Days of Futures Past

Kansas City Chiefs-Dante Hall--includes music




When will we see the likes of this again?

AFC South 2006 Preview and Projections

AFC South 2006 Preview and Projections
By James Campbell

AFC South Division:

1) Indianapolis: The bad news for the Colts is that they lost key players RB Edgerrin James, PK Mike Vanderjagt, and some defensive talent to free agency, the good news is that they are a pass first team anyway which somewhat negates the loss of James and they were able to steal away PK Adam Vinatieri from the Patriots and the free agent hits the Colts took on the defensive side of the ball won’t hurt much because of the comparatively weak division that the Colts reside in.

In the big picture Indianapolis will return the vast majority of last years roster and should easily capture another divisional title, provided of course that they can stay healthy. The Colts had a very average draft but did manage to get a replacement for RB Edgerrin James in Joseph Addai with the 30th overall pick. The Colts have won 10 or more games for the past four straight seasons now, which of course means that they have been a very successful team, but it also means they have had four years of picking fairly low in the draft and eventually it catches up to a team and especially so if the ole injury bug hits and you have no depth, you need look no further for this simple truth then Green Bay and Philadelphia’s fall to earth from a year ago. Projected record: 11-5

**Look to play ON the Colts in their November 5th showdown at New England, the Colts finally got that Patriot monkey off their collective backs last season with an eye opening 40-21 win in last years visit to Foxboro, how ironic would it be if Colt PK Adam Vinatieri booted his new team to a win over his old team?

2) Jacksonville: The Jags have several question marks on offense for the upcoming 2006 season, for instance, is QB Byron Leftwich healthy and can he stay injury free for an entire season? Is RB Fred Taylor healthy and can he last for an entire season? Who will step up and replace WR Jimmy Smith? The Jags posted a 12-5 record last season which was their best record since the 1999 season but they were fortunate to do so when considering that half their wins (6) were by a mere 6 points or less, having so many questions marks on offense makes me believe they will drop half of those close games this year. Thank goodness for Jag fans that the defense will in all likelihood be a sturdy unit once again after finishing 6th in total defense last year, but defense will carry them only so far and especially when you are trying to unseat a team like the Colts. Projected record: 9-7

**Look to play ON the Jags when they visit the Colts on September 24th, good defensive teams have had great success in handcuffing Peyton and company and at the top of the list is this Jag team which has covered 6 of their last 8 meetings ATS against the Colts, as a side note its nice to know that the visitor in this divisional rivalry is an amazing 5-1-1 ATS.

3) Tenneesee: The Titans who have posted a 9-23 straight up and 11-21 ATS record over the past two seasons drafted QB Vince Young out of Texas as their future which made QB Steve McNair expendable. The game plan this year is to start former backup QB Billy Volek and bring on Vince Young slowly much like they did when they drafted McNair out of Alcorn State, however, rumor has it that the Titans might bring in former Oakland QB Kerry Collins as an insurance policy should Volek fail to perform. The Titans appear healthy once again after an injury filled season last year but the fact remains that they are still a very young and very inexperienced team that will be led into battle with a career backup QB under center. The Titans with HC Jeff Fisher at the helm should make strides this year but it won’t be reflected in the win column. Projected record: 4-12

**Look to play AGAINST these Titans on October 15th when they visit Washington, these young Titans will be playing their 4th road game in a 5 week span and figure to be a very road weary team, a check of last years results reveal that the Titans lost 7 of 8 road games in straight up fashion with five of those losses coming by double digit points.

4) Houston: These Texans won a mere two games last year and over the past four years have compiled a shoddy 18-42 straight up record, needless to say this kind of productivity got HC Dom Capers and his coaching staff fired, in Dom Capers place the Texans hired former Bronco offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak. Houston actually had a pretty good draft which was highlighted by DE Mario Williams who was the first overall selection in the draft, Houston also drafted two huge OT’s in Charles Spencer and Eric Winston to protect beaten down QB David Carr. The free agent signing of WR Eric Moulds will give Carr a downfield threat, that is as long as Carr can stay upright. I like what HC Kubiak is doing with regard to building up the offensive and defensive lines first and foremost but the truth of the matter is that this is another rebuilding year that will be slowed down by everyone having to learn new schemes and packages. Give this team a couple of years and they could jell into a contender when considering the talent they have. Projected record: 4-12

** Look to play ON these Texans when the Jags come to town on October 22nd, Houston has only won 18 games over the past four years but 11 of those 18 wins came at home in front of the home crazies, a look-see into the ole history book reveals that Houston has covered 6 of their last 8 meetings ATS versus the Jags including a nice 3-1 ATS mark when facing the Jags in Houston.

