After 21 years of waiting for a National Football League (NFL) franchise, used-to-be St Louis Rams is returning home to Los Angeles.

There is no questioning that the National Football League is going to have a franchise based in L.A., as NFL is not the type of entity to let an opportunity to increase its profits and brand awareness slip on the edge. But the real question is, which NFL team ends the NFL’s 21-year absence from the second-largest media market in the US?

NFL owners voted 30-2 Tuesday night to allow the St. Louis Rams to move LA and build a stadium in Inglewood, California. The San Diego Chargers was given a one-year option to share the facility while the Oakland Raiders, who also wanted to move to the area, could move to LA if San Diego doesn’t.

“Relocation is a painful process. It’s painful for the fans, for the communities, for the league in general,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “In some ways a bittersweet moment, because we were unable to get the kind of facilities done we wanted in their markets.”

Both the Cincinnati Bengals and the Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with key injuries coming into this playoff game. Since the Bengal starting quarterback Andy Dalton has been sidelined due to injury, his backup A.J. McCarron has a winning record of 2 and 1 completing 66 percent (76 of 115) of his passes for 832 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. Facing the Steelers, he completed 22 of 33 passes for 280 yards, 2 TDs and 2 picks. If Pittsburgh running back DeAngelo Williams can’t return due to injury than that will make the Steelers a one-demission offense.

NFL Betting Odds

Pittsburgh Steelers

-3

There’s a billion ways you could look at each of the wild card games. Unlike the regular season, where you can have up to 16 games and 32 teams to keep track of, the focus narrows in the playoffs. Duh.

With that tunnel vision comes some over compensation. We commit a little too hard to things that don’t matter. Suddenly, the expansive interest we have gets spotlighted on to just four games and that can drive us…well…crazy. It doesn’t help that 12 less games in a weekend is 12 fewer investment opportunities.

So let’s clear the noise a bit and dial in on the important elements of each matchup and really, the choice is always up to you. But you’ll see where my money’s probably leaning by the time you’re done reading through. Enjoy and good luck.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -3.0 at HOUSTON TEXANS

There’s a billion ways you could look at each of the wild card games. Unlike the regular season, where you can have up to 16 games and 32 teams to keep track of, the focus narrows in the playoffs. Duh.

With that tunnel vision comes some over compensation. We commit a little too hard to things that don’t matter. Suddenly, the expansive interest we have gets spotlighted on to just four games and that can drive us…well…crazy. It doesn’t help that 12 less games in a weekend is 12 fewer investment opportunities.

So let’s clear the noise a bit and dial in on the important elements of each matchup and really, the choice is always up to you. But you’ll see where my money’s probably leaning by the time you’re done reading through. Enjoy and good luck.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -3.0 at HOUSTON TEXANS

One of the most interesting subplots of wild card weekend is the monetary value that Kirk Cousins is going to extract from Washington this offseason. He’s defiantly led the Redskins in to the playoffs amidst a crumbling division, and made his team look like a legitimate threat to send the Green Bay Packers home early. So how much money do you think he’ll get for his efforts, win or lose?

The answer: $100 million. Give or take. And I’m not even kidding.

Andy Dalton signed a similar contract worth $96 million over 6 years just last season. Dalton will earn an average salary of $16 million, and has already banked a $12 million signing bonus along with $17 million guaranteed. Whether people believe in him or not, Cincinnati dedicated themselves to his skillset for the long term.

Cincinnati also crafted the contract with their own flexibility in mind. They can essentially dump him after next year without taking a massive hit in what’s called “dead cap space”. This the portion of their salary cap that equates to a sunk cost; one that the team can’t avoid even if the player isn’t on their roster anymore.

One of the most interesting subplots of wild card weekend is the monetary value that Kirk Cousins is going to extract from Washington this offseason. He’s defiantly led the Redskins in to the playoffs amidst a crumbling division, and made his team look like a legitimate threat to send the Green Bay Packers home early. So how much money do you think he’ll get for his efforts, win or lose?

The answer: $100 million. Give or take. And I’m not even kidding.

Andy Dalton signed a similar contract worth $96 million over 6 years just last season. Dalton will earn an average salary of $16 million, and has already banked a $12 million signing bonus along with $17 million guaranteed. Whether people believe in him or not, Cincinnati dedicated themselves to his skillset for the long term.

Cincinnati also crafted the contract with their own flexibility in mind. They can essentially dump him after next year without taking a massive hit in what’s called “dead cap space”. This the portion of their salary cap that equates to a sunk cost; one that the team can’t avoid even if the player isn’t on their roster anymore.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Chip Kelly was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles for a variety of reasons ranging from “hard to work with” to “maybe racist”. Kelly ends his tenure as an Eagle Head Coach with a record of 26-21, which was heavily mired by this season’s 6-9 SU stretch where he also finished 6-9 ATS. His reign will not be remembered without its severe blemishes.

It wasn’t that Kelly’s play calling, personnel assessment or attitude where the problem – it was the total package. It just didn’t work and his ex-players have basically laughed him out of Lincoln Financial Field. That’s never a good sign.

The good news for Philadelphia is that they had a singular, and easily definable problem that also served as the most scapegoat-able position in the NFL.

The easiest thing to do in the professional football is to blame the coaches, but there are always other factors to blame. General managers are bad at putting together winning teams. Some coordinators are probably more at fault. Owners are irresponsible with their spending habits. It goes on and on and gets worse and worse. Very few teams can do what the New York Jets have done this season and totally reinvent themselves.

