2011-12 NFL Week 1 - Thursday Night Recap

What a game!!!!  The Packers and the Saints both played great, with some surprises and this was a great game to start the season off.  The Packers were able to get out of the gates early and take a 14 point lead on the arm of Aaron Rodgers (27 of 35 for 312 yards, 3 TDs) and the hands of Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings.  Rodgers threw for 188 yards and 3 TDs in the 1st quarter. That ended up waking up the Saints and you could see that Drew Brees (32 of 49 for 419 yards, 3 TDs) was slowly getting into a rhythm. 

In the second half Brees seemed to have figured out the Packers defense and it looked like 7 on 7 drills there for a minute.  He marched them up and down the field, but their Achilles heel in this game (and anytime they lose this year) was their defense (and their running game).  The Saints couldn't stop the Packers and the Packers went deep into their playbook, several different formations, packages, and personnel.  The Packers pretty much did everything they wanted (outside of that 3rd and 4 towards the end of the game).  The Saints gained 81 yards rushing as a team last night and that just won't get it, they have to have more balance.  Fantasy owners will love having Brees throw that much, but they aren't going to win the important games if they can't run the ball.

In the end, the Packers defense stop Mark Ingram on a 4th and 1 to end the game.  The 'Game Ball' goes to Randall Cobb and the Packers offensive line.  Cobb returned a NFL record-tying 108 kickoff for a TD and scored another TD on a pass from Rodgers.  The 2nd round pick out of Kentucky looked like he belonged.  Meanwhile the Packers offensive line dominated the Saints.  The line allowed Starks and Grant to both average above 4 yards a carry and they combined for 97 yards and 1 TD.  They also kept Rodgers' jersey clean for the majority of the night.  Great game, but the best part is,......Inquisitive Mind 1 - 0 for the week. 


P.S. - @ Darryl, I'm not saying I told you so, but you were slightly wrong last night.  Since the start of the season has been moved to Thursday nights the previous years Super Bowl winner has won the majority of the games.  Be glad that you didn't bet any real money on the game and giving me 10 points. 

2011-12 NFL Week 1 Picks - Thursday Night

Yes!!!!!!!  we are officially starting the season and we got the Packers and the Saints kicking it off.  Both of these teams are expected to fight each other to represent the NFC in this years Super Bowl.  Let's get down to the picks.

New Orleans @ Green Bay - The Packers are at home and weather shouldn't be an issue (the tundra isn't cold yet).  The Saints spread it out as good as any other team and Brees can get the ball anywhere on the field when he needs to.  With the Saints it's always on the defensive side of the ball as to whether they will be good.  The Packers return almost everyone (especially the starters they lost to injury last season) and Aaron Rodgers is arguably the best QB in the game (yes, I'll argue with you that he is the best right now*).  The Packers just seem to have gotten better and they were pretty good (or lucky, depending on how you see it) last year.  I'm looking for the Packers to start the season off the way they ended it last year.  Winner - Packers.  

*For those that know me and have read here previously, I have not been an Aaron Rodgers fan.  I thought that the Packers were going to rue the day they handed the reins over to him.  I am man enough to say that I was wrong on this and that Rodgers has now put himself in the discussion of being an elite QB in the NFL. 

NFL 2010 Super Bowl Wrap Up

Well, I was partially right, but the Green Packers are your Super Bowl XLV Champions.  This was a great game with two great teams and it came down to a 4th and 5 for the Steelers to have a chance to win the game.

The Packers jumped out early on the Steelers to go up 14-0, and in my opinion (yes, I said this to everyone at the Super Bowl party) it was over then.  The Steelers looked lethargic and almost like they knew they were going to win this game by showing up.  They were able to get hits on Aaron Rodgers, but he never flinched and sat back and kept throwing the ball.  Even with the loss of Driver the Packers wideouts seemed to stay open.  A few more catches by Nelson and the final score could have been a little wider. 

This was truly a great year for the Packers and it showed that they have their organization going in the right way.  The real question is what's going to happen to this team when they get back all of the injured guys that they had this year.  They are definitely going to be dangerous next year too. 

I do have some questions about the game, just from my viewpoint:

1) If you're the Steelers, why wasn't Hines Ward more involved in the game plan, or even Heath Miller for that matter.  I mean these are two of your best pass catchers and on the 4th and 5, you don't even target either one of them (Miller looked open)? 

