Our AFC West: Roundtable Ruminations

With football season underway, we're left with but few things to do: Watch football, drink beer, and talk about football. It's Wednesday, so there're no games on, and we're out of beer. For now. So yes, that leaves us with one option: talking about football. This is the first installment of what might become a successful feature in the future, but we all have sites to run, lives to live, and beer to drink, so who knows. For now, here's our week one lineup:

In the mix we've got Kyle from BroncoTalk, Adam from Arrowhead Addict, Chris from Arrowhead Pride, and of course, Mr. Hercules Rockefeller from Orange Bucksnorts. We're going to comment on the two AFC West teams that matter most, and when necessary, we'll talk about the Chargers and Raiders, too. Week One was pretty amazing to say the least. The Chiefs didn't lose 42-3 in New England, and of course knocked Tom Brady out for the year. San Diego choked, and the Raiders totally shit the bed on Monday night hosting the Broncos. That's my summary of the games, and that's why I recruit more intelligent people to sum them up better. See what they had to say, after the jump.

Bankmeister: Kyle -- Along with others, I've felt that this could be a huge year for Jay Cutler. Talk about his performance and poise in the first game of '08. Also, the Monday night crew wasted no time talking about the (recent) history of successful Denver ground attacks. Will Selvin Young get the bulk of the carries, or will we see a mix of him, Hall, and Pittman all year?

BroncoTalk: Cutler, to put it simply, was dominant. He did it all. He threw from the pocket. He threw from the bootleg. He dumped it off short. He delivered long bombs with perfect accuracy. He moved the chains with his legs. He even acted as the lead blocker on the first play of the game -- a pitch to rookie Eddie Royal. You really can't say enough good things, and the stats show it -- he earned a passer rating on Monday above 130.

More than anything, Cutler's improvement is a product of an offensive line that is playing light years ahead of last year's unit. All respect to Matt Lepsis, the Broncos former left tackle -- love ya’ for all the years prior -- but he was God awful in 2007. Right tackle Erik Pears was worse. Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris fill those spots now, and even though both basically have zero NFL experience, they're playing surprisingly well. Amazingly well. If the Broncos return to the playoffs this year, the offensive line will be the biggest reason.

The running situation is interesting. Had rookie Ryan Torain stayed healthy, he likely would have been the guy. He's out five-six weeks, so until then, I'm guessing it'll be a pretty even mix of Selvin Young and Andre Hall -- think 2005's Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell. Michael Pittman scored two touchdowns Monday, but I don't expect many repeat performances there. He didn't look that good. Even for Denver standards, this year's running back situation is particularly murky. For the first time ever, I didn't draft a Denver back in any of my fantasy leagues. Even I have no idea what the hell's going on there.

B: Herc -- What the f**k happened to Oakland? I read multiple predictions from so-called experts suggesting that the division would wind up in this order: SD, Oak, Den, KC. Will the Raiders rebound from this embarrassment, or will McFadden's injury and Russell's fat slouchiness doom them to another year of suckdom. Also, how about Eddie Royal? Looks like a stud.

Orange Bucksnorts: The Raiders problem is simple: Al Davis is still alive. He runs that team with an iron fist much the way Shanahan (or Coach Teflon as some internet wags have dubbed him) runs the Broncos. It's Skeletor's way or the highway, just ask every head coach he's hired over the last two decades. A lot of times, that's the way to go. The Donks have had relative success with it, but Al Davis has about 450 years on Shanny; the game has painfully passed him by. You can't sink tons of cash into jet-fast receivers and DBs, and actively seek out other teams’ malcontents thinking they'll win with a chip on their shoulder anymore. Maybe you could in the 70s and early 80s, but last time I checked, it hasn't been the early 80s in 25 years. Did anyone catch ESPN's shots of him last night? I thought it was actually a Madame Tousseau-style wax figure. And what the hell was with towel draped over his lap the whole game? To catch his drool? To hide the fact that he's wearing Depends under that white jumpsuit?

That's historically. As for nowadays, I think they have some of the pieces in place to eventually be fairly decent, if not competitive. Jamarcus Russell, while being a fat fuck, isn't actually that bad. He's got a cannon arm, but he's a little wild and he needs to reign that cannon in a little bit. If he completes that big pass to Curry in the first quarter, I think you're looking at a different game. Fargas and McFadden are both pretty good. That said, with that joke of an O-Line they trot out there, unless they're playing against a soft front (similar to Denver's) they're going to struggle to get yards.

