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So how did the Water Cooler Talk go last week with your work colleagues, or with your friends and family away from the workplace?  For your sake, I hope it went well and for my sake, I hope to give you great material every week to continue to sound like and be the “sports guru” wherever it is you may be.  Share your talks with me on Twitter by following me and commenting on @JasonSaulter.  Don’t be alarmed by all the smack talk about the Seahawks on my page, those fans and I have a history that dates back to my time being stationed in Washington state.  Now, let’s move onto to this week’s edition of Water Cooler Talk!

NFL:

Oh what a fun week it was in the NFL! One undefeated was knocked off the throne, Dolphins head coach Dan Campbell earned his first win, Peyton Manning got booed, the Colts tried the most ridiculous play…possibly ever, the Seahawks can’t close out games, and we still don’t know what classifies a catch.

If you missed the play, check it out here.  Now I’ll be reasonable, the game is at a very high pace and it’s tough to get calls right, but there is no definitive rule on what is a catch.  Also, there’s instant replay, which was used for Tate’s catch, but even then the officials couldn’t get it right with technology.  I don’t want to hear the NFL will wait until the season concludes to get this figured out…I want them to fix this now and I think I speak for numerous NFL fans and players.

On a side note…I have Golden Tate on a fantasy team and I was happy he got the points, but my reality NFL far outweighs my fantasy football, and even though Tate got me points (in a matchup where I lost by 5 anyway) I was still furious.

I mentioned last week that I’d put teams in the playoffs after week six…and I didn’t lie:

The Broncos, Packers, Panthers, and Patriots escaped this week to remain undefeated. All are good teams, but all probably should’ve lost their week six matchups.  The Broncos and Packers have the weakest divisions to get through, so I’ll put them in now.  The Panthers and Patriots have to face the Falcons and Jets twice respectively, but despite possibly not winning their divisions (though not likely) I have to put them in as well.

The Bengals are for real. I’ve got them in the playoffs and I’ll even say Andy Dalton finally wins a playoff game.  I won’t say they’ll win the division just yet though, because I think the Steelers are going to be tough.

Speaking of the Steelers…4-2?…really? I don’t know how they’re doing it, and I’m wondering if it’s something they’re doing right or if their opposition is doing something terribly wrong in the second half of games.  The Cardinals should’ve destroyed the Steelers at Heinz Field, but they couldn’t score despite Carson Palmer throwing for 421 yards with John Brown on the receiving end of 196 of those yards.  Turnovers hurt the Cards, and so did Landry Jones.  If Jones doesn’t get the start this week over the ineffective Mike Vick…Steeler Nation may have a collective aneurism.  If Pittsburgh can win this week and get Big Ben back for Cincinnati in two weeks, things may get very interesting.

Overall, it was an exciting week for the NFL and the storylines are coming fast and furious each week which keeps guys and gals like me busy on Sunday and Monday nights. Week 7 begins at 9:30 ET, which means 14 hours of NFL football!

MLB:

Daniel Murphy’s postseason to this point must mean he’s a $150-200 million player at season’s end. Seriously, his postseason numbers prove it, and guys with similar stats have gotten fat-stacks for doing it.  He is a free agent after this season, and I’m more than willing to bet he’ll ask for more than the $8 million he made for 2015.

Murphy, along with The Dark Knight and Thor, have helped their team to a 2-0 series lead over the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS. The Mets are absolutely riding on their young starting staff, but if it gets them to the World Series they won’t complain.  It’s going to be tough for Joe Maddon and the Cubs to bounce back from their 2-0 hole, but crazy things happen in the postseason, so never say never.

Unfortunately for me, the crazy series finale between the Blue Jays and Rangers in the ALDS is old news, or I’d talk about it for the next four or five paragraphs.  Luckily for you, three games have been played in the ALCS so I’ll stick with what’s current.

