Oct 11, 2015

NFL Week 5: Classic Concentration

"Behind these numbers is a puzzle. Can you solve it? If you can do that, you'll have a chance to win a brand new car as we play Classic Concentration!"



Yes, in the 1980s, NBC aired a remake of the 50's and 60's classic Concentration for 5 years. The old version - from 1958 to 1973 - is still NBC's longest running game show. I'm sure this will be passed soon by American Ninja Warriors. Hugh Downs was the first host!!!

Anyway, the game play is fairly simple - everyone remembers the game Memory, right? Well, 25 cards are shown on the screen; behind each card is a prize. You have to find the pairs of the prizes to win the prize, make a match and keep your turn. The prize cards are removed to reveal a "rebus" puzzle behind the board. You have to solve the puzzle to win the game. If you win 2 games, you go to the bonus round.

Everyone has seen these rebus puzzles, right? Here's an example. It always sucks to have a match on square 1(upper left) and 25 (lower right) - usually these are blanks. Thanks for the help!

The cards also contained "Take" cards, where you can take one of the prizes from your opponent. Crush your opponent by taking the prize that was Martha's dream trip to the Poconos!

Most of the prizes you can win in this stage were not all trips, but more middling prizes like those on "Price is Right"....Sewing Machine! CD player! VCR Machine! Answering machine! State of the art electronics from 1988.

The bonus round is where you really wanted to get to. 8 cars were in the showroom - and 15 cards were on the board; 7 pairs of cards and one "dummy". You then tried to match all 7 pairs of cars in 30 seconds to win a car.....The cars were a wide variety of makes and models; I'd hate to be the poor schmuck who successfully completed the bonus round and ended up with a Geo Metro.

Your host for the 1980s version of Concentration was Medic Alert's own Alex Trebek! Alex seems like a nice guy, but he can come off as smarmy too. If no one could solve the rebus, he's go up to the board and start explaining the puzzle. "Now, here, we have a head of a nail....that means Head....and down here we have a bunch of students near a board....C'mon people, buzz in! This is a class!  Head and class? Let's go!"

When searching for Alex, there were too many pictures of him in 1980s sweaters for me to post. Let me just leave you with an image you can't unsee: A promo ad for Concentration in Toledo. Yes, when I think sex symbols, I think of Alex Trebek.....

Speaking of concentration, is it that hard to concentrate on a defensive play and not jump offsides until the ball is snapped? Finding another way to lose- that's the new Browns mantra since 1999. I bet fans of other teams out there lose 1 game in their lifetime on an untimed down with 0:00 left. This is our 3rd in 15 years!

- we had a pass interference called against us in Detroit in '08; up 6 with :05 left, Detroit threw a semi-hail Mary from the 40; we pulled down a receiver and was called for it. With :00 left, Detroit had a play from the 1; they scored and kicked the extra point and they won, 38-37. I think this was the game where Brady Quinn threw for 400+ yards.
- of course, there's the grand daddy of all losses, the Dwayne Rudd game. I can't relive the details here again.

And now, add the offsides FG to San Diego to that list.

I'm encouraged by our offense, but our defense- supposedly our strength in the pre season - is absolutely horrid. Rob Ryan coaching for us would actually be an improvement.

On to the games:

Atl 27, Was 17.  I really like this Redskins team, but this is a horrible matchup for them. The Falcons are well balanced and can throw, and this is in Atlanta - if the Skins go down 10, you really see them coming back?

Cin 20, Sea 13. I keep thinking Cincy will throw in a stinker - but geez, Seattle is just not good. Chi and Det do not have good defenses - and Seattle can't score on them. If the Bengals play mediocre defense, they win easily.

GB 31, StL 20. I think I will pass on all Rams games for a while. Just not sure what you are going to get from them. Do we really trust Foles to be consisntent?

KC 26, Chi 17. If Cutler is in there- and I think he will play - the Bears are fairly good offensively. I'm not sure if Alex Smith and the Chiefs are built to score 30+ vs. anyone.

Phi 31, NO 17. I'm just shocked at how awful the Saints are offensively. And - bad spot for them; they had their emotional high last week in prime time at home needing a win. Now they go on the road and face a desperate Eagles team.

TB 27, Jax 16. Tampa has been moving the ball recently, and turnovers have been their doom. This is the third road game in a row for the Jags, and they don't have the ball hawking D to really hassle Winston.

Buf 20, Ten 13. I can't stop thinking about how much pressure we - the Browns - got against Mariota. We dominated their offensive line. What will Rex and that D do to them?

Az 27, Det 20. I can't see how the Lions scores many points! They can't run, and Az pass defense is excellent. If the Cards are a Super Bowl contender - I think they are - they should win this game on the road vs. an opponent on a short week.

Den 30, Oak 20. This should be the game where Peyton breaks out....Oak pass D is very bad, and Den should have success airing it out. Only way Denver loses is if they look ahead to next week's key game....

NE 27, Dal 20. No idea here. Seems to easy to think that the Pats will win by 20 here...but they may save it for next week vs. the Colts.

NYG 30, SF 19. San Fran will give up a lot of points to the Giants pass offense, but I don't think the Giants D is good enough to completely stifle the Niners O.

Pit 27, SD 24. OK, before we get to this game, let me get something off my chest. We're going to hear a LOT during this Monday night game about the Steeler fans and how well they travel. I will puke 4-5 times.
Look, we have a first hand account of last week where the Browns fans made up at least 40% of the Q in San Diego. Why doesn't that get any press?  Because our games are not in prime time. We travel just as well as these in bred toothless fans - if not better - but no one hears about since 1% of the nation watches. It makes me sick.
Anyway, I'm not impressed with San Diego at all. They are scraping by with smoke and mirrors. I can't believe I am putting faith in Tomlin to expose this.

Best bets: 12 of them. Last week: 11-2; overall: 34-21
Atl -6 1/2
Cin -3
Sea/Cin under 43 1/2
StL/GB over 45 1/2
Phi -6
TB -3
Buf pk
Buf/Ten under 42
Az -3
Den -4
SF/NYG over 43 1/2
Pit +4

One and only one underdog. I hated this week.

Supercontest: Last week: 5-0; overall: 14-6
Phi -4.5
TB -3
Buf -2.5
Az -2.5
Pit +3


 

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