Philadelphia at Detroit
This may sound a little crazy (and maybe its because I hate the Eagles) but I like Detroit in this game. They are coming off a game they deserved to win last week in Chicago. I think with a cautiously excited sell-out crowd behind them they have a legitimate chance, despite Matthew Stafford being out with a shoulder injury. Detroit has a formidable running game and some good receiving options for QB Shaun Hill, including the explosive Calvin Johnson who will give the Eagles secondary fits all day.
Philadelphia on the other hand has backup QB Michael Vick starting. Many people think this is a good thing, but with a whole week to prepare for Vick as the QB the Lions should be in a better position to slow him down than the Packers who likely had prepared mostly for Kevin Kolb. The Eagles also have some key injuries to 3 starters (MLB Stewart Bradley, C Jamaal Jackson, and run blocking FB Leonard Weaver). The Eagles defense does generate a lot of pressure with their various blitz packages but if Shaun Hill can make the right reads, he should be able to effectively pick apart the Eagles secondary. This is a risky pick but I like it.
Final: Lions 14 Eagles 13
Buffalo at Green Bay
There doesn't seem like much to root for up in Buffalo anymore. The Bills have been irrelevant seemingly since 1994 and things are not looking any brighter on the horizon. Trent Edwards is still a poor excuse for a quarterback, probably even in the CFL. Their defense lost their best pass rusher (Aaron Schobel) to retirement and their best linebacker (Paul Posluszny) is out for at least three weeks. The Bills have a solid secondary but I don't think it will be enough to match the potency of Aaron Rodgers who is looking improve upon a, by his standards, "subpar" performance from last week.
The one area of the game that the Bills may have a distinct advantage is in the run game. They have a stable of three reliable running backs. Their game plan should be to pound the rock as much as possible to take the pressure off of Trent Edwards and keep him safe by calling for simple play action plays. Green Bay on the other hand is going to have to find a way to deal with the loss of 1200 yard rusher Ryan Grant who is out for the season with an ankle injury. In the end Aaron Rodgers is too good, Trent Edwards is too terrible, and the Packers defense will capitalize on his mistakes.
Final: Packers 31 Bills 14
Miami at Minnesota:
I was a little surprised at how close the Dolphins Bills game was last week, and I am a follower of the idea that Miami will be a competitive team this year. All that aside, Minnesota is going to lay a beat-down this weak on the Dolphins. Brett Favre, despite his age, will not settle for another subpar performance and I expect both him and Adrian Peterson to have monster games. The Vikings have not lost a home game with Brett Favre at the helm and the Dolphins are still not good enough to make that a first. There are questions about the ability of the Vikings front 5 to protect the old gunslinger but I think the Dolphins will be overwhelmed with the difference in play makers between the Vikes and the Bills.
On defense we saw that Minnesota is very much praiseworthy. Jared Allen and the Williams' make a strong interior that should harass Chad Henne all day and slow down Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown. They held the NFL's offensive juggernaut, the Saints, to 14 points last Thursday and have had ample time to work out the kinks in their rusty offense, that often seemed to be out of synch.
Final: Vikings 23 Miami 17
Tampa Bay at Carolina
The first question that has to be addressed is: Does anyone really care about this game one bit? No, but somewhere down the road one or both of these teams could help another get into the playoffs, so they do serve a purpose. Matt Moore's NFL career could hinge on his performance this week. He was, to quote "Jets legend" Ray Lucas, "horrendous" last week against the Giants. No professional quarterback should be allowed to throw 3 redzone pics and still don the teams game-day uniform. The Panthers are supposed to have game-breaking running backs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, but both ran on flat tires last week against the Giants.
The Bucs weren't overly impressive against the Cleveland Browns but they do have Cadillac Williams running the rock and despite his thumb injury, I think that Josh Freeman is up and coming. The Bucs D will play hard and I think this team will take advantage of a light schedule to get on a fast track for the tough season that awaits them. Two things that Carolina does have going for them: Jimmy Clausen is waiting in the wings and once inserted into the lineup will make people care about the Panathers; Jon Beason was in the 7th floor crew at the U.
Final: Buccaneers 16 Panthers 13
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Week 2 Picks part 1
Pittsburgh at Tennessee:
This game looks to be one of the most intriguing match ups of week 2, as the Steelers bring their always stout D into Tennessee and look to topple the Titans and keep RB Chris Johnson from rushing for 100+ yards for the 13th straight game. My gut tells me that even without run-stuffing nose tackle Casey Hampton, the Steelers defense will be the ones who put an end to Johnson's streak( they held Michael Turner to less than 2YPC last week). They limited CJ to only 57 yards rushing in their meeting last year. Still, the Steelers offense is limited by Dixon and despite Rashard Mendenhall's capabilities, the Steelers O-line is depleted which is cause for concern. Vince Young's passing game has improved enough to help the Titans squeak by in a run-dominated nail biter.
