Catching Up on NBA, NFL, Golf, and more

It's been a long tough summer and I'm getting back into this blogging mode.  Let's just jump right in and catch up:

NBA:

Los Angeles Lakers:  There have just got to be Jedi in the Lakers front office to get the deals that they get.  First Pau Gasol for a hearty dinner (I used to say a ham sandwich, but that other Gasol brother turned out pretty good) and a 2 liter of Mountain Dew, but now they get Dwight Howard for what amounts to a turkey sandwich that someone left in a hot car for a day and 3 Caprisuns (not cold, just straight out the box).  The Lakers must grow Jedis in their organization because these deals just don't happen for other teams.  With Dwight, the Lakers have kept Kobe's window of opportunity for #6 open for 2 years.

Miami Heat: Juwan Howard may finally call it quits as a basketball player, but he may end up as a coach for the Miami Heat come this fall.  Juwan is a good guy, and I'm glad that things are working out for him.  He got his rang too.

OKC Thunder: After showing the love to Serge Ibaka in the form of a 4yr/$49M deal, the Thunder gotta figure out what to do about Harden.  They know they gonna be a tax paying team, so let's just say it's gonna come down to how much more they gonna pay.  IF they can get Harden for the same deal as Ibaka, I think it'll all be great for the Thunder.  If not, Harden plays out next year and becomes a free agent in 2013.  I'm really interested if they can sell Harden on the team and what they've built when he's staring at all them $$$s.


NFL:

New York Jets:  As I sat watching the Jets last night, all I could keep saying is, 'the Jets better have a great dayum defense this year, or they in trouble'.  The other thing that kept going through my mind was that if Tebow would have been the person to score or throw for the touchdown that would have given the Jets their first (and only TD) in the preseason,...Mark Sanchez was going to be on his way out of town today.  I like Tebow, he has something about him, but he's not a starter in the NFL.  But I will say this, I think he will be the starter for the Jets by Week 4 if they get off to a slow start.  NY fans will have Sanchez on a fastboat outta there.

Seattle Seahawks:  Hey, all isn't bad with Matt Flynn, at least his pockets straight.  He got a 3yr/$26M deal that averages about $6M per year.  That's great money if you can get it, but it's not NFL starter money.  With Russell Wilson being named starter for the opener, it gives the Seahawks a chance to play the rookie and if he's good, they didn't really invest BIG money in Flynn.  to Mr. Russell Wilson, get your game on brother.  We'll be rooting for you here.

New England Patriots:  I guess the one person that has to be unhappy right now is Wes Welker.  We know he's a team guy, but the Patriots have essentially let Welker know where he stands in their plans by re-upping both Gronk and Hernandez (5yr/$40M, $12.5M signing bonus, $16.4M guaranteed).  The Patriots will be running two TE sets until the dogs come home.  The beuaty of it all is that many teams can't matchup with them when they have both TEs, Welker and Lloyd running around.  I expect Brady to throw for about 40 TDs this year.  I guess the only difference is that Welker knows he won't be there next year.

Philadelphia Eagles:  Vick already hurt?  Vick has a rib injury that, trust me, will linger for a while.  If this team starts off slow again, I'm not sure what they can do to turn it around.  We know they won't fire Andy Reid and the Eagles don't really have a seasoned backup QB.  I've wanted this team to win big since the Reggie White and Jerome Brown days, since Cunnigham, since Carmichael, and for some reason they can't get it done.  I hope this is their year.

Chicago Bears:  Everyone is concerned that the Bears are limping into the season.  Urlacher had his knee recently scoped and isn't back to full strength yet.  Peppers is battling 'continual soreness' (plantar faciitis) and this defense is already one injury to the linebacking core from being seasoned to being old.  But, just like every other Bear year in recent memory, the Bears have a problem on their offensive line.  I think I just saw Mike Tice on Michigan Ave taking applications for left tackle for anyone over 6'5" (if you're in Chicago, just walk down the street, someone will approach you with an offer).  It'll help that Cutler won't be taking as many deep drops this year, but they gotta find a way to give him time for him and Brandon Marshall to cook this year. 


Golf: 

Where or where has the Tiger that I once knew gone?  Yes he was in contention on Friday after tweaking his back, but he went to hell in a hand basket after that.  Each week, I wait to see the Tiger that dominated golf on a weekly basis and sadly to say, I'm not sure if that guy is ever coming back.  But, I will be waiting and watching and hoping.

The 2012 Ryder Cup is coming to the Chicagoland Area and I plan on being there.  We'll see how many photos I can get and maybe an interview or two.  Should be fun.  

 More to come,......

Catching Up

It's been a while since I've posted anything outside of my weekly picks, so I thought that I'd get back into the swing of things with some quick blurbs so you can see what's going on.

NBA:

Lockout - We all know that the lockout is still on going and David Stern has been masterful about using the media to bludgeon the players into taking a raw deal and being 'happy' with it.  There's a lot of people who look at this from an employer to employee view and how dare the players want more than a 50/50 BRI split.  People are going to argue and make this about their experience ('if I had a company I'd tell them to take the deal or they can get out of here' or 'these guys are asking their bosses for more of the profits, to he77 with them').  You must understand that these athletes are more like actors than rank and file employees.  They have a specialized skillset that you just can't go out and get any average Joe off the street to perform.  Plus this is corporate America where sometimes you have to fight for everything.  This can't be lost in the argument because Stern is trying his best to demonize the players (is demonize to strong of a word?) and have the fans revolt against them.  I only hope that the lockout ends soon and that there is a deal where there are concessions on both sides and not just the owners.

Charlotte Bobcats - Mr. Air Jordan himself is on record as one of the owners that wants to cut the players percentage of BRI down to 47%.  All I got to say Mike is that when this is done, we're going to see how your public stance hurts your ability and image among the players that hold you in such high esteem.   

NFL:

Chicago Bears - Well, he finally got paid, and no not Forte, offensive lineman Garza.  I still can fathom why the Bears don't make this deal with Forte.  They had put a deal on the table that would have given him around $13M to $14M guaranteed and Forte wants closer to $16M to $18M guaranteed.  You have a guy that is doing it all for your team (minus the fumbles last night) and he's being a pro about it and he's not letting his play suffer.  I just don't get it.  Worse for Forte is the franchise tag, which the team can do for 2 years straight.  The cap number for the franchise tag used to be the Top 5 position players from the previous year, but now the franchise tag is the Top 5 position players from the previous 5 years.  That lowers next years' cap for a RB from $9.5M (this year) to closer to $7.5M.  Sucks to be Forte right now. 

Indianapolis Colts - Still winless and maybe they want to stay that way.  Andrew Luck is the prize and many are questioning what the Colts would do with that pick, should they get it.  I think it's easy, I think you draft Luck and keep him until Peyton retires (I imagine 2 to 3 years tops due to neck concerns).  Yes the Colts need offensive and defensive line help, but when you think about it, Peyton would end his career like daddy Manning started his, running for his life. 

New York Giants - With Ahmad Bradshaw having a broken bone in his foot, Jacobs did a decent job this past weekend against the Patriots to help the Giants get a win.  Now word is Bradshaw is on his way back and will probably have to share the workload in order to keep him healthy.  Why wouldn't the Giants just rest Bradshaw for a few weeks and give Jacobs the rock for a few weeks.  This get Bradshaw a little healthier and maybe energizes Jacobs. 

Arizona Cardinals - With the Philadelphia Eagles on the docket for Sunday, Kevin Kolb is trying to do his best to get back in the lineup so he can prove the Eagles made a mistake (unless he plays defense, I really think that's a moot argument) in trading him away.  

New England Patriots - They have waived Albert Haynesworth.  Is Ocho up next?  I for one thought that their additions would reap benefits for the Patriots and boy was I wrong.   

Washington Redskins - Released Donte Stallworth.

Carolina Panthers - Released Ronald Fields.

Catching Up

Yep, I'm back refreshed and ready for some football.  Let's see what's been going on.

Fantasy Football:

I've joined 3 leagues this year and that's probably one too many.  The league on NFL.com and created by my guy @Malik sucks.  It's 20 teams, and I couldn't make the draft so I used the automatic drafting tool and I didn't even get a starting QB in the league, not one.  What kind of BS is that?  I digress,......so that team will probably be on cruise control all year long unless I can pull off a trade.

NBA:

Well, the players are still locked out and it's not looking good for people expecting the NBA season to start on time.  The owners are making a hard line and that's not going to work out well for the players.  We'll see what happens with this one, but my expectation is that you will find more NBA ballers at these smaller leagues and possibly during the Vegas league that is being pushed by (Adidas) Joe Abunassar.  Some folks have been pushing for such a league with only pros allowed so that a collective can market the game more than smaller groups of players. 

NFL:

Yes, it's that time and we are only a few days away from the Saints and Packers starting the 2011/12 NFL Season.  Yes, I'll be starting with the picks and I look forward to a great year.  Let's look at some team specific stuff.

Indianapolis Colts - Yes,that is fear that you see coming from the Colts headquarters as they have Manning's neck checked out yet again.  If he's out for more than these next few games, I doubt that anyone has to worry too much about the Colts in the playoffs this year.  Manning streak of games started should end and then they'll start talking about the other Manning (Eli).

Chicago Bears - Why Lance Briggs would ask for a raise now is beyond me.  He really has no leverage and this is just a distraction to the team.  If anything, they need to find a new #1 receiver will their present #1, Roy Williams, not able to catch a cold, butt naked in a winter storm. 

Washington Redskins - Are starting Rex Grossman for the first game of the season.  @Mike C. you are probably jumping up and down about the argument we had about Rex.  Yes, Rex will start and that'll give him the status of being a starting QB in the NFL, but this is more out of necessity than choice.  He'll be pulled in a few weeks, watch. 

Kansas City Chiefs - After taking a beating, Matt Cassel is practicing but he his ribs might keep him out of game 1 for the Chiefs.  I doubt he'll miss the first game of the season but it's tough for a QB to start the season with a target on his chest (literally).  The Chiefs need Cassel at 100% in order for them to have a chance at the playoffs.  I don't know how ribs heal until you take some time off. 