The Blue Jays are finally in the win column after a crazy Game 3 last night where they won 11-8.  The Toronto crowd was absolutely insane last night, and it helped when Tulo hit a three-run bomb off Johnny Cueto to put the Jays up 6-2 in the 3rd inning.  I literally got goose bumps when the crowd erupted.  It’s like they haven’t seen their team in the playoffs in the last 22 seasons…oh, right.

All in all, the postseason hasn’t disappointed and if it wasn’t for the NFL coinciding with the schedule, there would be tons of baseball talk. It just goes to show that unfortunately baseball is less and less becoming America’s favorite pastime.

NCAAF:

Yeah, yeah, Ohio State won.  I’m still waiting for them to face a good opponent before I acknowledge they’re the #1 team in the nation.  In back-to-back weeks they face Michigan State and Michigan on November 21^st and 28^th, until then, it’s the usual cruise control.

Do you like how I tied in Michigan State and Michigan there? My English professors should give me extra credit for that!  Anyways, there was a reason for that.  I don’t need to tell you about it, you just need to see it for yourself.  This isn’t the first special teams blunder by the Wolverines this season, it happened opening week at Utah as well.  To be fair, special teams helped them win against Oregon State, so it’s not all bad.  However, we could possibly be talking about Michigan being undefeated had it not been for the two “oops” this season.

Before , I thought I should take the time to introduce myself and give you a preview of what’s to come.  My name is Jason Saulter and I’m a student at Mansfield University where I’m studying Communications.  Before attending Mansfield U. I went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting where I found my passion of the media industry, especially sports media.  I’ve covered sports and entertainment for various broadcasts over the past few years and I am excited to share my take.

I hope that Water Cooler Talk gives you the knowledge you need to sound like the “sports guru” in your workplace, and if you happen to be talking sports next to an actual water cooler then please send a photo. @jasonsaulter

Now, let’s get to the real reason you came here.  I’ll assume you’re on your lunch break and needed a break from checking your fantasy lineups…but I’ll take it.

NFL:

Are ACL’s becoming the new concussions? Another star player went down this weekend as Jamaal Charles is out for the remainder of the season, after his second ACL tear in four seasons. A sad day for Charles, NFL fans, fantasy owners, and the Kansas City Chiefs who are now 1-4 and likely not to make up any ground in the AFC.

We saw too many star players go down during training camp and preseason games with torn ACL’s. Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin are absolutely missed in their respective offenses and let’s also not forget Dante Fowler Jr., Ryan Clady, and Louis Delmas who are dearly missed on their teams as well.

Now let’s get to the fun stuff…and that starts with Josh McCown. Yes, I said it. Who is Josh McCown? That’s the guy who is keeping Johnny Manziel off the field for the Browns and the guy who torched the Ravens through 4+ quarters on Sunday. No disrespect to McCown, but how does this guy throw for 457 yards? This speaks more to how badly the Ravens are this season than to how well McCown played. After Terrell Suggs went down in week one, the Ravens defense has been atrocious and there’s no sign of recovery. The offense has been abysmal as well, but when Steve Smith Sr. returns that should change (should being the keyword). If it wasn’t for two Josh Scobee missed field goals on Thursday Night Football in week four, the Ravens would be 0-5.

Speaking of records that aren’t what they should be, how about those Seattle Seahawks. The Bengals defied expectations and overcame a 17-point 4th quarter deficit to defeat the Hawks in OT. Had it not been for another referee miscue on Monday Night Football in Seattle (see the ‘Fail Mary’ play from 2012), the Seahawks would be sitting in the cellar in the NFC West, with a 1-4 record.

Then there’s the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I’ll be honest with you, I turned the game off at the 2:00 mark with the Chargers ahead 20-17 to watch the Mets-Dodgers game.  Mike Vick couldn’t do squat until the fourth quarter, but somehow turned it around.  It started with a beautiful double move by Markus Wheaton for a 72-yard TD with 7:42 left in the game to tie it up at 17.  Then the two-minute drill worked to perfection, capped off by Le’Veon Bell’s 5-yard wildcat scamper to score as time expired.  The Black and Yellow will take the 24-20 win and the 3-2 record, but you know they’re just biding their time until Big Ben returns.  Can’t Miss Play

Let’s give credit where credit is due now, all teams entering week five undefeated stayed undefeated. Carolina had the easiest path to keeping their undefeated mark…they had a bye. Besides that, the Bengals, Packers, Patriots, Broncos, and Falcons have all but sealed up a playoff spot. Too early? All right…I’ll wait until next week to start putting teams into the playoffs.

