he wasn't elite....(drinks another shot)....What I didn't understand was that I was an idiot and you should never trust Chip Kelly. He will ruin your team and (football) life. He will get rid of all your superstars and replace them with Riley Cooper and Miles Austin, who aren't even better than James Thrash and Todd Pinkston...(double shot)....He will make everyone think Howie Roseman is a hero. Ya know the dude who helped draft a 27 year old fireman and Marcus Smith.......(Another double shot)..... I forgot where I was going with this but I stopped being funny immediately and I hate Chip Kelly so I'm going with Twin T-Rex. "
Commish says: I get it now. I GET IT! Also, Vladislav, you ok, man? Maybe ease off the double shots next time.
David Mendivil (JulioJonesBBQandFootMassage) - Patriots: "I had to finally hit the "New England Panic Button" after the thought of Colin Kaepernick kneeling in my nightmares became too much to bear. (NOTE #1: Kneeling in my Nightmares would be an awesome band name. NOTE #2: Why arent we calling Kaep's kneeling "Protest Tebow-ing"?)"
Commish says: Ladies and gentlemen, Kneeling in my Nightmares!!! (Ravenous applause from the four people in attendance.)
Alex Dehn (Thecanadianhero) - Steelers: "Originally I was going to go with the Bills over the 49ers. Seems like a solid choice and follows the rules but here's my checklist why the Bills will shit the bed: 1) First game of Kaepernick in Chip Kelly's system, which is a whole different team to prepare for. 2) Kaep coming in hot on basically a contract year now with his restructured contract. 3) An angry Kaep after being benched and his increased media attention this year (see Tom Brady last week). It also seems about the right timing that the Bills absolutely shit the bed: 1) They have too much hope and confidence riding a three game winning streak. 2) When's the last time Rex Ryan won a big game? 3) The Bills fans are probably some of the most tortured fans out there. So its about time that they were brought down a level. Especially after that NE win. (Some might argue the Browns or the Jags have the most tortured fans. Last time I checked Cleveland doesnt even acknowledge the Browns because they're still praising Lebron James. And most Jags fans are British and are already used to losing in major sports events.) ... My theory has been confirmed by the random old Bills fan I met yesterday. He seemed confident and told me that there was no way they would lose. But I saw the twitch in his eyes and forced smile when I said, "It's not like they're going to lose by a field goal either wide left or wide right or anything." Every Bills fan knows its coming. (Go Steelers)"
Commish says: Everyone deserves to have a solid conversation with a longtime Bills fan at some point in their lives.
Sally Reigel (salgal) - Bills: "I chose the Bills because when I looked at the animal rescue calendar on my cube wall at work, Rex Ryan is pictured, sportin' a plethora of Bills attire. It's not clear if he supports the charity, thinks buffaloes need to be rescued, thinks he's an animal in need of rescue, or all of the above. His perplexing presence on my calendar inspired my pick this week."
Allison Hewitt (Red_hot113) - Patriots: "I hate myself for doing this. I ask myself -- what would Ken Bone do? Would he sink to this level? Picking a team he despises with his entire being just to win? Nay -- Ken Bone, with his effortless charm and adorable red zippy sweater and his raw hug-ability, would NEVER stoop so low or compromise his values. In picking my most-hated team to win this week, I have clearly gone to the Trump side of the spectrum, doing everything immoral I can to win. I'm the BFIG equivalent of Donald Trump, everyone. OH THE SHAME!!!! THE HORROR!!! THE SHAME AND THE HORROR!!!"
Kait Parker (Parker_Kait) - Bears: "Dear lord, please help me..."
Commish says: Enjoy your Moxie drumstick, Kait!
Luke Hvidhyld (Hvidhyld) - Bills: "'Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.' -- Rex Ryan"
Christopher Welch (welchiz) - Bills: "Pool this week be like: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo"
Commish says: I can officially report that I understand this. And I'm a better person for it.
nate park (nathanielpark) - Bills: "Lap band of brothers."
Austen Flint (austenflint) - Bills: "Another selection that came down to two teams to keep my Survival chances alive. I really think the Titans are starting to play some respectable football. However, their horrible home record in recent years (5-21 since 2013) and Mike Mularkey being the Head Coach scares me a little....See, this is what the BGIF does to someone choosing not to go against the Charlie Whitehurstless Browns. I'm keeping my pick sexy this week.....SEXY REXY that is! Like the imposing brother figures, Gregor "The Mountain" and Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, from Game of Thrones (Although, the Ryan Brothers are imposing due to their width...Yes, Rex lost weight from lap band surgery, but he got rid of it remember...He's better when he's fat!) The Ryan Brothers look like they would have had their fair share of battles as youngsters. While neither brother held their brother to an open flame for fun like The Mountain did, Rex did enjoy punching his brother in the face... So on that note, I'm circling the wagons with Chris Berman and selecting the Buffalo Bills."
Britt Haugland (TebowPlaysBaseballNow) - Bills: "Hello Friends, and Welcome Back to City Facts with Britt. My boyfriend is a die-hard, very cute, Bills fan (what a sad little life he lives, except for the part where he's dating me). When the Bills win this week, it'll be a great day all around. So here we go - Week 6! Did you know that in 1968, a Japanese pilot named Captain Kohei Asoh accidentally landed an airliner in the San Francisco Bay (somebody was trying to channel his inner-Sully and royally dropped the ball). When asked about it, he reportedly said, "As you Americans say, I f***ed up." Not surprisingly, this was the same exact quote from Mr. Khaki Harbaugh when asked about drafting Colin Kaepernick in the 2011 NFL Draft."