Pittsburgh Steelers - James Harrison is still recovering from back surgery but isn't at 100% yet.  If anyone knows him, he'll be out there game 1.  Harrison is an important piece to the Steelers defense and they gotta hope that he won't break down during the season.  In my opinion, any surgery on your back isn't minor and needs to be rehabbed accordingly. 

New England Patriots - A return of Moss?  Not likely, but Tom Brady has had discussions with the mercurial WR as of late.  I find it hard to believe that any team would take a flyer on Moss unless they were in a dire situation.  With the acquisition of Ochocinco and the rest of the Pats WR corp, the Patriots could probably do without Moss.  With that said, never say never. 

Cincinnati Bengals - Return of Palmer?  Palmer was actually seen at Paul Brown Stadium recently and that's about it.  The Bengals did cut his little brother (Jordan) as their #2 QB, so maybe that makes Carson a little more upset?  Carson is leaving $11.5M on the table by 'retiring' instead of playing for the Bengals this year.  he must really be pissed to not want to pick up that check.  I'm not sure how this one turns out, but you've got to think that Carson doesn't have anything else to do that would make him that amount of money (he says he doesn't need the money), but the Bengals aren't trading him or releasing him.  Interesting,.....

MLB:

As the playoffs get ready to start, I've been promised that we'll have some coverage on the MLB items.  Stay tuned. 

NFL 2010 NFC Championship Game Wrap Up

Green Bay @ Chicago - As I sat and watched this game, I thought that maybe I should become the next Ms.(Mr.) Cleo.  I said that the Bears would have to limit the bad decisions and turnovers by Cutler and play well on defense.  I also said that Johnny Knox would have a big game.  I said this about the Packers 'On defense, I'm looking for a big game from BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins.  If the two of them cause problems up front, not only will they be able to get hits on Cutler, but they may force him into some bad throws and that's all Woodson and Williams are waiting on'.  Let's get to the tale of the tape.

1.  Cutler missed on a few passes early, but his worst decision was quitting on his team.  Ask any athlete that's been hurt and had a significant injury, they can tell you when it happened.  I can't by Cutler's excuse that he hurt his knee sometime in the 2nd quarter.  This is the NFC Championship game, and by all accounts the Bears played terrible, but they were still in this game until the last INT by Hanie.  This is Cutler's first foire into the playoffs with a chance to go to the Superbowl, and this is what you do?  Number 2, you go in early at halftime and you come back out without a knee brace on?  I mean if your knee is hurt that bad, they have knee braces (and probably a shot or two) that will help you get through the next 30 minutes and try and win this game.  We can assume that Cutler chose neither.  Number 3, Unless this MRI comes back with 3 torn ligaments, I expect that Cutler will be vilified in a city where toughness is an expectation.  Number 4, if the training staff/doctor told you that you shouldn't play, a competitor would have been seen on the sideline in Lovie's ear trying to get him to reconsider or something.  There should have been a screaming match with a helmet thrown or something.  This just doesn't look good for Cutler, even with Urlacher doing what he was supposed to do by standing up for his teammate.   

2.  Johnny Knox (targeted 6 times) must not trust Cutler because he doesn't seem to go all out when Cutler is throwing him the ball.  Enter Hanie and Knox becomes a different man.  Knox ended the game with 2 receptions for 56 yards (1 pass interference call that turned into an additional play for 20+ yards for the Bears) which isn't alot but when your QBs throw for a total of 218 yard, it's pretty good.

3.  BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins must have heard me talking about them because they started the game of disrupting things and continued for the majority of the game.  Jenkins ended the game with 1/2 a sack, 2 tackles for loss, 2 QB hits (maybe one on Cutler's knee), and several more disruptions.  BJ Raji ended the game with 2 QB hits, and an 18 yard interception return for a TD.

4. Woodson and Williams played well covering the Bears receivers, but it was Sam Shields who had 2 INTs (1 sealed the game) and a sack to go along with 4 tackles, that paced the Packers in the defensive secondary. 

All in all, it was a sad day for the Bears.  Their defense played well, but their offense wasn't on the right track.  I've said all year long that Hanie is a better QB for the Bears (Martz) system and someone should think about that going forward.  Cutler has more tools than Hanie, but sometimes have a utility knife that can do 20 things really isn't worth having when you trying to open a can and you have a handy dandy can opener ready and available.  The Bears as an organization will have to stand by Cutler or his career here is done, so I expect that his MRI results will be substantially worse than they really are.

Actually this was quite prophetic too -   
'In the end, the Bears are playing at home (even though the field is TERRIBLE) and I think that their special teams will need to be special for them to win this game.  I expect the Packers to get to Cutler, and I even expect the Bears to get to Rodgers.  I don't trust Cutler in this big of a game.  So, to both Mike's (at the barbershop and at Union Station), Kevin (my Ray Lewis hater, he thinks Urlacher is better than Ray Lewis), and anyone else that I run across before the game here's what I got.  Winner - Packers'.

The Packers are on their way to the Superbowl and they really proved that they were the better team yesterday. Congrats and good luck in Dallas.  Inquisitive Mind 1 - 0 for the week. 

NFL 2010 NFC Championship Game Pick

From 4 to 2.......

Green Bay @ Chicago - This is it.  Time to show up and play ball.  The Bears get the Packers at home for the right to go to the Superbowl.  The Bears come in with an offensive line that started off as terrible early in the year but has ended up being respectable as of late.  That has led to improved performance by both Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.  Cutler has looked his best in the past few weeks, a great improvement from the erratic guy we saw earlier in the season.  The key for the Bears comes down to two things:  1) Cutler and 2) Defense.  Now you might say, duh, isn't that what games normally depend on the QB and the defenses?  Cutler can't 'miss' against this Packers defensive backfield.  He had some INTs dropped against the Seahawks and he's good for throwing at least 1 pick in this game.  If Cutler limits the turnovers and bad decisions, I think the Bears win this game.  Look for a big game from the diminutive Johnny Knox, who seems to play well against the Packers.  On the defensive side of the ball, (Lovie please read this before gametime) the Bears CAN NOT sit back and let Rodgers complete passes in that Cover 2 with the whole 'bend but don't break' mantra.  The Bears are going to have to send corners, LBs, and parachute people in in order to get hits on Rodgers.  Bring out all of the plays that you haven't used all year.  When they get to Rodgers, they can't be like the Falcons and miss hitting him, they have to bring the pain.  If Rodgers is dinged or injured, it's game over for the Packers.

The Packers have got to run the ball.  Yes, that'll be hard against the Bears defense, but they have to have a commitment to running the ball, which equates to 20-25 carries.  They might actually pop a big one on the Bears.  Rodgers has all of his receivers playing at a high level, so the offensive line has got to protect Rodgers from the likes of Tommie Harris and Israel Idonije.  No I didn't say Julius Peppers because they are going to have to double team him, period.  That leaves the Idonije's and Harris' one on one and those guys are pretty good.  On defense, I'm looking for a big game from BJ Raji and Cullen Jenkins.  If the two of them cause problems up front, not only will they be able to get hits on Cutler, but they may force him into some bad throws and that's all Woodson and Williams are waiting on.  Clay Matthews is a little dinged but he'll be ready to go.  The Packers will test this offensive line to really see how well they have gotten.

In the end, the Bears are playing at home (even though the field is TERRIBLE) and I think that their special teams will need to be special for them to win this game.  I expect the Packers to get to Cutler, and I even expect the Bears to get to Rodgers.  I don't trust Cutler in this big of a game.  So, to both Mike's (at the barbershop and at Union Station), Kevin (my Ray Lewis hater, he thinks Urlacher is better than Ray Lewis), and anyone else that I run across before the game here's what I got.  Winner - Packers.

NFL 2010 Divisional Playoff Wrap Up

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh - How happy was I as this game went in to halftime?  The Ravens had driven down the field against the Steelers and scored, caused some turnovers and scored, and basically rendered the Steelers useless.  Then after halftime, a fumble by Ray Rice (12 carries, 32 yards, 7 receptions, 32 yards), an interception by Flacco, and the next thing you know the Steelers are tied, and would end up winning this game.  What a turn of events.  The biggest play was the 3rd and 19 that the Steelers had and somehow with only 8 guys rushing the Ravens allowed Antonio Brown (3 catches for 75 yards) to get behind them and catch the game clinching 58 yard reception.  I still can't believe that Webb let ANYONE get deeper than he was and throw the safety in their too.  This all came down to the Ravens offense not being able to throw (and catch) the ball.  Flacco had a pedestrian outing along with Housh (3 catches for 38 yards, and the biggest drop in recent playoff history), Boldin (1 catch for -2 yards), and Mason (0 catches).  Flacco even had time for the majority of the game, but they were just off.

Yes, the Steelers won, but the Ravens gave this game away.  Big Ben (19 of 32, with 2 TDs) had 226 yards passing and the Steelers as a team were held to 71 yards rushing (Mendenhall 20 carries for 46 yards, 2 TDs).  That tells you that there was a lot of defense when there weren't those big plays.  I saw Ray Lewis' interview after the game and you could tell he wanted to blow a fuse.  Sad way to end a nice playoff run.  Inquisitive Mind 0 - 1 for the week.      


Green Bay @ Atlanta - Whatever Aaron Rodgers had for a pre-game meal, please give me several servings of that.  Rodgers (31 of 36 for 366 yards, 3 TDs) torched the Falcons en route to a playoff high for the Packers in points (48 points).  The Falcons looked good right before halftime and then Tramon Williams' INT return for a TD sealed the deal.  Yes, it was only 28 to 14 at that time, but it was over.  The Falcons couldn't get it going.  I think there's something about getting the bye that works against the team that has it.  Matt Ryan looked lost and even the strength of the Falcons team (rushing the ball) was only able to amass 45 yards.  The Atlanta defense looked outclassed and this was a terrible showing, especially at home.  Inquisitive Mind 0 - 2 for the week. 

