Where do I begin? I have already stated in comments on KD's Week #6 page that I believe this is our worst week ever - at least since I have been keeping score.
Let's look together at the carnage and see how we can recover this week:
Last week, I only listed the names of 9-for-10s and 8-for-10s. Anything 7 or worse got no credit. This week, there were no 10-for-10s, 9-for-10s, or 8-for-10s. This week, 7-for-10 set the pace. Only nine people got more right than wrong. And, we had an incredible number - eight - who only went 1-for-10. One of those was a co-leader last week. One is an esteemed Front Page Writer.
And, as bad as everything was, if Atlanta had missed a last-second field goal and gone on to lose to the Raiders, all of those 1-for-10s would have been goose eggs. We have never had someone go 0-for-10. We were that close to having eight this week.
Was there any good news? Let's look together and see.
We continued our two participation trends intact for the sixth week in a row:
- Each week, the number of participants has declined. Our peak was the record Week #1 total of 222.
- Each week, we have added at least one new player. We had two play this week for the first time.
Here's that participation table, so you can see those constants:
Participation | |||
Week | Played This Week | Missed This Week | Total |
1 | 222 | 0 | 222 |
2 | 199 | 44 | 243 |
3 | 177 | 69 | 246 |
4 | 168 | 83 | 251 |
5 | 149 | 104 | 253 |
6 | 147 | 108 | 255 |
We also continued having That Guys show up each week, as we had 147 total participants this week, but only 144 picks on the Cowboys-Ravens:
- Despite my admonitions, we had two who made Thursday Game Only picks and failed to come back on with their other nine.
- For the second consecutive Cowboys game, the same person submitted 10-for-10 without including the Cowboys game. I have given grace - twice - and counted the first nine picks, ignored the tenth, and marked the Cowboys game as "wrong". However, KD's rules permit disqualifying the entire entry.
Shakeepuddn, I'm calling you out. Please include the Cowboys games in your ten picks each week. You are near the top of the leaderboard. Those two potential points that you forfeited may come up huge at the end of the season.
I'm still looking for good news. Here's some more bad. This is my second year of scoring 10-for-10 for KD. Our previous worst week as a consensus was 8-8. We did it twice last year, and already twice this year. This is our first time to miss more collectively than we got right. We only got four right this week, out of fourteen games. Two of those were "solid" wins - our unanimous choice of Atlanta, and our solid pick of Tampa Bay. The other two were "squeakers" - fewer of us played these games, and were almost evenly split (although slightly more picked the winners).
Here's our record for this week:
Week #6 Results (Home in CAPS) | |||
Win | Winners (we're great) | Lose | |
144 | ATLANTA | Oakland | 0 |
73 | TAMPA BAY | Kansas City | 12 |
Win | Losers (we're bleep) | Lose | |
5 | Buffalo | ARIZONA | 117 |
7 | New York Giants | SAN FRANCISCO | 114 |
5 | TENNESSEE | Pittsburgh | 104 |
41 | BALTIMORE | Dallas | 103 |
11 | Green Bay | HOUSTON | 91 |
15 | SEATTLE | New England | 90 |
14 | WASHINGTON | Minnesota | 84 |
20 | CLEVELAND | Cincinnati | 72 |
27 | Detroit | PHILADELPHIA | 69 |
Win | Pretty Even (we're indifferent) | Lose | |
49 | MIAMI | St. Louis | 34 |
40 | Denver | SAN DIEGO | 31 |
34 | NEW YORK JETS | Indianapolis | 44 |
I have also been reporting to One.Cool.Customer each week our consensus results. He runs a Front Page Writer contest each week where each of them picks winners in every game. He tracks their individual records, as well as their consensus collective marks. I commented after a bad week that the 10-for-10 pickers were probably outscoring the front page writers.
He has begun including our numbers each week in that story, and we have been maintaining a slim lead in our "battle" with the FPers.
Here is a new table (new this week) showing our collective "scorecard":
2012 Consensus Scoreboard | |||
Week | Wins | Losses | Ties |
1 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
2 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
3 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
4 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
5 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
6 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
Total | 51 | 40 | 0 |
Just for reference, here is the same information from last year. You can tell the weeks that had many 10-for-10s. When we collectively go 14-2 in our picks, it stands to reason that there will be some that missed hitting one of the "two" misses. We also had "ties" last season, where the same number of people picked each team to win.
