Predict the Score Contest, Week 15 Results

[alamo]

Let's see, since the prediction thread got wiped out I'll have to go by memory of what I saw there when I made my prediction. Here's what I can remember so far:

1. Bill B.     Patriots 28 - 0  Score  0
   alamo       Patriots 28 - 0  Score  0
3. cobraboy    Patriots 28 - 1  Score  1
4. texpat      Bucs      7 - 0  Score 35
5. shakadave   Bucs     37 - 4  Score 61

Wow, quite a shakeup in the season standings, too!
Ahem. Ok, maybe those aren't quite right. (Hey, it was just about my only shot at personal glory!)

You know the oddest thing? I always wait until Tuesday to check the predictions and post the scores, since before then threads scroll off the first page so quickly. But after the game Saturday I altered my routine and checked and saved the predictions right then. First time all season I have done that. Did I have a premonition? No, I don't think so, I was just happy at the win and that plus the fact that it was Saturday instead of Sunday meant I did things differently. I wish I was as lucky with my actual predictions!

When I look at the real results... I see that this week kudos are due to this contest's creator, Andy Johnson, who had more faith in the defense than anyone else. Congratulations Andy!

 1. AndyJohnson          Patriots 31 -  3   Score  6
 2. OhExaulted1          Patriots 26 -  6   Score  8
 3. Ceresco              Patriots 24 -  6   Score 10
 4. checkedout           Patriots 24 - 10   Score 14
    coltshater           Patriots 24 - 10   Score 14
    drew4008             Patriots 24 - 10   Score 14
    JJDChE               Patriots 27 - 13   Score 14
 8. Seymour93            Patriots 20 -  8   Score 16
 9. alamo                Patriots 24 - 13   Score 17
    Bostonian1962        Patriots 24 - 13   Score 17
    Pats Fanatic         Patriots 21 - 10   Score 17
    Patsguy05            Patriots 21 - 10   Score 17
    Patters              Patriots 21 - 10   Score 17
    Turk                 Patriots 24 - 13   Score 17
    Willie55             Patriots 21 - 10   Score 17
16. Armen Da Pats Fan    Patriots 27 - 17   Score 18
    Boston Boxer         Patriots 20 - 10   Score 18
    JR4                  Patriots 24 - 14   Score 18
    pats-blue            Patriots 20 - 10   Score 18
    RIP#40               Patriots 23 - 13   Score 18
21. pats1                Patriots 26 - 17   Score 19
22. Brady#12             Patriots 31 - 17   Score 20
    stcjones             Patriots 21 - 13   Score 20
24. All_Around_Brown     Patriots 20 - 13   Score 21
    Bill B.              Patriots 23 - 16   Score 21
    italianpatthepatriot Patriots 20 - 13   Score 21
    patchick             Patriots 20 - 13   Score 21
    Patsgirl_DK          Patriots 24 - 17   Score 21
    shakadave            Patriots 22 - 15   Score 21
    Zapper               Patriots 20 - 13   Score 21
31. braveht              Patriots 14 - 10   Score 24
    dr                   Patriots 14 - 10   Score 24
    Oceanviewer1         Patriots 24 - 20   Score 24
    PatsChick87          Patriots 17 - 13   Score 24
    PATSNUTme            Patriots 20 - 16   Score 24
    T-ShirtDynasty       Patriots 20 - 16   Score 24
    texpat               Patriots 23 - 19   Score 24
38. chris_in_sunnyvale   Patriots 20 - 17   Score 25
    kirjtc2              Patriots 30 - 23   Score 25
    Laffy Taffy          Patriots 25 - 22   Score 25
    oldrover             Patriots 17 - 14   Score 25
42. PatsRI               Patriots 16 - 14   Score 26
43. brdmaverick          Patriots 17 - 16   Score 27
44. Beavis               Bucs     21 - 17   Score 32
    Buc_Sid              Bucs     17 - 13   Score 32
46. Tunescribe           Bucs     23 - 16   Score 35
47. huskeralk            Bucs     21 - 13   Score 36
48. cobraboy             Bucs     23 - 13   Score 38

 

[alamo]

Season Standings

Again few were able to exploit the opportunity that the Patriots defense provided, as the top five stay in the same order and noone in the top ten except OhExaulted1 was able to make much of a move.

 1. shakadave            This week 21 Prev 155 ( 1.) Total 176
 2. patchick             This week 21 Prev 160 ( 2.) Total 181
 3. dr                   This week 24 Prev 161 ( 3.) Total 185
 4. braveht              This week 24 Prev 170 ( 4.) Total 194
 5. chris_in_sunnyvale   This week 25 Prev 171 ( 5.) Total 196
    Boston Boxer         This week 18 Prev 178 ( 7.) Total 196
 7. OhExaulted1          This week  8 Prev 190 (10.) Total 198
    texpat               This week 24 Prev 174 ( 6.) Total 198
 9. italianpatthepatriot This week 21 Prev 178 ( 7.) Total 199
10. alamo                This week 17 Prev 183 ( 9.) Total 200
11. pats1                This week 19 Prev 196 (11.) Total 215
12. AndyJohnson          This week  6 Prev 213 (15.) Total 219
13. brdmaverick          This week 27 Prev 197 (12.) Total 224
14. JR4                  This week 18 Prev 208 (14.) Total 226
15. drew4008             This week 14 Prev 214 (16.) Total 228
16. T-ShirtDynasty       This week 24 Prev 207 (13.) Total 231
17. Seymour93            This week 16 Prev 219 (17.) Total 235
18. Zapper               This week 21 Prev 221 (18.) Total 242
19. Willie55             This week 17 Prev 226 (20.) Total 243
20. Patsgirl_DK          This week 21 Prev 223 (19.) Total 244
21. RIP#40               This week 18 Prev 230 (21.) Total 248
22. Bill B.              This week 21 Prev 238 (22.) Total 259

 

[Mike the Brit]

Brilliant work, Alamo -- that would have been the saddest thing to lose from the site (after the cheerleaders' thread, of course ).

