The calendar flips over to June this weekend, which means that perennial criminals are going to need their game up if they're going to make a dent in this offseason's Crimesman Trophy standings for outstanding criminal performance among NFL players. Much like some ballparks in MLB lend themselves t ... More >>
It's always good to get in on something at the beginning, at the ground floor. In the world of sports wagering, for bettors equally long on hubris and illness (gambling is a sickness, my friends), some betting outlets realize that no time is too soon to put out lines on NFL games. The draft just en ... More >>
Last night's Super Bowl blackout in New Orleans went something like this. At first, the lights dimmed in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after Jacoby Jones' 100-something yard kick return. Just like they had done in preparation for Beyonce's pyro-laden halftime show. Then, the screaming scoreboards an ... More >>
On Wednesday, the The Super Bowl 47 NFL Experience opened to fans at the Morial Convention Center. Featuring a mind-boggling amount of merchandise, GMC automobiles, and chances to exercise your crazed fandom, the 850,000-square-foot fan fest is a feast for the eyes and a strain on the muscles. Seri ... More >>
When it comes to playoff time in the NFL, we know tensions can run high. They especially run high when you root for one of the chokiest of choking dog home teams in recent history, and yes, I'm looking right at you, Atlanta. On the heels of the Falcons' most recent playoff collapse, a 28-24 home lo ... More >>
Last weekend, when we were down to eight teams left standing in the NFL playoffs, on my radio show I placed the remaining starting quarterbacks into three distinct "buckets": ELITE (3): Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning These three all were secure in their legacies regardless of the outcome ... More >>
So that was "Judgment Day" huh? All righty then. What was billed (by Mario Williams) as Mario Williams' authoritative homecoming, basically turned into a fairly ho-hum day of work for the Texans, a 21-9 victory over the Buffalo Bills. Consider the following numbers: - The Texans won by 12 points. ... More >>
For this week's random person with newfound wealth via frivolous lawsuit or dumb luck, we go to northern China and a fellow by the name of Jian Feng. Until recently, Feng was married to the love of his life, an unnamed (in the article, at least) beauty who had also recently given birth to their daug ... More >>
Last week, we pushed a story about SF2's weekly Kickback Sundays event and its Raw Talent showcase. As long as the series was, certain things got left out on the cutting-room floor. Here are a few odds and ends since the conclusion of Kickback's season 2. Rewind: The Bizarre Ride Of Kickback Sunda ... More >>
This week's tale of gambling riches comes from Branford, Ontario, where locally their version of the lottery is actually an NFL parlay card of sorts, where if a player picks 15 games 100 percent correctly, they will win a sizable six-figure payout. In Week 3 of the NFL season, a man named Gino DiFe ... More >>
So how bad was the controversial ending of Monday night's Seahawks-Packers game for the NFL? Well, consider that the story got coverage on every major national news show Tuesday morning, was the subject of a David Letterman Top 10 list, and prompted President Obama to comment publicly on the topic ... More >>
Much like most Houstonians, I will be in front of a television on Sunday watching our Houston Texans play the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium. It's a big and promising year for our team, one of only professional sports franchises in town that are successful. Did you know that Billy Ray Cyrus is ... More >>
In name, Saturday did represent the clichéd dress rehearsal for the Texans. In practicality, it was only the case on one side of the ball. With the defense missing Shaun Cody, J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing, there isn't that much use to reading fortunes on that side of the ball. The Saints are an eli ... More >>
Every even-numbered year since I got into radio in 2007 (and perhaps even before that, I just wasn't paying attention), the Houston Texans would travel east on I-10 in mid-August (actually, to be more accurate, they probably flew charter) to practice for the entire week against the New Orleans Saint ... More >>
It takes looking at just one final box score to show the relative importance, or lack thereof, with early preseason scores. Patriots 7, Saints 6. So the Texans' thorough road dismantling of a capable Carolina team may not signal much, particularly considering most first-teamers played less than a ... More >>
Phil Anselmo, former lead singer of the mighty Pantera, currently of Down, is a busy man. But he always has time to talk about his beloved New Orleans Saints, who are going through a trying offseason, to put it mildly. "I can talk Saints all day. I think we have a great season coming up and I thin ... More >>
