Fantasy Awards

After a hard fought fantasy year, it is time to reflect on who got us to The Fantasy Super Bowl and who left us and slammed the fantasy football door in our face.  Position by position we will look at our fantasy MVPs and our Busts for the last year.  Then we will take a look at the most valuable Chargers’ player.  So let’s begin…

Quarterbacks:

MVP: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay

Rodgers has been the top scorer over the last two years and as the fourth quarterback coming off the board he was a better deal than Manning, Brees, and Brady.  This year Rodgers has thrown or ran in a touchdown in every game, but one.  For all these reasons and more, he is the MVP.

Bust: Jay Cutler, Chicago

Jay Cutler has been a complete disappointment and killed many good teams who failed to cut him early.  A top ten quarterback selection, he finished as the 18^th rated quarterback in standard fantasy leagues on Yahoo.  I’m not a business major but that is what I call a bad return on one’s investment.

Running Backs:

MVP: Chris Johnson, Tennessee

He is above and beyond the highest scoring running back this year.  Although, I almost didn’t put him up here as he stunk it up with the rest of the Titans the first six games of the year.  He was “that guy that led many fantasy teams to the finals” this year.  Each year there is a guy who gets hot and single handedly leads a team to the playoffs, and this year it was CJ.  Add 12 touchdowns to his yardage total and he is 50 points above the #2 back.

Bust: Matt Forte, Chicago

The Chicago bust train continues.  Forte wasn’t the worst player in terms of points but my other options were hurt and you could at least have benched those guys.  Bad matchup or good, he scored 4 touchdowns all season.  Yeah 4!!!  This all from a guy who played the Rams, Lions, Browns, and Seahawks.  Oh, did I mention that against the Atlanta Falcons on 15 carries he was outrushed by Jay Cutler.  This year the luckiest Forte owners were bald, because they didn’t have any hair to pull out.

Wide Receivers:

MVP: Andre Johnson, Houston

This year the debate has been settled, AJ is the best receiver in the NFL.  The man is a beast and is the top scoring receiver in the NFL.  He leads the NFL in receiving yards and will reach the 100 catch plateau with 10 catches in the next two games.  Based on his season, I would not be surprised if it only takes him one.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that he did this without a complimentary receiver for half the year.

Bust: Calvin Johnson, Detroit

One of the top 5 talents at the wide receiver position Megatron had an injury plagued year that hurt many fantasy owners.  Next year appears to be more promising as QB Matt Stafford and Johnson have a great rapport and if he can stay healthy he will ascend to great heights.

Tight Ends:

MVP: Antonio Gates, San Diego

1100+ yards and seven touchdowns have brought Mr. Gates back to the top of the tight end position.  It was a close battle between Clark and Gates but the yardage was what really separates the two plus he is still the most difficult mismatch in the league.

Bust: John Carlson, Seattle

He came into the year as a sleeper after a promising rookie season, but he was a total disappointment.  Carlson had 8 games with 3 catches or less and that made him too difficult to trust.  Thanks for nothing, John!

Chargers MVP: Philip Rivers, QB

Drew Brees who?  Rivers has grown into the leader of this team and had a fantastic year by throwing 27 touchdowns in contrast to only 9 interceptions.  A bigger steal than most quarterbacks that were taken ahead of him, Rivers has been the most consistent Bolt all year.

Lou's Week 16 Pro Picks

I woke up Christmas morning to find my stocking stuffed with a Charger's 10 game win streak, a Bolt BYE week and a tightly-wrapped ranking in the 96th percentile under the tree.  Happy Holidays Chargers fans!

Houston over Miami
Texan's QB Matt Schaub has played well all season, but has been exceptionally sharp the past two games throwing for over 350 yards in each contest.  Schaub has never lost to Miami and Miami's pass defense is far from extraordinary.  Miami does almost all their scoring on the ground with RB Ricky Williams and I don't foresee the 'Phins being able to keep up with the fast-paced passing attack of Houston.