I think the D is better than what they showed last night. Losing Burgess clearly didn't help against the run. Their LBs are solid. Knotty Awesomewah is a top-five corner. Cutler was just nearly perfect last night. Nothing you can do when a guy gets in that kind of zone.

The Raiders have some talent, but when they get down, they get chippy and downright stupid. Back-to-back personal foul penalties, a 15-yard facemask, stupid little scuffles after every play… they've been wildly undisciplined ever since I've been following football, and the kicker is that they seem to be proud of it. Typical Raiders. They won't win more than five games this year and they'll be lucky to get that many.

As for Eddie Royal: hell of a way to start a career. He runs good routes and has great double moves, but I'm not going to jump off the deep end and call him the next Steve Largent. Chris Walken said it best in “True Romance”: "That's as good as it gets... and it won't ever get that good again."

B: Chris -- The Chiefs D looked pretty tough against the Pats, and I imagine it will be a strength of theirs all year. Once again, however, we're stuck -- at least temporarily -- with your favorite Huard brother at the helm. Your thoughts on the quarterback situation in KC.

Arrowhead Pride: Brodie Croyle's latest shoulder injury has thrown the fan base and the Chiefs coaching staff for a loop as far as the starting quarterback situation goes. Croyle had the support of the coaching staff and many of the fans entering the 2008 season, even after a tumultuous stint as the starting quarterback last year. Brodie supporters and even Herm Edwards himself have publicly acknowledged that, after Week 1 and a separated shoulder, Croyle is likely too fragile to be a full-time starting quarterback in the NFL.

So, that leaves the Chiefs with Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen and Ingle Martin (Editor's Note: from linked KC Star article: "Martin broke records for passing yards, total yards and passing touchdowns in two seasons at Furman, where he transferred after leaving Florida in 2003. Martin was the Paladins’ quarterback and punter, and his 43.2-yard average per punt in 2005 was the third-best in school history." You know. In case Dustin Colquitt gets hurt.) at quarterback for the time being. None of them appears to be a good prospect to permanently take over the starting gig, with Huard too old for the job and Thigpen not talented enough or ready enough to start in the NFL. Martin is simply a third quarterback until Croyle makes his way back to the starting lineup.

It is my opinion that the starting quarterback for the rest of the 2008 season will be Brodie Croyle when healthy and Damon Huard filling in the gaps. Even if Croyle plays well after his return, his days are likely numbered. After this season, because of Croyle's injury history, I expect the Chiefs to seriously pursue a top quarterback in the 2009 draft or make a trade for a current NFL backup that fits well into their plans.

I believe that the Kansas City Chiefs are convinced that Croyle has the talent to start in the league but their patience with his durability issues has almost run out. It's really a shame because I was behind him pretty much 100% of the time until his third injury in his seventh NFL game.

The injuries don't lie -- the Chiefs need to find a solid starting quarterback.

B: Adam -- I didn't catch the Chargers game, but I understand they waited too long to unleash LT, and, well Shawne Merriman is a moron, Philip Rivers a douche, and the health of Antonio Gates is perhaps still a question mark. Where do these Chargers stand in your eyes? Also, what did you make of the Chiefs offensive game plan? Will we see a mix of Charles, Johnson and Smith all year? How did Chan Gailey's first game as OC compare to what we've seen from Mike Solari the past two years?

Arrowhead Addict: The Chargers aren't as good as previously advertised. They are a 10-win team -- nothing more.

And that is exactly what happened with Little L.T (Sorry. Lawrence Taylor is still the real one.). The same thing happened last year. It's like it takes Norv Turner's dumbass four games to figure out, oh, I have the best running back in the league -- better use that guy! Shawne Merriman is a moron. He might be damaged goods. I played on a knee like that my junior year in high school and put off surgery -- not smart. I seriously doubt that the knee will ever be the same again. Antonio Gates would have been terrible if it wasn't for that late TD. Keep an eye on that toe. As for Philip Rivers, he was OK. I think his numbers were better than he actually played, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

Chiefs offensive game plan? Huh...did they have one? I have to blame Herm Edwards. He handcuffs his offensive coordinators who in turn handcuff the quarterbacks. It doesn't help that both Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard don't make progressions and hate getting hit. All things considered, even Karl Rove thinks our offense is conservative. Both the coaching staff and QBs are to blame. Additionally, Chan's job is a tough one: kind of hard to build an offense around a QB who's MIA half the time. I still prefer Chan to Mike Solari, but that's not saying much.