2) Why all of the Favre talk?  Rodgers did his thing in carrying his team to the Super Bowl and winning and getting an MVP (Favre hasn't won't a Super Bowl MVP, right?), why not just leave it at that?  Yes, Rodgers is good and yes even I doubted his ability to handle this team, but Favre is FAVRE.  No one will break his streak of consecutive starts and only a handful of his QB numbers will be broken (Peyton Manning still has some time).  Favre will (as Cris Carter said last night) go in the NFL HOF and the Packers HOF.  Right now, Rodgers will probably go into the Packers HOF.  That's the difference people, that's the difference. 

3) For those that can't appreciate what Woodson has done for the Packers, please go and look at game film.  He is the most complete corner in the game.  Yes, I said it, write it down take a picture.  He still has the ball hawking skills needed to defend passes, but he also can come up and tackle on running plays or on the blitz.  A lot has been said about Revis, Asomugha, and others but please remember that old Ric Flair saying,...'To be the man, you got to beat the man', and Woodson is that man. 

Congrats to the Packers for winning the Championship ring and the belt.

NFL 2010 Super Bowl Pick

It's been a long two weeks since we've known the Packers would be facing the Steelers in todays Superbowl, but I think that I've finally made a decision about who to pick.  The short of it is, I gotta go with the Steelers and big (10 or more points) for my prediction. 

My reasoning, well let's start here:

QBs - Both Big Ben and Rodgers are good to great QBs.  The biggest thing is Big Ben's experience in this big game.  Yes, you have to win one to get experience, but I don't think that I'm worried about the normally unflappable Rodgers.  I think both of these guys are going to play well but I doubt it comes down to either of them winning the game.  With that said, I have to go with experience. 

Defense - I like the Packers defense because they are able to bring pressure, with the blitz, and they can cover with Williams and Woodson out there.  Like my coach once told me, the quarterback can't throw if he's on his back.  I expect the Packers to get some pressure on Big Ben, but for some reason he doesn't make a lot of bad throws.  As good as the Packers defense is, I just think the Steelers are better.  That 3-4 that they run is nasty with stopping the run and although the Packers' corners are better, I like the Steelers safeties.  Polamalu will be a big difference in this game.

Coaching - Mike Tomlin exudes a confidence that doesn't even border on cockiness.  He's been here before with this team and knows what it takes to be successful.  He directs this Steeler ship and they've won when no one thought they would (first 4 games of the year).  Mike McCarthy has done a great job with getting his team prepared to make the playoffs and then go on the road and dominate the Falcons and the Bears.  I have to think that he will prepare, as usual, but I think that the experience is the factor here.  He's got enough guts to take some chances with the way Rodgers and his defense are playing so that may end up biting him in the butt. 

Keys to Winning (Steelers) - Lots of Mendenhall on the ground to establish the running game, but to also keep Rodgers on the bench.  Look for a few big plays from Wallace and Heath Miller.  The defense will have to find a way to keep these explosive Packers wideouts in front of them and they have to make tackles.  Any misses can easily turn into TDs. 

Keys to Winning (Packers) - Find a way to run the ball.  This Steelers defense is about as dominant as you can get with stopping the run, but the Packers have had success in the playoffs with the threat of the run.  The offensive line will need to protect Rodgers and keep him from taking a lot of hits and sacks.  The Packers defense will have to get some takeaways and make them count (turn them into TDs).  The Packers are going to need another big game from their defensive line (Raji and Jenkins), especially with Legursky starting for Pouncey. 

All in all, I expect this to be a good game.  Two very good teams and the game will be inside so no weather issues to worry about.  Again, I am picking the Steelers and we'll see what happens. 

Who you got?

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 13 Picks

Ok, we started the week off with the Eagles and a win, so let's see if we can keep it up.

New Orleans @ Cincinnati - It's time for the movers and shakers to move and shake.  The better teams (the Saints) are trying to shore up their playoff position in the NFC, while the terrible teams (the Bengals) are quietly doing quarterback and head coach searches.  The Saints are starting to get their backfield in order and healthy and I imagine that the Bengals won't put up much of a fight.  Carson Palmer, this is your audition for your next team.  Winner - Saints.

Chicago @ Detroit - The Bears, as a collective unit should play the lottery because they have been THE luckiest team this season.  They get to go against another 3rd string quarterback in Drew Stanton.  The Bears are positioning themselves to win their division and this is a division game.  The Lions have played well, but I don't think they have enough bullets in their guns to pull off this upset.  Cutler will make this interesting though.  Winner - Bears. 