Baltimore over Pittsburgh
This is a tough game to call with two teams that are more than respectable on both sides of the ball.  Baltimore's defense is particularly stingy against the pass and gives up the 2nd least amount of points per game.  Pittsburgh's D is also great, especially at pressuring the quarterback, collecting 40 team sacks on the season.  I believe the deciding factor is that the Ravens have a much better turnover ratio and Pitt will likely be without team sack leader James Harrison and team INT leader Troy Polamalu.  Raven's RB Ray Rice hasn't scored recently, but he has been one of the most bruising and consistent backs in the league and although the Steelers are the top-ranked rushing defense, they were unable to contain him in Week 12.

San Fransisco over Detroit
Detroit is praying for a savior in back-up QB Drew Stanton, but the Lions will need more than a miracle to win this one.  Although San Fran is not great at defending the pass, they do a decent job at rushing the passer.  49er's RB Frank Gore had been unstoppable the last two games with over six yards per carry and you know Detroit can't stop the run.  The Lions have a plethora of injuries and even QB Alex Smith should shine against the weakest pass defenders in the league.

Atlanta over Buffalo
Cincinnati over Kansas City
Oakland over Cleveland
Green Bay over Seattle
New England over Jacksonville
New Orleans over Tampa Bay
Arizona over St. Louis
NY Giants over Carolina
Indianapolis over NY Jets
Philadelphia over Denver
San Diego over Tennessee
Dallas over Washington
Minnesota over Chicago

Charger vs. Tennessee Titans

Nashville- After a 9 game win streak San Diego heads into hostile territory to take on the Titans.  This will be a defensive test for our Chargers trying to stop Titan running back Chris Johnson, who has 11 TD's and 1,730 rushing yards on the season.  Tennessee QB Vince Young is maturing and becoming the leader of this team.   The Titans are now, making teams respect the throw, which is setting up explosive runs for Chris Johnson.  Tennessee is playing outstanding on defense and will be a handful for LT and Phillip Rivers.  San Diego needs to put up some points early on offense and establish a good rhythm on defense if they want to win this game.   San Diego will receive an early Christmas gift, center Nick Hardwick returns to action from an ankle injury suffered in week one.  He is listed as questionable, but I expect him to play.  The Bolt's are a little banged up on defense as well.  Defensive Tackle Jacques Cesaire and linebacker Kevin Burnett are also questionable.  I expect this game to be close, with the Bolts pulling away at the end.  Now I want to take the time and give thanks to our Chargers for such an outstanding season so far.  There is still work to be done, so tune in and watch the Bolts take down the Tennessee Titans in what should be a hell of a game.  This game will be aired in San Diego at 4:30 p.m and will be on channel 8 locally.  NFL network will be carrying the game if you live out of town.  Final Score prediction Chargers: 28 Titans:24

Restaurant Review-Sandbar Sports Grill

The season is coming to an end and with it, the opportunity to go out and check out a new sports bar.  I’m looking for a place that screams San Diego and what is more San Diego than the beach.  This week I will be reviewing Sandbar Sports Grill which is located in Mission Beach at 718 Ventura Place.

TV Set Up & Game Selection:

The Sandbar has two different areas to watch the game: downstairs in the shade or upstairs in the sun.  The restaurant has ten TVs in the downstairs area and eight in the upstairs area.  Upon entering The Sandbar you will find that there are a lot of good seats with the exception of a couple of places.  The upstairs has the TVs set up so that they are all in front of you above and behind the bar.  If you can find a good seat, you will not be disappointed at having the games laid out in front of you.

Food & Prices:

The menu is limited as but has many innovative and delicious sounding burgers, such as the Diego Burger, which has cheddar cheese, bacon, and sliced avocado.  The food is decently priced as most entrees do not exceed $10.  However, the food is subpar as the burgers have a bad taste that makes me wish for a typical burger off the grill.  With so few choices and poor tasting food it makes sense to eat before you show up to the bar.

Service:

The servers are really down to earth and come by and greet you with a smile.  The servers can be usually found since it is such a small place and I was impressed by the strong emphasis on customer service.  Unfortunately, the day I was there my server forgot the food for some of the people at the table and even though we were given a discount it left a bad impression.    Overall, the service was good if you forget about that huge gaffe.