As for the running backs situation, I think we'll see all three. L.J. will be the workhorse, Jamaal Charles the change-of-pace home run hitter and Kolby Smith the Kevin Faulk-like blocking/receiving utility back. Charles and L.J. aren't exactly studs in the blocking department, and Kolby is an excellent pass blocker. I also think you will see more of what I'm calling the Storm Backfield -- L.J.'s thunder and Charles' lightening. Still, It would be nice if you used L.J. in a less conventional fashion every once in a while and caught defenses off guard. Running less predictable plays on less predictable downs really helped Charles last Sunday.

Well said, gentlemen. All of it. We'll check back in with these fine bloggers/fans again later in the season, and in the meantime -- if you haven't already -- be sure to visit their sites: BroncoTalk, Orange Bucksnorts, Arrowhead Addict, Arrowhead Pride.
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Ifs, Whens and Other Things We Love That Just Might Kill Us: Cherry Creek High's Elway Obsession

Editor's Note: This exchange was first published several months ago on Arrowhead Addict. Old No. 7, in his infinite wisdom, then took it upon himself to publish it on Predominantly Orange. It's not new or news, but this is, and hey -- that's worth something. As is enjoyable reading, so get to it!

Bankmeister: There are a number of topics I'd like to cover with you, and I'm confident I'll get to at least half of one, and never get sidetracked. So here goes: Last week in your Tradition Tuesday post on the House of Georges you talked about the recruitment and development of John Elway's son. You also spoke about your fantasy scenario in which Jack is drafted by the Chiefs after college. I don't get this. Why does this fascinate you?

Old No. 7: When it comes to Young Elway, my first wish would, of course, be for him to follow in his Dad's footsteps and have a Hall Of Fame career for the Denver Broncos. In lieu of that, my secondary wish would be to see him go to a team whose fan base loathes his dad (Cleveland, Green Bay, any AFC West franchise, etc.). I think it would be really, really funny, especially if Jack were a really good college QB and that team really needed a QB. The conflict would amuse me.


B: That's rich. I suppose I could stomach such a twist only if it meant that Young Elway repeatedly defeated the Broncos. You guys would have no idea how to react: you can't hate or boo the son of your god, right? The conflict there would amuse me.

7: Touche. That would suck. You've written in the past about players who've "gone to the dark side" , i.e. played for the Chiefs and then gone to the Broncos. Neil Smith is obviously the most prominent example here, but there are many. I agree, what with my disdain for that ass clown Eddie Kennison. Where would the child (or brother or other relative) of a hated rival fit in on that continuum of fan dislike?

B: It fits in like this: It blows. Period. I suppose it ultimately winds up sucking for the athlete in question, but, you know, screw that guy. He's still hoarding piles of American dollars by simply playing the game he's loved to play his whole life.

I find relatives in sports to be a fascinating topic, though, and I always seem to have mixed emotions about them. As a young Royals fan, I didn't give two seconds of consideration to Ken Brett. He was a pitcher. In the American League, which equals no homeruns, no triples, no base-stealing, etc. Not to mention the fact that his presence on the club forced his kid brother to put that God-awful "G" on the back of his uni.

Fast forward 20 years and I found myself captivated by the Brian Griese situation in Denver. It's strange to admit, let alone think about, but I was totally rooting for that kid. That's some pressure. Here's a guy that the Broncos have tagged as the guy to replace Elway, or Horse-Faced Colts Draft (HFCD) as I like to call him. Here's a franchise that was awful for most of the first two decades it existed. They had the '77 Super Bowl appearance, but not much after until the infamous NFL draft of '83.

Though it took HFCD a couple of seasons to get his game on, he did take them to the big game on four occasions. Granted, those were monstrous losses, but the team was there, showing success, riding the lone draft pick holdout it so savored with every ounce of saliva in its collective mouth. Finally, they win the big one twice, and the king of Denver car sales rides off into the orange sunset of retirement. Literally.