San Francisco @ Green Bay - The Packers are trying to keep pace with the Bears and they get a softie this week with 49ers coming to town.  The 49ers are without Frank Gore for the year, but they do have Troy Smith who has played well.  I expect that Smith will see lots of blitzes and the Packers have the corners to cover the 49ers receivers.  Both teams are essentially pass oriented at this point and without a decent ground game on either side, always go with the best defense.  This should be a blow out by the Packers, but I think I'll just take a nice win.  Winner - Packers. 

Jacksonville @ Tennessee - The Titans have to do better than last week.  Chris Johnson has to get more than 10 yards.  Jacksonville took an 'L' last week, but this is their bounce back week.  A win here could almost guarantee that the Jaguars will be going to the playoffs.  The pressure is on.  Winner - Jaguars. 

Denver @ Kansas City - Which team will show up?  The Broncos have been playing well, led by Kyle Orton of all people.  The Chiefs have been playing well due to the play of Dwayne Bowe (and to a lesser extent, Matt Cassel).  The game is in Denver and the Broncos normally play well there.  I told the fellas that I would pick the Chiefs, or at least I was leaning that way, but for some reason my hands want to type,......Broncos.  Bad hands.  Winner - Chiefs.

Cleveland @ Miami - Tough game to pick.  Cleveland is the team that Miami should be, a grind it out running team.  Miami will have problems (as do most teams) with Peyton Hillis and a healthy Jake Delhomme.  Somebody from Cleveland has to beat a Miami team this year,....at least once.  Winner - Browns.

Buffalo @ Minnesota - Why do I still like the Vikings?  Favre is declining, AP is coming off  a sprained ankle, and Buffalo has played pretty decently as of late.  The Bills re one dropped pass from beating the Steelers last week.  Maybe the Vikings' defense steps up at home and makes this game tough for the Bills?  Winner - Vikings.

Washington @ New York Giants - This should be an easy game for the Giants.  The Redskins offense is unimaginative and mostly ineffective, but with a wily QB (McNabb) and an opportunistic defense (sometimes), the Redskins COULD win this game, but I think that the Giants are just too good to let that happen, especially at home.  Winner - Giants.   

Oakland @ San Diego - Well the Raiders were hot for a second, but now they aren't even lukewarm.  Somehow this team fell off (maybe the constant switching of quarterbacks can do this you) and I don't see them getting it all back together any time soon.  The Chargers are starting their regular late season push as they are concentrated on making the playoffs after their terrible start.  Antonio Gates will probably play again in this game but he won't be 100%, and even that didn't hurt them last week.  If the Raiders do wake up, this would be the game to do it.  Winner - Raiders. 

Carolina @ Seattle - Two bad teams.  The Panthers have to travel across the country and the Seahawks need a win.  This one should be easy.  Winner - Seahawks. 

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - This one ought to be interesting.  Both teams are playoff bound and this is a division game.  The Bucs have played well most of the season and they will sneak up on you if don't watch them.  The Falcons are one of the most complete teams in the NFL and they will need that balance to beat this Bucs team at home.  Winner - Falcons. 

St. Louis @ Arizona - Derek Anderson ought to try and hit a few more receivers instead of blowing up on the media.  That will be harder with the Rams defense coming at him.  The Rams offense will have some problems with a motivated Cardinals defense.  I have no confidence in anyone the Cardinals put under center, sorry.  Winner - Rams. 

Dallas @ Indianapolis - No Marion Barber for the Cowboys, which may not be a big issue, but the Colts are missing a lot of players too.  The Colts offensive line doesn't allow Manning to get touch most of the time, so it will be up to the Cowboys defensive front to get to Manning.  The Cowboys offense will have to find Dez Bryant again, because he's too good to go catchless in a game.  Winner - Colts. 

Pittsburgh @ Baltimore - If you like football, you should like this game.  Two teams who don't like each other and love show that dislike on the field.  This game is a divisional game and a rematch which the Ravens won earlier in the year.  Normally I go with a split between these teams, but if Big Ben can't move, he'll definitely be a sitting duck.  Winner - Ravens. 

New York Jets @ New England - The game of the week and it's fitting that it's on Monday Night.  The Jets get a chance to get a crack at the suddenly hot Patriots.  The Jets seem to have lost some of their mojo as of late or they actually have stopped all of the talking.  The Patriots are slowly killing teams with Brady making lots of short passes and then every now and then going deep.  The Jets are looking good because they are leaning on the veteran legs of LT, their defense and their QB who isn't turning the ball over a lot.  Tough game to pick, but I gotta go with,.......Winner - Patriots.  