2011 Consensus Scoreboard | |||
Week | Wins | Losses | Ties |
1 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
2 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
3 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
4 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
5 | 9 | 3 | 1 |
6 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
7 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
8 | 8 | 5 | 0 |
9 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
10 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
11 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
12 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
13 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
14 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
15 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
16 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
17 | 10 | 6 | 0 |
Total | 168 | 85 | 3 |
I introduced a new table last week that tracked our collective records on each team each week. Here is the update that includes week #6:
Picks/Results for Each Team/Each Week | |||||||||||||||||||
Team | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | W | L |
San Diego | WW | WW | LL | WW | LL | LL | 6 | 0 | |||||||||||
Atlanta | WW | LW | WW | WW | WW | WW | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||
Cleveland | LL | LL | LL | LL | LL | LW | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||
Denver | WW | WL | LL | WW | LL | WW | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||
Houston | WW | WW | WW | WW | WW | WL | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||
Kansas City | LL | LL | LW | LL | LL | LL | 5 | 1 | |||||||||||
Chicago | WW | LL | WW | LW | WW | Bye | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||
Jacksonville | LL | LL | LW | LL | LL | Bye | 4 | 1 | |||||||||||
Baltimore | WW | WL | WW | WW | WW | LW | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
Buffalo | WL | WW | WW | LL | LL | LW | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
Miami | LL | LW | LL | LL | LW | WW | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
New England | WW | WL | LL | WW | WW | WL | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
New York Jets | LW | LL | WW | LL | LL | LW | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
Tennessee | LL | LL | LW | LL | LL | LW | 4 | 2 | |||||||||||
Oakland | LL | WL | LW | LL | Bye | LL | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||
Pittsburgh | LL | WW | WL | Bye | WW | WL | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||
Tampa Bay | LW | LL | LL | WL | Bye | WW | 3 | 2 | |||||||||||
Cincinnati | LL | WW | LW | WW | WL | WL | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
New York Giants | LL | WW | LW | WL | WW | LW | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
Philadelphia | WW | LW | LL | LW | LL | WL | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
San Francisco | LW | WW | WL | WW | WW | WL | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
St Louis | LL | LW | LL | LW | LW | LL | 3 | 3 | |||||||||||
Dallas | WW | WL | WW | WL | Bye | WL | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
Detroit | WW | LL | WL | WL | Bye | LW | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
New Orleans | WL | WL | WL | LL | WW | Bye | 2 | 3 | |||||||||||
Arizona | LW | LW | WW | WW | WL | WL | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
Green Bay | WL | WW | WL | WW | WL | LW | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
Minnesota | WW | WL | LW | LW | WW | WL | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||
Carolina | WL | LW | WL | LL | WL | Bye | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
Indianapolis | LL | LW | WL | Bye | LW | WL | 1 | 4 | |||||||||||
Washington | LW | WL | WL | LW | LL | LW | 1 | 5 | |||||||||||
Seattle | WL | LW | LW | WL | LW | LW | 0 | 6 |
Remember the code from last week? The first letter is our pick. Did most of us pick that team to win or to lose? The second letter is the result. Did that team actually win or lose? So, WW is good for us (most of us picked a team to win; it won). LL is also good (most of us picked a team to lose; it lost). It's those "one of each" combinations that killed us this week, where the results are opposite of our picks. WL and LW are bad for our collective scores.
We stayed "perfect" with San Diego, thanks to their second half collapse. I thought Rivers was elite, and only non-clutch players (like Romo) blew 24-point leads in the second half.
I used to think a lot of stuff. I thought that Brady was clutch in a close game down the stretch and would never make a game-losing play. I thought that Pittsburgh was invincible, especially with Roethlisberger at the helm. I thought that the struggling Packers were no match for the fearsome Houston Texans. I thought that Arizona always won the last-second or overtime games. Their kicker hit from sixty-one yards to send their game to overtime. Anything less in OT had to be nothing but a chip shot, right? Game over?