Seattle @ Chicago - This was the perfect game by the Bears up until that ill advised pass by, no not Cutler (15 of 28 for 274 yards, 2 TDs, 8 carries for 43 yards, 2 TDs), but Matt Forte (0 for 1 for 0 yards, 1 INT, 25 carries for 80 yards).  Why not just run the ball out of the Wildcat if there's no one to throw to?  Why even call that play?  You're handing the beatdown out to the Seahawks, but you decide to confuse them and run the Wildcat?  The best part of this was watching the Mike Martz react on the sideline.  (blank stare)  Cutler had a great game, and almost made you think that he should be in the backfield as he danced into the end zone twice.  The Bears defense kept the Seahawks at 34 yards rushing for the game and spent enough time in the Seahawks backfield to become drinking buddies with Hasselbeck (26 of 46 for 258 yards, 3 TDs). 

After the game, I happened to be listening to some sports talk radio and one caller called in saying that he was happy the Bears won, but he was upset with the play of Julius Peppers.  I almost ran off the road, because either he didn't watch the game or he just doesn't know any better.  Peppers is the one guy on that defensive line that team game plan against.  He was double teamed the majority of the game and in some cases there were 3 people that he had to deal with.  This allowed people like Tommie Harris, Urlacher, and Briggs to make all the plays.  That won't show up on the stat sheet, but I'll bet you no one in the Bears locker room will say anything differently.    Inquisitive Mind 1 - 2 for the week. 

New York Jets @ New England - The Jets talked the talk and they walked the walk by jumping on the Patriots and never letting up.  Maybe the ghost of Randy Moss finally caught up to the Pats.  After falling behind early, they weren't able to stretch the field as the Jets found ways to stop that dink and dunk offense.  Mark Sanchez (16 of 25 for 194 yards, 3 TDs) looked like an NFL QB and the Jets continued to pound the ball with both LT (10 carries for 43 yards) and Greene (17 carries for 76 yards, 1 TD).  Brady was sacked 5 times and hit numerous times.  That's the blueprint for beating the Patriots, get Brady (29 of 45 for 299 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) uncomfortable and run the ball.

There was a lot of talk going on, with even Welker (7 catches, 57 yards) sitting at the beginning of the game for his 'foot' diatribe to the media a few days earlier.  I wonder how it must feel to beat those guys, because you know it has to be something if your starting wide receiver is doing a cartwheel after the game.  The week off really effected the timing of that Patriots offense, that's all I'll say.  Inquisitive Mind 2 - 2 for the week. 

It was a fun week, always fun when the Patriots lose, but I'm crying on the inside about my Ravens.  I'm still not sure how they lost that game.  We'll see what next week brings. 

NFL 2010 Week 17 Picks

This is it, my last chance for a perfect week.  This week is probably the hardest because no one knows how long the starters play in these games because in most cases, the only thing that's in question in the seeding.  Let's see if we can make this perfect thing happen. 

Carolina @ Atlanta - The Falcons need a win to get their mindset ready for the playoffs, but they can't risk too many people getting hurt.  Starters play a half in this one and the Panthers just aren't good enough to make this close.  Winner - Falcons.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland - The Browns want to win and the Steelers just gotta get out of this healthy.  Polamalu is trying to play on his injured achilles, we'll see how long he plays if at all.  Winner - Browns. 

Minnesota @ Detroit - Hmmmm,...Joe Webb gets another chance to start and hopefully play well.  Favre did finally pass his concussion tests, but I doubt he'll play unless it's the last play of the game.  For some reason, the Lions are the team that keeps coming to mind.  Winner - Lions.

Oakland @ Kansas City - The Chiefs need this win and it's against the Raiders (rivalry).  Why not beat them on your way to the playoffs?  Winner - Chiefs. 

Miami @ New England - The Patriots have nothing to prove and I doubt the starters play more than a series or two in the second half.  I expect about 24 ont he board before then.  Winner - Patriots. 

Tampa Bay @ New Orleans - What are the Saints playing for?  This is going to be a good game.  The Bucs need this one,......Winner - Bucs. 

Buffalo @ New York Jets - Gotta be the Jets, or this whole season has been a waste.  They have to find their rhythm on both offense and defense.  Winner - Jets. 

Cincinatti @ Baltimore - The Ravens gotta find their identity on offense and nothing like the Bengals, who actually played pretty well without their divas last week.  Winner - Ravens. 

Jacksonville @ Houston - Both teams are essentially out of the playoffs, so show really cares?  No MJD and no Garrard for the Jaguars.  Winner - Texans. 

New York Giants @ Washington - The Shanahan Plan.  Winner - Giants. 

Dallas @ Philadelphia - Can the Cowboys make Vick look human and possibly get a few more hits on him?  Or will Kolb look terrible?  Winner - Eagles. 

Arizona @ San Francisco - The 49ers could win this game and galvanize a team that could say they just weren't led the right way all year long.  Will they do it?  Winner - 49ers. 

Chicago @ Green Bay - I'm still not sold on the Bears.  They have nothing to gain in this game except to keep their rival Packers out of the playoffs.  I just don't think that can be their only motivation.  Lovie won't play his starters long.  Winner - Packers. 

Tennessee @ Indianapolis - Peyton Manning is back.  Winner - Colts. 

San Diego @ Denver - Nothing for either team to play for, so which team is the best?  Winner - Chargers. 

St. Louis @ Seattle - Should be a good game and the surprising Rams should make the playoffs.  I know I'll be watching.  Winner - Rams. 

Who you got?!?!?

NFL 2010 Week 11 Thursday Night Wrap Up

Chicago @ Miami - This is the game the Bears needed.  They dominated the Dolphins and the Dolphins helped out.  I have no idea why the Dolphins didn't roll out the Wildcat, not even once.  You line up a third string QB (behind a third string center) and you let him drop back and pass all night, with the expectation of winning the game?  Thanks for contributing to the Bears win.  With that said, I wasn't sure who was the third string QB, Cutler or Thigpen.  This was a sad game to watch.  The Bears are 7-3.  Think about that for a moment.  No, I don't think that they are a good team, more lucky than anything, but they are 7-3.  This has definitely been a crazy year.  Inquisitive Mind 1 - 0 for the week.  

NFL 2010 Week 11 Thursday Night Pick

Short week this week and the Bears get to travel to Miami.  More Thursday Night Football.  Yesss!!!


Chicago @ Miami - The Dolphins are beat up as Tyler Thigpen will make the start tonight, but I imagine that we'll see a lot of the Wildcat since the Dolphins are close to calling Marino to suit up tonight.  The Bears take a strong defense to Miami and a shaky offense.  This is a definite advantage for the Bears, but I could see the Dolphins winning this one. Can Cutler throw the ball to the dark colored jerseys?  Winner - Bears. 


Who you got?

NFL 2010 Week 10 Picks

Starting off 0 - 1 this week with the Ravens/Falcons game.  Let's see what happens the rest of the week.

Detroit @ Buffalo – This is definitely going to be an ugly game.  The Bills may mess around and get their first win.  Shaun Hill should get the start for the Lions with Stafford hurt and that defense has been playing pretty well as of late.  This is really a coin flip, but I have to lean towards the Lions on this one.  Don’t know why.  Winner – Lions. 

Minnesota @ Chicago – Whew!!!!  This is a Job game for both head coaches.  If the Bears lose, that’ll mean that Lovie is one step closer to being out the door.  If the Vikings lose, that may end their playoff hopes and send Chilly on out the door on Monday morning.  The Vikings are thin at WR as Harvin continues to battle migraines and they slowly bring Rice along.  That means more time for former Bears castoff Bernard Berrian to do work.  I don’t know if he’s up for it.  I imagine that the Vikings will allow Favre to call the game from under center in hopes of catching the Bears asleep at the wheel.  Winner – Vikings.        

New York Jets @ Cleveland – I picked against this bad Browns team two weeks in a row and they ended up winning.  Dare I pick them again?  The Jets need to win this game badly and make Rex Ryan’s brother rue the day he was born (hahahahaha).  The Browns have been up to the challenge as of late but it’s too late in the season for the better teams to lose to the bad ones.  Winner – Jets. 

Carolina @ Tampa Bay – This is how bad it’s become for the Panthers.  I can’t even waste time talking about them because I just know that they are going to lose this game.  In Tampa?  Against a decent defense and no running game.  Watch them run all over the Bucs and make me cry in my cereal.  Winner – Bucs.

Houston @ Jacksonville – I can’t believe that Garrard can play better than he did against the Cowboys again.  They are at home, but Houston has got to get back on track or they are going to be bridesmaids in their division yet again.  It’s time for that Texans defense to get down right Walker Texas Ranger on somebody.  Arian Foster will also need a big game.  Winner – Texans. 

Cincinnati @ Indianapolis – One bad team (Bengals) against a decent team (Colts) at home.  Collie is still out, and Manning doesn’t look that comfortable with his version of the Replacements.  He’s so used to being on the same page with his receivers, but with all their injuries, it just makes it hard and you can see he’s not comfortable.  The Bengals are on a fast ship going nowhere as it seems that Carson Palmer only has love for T.O.  Chad Ochocinco has been relegated to a highly paid cheerleader who doesn’t like what he’s seeing.  He’s gotta have a big game sometime soon.  Maybe this weekend?  Winner – Bengals. 

Tennessee @ Miami – Hello Randy Moss, again!!!!!  The Titans come to Miami to show off their new offense and I expect the fireworks to pop.  I had the same expectations for Moss in Minny, but Fisher is a much better coach and they have a much better play caller.  Miami will play them tough, but with the revolving door at QB on a constant spin, no one can really pick the Dolphins.  Winner – Titans. 