Mike Wuzz (mwuzzardo) - Cardinals: "i changed my pick 5 times already and its Tuesday at 3:30pm.. Titans, Bills, Cards, Titans, Cards....... IDK!!!! Thursday morning update I'm no longer circling the wagons with the Bills I think 49ers with Kaep are dangerous this week. Titans, Cards, Titans... when do picks lock?!?!?! This just in Denver to start Siemian vs Chargers. Toss in another team. Broncos, Cards, Broncos, Titans, Cards..."
Commish says: I think Mike just set the record. Mike, how do you feel? Can we get a post-game report from you?
Chase Crawford (OJ4MVP) - Cardinals: "I DONT WANNA WAIT UNTIL MONDAY TO SEE IF I'M OUT OR NOT. CALL ROGER GOODELL AND MAKE HIM MOVE IT."
Commish says: If I was NFL Commish, I'd move it. Just saying...
Gabby Guariglia (gmguariglia) - Packers: "Because although I am born and raised in New Jersey, I would sell a limb to meet Aaron Rodgers. How could I not pick the Pack when I will be AT LAMBEAU on Sunday? Obvious choice."
Commish says: Gabby, I met Aaron Rodgers once. Had a ~5 minute conversation with him whilst he was fairly drunk. He told me he still had nightmares about the 2004 Cal-USC game. This all made me very happy.
Rishi Khanna (riskhanna) - Patriots: "Here's what's going to happen. Brady is going to get sacked on the first play of the game, break his wrist, and David Ortiz is going to come on as a miracle replacement. Final stat line? 3/55, 3TDs, 297 yards. I guarantee it. Also, I'm totally not drunk at work right now."
Commish says: The most Ortiz stat line in the history of Ortiz stat lines.
Sara Dymond (saradymond) - Steelers: "It takes about 600 cows to make one full season's worth of NFL footballs. A cow has only a 1 in 17,420,000 chance of becoming an NFL football that is used in the Super Bowl. This has absolutely nothing to do with my pick this week."
Commish says: You're doing God's work, Sara. Thank you.
Nick Kim (nickbkim) - Steelers: "Feels like you jinxed everyone with your latest post saying "oh damn look how well everyone's doing this year." Not sure how that affects my choice of the Steelers other than I'm picking an away team when there are lots of juicy home game match ups. Surely shit hits the fan this week."
Jerome Trehy (JPizzleIII) - Titans: "The Titans have one last chance to be remembered this season, and a it's a good one since the Browns are dropping in."
Commish says: How are corny Remember the Titans references not worked in more? I mean, Miami picks sport Ace Ventura references at like a 50 percent clip. C'MON PEOPLE!!
Arjun Bedi (SaltyDalty) - Cardinals: "In the words of the late great Dr. Seuss, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." Clearly the Seussmeister was referring to the Jets current season. Wins don't just drop out of the sky. But do you know what does? Cardinals when they contract some kind of avian flu. Unfortunately for the Jets, these birds are starting to take flight. Time to kick back and sip an Arnold while Carson spreads his wings. You want another bird pun? One more would be too hawkward. Cardinals: 118 Jets: Did not show due to National Edge Day celebrations."
Matt Camassa (mcamassa) - Colts: "Underdogs only strategy continues with the Colts this week. While they are a far cry from dynamic on either end of the ball this season, I'm not bought into the Texans and have trouble seeing them finishing over 500, look for some luck for Luck downfield and Colts should win by 7+."
Commish says: You are also doing God's work, Matt. Know you have a fan in Commish.
David Kolodzinski (gqmasters3) - Seahawks: "With all of the arrests going on in the NFL, I'm surprised Matt Ryan hasn't yet been arrested for "impersonating an elite quarterback". If the season ended at week 6, Matt Ryan would be the greatest QB in the history of the NFL and have 10 Super Bowl rings...unfortunately it is much longer. Time for Mr. Ryan to come back down the mediocrity we all know him for."
Thomas Weir (tsweir) - Titans: "When I was younger I was learning to play Craps. I lost all my folding cash, but this guy next to me won big. Looking for encouragement and mentoring, I asked him what his strategy was for winning. He said simply, I wait for you to bet and then bet against you. Seems to work every time. Never liked that guy but the lesson was well learned. Having bet against the Browns and won once, that a-hole's words of wisdom came back to me. So, gotta go with the Titans this round."
Chris McLey (mcley) - Patriots: "I like this pick more than the Commish likes Eve 6."
Commish says: IMPOSSIBLE, CHRIS. IMPOSSIBLE.
Andrew Chest (Chesty) - Steelers: "How do you have so much free time to write up these novels of emails you call them? You should write childrens books"
Commish says: "And that, my friends, is how lime found its way home to Bud Light." BTW, can I cuss in said children's book? DOES ANYONE KNOW A PUBLISHER? (In other news, that'll do it for this week!)
Good luck, everyone!