Environment:

The environment is very casual and a lot of the people that were there are regulars.  The focus seems to be a hangout place rather than a sports bar.  Overall I enjoyed being there although the sun beats down pretty hard when you are upstairs.  Plus, you have to deal with the glare from the sun that keeps one shifting in there seat while glancing at a different TV.

Overall I came into the review with high hopes but left really disappointed.  I’m not saying that the Sandbar is a terrible place but it really is a bar, and not a sports bar.  If you are looking for a casual bar, by the beach, than this is the place to go.

Chargers best Bengals and Clinch AFC West Division

San Diego- On a day where the Chargers were pushed to the limit by the Bengals they did what they usually do in December and that is win another big game.  Cincinnati came out the gates and played with a lot of emotion, they gave  the Chargers all they could handle, but fell short in the end.  Bengal receiver Chad Ochocinco cried for his fallen teammate Chris Henry after scoring a second quarter touchdown, which made the score 10-7, Bengals.  San Diego immediately answered back with a beautiful throw from Phillip Rivers to wide receiver Vincent Jackson giving the Bolts a 14-10 lead.  Cinci kicker Shayne Graham added a field goal before the half to make it 14-13 in favor of our Chargers.  This game was close all the way until the end with the Bengals tying it up in the fourth 24-24.   San Diego's defense was fired up when the crowd of 68,000 were cheering for their team causing the Bungles a few costly penalties.   Chargers QB Phillip Rivers orchestrated the two minute offense in less than one minute.  He drove the Chargers 46 yards in six plays to set up the game winning field goal.  Charger kicker Nate Kaeding hit the most important field goal of his life.  He drilled a 52-yarder through the uprights to give the Bolts the lead with three seconds left in the game, for a 27-24 victory.  San Diego needed the Denver Broncos to lose in order to clinch the division.  Denver obliged by losing to the sorry Raiders.  Thanks Denver and Oakland it's better to give the AFC West title than to receive one for yourselves. Congratulations to your new AFC West Champion Chargers.

Lou's Week 15 Pro Picks

Seattle over Tampa Bay
If Tampa Bay's QB-for-now Josh Freeman plays half as bad as he has the past two games, he'll be riding the bench like QB Josh Johnson before him.  Josh Johnson was pretty horrible the first six games, but Coach Morris could always turn to that other rookie in the depth chart, Rudy Carpenter.  Who?  Exactly.  The Bucs are set for disaster this game, this year and for years to come.  Seattle wins this at home.

Cleveland over Kansas City
I was one of the few to call the Brownies over the Steelers last week and I'm going to let it ride this week.  With a long BYE, Cleveland has ample time prepare for the struggling Matt Cassel and friends.  Cassel is almost guaranteed to turn the ball over at least once and I would be surprised if KC even puts up 14 points.  The Chiefs haven't scored over two TDs in the past three match-ups.  Conversely, the Browns are averaging more points this month than they have all season.  Cleveland wins their 2nd straight on the road.

Washington over NY Giants
After basically losing the division to Phili last week, the demoralized Giants are poised to lose another tough contest Monday night.  NY's QB Eli Manning is getting sacked more as the season wears on and with O-linemen Chris Snee and Kareem McKenzie battling injuries, the next three games won't get any easier for Eli.  Washington's QB Jason Campbell and back-up RB Quinton Ganther have had strong play as of late and defensive stars CB DeAngelo Hall and DT Albert Haynesworth returned to practice Thursday.  Giant's starting CB Corey Webster will likely sit out and the Redskins stuffed RB Brandon Jacobs for less than 50 rush yards in Week 1.  The 'Skins upset at home.