Kansas City @ Denver – AFC Rivalry in the Mile High City.  We know a few things: 1) Kyle Orton will throw for 300+ yards 2) Charles will have 20-25 carries for 100+ yards 3) Bowe will drop 2 passes 4) Cassel will make us question his $60M contract 5) Brandon Lloyd will make every Bears fan cringe has he catches passes from Orton for TDs (about 2 this game).  In the end, this one is coming down to a kicker.  Who you got?  Winner – Chiefs.

Dallas @ New York Giants – How bad can it be?  I guess we’ll see.  If the Cowboys lose this game, they might have to fire all of the popcorn vendors in the new stadium, obviously they are a problem too.  (Jerry Jones, look in the mirror!!!!)  The Cowboys travel to the new Meadowlands and they are running into a buzz saw.  Not that I think the Giants are that good, because Manning can give it away, but they have a decent all around team and I expect them to dominate a Dallas defense that hasn’t been able to stop too many people this season.  I can’t pick the Cowboys.  The keyboard won’t even let me type it.  Winner – Giants. 

Seattle @ Arizona – The Battle of Two Bad teams.  Hasselbeck will probably start coming off of his concussion, but he should do a lot of handing off to Lynch if they want to win this game.  I’m not even sure who’s starting for the Cardinals at QB, but it seems over the last few weeks that they are more comfortable with Derek Anderson back there.  Here’s to hoping he can play some decent ball this weekend.  Winner – Cardinals.

St. Louis @ San Francisco – This starts the 49ers path towards winning the NFC West.  No one has really stepped up to take away the division, so here’s to making Mike Singletary and the rest of the 49ers front office look like geniuses.  Winner – 49ers. 

New England @ Pittsburgh – The winner of this game will be my pick to represent the AFC in the Superbowl, unless the Patriots win.  I’m not sold on the Patriots and it’s hard as he77 to win in Pittsburgh.  Belicheat can only scheme so much.  Winner – Steelers.

Philadelphia @ Washington – The Battle for the Rightful QB of the Eagles.  Vick brings his Eagles squad to Washington to face the old face of the Eagles, Donovan McNabb.  Vick owes McNabb a lot since he took him under his wing when the Eagles rescued him from purgatory (coming out of jail).  Too bad he won’t give McNabb what he needs the most and that’s a subpar performance.  The Redskins don’t have enough and they’re limited on offense to win this game.  The best thing that could happen is that Vick twists his ankle (not serious) and Kolb comes in and blows this game for the Eagles.  That would be too much like right.  Winner – Eagles.   

Who you got??

NFL 2010 Week 9 Wrap Up

Whew!!!  Finally something good happens to my picks this week.  We were close to getting that perfect week, but as we all know, close only works for horse shoes and hand grenades.  Let’s see what happened. 

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta – The Falcons were able to pull this one out with a goal line defensive stand, stopping LeGarrette Blount to win this game.  Matt Ryan had a steady game (24 of 36 for 235 yards, 1 TD) eventhough he lost his #1 target in Roddy White.  The Falcons are on top of the NFC South and could be dangerous for just about any team out there.  They run the ball well with Michael Turner (24 carries, 107 yards, 2 TDs) and the defense has been able to make some stops when needed.  Great game for the Bucs too, they lost by about a yard.  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week.

Chicago @ Buffalo – All this talk about going to the running game for the Bears and this is what you do?  Yes, the Bears ended up with 105 yards rushing as a team but some of that (39 yards) came from Cutler running for his life.  This Bears team is just bad.  Hopefully they will spend some money in the offseason on offensive linemen.  Any player they draft that doesn’t have the designation ‘OL’ should promptly be followed by season ticketholders turning in their tickets.  No one is going to want to watch this next year.  Did I mention that they won?  Just barely.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 0 for the week. 

New England @ Cleveland – Here’s what I said on Friday – ‘The real question is which Browns team shows up.  Will it be the team that beat the Saints, or the team that shows up almost every other week?  I’m on record that the Patriots aren’t that good (their record says otherwise), but I don’t think this Browns team is quite ready yet.  Maybe this is one more step closer to the Mike Holmgren coaching era in Cleveland’.  Peyton Hillis (29 carries, 184 yards, 2 TDs) singlehandedly destroyed the Patriots, and he also made Colt McCoy look pretty good (14 of 19, 174 yards).  There may be life in Cleveland after LeBron because this Browns team looks to be on the come up.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week. 

New York Jets @ Detroit – This is the team you don’t want to play.  The Detroit Lions played well against the Jets and it took overtime for the Jets to pull this one off.  This was a good hard hitting game that even included (my vote for Defensive Rookie of the Year) Ndamukong Suh missing an extra point.  Santonio Holmes (5 catches, 114 yards) was the difference in the Jets passing game and Calvin Johnson (1 catch, 13 yards) got shut down by the Jets defense.   There had to be joy on that Jets plane home because they stole this one from the jaws of defeat.  Inquisitive Mind 3 – 1 for the week. 

New Orleans @ Carolina – Was this the Charlotte Mecklenburg football team or the Panthers?  This was a no contest from the beginning and that’s about all you can say.  I think John Fox sealed his job with this game and probably was glad that he made it home yesterday in one piece.  Inquisitive Mind 4 – 1 for the week. 

Miami @ Baltimore – The Ravens defense showed up and put this game away.  Joe Flacco (20 of 27, 266 yards, 2 TDs) was great and Ray Rice (22 carries, 83 yards) led the Ravens on the ground.  Inquisitive Mind 5 -1 for the week. 

San Diego @ Houston – Are you kidding me?  You let Philip Rivers just throw the ball all over the place?  The running game in San Diego is pathetic and you chose to let Rivers throw the ball?  Houston had me screaming yesterday because they gave this game away.  Literally they gave it away.  Not Antonio Gates, and you could barely name the other receivers on the Chargers team.  Arrrrgggghhh!!!  Inquisitive Mind 5 – 2 for the week. 

Arizona @ Minnesota – Again, how did the Cardinals lose this game?  You’re up 14 with 4 minutes left and you lose the game in overtime?  This was the game for Childress’ job and I wanted the Vikings to win, but the Vikings need to get rid of Childress.  If you just watched the post game press conference you would have thought that this was a loss for the Vikings.  Childress was melancholy as usual, even throwing in a jab at his quarterback (if you want to tell and joke and you don’t normally tell jokes and the joke is about a sore subject for you team, you probably don’t want to tell the joke).  The Vikings can turn this around if they all kiss and makeup, but that’s a big ‘IF’.  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 2 for the week. 

New York Giants @ Seattle – What I said on Friday – ‘We are now seeing the beginning of the Charlie Whitehurst regime in Seattle.  He’s never thrown a pass in an NFL game and he gets to face a well rested Giants front line.  There’s no way that this ends well for the Seahawks, right?’  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 2 for the week. 

Indianapolis @ Philadelphia – Whew!!!!  The Eagles held on to this game when I thought for sure that Peyton Manning and the NFL were going to make sure that the Colts won this game.  Here are my issues:  1) If you are going to suspend guys and fine them for hitting people in tight spaces, you need to fine and suspend the QBs that throw them the ball into the tight places.  I pray that Austin Collie is somewhere and he’s well this morning as you never want to see anyone get hurt.  But when you go down the seam with a LB in the chase position, and two safeties who are coming to knock you out, bad things are going to happen.  Collie got had time to brace himself and he drop his head and he was hit by 3 people in a matter of seconds.  This was a good football hit (not the outcome that you want) and it was a fumble.  2) If you don’t take the skirts off of these QBs, I’m not going to watch the NFL.  I’m sorry, I’d rather watch high school and college ball than watch Peyton Manning get 15 yard penalties because a defender was swiping for the ball and happen to hit him in the head with their hand.  You are taught from a young age to bother the QB if you can’t hit him, or hit whatever you can.  It’s just sad to see what this has come to.  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 2 for the week. 

Kansas City @ Oakland – The Raiders have won 3 in a row.  They haven’t done that in years and they are looking pretty good.  They came back against the Chiefs and were able to take this game into overtime.  The Chiefs had chances to come home with a win, but in a hard fought game like this, you can’t really fault either team (too much).  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 3 for the week. 

Dallas @ Green Bay – The crying will continue for the Cowboys.  Last night’s debacle should have sealed the fate of their head coach, the assistance head coach, the ball boy, and anyone else who is paid by the Cowboys.  Last night was a total a#& whoopin and pictures from the sideline suggests that grown men can cry.  The Packers defense got in the game and it was pretty much over when it started.  Jerry Jones is somewhere today and he is HOT!!!!  Wade Phillips, get on the bus.  Inquisitive Mind 9 – 3 for the week. 

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati – The Steelers did what I thought they would do, go into Cincinnati and beat up on the Bengals.  This Bengals team has way too much talent, but the key may be that they are limited at the QB position.  I’m not sure what’s going on but Carson Palmer looks to be toast.  He’s just not the same guy, pre-knee operation.  The sad part is that the Bengals have no other option to turn to because the backup is his little brother.  They are 2-6 and the season is pretty much over.  I have a feeling that Marvin Lewis is pretty much over too.  Inquisitive Mind 10 -3 for the week. 

I’m glad I was able to bounce back with a 10-3 week, because otherwise it was starting to get depressing.  That brings me to a 73-56 record for the year.  We’re going in the right direction.  Lookout week 10. 

NFL 2010 Week 9 Picks

Last week was terrible.  It’s gotta get better.  Here’s looking at a perfect week.  Can I pull it off?  Let’s see. 

Tampa Bay @ Atlanta – The Falcons better win this game and handily.  They are playing a dangerous Bucs team that seems to be right there in being able to perform well each week.  Their defense has stepped up in the past weeks and rookie LeGarrette Blount had a coming out party last week.  I like watching a young team grow, but this should be one of those bumps in the road for the Bucs.  Winner – Falcons.

Chicago @ Buffalo – This will be an interesting game.  The Bears are coming off their bye week with the promise of reshuffling their offensive line and also planning on running the ball more consistently.  Here’s to hoping.  This game is important for the Bears, because this Bills team has been playing well (not winning though) and all they need is an opportunity to make someone look bad.  This might be their week.  Winner – Bears.