As you’ve probably heard by now, Chip Kelly was fired by the Philadelphia Eagles for a variety of reasons ranging from “hard to work with” to “maybe racist”. Kelly ends his tenure as an Eagle Head Coach with a record of 26-21, which was heavily mired by this season’s 6-9 SU stretch where he also finished 6-9 ATS. His reign will not be remembered without its severe blemishes.

It wasn’t that Kelly’s play calling, personnel assessment or attitude where the problem – it was the total package. It just didn’t work and his ex-players have basically laughed him out of Lincoln Financial Field. That’s never a good sign.

The good news for Philadelphia is that they had a singular, and easily definable problem that also served as the most scapegoat-able position in the NFL.

The easiest thing to do in the professional football is to blame the coaches, but there are always other factors to blame. General managers are bad at putting together winning teams. Some coordinators are probably more at fault. Owners are irresponsible with their spending habits. It goes on and on and gets worse and worse. Very few teams can do what the New York Jets have done this season and totally reinvent themselves.

By nature, gamblers hate mistakes they can’t see coming. It’s like betting last-minute that AJ McCarron is going to fumble the snap on Monday Night Football or getting screwed by a random injury. It’s impossible to work these types of x-factors in to whatever calculations or assumptions you design to create the most risk adverse, investment situation for your money.

It’s probably an oxymoron to call gamblers “risk averse”, but it’s not like the sharps and veterans of the industry go out there burning cash like it’s a stack of old porn their mother just found under the bed. We all try to find different angles, corners and metrics to improve our leverages. At least, that’s what we should be doing.

I’m a fan of advanced metrics as a nerd who loves football and probably has too much spare time on my hands. But I also prefer fiddling with classic stats to try and find inside anomalies because – honestly – I’m not as smart as the guys who design the advanced metrics in the first place.

There’s a lot of different, self-made stat configurations I could dig up, but most of it’s boring and don’t necessarily lead anywhere. Most of it reaffirms stuff I already know or assume, which is what most of us want to hear when we’re buying points or laying them. More than anything, I’m just trying to find a wrinkle in the matrix. An anomaly. Something that doesn’t make sense that can help me arrive at a destination that’s closer to a definitive conclusion.

One of the most anticipated matchups from this past Sunday featured the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants. The undefeated streak was once again on the line, and the Giants were pressing to make a playoff push in the muddled NFC East. The game also featured a matchup between the best cornerback in the league and one of the most electrifying receivers alive. It was a battle that did not disappoint.

By now you know what happened. Words were said. Bats were swung. Guys were hit. Passes were deflected. A touchdown was scored. And in the end, Norman’s Panthers kept their perfect record intact while the Giants saw their post season hopes fade to black.

Then ODB got suspended for a flagrant hit on Norman’s skull and all hell broke lose.

People have been screaming like crazy about this confrontation all week long making it difficult for anyone to really get a unique angle on the subject. Was Odell right? Did Norman deserve it? Why on earth would the NFL appeal it right in the midst of Will Smith’s movie “Concussion” making emphatic rounds across the country?

One of the most anticipated matchups from this past Sunday featured the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants. The undefeated streak was once again on the line, and the Giants were pressing to make a playoff push in the muddled NFC East. The game also featured a matchup between the best cornerback in the league and one of the most electrifying receivers alive. It was a battle that did not disappoint.

By now you know what happened. Words were said. Bats were swung. Guys were hit. Passes were deflected. A touchdown was scored. And in the end, Norman’s Panthers kept their perfect record intact while the Giants saw their post season hopes fade to black.

Then ODB got suspended for a flagrant hit on Norman’s skull and all hell broke lose.

People have been screaming like crazy about this confrontation all week long making it difficult for anyone to really get a unique angle on the subject. Was Odell right? Did Norman deserve it? Why on earth would the NFL appeal it right in the midst of Will Smith’s movie “Concussion” making emphatic rounds across the country?

I know, I know. Every writer with a laptop and an audience (hello? anyone?) scribbles one of these articles at this point ever season. This one’s slightly different because I’m not going to preview the Week 15 assuming that you are just waltzing in to the season at this point. You know who’s in, who’s not in, who might be in.

[Image credit: www.sportsonearth.com]

Instead, this is an underscore of what all the teams are searching for in each matchup. Another, stupid variation of this would be, “What Each Team Is Asking Santa for Christmas!” Speaking of which, Happy Holidays!

THE EARLY GAMES IN NFL WEEK 15

I know, I know. Every writer with a laptop and an audience (hello? anyone?) scribbles one of these articles at this point ever season. This one’s slightly different because I’m not going to preview the Week 15 assuming that you are just waltzing in to the season at this point. You know who’s in, who’s not in, who might be in.

[Image credit: www.sportsonearth.com]

Instead, this is an underscore of what all the teams are searching for in each matchup. Another, stupid variation of this would be, “What Each Team Is Asking Santa for Christmas!” Speaking of which, Happy Holidays!

THE EARLY GAMES IN NFL WEEK 15

You either love the Jets or you hate them. Nobody is ambivalent about this team. It’s easy for people to be casual about non-threats to their favorite franchises, or their hometown heroes. Someone who cheers for the Niners probably has no earthly reason to feel anything about the Bucs, for example.

But everyone hates the Jets. It might be time for us to stop.

[Image credit: fansided.com]

The offseason represents an opportunity for bad teams to recreate themselves. And let’s make no mistake about the Jets for the past three seasons. They’ve been comically terrible. We’re not talking “aw shucks” bad. We’re talking “HAHA LOOK AT THE JETS THEY S-U-C-K! It rules!”