The Martin Mandate: Week 14

Note: I was unable to post the Week 13 Mandate due to some technical issues. For reference, it was St. Louis +8.5 over the Bears.

The revenge factor was front and center as the Mandate bounced back last week with a win. Looking at this week's slate, I am tempted to go with a game that I actually like. I could probably rationalize a revenge pick against the Bears again and take that Packers  -2.5, but that really isn't in the spirit of the Costanza Method. Instead, I will pick a team that can start Matt Moore at quarterback and not experience a big drop-off in talent across the board. Oh yes, this week's Martin Mandate is...

Carolina Panthers +13.5 over NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

The Patriots' struggles will continue as the Panthers come in and play them tough at home. Even with a playoff spot on the line, Brady and Belichick will come up short against the ferocious...

Wait, what the hell am I saying? This can't be right. I must look to my mentor for guidance. George, help me!

"Jerry, just remember, it's not a lie if you believe it."

Granderson Trade

I am distraught. The more I think about this trade, the better I feel about the player-for-player end of things. Coming out of this deal, the Tigers will control Max Scherzer and Phil Coke for 5 years each, and Austin Jackson and Daniel Schlereth for 6 years each. Curtis Granderson is 29. He has peaked. He is not going to get appreciably better than he is right now. In Yankee Stadium, he will be a 35-homer guy who hits .275 and struggles against lefties. He is a gold-glove caliber centerfielder and has good, but not great, base-stealing ability.  I liked Edwin Jackson, but I think I like Max Scherzer just as much. I need to think about this more, but right now, I am depressed that we are losing Curtis, but I feel good about the direction of the team moving forward.

The Martin Mandate: Week 12

I'm making the pick from the road this week, as I am back in Detroit for Thanksgiving. But if you need to get in touch with El Mandator, just wait for the beep...

"Believe it or not, George isn't at home. Please leave a message at the beep. I must be out, or I'd pick up the phone. Where could I be? Believe it or not, I'm not home!"

The obvious choice this week seems to be Cincinnati over Cleveland. The Bengals are coming back home angry after a terrible loss to the Raiders, Cleveland is coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Lions. But this all makes too much sense. Instead, let's go with a team whose quarterback has proven time and time again that he is anything but dependable. That's right, this week's Martin Mandate is...

Chicago +10.5 over MINNESOTA

The Vikings have been steamrolling over weak competition for the last couple of weeks, but the Bears will provide a much tougher challenge. Jay Cutler will outperform Brett Farve and the Bears will make this a close one in Minnesota.

More on Matty

I just read Peter King's glowing review of Matthew Stafford's performance on Sunday and it has only deepened the admiration that I have for this kid. As reckless as it is for him to run back on to the field with a probably dislocated shoulder, it shows that he wants to be the leader of this team and will do anything and everything necessary to gain the trust and respect of his teammates. It is enormously disappointing to think that the whole country won't be able to see Matty lead the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, but for this team, it was worth it to get the win on Sunday.

Theeeeeeeeeeee Lions Win!

I know I might encounter some disagreement on this, but let me just confirm one fact before I get going. The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team. Yes, I know, sometimes it doesn't seem possible, but the Cleveland Browns are indeed made up of men who are paid large sums of money to play and coach football. Knowing this, let's move on.

Detroit Lions, I am very proud of you. Any team that doesn't fold up the tent after going down by 3 touchdowns in the first quarter has my respect. Any team that can come back form that deficit, nearly blow the game, and then come back again? That team has earned my admiration, regardless of who they played against.

We knew going into this year that the Lions did not have the talent to make the playoffs. In seasons like this, it's all about making progress. For Jim Schwartz, tt's about finding out what you have, installing your system, creating a culture that breeds winning, and putting down the stepping stones that will eventually lead to future success. That's what wins like this are. As a team, this kind of win builds trust between the players and the coaching staff. On an individual level, the amount of confidence that a rookie quarterback like Matthew Stafford can draw from a comeback like this is immeasurable. Sure, Stafford made mistakes, throwing back-breaking interceptions in the first and fourth quarters and taking a sack in his own end zone, but his 5 touchdowns (thrown to 5 different receivers) demonstrated the full suite of throws in his arsenal. In no particular order, Matty tossed TDs on a screen pass, a play-action rollout, a 75-yard bomb, and a check-down before squeezing a bullet between two defenders for the game-winner.