New England @ Cleveland – The real question is which Browns team shows up.  Will it be the team that beat the Saints, or the team that shows up almost every other week?  I’m on record that the Patriots aren’t that good (their record says otherwise), but I don’t think this Browns team is quite ready yet.  Maybe this is one more step closer to the Mike Holmgren coaching era in Cleveland.  Winner – Patriots.

New York Jets @ Detroit – The Jets get to travel to the comfy confines of Ford Field and they get a team that may be up to playing against the brash team from New York.  The Lions defense has played pretty well lately and Calvin Johnson seems to always find the ball eventhough he’s really their only wide receiver threat.  The Jets have the people to clamp down on the Lions to make this a tough game for the Jets.  In the end, the Jets have to play better and I think they capitalize on this opportunity.  Winner – Jets. 

New Orleans @ Carolina – The Panthers welcome their NFC South rivals from Louisiana.  I’m not sure what else I can say about this game.  The Saints are playing well after beating the Steelers last Sunday so I expect them to beat the tar out of the Panthers.  Winner – Saints. 

Miami @ Baltimore – This ought to be a good game.  Two good defenses and two offenses that won’t give the game away, with the exception of the Ravens letting Joe Flacco ‘do what he do’ at the present time.  Flacco has been playing great as of late and looks to continue to do the same against Dolphins.  Look for the Ravens to pull this one out.  I don’t expect a lot of points in this game unless one team decides to turn the ball over.  Winner – Ravens. 

San Diego @ Houston – This is a hard game to pick.  The Texans are coming off of a loss against the Colts (you just can’t spot them 14 points at home and expect to win) on Monday night, so they have the short week, but they at home.  We know the Chargers will get to the game at half time and then start playing.  The question is how many points can the Texans score before halftime?  No Gates for the Chargers (or at least that’s the plan as of right now) so I imagine that the Chargers will have a rough time.  Winner – Texans. 

Arizona @ Minnesota – This is the game for Childress’ job.  If they lose this one, I expect that he’ll keep on driving until her gets home and that’ll be the end of the Childress era in Minny.  The Cardinals have a rotating QB situation and a decent running game.  The Vikings defense will step up this week, guaranteed.  Winner – Vikings.

New York Giants @ Seattle – We are now seeing the beginning of the Charlie Whitehurst regime in Seattle.  He’s never thrown a pass in an NFL game and he gets to face a well rested Giants front line.  There’s no way that this ends well for the Seahawks, right?  Winner – Giants.

Indianapolis @ Philadelphia – The return from injury for Vick and he gets the Colts defense that looked great against the Texans.  Hopefully the time off let LeSean McCoy’s ribs heal.  This will be a good game.  The Colts defensive ends will have to keep contain and Vick will have to learn to not take such big hits.  What’s the Eagles’ record coming off a bye?  Winner – Eagles.

Kansas City @ Oakland – The Raiders are looking good and hope to keep their brief period of domination (2 games) going.  The Chiefs have been looking good and they should win this game.  This is a division rival game.  No Asomugha, but there’s a chance that changes.  This one is difficult, but I guess I’m going with the Chiefs.  Winner – Chiefs.

Dallas @ Green Bay – It’s all over but the crying and even that is probably not going to stop for a while in Texas.  The Packers are still hurt and they won’t have Donald Driver, but they are at home and the tundra is at least close to being cold.  Dallas seems to have already checked out for the season.  I thought they played well had it not been for the turnovers last week (can you guys catch the ball?), but the outcome simply destroyed their psyche.  It’s a must win for the Cowboys or we might see the first firing of a head coach.  Winner – Packers. 

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati – Should be an even game.  The Steelers are rolling on all cylinders and the Bengals are struggling big time.  I think this is another ‘job’ game, meaning that if the Bengals lose this, they might have sealed the fate of Marvin Lewis.  The Steelers are just that good.  Winner – Steelers.

Who you got?

NFL 2010 Week 7 Wrap Up

Ok, it’s getting quite sickening for me.  It’s time for some coaches (maybe some GMs too) to get pick slips.  If you watched some of these games, you should be thinking the same thing.  Let’s see how e did and you gotta always hope for the best. 

Cincinnati @ Atlanta – Shootout!!  It didn’t start that way, but it really ended that way.  The Bengals spotted the Falcons 21 points by halftime, but whatever happened at half time, they might want to look into doing that at the beginning of each of their next games.  Two Carson Palmer TD passes, a Mike Nugent field goal, and a fumble return by Adam Jones (the Artist Formerly Known as Pacman) and the Bengals are up 25-24.   The good news, Carson Palmer looked like the Palmer of old.  He threw for 412 yards and 3 TDs, and he worked his arm out by having 50 attempts (36 completions).  The bad news, they lost the game.  The Falcons, got up early and went to sleep but were able to get back on the horse with a monster game from Michael Turner (121 yards and 2 TDs), Matty Ice (Ryan) with a 299 yard, 3 TDs, and 1 INT, and Roddy White did his best Jerry Rice impersonation with 11 catches for 201 yards and 2 TDs.  The Falcons are 5-2 and things are looking great in Hot-Lanta.  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week.  

Washington @ Chicago – I am a sage or something.  ‘The Bears normally play McNabb tough, but I imagine that you’ll see a big game from Arakbo and Landry, and maybe, just maybe big Haynesworth shows up this weekend’.  Pretty much says it all.  The Bears suck.  I don’t know what else to say.  The game was pretty much completed in a few plays on Sunday.  Play 1 - Earl Bennett gets a big play downfield and is stopped at the one.  The Bears offense lines up to run their play, then a challenge flag from Lovie.  If you don’t have enough confidence in your team to get 1 yard, go home.  They challenge the play and lose the challenge.  Play 2 - They call a QB sneak and as Cutler reaches across the goal line (yes it was a TD, but so was Calvin Johnson’s TD in the first game of the season, karma is a #*$(%), the ball is knocked out of his hands and is a fumble recovered by the Redskins. Play 3 - The Redskins punt and the Bears drive all the way back inside the 20.  Cutler throws the ball off his back foot (he does this ALL THE TIME) and DeAngelo Hall intercepts the ball (one handed, find the video, it’s nasty) and takes it to the house for a TD.  All of this happens in a two minute span in the 3^rd quarter.  Lovie has to go.  He didn’t challenge the turnover/fumble by Cutler but he challenged the ball being down at the one.  The Bears were able to run the ball pretty well and then they let Cutler go pass crazy and he ends up with 4 INTs (not all his fault, but I digress).  Can the Bears just start over?  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 0 for the week. 

St. Louis @ Tampa Bay – The Rams were up 17-6 at halftime and they just lost this game.  I mean they literally stopped playing and lost this game.  They did everything that they hadn’t been doing weeks before to lose.  Sad, sad, sad.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week. 

San Francisco @ Carolina – Well I guess the situation at QB has been solved for the 49ers.  Alex Smith was knocked out of the game and Carr took over and it looked a little better than a train wreck for the 49ers.  They gave a Carolina team their first (and maybe only) win of the season.  Singletary, it’s been good while it lasted, but I expect that you’ll be on your way out too.  Let the Troy Smith era begin in San Fran.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 2 for the week. 

Buffalo @ Baltimore – What in the world happened?  The Ravens thought that Ray Lewis’ pre-game dance was going to win the game for them, but someone forgot to tell the Bills.  Ryan Fitzpatrick looked great and if it weren’t for the play of  Joe ‘Cool’ Flacco, the Ravens would have taken a nice ‘L’ here.  Ed Reed got his INT in his first game back and Ray Lewis sealed the deal with a fumble recovery at the end of the game.  The Ravens and Pittsburgh will be the two teams to beat in the AFC, write it down.  Inquisitive Mind 3 – 2 for the week.

Philadelphia @ Tennessee – Kevin Kolb showed up.  This is the guy that I have been talking about.  Kolb goes out and pulls out a forgettable performance (26 of 48 for 231 yards, 1 TD, and 2 INTs), prompting the never flappable Andy Reid to declare Vick the starter after the bye week.  Kolb got outplayed by Kerry Collins.  Kerry Collins retired a year ago, but for some reason, he still plays for the Titans.  Inquisitive Mind 4 – 2 for the week. 

Jacksonville @ Kansas City – Dare I say two good games by Matt Cassel, in a row too.  The Chiefs just beat a bad team in the Jaguars.  Thomas Jones filled in the lead dog runner act and ended the game with 125 yards (on 20 carries) and a TD.  Cassel had a 13 of 18 for 193 yards and 2 TDs performance that says he might be worth a quarter of his contract.  At least I did get one part right on my prediction ‘This has blowout written all over it’.  Inquisitive Mind 5 – 2 for the week. 

Pittsburgh @ Miami – (Laughing).  You can conclusively tell who has the ball when you have several people in a pile?  Isn’t it the guy who comes out of the pile with the ball?  Big Ben looked like he was testifying about the girl in the bathroom again ‘I had the ball at the bottom of the pile’, right and the young lady in the bar wasn’t drunk in the bathroom, right?  (Maybe that’s a low blow).  Nevertheless, the Steelers won and against a tough Miami team.  Many were saying that the Steelers are depending on Big Ben’s arm more since his return, but he attempted 27 passes and they ran the ball 27 times yesterday.  That’s balance.  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 2 for the week.  

Cleveland @ New Orleans – ‘This game ought to be entertaining and may not be the blowout that some expect’.  I still can’t believe the final score on this one.  I guess Drew Brees had that Jay Cutler disease and he decided that the other color jersey was the one to throw to.  The Saints ought to pick up David Bowens and see if they can convert him to a TE because he can catch balls from Brees all day.  Take away the two INTs for TDs and the one Hillis run (great field position) and the Browns didn’t show up for this game but put together enough to get this win.  That’s all that really matters.  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 3 for the week.  