Who you got?

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 2 Picks

We definitely started the season off with a bang with our 7-9 record, so let's see if we can make less noise and some better picks.  

Pittsburgh @ Tennessee – Well Dennis Dixon gets his next test in Tennessee.  We all know from Week 1 that the Steelers defense can get them out of a lot of trouble, but the offense is going to have to step it up this time around.  The Titans will give the Steelers large doses of Chris Johnson, and I imagine that VY is going to have to throw the ball more than 17 times.  This ought to be quite the game.  Winner – Steelers.    

Miami @ Minnesota – Miami travels all the way to Minnesota and I imagine that their ground game will be ready to test the Vikings front 7.  The Saints seemed to run well against them in Week 1 and I think the Dolphins have a more dynamic group of runners.  I hope someone in Minny tells Childress that Chris Johnson got 27 carries in a laugher of a game last week for the Titans,…….give AP his carries!!!!  Winner – Vikings.

Arizona @ Atlanta – After giving away last week’s game to the Steelers, the Falcons are at home and hopefully they’ve implemented more than one pass play and more than 4 running plays or it’s going to be a long season.  The Cardinals can be tough against the run upfront, but I expect the home cooking to work in favor of the Falcons and give them their first win of the season.  Winner – Falcons.

Baltimore @ Cincinnati – When I look at this game, the one thing that comes to mind is that Cedric Benson was the first back in 61 games to get 100 yards on this Baltimore defense.  That’s a gauntlet being thrown down to this defense.  The Ravens on offense looked pretty good with Boldin last week and I expect some more work for Houshmandzadeh this week.  Which receiving core are you going to pick, Ocho and Owens or Boldin and TJ?  Winner – Bengals.

 

Kansas City @ Cleveland – The Chefs, they got their ‘i’ back so I’ll say the Chiefs surprised last week with a pretty good performance by beating the Chargers.  Cassel looked decent and the surprised play from the defense shocked me.  The Browns are already on quarterback number two with Seneca Wallace getting the start.  I can’t say much more about the Browns.  I think this one is closer than most expect, but I imagine that the Chiefs come out on top.  Winner – Chiefs.

Chicago @ Dallas – One team got a W with an asterisk (Bears) and the other got an ‘L’ for not showing up (Cowboys), so something’s got to give.  Hillenmeyer is out for the year with the Bears with a concussion, and DeMarcus Ware is coming back from a mild concussion himself.  What’s the over/under on the number of games Urlacher plays before he gets hurt?  There’s no way the Cowboys let the Bears come in and spoil the home opener for them, right?  Lots of running by the Cowboys and I expect Dez Bryant to show out.  Winner – Cowboys.

Philadelphia @ Detroit – Mike Vick, glad to see you back in the saddle.  The Eagles finally announces that Vick would start (we knew this was going to happen, right?) and he has been practicing with the 1^st team all week long.  Vick should be a lot better prepared and the game plan should be wide open.  Shaun Hill will get the start for the Lions, so I expect that he’ll see a lot of blitzing from the Eagles, but they will double Calvin Johnson (they are smarter than the Bears), so this one may end up being a blowout.  Winner – Eagles.

Buffalo @ Green Bay – The tundra isn’t quite frozen yet, but the Packers are feeling a little sick from losing their starting RB, Ryan Grant, in their first game.  Because of Aaron Rodgers, they can pretty much insert running back X and keep that machine moving.  The Packers defense seems to be close to mid-season form and the Bills don’t have anyone.  Winner – Packers. 

Tampa Bay @ Carolina – Well, Week 2 and it seems as though Matt Moore will start this game, but if he does, I don’t expect him to end it on the field.  We will probably end up with a Jimmy Clausen sighting preparing for his Week 3 start.  Neither team is loaded but I bet against the Bucs last week and lost.  Winner – Bucs.

Seattle @ Denver – I don’t think many people outside of Pete Carroll’s office thought they would play like they did last week.  Is this a sign of things to come or an anomaly?  They go to Denver who may be able to provide them with some issues on the defensive side of the ball, but I’m not sure anywhere else.  I don’t actually believe this, but I’m going with,…..Winner – Seahawks. 