That's a whirlwind of a ride to be a football fan/family in Denver. I'm a firm believer that sports, to a degree, transcend generations within families. I can imagine that, say, yourself, as a child, felt frustration as a Bronco fan, basked in the glory of all those playoffs, exploded with exhiliration when your boys finally won it all, and, when it finally hit you between eyes that your franchise was on the market for a QB, you were like, "What in the world just happened?"

Along comes Griese. A good egg. A talent. The son of Hall-of-Fame pigskin slinger, the one selected to steer that franchise into the new HFCD-less millenium. I posit that one could scarcely finger a larger set of shoes to fill in sports history. Okay. Maybe NFL history.

Say you're a Bills fan, and let's pretend that the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills (solely because they're in the same division -- I don't portend to know much about football beyond the AFC West) are a bitter, hated rivalry. If your pops watched Bob Griese kill your team on a semi-regular basis, you'd be like, "Man I hate that guy" or "Geez, I wish we had that caliber of talent on our team." So when his son Brian enters the league, you, as a Bills fan, tell your kids how much his dad used to toss around your team back in the day. But you do it with respect.

The kind of respect I had for Brian as a young Bronco. Of course, his performance didn't cut it for Bowlen/Shanahan and the secret phantoms that run the Broncos, and he's gone. One more reason to not like that franchise.

The whole HFCD thing is clearly a massive exception. I'll always hate him for refusing to play for the team that drafted him. I despise Eli Manning for the same reason. Then again, I'm over-idealistic; I'd like for the world to spin the way "it was meant to," even though there's not a formula/set of guidelines for such spinning. Throw in the fact, though, that his daddy pulls the strings for him to play for a "west coast" team (I always found that odd, but I never claimed to have aced geography) that happens to be a division rival.

And the guy really was the come-from-behind maestro. Coincidentally, a lot of those late-game victories were at the expense of my Chiefs.

Thus, to continue not answering your question, the continuum of fan dislike, is an abyss of a black hole for Young Elway. The thought of those five letters on the back of a red and gold jersey literally makes me want to vomit. And of course, there are very few retired numbers in the Chiefs franchise. Seven is not one of them.

7: Man, that was a mouthful. It almost seems as though you'd thought of some of that stuff ahead of hand. I have to vehemently disagree with you when it comes to the end of Griese's Denver career. You said: "...his performance didn't cut it for Bowlen/Shanahan and the secret phantoms that run the Broncos, and he's gone. One more reason to not like that franchise."

Griese's performance did not cut it in general. This is a team with an owner and a coach that will settle for nothing less than Super Bowl championships, and Griese proved not to be the QB to lead the team back to the Big Game. The remainder of his career has validated the decision, as he's never been back to the Pro Bowl, never won a playoff game and never even held on to a starting job for a full season. I think Brian Griese is a good backup NFL QB, and I would have loved for him to stick around in that capacity when they brought Plummer in. The egos and attitudes involved would not allow that, however, and he had to go.

It's a rough business. I was pulling for Griese too, but he didn't have the temperament, the leadership attributes, or the top-level tools he needed to succeed in Denver. That's not because Bowlen and Shanahan are assholes, they merely wield the ax. Griese had the chance, and Griese failed.

I am totally on the same page with you with that initial, though. I always hate it when a player--especially a longtime favorite--has to take on the initial on his nameplate because his dumb brother (or, even worse, someone who coincidentally has the same name) signs up. What I've never understood is why you even need it. George Brett, number 5 in your programs and number 1 in your hearts, did not need an initial. Hell, he didn't need anything on the back of his jersey. No one was going to mix him up with his brother, so just put "Brett" on the back of both of their jerseys and be done with it. I don't understand why this is so hard.

Anyway, back to the kid Elway. Let me ask you this: how much is your view of the relatives of athletes is affected by the fact that almost all of them grew up rich, privileged and with an automatic edge? Part of what we respect about athletes is the incredible amount of work it takes to be good at this stuff, as well as the fact that many of these kids come from broken homes and/or crappy schools. Imagine it's not Elway, but someone you like and respect: how do you feel about his kid as an adult athlete, knowing that he had every advantage, went to the best camps and schools, can network with anyone and oh by the way had a Hall of Famer as a backyard coach since birth?