Arizona @ Seattle – This was an ugly game.  If you were looking for offense, you were better off watching ANYTHING else on TV.  Hasselbeck threw for 192 yards and a TD, while both of the Cardinals QBs threw for a combined 114 yards and an INT.  They should pay the fans that had to watch this game.  This had to be a form of torture.  Inquisitive Mind – 7 – 3 for the week. 

New England @ San Diego – Note to Norv Turner:  Just pack it up.  You and AJ Smith, just pack it up and head home.  Thanks for your time and effort.  Gates played and had a decent game, but I’m not sure what it is for this Chargers team.  They suck too.  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 3 for the week. 

Oakland @ Denver – Wow!!!!  This is the Raiders team that I thought would be showing up this year.  No, I didn’t imagine them putting up 59 points a game or anything, but a team that was dangerous on both sides of the ball.  Campbell (12 of 20, for 204 yards and 2 TDs), McFadden (16 carries, 165 yards, 3 TDs, plus 1 TD receiving), and this defense should be playing like this all the time.  What was in the pre-game meal?  Whatever it was, have it again.  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 4 for the week. 

Minnesota @ Green Bay – Brad Childress, pack up your tent and roll out.  Please!!!!!  Yes, Brett had a terrible game (two INTs for TDs) but at the end of the game they have a chance to win and you end up calling a Sprint Out for your 40 year old QB?  Are you serious?  Yes, you move the pocket and maybe that throws off the defense, but why not just protect him (you had for the majority of the night)?  Who is calling this stuff?  Then to make it all better, Childress dumps on Favre during the post-game press conference.  There you go Chilly, be a man, now.  The Vikings have sooooo much talent on both sides of the ball.  This will be a waste if they can’t make it to the Superbowl.  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 5 for the week. 

New York Giants @ Dallas – Well, the good news is that Cowboys Stadium is now closed for the season.  No more of the sickening amusement park ride that has been the Cowboys this year.  The Giants started off the game terribly with Eli Manning throwing two picks and the Cowboys able to take advantage of those turnovers.  Then it went horribly wrong for the Cowboys on a missed blitz pickup and Michael Boley hit Tony Romo and ended up breaking his clavicle.  By this point the Giants went on a roll after this and seemed to break the game wide open.  A few series with Jon Kitna at the helm and then the Cowboys caught fire again and made this game.  In the end, Dez Bryant had his coming out party (3 TDs, 54 yards receiving, 118 return yards), and Manning looked almost like his brother by tossing 4 TDs (but also 3 INTs).  I think part of Jerry Jones died last night when he saw Romo laying on the ground.  Inquisitive Mind 8 – 6 for the week. 

Well it was a fun week watching the games, but I’ve gotta get better than a little over .500.  I think this week will be the turning point for a lot of teams as they head towards the playoff chase.  So I’m sitting at 59-45 for the year and I’m not making up any ground on the leaders, but I still have some time.  Mortensen, I’m coming after you.    

NFL 2010 Week 6 Picks

I know that we're hitting the road late with my picks, but I took the day off and I slept in and have been spending time with the fam this morning.  Nevertheless, here they are.  Enjoy your weekend.

Seattle @ Chicago – I hate to admit this, but the Bears could end up with a 10-6 record and make the playoffs this year. I bet a haircut that they wouldn’t go 10-6, so it’s looking like I’ll be out of some money. The Seahawks come to town and I expect the Bears defense to take over this game. I hope that Hasselbeck has his life insurance paid up, because this could be painful for him. At least we get to see Pete Carroll in Chicago this weekend, right? Think about it Bears fans, if they make the playoffs, you get at least 2 more years of Lovie. Winner – Bears.


Miami @ Green Bay – Will he or won’t he? Aaron Rodgers may play in this game. If he doesn’t, the Packers have no chance. Miami should be able to win this game because they play within their system and that system works, normally. Look for a big game from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Winner – Dolphins.

San Diego @ St. Louis – The Chargers are killing themselves. They have to get off to a hot start or they don’t seem to be able to win. The Rams aren’t the best team out there but they really have a chance to win this game. Can I finally get a good game out of Ryan Matthews? Winner – Chargers.

Baltimore @ New England – Whew!!! You just traded Randy Moss, got Deion Branch and you are playing a Ravens team that has a problem stopping the pass, sounds like a match made in heaven. The Patriots will try to throw the ball and the Ravens will try to hit Brady as many times as they can. The Patriots are going to end up playing right into the Ravens hands with this one. If the Patriots win, look for a big game from Welker and the young tight end. If the Ravens win, look for a big game from the Ravens passing game. Winner – Ravens.

New Orleans @ Tampa Bay – Maybe the Saints aren’t done, but they are hurting. Did anyone imagine that Reggie Bush would have this kind of effect on a team? I mean since he’s gone down, the Saints have gone down a little each week. Tampa Bay played pretty well last week by picking off Palmer 3 times. Was Palmer that bad or are the Bucs getting better? Winner – Saints.

Detroit @ New York Giants – The Lions are playing well and now they get the big lights of the big city. The Giants had a great game against the Bears, but they haven’t consistently played well. The Giants should be able to run the ball on the edges, because Suh is dominating the middle of that defensive line. Shaun Hill is playing pretty well and he’ll need to be lights out (ode to the soon to be released Shawne Merriman) for the Lions to be close. Winner – Giants.

Atlanta @ Philadelphia – Imagine this game in Atlanta. Could you see the signs that would be taken by the NFL? Because the signs that would be created would not be suitable for TV. Vick, if he plays, gets to face the team that gave up on him. Yeah, I said it. They should have tried their best to help him recreate his image. Yes he lied to the owner and everyone else, but so have other players. If Kolb plays, this isn’t a big deal of a game. The Falcons are the better team, but it’s hard winning in Philly. Winner – Falcons.

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh – Are you serious? Are you going to start Colt McCoy against the best defense in the league? His first NFL start? I guess we’ll see a lot of Josh Cribbs in the wildcat to help ease McCoy into this game. This is a divisional game so it usually is a nail biter and will probably be close, but this is Big Ben’s first game back. I imagine he’ll be testing out that arm of his. Winner – Steelers.

Kansas City @ Houston – Houston does this every year, right? They get our hopes up about being a good team and then boom, they are out of it. The Chiefs are playing pretty damn good football and they just have to find a way to get rid of Cassel and get a real QB. Pioli, can we pull the plug on the Cassel experiment? Try and get some of that $63M back and let him go on his merry way. Winner – Chiefs.

Oakland @ San Francisco – Ok, here we go. This is it, the first win of the season for the 49ers. They can’t keep getting to the well and not drinking. Just doesn’t make sense. Yes, I know Carr isn’t that much better than Alex Smith, but I’d be finding out just how much better he is by playing him on Sunday. Winner – 49ers.

New York Jets @ Denver – Hopefully someone can stop the Orton to Lloyd connection. Otherwise, this may be a long game for the Jets. The Jets offense is coming along pretty well and Mark Sanchez is making good decisions and not turning the ball over. He’s definitely showing that he won’t be the reason they don’t get to the big game this year. It’s time for the Jets to make a statement game, that will have Ryan talking trash during the press conference. Winner – Jets.

Dallas @ Minnesota – Two teams that need a win. The Cowboys look terrible and the Vikings are struggling on offense. This will be week two of Randy Moss with the Vikings again and it’s at home for the Vikings. This could go either way. I gotta go with the better defense and I think we can all agree that it’s the Vikings. Winner – Vikings.

Indianapolis @ Washington – If I’m a corner playing in this game, I don’t even worry about thinking about the play before. I anticipate that Manning and McNabb will both throw for 325+ yards and neither defense will be able to stop the other teams’ offense. The scoreboard should get a workout during this game, but I imagine that the Colts find a way to win this game late. Winner – Colts.

Tennessee @ Jacksonville – Jacksonville has been playing so well lately. It hurts my hurt that they are going on national TV and they are going to lay an egg. Winner – Titans.



Who you got? Hopefully I can make it above .500 this week.

NFL 2010 Week 5 Wrap Up

Whew,…Week 5 was a tough one.  More close games than I thought.  Let’s see how we did.

Jacksonville @ Buffalo – This is what happens when you bring in Trent Edwards as your backup.  No QB worth his salt would ever want to lose his spot to Edwards.  I will say this again, Garrard is playing as well as I’ve ever seen him play.  Maybe he’s found a way to turn back time.  MJD had a decent game before leaving with an injury, so let’s hope it’s not too serious.  The Bills seemed to perform well with Fitzpatrick at the helm.  Can you imagine that a QB from Harvard is actually playing in the NFL?  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week. 

Tampa Bay @ Cincinnati – Ok, I’m done.  I don’t know if I can continue to pick these guys and get games like this.  It’s almost as if the Bengals feel like they should have won this game by scoring the first TD and then they let up.  Benson had a big game with 144 yards (on 23 carries), but the rest of this team stunk it up (well, excluding TO – 7 catches for 102 yards and a TD).  Palmer had 3 picks against that defense?  I’m done.  Count me as one of those who say it’s over for Marvin Lewis and that they should just go ahead and blow it all up.  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week. 

Atlanta @ Cleveland – It took a while for this one to happen, but the Falcons finally pulled this out.  The Browns played them a lot tougher than I think many thought.  I did like the fact that the Falcons got Turner involved for his 140 yards (on 19 carries), but Matt Ryan’s struggles (the last two weeks) have got me nervous.  The Falcons can say that they are 4-1 though, which is about all you can expect.  We need to watch this team, but they have got to be more consistent.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week. 

St. Louis @ Detroit – Shaun Hill where have you been all of my life?  That’s got to be what the Lions have been thinking since Matthew Stafford got hurt.  This was a blowout of epic proportions.  I’m not even sure that this team could score 44 points on their practice field against the practice players.  Hill was an efficient 21 of 32 (I thought he was better than that) for 227 yards and 3 TDs.  The Lions weren’t able to run the ball but their defense stepped up including an INT (first of his career) by Ndamukong Suh (a defensive tackle for those who don’t know). Inquisitive Mind 3 – 1 for the week. 