St. Louis @ Oakland – Talk about two bad teams (at least right now).  The Raiders will once again turn to Darren McFadden to see if he can pull the load, which he should against this defense.  Maybe they’ll even open things up a little for Jason Campbell and this one should be over by halftime.  Winner – Raiders. 

Houston @ Washington – This is the test for the Texans.  You come off a game where many thought you couldn’t beat the Colts and now you get a team in the Redskins that everyone expects you to beat.  Are the Texans going to step up?  We know Arian Foster won’t get 231 in this game, but I expect a better performance out of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson.  I liked the Redskins on defense last week and if they can keep that up, this won’t be the cakewalk that many think it will be.  This is the Texans year.  Winner – Texans.

New England @ New York Jets – I love the trash talk.  We all know that Moss plays when he wants and this is probably one of those where he plays.  Revis has a built in excuse with his sore hammy, but this will come down to whether the Pats can protect Brady.  As we saw in their game against the Ravens, they are going to bring it all day.  The Jets are just limited on offense with Shonn Greene (the dropsies) and Sanchez not wanting to complete a pass for more than 9 yards.  Winner – Patriots.

Jacksonville @ San Diego – Chargers, are you ready to start the season yet?  You are already looking up to the Chiefs in your division, and that should never happen.  Jacksonville surprised last week with a decent performance, but I expect the Chargers to be extra motivated after that debacle last week.  Winner – Chargers.

New York Giants @ Indianapolis – I guess this is Manning Bowl Part Deux.  Normally the better Manning should win this game and I think that holds.  Note to insurance agents, if an individual named Bob Sanders applies for any type of insurance, you probably want to deny him, he’s accident prone.  The Colts defense will be okay with Bullitt back there, but Peyton seemed to be already in mid-season form.  I’m just not a believer in Eli.  Winner – Colts. 

New Orleans @ San Francisco – I can already see it, Mike Singletary addressing the media after this game,…’I’d like to thank the Saints for kicking our a$$ like that because it’s something we need to learn from’.  Winner – Saints. 

Who you got?

Al Harris Out?

This is only the second mention in the NFL, to my knowledge about a little used organ called a spleen. It seems as though Al Harris of the Green Bay Packers has ruptured his spleen and will be out for the rest of the season. He actually hurt himself running into teammate A.J. Hawk. First, Chris Simms, and now Al Harris. This will be a big blow to the Packers secondary.

NFL Matchup Week 2

Well we know how my first week of prognostication went, but as they say, it's not how many time you get knocked down, it's how many times you pay someone to knock that other dude out (or something like that). So I'm back for more, here's a look at Week 2.

Tennessee @ Cincinnati - Wow, this is a bounce back week for the Bengals or they can go ahead and close Paul Brown Stadium. The Titans will be without VY and they will start with the statue at QB, Kerry Collins. This may open things up from a passing attack for the Titans, but from a defensive standpoint, the Bengals will know exactly where Collins will be, about 7 yards deep in the pocket (the entire game). I expect the Bengals to pounce on this opportunity to get to .500. Winner - Bengals.

Green Bay @ Detroit - This doesn't sound like a good game for the Lions to show up for. Rodgers looked good last week and the Green Bay D will beat up the Lions receivers all day long. Brian Grant is banged up with a sore hamstring, but I think that I could run for 100 yards against Detroit's defense. Winner - Packers.

Oakland @ Kansas City - Talk about the best of the worst. Neither of these teams did anything last weekend (unless you count the Brady injury, and no it wasn't a dirty hit). Oakland played like a bad Pop Warner team, which is hard for me to fathom because they have talent. Kansas City just doesn't have an O-line and they do have a hurt QB. Plus the Raiders can't play that bad twice, can they? Winner - Push (Raiders).

New York Giants @ St. Louis - The Giants looked good against the Redskins in week 1. I said that Justin Tuck will be a handful for everyone this year. Their D will continue to play well. It's up to Eli Manning to make this offense consistent. St. Louis, I think it's going to be a bad day at the park. Winner - Giants.
Indianapolis @ Minnesota - The Colts lost to the Bears and gave up a lot of yards on the ground to a rookie. The Colts couldn't get anything working on offense because the Bears just blitzed the entire game. The Vikings can't stop anyone through the air. So, if you're in a battle and you had to choose to win in the air or on the ground, which do you pick? Winner - Colts.