The Cowboys aren't the only team that is imperfect, and are still firmly in control of playoff destiny. We are unbeaten in division play, and control the division race with our remaining division games. The other "elite" teams in the NFL have been, or are beginning to be, exposed. Atlanta? Pittsburgh? San Francisco? Minnesota? St. Louis? Arizona? New Orleans? Detroit? Green Bay? Even Baltimore and Chicago have serious warts and do not strike fear, even considering our recent losses to them.
This is probably the most equal that I have seen the NFL, as it has for years tried to achieve parity across the league. All the years of "any given Sunday" have finally been realized. Are there any teams on a schedule that can be pre-marked as "automatic wins" or "automatic losses"? Is a game against Cleveland a guaranteed win? Not any more. How about a game against the Texans? Guaranteed loss? Not any more.
Can anyone be more unpredictable than Seattle? That is our "other end of perfection", as we have missed on them every week. We pick them to win; they lose. So, we pick them to lose; they win.
What about this week? San Diego's "perfect" record is safe this week through their bye. What about Seattle? They are first out of the box, playing on Thursday at San Francisco. Will most of us use long-term memories and blindly choose an elite team (SF) over a mediocre team (Seattle)? Or, will short-term memories kick in and we overwhelmingly choose Seattle, fresh off a come-from-behind win over the Patriots, on the road where the 49ers got demolished? I don't know, but I plan to pick the opposite of our majority. It seems to be the best choice with Seattle.
Last year, we averaged 6.56-for-10. This past week, we only averaged 3.34-for-10. In other words, if you scored 4-for-10, you didn't lose any ground. The overall lead only moved four places - from 36 to 40. The two top scores this week were 3-for-10 (49 people) and 4-for-10 (40 people). Again, only nine people got more right than wrong (four went 7-for-10 and five went 6-for-10). Almost as many (eight) only went 1-for-10.
There were ten players who had participated in all five previous weeks, and this was their first week to miss. Good news for you - the bus didn't get very far down the road. You can still catch up to it. You are not out of it.
Here is my updated leaderboard, with the best from week #6, and the top scores overall:
Top Scores This Week | |||||||
Week #6 | Score | Week #6 | Score | Overall | Score | Overall | Score |
Alpha | 7 | Cuban Cowboy | 4 | D_Carter | 40 | Panzer84 | 37 |
CowboyBaby | 7 | D_Carter | 4 | illcowboy | 40 | Rex Pfister | 37 |
Realist Larry | 7 | DCB* | 4 | j-man | 40 | slowmotion80 | 37 |
TheDemolitionDan | 7 | fs65 | 4 | ziggy 19 | 40 | Through Thick And Thin | 37 |
Tunabomber11 | 7 | Gabby | 4 | CowboyBaby | 39 | Troy | 37 |
Dezstroyer88 | 6 | Hobbes42 | 4 | Pnut Gallery | 39 | Tunabomber11 | 37 |
j-man | 6 | IRONRAVEN | 4 | Alpha | 38 | WA_Cowboy | 37 |
nikeorlipstick | 6 | jgoddard8409 | 4 | BishopWest | 38 | Aggie Man | 36 |
slowmotion80 | 6 | jstaubach | 4 | boyman | 38 | Allan Uy | 36 |
cjbrit | 5 | k@s! | 4 | cowboy1966 | 38 | Antonio S | 36 |
EchoEcho | 5 | KD Drummond | 4 | hookerhome | 38 | Ben24626 | 36 |
Frankster_1 | 5 | LRogue | 4 | IRONRAVEN | 38 | BigBad Joe | 36 |
HALIFAXPACOWBOY | 5 | lucke | 4 | LRogue | 38 | CowboyinExile | 36 |
hookerhome | 5 | mdlusk | 4 | mdlusk | 38 | cowdog | 36 |
illcowboy | 5 | Mikellie | 4 | revellyre | 38 | cproctor6 | 36 |
Pasipple | 5 | mikemc68 | 4 | Rohpuri | 38 | HALIFAXPACOWBOY | 36 |
Rome One | 5 | oldboysfan | 4 | ROMO4MVP | 38 | HLCJ69 | 36 |
scotscowboyfan | 5 | Panzer84 | 4 | scotscowboyfan | 38 | jgoddard8409 | 36 |
shainyc | 5 | pierrelmn | 4 | shainyc | 38 | KD Drummond | 36 |