New England over Buffalo
Arizona over Detroit
Tennessee over Miami
Houston over St. Louis
NY Jets over Atlanta
Baltimore over Chicago
Philadelphia over San Fransisco
San Diego over Cincinnati
Denver over Oakland
Green Bay over Pittsburgh
Minnesota over Carolina
Indianapolis over Jacksonville
New Orleans over Dallas

Chargers vs. Bengals preview

On Sunday the San Diego Chargers (10-3) will be hosting the Cincinnati Bengals (9-4) in a pivotal game that will have important playoff implications involved.   If the Bolts win they will clinch the AFC west division and earn a playoff birth.  If they lose the Bengals will win the AFC north division.  This will be a very emotional game for Cincinnati following the untimely death of 26 year old wide receiver Chris Henry, who passed away from head injuries sustained while falling out of a moving truck.  Chris Henry was a father, a teammate and someone, who took steps to change his life in the right direction.  He will be missed, by his friends, family and NFL teammates.  There is more to life than football, and a tragedy like this can lift any team emotionally.  This is the exact reason why the Chargers should not take this team lightly.  QB Phillip Rivers needs to come out of the gate, and help this team establish an early lead.  LaDainian Tomlinson needs to improve on his 3.2 yards per carry average and get into the end zone.  Defensively the key to victory is stopping Cinci running back Cedric Benson, who has 6 touchdowns and is averaging 4.1 yards per carry.   I believe that Cincinnati will be fired up for this game, but will fall short in the end.  Final score prediction Chargers: 27 Bengals: 17 Catch the action at 1:05p.m. Pacific time on CBS.

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Bolts Lasso Cowboys for 8th straight win

Arlington, Texas- Cowboys coach Wade Phillip is no stranger when it comes to the Chargers defense.  Having been the Bolts defensive coordinator he knew what they were capable of.  In the second quarter of the game he tested that same defense at the goal line, and four times he was denied.  This is how the game was won, with great defense and a solid showing offensively.  Phillip Rivers spread the ball around to 8 different receivers.  LaDainian Tomlinson got into the act scoring a touchdown on the Bolts first drive.  This game wasn't decided until the fourth quarter.  TE Antonio Gates scored a touchdown, and Kicker Nate Kaeding sealed it with a field goal.  San Diego now has won 8 straight games, and has 16 wins in December.  One more win and the Chargers will clinch the AFC west and a first round bye in the playoffs.

Chargers vs. Cowboys preview

Imagine 100,000 fans cheering and screaming for the home team. This is what the (9-4) Chargers will face in Dallas, except they will be the visiting team. Cowboy owner Jerry Jones knows how to entertain people, too bad it's not with the play of his team. Dallas has 8 wins and 4 losses on the season. Two of those losses were to teams that the Chargers have already beaten, the Giants and Eagles. San Diego is scorching right now and has a 7 game winning streak. Dallas has just come off a tough loss, and is ready to extract some revenge. This is also a home coming for Charger running back LT, who is from the lone star state. This will be a great opportunity for the Chargers to show they can beat another semi-elite team. I expect this game to be a shootout between two explosive offenses. Chargers head coach Norv Turner will be looking to stick it to his former team. He was once an offensive coordinator for Dallas, and almost became their head coach. Tune in for this game, and watch the Chargers lasso the Cowboys for their 8th straight win. This game will be at 1:15p.m. on CBS.

Lou's Week 14 Pro Picks

Cleveland over Pittsburgh
Cleveland hasn’t won any games recently, but they are playing some of their best football all season. The Steelers are playing some of their worst, giving Cleveland a chance to upset at home. Brown’s RB Jerome Harrison is quietly developing as one of the team’s best players and will get the majority of touches now that Jamal Lewis is out for the season. The Steelers secondary is hurting, notably Troy Polamalu, who is out. I predict the Browns to avenge their early season lost to the stumbling Steelers and snatch them out of playoff contention at home on national television.

Indianapolis over Denver
Denver is heating up and looking strong on both sides of the ball the past two games, but their last two opponents were the sleeping NY Giants and the slacking Kansas City Chiefs.  The Broncos don't have a chance against the the high-flying Colt's offense hungry for one more win to clinch home-field advantage.