New Orleans @ Washington - Well, game 2 into the Jim Zorn era in Washington and it will get better. They played well enough to keep it close with the Giants. New Orleans toughed it out against the Bucs. Washington will be able to stop the Saints on the ground and the Saints won't be able to stop the Redskins. Winner - Redskins.

Chicago @ Carolina - Things looked great for the Bears in the season opener. They got good QB play and 100+ yards on the ground for Forte. This is where the isht hits the fan. The Panthers have a much better defensive front against the run than the Colts. We'll have to see how good that Bears defense really is. The Panthers shocked the Chargers last week, so can they do again? Winner - Panthers.

Buffalo @ Jacksonville - Talk about a sad situation. Jacksonville has gone through 4 O-linemen already and we're just at Week 2. An improved Buffalo D will cause problems for the Jaguars. The Bills have a balanced offense and look for Marshawn Lynch to run hard against a normally stingy Jaguars defense. Winner - Bills.

San Francisco @ Seattle - This one usually means lots of points on the board, but I don't see Seattle being able to keep up. Hasselbeck has a hurt back and Julius Jones is really making people want Shaun Alexander back in Seattle. The 49ers looked a lot better with J.T. O'Sullivan and will continue to flourish. Winner - 49ers.

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay - This will be interesting. Matt Ryan will get his chance for a 2-0 start. This defense will be better than the one that Michael Turner ran through last weekend, so I imagine a rougher game for Ryan this week. The Bucs will start Brian Griese instead of the injured Garcia. Not sure if this is an upgrade or a lateral move. The heart says Falcons, the head says Bucs. Winner - Bucs.

Baltimore @ Houston - This game may be moved due to Hurricane Ike, but if it's played, I expect the weather to be rainy, muddy, and just nasty. Houston lost Ahman Green (remind me not to draft a guy in Fantasy Football who restructures his contract to get paid based on the number of games he plays in during the year). Baltimore will still bring their D and a decent running game to help Flacco. Winner - Ravens.

New England @ New York Jets - Before the season started, this looked like a great game. Now with Brady injured, it doesn't have the shine. This will be a great opportunity for the Jets to establish themselves as the front runners in the AFC East. Matt Cassell isn't the answer. I'm sorry, the dude hasn't won a QB job since high school. The Pats won't be able to keep putting points on the board like they have in the past. Can the Jets sneak this one out? Winner - Jets.

Miami @ Arizona - Should this even be a game? If Arizona doesn't win this game, I'm not sure what they should do. They have a better D, a better O, and they are playing at home. Winner - Cardinals.

San Diego @ Denver - This is going to be interesting. The Chargers are beat up a little physically and mentally after their loss to the Panthers. Denver looked great last week in destroying the Raiders. Cutler looked good and he and Eddie Royal have to be attached at the hip or something. I hate picking against the Chargers, but I have to on this one. Winner - Broncos.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland - Maybe the Browns can invite LeBron to the game? The Steelers looked great last week. Big Ben is a little banged up in his shoulder, but he'll start and he'll play well. The Browns are still reading their clippings from last year. They better show up and play or it's going to be a long season. Winner - Steelers.

Philadelphia @ Dallas - This is the game of the week. Two teams that looked great week 1 and they are both in the same conference. SI picked the Eagles as the Superbowl loser this year. McNabb still doesn't have a great #1 receiver, but it seems as though the team is pulling it off. Dallas, has all of the stars on both sides of the ball. Heart says Eagles, head says Cowboys. Winner - Eagles.

Finished with Favre

Ok, so the word on the street is that you can start shopping for your Brett Favre jerseys in Tampa Bay. I think this is a good fit, but I'm not sure that Tampa is Superbowl bound (and it would be a home game) this year with Favre at the helm. With that said, I'm done with all of this Favre stuff. I will say this though, the Packers organization is terrible. When you have to bring in Ari Fleischer to help you manage this type of situation, it shows a lack of leadership.

Mike McCarthy is an idiot, yes that's a harsh word, but for him to get in front of the cameras and say that Brett wasn't on board with following the path that the Packers wanted to go down (or something to that effect), so he's basically washing his hands of it. No Brett isn't on board with the stupidity that the organization wanted. We all know that he was told that if he wants to play for the Packers he'll go out and hold a clip board and be happy about it. Just not Brett. All of this comes down to one question: Which QB gives you the best chance to win a Superbowl this year? Obviously the Packers chose Rodgers. I guess we'll all see by week 10 when the Packers are out of it already if the right decision was made. Favre had his own hand in some of this lunacy, but at the end of the day it came down to him having his feelings hurt by the organization he's grown up in and loved for years. It happens, sucks, but it happens. Move on, you'll be better for it.