Final: Titans 17 Steelers 14
Arizona at Atlanta
Neither of these teams looked too impressive last week but this game is clearly the Falcons for the taking. Both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner will have bounce back games, and will be relieved to look across the line of scrimmage and see the Cardinals defense and not the Steel Curtain. Neither teams defenses were intimidating last week but with Beanie Wells out for Arizona, unless Anderson can find a way to consistently get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald I expect Atlanta to control the game by expediently mixing the run and the pass.
Final: Falcons 24 Cardinals 14
Baltimore at Cincinnati
Another great battle of two AFC teams that should be contending for the division title come January. The Bengals are stocked with talent and panache and an 0-2 start could be a cause for panic in the new celebrity city. Their offense did look potent last week against the Pats but it did not start to fire on all cylinders until it was too late. Carson Palmer, if protected, should be able to find holes in the Ravens secondary and lets not forget how well the Bengals played the Ravens last year, sweeping the series.
Don't expect the Ravens to forget that. They are hungry for revenge, and by beating the Jets last Monday night, they got their first taste of blood for the season. I expect Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense to come out hitting hard, punching Cedric Benson and the Bengals run attack in the mouth, forcing Palmer to put Cincinnati on his back. On the offensive side of the ball I expect Ray Rice to have a huge day, after being shut down by the Jets last week. Flacco has an array of weapons and proved last week that he can handle all types of defensive pressure. Despite being a bit injury depleted, I expect the Ravens to continue their great start and establish themselves as one of the most intimidating teams in the AFC.
Final: Ravens 23 Bengals 17
Kansas City at Cleveland
I think its safe to say everyone was pleasantly surprised to see Kansas City pull out that nail-biter in the pouring rain last week against highly touted San Diego Chargers. Don't tell me it was the elements, because both teams were playing on the same field, Kansas City's D looked phenomenal. They were running around crushing chargers and playing solid coverage even in the slick conditions. Their offense still has not clicked but with talented running backs Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles they are always potentially dangerous. Also, let us not forget about the beast that is Dexter McCluster. He was filthy last week returning one punt 94 yards for a TD and almost breaking two others. Common sense would tell the Mangenius not to let the ball go anywhere near him.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, they are still Cleveland. Jake Delhomme was pitiful last year and didn't show anyone last week against the lowly Bucs that he would be anything more than that this year. I expect him to throw at least one but most likely two interceptions and Cleveland will quickly fall into NFL obscurity for yet another season.
Final: Chiefs 21 Browns 10
This game looks to be one of the most intriguing match ups of week 2, as the Steelers bring their always stout D into Tennessee and look to topple the Titans and keep RB Chris Johnson from rushing for 100+ yards for the 13th straight game. My gut tells me that even without run-stuffing nose tackle Casey Hampton, the Steelers defense will be the ones who put an end to Johnson's streak( they held Michael Turner to less than 2YPC last week). They limited CJ to only 57 yards rushing in their meeting last year. Still, the Steelers offense is limited by Dixon and despite Rashard Mendenhall's capabilities, the Steelers O-line is depleted which is cause for concern. Vince Young's passing game has improved enough to help the Titans squeak by in a run-dominated nail biter.
Final: Titans 17 Steelers 14
Arizona at Atlanta
Neither of these teams looked too impressive last week but this game is clearly the Falcons for the taking. Both Matt Ryan and Michael Turner will have bounce back games, and will be relieved to look across the line of scrimmage and see the Cardinals defense and not the Steel Curtain. Neither teams defenses were intimidating last week but with Beanie Wells out for Arizona, unless Anderson can find a way to consistently get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald I expect Atlanta to control the game by expediently mixing the run and the pass.
Final: Falcons 24 Cardinals 14
Baltimore at Cincinnati
Another great battle of two AFC teams that should be contending for the division title come January. The Bengals are stocked with talent and panache and an 0-2 start could be a cause for panic in the new celebrity city. Their offense did look potent last week against the Pats but it did not start to fire on all cylinders until it was too late. Carson Palmer, if protected, should be able to find holes in the Ravens secondary and lets not forget how well the Bengals played the Ravens last year, sweeping the series.
Don't expect the Ravens to forget that. They are hungry for revenge, and by beating the Jets last Monday night, they got their first taste of blood for the season. I expect Ray Lewis and the Ravens defense to come out hitting hard, punching Cedric Benson and the Bengals run attack in the mouth, forcing Palmer to put Cincinnati on his back. On the offensive side of the ball I expect Ray Rice to have a huge day, after being shut down by the Jets last week. Flacco has an array of weapons and proved last week that he can handle all types of defensive pressure. Despite being a bit injury depleted, I expect the Ravens to continue their great start and establish themselves as one of the most intimidating teams in the AFC.