Buffalo over Kansas City
Kansas City is horrible at rushing the passer, accumulating only 17 team sacks on the season.  Matt Cassel is 3rd most in getting sacked this season and the Bill's D is on fire with eight sacks and six picks in the last three games.  Buffalo's D also coughs up a TD less per game.  Unlike the AFC West, the AFC East is still up for grabs and even Buffalo could make a run for the division.  The Bills win this one.

Minnesota over Cincinnati
New Orleans over Atlanta
Green Bay over Chicago
New England over Carolina
Miami over Jacksonville
New York Jets over Tampa Bay
Seattle over Houston
Baltimore over Detroit
San Diego over Dallas
Tennessee over St. Louis
Oakland over Washington
Philadelphia over NY Giants
Arizona over San Francisco

Sports Bar Review

Watching football at your local sports bar is great.  But what if we took it up a notch?  At Eastlake Village Bowl and Tavern, you get food, football, and bowling.  This location is located in the South Bay at 930 Market St.

TV Set Up & Game Selection:

The Tavern has a great set up that allows for a 360° view of all the games.  TVs are mounted on the walls and surround the restaurant.  Even in the poor viewing areas there are at least 4-5 TVs that show a variety of games.  Overall the set up and game selection is superb, however when I went, one of the games was taken off because of a blowout.  I do not believe that NFL Sunday Ticket takes games off the air, but after talking to our waiter, that was what the Tavern claimed.  That brings it down a little to its current score.

Food & Prices:

Before going to the Tavern I had heard people often tell me that I had to try the burgers, they were to die for.  So of course, for all of you, I did and I have to say it was decent but nothing to write home about.  I actually found the appetizer platter to be the highlight of my dining experience.  The prices are reasonable and went home not feeling like I was over charged, which is always a good thing in these tight economic times.

Service:

The waiter that tended to my table was good, but as the time to the Chargers game grew near, he was nowhere to be found.  As I have always said it is a crapshoot with the service but just be aware that as game time approaches, it will be hard to get excellent service.

Environment:

Have you ever walked into a large sports bar and found it nearly empty.  Well that is what happened when I showed up for the morning games at the Tavern.  When I went in there was more employees working there than patrons.  However, as the Chargers game approaches, the place does a complete 180 and people are scrambling for seats.  If you want to watch a Chargers game here, make sure you arrive about 45 minutes early.

I was pleasantly surprised by Eastlake Village Bowl and Tavern.  I came in with very low expectations and I was shocked at what I good time I had there.  If you are ever in the South Bay and looking for a sports bar, this is the place I recommend.  Stop on by to the Tavern and enjoy the games.

I am currently taking suggestions for sports bars that you would want me to go review.  Anytime this season leave me a note and I will do my best to get out there and give the place a fair review.

LT Makes History and Bolts Get Victory

Cleveland- On a cold winter day the Cleveland Browns were a team that played with passion and pride. Unfortunately for them, they tried to play catch up in the final quarter. The San Diego Chargers had been the dominant team through most of the game. In the fourth the Chargers defense became very lax and gave up 16 points. This could have been a monumental upset for our Bolts. Coach Norv Turner was forced to use different players on defense due to injuries. The Chargers only lapse was their fourth quarter defense. Offensively though the Chargers were stout. LT finished with 64 yards rushing and one touchdown, and moved ahead of ex-Browns running back Jim Brown for 8th all time on the rushing list. Antonio Gates had a career high 167 receiving yards on 8 catches, and Phillip Rivers had 373 passing yards with 2 touchdowns. This was not the prettiest victory, but a pretty damn good one making it 7 straight wins. Chargers will be tested next week against the Dallas Cowgirls. Great win Bolts and special congratulations to LaDainian Tomlinson, for making history.