MLB:

Does nobody want to advance past the ALDS this year? The Astros had all but advanced last night, but they allowed a five-run eighth inning to let the Royals tie the series 2-2. The Rangers didn’t show up last night and now their series with the Blue Jays is tied 2-2, with the road team winning every game.

How about those Cubbies?  They go into the day with a 2-1 series lead over division rival St. Louis.  I know Bartman has already respectfully declined the offer to come back to Wrigley, but maybe the Cubs should pull the offer when they host a potential series-winning game.

If they split the MVP votes between the first half and the second half of the season, you could argue that Yoenis Cespedes should get the honor for the second half.  He has single-handedly been the Mets offense since being acquired at the trade deadline, and now the Mets are one game away from advancing to the NLCS after a convincing 13-7 defeat of the Dodgers on Monday night.  Did you see the long-ball Cespedes hit last night?  If you missed it…shame on you.

NCAAF:

The news last night trumps all other college football material that has transpired over the last few days:  Steve Spurrier (70) is retiring.  Not at the end of the season, this is effective immediately.  After leading the Gamecocks to a 2-4 start to the season, the Ol’ Ball Coach ends his college coaching career with a 228-89-2 record with Duke, Florida, and South Carolina.  Thanks for the memories coach (for the record, I’m excluding the Washington Redskins memories).  Looking back at the Head Ball Coach

The third installment of Water Cooler Talk is upon us, and I for one am excited for this edition because I get to talk World Series! The New York Mets and the Kansas City Royals will undoubtedly give us one hell of a treat which will hopefully go the distance. Then there’s the headlines of the NFL we’ll get you ready for as Week 8 officially begins. If you’re an NBA fan you’re excited for the season opener, and if you’re not, then Water Cooler Talk is there with you. Sit back, hide the monitor from the bosses view, and let Water Cooler Talk help you to be this week’s office sports guru.

MLB:

The Mets have had six days off after their sweep against the Cubs, which is a lifetime for baseball players, especially after being as hot as they were. Yoenis Cespedes has said he’s not 100% healthy for the series after a shoulder injury in the NLCS, but he assures us that he’ll be in the Mets outfield and will most likely wreak havoc on the Royals pitching staff. Can Daniel Murphy continue the hot streak and extend his postseason homerun streak, which currently stands at six and is already a MLB record? Then there’s the starting rotation for the Mets, which doesn’t need to be questioned. The Dark Knight gets the start tonight, followed by Jacob DeGrom for game two, Thor starts game three, and Steven Matz takes the hill for game four. Before this series is over, maybe we’ll get DeGrom and Matz nicknames as well.

The Royals have had three days of rest after their six-game defeat of the Blue Jays in the ALCS, which ended Friday night. This team has depth and without a doubt the best bullpen in baseball. The starters for the Royals only need to go five innings a game to get to that bullpen, and they may need that for games 1, 3, and 4 when Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura, and Chris Young take the hill respectively. Johnny Cueto gets the game two start, a game in which he should be able to go 6+ innings if he’s on his game. The home field advantage belongs to the Royals, with the first two games at Kaufmann Stadium, and games six and seven as well if needed.

I do think this series goes the distance, and the bullpens of both squads will be the deciding factor for at least four of those games. Royals closer Wade Davis will shut down any possibilities for the Mets in the 9th inning. The Royals will win this series 4-3, and I predict Lorenzo Cain will be the World Series MVP.