Final: Ravens 23 Bengals 17
Kansas City at Cleveland
I think its safe to say everyone was pleasantly surprised to see Kansas City pull out that nail-biter in the pouring rain last week against highly touted San Diego Chargers. Don't tell me it was the elements, because both teams were playing on the same field, Kansas City's D looked phenomenal. They were running around crushing chargers and playing solid coverage even in the slick conditions. Their offense still has not clicked but with talented running backs Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles they are always potentially dangerous. Also, let us not forget about the beast that is Dexter McCluster. He was filthy last week returning one punt 94 yards for a TD and almost breaking two others. Common sense would tell the Mangenius not to let the ball go anywhere near him.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, they are still Cleveland. Jake Delhomme was pitiful last year and didn't show anyone last week against the lowly Bucs that he would be anything more than that this year. I expect him to throw at least one but most likely two interceptions and Cleveland will quickly fall into NFL obscurity for yet another season.
Final: Chiefs 21 Browns 10
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Cowboys Update
The Cowboys know better than to sit around licking their wounds from week ones debacle against the Redskins. They are back in action at valley ranch. The blame game is over, everyone on the team has stepped up and put the blame on themselves. Now they have to focus exclusively on the Chicago Bears and forget all about week one because if they drop this one to another mediocre team then they are in a real hole. Just take a peek at their upcoming schedule.http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/schedule.cfm.
The writers on the Cowboys website have been dealing with a multitude of questions including what is the deal with Colombo and Kosier, will they be ready to play? Both participated fully in practice on Wednesday and if all goes smoothly in practice I expect to see both of them back in the trenches, which will be a tremendous boost to Romo.
On the defensive side of the ball, we looked solid last week but there are a few concerns that could come to play down the road. Obviously everyone has to keep a careful eye on DWare. His necks strain is supposedly mild and he'll be ready to go, but it seems that he may be susceptible to these types of injuries. Also bare in mind that Bradie James and especially Keith Brooking are getting up their in age. They are both still beasts, just look at Brookings pregame speech. That man's blood walks through his veins. Still, they are playing every down so far this year and their seems no one that is ready to step up and give them a breather. It is looking more and more like the boys should have held on to Bobby Carpenter instead of trading him for Alex Barron. As soft as Carpenter was when it came to making contact, his nickel coverage was impeccable. That's another thing we'll have to monitor as the season goes on.
The writers on the Cowboys website have been dealing with a multitude of questions including what is the deal with Colombo and Kosier, will they be ready to play? Both participated fully in practice on Wednesday and if all goes smoothly in practice I expect to see both of them back in the trenches, which will be a tremendous boost to Romo.
On the defensive side of the ball, we looked solid last week but there are a few concerns that could come to play down the road. Obviously everyone has to keep a careful eye on DWare. His necks strain is supposedly mild and he'll be ready to go, but it seems that he may be susceptible to these types of injuries. Also bare in mind that Bradie James and especially Keith Brooking are getting up their in age. They are both still beasts, just look at Brookings pregame speech. That man's blood walks through his veins. Still, they are playing every down so far this year and their seems no one that is ready to step up and give them a breather. It is looking more and more like the boys should have held on to Bobby Carpenter instead of trading him for Alex Barron. As soft as Carpenter was when it came to making contact, his nickel coverage was impeccable. That's another thing we'll have to monitor as the season goes on.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Jets v. Ravens 2
What a defensive struggle this game was. Still, for all the hype the Jets got this season, and especially their defense, it was Ray Lewis' defense that was putting on the Hard Knocks tonight. I don't want to sell the Gang Green D short, they looked great but Flacco was able to routinely move the ball on them. Cam Cameron was able to effectively exploit many of Rex Ryan's all out blitzes and find a hole in the man to man coverage. The Jets safeties could not physically match up with Todd Heap and Cromartie must have been getting sick of Anquan Boldin having his way with him for most of the night. The real problem for the Jets was their anemic offense. Mark Sanchez did nothing to make me think he is worth anything as a starting quarterback. He has a stable of talented receivers none of whom were a factor in the game tonight. Brian Shottenheimer's relentless vanilla running plays were not going to get the job done against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. The Jets offense needs to do some serious work in practice this week or New England will bury them.
Jets v. Ravens 1st half
Good game so far. The Jets defense looks like all it was hyped to be. Ray Rice and the rest of the Baltimore backs can barley move an inch forward. The Ravens are having some success throwing at Cromartie, minus his one big interception, and at the Jets rookie CB Kyle Wilson. They should be up more if not for some terrible turnovers. The Jets offense has yet to resemble the powerful machine it was boasted to be. With these defenses, this game should come down to the wire. The Jets need to cool it with all the penalties or they could end up giving the game to Baltimore.
