NFC East Champs?
The Barometer has to brag when it can, and this seems like a great time to do it (because who knows how long it will last). The Chiefs are 3-0. Yes, the team that RB deemed the surprise of the NFL this season is undefeated through three games. Now, beating Jacksonville, a Cowboys team that is Jekyll & Hyde, and a Philadelphia team that has the least amount of talent on D since Dick Vermeil’s rookie year as coach, doesn’t mean that KC is going to win the Super Bowl. But then again, any win in the NFL is a win in the NFL. They get the 0-3 Giants next week; their third-consecutive game vs. the NFC East. So, we’re taking an early bow. Give the ’72 Dolphins some time before they start to get nervous though.
The Week that Was
Texas fans should hope that I pick their opponent every week. Reverse Barometer is three-for-three on reverse winners off the Texas game pick. Congrats to Mack and Co. on getting back in the win column Saturday vs. K-State…Other than the Horns’ game, it wasn’t really that hard to go perfect on the rest of the picks.
Next Weekend
Cowboys at Chargers: Dallas wins its second in a row, 28-23. Two of the best uni combos in the league square off, though I still prefer the Cowboys’ lighter blue from the 1970’s to the dark navys they have sported for over two decades.
TCU at SMU: The Battle for the Iron Skillet. SMU is lucky to have one win on their record, having beaten Montana State on the last play of the game two weeks ago. TCU has its own problems. The Horned Frogs were actually underdogs to the bye week it had this past weekend (but they covered). TCU bounces back, winning 36-21.
OU at Notre Dame: This game will be a true test of my prediction that OU will have trouble scoring points this season. Defense is the name of the game in this contest, as a late turnover by the Sooners spell doom for the second straight year vs. the Irish. ND 23, OU 17
West Virginia at Oklahoma State: This one gets ugly early and gets worse as the game goes on. Mike Gundy is a big fan of the number 40 and OSU will hit that on the scoreboard, and more. OSU 51, WVU 20.
Texas A&M at Arkansas: The Hogs’ game plan is simple – run the ball and shorten the game. Sounds like a Big Ten game might break out. That’s what you get with a Bret Bielema coached team. Unfortunately, even when Arkansas scores, they have to give the ball to Johnny Manziel. Look for the Aggies to pull away in the second half. Aggies 42, Hogs 23.
Texas has the week off, giving Mack Brown time to practice his apologies for the post-game press conference next week vs. OU. Longhorn regents use the week to come up with more creative ways to lure Nick Saban to Austin. This will include an unlimited supply of fried foods from the State Fair (which opens this Friday).
Classic Barometer
Sometimes it’s not a call or prediction that marks a classic Reverse Barometer moment. Often, it is merely a timely statement and what comes next. Like five seconds later next. On January 18, 2006, the Stars had Johan Hedberg as backup goalie. Midway through a game vs. the upstart Atlanta Thrashers, the net-minder called “Moose” had stopped all 16 shots he had faced with a 2-0 lead. I turned to one of my fellow PR men in the AAC press box and said, “Hedberg looks pretty good tonight.” Literally five seconds later, the softest goal in the history of man slid between his legs and the lead was cut in half. Thirty seconds later we had a tie game. Atlanta went on to win, 5-2. Ironically Kari Lehtonen was in goal for the Thrashers on the other end of the ice. Upon being traded to Dallas a few years later, Lehtonen knew this was a golden opportunity to resurrect his career, as long as the PR guy kept his goalie critiques to himself.