Jim Campbell runs http://www.FootballForecastor.com which has been an internet based sports handicapping service since 1997, you will be hard pressed to find another handicapper that has had the kind of success Jim has had, over the past eight years he has maintained one of the very best winning percentages of any sports handicapping service.

Jim Campbell finished the final four weeks of the 2005 NFL regular season with a mark of 14-5-2 ATS coming down the stretch for a winning rate of 73.68% and for the season in the NFL he finished with an overall mark of 48-33-4 ATS for a winning rate of 59.26% and that includes a perfect mark of 7-0 ATS in the NFL Playoffs, Jim has posted a mark of 6-2 ATS over the past EIGHT years with his Super Bowl selecton.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

AFC West 2006 Preview and Projections

By James Campbell

Western Division:

1) Denver: These Bronco’s have been the most consistent team in the AFC West over the past three seasons as evidenced by their 34-18 straight up record over this time period and they have not had a losing season since 1999, add to the mix that Denver is the only team in their division NOT to have replaced either their head coach or their starting QB and it’s a safe assumption to make that they will repeat as divisional champs. Projected record: 11-5

**Look to play ON the Bronco’s in week 3 when they face the visiting Chiefs on Monday night, the home team in this series is on an unbelievable 8-1-1 ATS run!!

2) San Diego: The Bolts elected to start a new era in Charger land when they elected to let two time Pro Bowl QB Drew Brees go to New Orleans, in his place the Bolts will start Philip Rivers who will be backed up by journeyman signal caller A.J. Feely. The Bolts should be okay with Rivers under center as he has had two years to prepare for this role and has plenty of weapons around him. Amazing enough, these Chargers had five losses last season by 4 or less points, if Rivers can be the catalyst in winning a few more of those close games the Bolts will once again be a playoff contender. Projected record: 11-5

**Look to play AGAINST the Bolts on December 3rd when they visit what should be a snowy and cold Buffalo stadium, San Diego will be playing on the road for the 3rd time in a 4 week span and the game at Buffalo is sandwiched between home games versus divisional rivals Oakland and Denver, can you say road weary and unfocused?

3) Kansas City: The Chiefs won 10 regular season games last year but still failed to make the playoffs, the boys in red have a new HC this year as former Jet HC Herm Edwards has crossed over and replaces Dick Vermeil, the bad news for the Chiefs is that offensive guru Al Saunders has also left and is now in Washington, however, there is a bright side and that is that most of the other offensive assistants are still on board along with plenty of offensive leadership from the veterans. KC should be a good team this year but they are aging quickly, should the ole injury bug hit they will be in big time trouble this year. A check of last seasons results reveal that 5 of KC’s 6 seasonal losses occurred when playing on the road….did you hear that Herm?? Projected record: 10-6

**Look to play AGAINST the Chiefs in week 3 when they travel to face Denver on a Monday night, the home team in this series is on an unbelievable 8-1-1 ATS run!!

4) Oakland: The Silver and Black have now had three straight losing seasons and have compiled a shoddy 13-35 straight up and 14-32-2 ATS mark over this time frame and appear headed for another dismal kinda year when considering they are now on their 6th head coach since the 1996 season with the ousting of Norv Turner and the arrival of Art Shell who hasn’t held a coaching position since the invention of macaroni!! If having to learn all new schemes again wasn’t bad enough, now they must do so with a new QB under center (Aaron Brooks) who is Michael Vick’s cousin and suffers from the same major malfunction with regard to his penchant for making bone headed plays at inopportune times. A so-so draft coupled with a new coaching staff and a new QB equates to another losing season in the tough AFC West. Projected record: 4-12

** Look to play AGAINST Oakland in their season opening home game against the visiting Chargers, the contest is the late game in a Monday night double header. The visiting Bolts are a perfect 5-0 straight up and ATS in their last five outings versus the Silver and Black, meanwhile, a check of the ole history book reveals that Oakland is a perfect 0-9 ATS in their last nine home games against divisional opponents.