So now, Raymond James Stadium is the place where Favre will make his comeback. They have a decent team with a decent run game and they always field a good 'D'. I think that week 4 game between the Bucs and the Packers is going to be excited. I imagine by that time, Rodgers will have made enough mistakes to have the whole Green Bay Packers fan base rooting against him.

WWFD (What Would Favre Do?)

Well, I am not going to be the first one to say that I am tired of the Favre stuff. I wish either the team or Favre could make a decision so that this will stay off of the news (CNN) and Sportscenter. Will he, won't he, will they, won't they,.....sad on lots of fronts. The root of the problem seems to come down to ego. We all have one (some people have two), but that's what it comes down to. Let's take a look at what's happened.

Favre retires after umpteen years in the NFL. He goes out of the game as a media darling and by some accounts, one of the best QBs to ever play the game. All I will say is that Favre has brought us lots of fun and thrills over his years. He's also brought a lot of heartache with some of his play. He finally got his Superbowl ring when Reggie White was there and I was one of those that was happy for him. He still has the longest running starting streak for QBs, something that means a lot to the guys that have played the game before. So, let's cement him in the HOF and call it a day. Retire the #4 jersey in Green Bay and have him come back to do guest commentary on Sundays.

But wait a minute,....word is Favre wants to play again. I guess being at home with the wife will do that to you (I know that's part of the reason Jerry Rice couldn't just give it up). Favre wants to play for the Packers. The Packers decide, hey this is something we can do,.....but right before the announcement, Favre says, 'that's all folks'. So now you have a team (GM) who is pissed because he may have gone out of his way to bring Favre back (we don't think that Thompson ever wanted Favre back after the retirement, but some executive wrangling changed his mind). So a few months later, we're back at it again,...Favre wants to come back, Thompson with that, we've danced this dance before attitude, decides to put Favre off until he comes back from vacation. All of a sudden you have Favre, his mom, his kids, his agent, sky writers, and such saying that Favre is serious about coming back. So now we're where we are with this story. Favre asks the Packers for his unconditional release because he doesn't feel wanted (after Thompson says that Favre can come back and backup Aaron Rodgers) in Green Bay. Isn't this a daytime soap?!?!?

We all know that the Packers haven't handled this thing well, but they can't be that stupid to just out and out release Favre. Favre could go to Minny and come back to Green Bay and beat their brains in at least twice next year. Or Favre could go to Baltimore (not happening), Chicago (who will he throw the ball to?), Miami (1-15 last year), or possibly Carolina (the best possible fit outside of Minny). I doubt that the Packers let him go. He's part of the thread of Green Bay, eventhough some are turning on him.

So all this really needs is one of those moments from daytime TV where the couple (Thompson and Favre) are locked in a room/elevator/some precarious position and they start talking:

Favre - I told you I wanted to come back and all I really wanted was to be wanted.

Thompson - I've had it up to here with your games. Either you're in with me or you're not. I need to know now.

Favre - But,.....(sobbing) do you really want me? If you do, all you have to do is tell me that you want me and I'll come back to you. What do you want (sobbing and turning away)?

Thompson - Why do you have to make this so hard?,...YES, I want you, I want you to lead my team back to the Superbowl (and win), I want you to keep your place in history without destroying how people see you, and I want it all but I'm not sure if I can agree to bring you back (as he turns around and puts his head into his hands).

Favre - I can be all of the things you want me to be, just give me a chance. Give me my team back and pay Ryan Grant his money and we'll be whole again. I am willing to commit to you for at least 2 years, well maybe 1 year, or at least until I get tired again.

Thompson - How can I turn down an offer like that? Come here and let's seal this deal. I love you.

Favre - I love you too. (each walking briskly toward each other for that final kiss).

And that's where we are folks. Waiting for Thompson and Favre to kiss and make up. Football is a business and the Packers don't do good business by bringing Favre back just to let him sit on the sidelines. Imagine the pressure on Rodgers every series,....if he makes one mistake,...I can just hear the chants now (Favre,..Favre,....Favre!!!!). The Packers can't let him go for free, and I don't think that they'll get fair trade value by sending him somewhere in the AFC. This should all be worked out soon, but for god's sake,.....PLEASE take this off of TV. This is a bad soap opera.