In our most recent Head to Head of the season Running Back Paul Settle took on Defensive Coordinator Darren Hill. Here’s how they got on…
Bills 22 Jets 17
SETTLE: I’m gonna go with the Jets just because I like their name as it sounds fast and I hate getting bills! I’m also feeling Christmassy at the moment and New York is a great place to Christmas shop so I’ve heard!?!?! So Jets it is!!
RESULT: Erm, let’s just put this down to early nerves and move on shall we? 0-1.
HILL: A difficult game to start with. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bills, back in the day they lost 4 Super Bowls in a row, which takes some doing and my father in law lives just outside Buffalo. The Jets have also routinely sucked and haven’t been to the Super Bowl since the 1960s. However they are playing at home. Jets to win a close one.
RESULT: Home advantage seems to be the only reason Coach Hill sided with the Jets, and it means he’s also off to a bad start. 0-1.
Lions 18 Packers 16
SETTLE: I kinda like both the outfits and I’m gonna base most of my decisions on kits I like and the odd player I know. It has to be the Packers for the win mainly because I’ve always had a man crush on Christopher Parr and he follows the Packers!! And I like to eat cheese!! They have something to do with cheese right??!
RESULT: Oh boy. 0-2.
HILL: Easiest pick of the week. Detroit are awful, Green Bay aren’t. Green Bay will win by loads.
RESULT: Awkward. 0-2.
Cowboys 6 Buccaneers 10
SETTLE: Can’t stand Pirates they’re thieves so definitely going with the Cowboys for the win, and my mum loved the TV show Dallas so it’s gotta be Cowboys for the win without a doubt!!
RESULT: As much as I’d love Settle to have been right, he’s 0-3 and off to an absolute flyer.
HILL: Nellie is blaming me for his loss last week because he picked Tampa Bay on the strength of my recommendation of Tampa Bay and ex-Florida State Quarterback Jameis Winston. The Buccaneers QB was great, his Wide Receivers, and in particular first round pick Mike Evans (6 drops) were awful. It doesn’t matter, they are playing Dallas and they were bad without Dez Bryant and Tony Romo, Bryant is back Romo isn’t. Jameis is going to have a sore back after carrying his team to their fourth win of the season.
RESULT: We’re off the mark. 1-2.
Panthers 27 Titans 10
SETTLE: Now I’m no expert but I know that guy Cam Newton plays for the Panthers as he keeps flashing up in NFL videos on my FB page. He looks pretty good, a bit selfish but hey, you know what them QB’s are like!! So Panthers to take this one…
RESULT: First thing we can agree with so far, Settle’s no expert. He got this one right though, and he’s under way. 1-3.
HILL: Carolina are undefeated and this week they face the other Heisman winning rookie QB in Marcus Mariota. The reason he was taken second in the draft is because Tennessee weren’t very good, they still aren’t. Cam Newton keeps the Panthers undefeated.
RESULT: We’re off the mark. 2-2.
Bears 37 Rams 13
SETTLE: Got to be the Bears, right? As they are big and scary in the wild and seeing as teams must be named after what they think they’re gonna play like they must be good!! And that massive Fridge guy used to play for them!! So Bears it is…GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
RESULT: Got to be honest, I laughed when Settle picked the Bears here. Should have known better. 2-3.
HILL: Another team from the eighties having a tough year are the Bears. St Louis aren’t great but they win this one comfortably.
RESULT: I thought so too, goodness only knows where this came from. 2-3.
Saints 14 Redskins 47
SETTLE: Redskins. Not sure why I’m going for these – probably cos their QB has dreads hanging out the back of his helmet which always looks pretty cool (ED – do you want to tell him or shall I?).
RESULT: Haven’t really got a clue how but Settle’s back to .500. 3-3.
HILL: I’ve been a Redskins fan for more years than I care to mention, we’ve had our ups and downs, and recently it’s been more down than up. The Saints, despite having a better record are a terrible team and over the last two weeks their once vaunted defence has allowed back to back QBs to have career games. This continues and the Redskins win at home.
RESULT: This one cost Rob Ryan yet another job. 3-3.
Dolphins 20 Eagles 19
SETTLE: I’m going select the Dolphins just because I’ve seen the TV show Ballers with the Rock and it looks like a nice place to live if you’re rich and in the NFL and own a yacht!!! Remember to buy tuna not using the nets which trap Dolphins though kids!!!
RESULT: Ballers is a great show to be fair. 4-3.
HILL: As a Redskins fan it has been interesting to watch the Chip Kelly experiment from afar. He started off well but didn’t trade up to get his college QB Mariota and I think this comes back to haunt him. He seems to have lost the players and he doesn’t have a decent QB. Having said all that Miami were one of the 6 teams to play in London this year…they were awful. Eagles win.
RESULT: If they’d had their starting QB for the entire game would the Eagles have won? We’ll never know. 3-4.
Browns 9 Steelers 30
SETTLE: Steelers sounds like they’re thieves but I’m going to go for the Steelers to take this one mainly because in the Batman film when the ground opened up after Bane rocked up in the stadium that receiver kept on playing whilst a major super hero baddie was trashing the field he was on!! So surely beating the Browns will be no problem?!?!
RESULT: They didn’t have enough for Bane but had plenty in the tank to beat Johnny Football and co. 5-3.