Jim Campbell runs http://www.FootballForecastor.com which has been an internet based sports handicapping service since 1997, you will be hard pressed to find another handicapper that has had the kind of success Jim has had, over the past eight years he has maintained one of the very best winning percentages of any sports handicapping service.

Jim Campbell finished the final four weeks of the 2005 NFL regular season with a mark of 14-5-2 ATS coming down the stretch for a winning rate of 73.68% and for the season in the NFL he finished with an overall mark of 48-33-4 ATS for a winning rate of 59.26% and that includes a perfect mark of 7-0 ATS in the NFL Playoffs, Jim has posted a mark of 6-2 ATS over the past EIGHT years with his Super Bowl selecton.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Campbell

UMB Smokin' Vault BBQ

I've seen and read about competition barbeques for some time, but have never attended one, let alone participated in any way. When the opportunity came up to become a judge, certified by the Kansas City Barbeque Society, and to participate in the Smokin' Vault contest, I jumped at the chance. I thought, "What could be better? I'll get to eat good barbeque for FREE!". It sounded like a no brainer to me!

I spent a large portion of a hot Thursday in May with about 90 of my closest friends, sitting under a tent in the Woodlands parking lot. We were there learning about and sampling barbeque. It was quite an educational experience. I'd never realized how much science and showmanship were involved in competition barbeque. I scoffed, as did most of my classmates, when our instructor repeated over and over to keep in mind that the barbeque we were tasting as part of our educationial experience was not "competition quality". To me, it was some VERY good barbeque, with the exception of a couple of deliberate "ringers" thrown in to see how well we'd learned our lessons. We learned about how to grade appearance, taste, and tenderness or degree of doneness, the three categories used in scoring competition barbeque. It was a fun day, and we walked away much more knowledgable about both the process and the people involved in barbeque contests.

As August 5th, the day of the UMB Smokin' Vault competition, came near the excitement grew. My fellow judges and I were eagerly anticipating our first judging experience. We showed up at the American Royal Complex, the site of the competition, at 10AM. We then waited until 11 for the American Royal and BBQ Society overseers to gather. There always seems to be some waiting, doesn't there? Eventually, we went through our orientation process, which included listening to a taped presentation of rules and high-points of judging. Finally, we participated in a time-honored swearing in process, promising to . Soont we were "sequestered" behind closed curtains and seated 6 by 6 by 6 at our judging tables to await the presentation of our first taste of competition barbeque.

At about 5 minutes until noon, through a small gap in the curtains, we watched as the competitors turned in their first entry, chicken. I was the judge #1 at the table #1, so I was the first to get a look at the chicken entries as they were presented for our grading on appearance. They looked beautiful! We were all quite hungry, and each sampling presented smelled more delectable than the one before. It was really difficult to wait for all of the samplings to be presented before taking my first bite. I could hardly wait for that first taste.

Words just fail me here. I knew from the first bit that I was hooked. This was not chicken... this was CHICKEN! It was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, with the taste of woodsmoke permeating the meat. It was VERY hard not to finish off one whole piece before moving to the next. But we'd been forwarned to keep in mind that if you take a 1 ounce bit of each sampling presented for judging, by the time the contest is over you will have consumed about 1 1/2 to 2 POUNDS of barbeque! With that in mind, I dutifully limited myself to a couple of bites... enough to feel I could accurately grade each entry for tenderness and taste, the other 2 criteria used in judging barbeque. It was heartbreaking to watch the amount of barbeque, EXCELLENT barbeque, that was being thrown away after each round of judging. The next time, I will bring something to take my "leftovers" home in.

This process was repeated for each of the 4 categories being judged... chicken, pork, ribs, and brisket. It seemed like each category outdid the one before it. At one point, one of my fellow judges kicked me under the table and stage whispered, "You're MOANING!" I didn't feel a bit embarrassed, as everone at our table was doing the same thing. It was little pieces of heaven being eaten with our fingers!