Quick thought on NBC
Lets be real...NBC's pre-game and half time show crew are an embarrassment to television and themselves. They are often trying too hard to be politically correct and are awkward to watch. Rodney Harrison provides no intelligent insight and stands stiffly facing the screen. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Tony Dungy as a coach and as one of the NFL's great people but he has the personality of a lamp shade. It is almost nauseating to watch Dan Patrick try to develop chemistry with them. Why are they always standing up? On the other side of it...I think Al Michaels and Collinsworth do a phenomenal job.
Positives from the loss?
I don't buy into the idea of "positives gained from a loss." A loss is a loss and can never be good for your team. As a unit, the boys didn't show much on the offensive side of the ball nor on special teams. Their defense played solidly as usual but the lack of turnovers still seems to be a problem for this team. Despite the overall poor showing last night there were some good individual performances that should give cowboys fans hope for the remainder of the season.
1. Miles Austin---
The guy is simply a beast. Last nights performance (10 Rec. for 146 yds) should squash any ideas that this guy was a one year wonder. He has sure hands and gets gritty, hard fought yards in clutch situations. I just wish he would have a bit more open field speed for after the catch.
2. Doug Free--
Much attention has been paid to Flozell the Hotels replacement at left tackle. I think that Doug is an immediate upgrade. He held is own last night for the most part (sometimes he is a little susceptible for a strong bull rush) and you barley heard his name called, which is a good thing. (1 Holding penalty...Flozell was usually good for two of those and a few false starts) Everyone who has been moaning about Barron's performance and lamenting the release of Flo has to remember that Flo was the left tackle not the right. Colombo will be back this week and as long as his knee is okay will be a significant upgrade from Barron. I also like that Free's athleticism allows us to run more tosses to the outside. He will be a huge part of the success of Felix Jones this year.
3. Mike Jenkins---
There should be no doubt about it. This guy is a bonafide hustler. He is one of the best cover corners in the league despite his small size. His two defenses in the end zone in the 4th quarter were tremendous. I expect him to have another pro-bowl year.
4. The Defense--
Picking up right where they left off last year (minus the Vikings game) the defense was very stout. They did not allow the Redskins to do much. They pretty much bottled up both Portis and Larry Johnson the entire game except a few plays in the fourth quarter. They covered well for the most part (Although I really think we do miss Bobby Carpenter as the nickel linebacker in coverage.) They only yielded 6 points to McNabb's offense. Still there is concern. They only sacked McNabb once and didn't pressure him as much as they surely expected to. With Ratliff, Ware and Spencer, there is no excuse for not knocking the QB around. Also I am still a little uncomfortable with Alan Ball at safety. His coverage was underwhelming last night and I don't like his tackling.
This team still has plenty of work to do.
1. Miles Austin---
The guy is simply a beast. Last nights performance (10 Rec. for 146 yds) should squash any ideas that this guy was a one year wonder. He has sure hands and gets gritty, hard fought yards in clutch situations. I just wish he would have a bit more open field speed for after the catch.
2. Doug Free--
Much attention has been paid to Flozell the Hotels replacement at left tackle. I think that Doug is an immediate upgrade. He held is own last night for the most part (sometimes he is a little susceptible for a strong bull rush) and you barley heard his name called, which is a good thing. (1 Holding penalty...Flozell was usually good for two of those and a few false starts) Everyone who has been moaning about Barron's performance and lamenting the release of Flo has to remember that Flo was the left tackle not the right. Colombo will be back this week and as long as his knee is okay will be a significant upgrade from Barron. I also like that Free's athleticism allows us to run more tosses to the outside. He will be a huge part of the success of Felix Jones this year.
3. Mike Jenkins---
There should be no doubt about it. This guy is a bonafide hustler. He is one of the best cover corners in the league despite his small size. His two defenses in the end zone in the 4th quarter were tremendous. I expect him to have another pro-bowl year.
4. The Defense--
Picking up right where they left off last year (minus the Vikings game) the defense was very stout. They did not allow the Redskins to do much. They pretty much bottled up both Portis and Larry Johnson the entire game except a few plays in the fourth quarter. They covered well for the most part (Although I really think we do miss Bobby Carpenter as the nickel linebacker in coverage.) They only yielded 6 points to McNabb's offense. Still there is concern. They only sacked McNabb once and didn't pressure him as much as they surely expected to. With Ratliff, Ware and Spencer, there is no excuse for not knocking the QB around. Also I am still a little uncomfortable with Alan Ball at safety. His coverage was underwhelming last night and I don't like his tackling.
This team still has plenty of work to do.
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