Not to focus completely on Stafford, but this win further cements what I talked about in my last post about the Lions' quarterback. Aside for all the obvious physical gifts, it is becoming more and more apparent that Matty has the mental makeup to be a successful NFL quarterback. For the first time in my life (I'm 24), I have some measure of confidence in the quarterback of the Detroit Lions.

Now, let's keep this in perspective. Do the Browns suck? Of course they do. Is this a feather-in-the-cap win for Jim Schwartz anyway? Fuck yeah it is.

The Martin Mandate: Week 11

Week 10 was again a success for the Martin Mandate, but I must remain humble. As Mr. Costanza says,

"I'm against all "it's me"s. So self-absorbed and egotistical. It's like these hip musicians with their complicated shoes!"

With that in mind, on to the Week 11 pick. The most obvious choice seems to be the red-hot Bengals -9.5 over the hapless Raiders. As much as I would like to go against a team that is starting Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, I can't go with my gut. Instead, this week's Mandate will be a team going on the road, without its best player, against a division-leading rival facing a must-win game.

This week's Martin Mandate is...

Washington +10.5 over DALLAS

In the absence of Clinton Portis, backup running backs Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright will get the ground game going and the Redskins will keep it close against the Cowboys. Also, as noted in this blog before, Tony Romo is an average quarterback, and should make enough mistakes to keep the Cowboys from running away and hiding in this one.

"You're Just Jimmy's Type..."

Chris Osgood's bout with the flu is the best thing that ever happened to Jimmy Howard. Along every step of his development, Howard has never been under real pressure to live up to expectations. Whenever he faltered, there was always a safety net of supporters telling him that he was still young, still developing, and that everything would eventually work itself out. Up to this point, Howard has been allowed to develop his game at the lower levels, far away from the toughest job in Detroit, the starting goaltender for the Red Wings.

We all knew Jimmy Howard. He was that guy that everybody said was supposed to be the next great Wings goalie. He was like Dick Clark, he never seemed to age. I swear the kid has been 23 years old since 2004. He was the perpetual light at the end of the tunnel for any Hasek-hater or Ozzie-basher. Howard was widely known as a can't-miss superprospect, but nobody ever seemed to raise the most obvious of questions: "If he's so great, why the hell is he still playing in Grand Rapids?"

In the salary cap era of the NHL, that question has been answered. Teams like the Red Wings don't have the luxury of paying a veteran backup $1-3 million a year to keep the seat warm for a developing youngster. More than ever, young NHL players are being thrown right into the fire because their teams can't find a financial reason to explain why the kid they just paid $15 million should be wasting his skills in Sault Ste. Marie.

Now, Jimmy Howard is no longer a prospect. He is 25 years old. He has plenty of minor league experience. Ozzie is out, it's Jimmy's job for now. It's time for Howard to show us something, and he has. Statistically, Howard has been more than solid in the last few games, but I wasn't 100% convinced until I watched him last night. He was terrific. The Wings allowed far too many odd man rushes (I won't even get started on that), but Howard bailed out his defense on multiple occasions. One of the goals was complete luck, and another was a seeing-eye shot from the point that Howard never saw. Aside from that, he could have stopped the 3rd period goal, but it was by no means soft. All in all, Howard has played well and, aside from last night, the Wings have been winning. Let's not go assigning nicknames or anything, but it's safe to say that the early returns on Jimmy Howard are looking good.

Quick note: How ironic is it that Howard's birthday is March 26, the same day of my greatest Red Wings memory, the 6-5 overtime beatdown (literally) of the Colorado Avalanche that spurred the Wings on to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships? Weird...