Kansas City @ Indianapolis – Oh so close!!!!  The Chiefs came out and played a pretty good game against the Colts, but lost down the stretch.  They made Peyton Manning look pedestrian but their own QB, Matt Cassel looked worst.  I think we can honestly say that this Matt Cassel experiment is the worst thing ever for the Chiefs.  I think Joe Montana and his Sketchers would be a good pick up right now.  Inquisitive Mind 3 – 2 for the week. 

Green Bay @ Washington – It’s hard to feel sorry for people in Green Bay, but I think it’s time we take up a goodwill offering for them.  This team had Superbowl aspirations, but it looks like they won’t have enough players by the end of the season to even dress 22.  Yes, the Redskins are beat up too, but even if they were healthy, many never expected this (except me, ha!!!!).  Redskins escape with a win and the Packers take another loss that’s going to hurt them more than they think as the Bears seem to be running away with the division. Inquisitive Mind 4 – 2 for the week. 

Chicago @ Carolina – Again, I must be on a roll.  The Bears pulled Collins and put in Hanie and let the Hanie Experiment go, except this time, no Charles Barkley.  This was about what you expected out of the game.  The Panthers suck and they showed it on Sunday.  I almost started to feel sorry for Jimmy Clausen, although he did go to Notre Dame.  With the game over, I will say this:  The Panthers need a good #1 receiver (get healthy Steve Smith) and a decent #2 and they will be able to play.  Their defense kept an inept Bears offense in check, but at least they hustled and made some plays.  It didn’t turn into that 44-6 debacle in Detroit.  So, Malik, there is hope for your Panthers, but it just looks very dim right now.  Inquisitive Mind 5 – 2 for the week. 

Denver @ Baltimore – We knew that the Ravens struggled in the passing game, both their own and defending one, but that defense got stops when they needed to.  Kyle Orton threw for 300+ yards again (take that in for a second).  To make matters worse he has thrown for 300+ in 4 out of the 5 games Denver has played this year and he missed the other one by 5 yards (he threw for 295 against the Jaguars).  Joe Flacco, please take notes or something because the Ravens need you in the 240+ yards per game passing area for them to win.  This game the Ravens got 233 yards on the ground, with the majority coming from Rice (133 yards) and McGahee (67 yards).  Where did this version of Brandon Lloyd come from?  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 2 for the week. 

New York Giants @ Houston – Matt Schaub made it out of Houston alive.  The Giants didn’t have the number of sacks that they had against the Bears, but they got to Schaub and just made everyone’s life with a Texans jersey horrible.  Arian Foster looked like an undrafted free agent with 25 yards, and Eli Manning was his brother for Halloween, or at least for this game, with a 27 of 42 for 297 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 INT performance. Inquisitive Mind 7 – 2 for the week. 

New Orleans @ Arizona – Maybe all Fitzgerald needed to do was to not get first downs and keep the Cardinals defense on the field.  The Cardinals defense held the Saints to 20 points and intercepted Drew Brees 3 times to get this win at home.  The Saints are done.  Can you say that?  Done!!  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 3 for the week. 

San Diego @ Oakland – Yes this was a showdown and this underscores the need for the Chargers to get a new head coach.  Yes, in these division rivals, you pretty much can’t bet on a win, but with this game, the Chargers had won the last 13 in a row.  How do you lose to this Raiders team?  I can say that I was happy to see Jason Campbell back on the field looking good.  It helps when you have a running game (Michael Bush – 104 yards on 26 carries and 1 TD).  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 4 for the week. 

Tennessee @ Dallas – This was a dismantling of the Cowboys.  The Titans beat them every which way possible and even when the Cowboys scored to tie the game (celebration penalty), they still had something bad happen to them (Mariani’s big return that setup the last TD for the Titans).  I think you can pretty much cancel the Cowboys playing in the Superbowl in Dallas until the next time they host it.  At least I did predict a big game for Miles Austin.  Dayum Cowboys!!!  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 5 for the week. 

Philadelphia @ San Francisco – Ok, there are only 2 things I can say about this game: 1) Kolb didn’t look that bad (but it was one week, let’s see about next week) and 2) Alex Smith is a starter for an NFL team?  That’s really a question and a statement.  Carr should have been benched.  I think I was excited as the entire Bay Area when I saw Chris Carr start warming up, but Singletary stuck with Smith.  Hey, this might end up being a feel good story if Smith performs well the rest of the season, but in my opinion, we should only be able to see that if Carr gets injured.  In other words, bench that trick!!!!  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 6 for the week. 

Minnesota @ New York Jets – Well, I guess we had it all last night.  The rain, the Vikings forgetting how to block a simple blitz, the Vikings defense playing lights out, the Jets defense playing pretty well themselves, Santonio Holmes reminding people how much of a threat he’s going to be over the rest of the season, Randy Moss playing in his old 84, and another Brett Favre crying episode (before the game).  That pretty much explains it all.  Favre had a terrible time last night doing the easy stuff, like holding on to the ball.  He ended up not only eclipsing the 70,000 yard mark (think about that for a second or two) and the most fumbles (he is now on 161 for his career).  Cromartie played Moss pretty well while Revis looked a little pedestrian and may have re-injured himself.  The Jets snuck this one out and that’s all it’s about.  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 7 for the week. 

Another .500 week?  This is getting pathetic.  I may have to solely pay attention to the day job after a performance like this.  This puts me squarely behind (at 42-34 for the season) half of the crew at ESPN, but we got a long way to go baby!!!!!

NFL 2010 Week 5 Picks

Bad week last week, but you have to be like a corner, you have to have a bad memory.   Let's get it going this week.  Good games are on tap. 

Jacksonville @ Buffalo – On the surface, this looks like an easy win for the Jaguars.  They are going up against a terrible Bills team that is already in rebuilding mode for the next two years.  After beating the Colts last week, this could be a let down game, but I hope not.  Winner – Jaguars. 

Tampa Bay @ Cincinnati – I don’t know what to say about this game.  The Bengals have to start getting some W’s or they are done for the playoffs (already?).  They have to get back to the ground game with Benson and with the Bucs defense not necessarily a good run stopping D, I expect a big game from Benson.  Although I know he’s all Mr. Reality Show now, Ochocinco has got to do something on the football field.  Tampa Bay could sneak this one if the Bengals come out lackadaisical.  Winner – Bengals.   

Atlanta @ Cleveland – The Browns are coming off of their win in the battle of Ohio last week and I’m not even sure who’s starting at QB.  I said last week it shouldn’t matter (I was wrong because they beat the Bengals) and I’ll say it again this week, it shouldn’t’ matter.  The Falcons are slowly trying to turn the corner and get them in the drivers’ seat in the NFC.  With teams like the Packers (injuries) and the Vikings (injuries) holding out hope of a M.A.S.H. unit this is the time to get ahead in the standings.  Winner – Falcons.

St. Louis @ Detroit – This should actually be a good game.  I don’t think that either team is good, but it seems as though both of them are really competing.  The Rams are looking good with a banged up Stephen Jackson and Calvin Johnson could probably catch passes from me and that makes the Lions dangerous.  The Lions are the home team and that’s where I have to go with my pick.  Winner – Lions. 

Kansas City @ Indianapolis – The only undefeated team left in the league and they get the Colts after the Colts got embarrassed last week by Jacksonville.  The Colts defense is struggling with their injuries, while the Chiefs defense has had two weeks to prepare and play the way that they have been playing.  If the Chiefs win this game, they have to be the feel good team of the year.  I know better than picking the Chiefs, but you know what,…I’m riding.  Winner – Chiefs.

Green Bay @ Washington – Will the Packers be able to dress enough starters?  It seems as though everyone is dinged up on this team and over the past two weeks they have had problems closing people out and finishing games.  This is not the game they want to play against a Redskins team that always seems to be one big play away on offense and they are playing decent ball on defense.  If the Packers can run the ball, they will win.  That’s a big IF.  Winner – Redskins. 

Chicago @ Carolina – Let me get this right, Peppers felt that he was mistreated by the Panthers over his contract requests, the Panthers are starting a rookie QB, the Panthers have no running game, the Bears have no passing game with Todd Collins back there (please get Hanie in the game), the Bears have no running game, and people are expected to watch this?  I could actually see this game ending in a 5-0 score.  An opportunity to get the Bears back winning over that debacle from last week and maybe get Cutler healthy.  Winner – Bears. 

 

Denver @ Baltimore – Well, we know the formula to beat the Ravens, and that’s run the ball against them.  Most of the time it works, even though the Steelers lost to the Ravens by executing that same game plan.  The problem is that Peyton Hillis is hurt and we’re not sure who the Broncos are going to trot out there on Sunday to run the ball.  The game is in B-more and the Ravens offense HAS to get clicking.  That means you TJ.  Winner – Ravens.    

New York Giants @ Houston – If I’m Matt Schaub, I really consider wearing a flack jacket from Friday until Monday.  If last week was any indication, the Giants are hungry and they are all about hitting the QB.  The Texans offensive line is better than the Bears that gave up 10 sacks last week, but the Giants have the pieces to at least put up 4 or 5.  Eli Manning may consider a similar type jacket because half of his offensive line is presently being shifted around to fill in the holes.  That doesn’t bode well for him either.  This may be the time for more Brandon Jacobs for the Giants since Bradshaw is a little beat up.  No Andre Johnson for the Texans, gotta go with the….Winner – Giants. 

New Orleans @ Arizona – Lance Moore has already scored a TD.  It’s time for Brees and company to rebound.  After a good game against the Vikings opening weekend, they have almost played down to their competition.  I feel sorry for Fitzgerald having to play with this crew.  The defense is decent, but the offense is horriawful.  Save Fitz!!!!  Winner – Saints.

San Diego @ Oakland – A good ole AFC West Showdown.  The Chargers go into Oakland with a red hot Antonio Gates and hopefully a two headed monster at RB with Tolbert and Matthews (coming back from a bad ankle sprain).  The Raiders are just the Raiders right now.  They don’t instill any fear and Bruce Gradkowski is starting for the Raiders.  Run DMC (McFadden) is out for this game so happy returns to Michael Bush in the Raiders backfield.  The Raiders just don’t have enough offense for this one.  Winner – Chargers. 