B: Okay. Points on the Griese topic well-illustrated and intelligent. I think there's a part of me, though, that will always toss a smattering of blame upon the organization/fan base with regard to HFCD's successor solely because of the way things went down with his acquistion, career, and championship status/retirement. I don't mention this to indicate any level of shrewdness or accuracy. I'm simply sayin'.

Kudos on the initials bit as well. It's not that freaking hard. If you know your team, you know your team. You recognize stature, position, tendency, etc. I even found myself annoyed with recent Bronco uniforms. I can't remember who, but in the past four or five years, Denver acquired someone with the same last name as a long-standing member, the end result being initial addage. And it disturbed me to see the uniform of whoever that guy was modified. Same goes for Larry and Derrick Johnson on the current Chiefs roster. I'd never buy either of those guys jerseys because I can't roll through Englewood, or wherever Bronco fans tailgate and have it recognized for the sheer #56. Granted, now that I think about it, several Denver fans would probably be like, "Yo, I thought LJ wore #27."

Anyway. Regarding Kid Elway, I can't really say. That is, I've never considered the background of a son of a former professional athlete. I'm usually having a good day if I know where a kid attended college, so knowing how it was financed would be a giant stretch.

That said, I don't know that I could formulate a quality opinion if I just knew a few details. On the one hand, you'd tend to hate the punk for having the good gear/camps/schools and thus the advantage over the less privileged. The other side to that, though, is that said father worked his butt off to provide these things for his son, and you'd have to acknowledge his entitlement to do so.

Where I'd want to lend extra scrutiny would be whether or not the father made the son earn every bit of the privilege/advantage. Like, "You can have a different pair of Reeboks for each day of the week, but you've got to earn some of the money for them via chores around the house." Or, perhaps you reward the kid with good grades as the incentive: "You can go to John Elway's quarterback camp if you get straight As; come home with less than a 3.0, you're marching to camp Bubby Brister." Something like that.

As far as the backyard coach, I'm all for it. That's what America is all about. With Father's Day weekend here, there've been a lot of Royals commercials on suggesting that you take dad to the game, etc. These ads feature blips with players talking about how their dads taught them how to hit, field and slide. They also acknowledge that their dad was the first to see them hit a AA homerun, or get his first strikeout in the bigs. That junk gives me goose bumps just typing it. I guess that makes me a romantic old sap, but, for my money, the gifts of genetic talent and knowledge of the game that a father gives his son is pure bliss, even if these gushers of moments take place between John and Jack. What about you, though? This exchange has become a bit one-sided. I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the whole relative of a rival conundrum. I’d also be interested in hearing your thoughts on the son of an HOFer having all of the goods lined up for him.

7: I'm pretty sure the numbers/initials combo on the Broncos you're referring to would be the Williams situation. When Darrent was drafted, D.J. put his initials on his shirt. I actually thought this was fine, because his first name is initials. The travesty was when Darrent put his entire first name on, loading his jersey up with more letters than Braves catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. As annonying as the initial thing is, it's ten times worse when two guys have the same last name and same first initial, resulting in spelling out both names. Bunk.

Sadly, we're back to only one Williams on the roster. I don't know what D.J. is going to wear on his nameplate, but it's going to remind us of the Williams that's not there, and that sucks.

Also, the Broncos often have had random Smiths on the team, resulting in Rod adding the initial--which pisses me off.

If there’s a player that I don’t like, either as an individual athlete or from a rival team, there is a certain amount of dislike built in for me automatically. Eli Manning is the first example that comes to mind for me. I’ve always despised his brother (although I may be coming around on him, much to my shock and dismay), and so I initially transferred that feeling to Eli. Then about a year ago I consciously decided to give Eli a chance and even felt sorry for him a little bit. That was all until I drafted him for my fantasy league last season and he single handedly destroyed my title chances. So now I hate Eli comepletely on his own merit.



If the son of a rival—like, I don’t know, Marcus Allen’s kid or something—ended up going to Colorado State or signing with the Broncos, I would accept him but hold him to a way different standard than other players. I would be almost predisposed to jump on his ass after a mistake. He could earn my appreciation, but the bar would initially be set a lot higher. It’s a tough call, because players move around so much these days it’s hard to really associate players with one franchise (and thus hate them as much as you hate the rival team).