Let me preface what I am about to say by noting that I love the State of Louisiana. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip to the state. It's one of my favorite places to visit, complete with otherworldly cuisine, ultra-accessible alcohol and gambling, and unintentional comedy galore. In short, I a ... More >>
Ha-ha!Forty-eight hours have come and gone since Sunday, and the Texans' loss to the Baltimore Ravens is still maddening and painful. How does one process the anguish coming out of a sporting event in which your team had every chance to win the game and put themselves one step away from th ... More >>
The scarcity of games on these NFL playoff weekends is a huge reason why wagering in the postseason can be a death trap of second-guessing for me. Fewer games on the board means there's way more time to focus (and, frankly, OVER-focus if there is such a thing) on the scant few games being played. ... More >>
Predictably, the BCS National Title game was, to use my good friend Jim Ross's phrase, "bowling-shoe ugly." Monday's game between Alabama and top-ranked LSU featured lots of hard hitting on defense, lots of mistakes on offense, and a few field goals. In fact, until Trent Richardson scored a touchdow ... More >>
PLAYOFFS?!?!!? Oh, yeahSo is Houston ready for some playoff football? How about we go through the Reliant Stadium checklist for Saturday's game with the Bengals to find out. Notifications to season ticket holders to be in their seats 30 minutes before kickoff? Check. Colored placards in sea ... More >>
Your time here is done.They call it "Black Monday." It's the day after the NFL regular season ends, when any still-employed head coach whose name has been remotely associated with the words "hot" and "seat" tiptoes cautiously into his office and hopes that there's not a box on his desk to pa ... More >>
"College football has the best regular season of any sport, and the lack of a playoff is one big reason why." -- Bill Hancock, Executive Director, Bowl Cartel Championship Series That's my favorite inane argument against a college football playoff -- that somehow the existence of a playoff cheapens ... More >>
Santa's offering up some money-line actionBefore I get into this weekend's best bets, a couple paragraphs on the Texans' 19-16 loss to the Colts last night: Was that officiating crew terrible last night? Yes. But good lord, I've never seen a bigger bunch of whiny babies than Texan fans last ... More >>
Photos by Marco TorresRookie T.J. Yates looked very rookie-esqueThe Texans are three weeks from postseason play and have rapidly intensifying concerns at quarterback and placekicker, two of the most critical playoff positions. It may not be time to panic, but a regular season that seems cert ... More >>
Baby needs new gear...Every year at about this time, I wind up investing several hundred dollars in various pieces of Texans gear for my two sons (ages 13 and 12, and I'm fairly certain the only two Texan fans in their Chicago-area junior high school), and while the attitude in this, the most ... More >>
Yes we canOne of the major criticisms of Gary Kubiak has been an alleged lack of guts. From his turning away on game-winning field goal attempts to generally conservative playcalling when ahead, Texans fans wondered over the years if he had the killer instinct to win big. But the 2011 season ... More >>
The NFL playoffs, hopefully brought to you by T.J. Yates.Over the last two seasons, Texan fans have been conditioned to spend the first half of the season basking in a decent start (5-3 and 4-2 the last two years, respectively) and then spend the remainder of the season waiting for a safe to ... More >>
Photo by Marco TorresIn the immortal words of Ian Dury: Reasons to be cheerful, part threeWere it not for the heartbreak of the past 10 years, week after week of uncompetitive football might get boring. As it is, the Texans and their legion of fans will take the wins however they come. The T ... More >>
It's an SEC kinda weekTime for another round of college and NFL friendly wagers. Are my selection techniques the most textbook, orthodox methods in the world? No. I mean, if I hosted a handicapping show and gave out six games and chose those games because they gave me convenient fodder to ta ... More >>
I realized something in the last 48 hours. I am a big fan of the Boston Red Sox, which means by sports fan definition, I should be on suicide watch right now. I mean, "my team" just pulled off the biggest September choke in MLB history with a soul-crushing ninth inning loss. The thing is, I'm not e ... More >>
The Texans found out Sunday.The latest chapter in the long-running series of Texan near misses might have been the most painful. Sure, there were plenty of positives. The Texans (2-1) proved they were capable of hanging with the NFL's elite on the road. They weren't outclassed. Looking for ... More >>
2-0! (again)I hope everyone had a good weekend of football. I was two plays away from going 6-0 on my picks, my alma mater finally won a game and the Texans are 2-0! On the flip side, college realignment struck a blow in my home part of the country, as the Big East that I grew up with essen ... More >>
The Texans start operating like a bona fide NFL team.