NFL:

Is Sexy Rexy the right guy in Buffalo? I think not, and I haven’t since he was announced as the head coach in January. The Bills have lost two straight and are now 3-4 on the season heading into their bye. Questionable coaching decisions against the Bengals raised one eyebrow, and a bad loss versus the Jaguars in London should raise both. He says the right things and gets fan bases excited, but that hasn’t resulted in the kind of season Bills Mafia was expecting. The same thing happened in New York, and look how that ended. “Lookie lookie, here comes Cookie,” that’s what got the fans excited about Rex, a reference that’s 50 years old. Way to hold on to the past.

We know one undefeated will lose this week, because the Packers travel to Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday Night Football. Both will enter the game 6-0, but only one leaves 7-0 (duh)! The Bengals, Panthers, and Patriots will look to go 7-0 this week as well and the action begins with the Patriots as they host the rejuvenated Dolphins on Thursday Night Football. If I was a gambling man (and I am), I’d say every team except the Broncos stay undefeated after this week.

The Detroit Lions are a mess, there’s no other way to put it. They’re 1-6 and are in last place in the NFC North. It was confirmed yesterday that offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was fired, along with two offensive line coaches. If anything, we can all get a chuckle when Jim Bob Cooter’s name comes up on the screen as the new offensive coordinator (c’mon Jason, let’s be mature about this). The Lions have a bad offensive line, a bad defense, and with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson taking a lot of salary cap space, it may take a while for this team to turn things around. The Lions face the Chiefs this week in London.

I have another gripe against officiating this week…can you believe it?  I was going to go on a rant about spotting the ball this week, but Chris Johnson’s 62-yard run last night took that away from me.  Just like last week I will again say that officiating is harder these days because of the pace of play, but everyone in attendance of that game and all the fans watching at home knew that Johnson’s forward momentum was stopped.  Heck, even Johnson knew it because he squatted on the play.  Now he did the right thing because the whistle hadn’t blown, but WHY WASN’T THE WHISTLE BLOWN?  If you faced Chris Johnson in fantasy and lost by six points…I’m sorry for your loss.

NBA:

The season starts today.  Will Bron Bron take the Cavs to promise land?  Is this the last shootout for “Old Man Duncan” in San Antonio?  Can Golden State and Steph Curry find the magic…again?

NCAAF:

I am not shocked that Utah lost on Saturday to USC. That was a trap game and the Utes fell into it.

I am surprised however that Clemson clobbered Miami 58-0, which led to the firing of Al Golden as the Hurricanes head coach. Not that I didn’t think Clemson was going to win, it was just the way they won. The Miami locker room quit on Golden, there’s no question about it. The program can come back, but like Penn State, I don’t think it’ll happen for a long time. There’s not enough money to get a big name coach, so they’ll have to look for someone who can recruit like no other. Perhaps Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham gets the first call?

#2 ranked Baylor suffered a huge loss, as Junior QB Seth Russell will miss the remainder of the season after requiring neck surgery. This may ultimately open the door for TCU to win the Big 12.

Florida State went from #9 to #17 this week after losing to Georgia Tech in the final seconds. The Seminoles had this coming, as they seemingly won every close game last season. The ACC has some tough teams this season with Clemson, Florida State, UNC, Pitt, and Duke. Not an easy road to climb for the Noles, but there’s plenty of time to gain ground.

Two games stand out for me this week. UNC travels to #23 Pitt and #9 Notre Dame takes on #21 Temple. A good matchup should be had between the Tar Heels and Panthers, and I think the Heels eke out a win. Temple is a good team that no one has seen, and I am calling for the upset, Temple wins 23-21 to stay undefeated.

I need to get away from the national spectrum and congratulate the Port Allegany Gators on being the 2015 AML North champions. The Gators started the season 1-3 and have ripped off four straight wins, with last week’s win at Smethport being the most impressive. They finish the regular season on Friday at home versus a winless Sheffield team, then face the AML South champion Kane Wolves for the AML title. I’ve broadcast this team the last three seasons and I’ve seen improvement each and every year. I’m happy to have watched this team accomplish what they have this season, in what is my last season covering the team. Keep it going boys!

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