I don't know how to measure the amount of good parenting or discipline any kid receives, so I will ask you this: All kidding about Jack Elway aside, do you honestly think that Brodie Croyle is the long-term answer for the Chiefs? What have you seen in the kid to make you believe one way or another? What's your best case scenario for play at the quarterback position, and how do you think Cutler will do this year?

B: Great questions, each one of them. Regarding Croyle, I can’t say. In a Chiefs uniform, I’ve only seen him come in for mop-up duty in the infamous Pittsburgh “Passion Party” catastrophe at Three Rivers last year. I know in the small amount of tosses he chucked up, two were picks, one for a touchdown return. So that’s not good, but that team didn’t have its head on straight that day. Prior to being drafted, I saw only snippets of his collegiate play, as well as a decent amount of those quarterback competition things they televise. He seemed to do well.

The one thing I’m staunch about is this: Give him a chance. I don’t care about his pre-NFL injuries, and I don’t care when he gets his chance. I just don’t think you write him off before he’s given a shot similar to what Cutler got last year. My best-case scenario is a fair competition for the starting job, an orchestration that, in my mind, is only winnable (at this point) by Damon Huard. Anyone that thinks otherwise confuses me.

Finally, I think Cutler will do great. I really do. I predict he’ll progress and make good things happen at a rate much quicker than Philip Rivers displayed last year. Of course, some of that is system-related, but Cutler will do real well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finishes in the top three of AFC qb rating. Some folks aren’t fans of that statistic, but it really is a good yardstick. What do you think about Croyle/Huard? And, are you as optimistic as I am --or more -- on how Cutler will do?

7: Ah, the Passion Party. Easily my favorite NFL story of last season, eclipsing even Making It Rain. Here’s my read on Croyle and Huard: If Herm is serious about winning this year, with this team, he’ll play the veteran. Huard is clearly more ready to win games right now. You were in the playoffs last year and you bring most of the team back. If you feel as though you’re playing for the future, then no question you go with the kid, especially since career backup Huard can not raise any kind of a stink about going back to the clipboard.

And by “playing for the future,” I don’t mean giving up on the season. If the two QBs are close in ability, and you’ve seen Huard’s ceiling, then let the young man show his stuff. Besides, if Elway Junior’s going to suit up in KC you need to shake thing out sooner rather than later. But it takes a commitment, without waffling. I actually respect the way Shanahan handled the QB transition last year, even if it cost us a playoff spot. The people that were calling for Cutler in Week One made me want to load and fire. In that spot you absolutely had to get what you could out of Plummer. And when Jake’s ineffectiveness was crippling the team, you had to go to the first-round pick, even if he wasn’t ready to take a team to the postseason. It was a frustrating season but necessary for the future of the team.

And I think that future is positive with Cutler. He still has a rather large unknown quality, and I’m a little weirded out by the Vanderbilt thing. All of that college footage could have been fabricated (like the moon landing) and no one would know about it. He still feels like a stranger in our house because we didn’t know him in college. Hell, even Roethlisberger played (and destroyed) CSU when he was at Miami of Ohio. I do think Cutler has the tools and the temperament to be hugely successful. I don’t know about that top-three prediction, because he’d have to beat out a lot of good arms to get there, but eventually he will be a major star and win a lot of games.

He is JC, The Messiah, Mr. Universe (link here) and even if he wasn’t born on Christmas he is from Santa Claus, Indiana. He will lead the Chosen Fans out of the Wilderness and to the Promised Land, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.


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The COAT Final Four

The Best Brothers of Springfield are keeping their plates full and their wheels spinning. In addition to running 467 (and growing) Web sites, they're taking in Chiefs training camp practices, recruiting writers, mastering HTML and conducting polls. One poll in particular has been a fan favorite all summer, and it's now down to the wire. Pop over to Arrowhead Addict as the contest for Chief Of All Time has entered the final rounds. It hasn't been easy, either; there've been some neck-and-neck battles and some landslides, too. But, as voted on by fans, Willie Lanier faces Derrick Thomas while Len Dawson battles Tony Gonzalez. Pay them a visit. Check out how the previous rounds have gone. Vote accordingly on the finals, and make sure to read the picks of the expert panelists. Those guys are really smart.
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