HILL: Currently one of the only saving graces of being a Redskins fan is that you aren’t a Browns fan. The franchise has been a model of ineptitude for as long as I can remember. Everything they do turns to rubbish. When Johnny “Football” Manziel was picked late in the first round a couple of years ago I was asked why he dropped so far. I replied that was because he was a good college QB but would achieve nothing in the NFL. That the Browns gave up draft picks to go and get him tells you everything you need to know about the Browns. The Steelers are having a poor year by their high standards but they still have enough to beat the Browns.
RESULT: Darren hits the nail on the head. 4-4.
Vikings 30 Raiders 14
SETTLE: Purple who plays in purple?!?!?! Raiders look far harder than the boys in purple and it would be embarrassing to lose to a team playing my wife’s favourite colour!! (Ed – do you want to tell him…oh forget it)
RESULT: Losing to a team in purple. Who’d have thought it? 5-4.
HILL: Another tough one to call. Minnesota are on a four-game winning streak. Oakland lost their last one but are having a decent season after years of struggling under old owner Al Davis whose pick of JaMarcus Russell with the first pick of the 2007 draft and subsequent signing of him to a $61 million deal was so awful that the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to completely restructure rookie contracts. I slightly favour the home team to win a close one. Raiders win.
RESULT: It should say enough about how far the Raiders have come this year that both our guys backed them against the much-improved Vikings. They were both wrong to do so though, so let’s move on. 4-5.
Patriots 27 Giants 26
SETTLE: I have a Giants t-shirt and am feeling Christmassy still so for the same reason as the Jets I’m gonna go with Giants to upset the Patriots. Any Given Sunday and all that!!
RESULT: Oh Paul, so close and yet so far. 5-5.
HILL: Bill Belichick is one of the best coaches in the game. He sometimes takes “gamesmanship” to the edge but he and Tom Brady have been at the top of the game for years. Unfortunately for the rest of the league the Commissioner decided to wind them both up during the off season. They are both on a mission and are destroying everyone they play. Their offence has played 32 quarters of football. They have scored in each of the last 31. They are too much for the Giants of New York and make the short trip back to New England with the win.
RESULT: The Giants ran them close but the unstoppable Patriot machine ploughs on. 5-5.
Chiefs 29 Broncos 13
SETTLE: Just watched Christian Okoye A Football Life documentary so I’m gonna say Chiefs!!!
RESULT: Regardless of how he got there Settle calls it right. 6-5.
HILL: Similarly Peyton Manning has been one of the best QBs in the league for a lifetime. After several neck surgeries he struggled at the start of the year but his offensive co-ordinator has adjusted and played him in his more familiar shotgun formation and the Broncos defense is playing absolutely lights out. Denver will be too strong for the Chiefs at altitude, Denver wins and Denver joins Indianapolis and Tennessee as places where an extraordinary percentage of the population name their children Peyton (boys) or Payton (girls) after the QB.
RESULT: Not quite the way it was planned. 5-6.
Cardinals 39 Seahawks 32
SETTLE: Running back with dreads hanging out the back of his helmet and I love skittles so Seahawks will take this against the Cardinals! And they’ve incorporated rugby tackling into their program so they must have some sense.
RESULT: The Seahawks don’t know if they’re coming or going at the moment. 6-6.
HILL: Another close game. Arizona are playing really well, as their record shows. Seattle have been in back to back Super Bowls, winning one and losing the other. Early in the season they struggled with the way they lost the last Super Bowl and the expectations of their players to get paid. However they have started coming into their own and at home they will be too much for Arizona.
RESULT: The Cards upset the Hawks and battle of brains once again comes down to Monday Night Football. 5-7.
Texans 10 Bengals 6
SETTLE: Texans. JJ Watt that’s why…
RESULT: How on earth did that happen? No matter, Settle finishes 7-6 and takes the win.
HILL: An easy one to finish. The Texans have the best defensive player in the league in JJ Watt, in the last 4 years the only player to average more than a sack per game, and 3 sacks off NFL Legend Lawrence Taylor’s 63 sack 4 year record, and they are still rubbish. The Bengals are on a rare winning streak and to be honest most people, even their own fans, aren’t expecting it to last, but it won’t finish against the Texans. Cincinnati to win easily.
RESULT: Ouch. Coach Hill finishes 5-8 but I’m sure this’ll be the last we hear of it. Honest.
As a result of this week’s scores the Players have extended their lead against the Coaches and Staff by 74-55 to 71-58. Be sure to check back on Thursday for this week’s predictions.
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Previous Results
Wide Receiver Chris Cowley 6-10 vs Offensive Coordinator Neale McMaster 6-10
Tight End Jack Judge 11-5 vs Head Coach Will White 13-3
Offensive Lineman Danny Cousins 8-7 vs Vice Chairman Mark Chilton 9-6
Running Back Matt Duffin 10-4 vs Running Back Coach Neil Duffy 10-4
Wide Receiver Jack Davis-Fletcher 6-8 vs Treasurer Michael Dilley 8-6
Offensive Lineman Jon Amokah 11-3 vs Youth Team Head Coach Nick Benning 8-6
Offensive Lineman John Rudgard 9-5 vs Special Teams Coordinator Gary Villiers 7-7
Defensive MVP Gareth Pullen 6-7 vs Chairman and Offensive Coordinator Neale McMaster 5-8