We all finished full, happy, and ready to do it all again! Let me tell you, if you're into barbeque, you MUST find a way to sample competition grade ribs, chicken, pork, and brisket. It will expand your consciousness, as well as your belly.

I can't wait to do it again!

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 2006 SCHEDULE

2006 Kansas City Chiefs Preseason Football Schedule
DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
Sat, Aug 12th at Houston Texans 8:00
Thu, Aug 17th at New York Giants 8:00
Sat, Aug 26th St. Louis Rams 8:30
Thu, Aug 31st New Orleans Saints 8:30

2006 Kansas City Chiefs Football Schedule
Week DATE OPPONENT TIME (ET)
1 Sun, Sep 10th Cincinnati Bengals 1:00
2 Sun, Sep 17th at Denver Broncos 4:15
3 BYE
4 Sun, Oct 1st San Francisco 49ers 1:00
5 Sun, Oct 8th at Arizona Cardinals 4:05
6 Sun, Oct 15th at Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15
7 Sun, Oct 22nd San Diego Chargers 1:00
8 Sun, Oct 29th Seattle Seahawks 1:00
9 Sun, Nov 5th at St. Louis Rams 1:00
10 Sun, Nov 12th at Miami Dolphins 1:00
11 Sun, Nov 19th Oakland Raiders 1:00
12 Thu, Nov 23rd Denver Broncos 8:00
13 Sun, Dec 3rd at Cleveland Browns 1:00
14 Sun, Dec 10th Baltimore Ravens 1:00
15 Sun, Dec 17th at San Diego Chargers 4:05
16 Sat, Dec 23rd at Oakland Raiders 8:00
17 Sun, Dec 31st Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00
All Times EST

Fantasy Football Adds to NFL Fun

Whether you already know every professional football team and player like the back of your hand, or you just want to learn enough to look less blank when conversing with friends, family or coworkers, fantasy football can enhance your NFL viewing experience.

As a lottery commercial says, "you have to be in it to win it". In order to join the fun, you have to pick a "host", select your preferred NFL players, and join or start a league.

You have a ton of options when considering where to host a fantasy football team. Some of the most commonly played "hosts" include CBS Sportsline.com, SportingNews.com, YahooSports Fantasy Football and CDM Fantasy Sports.

Depending on the host and league, you'll play one of several formats. One requires an upfront payment to enter your league, but doesn't charge you for players you pick up during the season from a free agent or "waiver" pool. Generally, the higher you pay as your upfront fee, the larger your prize if you win your league for the season.

The second format is free to join, but will cost you for most or all players you claim off waivers or as free agents after the initial draft period ends. Generally, trades with other players are free of charge. Be careful, though! Those trades can be costly in another way you if you give away too much to get that must-have player.

The most common formats allow you a team made up of one or more quarterbacks, one or more running backs, one or more wide receivers, one or more tight ends and one or more defense/special teams (DST) units. Depending on the league, you may play all of your players at once or pick some players as "starters" and assign others as "reserves". Only your active players (starters} earn you points for that week. You get points for their league-defined accomplishments each week. What and how much your team will score will vary from league to league.

Now you need players on your team, so it is time for you to "draft" some. Using your basic understanding of football, and drawing on your NFL savvy, or some free or paid information sources to review, you'll rank real NFL players before your league draft. You may also be able to use the players as "pre-ranked" by your host.

You'll also need to decide whether you want the excitement and time commitment of a live draft, or the relative ease and less time offered by an automated draft. If you are a beginner, the automated draft is highly recommended.

During the season, there are "BYE" weeks, during which an NFL team and its players get the week off to recharge. Real players also can be injured, so you lose their productivity. On the other hand, you and your team don't get any time off, so you'll probably have to make trades and waiver wire moves to ensure that you have a full, strong team playing every week.

Those are the basics. Now, it is up to you to apply your special knowledge, instinct or hunches, and "Win one for the Gipper". Before your draft, you might want to challenge friends, family members or co-workers who have similar skills to yours to join your league. Some healthy competition can make your fantasy football experience even more enjoyable.