The betting window is openI hope everyone who has had a chance to check out our Texans 2011 preview "The New Normal" has enjoyed it. Big ups to Monica Fuentes for coming up with the season-long interactive game card tracking Texans' results. You need to go check it out. If you haven't read ... More >>
Only one of these guys still has a decent jobGo to Google and put in "2011 NFL mock drafts." I did that this afternoon, and I couldn't find one current edition of a reputable mock draft that didn't have Auburn quarterback Cam Newton as the number one overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. T ... More >>
Lennie knows all, eventuallyTo some of you this may sound obvious, to some it may sound weird, and to some it may sound deplorable -- I wish I had time to watch more television. With the advent of episodic television on cable channels like HBO and Showtime, the ante has been upped and the ne ... More >>
We see....FAIL in Ron Artest's futureDrayton McLane apparently has plans to sell the Astros. This comes as no surprise, those rumors have been swirling for some time. Now I don't know if he'll get his $800 million asking price, but I did call Drayton and make an offer and we now know that $9 ... More >>
Carlos Honore and his wife Tatum started up a youth football league out of nothing in an area of Houston not much known for opportunity or hope.
Does not look like funBefore I get into the Best Bets for this weekend, a public service announcement for those of you traveling to Singapore any time soon. They still cane people there. Just ask former Florida State tight end Kamari Charlton. He is over in Singapore as you read this helping ... More >>
cutlineNot long ago, I got into a brief discussion on Twitter with another radio personality whom I am forbidden to name whose name I don't exactly recall. I don't remember the crux of the tweet-versation (something having to do with blogs and the inherent evil that blogs possess to anyone over ... More >>
Arian Foster's a perfect 6-0On the surface, it could seem silly to characterize a 3-point overtime escape in Washington as more of a season-defining moment than a blowout of rival Indianapolis. But when you consider where the now 2-0 Texans have been, that appears to be exactly the case.Ask New O ... More >>
Football season is almost upon us. For many people, this time of year offers renewed hope for the future, ranging from the merely possible (can the Saints repeat?) to the improbable (will the Texans makes the playoffs) to the "You gotta be fucking kidding me" (Kris Brown kicks a last-minute f ... More >>
Oh, what the hell...go ahead and panic.I keep trying to tell myself that the results of the Texans' trip to New Orleans last week didn't really count. Texans fans everywhere (and my liver) seem to disagree. New Orleans is one of a handful of places on earth that embodies the "too much of a ... More >>
Sean interviewed former Oiler Spencer Tillman Friday.As we head into the back end of our trip to New Orleans for Texans-Saints Practicepalooza 2010 (also known as the "realizing there actually can be too much of a good thing" phase of the trip), I'd like to take a minute to wish a very happy thir ... More >>
Maybe the Texans can get a little Rebirth in NOLAWhile on the surface, this is technically a "business trip" for me, it's really hard to call any trip to New Orleans an out and out "business trip." I mean, I spent fifteen years in the corporate world, where "business" meant mind-numbing meeting ... More >>
Land of Super Bowl championsSafe, sound, and functioning on three hours of sleep, I am LIVE in New Orleans at the Saints practice facility in Metarie, LA covering the Texans and the Saints inter-squad practice sessions. For those unaware of the agenda, the Texans spent this morning and will spen ... More >>
The Wire's creator moves south in Treme on HBO.
Dom Capers takes on Texan barbecue for the first time
