Nurse the Hate: Welcome to the Silo and NFL Week 7

 

It's interesting that when you speak with people at any sort of length, you can quickly make a logical guess as to where they get their news.  For example, I was speaking with a woman this week that told me how the car dealership she represents is selling every $70,000 pickup truck they can get in stock.  She and her husband had just returned from a ten day vacation in the Caribbean at a swanky resort.  She had to cut the call short because she was driving over to another car dealership to allow her son to take delivery on the new KIA they had just purchased for him.  But before she left, she whispered to me "The economy is so bad...".  Despite her just giving me anecdotal evidence to the contrary, she was adamant on repeating Fox News/Far Right talking points.  This is her reality, and she is absolutely convinced Doomsday is just around the corner because Joe Biden is president.

It's interesting how everyone lives in a silo now.  There is no such thing as shared truth, but more importantly, no desire to even know what the truth is.  I spend most of my week talking to people that blissfully don't know anything about anything and talk about reality TV stars like they are personal friends.  There was a guy that was telling me that Climate Change isn't a real thing, and is just a scam by "The Left" to sell solar and wind power schemes.  Let's just set aside that the Fossil Fuel Industry is the group with ALL of the money and lobbyists.  It's not like powerful Wind Farm Barons are coming to town like New Age Boss Hoggs.  All the anti climate change misinformation is placed by special interests, i.e. "people that make money when you burn fuel". 

I offered to let him log into an agriculture webinar I was attending where farmers were talking about how to deal with the various challenges the climate is presenting them.  If you're growing a crop for money, all you care about is bringing a profitable harvest in, right?  No one is going to sink the family business because they are so committed to left wing dogma.  Yet, I could not convince this person to take in real information on a topic they were so emotional about (for some reason).  The guy did NOT want anything to get in the way of his daily Fox News/social media feed narrative.  He had his reality, and the threat of that being shaken up clearly made him uncomfortable.

Let's talk about misinformation that REALLY matters.  There is this narrative out there that Gardiner Minshew is a really good quarterback that comes in as a backup and wins games.  Now "the guy" in Indianapolis, the common belief is the team is better with Minshew as the starter.  Look, that might be true, but he's still 2-10 as a starter in his last 12.  This week he gets to play the Browns and their historically good defense that has only allowed 1000 yards in the first five games.  Yes, the Browns offense is sort of shitty, and PJ Walker stinks.  However, give me the shitty QB with the great defense instead of the shitty quarterback with the average defense.  I got on this at Cleveland -2.5 and it's moved to 3.5.  I'd consider Cleveland money line if the math works.  

OK, I think the Lions are legit.  It's weird to even type that out.  The Lions are one of those teams that are like the Browns Jr.  You know they will find a way to lose in heartbreaking fashion, but you just don't know how.  I was trying to push for Detroit and Cleveland to merge and make one average team a few years ago, and maybe play the games at Cedar Point.  Maybe the dipshit Haslams and dipshit Ford families could just argue and let the football guys do their thing.  But this Lions team is really good.  They went down to Tampa last week and took care of business.  Now they catch Baltimore coming back from London, a great letdown spot.  I think the Ravens sorta suck, and the Lions defense can keep Lamar in check.  Give me the Lions +3.

Denver is probably the worst team in the NFL.  Their defense is either just plain awful or has given up.  I think the ownership group is going to blow that whole thing up after this year and let Sean Peyton do his thing, and I think the players know it.  I am going to use them in my now traditional weekly teaser and go Green Bay over Denver and tie them into the Rams over Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh's offense is stunningly bad.  I think the Kenny Picket era will come to a merciful end after this season, but until then we will watch them limp through trying to win low scoring games with big defensive and special teams play.  That's not exactly a formula for success.  Green Bay +6/LA Rams +3. 

Season Record:  9-9-1