Tennessee @ Dallas – The Titans have not been able to run the ball that well and Chris Johnson is looking more and more like he’s barely going to break 1600 or 1700 yards this year (no where near the 2000+ that many predicted).  Dallas has had a week to breathe and make some minor changes to their offense, but more importantly they should be healthy coming in to this game.  I’m still not sold on Roy Williams, but it’s time for Miles Austin to have a breakout game.  Dez Bryant is probably hurting from the $50K+ dinner bill he paid, but he should be playing.  Winner – Cowboys. 

Philadelphia @ San Francisco – Ok, this is it.  The 49ers first win of the season.  I’m not going to say much more but this is their game.  LeSean McCoy is dinged up and will actually be wearing a flak jacket for his ribs.  Kolb is not that good, and I think that we’ll see that this week.  Can anyone get Andy Reid a cab outta town?  Kolb is his guy, right?  Winner – 49ers. 

Minnesota @ New York Jets – Gotta save the best for last.  The Jets have been talking all year long and now with a trade to the Vikings, Randy Moss gets an opportunity to play against the Jets again this year.  Moss will have an opportunity to go after Revis (maybe) and Cromartie who have both talked trash this week about Moss and their ability to frustrate him into ‘taking his foot off the pedal’.  All I have to say is if Revis plays, I expect him to be going long with Moss because Favre is going to test that hamstring.  This is a big game for the Vikings because they need this win, but I will say this again (take a picture):  If the Vikings can play .500 ball until they get Rice back, Shiancoe healthy, Harvin healthy, and then add Moss and AP they will be my pick for the NFC Champions.  Winner – Vikings. 

Who you got?!?!?

NFL 2010 Week 4 Wrap Up

The theme of this week was close games.  If you liked nail biters, you enjoyed Week 4.  Let’s take a look at what happened.  It won’t be pretty for me this week. 


San Francisco @ Atlanta – Whew!!!  I got this pick right, but I have to tell you that I feel for the 49ers.  I mean they have played some great football, but no W’s yet.  They dominated this Falcons team and they came thisclose to getting their first W, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  They held Matt Ryan in check (273 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) and even kept the Falcons ground game under 100 yards.  For the Falcons, these are the types of ugly games you have to win in order to be in the hunt later in the year.  Test passed for the Falcons, moral victory to the 49ers.  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 0 for the week.

Cincinnati @ Cleveland – The Battle of Ohio and the winner is the Browns?  Seneca Wallace got the start for the Browns and he managed this team to a victory.  The Browns seem to have found their key to success and that’s to keep giving Peyton Hillis the ball.  Hillis had 27 carries for 102 yards and 1 TD.  The Browns were also able to stop the run by keeping the Bengals, as a team, to 67 yards.  TO had a big game and a long TD reception, but it just wasn’t enough.  I got the over/under of TO losing it and starting to make his way for his exit out of Cincy at 3 weeks (under).  Inquisitive Mind 1 – 1 for the week. 

New York Jets @ Buffalo – This was a blowout and wasn’t even as close as the 38-14 score indicated.  Funny stat was that Mark Sanchez threw for 161 yards (2 TDs) and LT had a monster game of 133 yards (2 TDs) on the ground.  Add in Shonn Greene’s 117 yards on the ground and this was a TKO by halftime.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 1 for the week. 

Seattle @ St. Louis – Remind me never to pick the Seahawks again.  They showed up in St. Louis and laid an egg.  Sam Bradford looked good while the Rams got a gutted out performance from Steven Jackson.  The Seahawks just looked terrible.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 2 for the week. 

Denver @ Tennessee – Just as I am ready to think that the Titans might be real this year, they put up a performance like this.  This was the first game where the Titans looked like they put it on cruise when they feel they are the better team.  The Broncos showed up and fought to the end with Kyle Orton having another monster game with 341 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT.  That’s twice in the same year that Orton has thrown for over 300.  Denver played well and snuck a win.  Inquisitive Mind 2 – 3 for the week. 

Detroit @ Green Bay – I could almost put Bears jerseys on the Lions and it would have been a similar game to the game from last Monday night.  The Packers were up, but then they started losing steam because they can’t run the ball and the Bears came back to beat them.  Fast forward to this weekend in what should have been a run away win for the Packers.  The Packers were up and then all of a sudden a few penalties, Shaun Hill throwing a few bombs (one to Calvin Johnson) and the Lions were right back in this thing.  If they had another minute in this game,...the Packers would have lost back to back games.  Inquisitive Mind 3 -3 for the week. 

Baltimore @ Pittsburgh – The best game of the week!!!!!  Mendenhall was able to get his 79 yards on the ground but more importantly his 2 TDs, but this was a defensive struggle.  This was a rare occasion where you couldn’t be mad as a Steelers fan for this loss.  Yes it was at home, and it was a division loss, but you’ve gone 3-1 without Big Ben.  The Ravens were happy that Houshamdzadeh finally contributed and I think this opens up their offense a little more.  Baltimore will be dangerous, but I think the Steelers are in the drivers seat in the AFC.  Inquisitive Mind 4 – 3 for the week. 

Carolina @ New Orleans – Looking at the score I would have imagined that Drew Brees and half of the offense didn’t play.  The Saints won this game but they haven’t looked like the team that beat the Vikings on opening night.  It seems as though the loss of Reggie Bush has severely changed what they do.  Yes, Lance Moore is playing well, but something ain’t right.  We’ll need to watch this one a little more.  Inquisitive Mind 5 – 3 for the week. 

Indianapolis @ Jacksonville – I can’t believe what happened.  Yes the Jaguars play the Colts tough in Jacksonville, but this Jaguars team is basically done, so what do they do, go out and beat the Colts.  David Garrard hasn’t looked this good since East Carolina.  He was an efficient 17 of 22 for 163 yards and 2 TDs.  The Jaguars were able to get out on top of the Colts quickly and held on to the win with a 59 yard field goal by Josh Scobee.  What’s wrong with the Colts?  We know they can’t run the ball, but this team looks to be lacking something also.  Inquisitive Mind 5 – 4 for the week. 

Houston @ Oakland – Arian Foster ran just about anywhere he wanted.  He only played 3 quarters due to a benching by his team for the first, and he still managed to get 131 yards rushing and another 56 yards receiving.  The Texans jumped out on the Raiders, but the Raiders did battle back to make this a game.  If they could have stopped Foster, they may have won this one.  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 4 for the week. 

Washington @ Philadelphia – I guess I got my wish, eh?  Vick gets hurt after becoming a sandwich and on trots Kolb.  I think that Andy Reid should have been fired on the spot for insisting that Kolb is the heir apparent for the QB position with the Eagles.  HE IS NOT THAT GOOD.  Am I the only one that sees that?  Kolb performed ok, throwing for 201 yards, but outside of that, he just doesn’t have ‘it’.  At no point in that game did the Eagles team react like, ‘Kolb is in the game, now we’re going to win’.  McNabb had a decent game and the Redskins were able to salt this one away late.  The Philly fans gave McNabb a standing ovation at the beginning of the game (they should have) and Andy Reid gave McNabb a big hug after the game (as he was probably saying, we can jump in the hot tub time machine and go back a few months and not trade you, come with me now).  What will the Eagles do now with Vick probably out for a game or two?  Kolb?  Inquisitive Mind 6 – 5 for the week.

Arizona @ San Diego – This is the Chargers team that I’ve been waiting to see all year long.  These are the type of stats that they should be putting up each game with Rivers throwing for 241 yards (2 TDs), Tolbert (you can really put in any back here) running for 100 yards (1 TD), and Gates receiving 144 yards (2 TDs). In my best Arnold voice ‘Go Chargers Go’!!!!  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 5 for the week. 

Chicago @ New York Giants – This is what I was expecting from the Giants front 4 LAST year when I said that they would knock several QBs out of a few games.  Jay Cutler was sacked 9 times in the first half against the Giants.  Chalk it up to an offensive offensive line and Jay Cutler have sticky fingers (holding on to the ball too long).  Nevertheless Todd Collins entered the game and had an uneventful outing also.  He was retired after taking a bad hit.  Enter Caleb Haine.  At least he survived and for those that look for silver linings, in my humble opinion, Haine is better in this offense than Cutler would be.  If Hanie gets a start or two or some decent mop up duty with Collins injured, he might be the closest thing to Kurt Warner for this Mike Martz led offense.  The Giants ended the game with 10 sacks (3 a piece for Umenyiora and Tuck) and decent performances from both Jacobs and Bradshaw (hold on to the ball fellas).  The Giants may not be dead after all.  Side note: The funniest thing I’ve heard said about this game came from Terrell - ‘after Collins bounced passed the ball to Chester Taylor he cut the TV off’.  The Bulls do need a back up point guard.  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 6 for the week. 

New England @ Miami – Special Teams!!!  That’s all anyone can say.  I think the Dolphins are still wondering how this butt whuppin happened.  In two minutes and 16 seconds the Patriots scored 14 points and from there the route is on.  How does Patrick Chung block a field goal and a punt from the same side of the formation?  You are taught early on special teams (and any offensive line play) to block inside out.  Meaning take away the inside gap from the defender because that’s the fastest way to the QB/kicker. I imagine that that will be ingrained in the Dolphins special teams unit this week.  No catches for Moss and only 50 yards receiving for Brandon Marshall.  Chad Henne looked terrible with his 3 INTs and Tom Brady became the youngest QB to reach the 100 win plateau.  Great game by Davone Best and if you haven’t already, add him to your fantasy team.  Inquisitive Mind 7 – 7 for the week. 

Wow, a .500 week.  Shoulda, coulda, woulda, been better.  All we can do is look forward to next week.  So far the season record is a painful 35-27, and the experts aren’t too far ahead.