Chargers vs. Browns preview

There comes a time when a team has to step up and realize, that they might not win the next game. For the Chargers this isn't one of those times. On Sunday, December 6th the Chargers(8-3) face the worst team in the NFL the (1-10) Cleveland Browns. I suspect this will be another low scoring affair for Cleveland. The Browns are ranked 31st in two important categories: total yards per game at 230.0 and points per game 11.0. This game will be exciting for Charger fans, who enjoy watching those ridiculous costumes Browns fans love to wear. I believe that Cleveland is outmatched in every facet of this game. Offensively the Bolts are on fire scoring almost 30 points a game and giving up only 19 ppg. QB Phillip Rivers should have ample time to pick apart Cleveland's 24th ranked pass defense. Running back Ladainian Tomlinson needs 56 yards to break ex-Browns RB Jim Brown's all-time rushing record. This will be a treat for Charger fans, to see history be made. Browns fans also have the opportunity to see what a Super Bowl team really looks like. Everyone wins in this game, unless your a Browns fan. Tune in Sunday at 1:05 pm and catch all the action on CBS.

Lou's Week 13 Pro Picks

Cruised in at 12 of 16 last week and still in the hot 93rd percentile in Yahoo! leagues. Here's the picks:

Green Bay over Baltimore

Raven’s QB Joe Flacco has not been particularly strong over the past five weeks, only throwing for two touchdowns.  LB Terrell Suggs is out and SS Ed Reed will probably not play.  Conversely, the NFL’s Sack-master Aaron Rodgers, has gotten sacked less and less each game last month.  The Packers have a better ranked defense against the run and the pass than Baltimore and are boasting the best turnover ratio in the league.  If Green Bay’s defense can contain Ray Rice, their aerial attack should take care of the rest. 

New York Jets over Buffalo
Bill’s QB Ryan Fitzpatrick may be looking like a stud after stealing the job from starter Trent Edwards two weeks ago, but he is going to have a tough night against one of the roughest defenses in the league, particularly against the pass. It should be an interesting match-up between T.O. and newly named shut-down corner back Darrelle Revis, but I project Revis to reign. Revis has already amassed 18 pass deflections and 4 interceptions in just 11 games. Additionally, Buffalo’s run defense ranks last in the league, so look for Thomas Jones to rumble like he did last time for over 200 rush yards.

Chicago over St. Louis
The Ram’s QB Marc Bulger is out for the 2nd week straight and Steven Jackson is questionable due to an injured back. Jackson has scored in the last four games, but he has also had a steady decline in his yards per carry over that time. Even this season’s INT leader, Jay Cutler, should have a good game versus one of the worst teams at pressuring the quarter back and one of the worst at keeping opposing teams from scoring. Chicago wins this at home.

Cincinnati over Detroit
Philadelphia over Atlanta
Indianapolis over Tennessee
Denver over Kansas City
New England over Miami
Houston over Jacksonville
Pittsburgh over Oakland
New Orleans over Washington
San Diego over Cleveland
Dallas over New York Giants
San Francisco over Seattle
Minnesota over Arizona

The rest of the picks will be out shortly.

Chargers' Fantasy Corner

Last week was a big hit or miss weekend. I really nailed it with 5 players including Forsett and Quinn. But on the other hand I blew it on Holmes and Ryan. This week is the time to bounce back and give you the players who are going to blow up and implode this week in fantasy.

DREAM MATCHUPS

Josh Freeman vs. Carolina

Quietly Freeman has been leading his team and hooking up with his receivers. Word out of the Bucs complex is that WR Antonio Bryant and Freeman are building a strong repertoire. I expect this to help him grow and thrive against a defense that is playing some uninspired football. Expected Stat Line: 255 yards, 2 TDs

Correll Buckhalter vs. Kansas City

The Chiefs just got spanked by our Chargers and now face off against the Denver Broncos. As much as I’d like to see the Broncos stumble it looks unlikely and Buckhalter should be plenty involved. The Chiefs looked bad against the pass and a lot of little dump offs to Buckhalter will go for big runs. Expected Stat Line: 45 rushing yards, 5 receptions 65 yards, 1 TD

Chad Ochocinco vs. Detroit

The Lions are dead last against the pass and COC has already asked the coaching staff to unleash the passing game. With RB Cedric Benson coming off injury and RB Bernard Scott battling turf toe, going to the air may be the safest thing to do. Ocho will have a big day and that will get the pass attack going. Expected Stat Line: 6 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