Very striking that, though most people took the Pats to win, very few had them holding the Bucs under 10 points. I looked at the Buffalo results and noted that AJ didn't get as close as I'd have expected, given his attitude to the Pats' problems this season. Congratulations to him this week -- the unquenchable optimist has the pleasure of being right

 

[texpat]

Alamo,

Great job on doing a backup. Now that reminds me I haven't done a backup on my computer since 199........, wait, I have never done a back-up.

AJ, great pick. I think many are getting close to making wild picks,

 

[Willie55]

Alamo, I thought my prediction was 24-10.

 

[alamo]

Alamo, I thought my prediction was 24-10.

Nope, I just went back and double-checked, only 21-10. I've done the same thing, actually prepared the results one week with my score entered from my memory but when I double-checked everything against the prediction thread I saw I was wrong.

Very striking that, though most people took the Pats to win, very few had them holding the Bucs under 10 points. I looked at the Buffalo results and noted that AJ didn't get as close as I'd have expected, given his attitude to the Pats' problems this season. Congratulations to him this week -- the unquenchable optimist has the pleasure of being right

Funny how early in the season many people kept picking scores like "Patriots 28-10" while the team kept losing alternating with tight wins. Everyone learned their lesson and started picking for relatively close games -- but now the pattern has changed. For now.

Had his thread not been wiped out, my intro would have mentioned how fitting it was that AJ won, since he had been so vocal with his ideas.

Great job on doing a backup. Now that reminds me I haven't done a backup on my computer since 199........, wait, I have never done a back-up.

I used to back up my computers religiously... I got a new one a year and a half ago and haven't backed up since, as hard drives get larger it gets more and more time-consuming and it's tempting to just live on the edge...

 

[Ring 6]

I'm just happy to have won.
I can only take them one game at a time, and the competition for picking this weeks game is going to be tougher than ever.
I hope my prediction can be prepared for the game and handle adversity and fight back to win.
Its only one game, I dont think they are creating a bust for me in Canton.
I just want to thank of all those who helped me in preparation for this pick. I cant do it alone, it takes a team working together.





By the way, I must admit, as I did when I made the pick, I went with the blowout in order to help get me close in the yearly standings. It worked, but Im still out of the top 10.

 

[PatsWorldChamps]

just an idea.... for the last couple weeks, have the predictions PM'd to be fairer...
or, if that's too much trouble, the predictions should be made in order, to prevent #1 from coasting after seeing others picks

 

[PatsWorldChamps]

I'm just happy to have won.
I can only take them one game at a time, and the competition for picking this weeks game is going to be tougher than ever.
I hope my prediction can be prepared for the game and handle adversity and fight back to win.
Its only one game, I dont think they are creating a bust for me in Canton.
I just want to thank of all those who helped me in preparation for this pick. I cant do it alone, it takes a team working together.


By the way, I must admit, as I did when I made the pick, I went with the blowout in order to help get me close in the yearly standings. It worked, but Im still out of the top 10.

andy, you left out:
you picked some things good, but you could have picked better... it is what it is... and next week's pick is gonna be really tough

 

[shakadave]

On rule changes

just an idea.... for the last couple weeks, have the predictions PM'd to be fairer...
or, if that's too much trouble, the predictions should be made in order, to prevent #1 from coasting after seeing others picks

I've thought about this. I've tried to make a lot of Thursday predictions, and sometimes Fridays, but last week I picked last-minute, and there was also that last-minute pick from the Denver airport, although that time I never saw anyone else's picks. If we really wanted to get serious about it, there could be a 1-point penalty for waiting til Friday to predict, a 2-pt for Saturday, and a 3-point hit for day-of-game predictions. But I'm not proposing any changes midseason --- this is one for the Competition Committee to discuss in March.

Certainly among the Top 5 there has been a certain amount of "groupthink" on recent predictions. I think chrisinsunnyvale and dr deserve credit for sometimes going with unique picks. Also, they've often made picks admirably early, and have inspired me to try to do the same, on the honor system.

P.S. It's only fair to warn you all: if I am able to hold my lead ---- no gimme as everyone else starts taking potshots ---- I will exercise my "bragging rights" to the fullest extent of the law! LOL

 

[alamo]

I don't want to change rules at this point, unless something is clearly anticompetitive. And being able to see others' predictions before making ones own doesn't ensure success, it just possibly gives you a chance if you are willing to risk being spectacularly wrong. I don't thing a certain amount of gamesmanship is a bad thing as we near the end.