Tennessee Jed | 5 | Rohpuri | 4 | Tennessee Jed | 38 | milehightexan | 36 |
Against the Wall-24 | 4 | Scurrah Jurrah | 4 | Travlr | 38 | MSM33 | 36 |
Aggie Man | 4 | swanhooch | 4 | @Tonekupone | 37 | nikeorlipstick | 36 |
alfanti | 4 | Travlr | 4 | Against the Wall-24 | 37 | Specific | 36 |
Babygirl71 | 4 | True Blue-liever | 4 | alfanti | 37 | TheBlueBaron | 36 |
behind.enemylines | 4 | Uncas | 4 | ChrisMan | 37 | TheDemolitionDan | 36 |
Ben24626 | 4 | Unique | 4 | Frankster_1 | 37 | True Blue-liever | 36 |
BigBad Joe | 4 | WA_Cowboy | 4 | GordBerl | 37 | Wardo83 | 36 |
boyman | 4 | ziggy 19 | 4 | Hawkeye101 | 37 | wittenfan | 36 |
CapitalT | 4 | 49 tied with | 3 | Jebediah Flibberbrush | 37 | Wittenstar82 | 36 |
cowboy1966 | 4 | 28 tied with | 2 | krikaley | 37 | 19 tied for 62nd | 35 |
cowdog | 4 | 8 tied with | 1 | letsgtld | 37 | 14 tied for 81st | 34 |
cproctor6 | 4 | 2 Thursday Only | 0 | mushpuppy | 37 | 9 tied for 95th | 33 |
If you missed your name on this leaderboard, then wait for KD's next contest page when he lists the complete overall leaderboard. I did list the 4-for-10s this week. Otherwise, that side of the table would have been very skimpy. Plus, 4-for-10 actually outscored the average for the week.
Congratulations to D_Carter and ziggy 19 for not losing their foothold on the top. Two of their friends fell off this week, and two new friends join them at the top. Congratulations also to illcowboy (tied for second overall last year) and j-man (most recent 10-for-10 inductee) for joining them at the top.
Look at me. After being tied for 34th last week, and three off the lead, I used a 5-for-10 to vault up the ranks. I'm now only two off the lead, but tied for 7th. I'm even with the 2010 champion (BishopWest), and I have a rare glimpse of the 2011 champion (Jebediah Flibberbrush) in my rear-view mirror.
Well, I said that last week was a special exception, and that I wouldn't make a practice of it until the holidays. I'm making another exception this week, for the same reasons:
- This post is late (afternoon on Wednesday)
- Some may not want to wait for KD to post their Thursday picks
- Cowboys kick off early again on Sunday (no grace for being late)
So, here goes. Make a Thursday Game Only pick, or pick ten out of these thirteen games. Six teams have byes this week, so there are only three games you can skip. Good luck. I don't know how we can do worse than last week. Mobile posters, remember to use asterisks to make your selections bold (*game winner* - asterisks; game loser - no asterisks).
Pick one of these for Thursday night (asterisks make *bold*):
*Seattle* at SAN FRANCISCO
Seattle at *SAN FRANCISCO*
Or, take on all ten games now. Here are all thirteen games:
Seattle at SAN FRANCISCO
Tennessee at BUFFALO
Dallas at CAROLINA
Baltimore at HOUSTON
Cleveland at INDIANAPOLIS
Arizona at MINNESOTA
Washington at NEW YORK GIANTS
Green Bay at ST. LOUIS
New Orleans at TAMPA BAY
New York Jets at NEW ENGLAND
Jacksonville at OAKLAND
Pittsburgh at CINCINNATI
Detroit at CHICAGO
I don't think I will try to replicate "transferring" picks to KD's page. That was a lot of work, and I made a couple of mistakes (in four hundred entries). I may still copy/paste the timestamps, but, with this new 10-for-10 hub, it is easy enough to confirm picks.
So, make them here, or make them on KD's page. All I will ask is, when KD's next page is posted, please post there and stop posting picks on here.
I welcome comments and critiques on here, but I only take picks as a convenience for you so you don't have to wait on KD's page.
Please - don't be That Guy this week. Don't forget to include the Cowboys, and don't make a Thursday pick and fail to return with your other nine.