San Diego Defense vs. Cleveland

The Defense had a huge game last week against the Chiefs. Lately the Bolts have been handling their business and beating the bad teams soundly. With the Browns Offense being pathetic, it’s another opportunity for the Chargers to feast upon QB Brady Quinn and company. Expected Stat Line: 5 sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 2 INTs, and 1 TD

NIGHTMARE MATCHUPS

Chad Henne vs. New England

Don’t even get it twisted but the Patriots are very, very, mad. They just got beat up on national television and they will extract revenge. And who is on the schedule? The Dolphins. I’d hate to be them on Sunday and QB Chad Henne will have to face a defense that’s going to do everything that they couldn’t do to Drew Brees. Expected Stat Line: 220 yards, 3 INTs

Steve Slaton vs. Jacksonville

All the cool kids started out this week running out to get Texans RB Chris Brown and you are stuck with Steve Slaton. The two are going to share the load and Slaton and his fumblitis will be on the bench inside the 20 yard line. The Jags stopped 49ers RB Frank Gore to less than 40 yards rushing. Most of the damage that Slaton will make will be through the air, but no TDs here. Expected Stat Line: 25 rushing yards, 5 receptions, 35 yards, 0 TDs

Chris Chambers vs. Denver

Chambers has really stepped in during Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe’s four game suspension. He has been playing 20x better than when he was a Charger. This week I don’t see QB Matt Cassell finding enough time to make all the passes that he needs to, minimizing the chances he has in finding Chambers. Expected Stat Line: 4 catches, 60 yards

Jerome Harrison vs. San Diego

The good news is that Harrison is taking over for the recently injured RB Jamal Lewis. Unfortunately, his first start comes against the San Diego Chargers. Cleveland has been playing sorry football the entire season while the Bolts are hot right now. If the Browns have any other options available to them this weekend then he will lose playing time do to his inability to pick up the blitz. Don’t expect much from Harrison this week. Expected Stat Line: 25 rushing yards, 0TDs

Sports Bar Review

It’s time for a new sports bar and this is a familiar place at a different location.  This week I’ll be reviewing Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company in Eastlake.  A different Oggi’s brought a different game day experience.  Oggi’s is located at 2130 Birch Road #104 across the street from the Otay Ranch Shopping Center. 

TV Set Up & Game Selection:

This Oggi’s location is smaller than the restaurant in Mission Valley and is split in two by the bar.  There is a dining area with a few TVs scattered around and a sports bar area with a 360° view of the games.  The problems start with the fact that the tables are set up so that your back is facing about 5 TVs and you have to completely turn your body around to see the game, quite uncomfortable.  Another issue is that the games are preset and they do not change the games for patrons.  If you miss out on the sports bar area then the amount of prime seating in the dining area becomes very hard to come by.

Food & Prices:

The menu looks just as unappetizing as the one in Mission Valley but the food is the same quality and price as the one in Mission Valley.  The food is delicious and won’t set you back with the price.  If you’re looking for a quick appetizer to start the morning off, then I recommend the popcorn chicken.  It’s a quick snack that will hold you over through the first quarter.

Service:

With this being a smaller establishment the service that you receive is a bit more personal.  When I go to a restaurant to judge the service I look for servers who come check on you even though you aren’t their table.  I have seen a number of the servers quick to assist patrons that aren’t at their table.  But I have also seen servers who pass you up because you are not at their table.  As always, hit or miss with the service.

Environment:

The manager of this establishment is really hands on and is a huge football fan.  He sits there as a customer and watches the games along with the patrons.  Many of the people are regulars and are recognized by the employees on a first name basis.  I do have to admit that at times you feel like an outsider as the servers spend a lot of time at the tables of regular customers.  It is a personable environment and it serves its purpose as a good place to watch the games.

Overall, the TV set up really soured me on this Oggi’s, especially in comparison to the other one.  It was a huge bother to have to twist my body around to watch the games and it also caused me to miss parts of the games.  However, if you are in the South Bay and looking for a place to watch the games, Oggi’s Eastlake is somewhere worth giving a look.